Biology subjects

Ho, V. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Ho, V. W..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

IFNγ-CXCL9-CXCR3 axis links T cell recruitment to skeletal muscle remodelling in human physical frailty

Introduction: Physical frailty is increasingly prevalent in our ageing society, and results in higher morbidity and healthcare costs. Yet, targeted therapeutics are lacking because underlying mechanisms are poorly defined. Human cohort studies have linked inflammation with frailty, but do not define the mechanisms by which the ageing immune system affects skeletal muscle and physical function. Defining this immune-muscle interaction is therefore crucial for identifying therapeutics for human physical frailty. Methods: We first studied two independent human ageing cohorts (discovery n=22; validation n=33). Physical frailty was quantified with age-adjusted timed-up-and-go (TUG) residuals. Peripheral blood was analysed for plasma OLINK proteomics, high-dimensional spectral immunophenotyping and in a subset, single-cell RNA-sequencing of PBMCs with paired TCR profiling. We then examined an independent human skeletal-muscle cohort (n=340) by bulk RNA-sequencing to derive our proposed immune-muscle axis. Finally, we interrogated individual steps of this axis in primary human in vitro models using IFN{gamma}-conditioned myotube-fibroblast co-cultures, PBMC transwell migration assays with CXCL9 neutralisation (anti-CXCL9) and receptor CXCR3 antagonism (AMG487). Macrophage co-cultured with CD8 were sequentially co-cultured with myotube/fibroblast co-culture, supernatant was then analysed for fibrosis mediators. We used fixed-effect meta-analysis, multivariable models and sequential mediation for analyses. Results: Physical frailty, by single-cell analyses, was associated with a compartmentalised immune-remodelling state involving inflammatory, tissue-remodelling and trafficking programmes in myeloid and T-cells. This finding was validated with plasma proteomics of the same human cohort, where physical frailty was significantly positively associated with an interferon-gamma (IFN{gamma})/CXCR3 (IL-18R1, IFN{gamma}, CXCL9) module, within which plasma CXCL9 was the strongest correlate. CD8-TEMRA and {gamma}{delta} T-cells were most responsive to CXCL9 in physical frailty. This expanded CD8-TEMRA compartment was polyclonal, consistent with bystander IFN{gamma} production rather than a shared antigen-specific response. In human muscle, CXCL9 was significantly positively associated with T-cell module, and through this, fibrosis. Conversely, fibrosis was associated with macrophages. Sequential mediation was consistent with a CXCL9-T-cell-macrophage-fibrosis pathway. Finally, in in-vitro human primary cell experiments, IFN{gamma}-conditioned myotube-fibroblast cultures produced CXCL9 and attracted CD8-TEMRA subsets. Anti-CXCL9 and CXCR3 antagonism significantly reduced this migration, indicating that recruitment of CD8-TEMRA cells was dependent on the CXCL9-CXCR3 axis. Incubating with activated CD8 cells shifted macrophages towards mixed CD163+CD86+ and pro-inflammatory CD163-CD86+ phenotypes. These CD8-co-cultured macrophages in myotube/fibroblast co-culture were associated with increased fibrosis markers transforming growth factor beta-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. Conclusion: We identified a CD8-TEMRA T-cell migration to human muscle dependent on IFN{gamma}-CXCL9-CXCR3 axis that is associated with human TUG-defined physical frailty which presents potential therapeutic avenues.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2026

The Human Pleiotropic Map of GWAS Associations and Therapeutic Implications

Genetic support for drug targets substantially increases clinical success rates, establishing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) as central to therapeutic hypothesis generation. However, the same genetic evidence that reveals causal gene-disease relationships simultaneously exposes organism-level safety liabilities--a dimension requiring principled, genome-wide quantification. Here we systematically analyse 100,526 GWAS to yield 789,453 credible sets and gene prioritisations for 15,641 genes, with discovery showing no saturation as GWAS expand and increase diversity. We find that 64% of GWAS-implicated genes are pleiotropic, associated with traits across multiple diseases and showing a non-linear relationship between the degree of pleiotropy and clinical success. Highly pleiotropic genes--concentrated in immune, inflammatory, and oncogenic signalling programmes--are enriched in safety-terminated clinical programmes, mouse lethal knockouts, and cancer driver genes, establishing gene-level pleiotropy as a potential measure of genetically-informed organism-level safety liability. Protein-altering variant (PAV) support amplifies therapeutic signal (OR = 6.0), yet PAV targets show higher average pleiotropy, introducing a competing safety liability. Combining PAV support with intermediate pleiotropy (2-5 therapeutic areas) resolves this tension, yielding OR = 10.3 and relative success = 4.8--a profile already satisfied by 52 approved therapies. As GWAS continue to expand in scale and resolution, these findings lay the groundwork for increasingly sophisticated target discovery strategies that yield safer and more effective therapeutic hypotheses.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Genomic architecture of 5S rDNA cluster and its variations within and between species

