Biology subjects

Wang, R. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Wang, R. C..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Subclonal IDH1/2 Mutations as a Targetable Vulnerability in Vascular Tumors

Despite extensive sequencing, the genetic etiology of sporadic angiosarcoma remains poorly defined (1-3). Maffucci syndrome, characterized by vascular tumors and elevated cancer risk, is driven by mosaic gain-of-function mutations in IDH1/2 (4,5), though these have not been reported in sporadic angiosarcoma. We identify recurrent, low-variant allele frequency hotspot mutations in IDH1/2 in over half of sporadic angiosarcomas. Mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing and immunohistochemistry. Mutant IDH1 endothelial cells promote tumorigenesis through non-cell-autonomous mechanisms, secreting 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) to increase growth factor and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition gene expression, activate pAkt/pERK signaling, induce DNA methylation changes, and promote anchorage-independent growth, which are reversed by the mutant IDH1 inhibitor ivosidenib. Patients with mosaic IDH1 mutations show reduced serum 2-HG and marked tumor regression following ivosidenib treatment. The clinical efficacy of ivosidenib in vascular tumors with subclonal IDH1 mutations suggests that low VAF IDH1/2 mutations may be a targetable vulnerability in sporadic angiosarcoma. (6,7) Statement of SignificanceWe identify recurrent, low-VAF IDH1/2 mutations in angiosarcoma and provide evidence that these subclonal mutations promote tumorigenesis through non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. Vascular tumors driven by subclonal IDH1 mutations responded dramatically to ivosidenib, thus revealing a novel treatment for a subset of vascular tumors.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Regulation and Function of the HPV16 CircE7 RNA

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), including HPV16, produce circular RNA that encompass the E7 oncogene (circE7). CircE7 can be detected in HPV16-positive cells and tumors, is preferentially localized to the cytoplasm, is N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modified and can be translated to produce the E7 oncoprotein. Here, we explored the regulation and function of circE7. Mutation of m6A motifs flanking the backsplice junction revealed a single essential m6A motif to be essential for circE7 formation. Mutation of this m6A motif promoted linear splicing of the E6*I splice site (226^409), suggesting that linear and circular E7 splicing are inversely regulated. Additionally, mutation of an IRES-like motif in circE7 significantly decreased E7 protein expression, without having significant effects on circE7 RNA levels. Knockdown of YTHDC1, but not other m6A-binding proteins, decreased both circE7 RNA and protein expression. BaseScope ISH was used to confirm the expression of circE7 in HPV positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Using both qRT-PCR and BaseScope ISH, we found that serum and amino acid starvation significantly increased circE7 levels. Finally, we generated a HPV16 genome with two point mutations in the circE7 m6A motif (Mut2). Stable transduction of primary keratinocytes with Mut2 confirmed the loss of circE7 and increased expression of E6*I. The Mut2 HPV16 genome exhibited significantly decreased viral replication but an increased ability to transform primary keratinocytes. Our studies reveal that the precise regulation of circE7 and E6*I by m6A are critical for the ability of HPV16 to infect and transform keratinocytes.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2025

A connectomic resource for neural cataloguing and circuit dissection of the larval zebrafish brain

We present a correlated light and electron microscopy (CLEM) dataset from a 7-day-old larval zebrafish, integrating confocal imaging of genetically labeled excitatory (vglut2a) and inhibitory (gad1b) neurons with nanometer-resolution serial section EM. The dataset spans the brain and anterior spinal cord, capturing >180,000 segmented soma, >40,000 molecularly annotated neurons, and 30 million synapses, most of which were classified as excitatory, inhibitory, or modulatory. To characterize the directional flow of activity across the brain, we leverage the synaptic and cell body annotations to compute region-wise input and output drive indices at single cell resolution. We illustrate the datasets utility by dissecting and validating circuits in three distinct systems: water flow direction encoding in the lateral line, recurrent excitation and contralateral inhibition in a hindbrain motion integrator, and functionally relevant targeted long-range projections from a tegmental excitatory nucleus, demonstrating that this resource enables rigorous hypothesis testing as well as exploratory-driven circuit analysis. The dataset is integrated into an open-access platform optimized to facilitate community reconstruction and discovery efforts throughout the larval zebrafish brain.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Endosomal GLUT3 is essential for alternative macrophage signaling, polarization, and function

Macrophages play critical roles in both inflammation and tissue homeostasis. Classically activated (M1) macrophages promote antimicrobial and tumoricidal activity, while alternatively activated (M2) macrophages promote phagocytosis and tissue homeostasis. The facilitative GLUT1 and GLUT3 hexose transporters are expressed abundantly in different hematopoietic lineages, but their specific functions in macrophages is poorly understood. We discovered that GLUT3 expression was increased after M2-activation stimuli in macrophages. Notably, GLUT3 KO BMDM (bone marrow-derived macrophages) showed marked defects in M2, but not M1, polarization. Consistent with defects in M2 polarization, GLUT3 KO macrophages showed impaired wound healing and decreased inflammation in calcipotriol-induced, atopic dermatitislike inflammation. GLUT3 promoted IL-4/STAT6 signaling, the main signaling pathway for M2 polarization, in a glucose-transport independent manner. Unlike plasma membrane-localized GLUT1, GLUT3 and components of the IL-4 signaling pathway, localized primarily to endosomes. GLUT3, but not GLUT1, interacted with Ras through its intracytoplasmic loop, and Rac1-PAK-cofilin signaling and the endocytosis of IL4R subunits were impaired in the absence of GLUT3. Thus, GLUT3 is essential for alternative macrophage polarization and function and plays an unexpected role in the regulation of endosomal signaling.

immunology↗