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Smith, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Smith, T..

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Chromosome-scale genome assembly of the rough periwinkle Littorina saxatilis

The intertidal gastropod Littorina saxatilis is a model system to study speciation and local adaptation. The repeated occurrence of distinct ecotypes showing different levels of genetic divergence makes L. saxatilis particularly suited to study different stages of the speciation continuum in the same lineage. A major finding is the presence of several large chromosomal inversions associated with the divergence of ecotypes and, specifically, the species offers a system to study the role of inversions in this divergence. The genome of L. saxatilis is 1.35Gb and composed of 17 chromosomes. The first reference genome of the species was assembled using Illumina data, was highly fragmented (N50 of 44kb) and was quite incomplete, with a BUSCO completeness of 80.1% on the Metazoan dataset. A linkage map of one full-sibling family enabled the placement of 587 Mbp of the genome into 17 linkage groups corresponding to the haploid number of chromosomes, but the fragmented nature of this reference genome limited the understanding of the interplay between divergent selection and gene flow during ecotype formation. Here we present a newly generated reference genome that is highly contiguous, with a N50 of 67 Mb and 90.4% of the total assembly length placed in 17 super-scaffolds. It is also highly complete with a BUSCO completeness of 94.1 % of the Metazoa dataset. This new reference will allow for investigations into the genomic regions implicated in ecotype formation as well as better characterization of the inversions and their role in speciation. SignificanceThe rough periwinkle, L. saxatilis has become a model to study adaptation, evolutionary innovation and speciation, including the role of chromosomal inversions in these processes. Chromosomal inversions have also been identified in other species of Littorina providing a valuable opportunity for investigating their origin and evolution. Here, we present a new chromosome-scale reference genome of L. saxatilis generated from long reads and HiC chromatin proximity mapping replacing an earlier highly fragmented genome. This will enable detailed investigations of how inversions contribute to adaptation and reproductive isolation in L. saxatilis and related taxa, including studies of the effects of individual loci within and outside inversions.

genomics↗

Drivers of Bird Communities in an Urban Neighborhood Vary by Scale

Given the accelerated pace of global biodiversity loss and rapid urbanization, it is becoming increasingly urgent to identify ways to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of urban environments for wild flora and fauna. For instance, it has been estimated that 48% of all bird species are experiencing population declines. One of the main drivers of these declines is habitat loss and degradation associated with urbanization. Increased urbanization necessitates a better understanding of how to conserve birds in urban areas. Although relationships between urbanization and bird communities have been explored extensively, few studies have been conducted in residential neighborhoods, and the influence of urban environmental conditions, particularly air pollution, on bird communities remains unclear. In this study, we examined relationships between bird community metrics and environmental measures related to vegetation and air pollution within a residential neighborhood at multiple spatial scales. We found that bird species richness and the average number of native species were positively related to greenness (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index; NDVI) within 50 m, and negatively associated with ambient levels of NO2 at 200 m. Similarly, we found the Hill-Shannon diversity index was positively associated with canopy cover, but negatively associated with NO2 at 200 m. The average number of invasive bird species, however, was negatively correlated with canopy cover at 50 m. The average number of native birds was negatively related to ultrafine particle (<100 nm in diameter) concentration. Unlike native bird abundances, invasive bird abundances were not sensitive to NO2 or ultrafine particles. Thus, our research suggests that reductions in air pollution, in combination with greening efforts that increase NDVI and canopy cover via the restoration of vegetation within urban neighborhoods, are likely to increase bird diversity and the abundances of native birds while reducing the abundance of invasive birds.

ecology↗

Genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies KEAP1 as a genetic dependency of ARID1A in an ovarian clear cell carcinoma model

