{"title":"Cancer neuroscience at the brain-body interface.","authors":"Jeremy C Borniger","doi":"10.1101/gad.352288.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352288.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Our approaches toward understanding cancer have evolved beyond cell-intrinsic and local microenvironmental changes within the tumor to encompass how the cancer interfaces with the entire host organism. The nervous system is uniquely situated at the interface between the brain and body, constantly receiving and sending signals back and forth to maintain homeostasis and respond to salient stimuli. It is becoming clear that various cancers disrupt this dialog between the brain and body via both neuronal and humoral routes, leading to aberrant brain activity and accelerated disease. In this outlook, I discuss this view of cancer as a homeostatic challenge, emphasize cutting-edge work, and provide outstanding questions that need to be answered to move the field forward.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535155/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What a wonderful world!","authors":"Claire Magnon","doi":"10.1101/gad.352278.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352278.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The world of cancer science is moving toward a paradigm shift in making connections with neuroscience. After decades of research on genetic instability and mutations or on the tumor microenvironment, emerging evidence suggests that a malignant tumor is able to hijack and use the brain and its network of peripheral and central neurons as disrupters of homeostasis in the body. Whole-body homeostasis requires brain-body circuits to maintain survival and health via the processes of interoception, immunoception, and nociception. It is now likely that cancer disturbs physiological brain-body communication in making bidirectional brain tumor connections.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535159/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Harnessing brain-body communication to understand cancer.","authors":"Erica K Sloan","doi":"10.1101/gad.352292.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352292.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Solid tumors that arise in the body interact with neurons, which influences cancer progression and treatment response. Here, we discuss key questions in the field, including defining the nature of interactions between tumors and neural circuits and defining how neural signals shape the tumor microenvironment. This information will allow us to optimally target neural signaling to improve outcomes for cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535151/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Consolidating roles of neuroimmune reflexes: specificity of afferent, central, and efferent signals in homeostatic immune networks.","authors":"Kevin J Tracey","doi":"10.1101/gad.352287.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352287.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neural reflexes occupy a central role in physiological homeostasis. The vagus nerve is a major conduit for transmitting afferent and efferent signals in homeostatic reflex arcs between the body and the brain. Recent advances in neuroscience, immunology, and physiology have revealed important vagus nerve mechanisms in suppressing inflammation and treating rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions. Numerous clinical trials indicate that there is significant benefit to vagus nerve stimulation therapy. Although many questions are still unanswered, it will be important, even necessary, to pursue answers that will be useful in guiding interventions to modulate immunological and physiological homeostasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535154/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julia M. Rogers, Claudia A. Mimoso, Benjamin J.E. Martin, Alexandre P. Martin, Jon C. Aster, Karen Adelman, Stephen C. Blacklow
{"title":"Notch induces transcription by stimulating release of paused RNA polymerase II","authors":"Julia M. Rogers, Claudia A. Mimoso, Benjamin J.E. Martin, Alexandre P. Martin, Jon C. Aster, Karen Adelman, Stephen C. Blacklow","doi":"10.1101/gad.352108.124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.352108.124","url":null,"abstract":"Notch proteins undergo ligand-induced proteolysis to release a nuclear effector that influences a wide range of cellular processes by regulating transcription. Despite years of study, however, how Notch induces the transcription of its target genes remains unclear. Here, we comprehensively examine the response to human Notch1 across a time course of activation using high-resolution genomic assays of chromatin accessibility and nascent RNA production. Our data reveal that Notch induces target gene transcription primarily by releasing paused RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Moreover, in contrast to prevailing models suggesting that Notch acts by promoting chromatin accessibility, we found that open chromatin was established at Notch-responsive regulatory elements prior to Notch signal induction through SWI/SNF-mediated remodeling. Together, these studies show that the nuclear response to Notch signaling is dictated by the pre-existing chromatin state and RNAPII distribution at the time of signal activation.","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142443874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Cross, Andrew Dillin, Thales Papagiannakopoulos
