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CRISPR/Cas9 has become a powerful method for making changes to the genome of many organisms. First discovered in bacteria as part of an adaptive immune system, CRISPR/Cas9 and modified versions have found a widespread use to engineer genomes and to activate or to repress the expression of genes. As such, CRISPR/Cas9 promises to accelerate cancer research by providing an efficient technology to dissect mechanisms of tumorigenesis, identify targets for drug development, and possibly arm cells for cell-based therapies. Here, we review current applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology for cancer research and therapy. We describe novel Cas9 variants and how they are used in functional genomics to discover novel cancer-specific vulnerabilities. Furthermore, we highlight the impact of CRISPR/Cas9 in generating organoid and mouse models of cancer. Finally, we provide an overview of the first clinical trials that apply CRISPR/Cas9 as a therapeutic approach against cancer.

As part of the CARES Act, the IRS distributed $300 billion in Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) directly to US households. In the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, almost 75% of households receiving an EIP reported using it to mostly pay for expenses. Separating respondents based on labor income interruptions, 84% of unemployed households reported mostly spending their EIPs, compared to 63% of employed households, suggesting that the benefits of more targeted direct transfers may have been limited, especially at the expense of timeliness. Overall, I conclude that Economic Impact Payments played an important role in stabilizing aggregate spending.

Tissue homeostasis is achieved by balancing stem cell maintenance, cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the purging of damaged cells. Elimination of unfit cells maintains tissue health; however, the underlying mechanisms driving competitive growth when homeostasis fails, for example, during tumorigenesis, remain largely unresolved. Here, using a Drosophila intestinal model, we find that tumor cells outcompete nearby enterocytes (ECs) by influencing cell adhesion and contractility. This process relies on activating the immune-responsive Relish/NF-κB pathway to induce EC delamination and requires a JNK-dependent transcriptional upregulation of the peptidoglycan recognition protein PGRP-LA. Consequently, in organisms with impaired PGRP-LA function, tumor growth is delayed and lifespan extended. Our study identifies a non-cell-autonomous role for a JNK/PGRP-LA/Relish signaling axis in mediating death of neighboring normal cells to facilitate tumor growth. We propose that intestinal tumors "hijack" innate immune signaling to eliminate enterocytes in order to support their own growth.

Summary Single-cell transcriptomics (scRNA-seq) has revolutionized the understanding of the spatial architecture of tissue structure and function. Advancing the “transcript-centric” view of scRNA-seq analyses is presently restricted by the limited resolution of proteomics and genome-wide techniques to analyze post-translational modifications. Here, by combining spatial cell sorting with transcriptomics and quantitative proteomics/phosphoproteomics, we established the spatially resolved proteome landscape of the liver endothelium, yielding deep mechanistic insight into zonated vascular signaling mechanisms. Phosphorylation of receptor tyrosine kinases was detected preferentially in the central vein area, resulting in an atypical enrichment of tyrosine phosphorylation. Prototypic biological validation identified Tie receptor signaling as a selective and specific regulator of vascular Wnt activity orchestrating angiocrine signaling, thereby controlling hepatocyte function during liver regeneration. Taken together, the study has yielded fundamental insight into the spatial organization of liver endothelial cell signaling. Spatial sorting may be employed as a universally adaptable strategy for multiomic analyses of scRNA-seq-defined cellular (sub)-populations., Graphical abstract, Highlights • ScRNA-seq-guided spatial sort enables multiomic dissection of the liver vasculature • Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells have a hybrid vascular-lymphatic phenotype • Tyrosine phosphorylation of endothelial cell molecules is enriched on central vein • Endothelial Tie1 shapes hepatic Wnt signal zonation and promotes liver regeneration, Inverso, Shi et al. generate a multiomic encyclopedia of liver endothelial cells (L-ECs) with spatial resolution of transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome. The study provides insight into liver vascular zonation and a template for scRNA-seq-data-guided spatial proteome and phosphoproteome analyses.

