2024
Gene trajectory inference for single-cell data by optimal transport metrics
Qu R, Cheng X, Sefik E, Stanley III J, Landa B, Strino F, Platt S, Garritano J, Odell I, Coifman R, Flavell R, Myung P, Kluger Y. Gene trajectory inference for single-cell data by optimal transport metrics. Nature Biotechnology 2024, 43: 258-268. PMID: 38580861, PMCID: PMC11452571, DOI: 10.1038/s41587-024-02186-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGene dynamicsGene programTrajectory inferenceBiological processesCell-cell graphDynamics of genesCell trajectory inferenceSingle-cell RNA sequencingSingle-cell dataCell state transitionsMyeloid lineage maturationDynamics of biological processesGene distributionRNA sequencingPseudotemporal orderingGene processingTrajectories of cellsGenesActivity of biological processesTechnical noiseGroups of cellsLineage maturationCellsConstruct cellsSequenceMISTRG6kitW41: Enhanced Engraftment in a Cytokine Humanized Patient-Derived Xenotransplantation Mouse Model
Baassiri A, Maziarz J, Blackburn H, Maul-Newby H, VanOudenhove J, Zhang X, Matthews M, Paul S, Liu W, Sefik E, Salomonis N, Grimes H, Flavell R, Halene S. MISTRG6kitW41: Enhanced Engraftment in a Cytokine Humanized Patient-Derived Xenotransplantation Mouse Model. Blood 2024, 144: 1815-1815. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2024-211908.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPeripheral blood-mobilized stem cellsAcute myeloid leukemiaProgression to secondary acute myeloid leukemiaHematopoietic stem cellsWeeks post-engraftmentSecondary acute myeloid leukemiaStudies of myelodysplastic syndromesMyelodysplastic syndromeCD34+ cellsEngraftment levelsPeripheral bloodBone marrowK micePost-engraftmentMouse modelNSG miceMDS samplesEngraftment of human hematopoietic stem cellsEnhanced engraftmentProgression to acute myeloid leukemiaHealthy donor peripheral bloodHuman CD45+ cellsHuman hematopoietic stem cellsAnalysis of CD34+ cellsPercentage of lymphoid cellsSensing DNA as danger: The discovery of cGAS
Flavell R, Sefik E. Sensing DNA as danger: The discovery of cGAS. Immunity 2024, 57: 2251-2254. PMID: 39303723, DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.09.009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThe human CD47 checkpoint is targeted by an immunosuppressive Aedes aegypti salivary factor to enhance arboviral skin infectivity
Marin-Lopez A, Huck J, Esterly A, Azcutia V, Rosen C, Garcia-Milian R, Sefik E, Vidal-Pedrola G, Raduwan H, Chen T, Arora G, Halene S, Shaw A, Palm N, Flavell R, Parkos C, Thangamani S, Ring A, Fikrig E. The human CD47 checkpoint is targeted by an immunosuppressive Aedes aegypti salivary factor to enhance arboviral skin infectivity. Science Immunology 2024, 9: eadk9872-eadk9872. PMID: 39121194, PMCID: PMC11924945, DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adk9872.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSuppress antiviral responsesArthropod proteinsPathogen replicationAntiviral responseProtein AVertebrate hostsMosquito salivary proteinsUp-regulatedBlood feedingHuman macrophagesPleomorphic effectsSkin infectionsZika virus disseminationInhibit proinflammatory responsesSalivary proteinsProteinNatural ligandWhite blood cellsHuman skin explantsProinflammatory responseMosquito salivaVirus disseminationHuman CD47Salivary factorsArbovirus infection
2023
Humanized mouse liver reveals endothelial control of essential hepatic metabolic functions
