MYB controls erythroid versus megakaryocyte lineage fate decision through the miR-486-3p-mediated downregulation of MAF

The transcription factor MYB has a key role in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) lineage choice, by enhancing erythropoiesis at the expense of megakaryopoiesis. We previously demonstrated that MYB controls erythroid versus megakaryocyte lineage decision by transactivating KLF1 and LMO2 expression. To further unravel the molecular mechanisms through which MYB affects lineage fate decision, we performed the integrative analysis of miRNA and mRNA changes in MYB-silenced human primary CD34+ HPCs. Among the miRNAs with the highest number of predicted targets, we focused our studies on hsa-miR-486-3p by demonstrating that MYB controls miR-486-3p expression through the transactivation of its host gene, ankyrin-1 (ANK1) and that miR-486-3p affects HPCs commitment. Indeed, overexpression and knockdown experiments demonstrated that miR-486-3p supports the erythropoiesis while restraining the megakaryopoiesis. Of note, miR-486-3p also favors granulocyte differentiation while repressing the macrophage differentiation. To shed some light on the molecular mechanisms through which miR-486-3p affects HPCs lineage commitment, we profiled the gene expression changes upon miR-486-3p overexpression in CD34+ cells. Among the genes downregulated in miR-486-3p-overexpressing HPCs and computationally predicted to be miR-486-3p targets, we identified MAF as a miR-486-3p target by 3′UTR luciferase reporter assay. Noteworthy, MAF overexpression was able to partially reverse the effects of miR-486-3p overexpression on erythroid versus megakaryocyte lineage choice. Moreover, the MYB/MAF co-silencing constrained the skewing of erythroid versus megakaryocyte lineage commitment in MYB-silenced CD34+ cells, by restraining the expansion of megakaryocyte lineage while partially rescuing the impairment of erythropoiesis. Therefore, our data collectively demonstrate that MYB favors erythropoiesis and restrains megakaryopoiesis through the transactivation of miR-486-3p expression and the subsequent downregulation of MAF. As a whole, our study uncovers the MYB/miR-486-3p/MAF axis as a new mechanism underlying the MYB-driven control of erythroid versus megakaryocyte lineage fate decision

LXRs regulate features of age-related macular degeneration and may be a potential therapeutic target

Effective treatments and animal models for the most prevalent neurodegenerative form of blindness in elderly people, called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are lacking. Genome-wide association studies have identified lipid metabolism and inflammation as AMD-associated pathogenic pathways. Given liver X receptors (LXRs), encoded by the nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group H members 2 and 3 (NR1H3 and NR1H2), are master regulators of these pathways, herein we investigated the role of LXR in human and mouse eyes as a function of age and disease and tested the therapeutic potential of targeting LXR. We identified immunopositive LXR fragments in human extracellular early dry AMD lesions and a decrease in LXR expression within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) as a function of age. Aged mice lacking LXR presented with isoform-dependent ocular pathologies. Specifically, loss of the Nr1h3 isoform resulted in pathobiologies aligned with AMD, supported by compromised visual function, accumulation of native and oxidized lipids in the outer retina, and upregulation of ocular inflammatory cytokines, while absence of Nr1h2 was associated with ocular lipoidal degeneration. LXR activation not only ameliorated lipid accumulation and oxidant-induced injury in RPE cells but also decreased ocular inflammatory markers and lipid deposition in a mouse model, thereby providing translational support for pursuing LXR-active pharmaceuticals as potential therapies for dry AMD

Involvement of MAF/SPP1 axis in the development of bone marrow fibrosis in PMF patients

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by hyperplastic megakaryopoiesis and myelofibrosis. We recently described the upregulation of MAF (v-maf avian musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog) in PMF CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) compared to healthy donor. Here we demonstrated that MAF is also upregulated in PMF compared with the essential thrombocytemia (ET) and polycytemia vera (PV) HPCs. MAF overexpression and knockdown experiments shed some light into the role of MAF in PMF pathogenesis, by demonstrating that MAF favors the megakaryocyte and monocyte/macrophage commitment of HPCs and leads to the increased expression of proinflammatory and profibrotic mediators. Among them, we focused our further studies on SPP1 and LGALS3. We assessed SPP1 and LGALS3 protein levels in 115 PMF, 47 ET and 24 PV patients plasma samples and we found that SPP1 plasma levels are significantly higher in PMF compared with ET and PV patients. Furthermore, in vitro assays demonstrated that SPP1 promotes fibroblasts and mesenchymal stromal cells proliferation and collagen production. Strikingly, clinical correlation analyses uncovered that higher SPP1 plasma levels in PMF patients correlate with a more severe fibrosis degree and a shorter overall survival. Collectively our data unveil that MAF overexpression contributes to PMF pathogenesis by driving the deranged production of the profibrotic mediator SPP1

Mechanical Strain Stabilizes Reconstituted Collagen Fibrils against Enzymatic Degradation by Mammalian Collagenase Matrix Metalloproteinase 8 (MMP-8)

