Biology subjects

Horiuchi, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Horiuchi, Y..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Analysis of Rare Coding Variation Identifies New Genetic Contributors to Schizophrenia

In this study, we present the largest rare coding variant association study of schizophrenia to date, with 87,959 schizophrenia cases and 150,587 controls. We identify 16 genes at exome-wide significance: SETD1A, ZMYM2, HERC1, RB1CC1, SCAF1, XPO7, SP4, FYN, PPP3CA, CUL1, HDAC9, JARID2, ATP9A, PTK2, STAG1, and SCN2A, and an additional 24 at a 5% false discovery rate. Cases carrying ultra-rare, damaging variants, primarily protein-truncating and deleterious missense mutations, show strong enrichment in constrained genes with consistent effects across ancestries. Half of the 40 identified genes overlap with those implicated in developmental delay, autism, or bipolar disorder, underscoring shared neurodevelopmental risk. All 40 genes identified are highly expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons, and their expression patterns span diverse developmental stages. Functionally, the identified genes implicate chromatin regulation, protein degradation, and synaptic function. Overall, our results advance understanding of the genetic architecture of schizophrenia, provide a foundation for modeling risk genes in cellular and animal systems, and offer a framework for future work toward biologically informed patient stratification.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2025

Pseudovirus-Mediated Proximity Labeling Identifies Candidate Host Cell Membrane Proteins Involved in Viral Attachment

Viral infections represent a significant threat to humanity, as exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. To mitigate the associated damage, it is essential to understand the biological characteristics of causative viruses. In this study, we report a novel method for identifying host cell molecules (including virus receptor) required for viral attachment, referred to here as "Host Cell Attachment Factors (HCAFs)". Our approach utilizes proximity labeling (PL) technology: pseudoviruses engineered to express a PL enzyme are applied to host cells, where they bind and initiate proximity labeling. Since HCAFs are expected to be localized near viral attachment sites, candidate HCAFs are specifically tagged by the PL process. Analysis of influenza HCAFs enabled the identification of multiple candidate molecules. Subsequent virus attachment experiments using CHO cells suggested that NRP1 may serve as an HCAF for influenza viruses. Given its simplicity and rapid turnaround, this method is adaptable to a wide range of enveloped viruses, including pandemic viruses that require emergency analysis.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2024

BCR, not TCR, repertoire diversity is associated with favorable COVID-19 prognosis

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a widespread and severe impact on society, yet there have also been instances of remarkable recovery, even in critically ill patients. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze the immune responses in recovered and deceased COVID-19 patients during moderate and critical stages. The study included three unvaccinated patients from each outcome category. Although expanded T cell receptor (TCR) clones were predominantly SARS-CoV-2-specific, they represented only a small fraction of the total repertoire in all patients. In contrast, while deceased patients exhibited monoclonal B cell receptor (BCR) expansions without COVID-19 specificity, survivors demonstrated diverse and specific BCR clones. These findings suggest that neither TCR diversity nor BCR monoclonal expansions are sufficient for viral clearance and subsequent recovery. Differential gene expression analysis revealed that protein biosynthetic processes were enriched in survivors, but that potentially damaging mitochondrial ATP metabolism was activated in the deceased. This study underscores that BCR repertoire diversity, but not TCR diversity, correlates with favorable outcomes in COVID-19.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Carvedilol suppresses ryanodine receptor-dependent Ca2+ bursts in human neurons bearing PSEN1 variants found in early onset Alzheimer's disease

Seizures are increasingly being recognized as the hallmark of Alzheimers disease (AD). Neuronal hyperactivity can be a consequence of neuronal damage caused by abnormal amyloid {beta} (A{beta}) depositions. However, it can also be a cell-autonomous phenomenon causing AD by A{beta}-independent mechanisms. Indeed, various studies using animal models showed that Ca2+ releases from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via type 1 inositol triphosphate receptors (InsP3R1s) and ryanodine receptors (RyRs). To investigate which is the main pathophysiological mechanism in human neurons, we measured Ca2+ signaling in neural cells derived from three early-onset AD patients harboring variants of Presenilin-1 (PSEN1 p.A246E, p.L286V, and p.M146L). Of these, it has been reported that PSEN1 p.A246E and p.L286V did not produce a significant amount of abnormal A{beta}. We found that all PSEN1-mutant neurons, but not wild-type, caused abnormal Ca2+-bursts in a manner dependent on the calcium channel, Ryanodine Receptor 2 (RyR2). Indeed, carvedilol, anRyR2 inhibitor, and VK-II-86, an analog of carvedilol without the {beta}-blocking effects, sufficiently eliminated the abnormal Ca2+ bursts. In contrast, Dantrolene, a RyR1 inhibitor, and Xestospongin c, an IP3R inhibitor, did not attenuate the Ca2+-bursts. The RNA-Seq data revealed that ER-stress responsive genes were increased, and mitochondrial Ca2+-transporter genes were decreased in PSEN1A246E cells compared to the WT neurons. Thus, we propose that aberrant Ca2+ signaling is a key link between human pathogenic PSEN1 variants and cell-intrinsic hyperactivity prior to deposition of abnormal A{beta}, offering prospects for the development of targeted prevention strategies for at-risk individuals. One Sentence SummaryAberrant Ca2+-signaling causes PSEN1-related early onset Alzheimers disease.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

A reciprocal inhibition model of alternations between non-dissociative and dissociative states in patients with PTSD

ObjectiveTraumatic life-events can leave individuals with contrasting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, including re-experiencing and avoidance. Notably, patients with PTSD are known to periodically switch between two opposing attentional biases; namely, toward threat and away from threat. We hypothesized that reciprocal inhibition between the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) may induce alternations between these attentional biases, which in turn may contribute to the re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms, respectively.\n\nMethodsTo test this reciprocal inhibition model, we performed an experiment to measure the attentional biases of patients with PTSD. We examined the differential relationships between PTSD symptom clusters (re-experiencing/avoidance) and attentional biases (toward/away from threat). Additionally, we performed a meta-regression analysis to examine the role of amygdala reactivity in the imbalance between re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms.\n\nResultsWe found that attentional bias toward threat was selectively associated with re-experiencing symptoms whereas attentional bias away from threat was selectively associated with avoidance symptoms. Meta-regression analysis based on twelve participant populations (total N = 316) revealed that left amygdala activity was positively correlated with the severity of re-experiencing symptoms relative to avoidance symptoms.\n\nConclusionsOur findings support the hypothesis that reciprocal inhibition of common neural circuits may underlie the switch between attentional biases toward and away from threat as well as that between re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms. Re-experiencing and avoidance/emotional numbing are the core symptoms used to distinguish between the non-dissociative and dissociative PTSD subtypes. The reciprocal inhibition mechanism may help elucidate the mechanisms underlying those PTSD subtypes.

neuroscience↗