The growth factor TGFβ and the mechanosensitive calcium-permeable cation channel TRPV4 are both important for the development and maintenance of many tissues. Although TRPV4 and TGFβ both affect core cellular functions, how their signals are integrated is unknown. Here we show that pharmacological activation of TRPV4 significantly increased the canonical response to TGFβ stimulation in chondrocytes. Critically, this increase was only observed when TRPV4 was activated after, but not before TGFβ stimulation. The increase was prevented by pharmacological TRPV4 inhibition or knockdown and is calcium/CamKII dependent. RNA-seq analysis after TRPV4 activation showed enrichment for the TGFβ signalling pathway and identified JUN and SP1 as key transcription factors involved in this response. TRPV4 modulation of TGFβ signalling represents an important pathway linking mechanical signalling to tissue development and homeostasis.

Polyadenylation (polyA) defines the 3′ boundary of a transcript’s genetic information. Its position can vary and alternative polyadenylation (APA) transcripts can exist for a gene. This causes variance in 3′ regulatory domains and can affect coding sequence if intronic events occur. The distribution of polyA sites on articular chondrocyte transcripts has not been studied so we aimed to define their transcriptome-wide location in age-matched healthy and osteoarthritic knee articular cartilage. Total RNA was isolated from frozen tissue samples and analysed using the QuantSeq-Reverse 3′ RNA sequencing approach, where each read runs 3′ to 5′ from within the polyA tail into the transcript and contains a distinct polyA site. Differential expression of transcripts was significant altered between healthy and osteoarthritic samples with enrichment for functionalities that were strongly associated with joint pathology. Subsequent examination of polyA site data allowed us to define the extent of site usage across all the samples. When comparing healthy and osteoarthritic samples, we found that differential use of polyadenylation sites was modest. However, in the genes affected, there was potential for the APA to have functional relevance. We have characterised the polyadenylation landscape of human knee articular chondrocytes and conclude that osteoarthritis does not elicit a widespread change in their polyadenylation site usage. This finding differentiates knee osteoarthritis from pathologies such as cancer where APA is more commonly observed.

Over the past decade, omics technologies such as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have been used in the scientific understanding of diseases. While omics technologies have provided a useful tool for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases globally, there is a dearth of literature on the use of these technologies in Africa, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer. This systematic scoping review aims to present the status of the omics research capacity on oral cancer in Africa. The guidelines by the Joanna Brigg’s Institute for conducting systematic scoping reviews will be adopted for this review’s methodology and it will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. The literature that will be reviewed will be scooped out from PubMed, SCOPUS, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source, AMED, CINAHL, and PsycInfo databases. In conclusion, the findings that will be obtained from this review will aid the in-depth understanding of the status of oral cancer omics research in Africa, as this knowledge is paramount for the enhancement of strategies required for capacity development and the prioritization of resources in the fight against oral cancer in Africa.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1B ( HNF1B ) encodes a transcription factor expressed in developing human kidney epithelia. Heterozygous HNF1B mutations are the commonest monogenic cause of dysplastic kidney malformations (DKMs). To understand their pathobiology, we generated heterozygous HNF1B mutant kidney organoids from CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited human ESCs and iPSCs reprogrammed from a family with HNF1B -asscociated DKMs. Mutant organoids contained enlarged malformed tubules and displayed deregulated cell turnover. Numerous genes implicated in Mendelian kidney tubulopathies were downregulated, and mutant tubules resisted the cAMP-mediated dilatation seen in controls. Bioinformatic analyses indicated abnormal WNT, calcium, and glutamatergic pathways, the latter hitherto unstudied in developing kidneys. Glutamate ionotropic receptor kainate type subunit 3 was upregulated in mutant organoids and was detected in their tubules and in fetal human DKM dysplastic epithelia. These results reveal morphological, molecular, and physiological roles for HNF1B in human kidney tubule morphogenesis and functional differentiation. They additionally suggest druggable targets to ameliorate disease.

An important transcript structural element is its 3’ polyadenylated (polyA) tail, which defines the 3’ boundary of the transcript’s genetic information and is necessary for transcript stability. The position of the polyA tail can vary, with multiple alternatively polyadenylated (APA) transcripts existing for a single gene. This can lead to different length transcripts which can vary in their 3’ regulatory domains and even by inclusion or exclusion of protein-coding introns. The distribution of polyA tail location on articular chondrocyte transcripts has not been examined before and this study aimed to be the first to define polyadenylation events in human chondrocytes using age-matched healthy and osteoarthritic knee articular cartilage samples. Total RNA was isolated from frozen tissue samples and analysed using the QuantSeqReverse 3’ RNA Sequencing approach, where each read runs 3’ to 5’ from within the polyA tail into the transcript and will contains a distinct polyA site. Initial analysis of differential expression of overall transcript abundance identified by the reads showed significant disruption to transcript levels when healthy samples were compared to osteoarthritic ones. As we expected, differentially regulated genes were enriched with functionalities that were strongly associated with joint pathology. As part of this analysis, we also identified a substantial number of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs that had not been linked to osteoarthritis before. Subsequent examination of polyA site data allowed us to deifne the extent of site usage across all the samples. This included identification of chondrocyte genes that exhibited the greatest amount polyA site variation. When comparing healthy and osteoarthritic samples, we found that differential use of polyadenylation sites was modest. However, of the small number of genes affected, there was clear potential for the change in polyadenylation site usage elicited by pathology to have functional relevance. We examined two genes, OSMR and KMT2A, in more detail, defining how APA affects transcript turnover and then, in the case of OSMR, identifying that APA is sensitive to inflammatory cytokine stimulation. Overall, we have characterised the polyadenylation landscape of human knee articular chondrocytes but can conclude that osteoarthritis does not elicit a widespread change in their polyadenylation site usage. This finding differentiates knee osteoarthritis from pathologies such as cancer where APA is more commonly observed.