

      Jurida, Liane; Soelch, Johanna; Bartkuhn, Marek; Handschick, Katja; Müller, Helmut; Newel, Doris; Weber, Axel; Dittrich-Breiholz, Oliver; Schneider, Heike; Bhuju, Sabin; et al. (2015-02-04)
      The inflammatory gene response requires activation of the protein kinase TAK1, but it is currently unknown how TAK1-derived signals coordinate transcriptional programs in the genome. We determined the genome-wide binding of the TAK1-controlled NF-κB subunit p65 in relation to active enhancers and promoters of transcribed genes by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments. Out of 35,000 active enhancer regions, 410 H3K4me1-positive enhancers show interleukin 1 (IL-1)-induced H3K27ac and p65 binding. Inhibition of TAK1 or IKK2 or depletion of p65 blocked inducible enhancer activation and gene expression. As exemplified by the CXC chemokine cluster located on chromosome 4, the TAK1-p65 pathway also regulates the recruitment kinetics of the histone acetyltransferase CBP, of NF-κB p50, and of AP-1 transcription factors to both promoters and enhancers. This study provides a high-resolution view of epigenetic changes occurring during the IL-1 response and allows the genome-wide identification of a distinct class of inducible p65 NF-κB-dependent enhancers in epithelial cells.
    • AgNPs Change Microbial Community Structures of Wastewater.

      Guo, Yuting; Cichocki, Nicolas; Schattenberg, Florian; Geffers, Robert; Harms, Hauke; Müller, Susann; HZI,Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7,38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (Frontiers, 2018-01-01)
    • Alloantigen-Induced Regulatory T Cells Generated in Presence of Vitamin C Display Enhanced Stability of Foxp3 Expression and Promote Skin Allograft Acceptance.

      Nikolouli, Eirini; Hardtke-Wolenski, Matthias; Hapke, Martin; Beckstette, Michael; Geffers, Robert; Floess, Stefan; Jaeckel, Elmar; Huehn, Jochen; Helmholtz Centre for infection research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2017)
      Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for the maintenance of immune homeostasis and self-tolerance and can be therapeutically used for prevention of unwanted immune responses such as allotransplant rejection. Tregs are characterized by expression of the transcription factor Foxp3, and recent work suggests that epigenetic imprinting of Foxp3 and other Treg-specific epigenetic signatures genes is crucial for the stabilization of both Foxp3 expression and immunosuppressive properties within Tregs. Lately, vitamin C was reported to enhance the activity of enzymes of the ten-eleven translocation family, thereby fostering the demethylation of Foxp3 and other Treg-specific epigenetic signatures genes in developing Tregs. Here, we in vitro generated alloantigen-induced Foxp3(+) Tregs (allo-iTregs) in presence of vitamin C. Although vitamin C hardly influenced the transcriptome of allo-iTregs as revealed by RNA-seq, those vitamin C-treated allo-iTregs showed a more pronounced demethylation of Foxp3 and other Treg-specific epigenetic signatures genes accompanied with an enhanced stability of Foxp3 expression. Accordingly, when being tested in vivo in an allogeneic skin transplantation model, vitamin C-treated allo-iTregs showed a superior suppressive capacity. Together, our results pave the way for the establishment of novel protocols for the in vitro generation of alloantigen-induced Foxp3(+) Tregs for therapeutic use in transplantation medicine.
    • Amphibian gut microbiota shifts differentially in community structure but converges on habitat-specific predicted functions.

      Bletz, Molly C; Goedbloed, Daniel J; Sanchez, Eugenia; Reinhardt, Timm; Tebbe, Christoph C; Bhuju, Sabin; Geffers, Robert; Jarek, Michael; Vences, Miguel; Steinfartz, Sebastian; et al. (2016-12-15)
      Complex microbial communities inhabit vertebrate digestive systems but thorough understanding of the ecological dynamics and functions of host-associated microbiota within natural habitats is limited. We investigate the role of environmental conditions in shaping gut and skin microbiota under natural conditions by performing a field survey and reciprocal transfer experiments with salamander larvae inhabiting two distinct habitats (ponds and streams). We show that gut and skin microbiota are habitat-specific, demonstrating environmental factors mediate community structure. Reciprocal transfer reveals that gut microbiota, but not skin microbiota, responds differentially to environmental change. Stream-to-pond larvae shift their gut microbiota to that of pond-to-pond larvae, whereas pond-to-stream larvae change to a community structure distinct from both habitat controls. Predicted functions, however, match that of larvae from the destination habitats in both cases. Thus, microbial function can be matched without taxonomic coherence and gut microbiota appears to exhibit metagenomic plasticity.
    • Analysis and Design of Stimulus Response Curves of E. coli.

