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Qiwen Dong

Publications and source records attributed to Qiwen Dong.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Prdm15 deficiency perturbs hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell homeostasis.

The maintenance of homeostasis in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is essential for the proper development of the entire hematopoietic system. However, the mechanisms underlying this regulatory equilibrium remain elusive. Here, we report that Prdm15 deficiency in HSPCs induces the accumulation of immature hematopoietic stem cells in mice. A series of transplantation assays shows that these cells display impaired reconstitution capacity and competitive fitness, which are associated with abnormal differentiation trajectories and transcriptional alterations identified by single-cell RNA sequencing. Mechanistically, integrated multi-omics analyses including ATAC-seq and CUT&Tag sequencing of HSPCs indicate that Prdm15 deficiency induces significant transcriptional and epigenetic alterations, particularly affecting the methyltransferase KMT2C and altering H3K4me1 and H3K27ac modifications at the promoters of hematopoietic developmental genes. Collectively, our findings establish PRDM15 as a critical epigenetic regulator of HSPCs, offering valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying hematopoietic homeostasis.

Cell differentiation

Unique growth and morphology properties of Clade 5 Clostridioides difficile strains revealed by single-cell time-lapse microscopy.

Clostridioides difficile is a gastrointestinal pathogen of both humans and agricultural animals and thus a major One Health threat. The C. difficile species consists of five main clades, with Clade 5 currently undergoing speciation from Clades 1-4. Since Clade 5 strains are highly prevalent in agricultural animals and a frequent cause of zoonotic infections, these strains may have evolved phenotypes that distinguish them from Clade 1-4 strains. Here, we compare the growth properties of Clade 5 strains to those of Clade 1-4 strains using anaerobic time-lapse microscopy coupled with automated image analysis. Our analyses indicate that Clade 5 strains grow faster and are more likely to form long chains of cells than Clade 1-4 strains. Using comparative genomic and CRISPRi analyses, we show that the chaining phenotype of Clade 5 strains is driven by the orientation of the invertible cmr switch sequence, with chaining strains exhibiting a bias to the cmr-ON state. Interestingly, Clade 5 strains with a bias towards the cmr-ON state shifted to a largely cmr-OFF state during murine infection, suggesting that the cmr-OFF state is under positive selection during infection. Collectively, our data reveal that Clade 5 strains have distinct growth properties, which may allow them to inhabit diverse ecological niches.

Clostridioides difficile

Unique growth and morphology properties of Clade 5 Clostridioides difficile strains revealed by single-cell time-lapse microscopy.

Clostridioides difficile is a gastrointestinal pathogen of both humans and agricultural animals and thus a major One Health threat. The C. difficile species consists of five main clades, with Clade 5 currently undergoing speciation from Clades 1-4. Clade 5 strains are highly prevalent in agricultural animals and can cause zoonotic infections, suggesting that these strains have evolved phenotypes that distinguish them from Clade 1-4 strains. Here, we compare the growth properties of Clade 5 strains to those of Clade 1-4 strains using anaerobic time-lapse microscopy coupled with automated image analysis. Our analyses indicate that Clade 5 strains grow faster and are more likely to form long chains of cells than Clade 1-4 strains. Using comparative genomic and CRISPRi analyses, we show that the chaining phenotype of Clade 5 strains is driven by the orientation of the invertible cmr switch sequence, with chaining strains exhibiting a bias to the cmr-ON state. Interestingly, Clade 5 strains with a bias towards the cmr-ON state shifted to a largely cmr-OFF state during murine infection, suggesting that the cmr-OFF state is under positive selection during infection. Collectively, our data reveal that Clade 5 strains have distinct growth properties, which may allow them to inhabit diverse ecological niches.

Journal Article