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Suzuki, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Suzuki, M..

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Glutathione supersulphide regulates T-cell receptor signalling

Immunometabolism regulates functions and fates of immune cells including T cells. Supersulphides, which are universal metabolites containing catenated sulphur atoms, have various physiological functions based on their unique redox properties. Here we found that activation of T-cell receptor (TCR) signalling was accompanied by supersulphide decrease, which suggests a regulatory contribution of sulphur metabolism to immune function. Consistently, inhibiting supersulphide synthesis facilitated TCR activation and exacerbated allergen-induced type 2 inflammation in mice. Supplementation with glutathione trisulphide (GSSSG), a major endogenous supersulphide, suppressed TCR signalling in naive CD4+ T cells and their differentiation and effectively alleviated the inflammation. Docking simulation revealed interaction of GSSSG with CD3{varepsilon} chain in the TCR/CD3 complex, which was supported by mass spectrometry detection of persulphidated glutathionylation at a functionally important CXXC motif of CD3{varepsilon} chain. This study identified a new post-translational modification with supersulfides and demonstrated a critical contribution of sulphur metabolism to TCR signalling regulation.

biochemistry↗

Group composition and its ontogenetic changes in marine pelagic fishes

Group living is a widespread phenomenon among animals and an important trait in fishes. Understanding group composition and its dynamics is fundamental for elucidating ecological and evolutionary processes in natural populations of gregarious animal species, including fishes, but our knowledge of group composition in marine fishes is limited. Here, we examined group composition and its ontogenetic change in two marine fishes, Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) and chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus). We found that, at the juvenile stage, groups were composed of individuals with similar body length, age, and growth history. At the sub-adult stage, although body length within a group remained similar, the within-group similarity in age and growth history decreased, approaching the level expected when groups were randomly composed. Therefore, during the early life history, individuals form groups with those spawned at approximately the same time and place (i.e., those from the same batch). As they develop, however, individuals of various origins intermingle and selectively form groups with others exhibiting similar phenotypes. We further found that environmental and geographical factors were also related to the body size and age of individuals distributed. This indicates that Japanese sardine and chub mackerel exhibit phenotype-specific and growth-stage-specific habitat use, which also contributes to the formation and maintenance of structured groups. Our findings provide valuable information on group composition, its ontogenetic change, and its underlying mechanisms in marine fishes, for which the information is limited. These insights may help to clarify ecological and evolutionary processes such as population dynamics, density-dependent phenomena, and the evolution of grouping behaviour in small pelagic fishes.

ecology↗

Compromised actin dynamics underlie the orofacial cleft in Baraitser-Winter Cerebrofrontofacial Syndrome with a variant in ACTB

Craniofacial anomalies encompassing the orofacial cleft are associated with >30% of systemic congenital malformations. Baraitser-Winter Cerebrofrontofacial syndrome (BWCFF) is a rare genetic disorder attributed to variants in the actin beta (ACTB) or actin gamma genes that are correlated with a range of craniofacial abnormalities, including cleft lip and/or palate. The underlying pathological mechanism of BWCFF remains elusive, and it is necessary to investigate the etiology of orofacial clefts in BWCFF. In this study, we identified a missense variant (c.1043C>T: p.S348L) in the ACTB gene from a patient with BWCFF and concomitant cleft lip and palate. Furthermore, we performed functional assessments of this variant using various disease models such as the MDCK cell line and Xenopus laevis. These models revealed a compromised capacity of mutated ACTB to localize at the epithelial junction, consequently affecting the behavior of epithelial cells. Additionally, we made the noteworthy discovery that mutated ACTB exhibited an impaired ability to bind PROFILIN1, a critical factor in actin polymerization. This defective ability may contribute to the molecular etiology of aberrant epithelial cell adhesion and migration, resulting in orofacial cleft formation in BWCFF. Author SummaryAdvances in clinical sequencing have rapidly elucidated the genetic basis of rare diseases affecting multiple organs. In this study, we investigate the role of a variant in the ACTB gene, which is fundamental to cell structure, in causing orofacial clefts in the Baraitser-Winter Cerebrofrontofacial Syndrome (BWCFF), known for its distinctive facial anomalies. Using epithelial cell lines and frog embryo models, we investigated the effects of the ACTB gene alteration on cellular functions. Our results indicate that this genetic change disrupts the normal adhesion and movement of epithelial cells, processes that are critical for facial development. This research underscores the importance of the ACTB gene in shaping the face and suggests new directions for future research, potentially informing the diagnosis and treatment of BWCFF and related conditions.

