Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a premature aging disease that is frequently caused by a de novo point mutation at position 1824 in LMNA. This mutation activates a cryptic splice donor site in exon 11, and leads to an in-frame deletion within the prelamin A mRNA and the production of a dominant-negative lamin A protein, known as progerin. Here we show that primary HGPS skin fibroblasts experience genome-wide correlated alterations in patterns of H3K27me3 deposition, DNA-lamin A/C associations, and, at late passages, genome-wide loss of spatial compartmentalization of active and inactive chromatin domains. We further demonstrate that the H3K27me3 changes associate with gene expression alterations in HGPS cells. Our results support a model that the accumulation of progerin in the nuclear lamina leads to altered H3K27me3 marks in heterochromatin, possibly through the down-regulation of EZH2, and disrupts heterochromatin-lamina interactions. These changes may result in transcriptional misregulation and eventually trigger the global loss of spatial chromatin compartmentalization in late passage HGPS fibroblasts.
Higher-order chromatin organization such as A/B compartments, TADs, and chromatin loops are temporarily disrupted during mitosis 1,2. Since these structures are thought to influence gene regulation, it is important to understand how they are re-established after mitosis. We examined the dynamics of chromosome reorganization by Hi-C after mitosis in highly purified, synchronous cell populations. We observed rapid establishment, gradual intensification, and expansion of A/B compartments. Contact domains form from the "bottom-up" with smaller subTADs forming initially, followed by convergence into multi-domain TAD structures. CTCF is partially retained on mitotic chromosomes and immediately resumes full binding at ana/telophase. In contrast, cohesin is completely evicted from mitotic chromosomes and regains focal binding with delayed Reprints and permissions information is available at www.nature.com/reprints.Users may view, print, copy, and download text and data-mine the content in such documents, for the purposes of academic research, subject always to the full Conditions of use:http://
Glycogen storage disease type II (GSD-II; Pompe disease) is caused by a deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA; acid maltase) and manifests as muscle weakness, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and respiratory failure. Adeno-associated virus vectors containing either a liver-specific promoter (LSP) (AAV-LSPhGAApA) or a hybrid CB promoter (AAV-CBhGAApA) to drive human GAA expression were pseudotyped as AAV8 and administered to immunocompetent GAA-knockout mice. Secreted hGAA was detectable in plasma between 1 day and 12 weeks postadministration with AAV-LSPhGAApA and only from 1 to 8 days postadministration for AAV-CBGAApA. No anti-GAA antibodies were detected in response to AAV-LSPhGAApA (<1:200), whereas AAV-CBhGAApA provoked an escalating antibody response starting 2 weeks postadministration. The LSP drove approximately 60-fold higher GAA expression than the CB promoter in the liver by 12 weeks following vector administration. Furthermore, the detected cellular immunity was provoked by AAV-CBhGAApA, as detected by ELISpot and CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte immunodetection. GAA activity was increased to higher than normal and glycogen content was reduced to essentially normal levels in the heart and skeletal muscle following administration of AAV-LSPhGAApA. Therefore, liver-restricted GAA expression with an AAV vector evaded immunity and enhanced efficacy in GSD-II mice.
Glycogen storage disease type II (GSD-II; Pompe disease) causes death in infancy from cardiorespiratory failure. The underlying deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA; acid maltase) can be corrected by liver-targeted gene therapy in GSD-II, if secretion of GAA is accompanied by receptor-mediated uptake in cardiac and skeletal muscle. An adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector encoding human (h) GAA was pseudotyped as AAV8 (AAV2/8) and injected intravenously into immunodeficient GSD-II mice. High levels of hGAA were maintained in plasma for 24 weeks following AAV2/8 vector administration. A marked increase in vector copy number in the liver was demonstrated for the AAV2/8 vector compared to the analogous AAV2/2 vector. GAA deficiency in the heart and skeletal muscle was corrected with the AAV2/8 vector in male GSD-II mice, consistent with receptor-mediated uptake of hGAA. Male GSD-II mice demonstrated complete correction of glycogen storage in heart and diaphragm with the AAV2/8 vector, while female GSD-II mice had correction only in the heart. A biomarker for GSD-II was reduced in both sexes following AAV2/8 vector administration. Therefore, GAA production with an AAV2/8 vector in a depot organ, the liver, generated evidence for efficacious gene therapy in a mouse model for GSD-II.
Controlled encapsulation and pairing of single cells within a confined 3D matrix can enable the replication of the highly ordered cellular structure of human tissues. Microgels with independently controlled compartments that can encapsulate cells within separately confined hydrogel matrices would provide precise control over the route of pairing single cells. Here, a one-step microfluidic method is presented to generate monodisperse multicompartment microgels that can be used as a 3D matrix to pair single cells in a highly biocompatible manner. A method is presented to induce microgels formation on chip, followed by direct extraction of the microgels from oil phase, thereby avoiding prolonged exposure of the microgels to the oil. It is further demonstrated that by entrapping stem cells with niche cells within separate but adjacent compartments of the microgels, it can create complex stem cell niche microenvironments in a controlled manner, which can serve as a useful tool for the study of cell-cell interactions. This microfluidic technique represents a significant step toward high-throughput single cells encapsulation and pairing for the study of intercellular communications at single cell level, which is of significant importance for cell biology, stem cell therapy, and tissue engineering.
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