Biology subjects

O'Neal, W. K.

Publications and source records attributed to O'Neal, W. K..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

A model of persistent post SARS-CoV-2 induced lung disease for target identification and testing of therapeutic strategies

COVID-19 survivors develop post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), but the mechanistic basis of PASC-associated lung abnormalities suffers from a lack of longitudinal samples. Mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 MA10 produces an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in mice similar to humans. To investigate PASC pathogenesis, studies of MA10-infected mice were extended from acute disease through clinical recovery. At 15-120 days post-virus clearance, histologic evaluation identified subpleural lesions containing collagen, proliferative fibroblasts, and chronic inflammation with tertiary lymphoid structures. Longitudinal spatial transcriptional profiling identified global reparative and fibrotic pathways dysregulated in diseased regions, similar to human COVID-19. Populations of alveolar intermediate cells, coupled with focal upregulation of pro-fibrotic markers, were identified in persistently diseased regions. Early intervention with antiviral EIDD-2801 reduced chronic disease, and early anti-fibrotic agent (nintedanib) intervention modified early disease severity. This murine model provides opportunities to identify pathways associated with persistent SARS-CoV-2 pulmonary disease and test countermeasures to ameliorate PASC.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Leveraging TOPMed Imputation Server and Constructing a Cohort-Specific Imputation Reference Panel to Enhance Genotype Imputation among Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a severe genetic disorder that can cause multiple comorbidities affecting the lungs, the pancreas, the luminal digestive system and beyond. In our previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we genotyped [~]8,000 CF samples using a mixture of different genotyping platforms. More recently, the Cystic Fibrosis Genome Project (CFGP) performed deep ([~]30x) whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 5,095 samples to better understand the genetic mechanisms underlying clinical heterogeneity among CF patients. For mixtures of GWAS array and WGS data, genotype imputation has proven effective in increasing effective sample size. Therefore, we first performed imputation for the [~]8,000 CF samples with GWAS array genotype using the TOPMed freeze 8 reference panel. Our results demonstrate that TOPMed can provide high-quality imputation for CF patients, boosting genomic coverage from [~]0.3 - 4.2 million genotyped markers to [~]11 - 43 million well-imputed markers, and significantly improving Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) prediction accuracy. Furthermore, we built a CF-specific CFGP reference panel based on WGS data of CF patients. We demonstrate that despite having [~]3% the sample size of TOPMed, our CFGP reference panel can still outperform TOPMed when imputing some CF disease-causing variants, likely due to allele and haplotype differences between CF patients and general populations. We anticipate our imputed data for 4,656 samples without WGS data will benefit our subsequent genetic association studies, and the CFGP reference panel built from CF WGS samples will benefit other investigators studying CF.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2021

Hyperconcentrated Mucus Unifies Submucosal Gland and Superficial Airway Dysfunction in Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by abnormal transepithelial ion transport. However, a description of CF lung disease pathophysiology unifying superficial epithelial and submucosal gland (SMG) dysfunctions has remained elusive. We hypothesized that biophysical abnormalities associated with CF mucus hyperconcentration provide a unifying mechanism. Studies of the anion secretion-inhibited pig airway CF model revealed elevated SMG mucus concentrations, osmotic pressures, and SMG mucus accumulation. Human airway studies revealed hyperconcentrated CF SMG mucus with raised osmotic pressures and cohesive forces predicted to limit SMG mucus secretion/release. Utilizing proline-rich protein 4 (PRR4) as a biomarker of SMG secretion, proteomics analyses of CF sputum revealed markedly lower PRR4 levels compared to healthy and bronchiectasis controls, consistent with a failure of CF SMGs to secrete mucus onto airway surfaces. Raised mucus osmotic/cohesive forces, reflecting mucus hyperconcentration, provide a unifying mechanism that describes disease-initiating mucus accumulation on airway surfaces and within SMGs of the CF lung.

pathology↗