Summary Molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of human skin epithelial cells are incompletely understood. As a consequence, the efficiency to establish a pure skin epithelial cell population from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) remains poor. Using an approach including RNAi and high-throughput imaging of early epithelial cells, we identified candidate kinases involved in their differentiation from hiPSCs. Among these, we found HIPK4 to be an important inhibitor of this process. Indeed, its silencing increased the amount of generated skin epithelial precursors at an early time point, increased the amount of generated keratinocytes at a later time point, and improved growth and differentiation of organotypic cultures, allowing for the formation of a denser basal layer and stratification with the expression of several keratins. Our data bring substantial input regarding regulation of human skin epithelial differentiation and for improving differentiation protocols from pluripotent stem cells., Highlights • High-throughput RNAi screen setup during human skin epithelial differentiation • Identification of HIPK4 as a crucial blocker of human skin epithelial differentiation • Improvement of human organotypic epithelial cultures after HIPK4 silencing, In this article, Larribère and colleagues establish a high-throughput RNAi screen on induced pluripotent stem cell-derived epithelial cells. This screen led to the identification of HIPK4 as a crucial blocker of human skin epithelial differentiation. Indeed, HIPK4 silencing increased the amount of early generated skin epithelial precursors, increased the amount of generated keratinocytes, and improved the differentiation of organotypic cultures.

Wnt signaling plays a central role in tumor initiation and tumor progression. Mutations in Wnt pathway components, such as the tumor suppressor APC, lead to malignant transformation. While previous studies focused on Wnt-related changes in cancer cells, the impact of aberrant Wnt signaling on the tumor microenvironment is only beginning to emerge. In order to investigate the role of increased Wnt secretion on tumor growth and the microenvironment, we generated a novel germ cell tumor model by overexpressing the Wnt secretion factor Evi/Wls in mouse embryonic stem cells. Evi-overexpressing teratoma were characterized by enhanced tumor growth in supporting a tumor-promoting role of Wnt secretion. Interestingly, enhanced Evi expression correlated with impaired immune cell recruitment. Specifically, T- and B-cell infiltration was reduced in Evi-overexpressing teratomas, which was independent of teratoma size and differentiation. Our study suggests that Wnt secretion impairs immunosurveillance. Since immune cell infiltration has been shown to have prognostic value, the levels of secreted Wnt activity might impact the efficiency of cancer immunotherapy.

Using detailed household-level data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the ratio of credit card debt to income is found to be the most important balance sheet item in determining household usage of stimulus funds in 2008, adding to existing evidence that borrowing constraints are functions of debt-to-income ratios. Borrowing constrained households, often predicted to be the group with the largest propensity to consume out of stimulus funds, were the most likely to use stimulus payments to repay debt instead of increase consumption. This behavior is consistent with the fact that household credit supply was tightening at the same time that stimulus payments were being distributed, forcing households, especially those near their borrowing constraints, to deleverage.

Summary Colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by prominent genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity between patients. To facilitate high-throughput genetic testing and functional identification of tumor drivers, we developed a platform for pooled CRISPR-Cas9 screening in human colon organoids. Using transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) resistance as a paradigm to establish sensitivity and scalability in vitro, we identified optimal conditions and strict guide RNA (gRNA) requirements for screening in 3D organoids. We then screened a pan-cancer tumor suppressor gene (TSG) library in pre-malignant organoids with APC−/−;KRASG12D mutations, which were xenografted to study clonal advantages in context of a complex tumor microenvironment. We identified TGFBR2 as the most prevalent TSG, followed by known and previously uncharacterized mediators of CRC growth. gRNAs were validated in a secondary screen using unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) to adjust for clonal drift and to distinguish clone size and abundance. Together, these findings highlight a powerful organoid-based platform for pooled CRISPR-Cas9 screening for patient-specific functional genomics.