ARID1A is the core DNA binding subunit of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex and is mutated in about [~]8% of all cancers. The frequency of ARID1A loss varies between cancer subtypes, with clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCOC) presenting the highest incidence at >50% of cases. Despite a growing understanding of the consequences of ARID1A-loss in cancer, there remains limited targeted therapeutic options for ARID1A-deficient cancers. Using a genome-wide CRISPR screening approach, we identify KEAP1 as a genetic dependency of ARID1A in CCOC. Depletion or chemical perturbation of KEAP1 results in selective growth inhibition of ARID1A-KO cell lines and edited primary endometrial epithelial cells. While we confirm that KEAP1-NRF2 signalling is dysregulated in ARID1A-KO cells, we suggest that this synthetic lethality is not due to aberrant NRF2 signalling. Rather, we find that KEAP1 perturbation exacerbates genome instability phenotypes associated with ARID1A-deficiency. Together, our findings identify a potentially novel synthetic lethal interaction of wARID1A-deficient cells.

cancer biology↗

CZ CELLxGENE Discover: A single-cell data platform for scalable exploration, analysis and modeling of aggregated data

Hundreds of millions of single cells have been analyzed to date using high throughput transcriptomic methods, thanks to technological advances driving the increasingly rapid generation of single-cell data. This provides an exciting opportunity for unlocking new insights into health and disease, made possible by meta-analysis that span diverse datasets building on recent advances in large language models and other machine learning approaches. Despite the promise of these and emerging analytical tools for analyzing large amounts of data, a major challenge remains the sheer number of datasets and inconsistent format, data models and accessibility. Many datasets are available via unique portals platforms that often lack interoperability. Here, we present CZ CellxGene Discover (cellxgene.cziscience.com), a data platform that provides curated and interoperable data. This single-cell data resource, available via a free-to-use online data portal, hosts a growing corpus of community contributed data that spans more than 50 million unique cells. Curated, standardized, and associated with consistent cell-level metadata, this collection of interoperable single-cell transcriptomic data is the largest of its kind. A suite of tools and features enables accessibility and reusability of the data via both computational and visual interfaces to allow researchers to rapidly explore individual datasets and perform cross-corpus analysis. This functionality is enabling meta-analyses of tens of millions of cells across studies and tissues and providing global views of human cells at the resolution of single cells.

cell biology↗

AnophelesModel: An R package to interface mosquito bionomics, human exposure and intervention effects with models of malaria intervention impact

In recent decades, field and semi-field studies of malaria transmission have gathered geographic-specific information about mosquito ecology, behaviour and their sensitivity to interventions. Mathematical models of malaria transmission can incorporate such data to infer the likely impact of vector control interventions and hence guide malaria control strategies in various geographies. To facilitate this process and make model predictions of intervention impact available for different geographical regions, we developed AnophelesModel. AnophelesModel is an online, open-access, R package that directly allows incorporating generated entomological data for adjustment of models to assess intervention scenarios according to species and location-specific characteristics. In addition, it includes a previously published, comprehensive, curated database of field entomological data from over 50 Anopheles species, field data on mosquito and human behaviour, and on estimates of vector control effectiveness. Using the input data, the package parameterizes a discrete-time, state transition model of the mosquito oviposition cycle and infers species-specific impacts of various interventions on vectorial capacity. In addition, it offers formatted outputs ready to use in downstream analyses and by other models of malaria transmission for accurate representation of the vector-specific components. Using AnophelesModel, we show how the key implications for intervention impact change for various vectors and locations. The package facilitates quantitative comparisons of likely intervention impacts in different geographical settings varying in vector compositions, and can thus guide towards more robust and efficient malaria control recommendations. The AnophelesModel R package is available under a GPL-3.0 license at https://github.com/SwissTPH/AnophelesModel.

ecology↗

Myosin XV is a negative regulator of signaling filopodia during long-range lateral inhibition

The self-organization of cells during development is essential for the formation of healthy tissues, and requires the coordination of cell activities at local scales. Cytonemes, or signaling filopodia, are dynamic actin-based cellular protrusions that allow cells to engage in contact mediated signaling at a distance. While signaling filopodia have been shown to support several signaling paradigms during development, less is understood about how these protrusions are regulated. We investigated the role of the plus-end directed, unconventional MyTH4-FERM myosins in regulating signaling filopodia during sensory bristle patterning on the dorsal thorax of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We found that Myosin XV is required for regulating signaling filopodia dynamics and, as a consequence, lateral inhibition more broadly throughout the patterning epithelium. We found that Myosin XV is required for limiting the length and number of signaling filopodia generated by bristle precursor cells. Cells with additional and longer signaling filopodia due to loss of Myosin XV are not signaling competent, due to altered levels of Delta ligand and Notch receptor along their lengths. We conclude that Myosin XV acts to negatively regulate signaling filopodia, as well as promote the ability of signaling filopodia to engage in long-range Notch signaling. Since Myosin XV is present across several vertebrate and invertebrate systems, this may have significance for other long-range signaling mechanisms.

