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The most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a GGGGCC repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene. We developed a platform to interrogate the chromatin accessibility landscape and transcriptional program within neurons during degeneration. We provide evidence that neurons expressing the dipeptide repeat protein poly(proline-arginine), translated from the C9orf72 repeat expansion, activate a highly specific transcriptional program, exemplified by a single transcription factor, p53. Ablating p53 in mice completely rescued neurons from degeneration and markedly increased survival in a C9orf72 mouse model. p53 reduction also rescued axonal degeneration caused by poly(glycine-arginine), increased survival of C9orf72 ALS/FTD-patient-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived motor neurons, and mitigated neurodegeneration in a C9orf72 fly model. We show that p53 activates a downstream transcriptional program, including Puma, which drives neurodegeneration. These data demonstrate a neurodegenerative mechanism dynamically regulated through transcription-factor-binding events and provide a framework to apply chromatin accessibility and transcription program profiles to neurodegeneration.

Cell growth is controlled by a lysosomal signalling complex containing Rag small GTPases and mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) kinase. Here, we carried out a microscopy-based genome-wide human short interfering RNA screen and discovered a lysosome-localized G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-like protein, GPR137B, that interacts with Rag GTPases, increases Rag localization and activity, and thereby regulates mTORC1 translocation and activity. High GPR137B expression can recruit and activate mTORC1 in the absence of amino acids. Furthermore, GPR137B also regulates the dissociation of activated Rag from lysosomes, suggesting that GPR137B controls a cycle of Rag activation and dissociation from lysosomes. GPR137B-knockout cells exhibited defective autophagy and an expanded lysosome compartment, similar to Rag-knockout cells. Like zebrafish RagA mutants, GPR137B-mutant zebrafish had upregulated TFEB target gene expression and an expanded lysosome compartment in microglia. Thus, GPR137B is a GPCR-like lysosomal regulatory protein that controls dynamic Rag and mTORC1 localization and activity as well as lysosome morphology.

Primary cilia organize Hedgehog signaling and shape embryonic development, and their dysregulation is the unifying cause of ciliopathies. We conducted a functional genomic screen for Hedgehog signaling by engineering antibiotic-based selection of Hedgehog-responsive cells and applying genome-wide CRISPR-mediated gene disruption. The screen can robustly identify factors required for ciliary signaling with few false positives or false negatives. Characterization of hit genes uncovered novel components of several ciliary structures, including a protein complex that contains δ-tubulin and ε-tubulin and is required for centriole maintenance. The screen also provides an unbiased tool for classifying ciliopathies and showed that many congenital heart disorders are caused by loss of ciliary signaling. Collectively, our study enables a systematic analysis of ciliary function and of ciliopathies, and also defines a versatile platform for dissecting signaling pathways through CRISPR-based screening.

Cancer genomics studies have identified thousands of putative cancer driver genes.sup.1. Development of high-throughput and accurate models to define the functions of these genes is a major challenge. Here we devised a scalable cancer-spheroid model and performed genome-wide CRISPR screens in 2D monolayers and 3D lung-cancer spheroids. CRISPR phenotypes in 3D more accurately recapitulated those of in vivo tumours, and genes with differential sensitivities between 2D and 3D conditions were highly enriched for genes that are mutated in lung cancers. These analyses also revealed drivers that are essential for cancer growth in 3D and in vivo, but not in 2D. Notably, we found that carboxypeptidase D is responsible for removal of a C-terminal RKRR motif.sup.2 from the [alpha]-chain of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor that is critical for receptor activity. Carboxypeptidase D expression correlates with patient outcomes in patients with lung cancer, and loss of carboxypeptidase D reduced tumour growth. Our results reveal key differences between 2D and 3D cancer models, and establish a generalizable strategy for performing CRISPR screens in spheroids to reveal cancer vulnerabilities. CRISPR screens in a 3D spheroid cancer model system more accurately recapitulate cancer phenotypes than existing 2D models and were used to identify carboxypeptidase D, acting via the IGF1R, as a 3D-specific driver of cancer growth., Author(s): Kyuho Han [sup.1] , Sarah E. Pierce [sup.2] , Amy Li [sup.1] , Kaitlyn Spees [sup.1] , Grace R. Anderson [sup.1] , Jose A. Seoane [sup.3] [sup.4] , Yuan-Hung [...]

Protein concentrations are often regulated by dynamic changes in translation rates. Nevertheless, it has been challenging to directly monitor changes in translation in living cells. We have developed a reporter system to measure real-time changes of translation rates in human or mouse individual cells by conjugating translation regulatory motifs to sequences encoding a nuclear targeted fluorescent protein and a controllable destabilization domain. Application of the method showed that individual cells undergo marked fluctuations in the translation rate of mRNAs whose 5 terminal oligopyrimidine (5 TOP) motif regulates the synthesis of ribosomal proteins. Furthermore, we show that small reductions in amino acid levels signal through different mTOR-dependent pathways to control TOP mRNA translation, whereas larger reductions in amino acid levels control translation through eIF2A. Our study demonstrates that dynamic measurements of single-cell activities of translation regulatory motifs can be used to identify and investigate fundamental principles of translation.

The nasal cavity has the function of conditioning the air inhaled into the lungs by heating, humidifying, and filtering dust and virus-borne aerosols. Analyzing the flow field in the nasal cavity is vital because its function is strongly related to flow dynamics. Due to experimental limitations posed by the complex internal geometry of the nasal cavity, most previous studies have utilized Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. In this study, the flow field in a post-operative nasal cavity was evaluated using not only CFD simulations but also four-dimensional magnetic resonance velocimetry. The study was conducted under resting breathing conditions in pre- and post-operative models of a patient who received septoplasty and turbinoplasty. The experimental results confirmed balanced flow rates in the left and right nasal cavities after septoplasty and a decrease in velocity after turbinoplasty with a reduction in regions with vortices and reverse flow. Upon comparison, CFD results using the laminar, k–ω, and shear stress transport models were deemed to be consistent with the experimental results. However, there was a relatively large deviation observed with the k–ε model. Using the validated laminar CFD model, it was shown that the pressure and wall shear stress decreased after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During erythroid differentiation, the maintenance of genome integrity is key for the success of multiple rounds of cell division. However, molecular mechanisms coordinating the expression of DNA repair machinery in erythroid progenitors are poorly understood. Here, we discover that an RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferase, METTL16, plays an essential role in proper erythropoiesis by safeguarding genome integrity via the control of DNA-repair-related genes. METTL16-deficient erythroblasts exhibit defective differentiation capacity, DNA damage and activation of the apoptotic program. Mechanistically, METTL16 controls m6A deposition at the structured motifs in DNA-repair-related transcripts including Brca2 and Fancm mRNAs, thereby upregulating their expression. Furthermore, a pairwise CRISPRi screen revealed that the MTR4-nuclear RNA exosome complex is involved in the regulation of METTL16 substrate mRNAs in erythroblasts. Collectively, our study uncovers that METTL16 and the MTR4-nuclear RNA exosome act as essential regulatory machinery to maintain genome integrity and erythropoiesis. In this work, Yoshinaga et al. use functional CRISPR screens and in vivo analyses to show that an RNA methyltransferase METTL16 and MTR4-nuclear exosome play an essential role in maintaining erythropoiesis and regulating DNA repair in erythroblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]