Search

The diverse functions of WASP, the deficiency of which causes Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), remain poorly defined. We generated three isogenic WAS models using patient induced pluripotent stem cells and genome editing. These models recapitulated WAS phenotypes and revealed that WASP deficiency causes an upregulation of numerous RNA splicing factors and widespread altered splicing. Loss of WASP binding to splicing factor gene promoters frequently leads to aberrant epigenetic activation. WASP interacts with dozens of nuclear speckle constituents and constrains SRSF2 mobility. Using an optogenetic system, we showed that WASP forms phase-separated condensates that encompasses SRSF2, nascent RNA and active Pol II. The role of WASP in gene body condensates is corroborated by ChIPseq and RIPseq. Together our data reveal that WASP is a nexus regulator of RNA splicing that controls the transcription of splicing factors epigenetically and the dynamics of the splicing machinery through liquid-liquid phase separation.

Through the generation of humanized FUS mice expressing full-length human FUS, we identify that when expressed at near endogenous murine FUS levels, both wild-type and ALS-causing and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-causing mutations complement the essential function(s) of murine FUS. Replacement of murine FUS with mutant, but not wild-type, human FUS causes stress-mediated induction of chaperones, decreased expression of ion channels and transporters essential for synaptic function, and reduced synaptic activity without loss of nuclear FUS or its cytoplasmic aggregation. Most strikingly, accumulation of mutant human FUS is shown to activate an integrated stress response and to inhibit local, intra-axonal protein synthesis in hippocampal neurons and sciatic nerves. Collectively, our evidence demonstrates that human ALS/FTD-linked mutations in FUS induce a gain of toxicity that includes stress-mediated suppression in intra-axonal translation, synaptic dysfunction, and progressive age-dependent motor and cognitive disease without cytoplasmic aggregation, altered nuclear localization, or aberrant splicing of FUS-bound pre-mRNAs. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Mutations in several general pre-mRNA splicing factors have been linked to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and solid tumors. These mutations have generally been assumed to cause disease by the resultant splicing defects, but different mutations appear to induce distinct splicing defects, raising the possibility that an alternative common mechanism is involved. Here we report a chain of events triggered by multiple splicing factor mutations, especially high-risk alleles in SRSF2 and U2AF1, including elevated R-loops, replication stress, and activation of the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR)-Chk1 pathway. We further demonstrate that enhanced R-loops, opposite to the expectation from gained RNA binding with mutant SRSF2, result from impaired transcription pause release because the mutant protein loses its ability to extract the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) C-terminal domain (CTD) kinase-the positive transcription elongation factor complex (P-TEFb)-from the 7SK complex. Enhanced R-loops are linked to compromised proliferation of bone-marrow-derived blood progenitors, which can be partially rescued by RNase H overexpression, suggesting a direct contribution of augmented R-loops to the MDS phenotype.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are heterogeneous myeloid disorders with prevalent mutations in several splicing factors, but the splicing programs linked to specific mutations or MDS in general remain to be systematically defined. We applied RASL-seq, a sensitive and cost-effective platform, to interrogate 5502 annotated splicing events in 169 samples from MDS patients or healthy individuals. We found that splicing signatures associated with normal hematopoietic lineages are largely related to cell signaling and differentiation programs, whereas MDS-linked signatures are primarily involved in cell cycle control and DNA damage responses. Despite the shared roles of affected splicing factors in the 3 splice site definition, mutations in U2AF1, SRSF2, and SF3B1 affect divergent splicing programs, and interestingly, the affected genes fall into converging cancer-related pathways. A risk score derived from 11 splicing events appears to be independently associated with an MDS prognosis and AML transformation, suggesting potential clinical relevance of altered splicing patterns in MDS.

FUS is an RNA-binding protein involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Cytoplasmic FUS-containing aggregates are often associated with concomitant loss of nuclear FUS Whether loss of nuclear FUS function, gain of a cytoplasmic function, or a combination of both lead to neurodegeneration remains elusive. To address this question, we generated knockin mice expressing mislocalized cytoplasmic FUS and complete FUS knockout mice. Both mouse models display similar perinatal lethality with respiratory insufficiency, reduced body weight and length, and largely similar alterations in gene expression and mRNA splicing patterns, indicating that mislocalized FUS results in loss of its normal function. However, FUS knockin mice, but not FUS knockout mice, display reduced motor neuron numbers at birth, associated with enhanced motor neuron apoptosis, which can be rescued by cell-specific CRE-mediated expression of wild-type FUS within motor neurons. Together, our findings indicate that cytoplasmic FUS mislocalization not only leads to nuclear loss of function, but also triggers motor neuron death through a toxic gain of function within motor neurons.