developmental biology↗

Fusion crystallization reveals the behavior of both the 1TEL crystallization chaperone and the TNK1 UBA domain

Human thirty-eight-negative kinase-1 (TNK1) is implicated in cancer progression. The TNK1-UBA domain binds polyubiquitin and plays a regulatory role in TNK1 activity and stability. Sequence analysis suggests an unusual architecture for the TNK1 UBA domain, but an experimentally-validated molecular structure is undetermined. To gain insight into TNK1 regulation, we fused the UBA domain to the 1TEL crystallization chaperone and obtained crystals diffracting as far as 1.53 [A]. A 1TEL search model enabled solution of the X-ray phases. GG and GSGG linkers allowed the UBA to reproducibly find a productive binding mode against its host 1TEL polymer and to crystallize at protein concentrations as low as 0.1 mg/mL. Our studies support a mechanism of TELSAM fusion crystallization and show that TELSAM fusion crystals require fewer crystal contacts than traditional protein crystals. Modeling and experimental validation suggest the UBA domain may be selective for both the length and linkages of polyubiquitin chains.

biochemistry↗

Sex-specific Proximal Tubular Cell differentiation pathways identified by single-nucleus RNA

BackgroundPostpartum kidney growth is substantial but proliferation and differentiation pathways underpinning nephron elongation are not well defined. Here we performed sequential characterization of mouse kidney transcriptomics at the single cell level to address this. MethodsSingle nuclear RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) was performed on kidney tissue from male and female mice at 1, 2, 4 and 12 weeks of age using the 10x Chromium platform. ResultsUnbiased clustering was performed on 68,775 nuclei from 16 animals. 31 discrete cellular clusters were seen, which were identified through comparison of their gene expression profiles to canonical markers of kidney cell populations. High levels of proliferation were evident at early time points in some cell types, especially tubular cells, but not in other cell types, for example podocytes. Proliferation was especially evident in Proximal Tubular Cells (PTCs) which are the most abundant cell type in the adult kidney. Uniquely when compared to other kidney cell types, PTCs demonstrated sex-specific expression profiles at late, but not early, time points. Mapping of PTC differentiation pathways using techniques including trajectory and RNA Velocity analyses delineated increasing PTC specialization and sex-specific phenotype specification. ConclusionOur single-cell transcriptomics data characterise cellular states observed during kidney growth. We have identified PTC differentiation pathways that lead to sex-specific tubular cell phenotypes.

cell biology↗

Error-corrected Duplex Sequencing enables direct detection and quantification of mutations in human TK6 cells with remarkable inter-laboratory consistency

Error-corrected Duplex Sequencing (DuplexSeq) enables direct quantification of low-frequency mutations and offers tremendous potential for chemical mutagenicity assessment. We investigated the utility of DuplexSeq to quantify induced mutation frequency (MF) and spectrum in human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells exposed to a prototypical DNA alkylating agent, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). Furthermore, we explored appropriate experimental parameters for this application, and assessed inter-laboratory reproducibility. In two independent experiments in two laboratories, TK6 cells were exposed to ENU (25-200 {micro}M) and DNA was sequenced 48, 72, and 96 h post-exposure. A DuplexSeq mutagenicity panel targeting twenty 2.4-kb regions distributed across the genome was used to sample diverse, genome-representative sequence contexts. A robust increase in MF that was unaffected by time was observed in both laboratories. Concentration-response in the MF from the two laboratories was strongly positively correlated (R2=0.95). C:G>T:A, T:A>C:G, T:A>A:T, and T:A>G:C mutations increased in consistent, concentration-dependent manners in both laboratories, with high proportions of C:G>T:A at all time points. The target sites responded similarly between the two laboratories and revealed a higher average MF in intergenic regions. These results, demonstrating remarkable reproducibility across time and laboratory for both MF and spectrum, support the high value of DuplexSeq for characterizing chemical mutagenicity in both research and regulatory evaluation.