genetics↗

Immunogenicity and safety of a live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate based on multiple attenuation mechanisms

mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 were rapidly developed and effective during the pandemic. However, some limitations remain to be resolved, such as the short-lived induced immune response and certain adverse effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new vaccines that address these issues. While live-attenuated vaccines are a highly effective modality, they pose a risk of adverse effects, including virulence reversion. In the current study, we constructed a live-attenuated vaccine candidate, BK2102, combining naturally occurring virulence-attenuating mutations in the NSP14, NSP1, spike and ORF7-8 coding regions. Intranasal inoculation with BK2102 induced humoral and cellular immune responses in Syrian hamsters without apparent tissue damage in the lungs, leading to protection against a SARS-CoV-2 D614G and an Omicron BA.5 strains. The neutralizing antibodies induced by BK2102 persisted for up to 364 days, which indicated that they confer long-term protection against infection. Furthermore, we confirmed the safety of BK2102 using transgenic (Tg) mice expressing human ACE2 (hACE2), that are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. BK2102 did not kill the Tg mice, even when virus was administered at a dose of 106 plaque-forming units (PFU), while 102 PFU of the D614G strain or an attenuated strain lacking the furin cleavage site (FCS) of the spike was sufficient to kill mice. These results suggest that BK2102 is a promising live-vaccine candidate strain that confers long-term protection without significant virulence.

microbiology↗

Promoted extension of an epidermal cell by semaphorin in C. elegans revealed by a mosaic gene expression analysis by using the IR-LEGO single-cell gene induction system

One of the major functions of the semaphorin signaling system is the regulation of cell shape. In the nematode C. elegans, membrane-bound semaphorins SMP-1/2 (SMPs) regulate the morphology of epidermal cells via their receptor plexin, PLX-1. In the larval male tail of the SMPs/PLX-1 signaling mutants, the border between two epidermal cells, R1.p and R2.p, is displaced anteriorly, resulting in the anterior displacement of the anterior most ray, ray 1, in the adult male. To elucidate how the intercellular signaling mediated by SMPs regulates the position of the intercellular border, we performed mosaic gene expression analyses by using IR-LEGO (InfraRed Laser Evoked Gene Operator). We show that PLX-1 expressed in R1.p and SMP-1 expressed in R2.p is required for proper positioning of ray 1. The result suggests that SMPs signaling promotes extension, rather than retraction, of R1.p. This is in contrast to a previous finding that SMPs mediate inhibition of cell-extension of vulval precursor cells, another group of epidermal cells of C. elegans, indicating the context-dependence of cell shape control via the semaphorin signaling system.

cell biology↗

Cooperation between Nodal and FGF signals regulates zebrafish cardiac cell migration and heart morphogenesis

Asymmetric development of the vertebrate heart is driven by a complex sequence of morphogenetic cell movements, coordinated through precise interpretation of signaling cues by the heart primordia. Here, we show that Nodal signaling functions synergistically with FGF to stimulate the migration of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) during cardiac jogging--the first morphological asymmetry observed in zebrafish heart development. While Nodal directs the asymmetric migration of CPCs, we find FGF signaling to be dispensable for this asymmetry, suggesting that FGF plays a permissive rather than instructive role. We further demonstrate that Nodal signaling induces asymmetries in actin cytoskeletal dynamics that correlate with the directional migration of CPCs, while FGF does not influence this actin asymmetry. In addition to influencing jogging, FGF and Nodal synergize to ensure proper heart looping. We also provide evidence that FGF contributes to heart looping by promoting the differentiation of the second heart field. Together, these findings offer insight into how the spatiotemporal dynamics of signaling pathways regulate the cellular behaviors driving organ morphogenesis. Summary statementThis study explores the synergistic and independent roles of Nodal and FGF signaling in generating heart asymmetry.

