Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-06-06DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115796
Isle Bastille, Lucy Lee, Cynthia Moncada-Reid, Wei-Ming Yu, Austen Sitko, Andrea Yung, Mina Zamani, Nele Christophersen, Reza Maroofian, Hamid Galehdari, Norbert Babai, Barbara Vona, Tobias Moser, Lisa Goodrich
{"title":"Combinatorial transcriptional regulation establishes subtype-appropriate synaptic properties in auditory neurons.","authors":"Isle Bastille, Lucy Lee, Cynthia Moncada-Reid, Wei-Ming Yu, Austen Sitko, Andrea Yung, Mina Zamani, Nele Christophersen, Reza Maroofian, Hamid Galehdari, Norbert Babai, Barbara Vona, Tobias Moser, Lisa Goodrich","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115796","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115796","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neurons develop diverse synapses that vary in content, morphology, and size. Although transcriptional regulators of neurotransmitter identity are known, it remains unclear how synaptic features are patterned among neuronal subtypes. In the auditory system, glutamatergic synaptic properties vary across three spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) subtypes that collectively encode sound. Here, we demonstrate that Maf transcription factors combinatorially shape synaptic properties in SGNs. SGN subtypes express different ratios of c-Maf and Mafb, which act redundantly to impart subtype identities and individually to shape subtype-appropriate gene expression programs. On their own, c-Maf and Mafb have independent and opposing effects on synaptic features and hearing. A mutation in the MAFB leucine zipper domain causes deafness in humans, underscoring the importance of regulated Maf activity for hearing. Thus, functional diversity and coordinated action of Maf family members enable flexible and robust control of gene expression needed to generate synaptic heterogeneity across neuronal subtypes.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115796"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246665","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}
Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-06-06DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115802
Shenghua Dong, Junjie Pang, Yushuai Wang, Le Han, Xiaoxiao Zhou, Feng Huang, Subo Zhang, Ning Ma, Huilin Huang, Hengyou Weng
{"title":"RNA m<sup>6</sup>A dynamics promote transcription and RNA stability of bivalent genes during iPSC-induced generation of human lung progenitors.","authors":"Shenghua Dong, Junjie Pang, Yushuai Wang, Le Han, Xiaoxiao Zhou, Feng Huang, Subo Zhang, Ning Ma, Huilin Huang, Hengyou Weng","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115802","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>RNA N<sup>6</sup>-methyladenosine (m<sup>6</sup>A) modifications play a crucial role in the control of RNA synthesis and metabolism during embryonic development. However, the m<sup>6</sup>A landscape and its impact on early embryonic lung development remain elusive. In this study, we uncover the dynamic and stage-specific patterns of the m<sup>6</sup>A methylome that correlate with gene expression changes during the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into lung progenitors (LPs). Mechanistically, RNA binding motif protein 15B (RBM15B) is upregulated and enhances m<sup>6</sup>A modification in differentiated cells. Concurrently, the loss of the m<sup>6</sup>A reader YTH domain-containing protein 1 (YTHDC1) alleviates Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)-mediated transcriptional silencing of bivalent genes such as GATA4, GATA6, and EOMES. Moreover, the upregulation of another m<sup>6</sup>A reader, insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2), further stabilizes these messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts. The switch of m<sup>6</sup>A readers coordinates chromatin remodeling and post-transcriptional regulation to drive lung endoderm specification. This study highlights the delicate m<sup>6</sup>A-centered regulatory mechanisms and the indispensable role of m<sup>6</sup>A modification in the early stages of embryonic lung development.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115802"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246673","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}
Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-06-09DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115805
Hong Xue, Manoj K Mishra, Yong Liu, Pengyuan Liu, Michael Grzybowski, Rajan Pandey, Kristie Usa, Mark A Vanden Avond, Niharika Bala, Abdel A Alli, Allen W Cowley, Qiongzi Qiu, Andrew S Greene, Sridhar Rao, Caitlin C O'Meara, Aron M Geurts, Mingyu Liang
{"title":"Physiological role and mechanisms of action for a long noncoding haplotype region.","authors":"Hong Xue, Manoj K Mishra, Yong Liu, Pengyuan Liu, Michael Grzybowski, Rajan Pandey, Kristie Usa, Mark A Vanden Avond, Niharika Bala, Abdel A Alli, Allen W Cowley, Qiongzi Qiu, Andrew S Greene, Sridhar Rao, Caitlin C O'Meara, Aron M Geurts, Mingyu Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115805","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115805","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Direct targeting of noncoding genomic regions harboring common sequence variants associated with human traits through in vivo animal model studies and precise genome editing in human cells is essential for closing the critical gap between genetic discoveries and physiological understanding. However, such investigation has been impractical for many of these variants as they are in haplotypes containing multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning thousands of base pairs and have small effect sizes. We developed an integrated approach to address this challenge, combining an efficient two-step technique to precisely edit large haplotypes in human induced pluripotent stem cells and orthologous region deletion in phenotypically permissive animal models. As proof of principle, we applied this approach to examine a blood pressure-associated locus with a noncoding haplotype containing 11 SNPs spanning 17.4 kbp. We found a robust blood pressure effect of nearly 10 mmHg and identified the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115805"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144265439","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}
Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-06-14DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115864
Zachary J Haigh, Harry Tran, Taylor Berger, Sina Shirinpour, Ivan Alekseichuk, Seth Koenig, Jan Zimmermann, Robert McGovern, David Darrow, Alexander Herman, Miles Wischnewski, Alexander Opitz
{"title":"Modulation of motor excitability reflects traveling waves of neural oscillations.","authors":"Zachary J Haigh, Harry Tran, Taylor Berger, Sina Shirinpour, Ivan Alekseichuk, Seth Koenig, Jan Zimmermann, Robert McGovern, David Darrow, Alexander Herman, Miles Wischnewski, Alexander Opitz","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115864","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115864","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neural traveling waves represent an important endogenous phenomenon with structural and functional relevance in the human brain. These waves, commonly recorded via electroencephalogram (EEG) or electrocorticography (ECoG), are implicated in a range of brain processes. However, it remains unclear how they influence neural excitability across brain regions. Advancements in real-time control of brain stimulation present opportunities to compare traveling waves and excitation. Here, we investigate how sensorimotor mu (8-13 Hz) and beta (14-30 Hz) traveling waves affect motor cortex excitability using real-time EEG-controlled transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We observed gradients in the mediolateral direction and then validated these findings using ECoG recordings in a human participant and a nonhuman primate. Our results demonstrate that neuronal excitability reflects the natural patterns of sensorimotor traveling waves. This provides important evidence of traveling waves modulating neural excitability in humans. This opens possibilities for more effective stimulation protocols aligned with intrinsic brain dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115864"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144301196","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}
Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-06-14DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115850
Thomas Pomberger, Katherine S Kaplan, Rene Carter, Autumn Wetsel, Thomas C Harmon, Richard Mooney
{"title":"The mouse posterior insular cortex encodes expressive and receptive aspects of courtship vocalizations.","authors":"Thomas Pomberger, Katherine S Kaplan, Rene Carter, Autumn Wetsel, Thomas C Harmon, Richard Mooney","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115850","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115850","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Socially effective vocal communication requires brain regions that encode expressive and receptive aspects of vocal communication in a social context-dependent manner. Here, we combined a novel behavioral assay with microendoscopic calcium imaging to interrogate neuronal activity (regions of interest [ROIs]) in the posterior insula (pIns) in socially interacting mice as they switched rapidly between states of vocal expression and reception. We found that largely distinct subsets of pIns ROIs were active during vocal expression and reception. Notably, pIns activity during vocal expression increased prior to vocal onset and was also detected in congenitally deaf mice, pointing to a motor signal. Furthermore, receptive pIns activity was modulated strongly by social context. Lastly, tracing experiments reveal that deep-layer neurons in the pIns directly bridge the auditory thalamus to a midbrain vocal gating region. Therefore, the pIns is a site that encodes vocal expression and reception in a manner that depends on social context.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115850"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144301199","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}
{"title":"Glycerophospholipid metabolism licenses IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation.","authors":"Yaoyao Xia, Peng Bin, Youyou Zhou, Muyang Zhao, Jianglin Zhang, Weiming Zhong, Na Wang, Bingfeng Wang, Wenkai Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115742","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies and mast cells have been extensively recognized to dictate the pathophysiology of anaphylaxis and allergic reactions; nevertheless, the pivotal cues driving IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation remain enigmatic. Here, we demonstrate that FcεRI aggregation-initiated p38α signaling stimulates Ets-1 transcription by recruitment of the SWI-SNF chromatin-remodeling complex, contributing to Pcyt1a expression and glycerophospholipid metabolism in IgE-stimulated mast cells. Most importantly, Pcyt1a-mediated glycerophospholipid metabolism facilitates mast cell degranulation through the limited macropinocytosis of FcεRI via altering H3K9me3 deposition at the promoter of Prkcd. Moreover, the metabolic cue functions as an instigator of allergic diseases (e.g., atopic dermatitis [AD]) according to preclinical findings of murine models, in silico analysis of human disease studies, and examination of clinical samples. In summary, our study establishes that lipid metabolism and signaling orchestrate mast cell activation and provides promising therapeutic targets for clinically tackling allergic diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115742"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144118951","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}
Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-05-24DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115741
Kimberly Paulsen, Rosenna Chan, Lauren Gay, Zhe Ma
{"title":"KSHV miRNAs target STING to evade innate immunity and facilitate KSHV lytic reactivation from latency.","authors":"Kimberly Paulsen, Rosenna Chan, Lauren Gay, Zhe Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115741","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115741","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) employs various strategies to evade host immune surveillance and maintain lifelong latency. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)/stimulator of interferon genes (STING) DNA sensing pathway is a key innate immunity pathway that detects viral DNA and restricts KSHV lytic replication upon reactivation from latency. Here, we identify three KSHV microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-K12-6-3p, miR-K12-7-3p, and miR-K12-11-3p, that directly bind to STING1 mRNA to repress its translation and inhibit downstream immune signaling. Exogenous delivery of these KSHV miRNAs led to decreased STING expression and attenuated cGAS/STING signaling in response to STING agonist stimulation. Conversely, genetic deletion of these KSHV miRNAs rescued STING and interferon-stimulated gene expression in latent KSHV cell lines, delaying KSHV lytic reactivation and reducing KSHV lytic gene expression. These findings shed light on the immune evasion strategy of KSHV miRNA-mediated STING repression, representing the discovery of viral miRNAs that target STING.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115741"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144141466","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}
Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-05-22DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115732
Soazig Le Lay, Philipp E Scherer
{"title":"Exploring adipose tissue-derived extracellular vesicles in inter-organ crosstalk: Implications for metabolic regulation and adipose tissue function.","authors":"Soazig Le Lay, Philipp E Scherer","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115732","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115732","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intercellular and inter-organ communication systems are vital for tissue homeostasis and disease development, utilizing soluble bioactive molecules for signaling. The field of extracellular vesicle (EV) biology has rapidly expanded in recent decades, highlighting EVs as effective bioactive nanovectors for cell-to-cell communication in various physiological and pathological contexts. Numerous studies indicate that adipocyte-derived EVs are crucial components of the adipose secretome, playing a key role in autocrine and paracrine interactions within adipose tissue, as well as in endocrine signaling. This review aims to present an updated perspective on EVs as mediators of communication between adipose tissue and other organs, while also examining their therapeutic potential in the light of recent advancements in EV biology research.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115732"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144132254","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}
Cell reportsPub Date : 2025-06-24Epub Date: 2025-05-31DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115760
Robert J Ragotte, M Alejandra Tortorici, Nicholas J Catanzaro, Amin Addetia, Brian Coventry, Heather M Froggatt, Jimin Lee, Cameron Stewart, Jack T Brown, Inna Goreshnik, Jeremiah N Sims, Lukas F Milles, Basile I M Wicky, Matthias Glögl, Stacey Gerben, Alex Kang, Asim K Bera, William Sharkey, Alexandra Schäfer, Jack R Harkema, Ralph S Baric, David Baker, David Veesler
{"title":"Designed miniproteins potently inhibit and protect against MERS-CoV.","authors":"Robert J Ragotte, M Alejandra Tortorici, Nicholas J Catanzaro, Amin Addetia, Brian Coventry, Heather M Froggatt, Jimin Lee, Cameron Stewart, Jack T Brown, Inna Goreshnik, Jeremiah N Sims, Lukas F Milles, Basile I M Wicky, Matthias Glögl, Stacey Gerben, Alex Kang, Asim K Bera, William Sharkey, Alexandra Schäfer, Jack R Harkema, Ralph S Baric, David Baker, David Veesler","doi":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115760","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115760","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic pathogen with a 36% case-fatality rate in humans. No vaccines or specific therapeutics are currently approved for use in humans or the camel host reservoir. Here, we computationally designed monomeric and homo-oligomeric miniproteins that bind with high affinity to the MERS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein, the main target of neutralizing antibodies and vaccine development. We show that these miniproteins broadly neutralize a panel of MERS-CoV S variants, spanning the known antigenic diversity of this pathogen, by targeting a conserved site in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). The miniproteins directly compete with binding of the dipeptidylpeptidase 4 (DPP4) receptor to MERS-CoV S, thereby blocking viral attachment to the host entry receptor and subsequent membrane fusion. Intranasal administration of a lead miniprotein provides prophylactic protection against stringent MERS-CoV challenge in mice, motivating its future clinical development as a next-generation countermeasure against this virus with pandemic potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":9798,"journal":{"name":"Cell reports","volume":"44 6","pages":"115760"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144198343","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}