Review
Cell Biology
Faith M. Joseph, Nicolas L. Young
Summary: Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones play a key role in DNA-based processes and contribute to cell differentiation and gene function by adding an extra layer of regulation. Variations in histone sequences within each family of histones expand the chromatin repertoire and provide further mechanisms for regulation and signaling. However, much remains unknown about variant-specific PTMs and their role in regulating chromatin due to limited technologies and appropriate reagents.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Rocio Nunez-Vazquez, Benedicte Desvoyes, Crisanto Gutierrez
Summary: Plants have developed various mechanisms to adapt to abiotic stresses, which involve transcriptional regulation and chromatin modifications. Understanding and manipulating these regulatory networks are crucial for enhancing crop resilience and performance against stress.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Laura Prendergast, Danny Reinberg
Summary: Recent advances in chromatin and epigenetics research have highlighted the significance of core histones, histone variants, and their post-translational modifications in regulating chromatin structure. The role of linker histone H1, which was previously understudied, has come into focus due to its evolutionary conservation, variability in PTMs, and unique functions across different cell types. Contrary to previous assumptions, histone H1 variants are now recognized for their independent roles in various chromatin-based processes, challenging the traditional view of their function solely in chromatin compaction and transcriptional repression.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Pe'era Wasserzug Pash, Gilad Karavani, Eli Reich, Lital Zecharyahu, Zehava Kay, Dvora Bauman, Talya Mordechai-Daniel, Tal Imbar, Michael Klutstein
Summary: Pre-pubertal oocytes are dormant and do not undergo meiotic divisions naturally. Pubertal transition triggers molecular changes and epigenetic events in oocytes. Our study shows that pubertal transition leads to reorganization of oocyte chromatin and elevation of histone methylation levels. Understanding these changes is important for developing methods to mature pre-pubertal oocytes for fertility preservation in young cancer survivors.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Aurelie Etier, Fabien Dumetz, Sylvain Chereau, Nadia Ponts
Summary: Studies have shown that histone post-translational modifications play a crucial role in biological processes of fungi, particularly in regulating primary and secondary metabolisms of filamentous fungi.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dongha Kim, Hye Jin Nam, Sung Hee Baek
Summary: Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression through its catalytic activity and interactions with various protein partners. The function of LSD1 is tightly regulated by diverse post-translational modifications (PTMs). This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the regulation and function of LSD1 following various PTMs and discusses the therapeutic implications of targeting these modifications for human diseases.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jake Yeung, Maria Florescu, Peter Zeller, Buys Anton de Barbanson, Max D. Wellenstein, Alexander Oudenaarden
Summary: scChIX-seq is a novel experimental and computational framework that allows mapping of multiple histone marks in single cells. This method enables systematic analysis of the interplay between histone modifications in individual cells.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Anna Schmuecker, Bingkun Lei, Zdravko J. Lorkovic, Matias Capella, Sigurd Braun, Pierre Bourguet, Olivier Mathieu, Karl Mechtler, Frederic Berger
Summary: The selection of C-terminal motifs contributes to the evolution of distinct histone H2A variants, with cell cycle dependent kinases playing a crucial role. Interference between the functions carried by these motifs led to their mutual exclusion and the evolution of different classes of H2A variants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Karolina Kolarova, Martina Nespor Dadejova, Tomas Loja, Gabriela Lochmanova, Eva Sykorova, Martina Dvorackova