The authors regret that the original paper was published with an error in the supplementary data (Table 1). In order to identify tumor-secreted factors that contribute to cardiac atrophy under the condition of cancer cachexia, in the original study, we performed a differential secretome analysis comparing cell conditioned media from cachexia-inducing C26 colon carcinoma cells and non-cachexia-inducing MC38 colon carcinoma cells. Secreted proteins which were at least 2-fold more abundantly secreted from C26 cells were selected for further functional validation. Functional validation was performed by overexpressing candidate proteins in HEK293A cells and collecting the candidate-enriched cell conditioned media for assaying their atrophy-inducing potential on primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. In the context of subsequent studies focusing on different aspects of cancer-induced cachexia, we performed a differential transcriptomics analysis comparing RNAseq data from C26 and MC38 cells. While differential protein secretion does not necessarily need to be fully reflected by corresponding differences at the level of gene expression, we were still surprised about the lack of congruency between the corresponding regulation of gene expression and protein secretion. Surprisingly, for the overlap of genes and proteins being differentially regulated between C26 and MC38 cells (regardless of the direction of change), we found a significant negative correlation between differential gene expression and differential protein secretion (Corrigendum Figure 1 A). In order to elucidate the basis of this unexpected finding, we decided to repeat the differential secretome analysis in the same manner as it has been performed in the original study. Notably, the comparison between the secretome analyses (old vs new) revealed a remarkably strong negative correlation concerning the difference in protein secretion between C26 and MC38 cells (Corrigendum Figure 1B). Furthermore, when we then compared the new secretome analysis with the differences in the transcription between C26 and MC38 cells, there was a highly significant positive correlation (Corrigendum Figure 1C). The found consistency for the differences between the cell lines at distinct levels of regulation (transcription vs secretion) suggested that these datasets were correctly associated, in contrast to the previous comparison with the original differential secretome analysis. Taken together, these new analyses strongly indicate that in the original (old) secretome analysis, a swap in the sample allocation must have occurred, either during sample preparation, the subsequent proteomic or data analysis. Despite extensive evaluation of the respective experiment records, it was not possible to detect at which exact point in the course of the experimental work this mistake was made. Remarkably enough, the high-throughput functional validation of 109 candidates performed in the original study (original manuscript Figure 3C), using selected candidates now considered to be more abundantly secreted from non-cachexia-inducing MC38 instead of cachexia-inducing C26 cells, still revealed a set of candidates showing the expected atrophy effects upon treatment of primary cardiomyocytes with the respective candidate-enriched conditioned media. These effects were comparable to the effects of C26 conditioned medium on cardiomyocyte atrophy (original Figure 2A and B) and were therefore applied as primary selection criterion for putative cachexokines (mediators of cachexia). Additionally, further analysis selected a subset of 7 candidates which, similar to C26 conditioned medium, increased the fatty acid oxidation rate in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes treated with candidate-enriched medium (original Figure 4A). We speculate that the high-throughput functional analysis, albeit being based on an erroneous initial secretome analysis, contained a sufficient high number of protein candidates in order to contain protein factors which eventually turned out to be still relevant with respect to their capability to mediate a specific component of the cachexia phenotype (cardiomyocyte atrophy). This is exemplified by the main candidate Ataxin-10 (Atxn10), for which we could confirm elevated levels in different models of experimental cachexia, including C26 tumor-bearing mice but not in MC38 tumor-bearing mice (original Figure 5A–D). In a model pancreatic of cancer based on orthotopic cell implantation, circulating Atxn10 levels closely correlated with the degree of weight loss (Figure 5E and F). Finally, we found Atxn10 levels to be elevated in cancer patients with cachexia compared to weight-stable patients (Figure 5G). Therefore, we would like to emphasize that the majority of data provided in the publication is still correct. We apologize for any inconvenience that might have resulted from providing incorrect differential secretome data as supplemental material of the study and now provide the data of the new and correct differential secretome analysis (Corrigendum supplemental data).

In the past decade, the importance of the niche to provide regulatory inputs to balance stem cell self-renewal and differentiation has become clear. However, the regulatory interplay between stem cells and their niche at the whole genome level is still poorly understood. To elucidate the mechanisms controlling stem cells and their progenies as they progress through their developmental program at the transcriptional level, we recorded the regulatory program of two independent cell lineages in the Drosophila testis stem cell model. To this end, we identified genes active in the soma or germline as well as genome-wide binding profiles of two essential transcription factors, Zfh-1 and Abd-A, expressed in somatic support cells and crucial for fate acquisition of both cell lineages. Our data identified key roles for TOR signalling, signal processing V-ATPase proton pumps and the nuclear transport engaged nucleoporins and we demonstrate their importance in controlling germline maintenance, proliferation and differentiation from the support side. To make our dataset publicly available and support quick and intuitive data mining, we generated an interactive online analysis tool. Applying our tool for comparative analysis, we uncovered conserved core gene sets of adult stem cells across species boundaries. We have tested the functional relevance of these genes in the Drosophila testis and intestine and find a striking over-representation of stem cell defects when the corresponding genes were depleted. In summary, our dataset and interactive platform represents a versatile tool for identifying novel gene networks active in diverse stem cell types and provides a valuable resource for elucidating the multifaceted regulatory inputs required to guide proper stem cell behaviour.

