| 1. |
- Schluter, J., et al.
(författare)
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The gut microbiota is associated with immune cell dynamics in humans
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 588:7837, s. 303-307
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Influence of the gut microbiome on the human immune system is revealed by systems analysis of vast clinical data from decades of electronic health records paired with massive longitudinal microbiome sequencing. The gut microbiota influences development(1-3) and homeostasis(4-7) of the mammalian immune system, and is associated with human inflammatory(8) and immune diseases(9,10) as well as responses to immunotherapy(11-14). Nevertheless, our understanding of how gut bacteria modulate the immune system remains limited, particularly in humans, where the difficulty of direct experimentation makes inference challenging. Here we study hundreds of hospitalized-and closely monitored-patients with cancer receiving haematopoietic cell transplantation as they recover from chemotherapy and stem-cell engraftment. This aggressive treatment causes large shifts in both circulatory immune cell and microbiota populations, enabling the relationships between the two to be studied simultaneously. Analysis of observed daily changes in circulating neutrophil, lymphocyte and monocyte counts and more than 10,000 longitudinal microbiota samples revealed consistent associations between gut bacteria and immune cell dynamics. High-resolution clinical metadata and Bayesian inference allowed us to compare the effects of bacterial genera in relation to those of immunomodulatory medications, revealing a considerable influence of the gut microbiota-together and over time-on systemic immune cell dynamics. Our analysis establishes and quantifies the link between the gut microbiota and the human immune system, with implications for microbiota-driven modulation of immunity.
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| 2. |
- Bohannon, Briana M., et al.
(författare)
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Mechanistic insights into robust cardiac I-Ks potassium channel activation by aromatic polyunsaturated fatty acid analogues
- 2023
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - : eLIFE SCIENCES PUBL LTD. - 2050-084X. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Voltage-gated potassium (K-V) channels are important regulators of cellular excitability and control action potential repolarization in the heart and brain. K-V channel mutations lead to disordered cellular excitability. Loss-of-function mutations, for example, result in membrane hyperexcitability, a characteristic of epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmias. Interventions intended to restore K-V channel function have strong therapeutic potential in such disorders. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and PUFA analogues comprise a class of K-V channel activators with potential applications in the treatment of arrhythmogenic disorders such as long QT syndrome (LQTS). LQTS is caused by a loss-of-function of the cardiac I-Ks channel - a tetrameric potassium channel complex formed by K(V)7.1 and associated KCNE1 protein subunits. We have discovered a set of aromatic PUFA analogues that produce robust activation of the cardiac I-Ks channel, and a unique feature of these PUFA analogues is an aromatic, tyrosine head group. We determine the mechanisms through which tyrosine PUFA analogues exert strong activating effects on the I-Ks channel by generating modified aromatic head groups designed to probe cation-pi interactions, hydrogen bonding, and ionic interactions. We found that tyrosine PUFA analogues do not activate the I-Ks channel through cation-pi interactions, but instead do so through a combination of hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions.
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| 3. |
- Bohannon, Briana M, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanistic insights into robust cardiac I Ks potassium channel activation by aromatic polyunsaturated fatty acid analogues
- 2023
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Voltage-gated potassium (K V ) channels are important regulators of cellular excitability and control action potential repolarization in the heart and brain. K V channel mutations lead to disordered cellular excitability. Loss-of-function mutations, for example, result in membrane hyperexcitability, a characteristic of epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmias. Interventions intended to restore K V channel function have strong therapeutic potential in such disorders. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and PUFA analogues comprise a class of K V channel activators with potential applications in the treatment of arrhythmogenic disorders such as Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). LQTS is caused by a loss-of-function of the cardiac I Ks channel - a tetrameric potassium channel complex formed by K V 7.1 and associated KCNE1 protein subunits. We have discovered a set of aromatic PUFA analogues that produce robust activation of the cardiac I Ks channel and a unique feature of these PUFA analogues is an aromatic, tyrosine head group. We determine the mechanisms through which tyrosine PUFA analogues exert strong activating effects on the I Ks channel by generating modified aromatic head groups designed to probe cation-pi interactions, hydrogen bonding, and ionic interactions. We found that tyrosine PUFA analogues do not activate the I Ks channel through cation-pi interactions, but instead do so through a combination of hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions.
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| 4. |
- Bohannon, Briana M., et al.