developmental biology↗

Egr1 is a sex-specific regulator of neuronal chromatin, synaptic plasticity, and behaviour

Sex differences are found in brain structure and function across species, and across brain disorders in humans1-3. The major source of brain sex differences is differential secretion of steroid hormones from the gonads across the lifespan4. Specifically, ovarian hormones oestrogens and progesterone are known to dynamically change structure and function of the adult female brain, having a major impact on psychiatric risk5-7. However, due to limited molecular studies in female rodents8, very little is still known about molecular drivers of female-specific brain and behavioural plasticity. Here we show that overexpressing Egr1, a candidate oestrous cycle-dependent transcription factor9, induces sex-specific changes in ventral hippocampal neuronal chromatin, gene expression, and synaptic plasticity, along with hippocampus-dependent behaviours. Importantly, Egr1 overexpression mimics the high-oestrogenic phase of the oestrous cycle, and affects behaviours in ovarian hormone-depleted females but not in males. We demonstrate that Egr1 opens neuronal chromatin directly across the sexes, although with limited genomic overlap. Our study not only reveals the first sex-specific chromatin regulator in the brain, but also provides functional evidence that this sex-specific gene regulation drives neuronal gene expression, synaptic plasticity, and anxiety- and depression-related behaviour. Our study exemplifies an innovative sex-based approach to studying neuronal gene regulation1 in order to understand sex-specific synaptic and behavioural plasticity and inform novel brain disease treatments.

neuroscience↗

Chemical genetic interaction linking eIF5A hypusination and mitochondrial integrity

The eukaryotic translation factor eIF5A plays an important role in translation elongation, especially across stretches of prolines and charged amino acids, and in translation termination. eIF5A undergoes hypusination, a post-translational modification unique to this protein, although the role of hypusination in the function of eIF5A remains elusive. Here, we investigated the cellular defects induced by the hypusination inhibitor GC7 (N1-guanyl-1,7-diaminoheptane). Proteome, translatome, and transcriptome analyses indicated that GC7 downregulated a subset of mitochondrial proteins and DNA, causing mitochondrial stress and eliciting the integrated stress response. Chemical genomic screening using barcoded shRNA libraries identified genes encoding proteins involved in polyamine metabolism/transport and MPV17L2, a mitochondrial disease gene homologue whose product regulates mitochondrial translation. Depletion of MPV17L2 caused hypersensitivity to GC7 and phenocopied the effects of GC7 treatment. These results suggest that eIF5A hypusination and MPV17L2 synthetically regulate mitochondrial molecular synthesis and integrity.

cell biology↗

Integration of ζ-deficient CARs into the CD3-zeta gene conveys potent cytotoxicity in T and NK cells

I.Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-reprogrammed immune cells hold significant therapeutic potential for oncology, autoimmune diseases, transplant medicine, and infections. All approved CAR-T therapies rely on personalized manufacturing using undirected viral gene transfer, which results in non-physiological regulation of CAR-signaling and limits their accessibility due to logistical challenges, high costs and biosafety requirements. Here, we propose a novel approach utilizing CRISPR-Cas gene editing to redirect T cells and natural killer (NK) cells with CARs. By transferring shorter, truncated CAR-transgenes lacking a main activation domain into the human CD3{zeta} (CD247) gene, functional CAR fusion-genes are generated that exploit the endogenous CD3{zeta} gene as the CARs activation domain. Repurposing this T/NK-cell lineage gene facilitated physiological regulation of CAR-expression and reprogramming of various immune cell types, including conventional T cells, TCR{gamma}/{delta} T cells, regulatory T cells, and NK cells. In T cells, CD3{zeta} in-frame fusion eliminated TCR surface expression, reducing the risk of graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic off-the-shelf settings. CD3{zeta}-CD19-CAR-T cells exhibited comparable leukemia control to T cell receptor alpha constant (TRAC)-replaced and lentivirus-transduced CAR-T cells in vivo. Tuning of CD3{zeta}-CAR-expression levels significantly improved the in vivo efficacy. Compared to TRAC-edited CAR-T cells, integration of a Her2-CAR into CD3{zeta} conveyed similar in vitro tumor lysis but reduced susceptibility to activation-induced cell death and differentiation, presumably due to lower CAR-expression levels. Notably, CD3{zeta} gene editing enabled reprogramming of NK cells without impairing their canonical functions. Thus, CD3{zeta} gene editing is a promising platform for the development of allogeneic off-the-shelf cell therapies using redirected killer lymphocytes. Key pointsO_LIIntegration of {zeta}-deficient CARs into CD3{zeta} gene allows generation of functional TCR-ablated CAR-T cells for allogeneic off-the-shelf use C_LIO_LICD3{zeta}-editing platform allows CAR reprogramming of NK cells without affecting their canonical functions C_LI