Maintaining tissue homeostasis is a critical process during infection and inflammation. Tissues with a high intrinsic turnover, such as the intestinal epithelium, must launch a rapid response to infections while simultaneously coordinating cell proliferation and differentiation decisions. In this study, we searched for genes required for regeneration of the Drosophila intestine, and thereby affecting overall organism survival after infection with pathogenic bacteria. We found that Dpp/Gbb (BMP) signaling is essential for normal midgut regeneration, and that infection induces the BMP signaling ligands Dpp and Gbb. We demonstrate that Dpp is induced in visceral muscle and required for signaling activation. Subsequently, Gbb is induced in enterocytes after oral infection. Loss-of Dpp signaling in ISCs and transient committed progenitors called enteroblasts (EBs), or in EBs alone, led to a blockage in EC differentiation or maturation. Furthermore, our data show that down-regulation of Dpp signaling in the precursor cells including EBs also resulted in an increased number of abnormally small Pdm1-positive cells, suggesting a role of Dpp/Gbb signaling in EC growth. In addition, we show that Dpp/Gbb signaling acted downstream or in parallel to the Notch pathway to promote EC differentiation and growth. Our results suggest that Dpp/BMP signaling plays an important role in EBs to maintain tissue integrity and homeostasis during pathogenic infections.

Wnt signaling pathways control many processes during development, stem cell maintenance and homeostasis, and their aberrant regulation has been linked to diseases in man including diabetes, neurodegeneration and cancer. Wnts are hydrophobic proteins, however, quite paradoxically, they can travel over distances to induce cell-type specific responses. While there has been an initial focus on elucidating the intracellular signaling cascade, discoveries in the past few years have shed light on a highly complex, and regulated secretory process that guides Wnt proteins through the exocytic pathway. Wnt proteins are at least in portion packaged onto extracellular carriers such as exosomes. Similar to dysregulation of components in the Wnt receiving cell, failure to regulate Wnt secretion has been linked to cancer. Here, we review recent discoveries on factors and processes implicated in Wnt secretion.

Regulation of genes that initiate and amplify inflammatory programs of gene expression is achieved by signal-dependent exchange of co-regulator complexes that function to read, write and erase specific histone modifications linked to transcriptional activation or repression. Here, we provide evidence for the role of trimethylated histone H4 lysine 20 (H4K20me3) as a repression checkpoint that restricts expression of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) target genes in macrophages. H4K20me3 is deposited at the promoters of a subset of these genes by the SMYD5 histone methyltransferase through its association with NCoR corepressor complexes. Signal-dependent erasure of H4K20me3 is required for effective gene activation and is achieved by NF-κB-dependent delivery of the histone demethylase PHF2. Liver X receptors antagonize TLR4-dependent gene activation by maintaining NCoR/SMYD5-mediated repression. These findings reveal a histone H4K20 tri-methylation/de-methylation strategy that integrates positive and negative signaling inputs that control immunity and homeostasis.

SummarySignal transduction to nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) involves multiple kinases and phosphorylated target proteins, but little is known about signal termination by dephosphorylation. By RNAi screening, we have identified protein phosphatase 4 regulatory subunit 1 (PP4R1) as a negative regulator of NF-κB activity in T lymphocytes. PP4R1 formed part of a distinct PP4 holoenzyme and bridged the inhibitor of NF-κB kinase (IKK) complex and the phosphatase PP4c, thereby directing PP4c activity to dephosphorylate and inactivate the IKK complex. PP4R1 expression was triggered upon activation and proliferation of primary human T lymphocytes and deficiency for PP4R1 caused sustained and increased IKK activity, T cell hyperactivation, and aberrant NF-κB signaling in NF-κB-addicted T cell lymphomas. Collectively, our results unravel PP4R1 as a previously unknown activation-associated negative regulator of IKK activity in lymphocytes whose downregulation promotes oncogenic NF-κB signaling in a subgroup of T cell lymphomas.

SummaryWnt/Wg signaling pathways are of key importance during development and disease [1–4]. Canonical and noncanonical Wnt/Frizzled (Fz) pathways share a limited number of signaling components that are part of the membrane proximal signaling complex. In Drosophila, Fz [5–7] and Dishevelled (Dsh) [8, 9] are the only two components known to be involved in both Wnt/β-catenin and planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling. PCP signaling is required for the planar polarization of epithelial cells [10, 11], which occurs, for instance, during hair orientation and gastrulation in vertebrates [12]. Both pathways have been studied intensively in the past years. However, it still remains unresolved whether additional components are required at the receptor complex. Here we identify the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian prorenin receptor (dPRR) as a conserved modulator of canonical Wnt/β-cat and Fz/PCP signaling. We show that dPRR depletion affects Wg target genes in cultured cells and in vivo. PRR is required for epithelial planar polarity in Drosophila and for convergent extension movements in Xenopus gastrulae. Furthermore, dPRR binds to Fz and Fz2 receptors. In summary, our data suggest that dPRR has an evolutionarily conserved role at the receptor level for activation of canonical and noncanonical Wnt/Fz signaling pathways.