Summary: The disruption of the H2A-H2B histone chaperone NUCLEOSOME ASSEMBLY PROTEIN 1 (NAP1) can suppress the loss-of-function phenotype of FAS1, leading to wild-type growth, decreased sensitivity to genotoxic stress, and suppression of telomere and 45S rDNA loss in Arabidopsis thaliana. This study demonstrates the essential role of NAP1 proteins in DNA repair in the absence of functional CAF-1, which is coupled to nucleosome assembly through modulation of H3 levels in the nucleus.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qiong Wu, Anders E. Berglund, Arnold B. Etame
Summary: Glioblastoma is highly resistant to standard therapies and the durability of response to the best chemotherapy agent, Temozolomide, is often short-lived due to tumor resistance. The need for therapies that can provide synergy to chemoradiation is urgent, as adaptive resistance evolution in GBM is facilitated through treatment-induced epigenetic modifications. Understanding and targeting these epigenetic modifications associated with GBM resistance is a top priority.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Jun-Li Wang, Dong-Wei Di, Pan Luo, Li Zhang, Xiao-Feng Li, Guang-Qin Guo, Lei Wu
Summary: This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms through which epigenetic modifications regulate auxin biosynthesis, demonstrating that complex signaling pathways affect gene expression and subsequently protein production.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Roman Perik-Zavodskii, Olga Perik-Zavodskaya, Yulia Shevchenko, Saleh Alrhmoun, Marina Volynets, Konstantin Zaitsev, Sergey Sennikov
Summary: The expression of AIRE and TSAs genes was found in CD71+ cells, mainly represented by CD71+ erythroid cells, from human fetal liver parenchyma.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Julian Broche, Goran Kungulovski, Pavel Bashtrykov, Philipp Rathert, Albert Jeltsch
Summary: This study revealed that DNA methylation introduced in CGIs can significantly decrease gene expression, and is associated with a global decrease in H3K4me3 and H3K27ac, while being stable at some CGIs. The results highlight the importance of genome-wide molecular processes that protect CGIs against DNA methylation.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Francisco Gimeno-Valiente, Gerardo Lopez-Rodas, Josefa Castillo, Luis Franco
Summary: This review focuses on the interconnections between epigenetics and alternative splicing in the development of cancer. It discusses the mechanisms involved in these interconnections and the potential diagnostic and therapeutic tools that can be derived from them. The reversible nature of epigenetic alterations and the possibility of correcting aberrant alternative splicing offer promising therapeutic possibilities for cancer treatment.
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrew R. Leitch, Lu Ma, Steven Dodsworth, Joerg Fuchs, Andreas Houben, Ilia J. Leitch
Summary: Angiosperm genomes consist of genes and their regulatory regions, repeats, semi-degraded repeats, and "dark matter". This study compares the histone modifications associated with chromatin packaging of these different genomic components in two species with significantly different genome sizes. The results reveal distinct associations between certain histone marks and different genomic features, providing insights into epigenetic profiles and chromatin organization.
Article
Allergy
Cristina Benito-Villalvilla, Mario Perez-Diego, Alba Angelina, Kai Kisand, Ana Rebane, Jose Luis Subiza, Oscar Palomares
Summary: Allergoid-mannan conjugates can reprogram monocyte differentiation into stable tolerogenic DCs through epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming mechanisms, and may play an important role in inducing allergen tolerance during allergen-specific immunotherapy.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Anne Kallaste, Kalle Kisand, Agnes Aart, Kai Kisand, Part Peterson, Margus Lember
Summary: This study followed 123 COVID-19 patients for one year and found sustained antibody levels in moderate and severe patients after one year. Vaccination of patients with mild disease is important to raise antibody levels to a protective level.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Maria Maloverjan, Kaert Padari, Aare Abroi, Ana Rebane, Margus Pooga
Summary: This study reveals that the incorporation of calcium and magnesium ions into CPP-oligonucleotide nanoparticles can enhance transfection efficiency without increasing cytotoxicity. This discovery may contribute to improving the efficacy of CPP-mediated transfection in clinical applications.
