Biology subjects

Tu, Y.-H.

Publications and source records attributed to Tu, Y.-H..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Identification of gene kinetics patterns improves RNA velocity and cell fate prediction using JuloVelo

Single-cell RNA velocity has transformed our capacity to predict future cell states from sequencing snapshots, but existing methods rely on constant or binary kinetic assumptions that fail to capture the heterogeneous splicing dynamics of cellular differentiation. Here we present JuloVelo, a deep learning framework that demonstrates that identifying gene kinetics patterns to initialize neural network training dramatically improves RNA velocity model performance. By pre-determining whether each gene follows a Circle, Complete induction, or Complete repression pattern across cellular differentiation, JuloVelo initializes training with pattern-matched, pre-trained network weights, effectively guiding the cell-specific kinetics optimization away from biologically implausible parameter regimes. Additionally, JuloVelo demonstrates that multiome datasets can also be processed and modeled by utilizing promoter chromatin accessibility to guide kinetics pre-determination, and integrates an in silico perturbation framework to simulate transcription factor modulation on cell fate. Validated across eight datasets spanning erythrogenesis, neurogenesis, and endocrinogenesis, JuloVelo consistently outperformed constant-rate and cell-specific models, resolving the entire five-lineage differentiation program in hippocampal neurogenesis. Multiome processing improved both intrinsic and extrinsic velocity stability, and JuloVelo reduced computational execution time by approximately 70% compared to cellDancer. JuloVelo is available as an open-source package at https://github.com/jhlabtw/JuloVelo.jl.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2025

From Nicotiana to apple: effector screening reveals new avenues for durable scab resistance

Scab or black spot disease, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, is an ongoing threat to commercial apple production. Current control methods involve extensive fungicide use and the deployment of disease-resistant apple cultivars. However, fungicide-resistant strains of V. inaequalis are becoming more prevalent, as are strains that can overcome one or more qualitative disease resistance genes in apple. To increase the durability of disease resistance, and thus decrease our reliance on fungicides, one promising approach could involve stacking endogenous and exogenous resistance genes in apple cultivars using genetic modification. As a starting point for the identification of exogenous resistance genes that are effective against V. inaequalis, 137 candidate effector (CE) proteins from this fungus, fused to a signal peptide for extracellular targeting to the apoplast, were screened for recognition by extracellular leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-receptor-like protein and LRR-receptor-like kinase immune receptors in the model angiosperm species Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient transformation assays. Here, a cell death response in wild-type plants, together with a loss of this response in plants lacking the extracellular immune co-receptor NbSOBIR1 or NbBAK1, was used as an indicator of recognition. In total, six CE proteins triggered cell death in one or both Nicotiana species, but only one, a homolog of the VmE02 effector protein from the apple pathogen Valsa mali, did so in an NbSOBIR1- and NbBAK1-dependent manner. The five remaining CE proteins are homologs of other known cell death elicitors from filamentous plant pathogens for which there is evidence that they trigger non-canonical extracellular immunity in plants. One of these is an Alt a 1-like protein that also triggered cell death in apple. Collectively, these findings provide a foundation for the use of a combined set of exogenous and endogenous resistance genes in apple to provide durable protection against scab disease.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Single-cell Sequencing Highlights Heterogeneity and Malignant Progression in Actinic Keratosis and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most frequent of the keratinocyte-derived malignancies with actinic keratosis (AK) as a precancerous lesion. To comprehensively delineate the underlying mechanisms for the whole progression from normal skin to AK to invasive cSCC, we performed single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) to acquire the transcriptomes of 138,982 cells from 13 samples of six patients including AK, squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCIS), cSCC and their matched normal tissues, covering comprehensive clinical courses of cSCC. We identified diverse cell types, including important subtypes with different gene expression profiles and functions in major keratinocytes. In SCCIS, we discovered the malignant subtypes of basal cells with differential proliferative and migration potential. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis screened out multiple key driver genes including transcription factors (TFs) along AK to cSCC progression. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) / immunofluorescence (IF) experiments and single-cell ATAC sequencing (scATAC-seq) data verified the expression changes of these genes. The functional experiments confirmed the important roles of these genes in regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion in cSCC tumor. Furthermore, we comprehensively described the tumor microenvironment (TME) landscape and potential keratinocyte-TME crosstalk in cSCC providing theoretical basis for immunotherapy. Together, our findings provide a valuable resource for deciphering the progression from AK to cSCC and identifying potential targets for anticancer treatment of cSCC.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Structural motifs for subtype-specific pH-sensitive gating of vertebrate otopetrin proton channels