Collagen, a triple-helical, self-organizing protein, is the predominant structural protein in mammals. It is found in bone, ligament, tendon, cartilage, intervertebral disc, skin, blood vessel, and cornea. We have recently postulated that fibrillar collagens (and their complementary enzymes) comprise the basis of a smart structural system which appears to support the retention of molecules in fibrils which are under tensile mechanical strain. The theory suggests that the mechanisms which drive the preferential accumulation of collagen in loaded tissue operate at the molecular level and are not solely cell-driven. The concept reduces control of matrix morphology to an interaction between molecules and the most relevant, physical, and persistent signal: mechanical strain.The investigation was carried out in an environmentally-controlled microbioreactor in which reconstituted type I collagen micronetworks were gently strained between micropipettes. The strained micronetworks were exposed to active matrix metalloproteinase 8 (MMP-8) and relative degradation rates for loaded and unloaded fibrils were tracked simultaneously using label-free differential interference contrast (DIC) imaging. It was found that applied tensile mechanical strain significantly increased degradation time of loaded fibrils compared to unloaded, paired controls. In many cases, strained fibrils were detectable long after unstrained fibrils were degraded.In this investigation we demonstrate for the first time that applied mechanical strain preferentially preserves collagen fibrils in the presence of a physiologically-important mammalian enzyme: MMP-8. These results have the potential to contribute to our understanding of many collagen matrix phenomena including development, adaptation, remodeling and disease. Additionally, tissue engineering could benefit from the ability to sculpt desired structures from physiologically compatible and mutable collagen

Real-World Apremilast Use for Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis in Italy: Patient Perspective, Characteristics, and Clinical Outcomes from the DARWIN Study

IntroductionWhile several european studies have reported real-world apremilast use, patient-perceived benefits, and treatment satisfaction, local reimbursement criteria for apremilast vary and data from Italy are limited.methodsThe cross-sectional DARWIN study enrolled consecutive patients who had initiated apremilast for plaque psoriasis 6 (+/- 1) months prior to enrolment at a single visit across 24 Italian dermatological sites. disease severity was assessed using body surface area (BSA) and physician global assessment (PGA). patient-reported outcomes assessed 6 (+/- 1) months after apremilast initiation were dermatology life quality Index (DLQI), patient benefit Index (PBI), and 9-item treatment satisfaction questionnaire for medication (TSQM-9).ResultsOf 184 patients enrolled between July 2019 and January 2021, 180 were included in the analysis. at apremilast initiation, median (25th-75th percentile) time since psoriasis diagnosis was 8.6 (3.2-22.2) years; median BSA, 10.0% (5.0-16.0); mean (standard seviation, SD) DLQI total score, 13.5 (8.0). over half (54.9%) of patients with available data reported psoriasis had a very or extremely large effect on their quality of life (QoL); half reported itching (50.6%) and/or special areas involvement (50.0%). most (73.9%) had comorbidities and were biologic-naive (81.5%). the most common reasons for initiating apremilast were lack of efficacy of previous treatment (56.7%) and contraindications to other treatments (44.4%). At 6 (+/- 1) months, most patients were continuing apremilast and/or reported a global PBI score >= 1 (minimum clinical benefit) (86.1% and 90.0%, respectively); approximately half achieved BSA <= 3% and/or DLQI total score <= 5 (47.1% and 48.5%); 18.8% achieved PGA = 0; mean (SD) TSQM-9 global treatment satisfaction score was 59.0 (24.8). apremilast was well tolerated; no new safety signals were identified .conclusions patients treated with apremilast for 6 months in Italian clinical practice reported improved QoL, clinically relevant improvements in symptoms, high treatment satisfaction, and high treatment persistence. our data indicate apremilast is a valuable treatment option for moderate plaque psoriasis. study registration clinical trials.gov identifier, NCT04031027

Systematic Analysis of Sequences and Expression Patterns of Drought-Responsive Members of the HD-Zip Gene Family in Maize

Background: Members of the homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) gene family encode transcription factors that are unique to plants and have diverse functions in plant growth and development such as various stress responses, organ formation and vascular development. Although systematic characterization of this family has been carried out in Arabidopsis and rice, little is known about HD-Zip genes in maize (Zea mays L.). Methods and Findings: In this study, we described the identification and structural characterization of HD-Zip genes in the maize genome. A complete set of 55 HD-Zip genes (Zmhdz1-55) were identified in the maize genome using Blast search tools and categorized into four classes (HD-Zip I-IV) based on phylogeny. Chromosomal location of these genes revealed that they are distributed unevenly across all 10 chromosomes. Segmental duplication contributed largely to the expansion of the maize HD-ZIP gene family, while tandem duplication was only responsible for the amplification of the HD-Zip II genes. Furthermore, most of the maize HD-Zip I genes were found to contain an overabundance of stress-related ciselements in their promoter sequences. The expression levels of the 17 HD-Zip I genes under drought stress were also investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). All of the 17 maize HD-ZIP I genes were found to be regulated by drought stress, and the duplicated genes within a sister pair exhibited the similar expression patterns, suggesting their conserved functions during the process of evolution

Correlation-Driven Transient Hole Dynamics Resolved in Space and Time in the Isopropanol Molecule

The possibility of suddenly ionized molecules undergoing extremely fast electron hole (or hole) dynamics prior to significant structural change was first recognized more than 20 years ago and termed charge migration. The accurate probing of ultrafast electron hole dynamics requires measurements that have both sufficient temporal resolution and can detect the localization of a specific hole within the molecule. We report an investigation of the dynamics of inner valence hole states in isopropanol where we use an x-ray pump–x-ray probe experiment, with site and state-specific probing of a transient hole state localized near the oxygen atom in the molecule, together with an ab initio theoretical treatment. We record the signature of transient hole dynamics and make the first tentative observation of dynamics driven by frustrated Auger-Meitner transitions. We verify that the effective hole lifetime is consistent with our theoretical prediction. This state-specific measurement paves the way to widespread application for observations of transient hole dynamics localized in space and time in molecules and thus to charge transfer phenomena that are fundamental in chemical and material physics