Histopathology interpretation remains an essential, foundational method for disease diagnosis in medical practice. (1) Standard histopathology assessment is initiated through interpretation of hematoxylin and eosin--stained glass microscope slides prepared from [...], * Context.--The adoption of digital capture of pathology slides as whole slide images (WSI) for educational and research applications has proven utility. Objective.--To compare pathologists' primary diagnoses derived from WSI versus the standard microscope. Because WSIs differ in format and method of observation compared with the current standard glass slide microscopy, this study is critical to potential clinical adoption of digital pathology. Design.--The study enrolled a total of 2045 cases enriched for more difficult diagnostic categories and represented as 5849 slides were curated and provided for diagnosis by a team of 19 reading pathologists separately as WSI or as glass slides viewed by light microscope. Cases were reviewed by each pathologist in both modalities in randomized order with a minimum 31-day washout between modality reads for each case. Each diagnosis was compared with the original clinical reference diagnosis by an independent central adjudication review. Results.--The overall major discrepancy rates were 3.64% for WSI review and 3.20% for manual slide review diagnosis methods, a difference of 0.44% (95% CI, -0.15 to 1.03). The time to review a case averaged 5.20 minutes for WSI and 4.95 minutes for glass slides. There was no specific subset of diagnostic category that showed higher rates of modality-specific discrepancy, though some categories showed greater discrepancy than others in both modalities. Conclusions.--WSIs are noninferior to traditional glass slides for primary diagnosis in anatomic pathology.

RNA splicing is a major contributor to total transcriptome complexity; however, the functional role and regulation of splicing in heart failure remain poorly understood. Here, we used a total transcriptome profiling and bioinformatic analysis approach and identified a muscle-specific isoform of an RNA splicing regulator, RBFox1 (also known as A2BP1), as a prominent regulator of alternative RNA splicing during heart failure. Evaluation of developing murine and zebrafish hearts revealed that RBFox1 is induced during postnatal cardiac maturation. However, we found that RBFox1 is markedly diminished in failing human and mouse hearts. In a mouse model, RBFox1 deficiency in the heart promoted pressure overload-induced heart failure. We determined that RBFox1 is a potent regulator of RNA splicing and is required for a conserved splicing process of transcription factor MEF2 family members that yields different MEF2 isoforms with differential effects on cardiac hypertrophic gene expression. Finally, induction of RBFox1 expression in murine pressure overload models substantially attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and pathological manifestations. Together, this study identifies regulation of RNA splicing by RBFox1 as an important player in transcriptome reprogramming during heart failure that influence pathogenesis of the disease.

PSF (a.k.a. SFPQ) is a ubiquitously expressed, essential nuclear protein with important roles in DNA damage repair and RNA biogenesis. In stimulated T cells, PSF binds to and suppresses the inclusion of CD45 exon 4 in the final mRNA; however, in resting cells, TRAP150 binds PSF and prevents access to the CD45 RNA, though the mechanism for this inhibition has remained unclear. Here, we show that TRAP150 binds a region encompassing the RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) of PSF using a previously uncharacterized, 70 residue region we have termed the PSF-interacting domain (PID). TRAP150's PID directly inhibits the interaction of PSF RRMs with RNA, which is mediated through RRM2. However, interaction of PSF with TRAP150 does not appear to inhibit the dimerization of PSF with other Drosophila Behavior, Human Splicing (DBHS) proteins, which is also dependent on RRM2. Finally, we use RASL-Seq to identify ∼40 T cell splicing events sensitive to PSF knockdown, and show that for the majority of these, PSF's effect is antagonized by TRAP150. Together these data suggest a model in which TRAP150 interacts with dimeric PSF to block access of RNA to RRM2, thereby regulating the activity of PSF toward a broad set of splicing events in T cells.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of neoplasms characterized by ineffective myeloid hematopoiesis and various risks for leukemia. SRSF2, a member of the serine/arginine-rich (SR) family of splicing factors, is one of the mutation targets associated with poor survival in patients suffering from myelodysplastic syndromes. Here we report the biological function of SRSF2 in hematopoiesis by using conditional knockout mouse models. Ablation of SRSF2 in the hematopoietic lineage caused embryonic lethality, and Srsf2-deficient fetal liver cells showed significantly enhanced apoptosis and decreased levels of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Induced ablation of SRSF2 in adult Mx1-Cre Srsf2(flox/flox) mice upon poly(I):poly(C) injection demonstrated a significant decrease in lineage(-) Sca(+) c-Kit(+) cells in bone marrow. To reveal the functional impact of myelodysplastic syndromes-associated mutations in SRSF2, we analyzed splicing responses on the MSD-L cell line and found that the missense mutation of proline 95 to histidine (P95H) and a P95-to-R102 in-frame 8-amino-acid deletion caused significant changes in alternative splicing. The affected genes were enriched in cancer development and apoptosis. These findings suggest that intact SRSF2 is essential for the functional integrity of the hematopoietic system and that its mutations likely contribute to development of myelodysplastic syndromes.

