bioRxiv Science⌕ Search

Biology subjects

Commes, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Commes, T..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

The ganglioside GD3 and its Synthase (ST8SIA1) as novel senescence markers associated with osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), is the most common age-induced degenerative joint disease. It is associated with synovial inflammation, subchondral bone remodeling and cartilage degradation. One of the significant emerging causes of OA progression is senescent cell accumulation within the joint compartment during lifespan. Currently, there are no therapeutic approaches nor stratification tools that rely on the senescence burden in OA. In this study, we identified the b-series ganglioside 3 (GD3) as new senescent cell surface marker associated with OA. Joint RNA sequencing analysis revealed an increase expression of the GD3 synthase, ST8SIA1 in cartilage, synovial tissue, and subchondral bone marrow from OA patients compared to healthy donors. Moreover, we revealed a strong correlative association between the expression of ST8SIA1 and GD3 production with senescence hallmarks in an in vitro-induced 3D organotypic OA cartilage model but also with cartilage histological grading scores in human and preclinical murine OA joints. Anti-GD3 cell sorting showed that GD3-positive human OA chondrocytes or human OA synoviocytes are enriched in senescence and SASP markers compared to GD3-negative counterparts confirming that GD3 is a cell surface marker linked to the senescence stage. Intra-articular anti-GD3 antibody delivery in experimental OA model, reduced local expression of senescence and OA markers in association with a protection against OA-induced subchondral bone remodeling. Our research demonstrates a compelling linkage between ST8SIA1 gene, GD3 and senescence in OA pathology, revealing knowledge and perspectives for a better understanding and anti-senescence treatment of OA pathogenesis.

cell biology↗

Comparing machine learning models for predicting mutation status in Acute Myeloid Leukemia patients using RNA-seq data

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a highly heterogeneous disease. The current AML classifications are based mainly on molecular markers, including cytogenetics features, fusion genes, and the presence or absence of mutations. In this study, we investigated mutation status in AML patients through RNA-seq data in link with differential gene expression. We applied seven machine learning algorithms to identify the presence or absence of NPM1, IDH1/IDH2, and FLT3-ITD mutations, reaching 95%, 93%, and 87% accuracy, respectively. In each case, the best performing models were complex models, suggesting highly complex biological processes at work behind AML.

bioinformatics↗

Exploring a large cancer cell line RNA-sequencing dataset with k-mers

Analyzing the immense diversity of RNA isoforms in large RNA-seq repositories requires laborious data processing using specialized tools. Indexing techniques based on k-mers have previously been effective at searching for RNA sequences across thousands of RNA-seq libraries but falling short of enabling direct RNA quantification. We show here that RNAs queried in the form of k-mer sets can be quantified in seconds, with a precision akin to that of conventional RNA quantification methods. We showcase several applications by exploring an index of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) collection consisting of 1019 RNA-seq samples. Non-reference RNA sequences such as RNAs harboring driver mutations and fusions, splicing isoforms or RNAs derived from repetitive elements, can be retrieved with high accuracy. Moreover, we show that k-mer indexing offers a powerful means to reveal variant RNAs induced by specific gene alterations, for instance in splicing factors. A web server allows public queries in CCLE and other indexes: https://transipedia.fr. Code is provided to allow users to set up their own server from any RNA-seq dataset.

bioinformatics↗

Kmerator Suite: design of specific k-mer signatures andautomatic metadata discovery in large RNA-Seq datasets.

The huge body of publicly available RNA-seq libraries is a treasure of functional information allowing to quantify the expression of known or novel transcripts in tissues. However, transcript quantification commonly relies on alignment methods requiring a lot of computational resources and processing time, which does not scale easily to large datasets. K-mer decomposition constitutes a new way to process RNA-seq data for the identification of transcriptional signatures, as k-mers can be used to quantify accurately gene expression in a less resource-consuming way. We present the Kmerator Suite, a set of three tools designed to extract specific k-mer signatures, quantify these k-mers into RNA-seq datasets and quickly visualize large datasets characteristics. The core tool, Kmerator, produces specific k-mers for 97% of human genes, enabling the measure of gene expression with high accuracy in simulated datasets. KmerExploR, a direct application of Kmerator, uses a set of predictor genes specific k-mers to infer metadata including library protocol, sample features or contaminations from RNA-seq datasets. KmerExploR results are visualised through a user-friendly interface. Moreover, we demonstrate that the Kmerator Suite can be used for advanced queries targeting known or new biomarkers such as mutations, gene fusions or long non coding-RNAs for human health applications.

bioinformatics↗

Recurrent genetic abnormalities in human pluripotent stem cells: definition and routine detection in culture supernatant by targeted droplet digital PCR

Genomic integrity of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is essential for research and clinical applications. However, genetic abnormalities can accumulate during hPSC generation and routine culture and following gene editing. Their occurrence should be routinely monitored, but the current assays to assess hPSC genomic integrity are not fully suitable for suchregular screening. To address this issue, we first carried out a large meta-analysis of all hPSC genetic abnormalities reported in more than 100 publications and identified 738 recurrent genetic abnormalities (i.e., overlapping abnormalities found in at least five distinct scientific publications). We then developed a test based on the droplet digital PCR technology that can potentially detect 94.3% of these hPSC recurrent genetic abnormalities in DNA extracted from culture supernatant samples. This test can be used to routinely screen genomic integrity in hPSCs.

cell biology↗

Exhaustive capture of biological variation in RNA-seq data through k-mer decomposition

Each individual cell produces its own set of transcripts, which is the combined result of genetic variation, transcription regulation and post-transcriptional processing. Due to this combinatorial nature, obtaining the exhaustive set of full-length transcripts for a given species is a never-ending endeavor. Yet, each RNA deep sequencing experiment produces a variety of transcripts that depart from the reference transcriptome and should be properly identified. To address this challenge, we introduce a k-mer-based software protocol for capturing local RNA variation from a set of standard RNA-seq libraries, independently of a reference genome or transcriptome. Our software, called DE-kupl, analyzes k-mer contents and detects k-mers with differential abundance directly from the raw data files, prior to assembly or mapping. This enables to retrieve the virtually complete set of unannotated variation lying in an RNA-seq dataset. This variation is subsequently assigned to biological events such as differential lincRNAs, antisense RNAs, splice and polyadenylation variants, introns, expressed repeats, and SNV-harboring or exogenous RNA. We applied DE-kupl to public RNA-seq datasets, including an Epythelial-Mensenchymal Transition model and different human tissues. DE-kupl identified abundant novel events and showed excellent reproducibility when applied to independent deep sequencing experiments. DE-kupl is a new paradigm for analyzing differential RNA-seq data with no preconception on target events, which can also provide fresh insights into existing RNA-seq repositories.

bioinformatics↗