      Kremling, Andreas; Goehler, Anna; Jahreis, Knut; Nees, Markus; Auerbach, Benedikt; Schmidt-Heck, Wolfgang; Kökpinar, Oznur; Geffers, Robert; Rinas, Ursula; Bettenbrock, Katja; et al. (2012-11-12)
    • Antibodies against C-reactive protein cross-react with 60-kilodalton heat shock proteins.

      Udvarnoki, Katalin; Cervenak, László; Uray, Katalin; Hudecz, Ferenc; Kacskovics, Imre; Spallek, Ralf; Singh, Mahavir; Füst, George; Prohászka, Zoltán; Third Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, H-1125 Budapest, Kútvölgyi st. 4, Hungary. (2007-04)
      C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase reactant frequently used in histochemistry as a marker of ongoing inflammation. Furthermore, CRP is a powerful biomarker for the prediction of coronary artery disease risk. Heat-shock protein 60 (Hsp60) and CRP are complement-activating molecules, and the effect of their interactions on the regulation of complement activation was studied. However, during the first experiments, we learned that polyclonal anti-CRP antibodies cross-react with Hsp60. Therefore, the aim of our present study was to analyze the cross-reactivity of anti-CRP antibodies (Ab) with Hsp60 in solid-phase enzyme immune assays, in epitope studies using a series of overlapping synthetic peptides, and in Ouchterlony analyses. We found that three different commercial rabbit polyclonal antibodies and two monoclonal (9C9 and CRP-8) anti-CRP antibodies specifically recognize recombinant human Hsp60 and recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Hsp65, respectively. Hsp60 was found to inhibit the binding of anti-CRP polyclonal Ab to Hsp60. Six epitope regions of Hsp60 were recognized by the anti-CRP antibodies, and one region (amino acids [AA] 218 to 232) was recognized by monoclonal antibodies CRP-8 and 9C9. This epitope region of Hsp60 displays 26.6% amino acid identity to CRP AA region 77 to 90. These data suggest that the B-cell epitopes shared between CRP and Hsp60 give rise to a true mimicry-based cross-reaction and the induction of cross-reactive antibodies. Our study underlines the importance of thorough study design and careful interpretation of results while using polyclonal anti-CRP antibodies for histochemistry, especially at low dilutions. Furthermore, analytical interference with Hsp60 in CRP assays should also be tested.
    • Antiviral potential of human IFN-α subtypes against influenza A H3N2 infection in human lung explants reveals subtype-specific activities.

      Matos, Aline da Rocha; Wunderlich, Katharina; Schloer, Sebastian; Schughart, Klaus; Geffers, Robert; Seders, Martine; Witt, Marlous de; Christersson, Anmari; Wiewrodt, Rainer; Wiebe, Karsten; et al. (Taylor & Francis Open, 2019-01-01)
      Influenza is an acute respiratory infection causing high morbidity and mortality in annual outbreaks worldwide. Antiviral drugs are limited and pose the risk of resistance development, calling for new treatment options. IFN-α subtypes are immune-stimulatory cytokines with strong antiviral activities against IAV in vitro and in vivo. However, the clinical use of IFN-α2, the only licensed subtype of this multi-gene family, could not prevent or limit IAV infections in humans. However, the other subtypes were not investigated.Therefore, this study evaluated the induction and antiviral potential of all human IFN-α subtypes during H3N2 IAV infection in human lung explants. We found that subtypes with weak antiviral activities were preferentially induced during IAV infection in human lungs. Intriguingly, non-induced subtypes α16, α5 and α4 suppressed viral replication up to 230-fold more efficiently than α2. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that subtypes with stronger antiviral activities induce higher expression of IAV-specific restriction factors and that MxA expression is a determinant of the subtype-specific antiviral activity towards H3N2 IAV. These results corroborate that IFN-α subtypes exhibit differential antiviral activities and emphasize that subtypes α16, α5 and α4 should be further investigated for the prevention and treatment of severe infections with seasonal H3N2 IAV.
    • Archival bone marrow trephines are suitable for high-throughput mutation analysis using next generation sequencing technology.