Heart failure is characterized by the transition from an initial compensatory response to decompensation, which can be partially mimicked by transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in rodent models. Numerous signaling molecules have been shown to be part of the compensatory program, but relatively little is known about the transition to decompensation that leads to heart failure. Here, we show that TAC potently decreases the RBFox2 protein in the mouse heart, and cardiac ablation of this critical splicing regulator generates many phenotypes resembling those associated with decompensation in the failing heart. Global analysis reveals that RBFox2 regulates splicing of many genes implicated in heart function and disease. A subset of these genes undergoes developmental regulation during postnatal heart remodeling, which is reversed in TAC-treated and RBFox2 knockout mice. These findings suggest that RBFox2 may be a critical stress sensor during pressure overload-induced heart failure.

The U2AF heterodimer has been well studied for its role in defining functional 3' splice sites in pre-mRNA splicing, but many fundamental questions still remain unaddressed regarding the function of U2AF in mammalian genomes. Through genome-wide analysis of U2AF-RNA interactions, we report that U2AF has the capacity to directly define ~88% of functional 3' splice sites in the human genome, but numerous U2AF binding events also occur in intronic locations. Mechanistic dissection reveals that upstream intronic binding events interfere with the immediate downstream 3' splice site associated either with the alternative exon, to cause exon skipping, or with the competing constitutive exon, to induce exon inclusion. We further demonstrate partial functional impairment with leukemia-associated mutations in U2AF35, but not U2AF65, in regulated splicing. These findings reveal the genomic function and regulatory mechanism of U2AF in both normal and disease states.

Objective To analyze the incidence trends and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of dengue fever in China based on the data from the China Disease Control Information System and the "National Statutory Infectious Disease Epidemic Overview" published by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of dengue fever epidemics. Methods The incidence rates and monthly case numbers of dengue fever in China from 2015 to 2023 were collected. Provinces were classified according to the severity of the epidemic and the distribution status of the Aedes vector. The incidence trends, seasonal distribution, and spatial aggregation of dengue fever in China were statistically analyzed. Results The top five provinces with the highest average annual incidence rates from 2015 to 2023 were Yunnan (6.16/100 000), Guangdong (1.70/100 000), Hainan (1.13/100 000), Fujian (1.13/100 000), and Chongqing (0.74/100 000). The average annual incidence rate of dengue fever in China increased by 70.79% from 2015 to 2019 (AAPC=70.79, P=0.045). In Class I regions, the incidence of Guangxi and Hainan showed a linear regression trend, with average annual increases of 844.73% (AAPC=844.73, P=0.021) and 516.51% (AAPC=516.51, P=0.013), respectively. In Class II regions, except for Shanghai, the incidence of other provinces showed a linear regression trend, with Jiangxi having the highest average annual increase of 610.16% (AAPC=610.16, P=0.021), followed by Chongqing at 345.12% (AAPC=345.12, P=0.038). In Class III regions, the incidence of Hebei, Shanxi, and Liaoning had a linear regression trend, with average annual increases of 80.67% (AAPC=80.67, P=0.028), 202.31% (AAPC=202.31, P=0.001), and 70.19% (AAPC=70.19, P=0.031), respectively. The epidemic of dengue fever showed no obvious seasonality in 2021, strict seasonality in 2022, and strong seasonality in the rest of the years. The epidemic peak days were mostly concentrated in the middle and late September to early October of each year, and the epidemic peak periods were mainly concentrated in August-early November. From 2015 to 2018, the incidence rate had no spatial aggregation nationwide, and the incidence rate in 2019 had spatial aggregation nationwide. In 2015-2019 and 2023, there were no high-low gathering areas in the country, and high-high gathering areas appeared in 2018 (Fujian, Hainan) and 2019 (Guangxi). Conclusions The situation of dengue fever prevention and control in China is grim. High-risk epidemic areas of dengue fever will no longer be limited to Class I provinces, and the risk of expansion to Class II provinces is increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanded hexanucleotide repeats in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene are the most common genetic cause of ALS and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). Here, we identify nuclear RNA foci containing the hexanucleotide expansion (GGGGCC) in patient cells, including white blood cells, fibroblasts, glia, and multiple neuronal cell types (spinal motor, cortical, hippocampal, and cerebellar neurons). RNA foci are not present in sporadic ALS, familial ALS/FTD caused by other mutations (SOD1, TDP-43, or tau), Parkinson disease, or nonneurological controls. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are identified that reduce GGGGCC-containing nuclear foci without altering overall C9orf72 RNA levels. By contrast, siRNAs fail to reduce nuclear RNA foci despite marked reduction in overall C9orf72 RNAs. Sustained ASO-mediated lowering of C9orf72 RNAs throughout the CNS of mice is demonstrated to be well tolerated, producing no behavioral or pathological features characteristic of ALS/FTD and only limited RNA expression alterations. Genome-wide RNA profiling identifies an RNA signature in fibroblasts from patients with C9orf72 expansion. ASOs targeting sense strand repeat-containing RNAs do not correct this signature, a failure that may be explained, at least in part, by discovery of abundant RNA foci with C9orf72 repeats transcribed in the antisense (GGCCCC) direction, which are not affected by sense strand-targeting ASOs. Taken together, these findings support a therapeutic approach by ASO administration to reduce hexanucleotide repeat-containing RNAs and raise the potential importance of targeting expanded RNAs transcribed in both directions.

