Biology subjects

Ray, R. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Ray, R. S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Cross-Species Efficacy of Combinatorial Gene Therapy for Osteoarthritis and Correction of Neuro-Inflammatory Pain Mechanisms

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability, which lacks disease-modifying treatment. Given the complex multi-tissue and multifactorial drivers behind disease progression, effective treatments will require simultaneously targeting several mechanisms underlying joint degeneration and pain. Here, we developed and evaluated a combinatorial gene therapy, consisting of a high-capacity adenoviral vector carrying two therapeutic genes to target distinct pathological mechanisms: inflammation (IL-1Ra) and chondrocyte health (PRG4). Intra-articular delivery of this treatment improved functional, structural, and pain outcomes in murine and equine osteoarthritis models. In addition, treatment normalized inflammatory environments in joint tissues, as well as in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) known to harbor joint-innervating sensory neurons. Moreover, gene therapy reversed OA-induced molecular signatures of neural hyperexcitability, suggesting amelioration of peripheral sensitization. Collectively, these findings support combinatorial gene therapy as a promising treatment for osteoarthritis, while identifying neuroinflammatory signatures for correction of disease progression and pain. One Sentence SummaryA single intra-articular injection of a combinatorial gene therapy slows OA progression and reduces pain in small and large animal models.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2021

A CRISPR toolbox for generating intersectional genetic mice for functional, molecular, and anatomical circuit mapping

BackgroundA full understanding of circuits and cellular mechanisms governing health and disease requires the dissection and multi-faceted study of discrete cell subtypes in developing and adult animal models. Recombinase-driven expression of transgenic response alleles represents a significant and powerful approach to delineate cell populations for functional, molecular, and anatomical study. In addition to single recombinase systems, the expression of two recombinases in distinct, but partially overlapping, populations allow for more defined target expression. Although the application of this method is becoming increasingly popular, the expense and difficulty associated with production of customized intersectional mouse lines have limited widespread application to more common allele manipulations that are often commercially produced at great expense. ResultsWe present a simplified CRISPR toolkit for rapid, inexpensive, and facile intersectional allele production. Briefly, we produced 7 intersectional mouse lines using a dual recombinase system, one mouse line with a single recombinase system, and three embryonic stem (ES) cell lines that are designed to study how functional, molecular, and anatomical features relate to each other in building circuits that underlie physiology and behavior. As a proof-of-principle, we applied three of these lines to different neuronal populations for anatomical mapping and functional in vivo investigation of respiratory control. We also generated a mouse line with a single recombinase-responsive allele that controls the expression of the calcium sensor Twitch-2B. This mouse line was applied globally to study the effects of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) on calcium release in the ovarian follicle. ConclusionsLines presented here are representative examples of outcomes possible with the successful application of our genetic toolkit for the facile development of diverse, modifiable animal models. This toolkit will allow labs to create single or dual recombinase effector lines easily for any cell population or subpopulation of interest when paired with the appropriate Cre and FLP recombinase mouse lines or viral vectors. We have made our tools and derivative intersectional mouse and ES cell lines openly available for non-commercial use through publicly curated repositories for plasmid DNA, ES cells, and transgenic mouse lines.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2019

Follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone increase Ca2+ in the granulosa cells of mouse ovarian follicles

Summary sentenceBoth FSH and LH increase Ca2+ in the granulosa cells of intact ovarian follicles from mice expressing genetically encoded sensors.\n\nABSTRACTIn mammalian ovarian follicles, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) signal primarily through the G-protein Gs to elevate cAMP, but both of these hormones can also elevate Ca2+ under some conditions. Here we investigate FSH- and LH-induced Ca2+ signaling in intact follicles of mice expressing genetically encoded Ca2+ sensors, Twitch-2B and GCaMP6s. At a physiological concentration (1 nM), FSH elevates Ca2+ within the granulosa cells of preantral and antral follicles. The Ca2+ rise begins several minutes after FSH application, peaks at ~10 minutes, remains above baseline for another ~10 minutes, and depends on extracellular Ca2+. However, suppression of the FSH-induced Ca2+ increase by reducing extracellular Ca2+ does not inhibit FSH-induced phosphorylation of MAP kinase, estradiol production, or the acquisition of LH responsiveness. Like FSH, LH also increases Ca2+, when applied to preovulatory follicles. At a physiological concentration (10 nM), LH elicits Ca2+ oscillations in a subset of cells in the outer mural granulosa layer. These oscillations continue for at least 6 hours and depend on the activity of Gq family G-proteins. Suppression of the oscillations by Gq inhibition does not inhibit meiotic resumption, but does slightly attenuate ovulation. In summary, both FSH and LH increase Ca2+ in the granulosa cells of intact follicles, but the functions of these Ca2+ rises are only starting to be identified.

cell biology↗