MMP14 (matrix metallopeptidase 14 (membrane-inserted))

Review on MMP14 (matrix metallopeptidase 14 (membrane-inserted)), with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated

CRL4-like Clr4 complex in Schizosaccharomyces pombe depends on an exposed surface of Dos1 for heterochromatin silencing

Repressive histone H3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me) and its recognition by HP1 proteins are necessary for pericentromeric heterochromatin formation. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, H3K9me deposition depends on the RNAi pathway. Cryptic loci regulator 4 (Clr4), the only known H3K9 methyltransferase in this organism, is a subunit of the Clr4 methyltransferase complex (CLRC), whose composition is reminiscent of a CRL4 type cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL) including its cullin Cul4, the RING-box protein Pip1, the DNA damage binding protein 1 homolog Rik1, and the DCAF-like protein delocalization of Swi6 1 (Dos1). Dos2 and Stc1 have been proposed to be part of the complex but do not bear similarity to canonical ubiquitin ligase components. CLRC is an active E3 ligase in vitro, and this activity is necessary for heterochromatin assembly in vivo. The similarity between CLRC and the CRLs suggests that the WD repeat protein Dos1 will act to mediate target recognition and substrate specificity for CLRC. Here, we present a pairwise interaction screen that confirms a CRL4-like subunit arrangement and further identifies Dos2 as a central component of the complex and recruiter of Stc1. We determined the crystal structure of the Dos1 WD repeat domain, revealing an eight-bladed beta-propeller fold. Functional mapping of the putative target-binding surface of Dos1 identifies key residues required for heterochromatic silencing, consistent with Dos1's role as the specificity factor for the E3 ubiquitin ligase

Alternatively spliced Robo2 isoforms in zebrafish and rat

Robo2, a member of the robo gene family, functions as a repulsive axon guidance receptor as well as a regulator of cell migration and tissue morphogenesis in different taxa. In this study, a novel isoform of the zebrafish robo2 (robo2_tv2), which included an otherwise alternatively spliced exon (CAE), has been characterized. Robo2_tv2 is expressed differentially in most non-neuronal tissues of adult zebrafish whereas robo2_tv1 expression to a great extent is restricted to the brain and eye. In zebrafish, robo2_tv2 exhibits a very-low-level basal expression starting from 1 day post fertilization until the mid-larval stages, at which time its expression increases dramatically and could be detected throughout adulthood. Our findings demonstrate that the amino acid sequence coded by CAE of the robo2 gene is highly conserved between zebrafish and mammals, and also contains conserved motifs shared with robo1 and robo4 but not with robo3. Furthermore, we provide an account of differential transcription of the CAE homolog in various tissues of the adult rat. These results suggest that the alternatively spliced robo2 isoforms may exhibit tissue specificity. © Springer-Verlag 2006

A functional variant on 20q13.33 related to glioma risk alters enhancer activity and modulates expression of multiple genes.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with glioma risk on 20q13.33, but the biological mechanisms underlying this association are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that a functional SNP on 20q13.33 impacted the activity of an enhancer, leading to an altered expression of nearby genes. To identify candidate functional SNPs, we identified all SNPs in linkage disequilibrium with the risk-associated SNP rs2297440 that mapped to putative enhancers. Putative enhancers containing candidate functional SNPs were tested for allele-specific effects in luciferase enhancer activity assays against glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines. An enhancer containing SNP rs3761124 exhibited allele-specific effects on activity. Deletion of this enhancer by CRISPR-Cas9 editing in GBM cell lines correlated with an altered expression of multiple genes, including STMN3, RTEL1, RTEL1-TNFRSF6B, GMEB2, and SRMS. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analyses using nondiseased brain samples, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) wild-type glioma, and neurodevelopmental tissues showed STMN3 to be a consistent significant eQTL with rs3761124. RTEL1 and GMEB2 were also significant eQTLs in the context of early CNS development and/or in IDH1 wild-type glioma. We provide evidence that rs3761124 is a functional variant on 20q13.33 related to glioma/GBM risk that modulates the expression of STMN3 and potentially other genes across diverse cellular contexts

Two Distinct Categories of Focal Deletions in Cancer Genomes

One of the key questions about genomic alterations in cancer is whether they are functional in the sense of contributing to the selective advantage of tumor cells. The frequency with which an alteration occurs might reflect its ability to increase cancer cell growth, or alternatively, enhanced instability of a locus may increase the frequency with which it is found to be aberrant in tumors, regardless of oncogenic impact. Here we've addressed this on a genome-wide scale for cancer-associated focal deletions, which are known to pinpoint both tumor suppressor genes (tumor suppressors) and unstable loci. Based on DNA copy number analysis of over one-thousand human cancers representing ten different tumor types, we observed five loci with focal deletion frequencies above 5%, including the A2BP1 gene at 16p13.3 and the MACROD2 gene at 20p12.1. However, neither RNA expression nor functional studies support a tumor suppressor role for either gene. Further analyses suggest instead that these are sites of increased genomic instability and that they resemble common fragile sites (CFS). Genome-wide analysis revealed properties of CFS-like recurrent deletions that distinguish them from deletions affecting tumor suppressor genes, including their isolation at specific loci away from other genomic deletion sites, a considerably smaller deletion size, and dispersal throughout the affected locus rather than assembly at a common site of overlap. Additionally, CFS-like deletions have less impact on gene expression and are enriched in cell lines compared to primary tumors. We show that loci affected by CFS-like deletions are often distinct from known common fragile sites. Indeed, we find that each tumor tissue type has its own spectrum of CFS-like deletions, and that colon cancers have many more CFS-like deletions than other tumor types. We present simple rules that can pinpoint focal deletions that are not CFS-like and more likely to affect functional tumor suppressors

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

In vivo genome editing using Staphylococcus aureus Cas9

The RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 has emerged as a versatile genome-editing platform. However, the size of the commonly used Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9) limits its utility for basic research and therapeutic applications that employ the highly versatile adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery vehicle. Here, we characterize six smaller Cas9 orthologs and show that Cas9 from Staphylococcus aureus (SaCas9) can edit the genome with efficiencies similar to those of SpCas9, while being >1kb shorter. We packaged SaCas9 and its sgRNA expression cassette into a single AAV vector and targeted the cholesterol regulatory gene Pcsk9 in the mouse liver. Within one week of injection, we observed >40% gene modification, accompanied by significant reductions in serum Pcsk9 and total cholesterol levels. We further demonstrate the power of using BLESS to assess the genome-wide targeting specificity of SaCas9 and SpCas9, and show that SaCas9 can mediate genome editing in vivo with high specificity