| 1. |
- Namkoong, H, et al.
(författare)
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DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 609:7928, s. 754-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge1–5. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2,393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3,289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target.
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| 2. |
- Kubo, K., et al.
(författare)
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Population differences in S-warfarin pharmacokinetics among African Americans, Asians and whites : their influence on pharmacogenetic dosing algorithms
- 2017
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Ingår i: The Pharmacogenomics Journal. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 1470-269X .- 1473-1150. ; 17:6, s. 494-500
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using population pharmacokinetic analysis (PPK), we attempted to identify predictors of S-warfarin clearance (CL(S)) and to clarify population differences in S-warfarin pharmacokinetics among a cohort of 378 African American, Asian and white patients. Significant predictors of CL(S) included clinical (age, body weight and sex) and genotypic (CYP2C9*2,*3 and *8) factors, as well as African American ethnicity, the median CL(S) being 30% lower in the latter than in Asians and whites (170 versus 243 and 250 ml h(-1), P<0.01). The plasma S-warfarin (Cp(S)) time courses following the genotype-based dosing algorithms simulated using the PPK estimates showed African Americans with CYP2C9*1/*1 and any of the VKORC1 genotypes would have an average Cp(S) at steady state 1.5-1.8 times higher than in Asians and whites. These results indicate warfarin dosing algorithms should be evaluated in each respective ethnic population. Further study of a large African American cohort will be necessary to confirm the present findings.
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| 3. |
- Duran-Castells, C., et al.
(författare)
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Sirtuin-2, NAD-Dependent Deacetylase, Is a New Potential Therapeutic Target for HIV-1 Infection and HIV-Related Neurological Dysfunction
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Virology. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0022-538X .- 1098-5514. ; 97:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurocognitive disorders are frequently reported in people living with HIV (PLWH) even with the introduction of combined antiretroviral treatment (cART). To identify biomarkers and potential therapeutic tools to target HIV infection in peripheral blood and in the central nervous system (CNS), plasma proteomics were applied in untreated chronic HIV-infected individuals with different levels of virus control. The implementation and access to combined antiretroviral treatment (cART) have dramatically improved the quality of life of people living with HIV (PLWH). However, some comorbidities, such as neurological disorders associated with HIV infection still represent a serious clinical challenge. Soluble factors in plasma that are associated with control of HIV replication and neurological dysfunction could serve as early biomarkers and as new therapeutic targets for this comorbidity. We used a customized antibody array for determination of blood plasma factors in 40 untreated PLWH with different levels of viremia and found sirtuin-2 (SIRT2), an NAD-dependent deacetylase, to be strongly associated with elevated viral loads and HIV provirus levels, as well as with markers of neurological damage (a-synuclein [SNCA], brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF], microtubule-associated protein tau [MAPT], and neurofilament light protein [NFL]). Also, longitudinal analysis in HIV-infected individuals with immediate (n = 9) or delayed initiation (n = 10) of cART revealed that after 1 year on cART, SIRT2 plasma levels differed between both groups and correlated inversely with brain orbitofrontal cortex involution. Furthermore, targeting SIRT2 with specific small-molecule inhibitors in in vitro systems using J-LAT A2 and primary glial cells led to diminished HIV replication and virus reactivation from latency. Our data thus identify SIRT2 as a novel biomarker of uncontrolled HIV infection, with potential impact on neurological dysfunction and offers a new therapeutic target for HIV treatment and cure.IMPORTANCE Neurocognitive disorders are frequently reported in people living with HIV (PLWH) even with the introduction of combined antiretroviral treatment (cART). To identify biomarkers and potential therapeutic tools to target HIV infection in peripheral blood and in the central nervous system (CNS), plasma proteomics were applied in untreated chronic HIV-infected individuals with different levels of virus control. High plasma levels of sirtuin-2 (SIRT2), an NAD(+) deacetylase, were detected in uncontrolled HIV infection and were strongly associated with plasma viral load and proviral levels. In parallel, SIRT2 levels in the peripheral blood and CNS were associated with markers of neurological damage and brain involution and were more pronounced in individuals who initiated cART later in infection. In vitro infection experiments using specific SIRT2 inhibitors suggest that specific targeting of SIRT2 could offer new therapeutic treatment options for HIV infections and their associated neurological dysfunction.
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| 4. |
- Eskilsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Distribution of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 in the mouse brain
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Comparative Neurology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0021-9967 .- 1096-9861. ; 522:14, s. 3229-3244
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous studies in rats have demonstrated that microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) is induced in brain vascular cells that also express inducible cyclooxygenase-2, suggesting that such cells are the source of the increased PGE2 levels that are seen in the brain following peripheral immune stimulation, and that are associated with sickness responses such as fever, anorexia, and stress hormone release. However, while most of what is known about the functional role of mPGES-1 for these centrally evoked symptoms is based on studies on genetically modified mice, the cellular localization of mPGES-1 in the mouse brain has not been thoroughly determined. Here, using a newly developed antibody that specifically recognizes mouse mPGES-1 and dual-labeling for cell-specific markers, we report that mPGES-1 is constitutively expressed in the mouse brain, being present not only in brain endothelial cells, but also in several other cell types and structures, such as capillary-associated pericytes, astroglial cells, leptomeninges, and the choroid plexus. Regional differences were seen with particularly prominent labeling in autonomic relay structures such as the area postrema, the subfornical organ, the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, the arcuate nucleus, and the preoptic area. Following immune stimulation, mPGES-1 in brain endothelial cells, but not in other mPGES-1-positive cells, was coexpressed with cyclooxygenase-2, whereas there was no coexpression between mPGES-1 and cyclooxygenase-1. These data imply a widespread synthesis of PGE2 or other mPGES-1-dependent products in the mouse brain that may be related to inflammation-induced sickness symptom as well as other functions, such as blood flow regulation.
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