      Hasemeier, Britta; Geffers, Robert; Bartels, Stephan; Schlegelberger, Brigitte; Kreipe, Hans; Lehmann, Ulrich; Institute of Pathology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany (Ferrata Storti Foundation, 2013-09)
    • Assessment of an APOBEC3B truncating mutation, c.783delG, in patients with breast cancer.

      Radmanesh, Hoda; Spethmann, Tessa; Enßen, Julia; Schürmann, Peter; Bhuju, Sabin; Geffers, Robert; Antonenkova, Natalia; Khusnutdinova, Elza; Sadr-Nabavi, Ariane; Shandiz, Fatemeh Homaei; et al. (2017-02)
      APOBEC3B belongs to the family of DNA-editing enzymes. A copy number variant targeting the genomic APOBEC3A-APOBEC3B locus has a significant impact on breast cancer risk, but the relative contribution of APOBEC3B is uncertain. In this study, we investigate a loss-of-function mutation that selectively targets APOBEC3B, for its association with breast cancer risk.

    • BCL6--regulated by AhR/ARNT and wild-type MEF2B--drives expression of germinal center markers MYBL1 and LMO2.

      Ding, Jie; Dirks, Wilhelm G; Ehrentraut, Stefan; Geffers, Robert; MacLeod, Roderick A F; Nagel, Stefan; Pommerenke, Claudia; Romani, Julia; Scherr, Michaela; Vaas, Lea A I; et al. (2015-06)
      Genetic heterogeneity is widespread in tumors, but poorly documented in cell lines. According to immunoglobulin hypermutation analysis, the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell line U-2932 comprises two subpopulations faithfully representing original tumor subclones. We set out to identify molecular causes underlying subclone-specific expression affecting 221 genes including surface markers and the germinal center oncogenes BCL6 and MYC. Genomic copy number variations explained 58/221 genes differentially expressed in the two U-2932 clones. Subclone-specific expression of the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the resulting activity of the AhR/ARNT complex underlaid differential regulation of 11 genes including MEF2B. Knock-down and inhibitor experiments confirmed that AhR/ARNT regulates MEF2B, a key transcription factor for BCL6. AhR, MEF2B and BCL6 levels correlated not only in the U-2932 subclones but in the majority of 23 cell lines tested, indicting overexpression of AhR as a novel mechanism behind BCL6 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Enforced modulation of BCL6 affected 48/221 signature genes. Although BCL6 is known as a transcriptional repressor, 28 genes were up-regulated, including LMO2 and MYBL1 which, like BCL6, signify germinal center diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Supporting the notion that BCL6 can induce gene expression, BCL6 and the majority of potential targets were co-regulated in a series of B-cell lines. In conclusion, genomic copy number aberrations, activation of AhR/ARNT, and overexpression of BCL6 are collectively responsible for differential expression of more than 100 genes in subclones of the U-2932 cell line. It is particularly interesting that BCL6 - regulated by AhR/ARNT and wild-type MEF2B - may drive expression of germinal center markers in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
    • The BH3-only protein BID impairs the p38-mediated stress response and promotes hepatocarcinogenesis during chronic liver injury in mice.

      Orlik, Johanna; Schüngel, Sven; Buitrago-Molina, Laura Elisa; Marhenke, Silke; Geffers, Robert; Endig, Jessica; Lobschat, Katharina; Rössler, Stephanie; Goeppert, Benjamin; Manns, Michael P; et al. (2015-09)
      Apoptosis is critical for maintaining tissue homeostasis, and apoptosis evasion is considered as a hallmark of cancer. However, increasing evidence also suggests that proapoptotic molecules can contribute to the development of cancer, including liver cancer. The aim of this study was to further clarify the role of the proapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 homology domain 3 (BH3)-only protein BH3 interacting-domain death agonist (BID) for chronic liver injury (CLI) and hepatocarcinogenesis (HCG). Loss of BID significantly delayed tumor development in two mouse models of Fah-mediated and HBsTg-driven HCG, suggesting a tumor-promoting effect of BID. Liver injury as well as basal and mitogen-stimulated hepatocyte proliferation were not modulated by BID. Moreover, there was no in vivo or in vitro evidence that BID was involved in DNA damage response in hepatocytes and hepatoma cells. Our data revealed that CLI was associated with strong activation of oxidative stress (OS) response and that BID impaired full activation of p38 after OS.