Ribosomal genes (rDNAs) are arranged in purely tandem repeats, preventing them from being reliably assembled onto chromosome. The uncertainty of rDNA genomic structure presents a significant barrier for studying their function and evolution. Here, we generate ultra-long Nanopore and short NGS reads to delineate the architecture and variation of the 5S rDNA cluster in the different strains of C. elegans and C. briggsae. We classify the individual rDNA units into 25 types based on the unique sequence variations in each unit of C. elegans (N2). We next perform manual assembly of the cluster using the long reads that carry these units, which led to an assembly of rDNA cluster consisting of up to 167 5S rDNA units. The ordering and copy number of various rDNA units are indicative of separation time between strains. Surprisingly, we observed a drastically lower level of variation in the 5S rDNA cluster in the C. elegans CB4856 and C. briggsae AF16 strains than C. elegans N2 strain, suggesting a unique mechanism in maintaining the rDNA cluster stability in the N2. Single-copy transgenes landed into the rDNA cluster shows the expected expression in the soma, supporting that rDNA genomic environment is transcriptionally compatible with RNA polymerase II. Delineating the structure and variation of rDNA cluster paves the way for its functional and evolutionary studies.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Intermediate Progenitor cells provide a transition between hematopoietic progenitors and their differentiated descendants

Genetic and genomic analysis in Drosophila suggests that hematopoietic progenitors likely transition into terminal fates via intermediate progenitors (IPs) with some characteristics of either, but perhaps maintaining IP-specific markers. In the past, IPs have not been directly visualized and investigated due to lack of appropriate genetic tools. Here we report a split-GAL4 construct, CHIZ-GAL4, that identifies IPs as cells physically juxtaposed between true progenitors and differentiating hemocytes. IPs comprise a distinct cell type with a unique cell-cycle profile and they remain multipotent for all blood cell fates. Additionally, through their dynamic control of the Notch ligand, Serrate, IPs specify the fate of direct neighbors. The Ras pathway controls the number of IP cells and promotes their transition into differentiating cells. The split-GAL4 strategy is amenable for adoption in mammalian systems and would be invaluable in assigning trajectories that stem and progenitor populations follow as they develop into mature blood cells.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Highly efficient transgenesis with miniMos in Caenorhabditis briggsae

C. briggsae as a companion species for C. elegans has played an increasingly important role in study of evolution of development, gene regulation and genome. Aided by the isolation of its sister spices, it has recently been established as a model for speciation study. To take full advantage of the species for comparative study, an effective transgenesis method especially those with single copy insertion is important for functional comparison. Here we modified a transposon-based transgenesis methodology that had been originally developed in C. elegans but worked marginally in C. briggsae. By incorporation of a heat shock step, the transgenesis efficiency in C. briggsae with single copy insertion is comparable to that in C. elegans. We used the method to generate 54 independent insertions mostly consisting of a mCherry tag over the C. briggsae genome. We demonstrated the use of the tags in identifying interacting loci responsible for hybrid male sterility between C. briggsae and C. nigoni when combined with the GFP tags we generated previously. Finally, we demonstrated that C. briggsae has developed native immunity against the C. elegans toxin, PEEL-1, but not SUP-35, making the latter a potential negative selection marker against extrachromosomal array.\n\nSummaryNematode C. briggsae has been used for comparative study against C. elegans over decades. Importantly, a sister species has recently been identified, with which C. briggsae is able to mate and produce viable hybrid progeny. This opens the possibility of using nematode species as a model for speciation study for the first time. To take full advantage of C. briggsae for comparative study, an effective transgenesis method to generate single copy insertion is important especially for functional comparison. An attempt was made previously to generate single copy insertion with transposon-based transgenesis methodology, which had been originally developed in C. elegans but with limited success in C. briggsae. Here we modified the transposon-based methodology by incorporation of a heat shock step, which allows us to achieve a much higher transgenesis efficiency in C. briggsae with single copy insertion. We used the method to generate 54 independent insertions mostly consisting of a mCherry tag over the C. briggsae genome. We demonstrated the use of the tags in identifying interacting loci responsible for hybrid male sterility between C. briggsae and C. nigoni when combined with the GFP tags we generated previously. Finally, we demonstrated that C. briggsae has developed native immunity against the C. elegans toxin, PEEL-1, but not SUP-35, making the latter a potential negative selection marker against extrachromosomal array. Taken together, the modified transgenesis methodology and the transgenic strains generated in this study are expected to further facilitate C. briggsae as a model for comparative study or speciation study.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2018

Establishment of signaling interactions with cellular resolution for every cell cycle of embryogenesis

Intercellular signaling interaction plays a key role in breaking fate symmetry during animal development. Identification of the signaling interaction at cellular resolution is technically challenging, especially in a developing embryo. Here we develop a platform that allows automated inference and validation of signaling interaction for every cell cycle of C. elegans embryogenesis. This is achieved by generation of a systems-level cell contact map that consists of 1,114 highly confident intercellular contacts by modeling analysis and is validated through cell membrane labeling coupled with cell lineage analysis. We apply the map to identify cell pairs between which a Notch signaling interaction takes place. By generating expression patterns for two ligands and two receptors of Notch signaling pathway with cellular resolution using automated expression profiling technique, we are able to refine existing and identify novel Notch interactions during C. elegans embryogenesis. Targeted cell ablation followed by cell lineage analysis demonstrates the roles of signaling interactions over cell division in breaking fate symmetry. We finally develop a website that allows online access to the cell-cell contact map for mapping of other signaling interaction in the community. The platform can be adapted to establish cellular interaction from any other signaling pathways.

cell biology↗