Article
Cell Biology
Ahto Salumets, Liina Tserel, Anna P. Rumm, Lehte Turk, Kulli Kingo, Kai Saks, Astrid Oras, Raivo Uibo, Riin Tamm, Hedi Peterson, Kai Kisand, Part Peterson
Summary: Age-related changes in T-cell populations play an important role in immunosenescence. CD8(+) TEMRA cells and their subsets have characteristics of cellular senescence and increase in older individuals and age-related chronic inflammatory diseases. CD8(+) TEMRA proportions correlate with cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody levels but not with chronological age. TRANCE/RANKL levels are associated with differentiated T-cell populations, including CD8(+) TEMRA and its CD28(-) subsets. Deep-amplicon bisulfite sequencing can be used to predict CD8(+) TEMRA cell proportions as a biomarker of immunosenescence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Athanasios Kousathanas, Erola Pairo-Castineira, Konrad Rawlik, Alex Stuckey, Christopher A. Odhams, Susan Walker, Clark D. Russell, Tomas Malinauskas, Yang Wu, Jonathan Millar, Xia Shen, Katherine S. Elliott, Fiona Griffiths, Wilna Oosthuyzen, Kirstie Morrice, Sean Keating, Bo Wang, Daniel Rhodes, Lucija Klaric, Marie Zechner, Nick Parkinson, Afshan Siddiq, Peter Goddard, Sally Donovan, David Maslove, Alistair Nichol, Malcolm G. Semple, Tala Zainy, Fiona Maleady-Crowe, Linda Todd, Shahla Salehi, Julian Knight, Greg Elgar, Georgia Chan, Prabhu Arumugam, Christine Patch, Augusto Rendon, David Bentley, Clare Kingsley, Jack A. Kosmicki, Julie E. Horowitz, Aris Baras, Goncalo R. Abecasis, Manuel A. R. Ferreira, Anne Justice, Tooraj Mirshahi, Matthew Oetjens, Daniel J. Rader, Marylyn D. Ritchie, Anurag Verma, Tom A. Fowler, Manu Shankar-Hari, Charlotte Summers, Charles Hinds, Peter Horby, Lowell Ling, Danny McAuley, Hugh Montgomery, Peter J. M. Openshaw, Paul Elliott, Timothy Walsh, Albert Tenesa, Angie Fawkes, Lee Murphy, Kathy Rowan, Chris P. Ponting, Veronique Vitart, James F. Wilson, Jian Yang, Andrew D. Bretherick, Richard H. Scott, Sara Clohisey Hendry, Loukas Moutsianas, Andy Law, Mark J. Caulfield, J. Kenneth Baillie
Summary: This study used whole-genome sequencing to compare the genomes of 7,491 critically ill individuals with 48,400 controls, and identified 23 independent variants associated with critical COVID-19. The research found multiple genes that are involved in interferon signaling, leukocyte differentiation, and blood-type antigen secretion to be associated with critical illness.
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Petter Brodin, Giorgio Casari, Liam Townsend, Cliona O'Farrelly, Ivan Tancevski, Judith Loeffler-Ragg, Trine H. Mogensen, Jean Laurent Casanova
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeremy Manry, Paul Bastard, Adrian Gervais, Tom Le Voyer, Jeremie Rosain, Quentin Philippot, Eleftherios Michailidis, Hans-Heinrich Hoffmann, Shohei Eto, Marina Garcia-Prat, Lucy Bizien, Alba Parra-Martinez, Rui Yang, Liis Haljasmagi, Melanie Migaud, Karita Sarekannu, Julia Maslovskaja, Nicolas de Prost, Yacine Tandjaoui-Lambiotte, Charles-Edouard Luyt, Blanca Amador-Borrero, Alexandre Gaudet, Julien Poissy, Pascal Morel, Pascale Richard, Fabrice Cognasse, Jesus Troya, Sophie Trouillet-Assant, Alexandre Belot, Kahina Saker, Pierre Garcon, Jacques G. Riviere, Jean-Christophe Lagier, Stephanie Gentile, Lindsey B. Rosen, Elana Shaw, Tomohiro Morio, Junko Tanaka, David Dalmau, Pierre-Louis Tharaux, Damien Sene, Alain Stepanian, Bruno Megarbane, Vasiliki Triantafyllia, Arnaud Fekkar, James R. Heath, Jose Luis Franco, Juan-Manuel Anaya, Jordi Sole-Violan, Luisa Imberti, Andrea Biondi, Paolo Bonfanti, Riccardo Castagnoli, Ottavia M. Delmonte, Yu Zhang, Andrew