immunology↗

Maternal sterol 27-hydroxylase is crucial for securing fetal development

The maternal body helps in providing nutrients and degrading toxic metabolites instead of the fetal body; disruptions in these mechanisms affect normal fetal development. Sterol 27-hydroxylase (Cyp27a1) is involved in the alternative pathway of bile acid synthesis, which is enhanced during pregnancy. However, its role in fetal development remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that maternal Cyp27a1 activity is essential for progression of normal pregnancy and fetal organ formation. Depletion of maternal Cyp27a1 reduced the pregnancy rate and litter size. Newborn mice died of respiratory distress syndrome resulting from the absence of mature alveolar epithelial cells. These phenotypes were caused by 7-hydroxycholesterol (7-HC) accumulating in Cyp27a1-deficient mice. Mechanistically, 7-HC destabilized the Fau protein, mediating ribosome assembly, the downregulation of which caused poor polysome formation, lower protein synthesis, and impaired lung maturation. Overall, this study revealed an essential mechanism of securing fetal development by degrading a toxic metabolite in the maternal body.

developmental biology↗

Activity-regulated micro-exon splicing programs underlie late-onset plasticity at the axon initial segment

The axon initial segment (AIS) is a specialized neuronal compartment located at the proximal end of axons and initiates action potentials. AIS undergoes plastic changes with aging, disease, and activity levels; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying their plasticity remain unclear. We discovered that depolarization induces diffuse elongation of the AIS in cerebellar granule cells over the span of days via the Ca2+-dependent ERK/MAP kinase pathway. These structural changes were accompanied by a decrease in voltage-gated Na+ channel density, resulting in a homeostatic attenuation in neuronal excitability. Notably, we found that the late-onset AIS plasticity is associated with depolarization-induced alternative splicing of smaller exons (<100 nt) of transcripts encoding AIS-enriched proteins. In addition, depolarization-induced the skipping of the 53-nt exon19 from the transcript of the splicing protein Rbfox1. CRISPR-mediated removal of exon 19 from Rbfox1 promoted its nuclear localization and sequentially induced a series of downstream micro-exon splicing changes in several AIS proteins, recapitulating cerebellar AIS plasticity. In a Rbfox1-independent mechanism, depolarization-induced insertion of the developmentally regulated micro-exon 34 into the key AIS scaffolding protein Ankyrin G (AnkG). The constitutive insertion of exon 34 into AnkG disrupted its interaction with the AIS cytoskeletal protein {beta}IV spectrin and induced plastic changes in the AIS. Our findings provide fundamental mechanistic insights into the activity-mediated late-onset plasticity of AIS, highlighting the power of micro-scale splicing events in the homeostatic regulation of axonal remodeling.

neuroscience↗

Prenatal vitamin D deficiency alters immune cell proportions of young adult offspring through alteration of long-term stem cell fates

Vitamin D deficiency is a common deficiency worldwide, particularly among women of reproductive age. During pregnancy, it increases the risk of immune-related diseases in offspring later in life. However, exactly how the body remembers exposure to an adverse environment during development is poorly understood. Herein, we explore the effects of prenatal vitamin D deficiency on immune cell proportions in offspring using vitamin D deficient mice established by dietary manipulation. We found that prenatal vitamin D deficiency alters immune cell proportions in offspring by changing the transcriptional properties of genes downstream of vitamin D receptor signaling in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells of both the fetus and adults. Our results suggest the role of cellular differentiation properties of the hematopoiesis as the long-term memories of prenatal exposure at the adult stage. Moreover, further investigations of the associations between maternal vitamin D levels and cord blood immune cell profiles from 75 healthy pregnant women and their term babies also confirm that maternal vitamin D levels in the second trimester significantly affect immune cell proportions in the babies. This highlights the importance of providing vitamin D supplementation at specific stages of pregnancy.