genomics↗

Socio-economic disadvantage is associated with alterations in brain wiring economy

The quality of a childs social and physical environment is a key influence on brain development, educational attainment and mental wellbeing. However, there still remains a mechanistic gap in our understanding of how environmental influences converge on changes in the brains developmental trajectory. In a sample of 145 children with structural diffusion tensor imaging data, we used generative network modelling to simulate the emergence of whole brain network organisation. We then applied data-driven clustering to stratify the sample according to socio-economic disadvantage, with one of the resulting clusters containing mostly children living below the poverty line. A formal comparison of the simulated networks from the generative model revealed that the computational principles governing network formation were subtly different for children experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, and that this resulted in significantly altered developmental timing of network modularity emergence. Children in the low socio-economic status (SES) group had a significantly slower time to peak modularity, relative to the higher SES group (t(69) = 3.02, P = 3.50 x 10-4, d = 0.491). In a subsequent simulation we showed that the alteration in generative properties increases the variability in wiring probabilities during network formation (KS test: D = 0.012, P < 0.001). One possibility is that multiple environmental influences such as stress, diet and environmental stimulation impact both the systematic coordination of neuronal activity and biological resource constraints, converging on a shift in the economic conditions under which networks form. Alternatively, it is possible that this stochasticity reflects an adaptive mechanism that creates "resilient" networks better suited to unpredictable environments. Author SummaryWe used generative network models to simulate macroscopic brain network development in a sample of 145 children. Within these models, network connections form probabilistically depending on the estimated "cost" of forming a connection, versus topological "value" that the connection would confer. Tracking the formation of the network across the simulation, we could establish the changes in global brain organisation measures such as integration and segregation. Simulations for children experiencing socio-economic disadvantage were associated with a shift in emergence of a topologically valuable network property, namely modularity.

neuroscience↗

A humanized yeast model reveals dominant-negative properties of neuropathy-associated alanyl-tRNA synthetase mutations

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are ubiquitously expressed, essential enzymes that ligate tRNA molecules to their cognate amino acids. Heterozygosity for missense variants or small in-frame deletions in five ARS genes causes axonal peripheral neuropathy, a disorder characterized by impaired neuronal function in the distal extremities. These variants reduce enzyme activity without significantly decreasing protein levels and reside in genes encoding homo-dimeric enzymes. These observations raise the possibility of a dominant-negative effect, in which non-functional mutant ARS subunits dimerize with wild-type ARS subunits and reduce overall ARS activity below 50%, breaching a threshold required for peripheral nerve axons. To test for these dominant-negative properties, we developed a humanized yeast assay to co-express pathogenic human alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AARS1) mutations with wild-type human AARS1. We show that multiple loss-of-function, pathogenic AARS1 variants repress yeast growth in the presence of wild-type human AARS1. This growth defect is rescued when these variants are placed in cis with a mutation that reduces dimerization with the wild-type subunit, demonstrating that the interaction between mutant AARS1 and wild-type AARS1 is responsible for the repressed growth. This demonstrates that neuropathy-associated AARS1 variants exert a dominant-negative effect, which supports a common, loss-of-function mechanism for ARS-mediated dominant peripheral neuropathy.

genetics↗

Chemical structures of cyclic ADP ribose (cADPR) isomers and the molecular basis of their production and signaling