L. Snow, Steven M. Holland, Catherine M. Biggs, Marcela Moncada-Velez, Andres Augusto Arias, Lazaro Lorenzo, Soraya Boucherit, Dany Anglicheau, Anna M. Planas, Filomeen Haerynck, Sotirija Duvlis, Tayfun Ozcelik, Sevgi Keles, Ahmed A. Bousfiha, Jalila El Bakkouri, Carolina Ramirez-Santana, Stephane Paul, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom, Lennart Hammarstrom, Annabelle Dupont, Alina Kurolap, Christine N. Metz, Alessandro Aiuti, Giorgio Casari, Vito Lampasona, Fabio Ciceri, Lucila A. Barreiros, Elena Dominguez-Garrido, Mateus Vidigal, Mayana Zatz, Diederik van de Beek, Sabina Sahanic, Ivan Tancevski, Yurii Stepanovskyy, Oksana Boyarchuk, Yoko Nukui, Miyuki Tsumura, Loreto Vidaur, Stuart G. Tangye, Sonia Burrel, Darragh Duffy, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Adam Klocperk, Nelli Y. Kann, Anna Shcherbina, Yu-Lung Lau, Daniel Leung, Matthieu Coulongeat, Julien Marlet, Rutger Koning, Luis Felipe Reyes, Angelique Chauvineau-Grenier, Fabienne Venet, Guillaume Monneret, Michel C. Nussenzweig, Romain Arrestier, Idris Boudhabhay, Hagit Baris-Feldman, David Hagin, Joost Wauters, Isabelle Meyts, Adam H. Dyer, Sean Kennelly, Nollaig M. Bourkeh, Rabih Halwan, Fatemeh Saheb Sharif-Askar, Karim Dorgham, Jerome Sallette, Souad Mehlal Sedkaoui, Suzan AlKhater, Raul Rigo-Bonnin, Francisco Morandeira, Lucie Roussel, Donald C. Vinh, Christian Erikstrup, Antonio Condino-Neto, Carolina Prando, Anastasiia Bondarenko, Andras N. Spaan, Laurent Gilardin, Jacques Fellay, Stanislas Lyonnet, Kaya Bilguvar, Richard P. Lifton, Shrikant Mane, Mark S. Anderson, Bertrand Boisson, Vivien Beziat, Shen-Ying Zhang, Evangelos Andreakos, Olivier Hermine, Aurora Pujol, Part Peterson, Trine H. Mogensen, Lee Rowen, James Mond, Stephanie Debette, Xavier de Lamballerie, Charles Burdet, Lila Bouadma, Marie Zins, Pere Soler-Palacin, Roger Colobran, Guy Gorochov, Xavier Solanich, Sophie Susen, Javier Martinez-Picado, Didier Raoult, Marc Vasse, Peter K. Gregersen, Lorenzo Piemonti, Carlos Rodriguez-Gallego, Luigi D Notarangelo, Helen C. Su, Kai Kisand, Satoshi Okada, Anne Puel, Emmanuelle Jouanguy, Charles M. Rice, Pierre Tiberghien, Qian Zhang, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Laurent Abel, Aurelie Cobat
Summary: This study investigates the impact of autoimmunity on COVID-19-related deaths and finds that individuals carrying autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons are at higher risk of death, with the risk decreasing with age.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Kaili Anier, Kelli Somelar, Kulli Jaako, Margret Alttoa, Kerli Sikk, Raul Kokassaar, Kai Kisand, Anti Kalda
Summary: This study found that repeated exposure to psychostimulants decreases the enzymatic activity of TETs in PBMCs. Co-treatment with decitabine can restore TETs levels and modulate immune response after repeated cocaine exposure. These findings may contribute to further research on biomarkers and therapeutic approaches for psychostimulant use.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Keerthana Chithanathan, Kelli Somelar, Monika Jurgenson, Tamara Zarkovskaja, Kapilraj Periyasamy, Ling Yan, Nathaniel Magilnick, Mark P. Boldin, Ana Rebane, Li Tian, Alexander Zharkovsky
Summary: This study found that miR-146b is abundantly expressed in neuronal cells and miR-146a is mainly expressed in microglia and astroglia. miR-146b deficiency leads to anxiety-like behaviors and enhanced cognition, as well as an increase in the number of neurons and a decrease in the abundance of astroglia. Furthermore, it was discovered that the deficiency of miR-146b is associated with elevated expression of the gene Gdnf in the hippocampus.
