Biology subjects

Steele, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Steele, C..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Loss of neurofibromin alters adult metabolism via effects during a developmental critical period

Metabolic alterations commonly accompany neurodevelopmental disorders and may contribute to their pathophysiology. Neurofibromatosis type 1 (OMIM 162200) is a genetic disorder that results from mutations in the NF1 gene and its encoded neurofibromin protein (Nf1). The disorder is multisystemic, affecting multiple aspects of development, physiology, and brain function. In addition, recent evidence suggests that Nf1 deficiency alters metabolic function in both humans and animal models. Whether the metabolic alterations result from changes in neurodevelopment is not known. Here we approach this question in Drosophila melanogaster, which expresses a conserved NF1 gene, exhibits phenotypes reminiscent of the human disease, and shares key developmental mechanisms with humans. Flies with nf1 mutations or RNAi-mediated knockdown exhibit altered metabolism in adulthood. Conditional Nf1 inactivation revealed that the adult metabolic phenotype resulted from loss of Nf1 in neurons during a developmental critical period (third instar larva/pupa), which corresponded to the period of nervous system maturation. Prior to the developmental critical period, nf1 mutants did not exhibit metabolic difference - rather, the metabolic alterations appeared only after the critical period. This suggests that the adult phenotype results from the onset of the developmental alteration during the critical period. High-resolution respirometry on adult mitochondria revealed no differences in complex I/II function or fatty acid oxidation between nf1 mutants and controls, suggesting that the metabolic alterations localize upstream of the electron transport chain at the cellular level. Overall, these data suggest that loss of Nf1 alters adult metabolism via effects during a critical period of nervous system development.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Regulation of PDGF-BB Signaling in Placental Pericytes by Soluble PDGFRβ Isoforms: Implications for Fetoplacental Vascular Development

ABSTRACT/SUMMARYVascular remodeling within the developing fetus and placenta is essential for supporting the growth and function of emerging tissues and organs. Pericytes (PCs) play a central role in stabilizing and maturing microvascular networks by extending along endothelial cells (ECs) and reinforcing vessel integrity. In the placenta, as in other organs, PC-EC communication is mediated in part by platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) signaling, which governs PC differentiation, proliferation, migration, and survival, ultimately enabling their recruitment and retention along capillaries. In this study, we identified progressive PC investment along feto-placental capillaries in both murine and human tissues across gestation, supported by morphological and molecular evidence. Placental PCs displayed phenotypic heterogeneity comparable to that observed in the brain and heart, suggesting conserved diversity across organ systems. In addition to characterizing PC dynamics, we examined the expression of recently identified soluble PDGF Receptor-{beta} (sPDGFR{beta}) isoforms. These variants were detected at the protein and transcript levels in mouse and human placentas, as well as in a murine trophoblast-embryonic stem cell (TESC) differentiation model that recapitulates aspects of early placental vascular development. Within this model, sPDGFR{beta} expression was independent of ADAM10 activity and exogenous growth factors during early vessel formation but was markedly upregulated during hypoxia. To assess how elevated sPDGFR{beta} might influence PDGF-BB signaling, we exposed TESCl-derived vascular networks to excess PDGF-BB with or without a sPDGFR{beta} mimetic. PDGF-BB alone reduced full-length PDGFR{beta} levels while increasing receptor phosphorylation, consistent with known ligand-induced regulatory mechanisms. Inclusion of the sPDGFR{beta} mimetic shifted these responses toward baseline, suggesting a potential modulatory or feedback role for soluble receptor variants. Together, these findings demonstrate that PCs are progressively recruited to placental capillaries and exhibit diverse phenotypes during development, and that soluble PDGFR{beta} isoforms may modulate PDGF-BB signaling in a manner sensitive to oxygen tension. Understanding these mechanisms provides insight into the regulation of placental vascular maturation and may inform strategies to improve human health by targeting disorders rooted in impaired placental development.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Intermittent Cytomegalovirus Infection Alters Neurobiological Metabolism and Induces Cognitive Deficits in Mice