Otopetrin (OTOP) channels are proton-selective ion channels conserved among vertebrates and invertebrates and with no structural similarity to other ion channels. There are three vertebrate OTOP channels (OTOP1, OTOP2, and OTOP3), of which one (OTOP1), functions as a sour taste receptor. Whether OTOP channels are gated by, as well as permeating, protons was not known. Here, by comparing functional properties of the three vertebrate proton channels with patch-clamp recording and cytosolic pH microfluorimetry, we provide evidence that each is gated by external protons. OTOP1 and OTOP3 are both activated by extracellular protons, with a sharp threshold of pHe <6.0 and 5.5 respectively, while OTOP2 is negatively gated by protons, and more conductive at alkaline extracellular pH (>pH 9.0). Strikingly, we found that we could change pH-sensitive gating of OTOP2 and OTOP3 channels by swapping extracellular linkers that connect transmembrane domains. Swaps of linkers within the N domain changed the relative conductance at alkaline pH, while swaps within the C domain tended to change the rates of OTOP3 current activation. We conclude that members of the OTOP channel family are proton-gated (acid-sensitive) proton channels and that the gating apparatus is distributed across multiple extracellular regions within both the N and C domains of the channels. In addition to the taste system, OTOP channels are found in the vestibular and digestive systems, where pH sensitivity may be tuned to specific functions.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2021

Thymic macrophages consist of two populations with distinct localization and origin

Tissue-resident macrophages are essential to protect from pathogen invasion and maintain organ homeostasis. The ability of thymic macrophages to engulf apoptotic thymocytes is well appreciated, but little is known about their ontogeny, maintenance, and diversity. Here, we characterized the surface phenotype and transcriptional profile of these cells and defined their expression signature. Thymic macrophages were most closely related to spleen red pulp macrophages and Kupffer cells and shared the expression of the transcription factor SpiC with these cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed that the macrophages in the adult thymus are composed of two populations distinguished by the expression of Timd4 and Cx3cr1. Remarkably, Timd4+ cells were located in the cortex, while Cx3cr1+ macrophages were restricted to the medulla and the cortico-medullary junction. Using shield chimeras, transplantation of embryonic thymuses, and genetic fate mapping, we found that the two populations have distinct origins. Timd4+ thymic macrophages are of embryonic origin, while Cx3cr1+ macrophages are derived from adult hematopoietic stem cells. Aging has a profound effect on the macrophages in the thymus. Timd4+ cells underwent gradual attrition, while Cx3cr1+ cells slowly accumulated with age and, in older mice, were the dominant macrophage population in the thymus. Altogether, our work defines the phenotype, origin, and diversity of thymic macrophages.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

Structures of the Otopetrin Proton Channels Otop1 and Otop3

Otopetrins (Otop1-Otop3) comprise one of only two known eukaryotic proton-selective channel families. Otop1 is required for formation of otoconia and is a candidate mammalian sour taste receptor. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of zebrafish Otop1 and chicken Otop3 in lipid nanodiscs. The structures reveal a dimeric architecture of Otopetrins with each subunit consisting of twelve transmembrane helices divided into structurally related N and C domains. Cholesterol-like molecules occupy various sites in Otop1 and Otop3 and occlude a cavernous central tunnel. Two hydrophilic vestibules, as well as the intrasubunit interface between N and C domains, form conduits for water entry into the membrane plane in molecular dynamics simulations, suggesting they each could provide pathways for proton conduction. We also demonstrate the functional relevance of a salt bridge in the C domain vestibule by mutagenesis. Our results provide a structural basis for understanding the function of the Otopetrin proton channel family.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2017

Identification of Cell States Using Super-Enhancer RNA

A new class of regulatory elements called super-enhancers, comprised of multiple neighboring enhancers, have recently been reported to be the key transcriptional drivers of cellular, developmental, and disease states. Here, we propose to define super-enhancer RNA as highly expressed enhancer RNAs that are transcribed from a cluster of localized genomic regions. Using the cap analysis of gene expression sequencing data from FANTOM5, we systematically explored the enhancer and messenger RNA landscapes in hundreds of different cell types in response to various environments. Applying non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to super-enhancer RNA profiles, we found that different cell types were well classified. In addition, through the NMF of individual time-course profiles from a single cell-type, super-enhancer RNAs were clustered into several states with progressive patterns. We further investigated the enriched biological functions of the proximal genes involved in each pattern, and found that they were associated with the corresponding developmental process. The proposed super-enhancer RNAs can act as a good alternative, without the complicated measurement of histone modifications, for identifying important regulatory elements of cell type specification and identifying dynamic cell states.

systems biology↗