Volume 23 Issue 9, September 2017

A new study highlights dynamic changes in the enteric virome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in humans, pointing to a correlation between these changes and graft-versus-host disease.

Cancer-associated mutations in speckle-type POZ (pox virus and zinc-finger) protein confer neomorphic activity, altering its substrate affinities and its response to bromodomain and extraterminal inhibitors in prostate and endometrial cancer.

A recent study reveals sexually dimorphic disease-associated gene-expression modules and hub genes in postmortem brains from female and male individuals with depression. These modules are conserved in mouse models of depression.

In this Review, Salter and Stevens discuss the role of microglia in CNS disorders such as autism, neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic pain.

Anthony Letai proposes wider adoption of functional assays in efforts to match the right drug to the right patient and discusses why these assays might be complementary to existing genomics-based approaches.

D-mannose promotes T_reg cell differentiation and is therapeutic in mouse models of autoimmune diabetes and airway inflammation.

Different mutations found in endometrial and prostate tumors affecting the substrate-recognition domain of SPOP, a component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, result in opposing degradation activity of BET proteins and response to BET inhibitors. This work, along with findings by Zhang et al. and Dai et al., highlights the divergent effects of recurrent mutations affecting different residues within the same functional domain of SPOP and provides scientific rationale to guide the administration of BET inhibitors in endometrial and prostate cancer patients harboring SPOP mutations.

Mutations in SPOP, the gene encoding a component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, impair ubiquitination-dependent degradation of BRD2, BRD3 and BRD4 proteins and result in activation of ATK–mTORC1 signaling and resistance to BET inhibitors. Pharmacological blockade of AKT represents a viable strategy to restore the sensitivity of SPOP-mutant prostate tumors to BET inhibitors. These results, together with findings by Dai et al. and Janouskova et al., uncover a new nongenetic mechanism of resistance to BET inhibition involving cancer-type-specific mutations in SPOP, and support the evaluation of SPOP mutation status to inform the administration of BET inhibitors in the clinic.

Recurrent mutations in SPOP-encoding a Cullin 3-based E3 ubiquitin ligase- in prostate cancer disrupt the recognition and degradation of ubiquitination substrates, including BET proteins. Consequently, stability of BET proteins is enhanced and this increases the resistance to BET inhibitors in SPOP-mutant prostate tumors. These results, together with those in Janouskova et al. and Zhang et al., uncover a novel non genetic mechanism of resistance to BET inhibition involving cancer type-specific mutations in SPOP, and support the evaluation of SPOP mutations to inform the administration of BET inhibitors in the clinic.

Genetic or pharmacological depletion of senescent cells or inhibition of their function reduces bone loss in aged mice.

Charles Chiu and colleagues analyze the gut viromes of recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and identify characteristics associated with the severity of graft-versus-host disease in the gut.

On the basis of new mechanistic studies of a mutant form of the apolipoprotein apoC-III that protects against coronary heart disease, Khetarpal et al. have developed therapeutic apoC-III-targeting monoclonal antibodies that lower circulating apoC-III protein and triglyceride levels in mice.

Analysis of the ExAC and 1000 Genomes data sets estimates the impact of inter-individual variation on the efficacy and safety of therapies based on CRISPR endonucleases.

Brain-region-specific RNA-seq from humans with major depressive disorder reveals unique transcriptomic profiles in males and females, with little overlap.