A Label-Free Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy for Detection of Clusters of Extracellular Vesicles Based on Their Unique Dielectric Properties.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained considerable attention as vital circulating biomarkers since their structure and composition resemble the originating cells. The investigation of EVs' biochemical and biophysical properties is of great importance to map them to their parental cells and to better understand their functionalities. In this study, a novel frequency-dependent impedance measurement system has been developed to characterize EVs based on their unique dielectric properties. The system is composed of an insulator-based dielectrophoretic (iDEP) device to entrap and immobilize a cluster of vesicles followed by utilizing electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to measure their impedance at a wide frequency spectrum, aiming to analyze both their membrane and cytosolic charge-dependent contents. The EIS was initially utilized to detect nano-size vesicles with different biochemical compositions, including liposomes synthesized with different lipid compositions, as well as EVs and lipoproteins with similar biophysical properties but dissimilar biochemical properties. Moreover, EVs derived from the same parental cells but treated with different culture conditions were characterized to investigate the correlation of impedance changes with biochemical properties and functionality in terms of pro-inflammatory responses. The system also showed the ability to discriminate between EVs derived from different cellular origins as well as among size-sorted EVs harbored from the same cellular origin. This proof-of-concept approach is the first step towards utilizing EIS as a label-free, non-invasive, and rapid sensor for detection and characterization of pathogenic EVs and other nanovesicles in the future.

Hepatic Ago2 Regulates PPARα for Oxidative Metabolism Linked to Glycemic Control in Obesity and Post Bariatric Surgery.

Argonaute 2 (Ago2) is the main component of the RNA-induced silencing complex. We recently showed that liver-specific Ago2-deficiency in mice (L-Ago2 knockout [KO] mice) enhances mitochondrial oxidation and alleviates obesity-associated pathophysiology. However, the precise mechanisms behind the role of hepatic Ago2 in regulating the mitochondrial oxidation associated with glucose metabolism are still unclear. Here, we show that hepatic Ago2 regulates the function of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) for oxidative metabolism. In both genetically and diet-induced severe obese conditions, L-Ago2 KO mice developed obesity and hepatic steatosis but exhibited improved glucose metabolism accompanied by lowered expression levels of pathologic microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR-802, miR-103/107, and miR-152, and enhanced expression of PPARα and its target genes regulating oxidative metabolism in the liver. We then investigated the role of hepatic Ago2 in the outcomes of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) in which PPARα plays a crucial role in a drastic transcription reprogram associated with improved glycemia post VSG. Whereas VSG reduced body weight and improved fatty liver in wild-type mice, these effects were not observed in hepatic Ago2-deficient mice. Conversely, glucose metabolism was improved in a hepatic Ago2-dependent manner post VSG. Treating Ago2-deficient primary hepatocytes with WY-14643, a PPARα agonist, showed that Ago2-deficiency enhances sensitivity to WY-14643 and increases expression of PPARα target genes and mitochondrial oxidation. Our findings suggest that hepatic Ago2 function is intrinsically associated with PPARα that links Ago2-mediated RNA silencing with mitochondrial functions for oxidation and obesity-associated pathophysiology.

Rapid and label-free isolation of small extracellular vesicles from biofluids utilizing a novel insulator based dielectrophoretic device.

Exosomes are nano-scale membrane-encapsulated vesicles produced by the majority of cells and have emerged as a rich source of biomarkers for a wide variety of diseases. Although many approaches have been developed for exosome isolation from biofluids, most of them have substantial shortcomings including long processing time, inefficiency, high cost, lack of specificity and/or surface marker-dependency. To address these issues, here we report a novel insulator-based dielectrophoretic (iDEP) device predicated on an array of borosilicate micropipettes to rapidly isolate exosomes from conditioned cell culture media and biofluids, such as plasma, serum, and saliva. The device is capable of exosome isolation from small sample volumes of 200 µL within 20 minutes under a relatively low (10 V cm-1) direct current (DC). This device is easy to fabricate thus, no cleanroom facility and expensive equipment are needed. Therefore, the iDEP device offers a rapid and cost-effective strategy for exosome isolation from biofluids in timely manner while maintaining the yield and purity.

RNAs and RNA-Binding Proteins in Immuno-Metabolic Homeostasis and Diseases.