(författare)
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omega-6 and omega-9 polyunsaturated fatty acids with double bonds near the carboxyl head have the highest affinity and largest effects on the cardiac I-Ks potassium channel
- 2019
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Ingår i: Acta Physiologica. - : WILEY. - 1748-1708 .- 1748-1716. ; 225:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim The I-Ks channel is important for termination of the cardiac action potential. Hundreds of loss-of-function mutations in the I-Ks channel reduce the K+ current and, thereby, delay the repolarization of the action potential, causing Long QT Syndrome. Long QT predisposes individuals to Torsades de Pointes which can lead to ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are potential therapeutics for Long QT Syndrome, as they affect I-Ks channels. However, it is unclear which properties of PUFAs are essential for their effects on I-Ks channels. Methods To understand how PUFAs influence I-Ks channel activity, we measured effects on I-Ks current by two-electrode voltage clamp while changing different properties of the hydrocarbon tail. Results There was no, or weak, correlation between the tail length or number of double bonds in the tail and the effects on or apparent binding affinity for I-Ks channels. However, we found a strong correlation between the positions of the double bonds relative to the head group and effects on I-Ks channels. Conclusion Polyunsaturated fatty acids with double bonds closer to the head group had higher apparent affinity for I-Ks channels and increased I-Ks current more; shifting the bonds further away from the head group reduced apparent binding affinity for and effects on the I-Ks current. Interestingly, we found that omega-6 and omega-9 PUFAs, with the first double bond closer to the head group, left-shifted the voltage dependence of activation the most. These results allow for informed design of new therapeutics targeting I-Ks channels in Long QT Syndrome.
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| 5. |
- Bohannon, Briana M., et al.
(författare)
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Polyunsaturated fatty acid analogues differentially affect cardiac Na-V, Ca-V, and K-V channels through unique mechanisms
- 2020
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - : ELIFE SCIENCES PUBLICATIONS LTD. - 2050-084X. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The cardiac ventricular action potential depends on several voltage-gated ion channels, including Na-V, Ca-V, and K-V channels. Mutations in these channels can cause Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) which increases the risk for ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have emerged as potential therapeutics for LQTS because they are modulators of voltage-gated ion channels. Here we demonstrate that PUFA analogues vary in their selectivity for human voltage-gated ion channels involved in the ventricular action potential. The effects of specific PUFA analogues range from selective for a specific ion channel to broadly modulating cardiac ion channels from all three families (Na-V, Ca-V, and K-V). In addition, a PUFA analogue selective for the cardiac IKs channel (Kv7.1/KCNE1) is effective in shortening the cardiac action potential in human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Our data suggest that PUFA analogues could potentially be developed as therapeutics for LQTS and cardiac arrhythmia.
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| 6. |
- Bohannon, Briana M., et al.
(författare)
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Polyunsaturated fatty acids produce a range of activators for heterogeneous I-Ks channel dysfunction
- 2020
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Ingår i: The Journal of General Physiology. - : ROCKEFELLER UNIV PRESS. - 0022-1295 .- 1540-7748. ; 152:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Repolarization and termination of the ventricular cardiac action potential is highly dependent on the activation of the slow delayed-rectifier potassium I-Ks channel. Disruption of the I-Ks current leads to the most common form of congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), a disease that predisposes patients to ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. We previously demonstrated that polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) analogues increase outward K+ current in wild type and LQTS-causing mutant I-Ks channels. Our group has also demonstrated the necessity of a negatively charged PUFA head group for potent activation of the I-Ks channel through electrostatic interactions with the voltage-sensing and pore domains. Here, we test whether the efficacy of the PUFAs can be tuned by the presence of different functional groups in the PUFA head, thereby altering the electrostatic interactions of the PUFA head group with the voltage sensor or the pore. We show that PUFA analogues with taurine and cysteic head groups produced the most potent activation of I-Ks channels, largely by shifting the voltage dependence of activation. In comparison, the effect on voltage dependence of PUFA analogues with glycine and aspartate head groups was half that of the taurine and cysteic head groups, whereas the effect on maximal conductance was similar. Increasing the number of potentially negatively charged moieties did not enhance the effects of the PUFA on the I-Ks channel. Our results show that one can tune the efficacy of PUFAs on I-Ks channels by altering the pK(a) of the PUFA head group. Different PUFAs with different efficacy on I-Ks channels could be developed into more personalized treatments for LQTS patients with a varying degree of I-Ks channel dysfunction.
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