developmental biology↗

Future spinal reflex is embedded in primary motor cortex output

Mammals can execute intended limb movements despite the fact that spinal reflexes involuntarily modulate muscle activity. To generate appropriate muscle activity, the cortical descending motor output must coordinate with spinal reflexes, yet the underlying neural mechanism remains unclear. We simultaneously recorded activities in motor-related cortical areas, afferent neurons, and forelimb muscles of monkeys performing reaching movements. Motor-related cortical areas, primarily the primary motor cortex (M1), encode subsequent afferent activities attributed to forelimb movements. M1 also encodes a subcomponent of muscle activity evoked by these afferent activities, corresponding to spinal reflexes. Furthermore, selective disruption of the afferent pathway specifically reduced this subcomponent of muscle activity, suggesting that M1 output drives muscle activity not only through direct descending pathways but also through the "transafferent" pathway composed of descending plus subsequent spinal reflex pathways. Thus, M1 provides optimal motor output based on an internal forward model that prospectively computes future spinal reflexes.

neuroscience↗

Genome-resolved meta-omics unveils rock-hosted lifestyle of enigmatic DPANN archaea

Recent successes in the cultivation of DPANN archaea with their hosts have demonstrated an episymbiotic lifestyle, whereas the lifestyle of DPANN archaea in natural habitats remains controversial. A free-living lifestyle is speculated in oxygen-deprived fluids circulated through rock fractures, where apparent hosts of DPANN archaea are lacking. Alternatively, DPANN archaea may be isolated from their hosts attached to rock surfaces. To understand the ecology of rock-hosted DPANN archaea, rocks rather than fluids should be directly characterized. Here, we show the dominance of Pacearchaeota, one of the widespread and enigmatic lineages of DPANN archaea, in a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney. Metagenomic analysis of the rock sample revealed a symbiotic lifestyle of the chimney Pacearchaeota, based on the lack of biosynthetic genes for nucleotides, amino acids, cofactors, and lipids. Genome-resolved metaproteomic analysis clarified the co-occurrence of bacteria actively fixing carbon and nitrogen and thermophilic archaea in the rock habitat. Pacearchaeota has ecological advantages in colonizing the chimney rock interior, because the availability of nutrients and space is limited by silica deposition from hydrothermal fluids. We propose that the diversification of rock-hosted DPANN archaea could be profoundly influenced by coexisting microbes and minerals.

microbiology↗

Genetic and immune determinants of E. coli liver abscess formation

Systemic infections can yield distinct outcomes in different tissues. In mice, intravenous inoculation of E. coli leads to bacterial replication within liver abscesses while other organs such as the spleen largely clear the pathogen. Abscesses are macroscopic necrotic regions that comprise the vast majority of the bacterial burden in the animal, yet little is known about the processes underlying their formation. Here, we characterize E. coli liver abscesses and identify host determinants of abscess susceptibility. Spatial transcriptomics revealed that liver abscesses are associated with heterogenous immune cell clusters comprised of macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, innate lymphoid cells, and T-cells that surround necrotic regions of the liver. Susceptibility to liver abscesses is heightened in the C57BL/6 lineage, particularly in C57BL/6N females. Backcross analyses demonstrated that abscess susceptibility is a polygenic trait inherited in a sex-dependent manner without direct linkage to sex chromosomes. As early as one day post infection, the magnitude of E. coli replication in the liver distinguishes abscess-susceptible and abscess-resistant strains of mice, suggesting that the immune pathways that regulate abscess formation are induced within hours. We characterized the early hepatic response with single-cell RNA sequencing and found that mice with reduced activation of early inflammatory responses, such as those lacking the LPS receptor TLR4, are resistant to abscess formation. Experiments with barcoded E. coli revealed that TLR4 mediates a tradeoff between abscess formation and bacterial clearance. Together, our findings define hallmarks of E. coli liver abscess formation and suggest that hyperactivation of the hepatic innate immune response drives liver abscess susceptibility. ImportanceAnimal models of disseminating bacterial infections are critical for developing therapeutic interventions. Following systemic dissemination in mice, E. coli undergo dramatic replication within abscesses in the liver but not in other organs. Although liver abscesses are the largest reservoir of bacteria within the animal, the processes that lead to abscess formation are not known. Here, we characterize E. coli liver abscess formation and identify several determinants of abscess susceptibility, including sex, mouse genotype, and innate immune factors. By combining spatial and single-cell transcriptomics with genetic and phenotypic analyses, we delineate critical host pathways that underlie abscess formation. Our findings define several avenues for future studies to unravel how abscess susceptibility determinants interact to modulate clearance of systemic infections and govern tissue-specific bacterial replication.