Risk factors contributing to dementia are multifactorial. Pathogens as risk factors for dementia is largely correlative with few causal relationships. Here, we demonstrate that intermittent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in mice, mimicking human chronic infection and reactivation/reinfection events, alters blood brain barrier (BBB) metabolic pathways. An increase in basal mitochondrial function is observed in brain microvasculature endothelial cells (BMEC) at 12 months post infection but not at earlier time points and is accompanied by elevated levels of superoxide, indicative of oxidative stress. Further, these mice score lower in cognitive assays as compared to age-matched controls. Our data show that repeated systemic infection with CMV, alters BBB metabolic function and impacts cognition. These observations provide mechanistic insights through which pathogens contribute to the progression of pathologies associated with dementia. In BriefMechanistic evidence supporting an infectious etiology of dementia (e.g. Alzheimers Disease) are poorly defined. Harrison et al., show that intermittent infection with cytomegalovirus metabolically rewires the blood brain barrier and neighboring glial cells altering their function, resulting in decreased cognitive function.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics Deconvolutes Histological Prognostic Subgroups in Patients with Colorectal Cancer and Synchronous Liver Metastases

BackgroundPatients demonstrating strong immune responses to primary colorectal cancer (CRC) have a survival benefit following surgery, while those with predominantly stromal microenvironments do poorly. Biomarkers to identify patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) who have good prognosis following surgery for oligometastatic disease remain elusive. The aim of this study was to determine the practical application of a simple histological assessment of immune cell infiltration and stromal content in predicting outcome following synchronous resection of primary CRC and CRLM, and to interrogate the underlying functional biology that drives disease progression. MethodsPatients undergoing synchronous resection of primary CRC and CRLM underwent detailed histological assessment, panel genomic and bulk transcriptomic assessment, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and GeoMx Spatial Transcriptomics (ST) analysis. Integration with genomic features, pathway enrichment analysis and immune deconvolution were performed. ResultsHigh-immune metastases were associated with improved cancer specific survival (HR, 0.36, P=0.01). Bulk transcriptomic analysis was confounded by stromal content but ST demonstrated that the invasive edge of the metastases of long-term survivors was characterized by adaptive immune cell populations enriched for Type II Interferon signalling (NES=-2.05 P.Adj<0.005) and MHC-Class II Antigen Presentation (NES=-2.09 P.Adj<0.005). In contrast, patients with poor prognosis demonstrated increased abundance of regulatory T-cells and neutrophils with enrichment of Notch (NES=2.2 P.Adj=0.022) and TGF-{beta} (NES=2.2 P.Adj=0.02) signalling pathways at the metastatic tumor centre. ConclusionsHistological assessment stratifies outcome in patients undergoing synchronous resection of CRLM. ST analysis reveals significant intra-tumoral and inter-lesional heterogeneity with underlying transcriptomic programmes identified in driving each phenotype. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCEThe current study demonstrates that accurate histological assessment of immune cell infiltration and stromal content can define survival in patients following resection of oligometastatic liver disease when presenting synchronously with primary colorectal cancer. A spatial transcriptomic approach has demonstrated heterogeneity between patients, between matched lesions in the same patient and within individual lesions. Patients with high immune infiltrates at the invasive margin demonstrated lymphocytic infiltration and associated upregulated adaptive immune pathways in long term survivors. In specimens with low immune infiltrate at the tumor edge a significant reduction in survival was observed, this was determined by upregulated immunosuppressive pathways and a predominance of innate immune cells surrounding metastases. Spatial transcriptomics can be used to examine drivers of metastatic progression in CRC and identifies patients with reactive and suppressed immune microenvironments. Application across a larger cohort will build the cartography of CRLM, while in future, studies may assess application of this technology to pre and post treatment biopsy samples with the aim of predicting individual therapeutic responses. The current study has highlighted discrepancies between bulk and ST derived data whilst demonstrating accuracy of deconvoluted transcriptome to determine immune profiling. Now that ST strategies are becoming more achievable at scale, this has implications for the interpretation of the bulk transcriptomic signatures both of primary and metastatic CRC.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Microstructural variation in the human striatum using non-negative matrix factorization

The striatum is a major subcortical connection hub that has been heavily implicated in a wide array of motor and cognitive functions. Here, we developed a normative multimodal, data-driven microstructural parcellation of the striatum using multiple magnetic resonance imaging-based metrics (mean diffusivity, fractional anisotropy, and the ratio between T1- and T2-weighted structural) from the Human Connectome Project Young Adult dataset (n=329 unrelated participants, age range: 22-35, F/M: 185/144). We further explored the biological and functional relationships of this parcellation by relating our findings to motor and cognitive performance in tasks known to involve the striatum as well as demographics. We identified 5 spatially distinct striatal components, for each hemisphere. We also show the gain in component stability when using multimodal versus unimodal metrics. Our findings suggest distinct microstructural patterns in the human striatum that are largely symmetric and that relate mostly to age and sex. Our work also highlights the putative functional relevance of these striatal components to different designations based on a Neurosynth meta-analysis.

neuroscience↗