Kaffe E, Roulis M, Zhao J, Qu R, Sefik E, Mirza H, Zhou J, Zheng Y, Charkoftaki G, Vasiliou V, Vatner D, Mehal W, AlcHepNet, Kluger Y, Flavell R. Humanized mouse liver reveals endothelial control of essential hepatic metabolic functions. Cell 2023, 186: 3793-3809.e26. PMID: 37562401, PMCID: PMC10544749, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.017.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMetabolic functionsSpecies-specific interactionsKey metabolic functionsCell-autonomous mechanismsNon-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseMajor metabolic hubNon-parenchymal cellsMetabolic hubHuman hepatocytesMicroenvironmental regulationHuman diseasesHuman-specific aspectsHuman pathologiesHomeostatic processesSpecies mismatchCholesterol uptakeFatty liver diseaseParacrine mannerHuman immuneBile acid conjugationSinusoidal endothelial cellsHepatic metabolic functionMouse liverEndothelial cellsCells1025 Tumor-specific CD8+ T cells epigenetically licensed by IL-7R are critical for anti-tumor immunity in melanoma
Micevic G, Daniels A, Flem-Karlsen K, Park K, Talty R, McGeary M, Mirza H, Blackburn H, Sefik E, Cheung J, Hornick N, Aizenbud L, Joshi N, Kluger H, Iwasaki A, Bosenberg M, Flavell R. 1025 Tumor-specific CD8+ T cells epigenetically licensed by IL-7R are critical for anti-tumor immunity in melanoma. 2023, a1133-a1133. DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-sitc2023.1025.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIL-6 trans-signaling in a humanized mouse model of scleroderma
Odell I, Agrawal K, Sefik E, Odell A, Caves E, Kirkiles-Smith N, Horsley V, Hinchcliff M, Pober J, Kluger Y, Flavell R. IL-6 trans-signaling in a humanized mouse model of scleroderma. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2023, 120: e2306965120. PMID: 37669366, PMCID: PMC10500188, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306965120.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBone marrow-derived immune cellsIL-6Human hematopoietic stem cellsImmune cellsT cellsScleroderma skinSoluble IL-6 receptorCD8 T cellsHumanized mouse modelPathogenesis of sclerodermaMesenchymal cellsFibroblast-derived IL-6IL-6 receptorIL-6 signalingT cell activationHuman IL-6Human T cellsExpression of collagenFibrosis improvementPansclerotic morpheaHuman endothelial cellsHumanized miceReduced markersSkin graftsHuman CD4Autologous humanized PDX modeling for immuno-oncology recapitulates features of the human tumor microenvironment
Chiorazzi M, Martinek J, Krasnick B, Zheng Y, Robbins K, Qu R, Kaufmann G, Skidmore Z, Juric M, Henze L, Brösecke F, Adonyi A, Zhao J, Shan L, Sefik E, Mudd J, Bi Y, Goedegebuure S, Griffith M, Griffith O, Oyedeji A, Fertuzinhos S, Garcia-Milian R, Boffa D, Detterbeck F, Dhanasopon A, Blasberg J, Judson B, Gettinger S, Politi K, Kluger Y, Palucka K, Fields R, Flavell R. Autologous humanized PDX modeling for immuno-oncology recapitulates features of the human tumor microenvironment. Journal For ImmunoTherapy Of Cancer 2023, 11: e006921. PMID: 37487666, PMCID: PMC10373695, DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-006921.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHuman tumor microenvironmentTumor microenvironmentTumor-immune interactionsSolid tumorsAdaptive immune activationAdaptive immune populationsIndividual tumor microenvironmentsPatient's hematopoietic systemPatient-derived xenograft tissuesVascular endothelial growth factorBone marrow hematopoietic stemBone marrow aspiratePreclinical drug testingEndothelial growth factorHematopoietic systemAutologous tumorPDX modelingPDX miceImmune activationImmune populationsMarrow aspiratesAutologous systemIndividual patientsLittermate controlsPreclinical predictionsIL-7R licenses a population of epigenetically poised memory CD8+ T cells with superior antitumor efficacy that are critical for melanoma memory
