Biology subjects

Yang, H. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Yang, H. W..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Ang2 and TAT targeting of leptomeningeal disease by the intravenous and intrathecal routes: a comparative analysis

Leptomeningeal disease (LD) refers to the metastasis of cells to the leptomeningeal membranes in the central nervous system (CNS), and it is a deadly complication of several different types of cancer, including breast cancer (BC) and pediatric medulloblastoma (MB). Angiopep-2 (Ang2) and transactivating transcriptional activator (TAT) peptides have been reported to transport therapeutic cargos into the CNS. Here, compared the LD-targeting capability of Ang2 vs TAT by intrathecal (intracisternal magna, ICM) vs intravenous (IV) routes of administration. We first generated two xenograft models of LD by directly infusing breast cancer cells (MDA-MB231) or medulloblastoma cells (HDMB03) via the ICM route, characterizing models for survival, tumor growth patterns, and presence of hydrocephalus. Second, we administered fluorescently labeled Ang2 or TAT peptides either IV or ICM into tumor bearing mice to examine ligand localization. We discovered that the median survival of both models was negatively related to the number of the cells infused. While HDMB03 cells tended to metastasize preferentially to the brain region, MDA-MB231 cells tended to metastasize preferentially to the spinal cord. Compared to the healthy control, MB-LD yielded a 7.3-fold increase and BC-LD a 26.5-fold increase in ventricular volume. Furthermore, targeting achieved by TAT was significantly higher than targeting achieved by Ang2 in thoracic spine for the MB-LD model. For BC-LD, TAT targeting was superiot to Ang2 in the olfactory bulbs, brain stem, thoracic spine, and lumbar spine regions. Significantly, these data provide evidence that ICM will be a preferable route of administration over IV for maximally targeting LD.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2026

Intrathecal infusion of hypertonic fluid enables CSF Flow Enhancement (CFE) to facilitate nanoparticle delivery to the brain and spinal cord

Intrathecal (IT) drug delivery, i.e., the infusion of substances directly into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by lumbar, ventricular, or cisternal access points, is one method that can be used to bypass the blood brain barrier (BBB), however, IT-administered substances also suffer from rapid turnover and poor tissue penetration. Although nanoparticles and colloids can circulate within the subarachnoid space to sustain the levels of encapsulated drug in CSF, their access to deep tissue regions remains incomplete. Here, we present a new method for enhancing CNS delivery of IT-administered nanoparticles. CSF Flow Enhancement (CFE) refers to the manipulation of CSF production, distribution, and clearance for therapeutic purposes. We tested the overarching hypothesis that infusion of hypertonic fluid adjacent to the choroid plexus would enhance fluid production and movement to improve the CNS delivery of IT-administered nanoparticles. Model polystyrene nanoparticles (100nm) were solubilized in aCSF of increasing tonicity (1-9X tonicity) and infused into the cisterna magna, after which tissues were removed to examine delivery to CNS tissues and peripheral organs. Our results demonstrate that an infusion of up to 4X hypertonic aCSF in 10uL is well tolerated and yields significant improvements in CNS localization of co-administered nanoparticles, more than doubling the delivery of nanoparticles to the ventral surfaces of the brain and sometimes dramatic (up to 10-fold) increases in delivery to specific tissue regions and surfaces of the CNS. Significantly, we provide early evidence that modulation of tonicity can define the parenchymal fate of IT administered colloids: while nanoparticles were not detected in the brain parenchyma of mice that received a standard infusion, parenchymal delivery was observed for the 2X condition, and extensive perivascular infiltration of nanoparticles was observed for the 4X condition. Lastly, we show that the delivery improvements achieved by CFE are generalizable across multiple sizes of polystyrene nanoparticle (20, 40, or 100nm). Collectively, this work describes a tonicity-based approach for achieving CFE by the intrathecal route, which we posit is a useful and potentially generalizable approach for improving CNS drug delivery.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Therapeutic benefits of maintaining CDK4/6 inhibitors and incorporating CDK2 inhibitors beyond progression in breast cancer

CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) with endocrine therapy are standard for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer. However, most patients eventually develop resistance and discontinue treatment, and there is currently no consensus on effective second-line strategies. Here, we demonstrate that maintaining CDK4/6i therapy, either alone or in combination with CDK2 inhibitors (CDK2i), slows the growth of drug-resistant HR+ models by prolonging G1 progression. Mechanistically, sustained CDK4/6 blockade in drug-resistant cells reduces E2F transcription and delays G1/S via a non-canonical, post-translational regulation of retinoblastoma protein (Rb). Durable suppression of both CDK2 activity and growth of drug-resistant cells requires co-administration of CDK2i with CDK4/6i. Moreover, cyclin E overexpression drives resistance to the combination of CDK4/6i and CDK2i. These findings elucidate how continued CDK4/6 blockade constrains resistant tumors and support clinical strategies that maintain CDK4/6i while selectively incorporating CDK2i to overcome resistance.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2024