Cyclic ADP ribose (cADPR) isomers are important signaling molecules produced by bacterial and plant Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domains via NAD+ hydrolysis, yet their chemical structures are unknown. We show that v-cADPR (2cADPR) and v2-cADPR (3cADPR) isomers are cyclized by O-glycosidic bond formation between the ribose moieties in ADPR. Structures of v-cADPR (2cADPR)-producing TIR domains reveal that conformational changes are required for the formation of the active assembly that resembles those of Toll-like receptor adaptor TIR domains, and mutagenesis data demonstrate that a conserved tryptophan is essential for cyclization. We show that v2-cADPR (3cADPR) is a potent activator of ThsA effector proteins from Thoeris anti-phage defence systems and is responsible for suppression of plant immunity by the effector HopAM1. Collectively, our results define new enzymatic activities of TIR domains, reveal the molecular basis of cADPR isomer production, and establish v2-cADPR (3cADPR) as an antiviral signaling molecule and an effector-mediated signaling molecule for plant immunity suppression. One-Sentence SummaryThe chemical structures of two O-glycosidic bond-containing cyclic ADP ribose isomers, the molecular basis of their production, and their function in antiviral and plant immunity suppression by bacteria are reported.

biochemistry↗

CD8 T Cell Memory Inflation is Driven by Latent CMV Infection of Lymphatic Endothelial Cells

CMV, a ubiquitous herpesvirus, elicits an extraordinarily large T cell response that is sustained or increases over time, a phenomenon termed memory inflation. Remarkably, even latent, non-productive infection can drive memory inflation. Despite intense research on this phenomenon, the infected cell type(s) involved are unknown. To identify the responsible cell type(s), we designed a Cre-lox murine CMV (MCMV) system, where a spread-deficient ({Delta}gL) virus expresses recombinant SIINFEKL only in Cre+ host cells. We found that latent infection of endothelial cells (ECs), but not dendritic cells (DCs) or hepatocytes, was sufficient to drive CD8 T cell memory inflation. Infection of Lyve-1-Cre and Prox1-CreERT2 mice revealed that amongst EC subsets, infection of lymphatic ECs was sufficient. Genetic ablation of {beta}2m on lymphatic ECs did not prevent inflation, suggesting another unidentified cell type can also present antigen to CD8 T cells during latency. This novel system definitively shows that antigen presentation by lymphatic ECs drives robust CD8 T cell memory inflation. SUMMARYActive T cell immunosurveillance during latent CMV infection results in T cell memory inflation. A novel Cre-lox genetic system for cell-specific antigen expression reveals that lymphatic ECs, but not DCs or hepatocytes, can drive CD8 T cell memory inflation.

immunology↗

A system-wide quantitative map of RNA and protein subcellular localisation dynamics

Existing methods to analyse RNA localisation are constrained to specific RNAs or subcellular niches, precluding the cell-wide mapping of RNA. We present Localisation of RNA (LoRNA), which maps, at once, RNAs to membranous (nucleus, ER and mitochondria) and membraneless compartments (cytosol, nucleolus and phase-separated granules). Simultaneous interrogation of all RNA locations allows the system-wide quantification of RNA proportional distribution and the comprehensive analysis of RNA subcellular dynamics. Moreover, we have re-engineered the LOPIT (Localisation Of Proteins by Isotope Tagging) method, enabling integration with LoRNA, to jointly map RNA and protein subcellular localisation. Applying this framework, we obtain a global re-localisation map for 31839 transcripts and 5314 proteins during the unfolded protein response, uncovering that ER-localised transcripts are more efficiently recruited to stress granules than cytosolic RNAs, and revealing eIF3d is key to sustain cytoskeletal function. Overall, we provide the most exhaustive map to date of RNA and protein subcellular dynamics.

cell biology↗

Preclinical Efficacy of IMM-BCP-01, a Highly Active Patient-Derived Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Cocktail

