Biology subjects

Pelosi, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Pelosi, E..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Functional genomics analysis identifies impairment of HNF1B function as a cause of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.

Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a congenital condition characterized by aplasia or hypoplasia of the uterus and vagina in women with a typical 46,XX karyotype. This condition can occur as type I when isolated or as type II when associated with extragenital anomalies including kidney and skeletal abnormalities. The genetic basis of MRKH syndrome remains unexplained and several candidate genes have been proposed to play a role in its etiology, including HNF1B, LHX1, and WNT4. Here, we conducted a genomic analysis of 13 women affected by MRKH syndrome, resulting in the identification of candidate genes, including several novel candidates. We focused on HNF1B for further investigation due to its known association with, but unknown etiological role in, MRKH syndrome. We ablated Hnf1b specifically in the epithelium of the Mullerian ducts in mice, and found that this caused hypoplastic development of both the epithelial and stromal compartments of the uterus, as well as kidney anomalies, closely mirroring the MRKH type II phenotype. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of uterine tissue in the Hnf1b-ablated embryos, we analyzed the molecules and pathways downstream of Hnf1b, revealing a dysregulation of processes associated with cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Thus, we establish that loss of Hnf1b function leads to an MRKH phenotype, and generate the first mouse model of MRKH syndrome type II. Our results support the diagnostic value of HNF1B in clinical genetic testing for MRKH syndrome, and shed new light on the genetic causes of this poorly understood condition in womens reproductive health.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Functional analysis of Mmd2 and related PAQR genes during sex determination in mice

Sex determination in eutherian mammals is controlled by the Y-linked gene Sry, which drives the formation of testes in male embryos. Despite extensive study, the genetic steps linking Sry action and male sex determination remain largely unknown. Here, we focused on Mmd2, a gene that encodes a member of the progestin and adipoQ receptor (PAQR) family. We show that Mmd2 is expressed during the sex-determining period in XY but not XX gonads, specifically in the Sertoli cell lineage which orchestrates early testis development. Analysis of knockout mice deficient in Sox9 and Sf1 revealed that Mmd2 operates downstream of these known sex-determining genes. However, when we used CRISPR to ablate Mmd2 in the mouse, fetal testis development appeared to progress normally. To determine if other genes might have compensated for the loss of Mmd2, we identified the closely related PAQR family members Paqr8 and Mmd as also being expressed during testis development. We used CRISPR to generate mouse strains deficient in Paqr8 and Mmd, but both knockout lines appeared phenotypically normal and fertile. Finally, we generated Mmd2;Mmd and Mmd2;Paqr8 double-null embryos and again observed normal testis development. These results may reflect functional redundancy among these factors. Our findings highlight the difficulties involved in identifying genes with a functional role in sex determination and gonadal development through expression screening and loss-of-function analyses of individual candidate genes, and may help to explain the paucity of genes in which variations have been found to cause human disorders/differences of sex development.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Generation and mutational analysis of a transgenic mouse model of human SRY

SRY is the Y-chromosomal gene that determines male sex development in humans and most other mammals. After three decades of study, we still lack a detailed understanding of which domains of the SRY protein are required to engage pathway of gene activity leading to testis development. Some insight has been gained from the study of genetic variations underlying differences/disorders of sex determination (DSD), but the lack of a system of experimentally generating SRY mutations and studying their consequences in vivo has limited progress in the field. To address this issue, we generated a mouse model carrying a human SRY transgene able to drive male sex determination in XX mice. Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, we generated novel genetic modifications in each of SRYs three domains (N-terminal, HMG box, and C-terminal) and performed detailed analysis of their molecular and cellular effects on embryonic testis development. Our results provide new functional insights unique to human SRY and the causes of DSD, and present a versatile and powerful system in which to demonstrate causality of SRY variations in DSD, to functionally study the SRY variation database, and to characterize new pathogenic SRY variations found in DSD.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 reactive CD4+ T cells

The contribution of CD4+ T cells to protective or pathogenic immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unknown. Here, we present large-scale single-cell transcriptomic analysis of viral antigen-reactive CD4+ T cells from 32 COVID-19 patients. In patients with severe disease compared to mild disease, we found increased proportions of cytotoxic follicular helper (TFH) cells and cytotoxic T helper cells (CD4-CTLs) responding to SARS-CoV-2, and reduced proportion of SARS-CoV-2 reactive regulatory T cells. Importantly, the CD4-CTLs were highly enriched for the expression of transcripts encoding chemokines that are involved in the recruitment of myeloid cells and dendritic cells to the sites of viral infection. Polyfunctional T helper (TH)1 cells and TH17 cell subsets were underrepresented in the repertoire of SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4+ T cells compared to influenza-reactive CD4+ T cells. Together, our analyses provide so far unprecedented insights into the gene expression patterns of SARS-CoV-2 reactive CD4+ T cells in distinct disease severities.

immunology↗