    • Birth, evolution, and transmission of satellite-free mammalian centromeric domains.

      Nergadze, Solomon G; Piras, Francesca M; Gamba, Riccardo; Corbo, Marco; Cerutti, Federico; McCarter, Joseph G W; Cappelletti, Eleonora; Gozzo, Francesco; Harman, Rebecca M; Antczak, Douglas F; et al. (2018-01-01)
      Mammalian centromeres are associated with highly repetitive DNA (satellite DNA), which has so far hindered molecular analysis of this chromatin domain. Centromeres are epigenetically specified, and binding of the CENPA protein is their main determinant. In previous work, we described the first example of a natural satellite-free centromere on
    • CD25+ FoxP3+ Memory CD4 T Cells Are Frequent Targets of HIV Infection In Vivo.

      Chachage, Mkunde; Pollakis, Georgios; Kuffour, Edmund Osei; Haase, Kerstin; Bauer, Asli; Nadai, Yuka; Podola, Lilli; Clowes, Petra; Schiemann, Matthias; Henkel, Lynette; et al. (2016-10-15)
      Interleukin 2 (IL-2) signaling through the IL-2 receptor alpha chain (CD25) facilitates HIV replication in vitro and facilitates homeostatic proliferation of CD25(+) FoxP3(+) CD4(+) T cells. CD25(+) FoxP3(+) CD4(+) T cells may therefore constitute a suitable subset for HIV infection and plasma virion production. CD25(+) FoxP3(+) CD4(+) T cell frequencies, absolute numbers, and the expression of CCR5 and cell cycle marker Ki67 were studied in peripheral blood from HIV(+) and HIV(-) study volunteers. Different memory CD4(+) T cell subsets were then sorted for quantification of cell-associated HIV DNA and phylogenetic analyses of the highly variable EnvV1V3 region in comparison to plasma-derived virus sequences. In HIV(+) subjects, 51% (median) of CD25(+) FoxP3(+) CD4(+) T cells expressed the HIV coreceptor CCR5. Very high frequencies of Ki67(+) cells were detected in CD25(+) FoxP3(+) memory CD4(+) T cells (median, 27.6%) in comparison to CD25(-) FoxP3(-) memory CD4(+) T cells (median, 4.1%; P < 0.0001). HIV DNA content was 15-fold higher in CD25(+) FoxP3(+) memory CD4(+) T cells than in CD25(-) FoxP3(-) T cells (P = 0.003). EnvV1V3 sequences derived from CD25(+) FoxP3(+) memory CD4(+) T cells did not preferentially cluster with plasma-derived sequences. Quasi-identical cell-plasma sequence pairs were rare, and their proportion decreased with the estimated HIV infection duration. These data suggest that specific cellular characteristics of CD25(+) FoxP3(+) memory CD4(+) T cells might facilitate efficient HIV infection in vivo and passage of HIV DNA to cell progeny in the absence of active viral replication. The contribution of this cell population to plasma virion production remains unclear.
    • Cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP) is a direct downstream target of transcription factor Pax6.

      Boppana, Sridhar; Scheglov, Alexander; Geffers, Robert; Tarabykin, Victor; Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein Strasse 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. boppansr@umdnj.edu (2012-02)
      Transcription factor Pax6 plays an essential role in the expression of other transcription factors, cell adhesion molecules and is crucial for neurogenesis in the developing forebrain. Analysis of gene expression profiles through microarray experiments in Pax6 mutants allowed us to focus on CRALBP, one of the many genes that were downregulated.
    • Characterization of the p53 cistrome--DNA binding cooperativity dissects p53's tumor suppressor functions.