Micevic G, Daniels A, Flem-Karlsen K, Park K, Talty R, McGeary M, Mirza H, Blackburn H, Sefik E, Cheung J, Hornick N, Aizenbud L, Joshi N, Kluger H, Iwasaki A, Bosenberg M, Flavell R. IL-7R licenses a population of epigenetically poised memory CD8+ T cells with superior antitumor efficacy that are critical for melanoma memory. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2023, 120: e2304319120. PMID: 37459511, PMCID: PMC10372654, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304319120.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIL-7R expressionT cellsIL-7RAntitumor memorySuperior antitumor efficacyCell-based therapiesTumor-specific T cellsAntigen-specific T cellsAntitumor efficacyPowerful antitumor immune responseMarkers of exhaustionTumor-specific CD8Antitumor immune responseIndependent prognostic factorAntitumor immune memoryMemory T cellsMajor risk factorSuperior antitumor activityFunctional CD8Memory CD8Prognostic factorsSurgical resectionAdvanced melanomaLymph nodesNaive miceA Treg-specific long noncoding RNA maintains immune-metabolic homeostasis in aging liver
Ding C, Yu Z, Sefik E, Zhou J, Kaffe E, Wang G, Li B, Flavell R, Hu W, Ye Y, Li H. A Treg-specific long noncoding RNA maintains immune-metabolic homeostasis in aging liver. Nature Aging 2023, 3: 813-828. PMID: 37277640, DOI: 10.1038/s43587-023-00428-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAged miceLiver diseaseLiver microenvironmentAge-related liver diseasesYin Yang 1Liver immune microenvironmentRegulatory T cellsTreg-specific deletionPotential therapeutic targetMitochondrial functionYang 1Treg apoptosisTreg homeostasisTreg cellsTreg functionImmune microenvironmentLiver fibrosisMetabolic dysfunctionOptimal mitochondrial functionYoung miceT cellsLiver cancerTherapeutic targetAged liverLong noncoding RNA
2025
Engineering Mice to Study Human Immunity.
Sefik E, Xiao T, Chiorazzi M, Odell I, Zhang F, Agrawal K, Micevic G, Flavell R. Engineering Mice to Study Human Immunity. Annual Review Of Immunology 2025 PMID: 40020225, DOI: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-082523-124415.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHumanized miceHuman hematopoiesisImmune responseImmune systemHumanized mouse modelHuman hematopoietic stemImmunocompromised murine hostsResident immune cellsHuman immune responseStudy human immunityHuman immune systemIntegration of multi-omicsHematopoietic stemImmune cell growthImmune cellsEngineered miceProgenitor cellsMouse modelImmunological diseasesMurine hostCancer treatmentPreclinical drugsHuman immunityMiceModel disease
2022
Human neutrophil development and functionality are enabled in a humanized mouse model
Zheng Y, Sefik E, Astle J, Karatepe K, Öz HH, Solis AG, Jackson R, Luo HR, Bruscia EM, Halene S, Shan L, Flavell RA. Human neutrophil development and functionality are enabled in a humanized mouse model. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2022, 119: e2121077119. PMID: 36269862, PMCID: PMC9618085, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121077119.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHumanized mouse modelMouse modelHuman immune systemHuman neutrophilsImmune systemFunctional human immune systemGranulocyte colony-stimulating factorUnique mouse modelColony-stimulating factorHuman G-CSFMISTRG miceG-CSF receptor geneBacterial burdenInfectious challengeG-CSFNeutrophilsMiceNeutrophil developmentReceptor geneDiseaseRNA m6A demethylase ALKBH5 regulates the development of γδ T cells
Ding C, Xu H, Yu Z, Roulis M, Qu R, Zhou J, Oh J, Crawford J, Gao Y, Jackson R, Sefik E, Li S, Wei Z, Skadow M, Yin Z, Ouyang X, Wang L, Zou Q, Su B, Hu W, Flavell RA, Li HB. RNA m6A demethylase ALKBH5 regulates the development of γδ T cells. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2022, 119: e2203318119. PMID: 35939687, PMCID: PMC9388086, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203318119.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDemethylase ALKBH5Messenger RNAΓδ T cellsΓδ T cell biologyCommon posttranscriptional modificationΓδ T cell developmentT cell biologyT cell developmentCell precursorsT cell precursorsMammalian cellsRNA modificationsPosttranscriptional modificationsTissue homeostasisCell biologyT cellsTarget genesCheckpoint roleCell developmentM6A demethylase ALKBH5ALKBH5Γδ T-cell originΓδ T cell repertoireCell populationsEarly development
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