Summary Cellular signaling networks coordinate physiological processes in all multicellular organisms. Within networks, modules switch their function to control signaling activity in response to the cellular context. However, systematic approaches to map the interplay of such modules have been lacking. Here, we generated a context-dependent genetic interaction network of a metazoan's signaling pathway. Using Wnt signaling in Drosophila as a model, we measured >290,000 double perturbations of the pathway in a baseline state, after activation by Wnt ligand or after loss of the tumor suppressor APC. We found that genetic interactions within the Wnt network globally rewired after pathway activation. We derived between-state networks that showed how genes changed their function between state-specific networks. This related pathway inhibitors across states and identified genes required for pathway activation. For instance, we predicted and confirmed the ER-resident protein Catsup to be required for ligand-mediated Wnt signaling activation. Together, state-dependent and between-state genetic interaction networks identify responsive functional modules that control cellular pathways., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Genetic interaction networks of Wnt signaling in three cellular states • Networks rewire upon activation of Wnt pathway by ligand or by loss of APC • Interaction profiles identify known and novel state-dependent pathway modules • State-specific and between-state profile similarity identify signaling regulators, Systematic measurement of genetic interactions between components of the Wnt pathway before and after pathway activation reveals how the pathway is rewired upon perturbation.

SummaryWnt signaling pathways are important for multiple biological processes during development and disease. Wnt proteins are secreted factors that activate target-gene expression in both a short- and long-range manner. Currently, little is known about how Wnts are released from cells and which factors facilitate their secretion. Here, we identify a conserved multipass transmembrane protein, Evenness interrupted (Evi/Wls), through an RNAi survey for transmembrane proteins involved in Drosophila Wingless (Wg) signaling. During development, evi mutants have patterning defects that phenocopy wg loss-of-function alleles and fail to express Wg target genes. evi's function is evolutionarily conserved as depletion of its human homolog disrupts Wnt signaling in human cells. Epistasis experiments and clonal analysis place evi in the Wg-producing cell. Our results show that Wg is retained by evi mutant cells and suggest that evi is the founding member of a gene family specifically required for Wg/Wnt secretion.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a growing class of short non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by post-transcriptional mechanisms. By binding to target mRNAs via stretches of sequence complementarity, microRNAs inhibit the production of target proteins or induce degradation of mRNAs. Several hundred miRNAs have recently been predicted and cloned from eukaryotic organisms as diverse as plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Some miRNAs were shown to be widely conserved across phyla. However, except in a few described cases, rather little is known about their endogenous target genes and the physiological pathways they impinge on. Invertebrate model organisms such as C. elegans and Drosophila have been instrumental to develop methods and to dissect biological roles of miRNAs. In this review, we will focus on recent progress in characterizing miRNAs and steps toward identification of target genes in Drosophila. Many of these recent experiments provide evidence that a systematic target discovery is feasible and that the biology of miRNAs can be functionally explored using forward and reverse genetic tools.

Wnt ligands are secreted lipid-modified proteins that are essential for development and homeostasis. Published recently in Nature, Farin et al. (2016) report that Wnt3 acts at a short distance during growth of mouse intestinal organoids, suggesting that Wnt proteins remain membrane-bound to activate signaling at a short range from their source.

To characterize the features of JAK/STAT signaling in Drosophila immune response, we have identified totA as a gene that is regulated by the JAK/STAT pathway in response to septic injury. We show that septic injury triggers the hemocyte-specific expression of upd3, a gene encoding a novel Upd-like cytokine that is necessary for the JAK/STAT-dependent activation of totA in the Drosophila counterpart of the mammalian liver, the fat body. In addition, we demonstrate that totA activation also requires the NF-KB-like Relish pathway, indicating that fat body cells integrate the activity of NF-KB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways upon immune response. This study reveals that, in addition to the pattern recognition receptor-mediated NF-KB-dependent immune response, Drosophila undergoes a complex systemic response that is mediated by the production of cytokines in blood cells, a process that is similar to the acute phase response in mammals.