Using an unbiased interrogation of the memory B cell repertoire of convalescent COVID-19 patients, we identified human antibodies that demonstrated robust antiviral activity in vitro and efficacy in vivo against all tested SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we describe the pre-clinical characterization of an antibody cocktail, IMM-BCP-01, that consists of three unique, patient-derived recombinant neutralizing antibodies directed at non-overlapping surfaces on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Two antibodies, IMM20184 and IMM20190 directly block spike binding to the ACE2 receptor. Binding of the third antibody, IMM20253, to its unique epitope on the outer surface of RBD, alters the conformation of the spike trimer, promoting release of spike monomers. These antibodies decreased SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lungs of Syrian golden hamsters, and efficacy in vivo efficacy was associated with broad antiviral neutralizing activity against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and robust antiviral effector function response, including phagocytosis, ADCC, and complement pathway activation. Our pre-clinical data demonstrate that the three antibody cocktail IMM-BCP-01 shows promising potential for preventing or treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in susceptible individuals. One sentence summaryIMM-BCP-01 cocktail triggers Spike Trimer dissociation, neutralizes all tested variants in vitro, activates a robust effector response and dose-dependently inhibits virus in vivo.

immunology↗

Mapping Molecular Gene Signatures Among Respiratory Viruses Based on Large-Scale and Genome-wide Transcriptomics Analysis

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging RNA virus causing COVID-19 disease across the globe. SARS-CoV-2 infected patients exhibit acute respiratory distress syndrome which can be compounded by endemic respiratory viruses and thus highlighting the need to understand the genetic bases of clinical outcome under multiple respiratory infections. In this study, 42 individual datasets and a multi-parametric based selected list of over 12,000 genes against five medically important respiratory viruses (SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, influenza A, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus were collected and analysed in an attempt to understand differentially regulated gene patterns and to cast genetic markers of individual and multiple co-infections. While a certain cohort of virus-specific genes were regulated (negatively and positively), notably results revealed a greatest correlation among gene regulation by SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. Furthermore, out of analysed genes, the MAP2K5 and NFKBIL1 were specifically and highly upregulated in SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo or in vitro. In contrast, several genes including GPBAR1 and SC5DL were specifically downregulated in SARS-CoV-2 datasets. Additionally, we catalogued a set of genes that were conserved or differentially regulated across all the respiratory viruses. These finding provide foundational and genome-wide data to gauge the markers of respiratory viral infections individually and under co-infection.

immunology↗

Global prediction of candidate R-loop binding and R-loop regulatory proteins

In the past decade there has been a growing appreciation for R-loop structures as important regulators of the epigenome, telomere maintenance, DNA repair and replication. Given these numerous functions, dozens, or potentially hundreds, of proteins could serve as direct or indirect regulators of R-loop writing, reading, and erasing. In order to understand common properties shared amongst potential R-loop binding proteins (RLBPs) we mined published proteomic studies and distilled 10 features that were enriched in RLBPs compared to the rest of the proteome. We used these RLBP-specific features along with their amino acid composition to create a random forest classifier which predicts the likelihood of a protein to bind to R-loops. In parallel, we employed a whole-genome CRISPR screen coupled with flow-cytometry using the S9.6 monoclonal antibody to sort guide RNAs associated with induction of high S9.6 staining. Known R-loop regulating pathways such as splicing and DNA damage repair are highly enriched in our datasets, and we validate two new R-loop modulating proteins. Together these resources provide a reference to pursue analyses of novel R-loop regulatory proteins.

cell biology↗

TELSAM polymers accelerate crystallization of fused target proteins by stabilizing minimal crystal contacts and in the absence of direct inter-TELSAM contacts

We extend investigation into the usefulness of genetic fusion to TELSAM polymers as an effective protein crystallization strategy. We tested various numbers of the target protein fused per turn of the TELSAM helical polymer and various TELSAM-target connection strategies. We provide definitive evidence that: 1. A TELSAM-target protein fusion can crystallize more rapidly than the same target protein alone, 2. TELSAM-target protein fusions can form well-ordered, diffracting crystals using either flexible or rigid TELSAM-target linkers, 3. Well-ordered crystals can be obtained when either 2 or 6 copies of the target protein are presented per turn of the TELSAM helical polymer, 4. The TELSAM polymers themselves need not directly contact one another in the crystal lattice, and 5. Fusion to TELSAM polymer confers immense avidity to stabilize exquisitely weak inter-target protein crystal contacts. We report features of TELSAM-target protein crystals and outline future work needed to define the requirements for reliably obtaining optimal crystals of TELSAM-target protein fusions.

biochemistry↗