Biology subjects

Diaz, Z.

Publications and source records attributed to Diaz, Z..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A CRISPR-Based Humanized Model Reveals Cooperative Role of STAG2 Loss in Familial GATA2-Deficient MDS Progression

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogeneous myeloid malignancy driven by hematopoietic stem cell dysfunction, leading to ineffective hematopoiesis and cytopenias. Familial GATA2 deficiency is the most common cause of Myelodysplastic syndrome in adolescents, with progression often accelerated by co-occurring mutations, notably STAG2 loss-of-function. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering in primary human fetal liver-derived hematopoietic stem cells and xenotransplantation in mice, we modeled GATA2-deficient Myelodysplastic syndrome with acquired STAG2 loss to investigate disease initiation and progression. While GATA2 deficiency alone had minimal short-term impact in our model, combined GATA2 and STAG2 loss increased hematopoietic stem cell maintenance and self-renewal, induced a myeloid-lineage bias, and expanded primitive progenitors. Single-cell transcriptional profiling revealed upregulation of stemness genes and inflammatory pathways. This humanized model faithfully recapitulates high-risk GATA2-deficient Myelodysplastic syndrome, providing mechanistic insight into how cooperative mutations drive stem cell expansion, inflammatory signaling, and myeloid skewing. Visual Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=119 SRC="FIGDIR/small/702879v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (20K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1972beforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1c57886org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16bd582org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8e728a_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG Key PointsO_LIHumanized model of familial GATA2-deficiency requires the loss of STAG2 for progression to an MDS disease phenotype C_LIO_LIGATA2-ko+STAG2-ko increase HSC self-renewal, induce a myeloid-lineage bias, and trigger an inflammatory transcriptional program C_LI

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Ontogeny Dictates Oncogenic Potential, Lineage Hierarchy, and Therapy Response in Pediatric Leukemia

Accumulating evidence links pediatric cancers to prenatal transformation events, yet the influence of the developmental stage on oncogenesis remains elusive. We investigated how hematopoietic stem cell developmental stages affect leukemic transformation, disease progression, and therapy response using a novel, humanized model of NUP98::NSD1-driven pediatric acute myeloid leukemia, that is particularly aggressive with WT1 co-mutations. Fetal-derived hematopoietic stem cells readily transform into leukemia, and WT1 mutations further enhance stemness and alter lineage hierarchy. In contrast, stem cells from later developmental stages become progressively resistant to transformation. Single-cell analyses revealed that fetal-origin leukemia stem cells exhibit greater quiescence and reliance on oxidative phosphorylation than their postnatal counterparts. These differences drive distinct therapeutic responses, despite identical oncogenic mutations. In patients, onco-fetal transcriptional programs correlate with worse outcomes. By targeting key vulnerabilities of fetal-origin leukemia cells, we identified combination therapies that significantly reduce aggressiveness, highlighting the critical role of ontogeny in pediatric cancer treatment.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Defining RNA oligonucleotides that reverse deleterious phase transitions of RNA-binding proteins with prion-like domains

RNA-binding proteins with prion-like domains, such as FUS and TDP-43, condense into functional liquids, which can transform into pathological fibrils that underpin fatal neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here, we define short RNAs (24-48 nucleotides) that prevent FUS fibrillization by promoting liquid phases, and distinct short RNAs that prevent and, remarkably, reverse FUS condensation and fibrillization. These activities require interactions with multiple RNA-binding domains of FUS and are encoded by RNA sequence, length, and structure. Importantly, we define a short RNA that dissolves aberrant cytoplasmic FUS condensates, restores nuclear FUS, and mitigates FUS proteotoxicity in optogenetic models and human motor neurons. Another short RNA dissolves aberrant cytoplasmic TDP-43 condensates, restores nuclear TDP-43, and mitigates TDP-43 proteotoxicity. Since short RNAs can be effectively delivered to the human brain, these oligonucleotides could have therapeutic utility for ALS/FTD and related disorders.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2023

Ovariectomy-Induced Arterial Stiffening Differs from Vascular Aging and is Reversed by GPER Activation

Arterial stiffness is a cardiovascular risk factor and dramatically increases as women transition through menopause. The current study assessed whether a mouse model of menopause increases arterial stiffness in a similar manner to aging, and whether activation of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) could reverse stiffness. Female C57Bl/6J mice were ovariectomized (OVX) at 10 weeks of age or aged to 52 weeks, and some mice were treated with GPER agonists. OVX and aging increased pulse wave velocity to a similar extent independent of changes in blood pressure. Aging increased carotid wall thickness, while OVX increased material stiffness without altering vascular geometry. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that OVX downregulated smooth muscle contractile genes. The enantiomerically pure GPER agonist, LNS8801, reversed stiffness in OVX mice to a greater degree than the racemic agonist G-1. In summary, OVX and aging induced arterial stiffening via potentially different mechanisms. Aging was associated with inward remodeling while OVX induced material stiffness independent of geometry and a loss of the contractile phenotype. This study helps to further our understanding of the impact of menopause on vascular health and identifies LNS8801 as a potential therapy to counteract this detrimental process in women.

pharmacology and toxicology↗