Frizzled family proteins have been described as receptors of Wnt signaling molecules. In Drosophila, the two known Frizzled proteins are associated with distinct developmental processes. Genesis of epithelial planar polarity requires Frizzled, whereas Dfz2 affects morphogenesis by wingless-mediated signaling. Dishevelled is required in both signaling pathways. Here, we use genetic and overexpression assays to show that Dishevelled activates JNK cascades. Rescue analysis reveals different protein domain requirements in Dishevelled for the two pathways; the C-terminal DEP domain is essential to rescue planar polarity defects and induce JNK signaling. Furthermore, the planar polarity–specific dsh1 allele is mutated in the DEP domain. Our results indicate that different Wnt/Fz signals activate distinct intracellular pathways, and Dishevelled discriminates among them by distinct domain interactions.

Expression of the type II voltage-dependent sodium channel gene is restricted to neurons by a silencer element active in nonneuronal cells. We have cloned cDNA coding for a transcription factor (REST) that binds to this silencer element. Expression of a recombinant REST protein confers the ability to silence type II reporter genes in neuronal cell types lacking the native REST protein, whereas expression of a dominant negative form of REST in nonneuronal cells relieves silencing mediated by the native protein. REST transcripts in developing mouse embryos are detected ubiquitously outside of the nervous system. We propose that expression of the type II sodium channel gene in neurons reflects a default pathway that is blocked in nonneuronal cells by the presence of REST.

The activity of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) proteins is regulated by a multitude of posttranslational modifications, which control different aspects of signal transduction. In particular, lysine acetylation and deacetylation has emerged as a critical modification, regulating the activity of all seven STAT members. Unlike tyrosine phosphorylation/dephosphorylation, which mainly acts as an on/off switch of STAT activity, the control exerted by acetylation appears multifaceted and by far more complex, exerting distinct and even opposed regulation to different STAT members. We observed that type I interferons (IFNs) can activate both the ISGF3 (STAT1:STAT2:IRF9) complex and STAT3, but with cell-specific, selective triggering of only the ISGF3 transcriptional program. Following a genome-wide siRNA screen, we identified the SIN3 transcription regulator homolog A (Sin3a) as a novel regulator of STAT activity. Sin3a directly interacts with STAT3 and controls its acetylation status, its nuclear accumulation and DNA binding, strongly influencing the transcription of a subset of STAT3-responsive genes. Interfering with Sin3a expression restores, at least partially, the STAT3 transcriptional blockade observed upon IFN treatment. Strikingly, Sin3a exerts opposed regulation on ISGF3 activity, as it is required for ISGF3-dependent gene transcription and for an efficient IFN-mediated antiviral protection against influenza A and hepatitis C viruses. We conclude that Sin3a contributes to the regulation of the balance between the activities of different STAT members, and interfering with its activity or expression may re-direct cytokine signals, favoring the onset of pathological conditions, such as autoimmune syndromes, inflammation and cancer.

Introduction Tyrosine phosphorylation is a hallmark for activation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) proteins, but their transcriptional activity also depends on other secondary modifications. Type I interferons (IFNs) can activate both the ISGF3 (STAT1:STAT2:IRF9) complex and STAT3, but with cell-specific, selective triggering of only the ISGF3 transcriptional program. Methods Simultaneous treatment with IFNa2 and Trichostatin A, as well as combined HDAC1/HDAC2 silencing, restores STAT3-dependent reporter gene and endogenous genes expression, strongly suggesting that HDAC1 and HDAC2 are directly involved in repressing IFNa-activated STAT3. We used the IFN-dependent STAT3 transcriptional blockade as read-out for a genome-wide RNAi repressor screen. Results Quite significantly, we identified multiple partners of the Sin3a/HDAC transcriptional repressor complex as negative regulators of STAT3 transcriptional activity, regardless to the STAT3 activating stimulus. Sin3a directly interacts with STAT3 and controls its acetylation status, its nuclear accumulation and DNA binding, strongly influencing the transcription of a subset of STAT3-responsive genes. Conversely, Sin3a is required for ISGF3-dependent gene transcription and for an efficient IFN-mediated antiviral protection against influenza A and hepatitis C viruses. Conclusion The Sin3a complex therefore acts as a context-dependent ISGF3/STAT3 transcriptional switch.