The increasing prevalence of worldwide obesity has emerged as a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), hepatosteatosis, and cardiovascular disease. Accumulating evidence indicates that obesity has strong inflammatory underpinnings tightly linked to the development of metabolic diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms by which obesity induces aberrant inflammation associated with metabolic diseases are not yet clearly defined. Recently, RNAs have emerged as important regulators of stress responses and metabolism. RNAs are subject to changes in modification status, higher-order structure, and cellular localization; all of which could affect the affinity for RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and thereby modify the RNA-RBP networks. Proper regulation and management of RNA characteristics are fundamental to cellular and organismal homeostasis, as well as paramount to health. Identification of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within loci of fat mass- and obesity-associated protein (FTO) gene, an RNA demethylase, through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of T2D, and functional assessments of FTO in mice, support the concept that disruption in RNA modifications leads to the development of human diseases including obesity and metabolic disorder. In obesity, dynamic alterations in modification and localization of RNAs appear to modulate the RNA-RBP networks and activate proinflammatory RBPs, such as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent protein kinase (PKR), Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 and TLR7, and RNA silencing machinery. These changes induce aberrant inflammation and the development of metabolic diseases. This review will describe the current understanding of the underlying causes of these common and altered characteristics of RNA-RBP networks which will pave the way for developing novel approaches to tackle the pandemic issue of obesity.

Hepatic Ago2-mediated RNA silencing controls energy metabolism linked to AMPK activation and obesity-associated pathophysiology.

RNA silencing inhibits mRNA translation. While mRNA translation accounts for the majority of cellular energy expenditure, it is unclear if RNA silencing regulates energy homeostasis. Here, we report that hepatic Argonaute 2 (Ago2)-mediated RNA silencing regulates both intrinsic energy production and consumption and disturbs energy metabolism in the pathogenesis of obesity. Ago2 regulates expression of specific miRNAs including miR-802, miR-103/107, and miR-148a/152, causing metabolic disruption, while simultaneously suppressing the expression of genes regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, including Hnf1ß, Cav1, and Ampka1. Liver-specific Ago2-deletion enhances mitochondrial oxidation and ATP consumption associated with mRNA translation, which results in AMPK activation, and improves obesity-associated pathophysiology. Notably, hepatic Ago2-deficiency improves glucose metabolism in conditions of insulin receptor antagonist treatment, high-fat diet challenge, and hepatic AMPKα1-deletion. The regulation of energy metabolism by Ago2 provides a novel paradigm in which RNA silencing plays an integral role in determining basal metabolic activity in obesity-associated sequelae.

Novel MYBL1 Gene Rearrangements with Recurrent MYBL1-NFIB Fusions in Salivary Adenoid Cystic Carcinomas Lacking t(6;9) Translocations.

PURPOSE: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an indolent salivary gland malignancy, characterized by t(6;9) translocations and MYB-NFIB gene fusions in approximately 50% of the tumors. The genetic alterations underlying t(6;9)-negative and t(6;9)-positive/MYB-NFIB fusion-negative ACC remain unknown. To uncover the genetic alterations in ACC lacking the canonical translocation and fusion transcript and identify new abnormalities in translocation positive tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed whole-genome sequencing in 21 salivary ACCs and conducted targeted molecular analyses in a validation set (81 patients). Microarray gene-expression data were also analyzed to explore the biologic differences between fusion positive and negative tumors. RESULTS: We identified a novel MYBL1-NFIB gene fusion as a result of t(8;9) translocation and multiple rearrangements in the MYBL1 gene in 35% of the t(6;9)-negative ACCs. All MYBL1 alterations involved deletion of the C-terminal negative regulatory domain and were associated with high MYBL1 expression. Reciprocal MYB and MYBL1 expression was consistently found in ACCs. In addition, 5'-NFIB fusions that did not involve MYB/MYBL1 genes were identified in a subset of t(6;9)-positive/fusion-negative tumors. We also delineated distinct gene-expression profiles in ACCs associated with the length of the MYB or MYBL1 fusions, suggesting a biologic importance of the C-terminal part of these fusions. CONCLUSIONS: Our study defines new molecular subclasses of ACC characterized by MYBL1 rearrangements and 5'-NFIB gene fusions.

Coamplification of Myc/Pvt1 and homozygous deletion of Nlrp1 locus are frequent genetics changes in mouse osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcomas (OSs) are characterized by high levels of genomic instability (GI). To gain insights into the GI and its contribution toward understanding the genetic basis of OS, we characterized 19 primary and 13 metastatic mouse tumors in a genetically engineered novel mouse model of OS by a combination of genomic techniques. Through the bone-specific deletion of the wild-type Trp53 locus or activation of a metastatic-promoting missense R172Hp53 allele, C57BL/6 mice developed either localized or metastatic OS. Subsequent tumors were isolated and primary cultures created from primary bone and/or distal metastatic lesions, for example, lung and liver. These tumors exhibited high levels of GI with complex chromosomal rearrangements, amplifications, and deletions comparable to human OS. The combined genomic approaches identified frequent amplification of chromosome 15D1 and loss of 11B4 by CGH and/or SKY. Both 15D1 and 11B4 have homology with frequently altered chromosomal bands 8q24 and 17p13 in human OS, respectively. Subsequent array CGH, FISH, and qRT-PCR analysis identified coamplification and overexpression of Myc/Pvt1 transcripts from the 15D1 amplicon and loss and decreased expression of the Nlrp1b from 11B4. The Nlrp1 gene is the key mediator of apoptosis and interacts strongly with caspase 2.