Article
Immunology
Qian Zhang, Andres Pizzorno, Lisa Miorin, Paul Bastard, Adrian Gervais, Tom Le Voyer, Lucy Bizien, Jeremy Manry, Jeremie Rosain, Quentin Philippot, Kelian Goavec, Blandine Padey, Anastasija Cupic, Emilie Laurent, Kahina Saker, Martti Vanker, Karita Saerekannu, Tamara Garcia-Salum, Marcela Ferres, Nicole Le Corre, Javier Sanchez-Cespedes, Maria Balsera-Manzanero, Jordi Carratala, Pilar Retamar-Gentil, Gabriela Abelenda-Alonso, Adoracion Valiente, Pierre Tiberghien, Marie Zins, Stephanie Debette, Isabelle Meyts, Filomeen Haerynck, Riccardo Castagnoli, Luigi D. Notarangelo, Luis I. Gonzalez-Granado, Nerea Dominguez-Pinilla, Evangelos Andreakos, Vasiliki Triantafyllia, Carlos Rodriguez-Gallego, Jordi Sole-Violan, Jose Juan Ruiz-Hernandez, Felipe Rodriguez de Castro, Jose Ferreres, Marisa Briones, Joost Wauters, Lore Vanderbeke, Simon Feys, Chen-Yen Kuo, Wei-Te Lei, Cheng-Lung Ku, Galit Tal, Amos Etzioni, Suhair Hanna, Thomas Fournet, Jean-Sebastien Casalegno, Gregory Queromes, Laurent Argaud, Etienne Javouhey, Manuel Rosa-Calatrava, Elisa Cordero, Teresa Aydillo, Rafael A. Medina, Kai Kisand, Anne Puel, Emmanuelle Jouanguy, Laurent Abel, Aurelie Cobat, Sophie Trouillet-Assant, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Jean-Laurent Casanova
Summary: In a study of 279 international patients with hypoxemic influenza pneumonia, 4.6% of patients were found to have autoantibodies neutralizing IFN-alpha and/or -omega, which may contribute to life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia and severe adverse reactions to yellow fever vaccine. These antibodies increased influenza virus replication and were more prevalent in patients under 70 years old compared to the general population. Patients with high concentrations of both IFN-alpha 2 and IFN-omega antibodies had the highest risk of critical influenza.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Hannah F. Bradford, Liis Haljasmagi, Madhvi Menon, Thomas C. R. McDonnell, Karita Sarekannu, Martti Vanker, Part Peterson, Chris Wincup, Rym Abida, Raquel Fernandez Gonzalez, Vincent Bondet, Darragh Duffy, David A. Isenberg, Kai Kisand, Claudia Mauri
Summary: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients often exhibit increased expression of type I interferon (IFN)-regulated genes. In our study of 501 SLE patients, we found that 73 (14%) had autoantibodies against IFN-alpha (anti-IFN-Abs). The presence of neutralizing anti-IFN-Abs in 4.2% of patients correlated with low IFN-alpha protein levels, inhibition of IFN-I downstream gene signatures, and inactive disease score. These neutralizing anti-IFN-Abs were found to play a role in controlling SLE pathogenesis, specifically in regulating B cell populations.
CELL REPORTS MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ly Porosk, Heleri Heike Haerk, Piret Arukuusk, Uku Haljasorg, Part Peterson, Kaido Kurrikoff
Summary: mRNA-based therapeutics have great potential as preventive vaccines, but the challenge lies in delivering mRNA to non-hepatic tissues, such as the spleen and lymph nodes, in order to transition from preventive to therapeutic vaccines. This study discovered new cell-penetrating peptides NF424 and NF436 that can selectively deliver mRNA to the spleen without the need for active targeting mechanisms. The majority of mRNA expression occurs in dendritic cells within the spleen, making NF424 and NF436 promising candidates for cancer immunotherapeutic applications with tumor antigens.
Article
Cell Biology
Paul Naaber, Liina Tserel, Kadri Kangro, Marite Punapart, Epp Sepp, Virge Jurjenson, Jaanika Karner, Liis Haljasmagi, Uku Haljasorg, Marilin Kuusk, Eve Sankovski, Anu Planken, Mart Ustav, Eva Zusinaite, Joachim M. Gerhold, Kai Kisand, Part Peterson
Summary: This study conducted a longitudinal analysis on 111 vaccinated individuals and found that the third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine restores high levels of blocking antibodies and enhances T cell responses to the Omicron variant.
CELL REPORTS MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Anni Lepland, Alessio Malfanti, Uku Haljasorg, Eliana K. Asciutto, Monica Pickholz, Mauro Bringas, Snezana Dordevic, Liis Salumae, Paert Peterson, Tambet Teesalu, Maria J. Vicent, Pablo Scodeller
Summary: This study developed a novel TAM-depleting agent and demonstrated its efficacy in a triple-negative breast cancer mouse model. The agent specifically targets CD206+ TAMs and does not show acute liver or kidney toxicity in vivo. Treatment with this agent showed potential benefits in reducing tumor progression and modulating the immune system. This research represents a novel design of a peptide-targeted nanotherapeutic for TAM depletion.
CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)