{"title":"Bridging brain and body in cancer.","authors":"Michael Cross, Andrew Dillin, Thales Papagiannakopoulos","doi":"10.1101/gad.352300.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352300.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent work has highlighted the central role the brain-body axis plays in not only maintaining organismal homeostasis but also coordinating the body's response to immune and inflammatory insults. Here, we discuss how science is poised to address the many ways that our brain is directly involved with disease. In particular, we feel that combining cutting-edge tools in neuroscience with translationally relevant models of cancer will be critical to understanding how the brain and tumors communicate and modulate each other's behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535152/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Victoria Mamontova, Barbara Trifault, Anne-Sophie Gribling-Burrer, Patrick Bohn, Lea Boten, Pit Preckwinkel, Peter Gallant, Daniel Solvie, Carsten P Ade, Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Martin Eilers, Tony Gutschner, Redmond P Smyth, Kaspar Burger
{"title":"NEAT1 promotes genome stability via m<sup>6</sup>A methylation-dependent regulation of CHD4.","authors":"Victoria Mamontova, Barbara Trifault, Anne-Sophie Gribling-Burrer, Patrick Bohn, Lea Boten, Pit Preckwinkel, Peter Gallant, Daniel Solvie, Carsten P Ade, Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Martin Eilers, Tony Gutschner, Redmond P Smyth, Kaspar Burger","doi":"10.1101/gad.351913.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.351913.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Long noncoding (lnc)RNAs emerge as regulators of genome stability. The nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) is overexpressed in many tumors and is responsive to genotoxic stress. However, the mechanism that links NEAT1 to DNA damage response (DDR) is unclear. Here, we investigate the expression, modification, localization, and structure of NEAT1 in response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). DNA damage increases the levels and N6-methyladenosine (m<sup>6</sup>A) marks on NEAT1, which promotes alterations in NEAT1 structure, accumulation of hypermethylated NEAT1 at promoter-associated DSBs, and DSB signaling. The depletion of NEAT1 impairs DSB focus formation and elevates DNA damage. The genome-protective role of NEAT1 is mediated by the RNA methyltransferase 3 (METTL3) and involves the release of the chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 4 (CHD4) from NEAT1 to fine-tune histone acetylation at DSBs. Our data suggest a direct role for NEAT1 in DDR.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535147/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth A Repasky, Bonnie L Hylander, Hemn Mohammadpour
{"title":"Temperature matters: the potential impact of thermoregulatory mechanisms in brain-body physiology.","authors":"Elizabeth A Repasky, Bonnie L Hylander, Hemn Mohammadpour","doi":"10.1101/gad.352294.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352294.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Thermoregulation, responsible for maintaining a stable core temperature during wide fluctuations in external and internal thermal environments, is an iconic homeostatic process. However, we suggest that despite its fundamental physiological significance, the potential for required cool housing temperatures and thermoregulatory mechanisms to influence the interpretation of experimental data is not sufficiently appreciated. Moreover, although it is generally assumed that the major thermoregulatory pathways are well understood, here we discuss new research that suggests otherwise and reveals the emergence of a new wave of exciting ideas for this \"old\" field of research.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535150/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interoceptive inference and prediction in food-related disorders.","authors":"Madhav Subramanian, Christoph A Thaiss","doi":"10.1101/gad.352301.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352301.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The brain's capacity to predict and anticipate changes in internal and external environments is fundamental to initiating efficient adaptive responses, behaviors, and reflexes that minimize disruptions to physiology. In the context of feeding control, the brain predicts and anticipates responses to the consumption of dietary substances, thus driving adaptive behaviors in the form of food choices, physiological preparation for meals, and engagement of defensive mechanisms. Here, we provide an integrative perspective on the multisensory computation between exteroceptive and interoceptive cues that guides feeding strategy and may result in food-related disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535158/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Deciphering visceral instincts: a scientific quest to unravel food choices from molecules to mind.","authors":"Emily Alway, Naama Reicher, Diego V Bohórquez","doi":"10.1101/gad.352279.124","DOIUrl":"10.1101/gad.352279.124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The study of biological mechanisms, while crucial, cannot fully explain complex phenomena like the instinct to eat. The mind-body connection, as exemplified by the concept of \"voodoo death,\" highlights the profound influence of belief and cultural context on physiology. Indigenous knowledge systems further emphasize the interconnectedness of humans with their environment. Recent discoveries in gut-brain communication reveal the intricate neural circuits that drive our visceral desires, but a holistic approach that integrates both physiological mechanisms and the subjective experience of life, informed by diverse cultural perspectives, will be essential to truly understand what it means to be alive.</p>","PeriodicalId":12591,"journal":{"name":"Genes & development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11535160/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}