Cervical cancer and a subset of anogenital and head-and-neck carcinomas are caused by high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (hrHPV). During hrHPV-induced malignant transformation keratinocytes become able to grow anchorage independently, a tumorigenic trait at least partly associated with inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. We used hrHPV-containing keratinocytes to investigate the role of DNA methylation-mediated silencing of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the acquisition of anchorage independence.Anchorage dependent (n=11) and independent passages (n=19) of 4 hrHPV-immortalized keratinocyte cell lines were treated with 2'-deoxy-5-azacytidine (DAC). Genome-wide miRNA expression profiles before and after treatment were compared to identify miRNAs silenced by methylation. Bisulfite sequencing and methylation-specific PCR showed increased methylation of hsa-mir-129-2/-137/-935/-3663/-3665 and -4281 in anchorage independent HPV-transformed keratinocytes and cervical cancer cell lines. Mature miRNAs derived from hsa-mir-129-2/-137/-3663 and -3665 showed functional relevance as they decreased anchorage independence in cervical cancer cell lines. Cervical (pre)cancerous lesions demonstrated increased methylation of hsa-mir-129-2/-935/-3663/-3665 and -4281, underlining the clinical relevance of our findings.In conclusion, methylation-mediated silencing of tumor suppressive miRNAs contributes to acquisition of an anchorage independent phenotype. This study further substantiates the importance of miRNAs during early stages of carcinogenesis and underlines their potential as both disease markers and therapeutic targets.

Next to a persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), molecular changes are required for the development of cervical cancer. To identify which molecular alterations drive carcinogenesis, we performed a comprehensive and longitudinal molecular characterization of HPV-transformed keratinocyte cell lines. Comparative genomic hybridization, mRNA, and miRNA expression analysis of four HPV-containing keratinocyte cell lines at eight different time points was performed. Data was analyzed using unsupervised hierarchical clustering, integrated longitudinal expression analysis, and pathway enrichment analysis. Biological relevance of identified key regulatory genes was evaluated in vitro and dual-luciferase assays were used to confirm predicted miRNA-mRNA interactions. We show that the acquisition of anchorage independence of HPV-containing keratinocyte cell lines is particularly associated with copy number alterations. Approximately one third of differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs was directly attributable to copy number alterations. Focal adhesion, TGF-beta signaling, and mTOR signaling pathways were enriched among these genes. PITX2 was identified as key regulator of TGF-beta signaling and inhibited cell growth in vitro, most likely by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Predicted miRNA-mRNA interactions miR-221-3p_BRWD3, miR-221-3p_FOS, and miR-138-5p_PLXNB2 were confirmed in vitro. Integrated longitudinal analysis of our HPV-induced carcinogenesis model pinpointed relevant interconnected molecular changes and crucial signaling pathways in HPV-mediated transformation.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in the regulation of body weight and glucose homeostasis. Although increasing evidence supports white adipose tissue heterogeneity, little is known about heterogeneity within murine BAT. Recently, UCP1 high and low expressing brown adipocytes were identified, but a developmental origin of these subtypes has not been studied. To obtain more insights into brown preadipocyte heterogeneity, we use single-cell RNA sequencing of the BAT stromal vascular fraction of C57/BL6 mice and characterize brown preadipocyte and adipocyte clonal cell lines. Statistical analysis of gene expression profiles from brown preadipocyte and adipocyte clones identify markers distinguishing brown adipocyte subtypes. We confirm the presence of distinct brown adipocyte populations in vivo using the markers EIF5, TCF25, and BIN1. We also demonstrate that loss of Bin1 enhances UCP1 expression and mitochondrial respiration, suggesting that BIN1 marks dormant brown adipocytes. The existence of multiple brown adipocyte subtypes suggests distinct functional properties of BAT depending on its cellular composition, with potentially distinct functions in thermogenesis and the regulation of whole body energy homeostasis.

Adipose tissue expansion, as seen in obesity, is often metabolically detrimental causing insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. However, white adipose tissue expansion at early ages is essential to establish a functional metabolism. To understand the differences between adolescent and adult adipose tissue expansion, we studied the cellular composition of the stromal vascular fraction of subcutaneous adipose tissue of two and eight weeks old mice using single cell RNA sequencing. We identified a subset of adolescent preadipocytes expressing the mature white adipocyte marker Asc-1 that showed a low ability to differentiate into beige adipocytes compared to Asc-1 negative cells in vitro. Loss of Asc-1 in subcutaneous preadipocytes resulted in spontaneous differentiation of beige adipocytes in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, this was mediated by a function of the amino acid transporter ASC-1 specifically in proliferating preadipocytes involving the intracellular accumulation of the ASC-1 cargo D-serine.

Oxytocin-expressing paraventricular hypothalamic neurons (PVNOT neurons) integrate afferent signals from the gut, including cholecystokinin (CCK), to adjust whole-body energy homeostasis. However, the molecular underpinnings by which PVNOT neurons orchestrate gut-to-brain feeding control remain unclear. Here, we show that mice undergoing selective ablation of PVNOT neurons fail to reduce food intake in response to CCK and develop hyperphagic obesity on a chow diet. Notably, exposing wild-type mice to a high-fat/high-sugar (HFHS) diet recapitulates this insensitivity toward CCK, which is linked to diet-induced transcriptional and electrophysiological aberrations specifically in PVNOT neurons. Restoring OT pathways in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice via chemogenetics or polypharmacology sufficiently re-establishes CCK's anorexigenic effects. Last, by single-cell profiling, we identify a specialized PVNOT neuronal subpopulation with increased κ-opioid signaling under an HFHS diet, which restrains their CCK-evoked activation. In sum, we document a (patho)mechanism by which PVNOT signaling uncouples a gut-brain satiation pathway under obesogenic conditions.

To determine which changes in the host cell genome are crucial for cervical carcinogenesis, a longitudinal in vitro model system of HPV-transformed keratinocytes was profiled in a genome-wide manner. Four cell lines affected with either HPV16 or HPV18 were assayed at 8 sequential time points for gene expression (mRNA) and gene copy number (DNA) using high-resolution microarrays. Available methods for temporal differential expression analysis are not designed for integrative genomic studies.