Abstract Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of neoplasms that are ineffective in generating multiple lineages of myeloid cells and have various risks to progress to acute myeloid leukemia. Recent genome-wide sequencing studies reveal that mutations in genes of splicing factors are commonly associated with MDS. However, the importance of these splicing factors in hematopoiesis has been unclear and the causal effect of their mutations on MDS development remains to be determined. One of these newly identified genes is SRSF2, and its mutations have been linked to poor survival among MDS patients. Interestingly, most of SRSF2 mutations occur at proline 95 and the majority of these mutations change this proline to histidine (P95H). Given that SRSF2 is a well-characterized splicing factor involved in both constitutive and regulated splicing, we hypothesize that SRSF2 plays an important role in normal hematopoiesis and the SRSF2 mutations induce specific changes in alternative splicing that favor disease progression. We first examined the role of SRSF2 in hematopoiesis by generating Srsf2 null mutation in mouse blood cells via crossing conditional Srsf2 knockout mice (Srsf2f/f) with blood cell-specific Cre transgenic mice (Vav-Cre). The mutant mice produced significantly fewer definitive blood cells (10% of wild type controls), exhibited increased apoptosis in the remaining blood cells, and died during embryonic development. Importantly, we detected no hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (lineage-/cKit+) in E14 fetal livers of Vav-Cre/Srsf2f/f mice. These results indicate that SRSF2 is essential for hematopoiesis during embryonic development. We next examined the role of SRSF2 in adult hematopoiesis by injecting polyIC into mice that carry a polyIC inducible Cre expression unit. Unexpectedly, after multiple polyIC treatments, the Srsf2f/f mice stayed alive during several months of observation. Time course genotyping analyses of polyIC treated mice revealed an increased rate of incomplete Srsf2 deletion in peripheral blood cells. These observations suggest that Srsf2 ablation did not cause immediate cell lethality in differentiated blood cells, but the gene is indispensable for the function of blood stem/progenitor cells. Since mutations of splicing factors are generally heterozygous in MDS patients, we also examined mice with Srsf2+/- blood cells. No obvious defect of hematopoiesis was observed under normal conditions or in response to stress with 5-FU treatment and sublethal irradiation. To gain molecular insight into the splicing activity of MDS-associated mutant forms of SRSF2, we performed large-scale alternative splicing surveys by using RNA-mediated oligonucleotide annealing, selection, and ligation coupled with next-generation sequencing (RASL-seq) previously developed in our lab, which offers a robust and cost-effective platform for splicing profiling. Compared to vector transduction controls, we found that overexpression of both wild type and P95H SRSF2 induced many, but distinct changes in alternative splicing in lineage-negative bone marrow cells, and importantly, we noted several changes in genes with known roles in hematopoietic malignancies that were uniquely induced by the mutant SRSF2. To further link the mutations to altered splicing in MDS patients, we also applied RASL-seq to a large number of MDS patient samples with or without mutations in SRSF2 or other splicing regulators. The data revealed a specific set of alternative splicing events that are commonly linked to MDS with splicing factor mutations. These findings strongly suggest that many of these mutations in splicing regulators are gain-of-function mutations that are causal to MDS. In conclusion, we report that SRSF2 plays an essential role in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and that the MDS-associated mutations in SRSF2 have a dominant effect on RNA alternative splicing. These findings provide functional information and molecular basis of SRSF2 and its MDS-related mutations in hematopoiesis and related clinical disorders. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.