High-resolution detection of copy number alterations in single cells with HiScanner

Improvements in single-cell whole-genome sequencing (scWGS) assays have enabled detailed characterization of somatic copy number alterations (CNAs) at the single-cell level. Yet, current computational methods are mostly designed for detecting chromosome-scale changes in cancer samples with low sequencing coverage. Here, we introduce HiScanner (High-resolution Single-Cell Allelic copy Number callER), which combines read depth, B-allele frequency, and haplotype phasing to identify CNAs with high resolution. In simulated data, HiScanner consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods across various CNA types and sizes. When applied to high-coverage scWGS data from 65 cells across 11 neurotypical human brains, HiScanner shows a superior ability to detect smaller CNAs, uncovering distinct CNA patterns between neurons and oligodendrocytes. We also generated low-coverage scWGS data from 179 cells sampled from the same meningioma patient at two time points. For this serial dataset, integration of CNAs with point mutations revealed evolutionary trajectories of tumor cells. These findings show that HiScanner enables accurate characterization of frequency, clonality, and distribution of CNAs at the single-cell level in both non-neoplastic and neoplastic cells.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

A simplified cell-based assay to identify coronavirus 3CL protease inhibitors

We describe a mammalian cell-based assay capable of identifying coronavirus 3CL protease (3CLpro) inhibitors without requiring the use of live virus. By enabling the facile testing of compounds across a range of coronavirus 3CLpro enzymes, including the one from SARS-CoV-2, we are able to quickly identify compounds with broad or narrow spectra of activity. We further demonstrate the utility of our approach by performing a curated compound screen along with structure-activity profiling of a series of small molecules to identify compounds with antiviral activity. Throughout these studies, we observed concordance between data emerging from this assay and from live virus assays. By democratizing the testing of 3CL inhibitors to enable screening in the majority of laboratories rather than the few with extensive biosafety infrastructure, we hope to expedite the search for coronavirus 3CL protease inhibitors, to address the current epidemic and future ones that will inevitably arise.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Kinetics of CDK4/6 inhibition determine different temporal locations of the restriction point

To enter the cell cycle, mammalian cells must cross a point of no return (the commitment point), after which they proceed through the cell cycle regardless of changes in external signaling. This process is tightly regulated by the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and downstream molecules such as retinoblastoma (Rb). Here we show that CDK2 activity coordinates the timing of cell-cycle commitment and DNA replication. CDK4/6 activation initiates Rb phosphorylation and E2F activity, causing a gradual increase in CDK2 activity. Once CDK2 activity reaches a threshold level, CDK2 triggers the commitment point by maintaining Rb phosphorylation and subsequently initiates DNA replication. While the timing of the commitment point is tightly coupled with DNA replication, our experiments, which acutely increased CDK2 activity, suggest that the timing of the commitment point is before DNA replication. These findings highlight how cells utilize a safety mechanism to maintain genome stability by protecting against incomplete DNA replication.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

A parallel cell-cycle entry pathway with inverted G1 signaling and alternate point of no return

Cell-cycle entry relies on an orderly progression of signaling events. To start, cells first activate the kinase cyclin D-CDK4/6, which leads to eventual inactivation of the retinoblastoma protein Rb. Hours later, cells inactivate APC/CCDH1 and cross the final commitment point. However, many cells with genetically deleted cyclin Ds, which activate and confer specificity to CDK4/6, can compensate and proliferate. Despite its importance in cancer, how this alternate pathway operates and whether wild-type cells use this pathway remain unknown. Here, using single-cell microscopy, we demonstrate that cells with acutely inhibited CDK4/6 enter the cell cycle with slowed and fluctuating cyclin E-CDK2 activity. Surprisingly, in this alternate pathway, the order of APC/CCDH1 and Rb inactivation is inverted in both cell lines and wild-type mice. Finally, we show that as a consequence of the signaling inversion, Rb inactivation replaces APC/CCDH1 inactivation as the point of no return. Together, we provide molecular characterization of a parallel cell-cycle entry pathway, and reveal temporal plasticity that underlies the G1 regulatory circuit.

cell biology↗