      Schlereth, Katharina; Heyl, Charlotte; Krampitz, Anna-Maria; Mernberger, Marco; Finkernagel, Florian; Scharfe, Maren; Jarek, Michael; Leich, Ellen; Rosenwald, Andreas; Stiewe, Thorsten; et al. (2013-08)
      p53 protects us from cancer by transcriptionally regulating tumor suppressive programs designed to either prevent the development or clonal expansion of malignant cells. How p53 selects target genes in the genome in a context- and tissue-specific manner remains largely obscure. There is growing evidence that the ability of p53 to bind DNA in a cooperative manner prominently influences target gene selection with activation of the apoptosis program being completely dependent on DNA binding cooperativity. Here, we used ChIP-seq to comprehensively profile the cistrome of p53 mutants with reduced or increased cooperativity. The analysis highlighted a particular relevance of cooperativity for extending the p53 cistrome to non-canonical binding sequences characterized by deletions, spacer insertions and base mismatches. Furthermore, it revealed a striking functional separation of the cistrome on the basis of cooperativity; with low cooperativity genes being significantly enriched for cell cycle and high cooperativity genes for apoptotic functions. Importantly, expression of high but not low cooperativity genes was correlated with superior survival in breast cancer patients. Interestingly, in contrast to most p53-activated genes, p53-repressed genes did not commonly contain p53 binding elements. Nevertheless, both the degree of gene activation and repression were cooperativity-dependent, suggesting that p53-mediated gene repression is largely indirect and mediated by cooperativity-dependently transactivated gene products such as CDKN1A, E2F7 and non-coding RNAs. Since both activation of apoptosis genes with non-canonical response elements and repression of pro-survival genes are crucial for p53's apoptotic activity, the cistrome analysis comprehensively explains why p53-induced apoptosis, but not cell cycle arrest, strongly depends on the intermolecular cooperation of p53 molecules as a possible safeguard mechanism protecting from accidental cell killing.
    • Chimeric antigen receptor-induced BCL11B suppression propagates NK-like cell development.

      Maluski, Marcel; Ghosh, Arnab; Herbst, Jessica; Scholl, Vanessa; Baumann, Rolf; Huehn, Jochen; Geffers, Robert; Meyer, Johann; Maul, Holger; Eiz-Vesper, Britta; et al. (American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2019-12-02)
      The transcription factor B cell CLL/lymphoma 11B (BCL11B) is indispensable for T lineage development of lymphoid progenitors. Here, we show that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) expression during early phases of ex vivo generation of lymphoid progenitors suppressed BCL11B, leading to suppression of T cell-associated gene expression and acquisition of NK cell-like properties. Upon adoptive transfer into hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, CAR-expressing lymphoid progenitors differentiated into CAR-induced killer (CARiK) cells that mediated potent antigen-directed antileukemic activity even across MHC barriers. CD28 and active immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs were critical for a functional CARiK phenotype. These results give important insights into differentiation of murine and human lymphoid progenitors driven by synthetic CAR transgene expression and encourage further evaluation of ex vivo-generated CARiK cells for targeted immunotherapy.

    • Chromatin binding of Gcn5 in Drosophila is largely mediated by CP190.

      Ali, Tamer; Krüger, Marcus; Bhuju, Sabin; Jarek, Michael; Bartkuhn, Marek; Renkawitz, Rainer; Hel,holtz Centre for infection research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2016-11-29)
      Centrosomal 190 kDa protein (CP190) is a promoter binding factor, mediates long-range interactions in the context of enhancer-promoter contacts and in chromosomal domain formation. All Drosophila insulator proteins bind CP190 suggesting a crucial role in insulator function. CP190 has major effects on chromatin, such as depletion of nucleosomes, high nucleosomal turnover and prevention of heterochromatin expansion. Here, we searched for enzymes, which might be involved in CP190 mediated chromatin changes. Eighty percent of the genomic binding sites of the histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 are colocalizing with CP190 binding. Depletion of CP190 reduces Gcn5 binding to chromatin. Binding dependency was further supported by Gcn5 mediated co-precipitation of CP190. Gcn5 is known to activate transcription by histone acetylation. We used the dCas9 system to target CP190 or Gcn5 to a Polycomb repressed and H3K27me3 marked gene locus. Both, CP190 as well as Gcn5, activate this locus, thus supporting the model that CP190 recruits Gcn5 and thereby activates chromatin.