👤 Franc Llorens

To explore the pathophysiology of proliferative verrucous leucoplakia (PVL) through a methylated DNA immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing (MeDIP-seq) case-control study. Oral biopsies from ten PVL patients and five healthy individuals were obtained and used to compare their epigenetic patterns. Network biology methods and integrative analyses of MeDIP-seq and RNAseq data were applied to investigate functional relations among differentially methylated genes (DMGs). The value of selected genes as malignant biomarkers was evaluated in a large cohort of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients from TCGA. A total of 4647 differentially methylated regions were found, with a prominent state of hypermethylation in PVL patients. At the gene level, differentially methylated regions (DMRs) covered 826 genes with distinct roles, including transcription factors and binding proteins with functions in cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, regulation of transcription, bone morphogenesis, and cell signalling. Network analysis revealed three major hubs, two of them collecting proteins related to the response of the patients to PVL and treatment and one hub collecting proteins related to PVL and cancer. The integrative analysis revealed 8 genes (ARTN, CD8A, GATA3, HOXD10, MYO7A, OSR2, PLCB1, and SPOCK2) significantly upregulated in PVL compared to control and 5 genes (ANKRD6, DLG2, GPX3, PITX2, and ZNF736) significantly downregulated. The status of de-regulation found for PVL patients was concordant with what was found for OSCC samples compared to normal adjacent tissue. Our findings show the potential of methylation markers in PVL and suggest novel OSCC diagnostic biomarkers which may boost the development of novel epigenetic-based therapies. Show less

Adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) axons have a limited regrowth capacity following injury. Myelin-associated inhibitors (MAIs) limit axonal outgrowth, and their blockage improves the regeneration of damaged fiber tracts. Three of these proteins, Nogo-A, MAG, and OMgp, share two common neuronal receptors: NgR1, together with its coreceptors [p75(NTR), TROY, and Lingo-1]; and the recently described paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PirB). These proteins impair neuronal regeneration by limiting axonal sprouting. Some of the elements involved in the myelin inhibitory pathways may still be unknown, but the discovery that blocking both PirB and NgR1 activities leads to near-complete release from myelin inhibition, sheds light on one of the most competitive and intense fields of neuroregeneration study in recent decades. In parallel with the identification and characterization of the roles and functions of these inhibitory molecules in axonal regeneration, data gathered in the field strongly suggest that most of these proteins have roles other than axonal growth inhibition. The discovery of a new group of interacting partners for myelin-associated receptors and ligands, as well as functional studies within or outside the CNS environment, highlights the potential new physiological roles for these proteins in processes, such as development, neuronal homeostasis, plasticity, and neurodegeneration. Show less

Lingo-1 (also known as Lern1) is a component of the Nogo receptor complex that mediates intracellular signaling in response to myelin associated inhibitors (MAIs): NogoA, MAG, and Omgp. Signaling through Nogo receptor extends to more than its well known role in preventing axon regeneration after lesion in the CNS, being implicated in neuronal functional maturation. Using Lingo-1-deficient mice, it has been demonstrated that Lingo-1 plays relevant roles in oligodendrocyte differentiation during brain development, and that treatment with Lingo-1 antagonists can improve axon regeneration after lesion in adult mice by decreasing MAI mediated signaling. However, a detailed description of the pattern of expression of Lingo-1 protein in correlation with the other partners of Nogo receptor is missing. Here, we show that components of the Nogo receptor complex, Lingo-1, NgR1, p75, and TROY coexist in mouse brain in a defined time window only at later postnatal stages. We have also determined the Lingo-1 distribution showing expression in particular subsets of neurons, but not in myelinating mature oligodendrocytes. Surprisingly, Lingo-1 is expressed at early developmental stages without NgR1, which supports the notion that Lingo-1 may participate in other activities in developing neurons different from oligodendrocyte maturation or axon extension inhibition in the adult. Finally, we propose that the intracellular domain of Lingo-1 contributes to signaling and show that it interacts with the postmitotic neuronal specific zinc finger protein Myt1l, suggesting that Lingo-1 may regulate Myt1l transcription factor activity by affecting its subcellular localization. Show less