microbiology↗

Fgf10 mutant newts can regenerate normal limbs despite severe developmental hindlimb defects

In the amniote limb, FGF10 is essential for limb bud initiation and outgrowth. However, whether this function is broadly conserved in tetrapods and/or involved in adult limb regeneration remains unknown. To tackle this question, we established an Fgf10 null mutant line in the newt Pleurodeles waltl which have amazing regenerative ability. While Fgf10 mutant forelimbs develop normally, the hindlimbs exhibit severe digit reduction, fail to ossify the zeugopod, and downregulate FGF target genes like Sall1, Runx1 and Hoxa11/d11. Despite these developmental defects, Fgf10 mutants were able to regenerate near-normal hindlimbs. Together, our results suggest an important role for Fgf10 in hindlimb digit formation and zeugopod ossification during development, but little or no function in regeneration, suggesting that different mechanisms operate during limb regeneration versus development.

developmental biology↗

Peripheral serotonergic neurons regulate anxiety-like behavior and intestinal barrier immunity

Serotonergic circuits in the central nervous system play important roles in regulating mood and behavior, yet the functions of peripheral serotonergic neurons are less understood. Here, we engineered mice lacking the serotonin-producing enzyme Tph2 in peripheral neurons but with intact Tph2 in central neurons. In contrast to mice lacking Tph2 in all neurons, mice lacking Tph2 in peripheral serotonergic neurons did not exhibit increased territorial aggression. However, similar to the total body Tph2 KO mice, the conditional KO animals, exhibited reduced gut motility and decreased anxiety-like behavior. These observations reveal that peripheral serotonergic neurons contribute to control of intestinal motility and anxiety-like behavior and suggest that therapeutics targeting this subset of peripheral neurons could be beneficial.

immunology↗

The hagfish genome and the evolution of vertebrates

As the only surviving lineages of jawless fishes, hagfishes and lampreys provide a critical window into early vertebrate evolution. Here, we investigate the complex history, timing, and functional role of genome-wide duplications in vertebrates in the light of a chromosome-scale genome of the brown hagfish Eptatretus atami. Using robust chromosome-scale (paralogon-based) phylogenetic methods, we confirm the monophyly of cyclostomes, document an auto-tetraploidization (1RV) that predated the origin of crown group vertebrates [~]517 Mya, and establish the timing of subsequent independent duplications in the gnathostome and cyclostome lineages. Some 1RV gene duplications can be linked to key vertebrate innovations, suggesting that this early genomewide event contributed to the emergence of pan-vertebrate features such as neural crest. The hagfish karyotype is derived by numerous fusions relative to the ancestral cyclostome arrangement preserved by lampreys. These genomic changes were accompanied by the loss of genes essential for organ systems (eyes, osteoclast) that are absent in hagfish, accounting in part for the simplification of the hagfish body plan; other gene family expansions account for hagfishes capacity to produce slime. Finally, we characterise programmed DNA elimination in somatic cells of hagfish, identifying protein-coding and repetitive elements that are deleted during development. As in lampreys, the elimination of these genes provides a mechanism for resolving genetic conflict between soma and germline by repressing germline/pluripotency functions. Reconstruction of the early genomic history of vertebrates provides a framework for further exploration of vertebrate novelties.

genomics↗