Cheng Lian

Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by profound metabolic reprogramming and substantial inherited susceptibility. The molecular mechanisms linking germline risk variation to tumor metabolic reprogramming could potentially be exploited for precision interventions. In this study, we aimed to delineate the germline regulatory architecture underlying ccRCC susceptibility and to determine how inherited noncoding variation influences mitochondrial metabolism and tumor progression. Whole-genome sequencing and transcriptomic profiling of matched ccRCC tumor and adjacent normal kidney tissues were integrated with cross-ancestry genome-wide association, cis-expression quantitative trait locus, transcriptome-wide association, and fine-mapping analyses. LINC02068 was identified as a genetically regulated tumor suppressor associated with inherited ccRCC susceptibility, and cross-ancestry fine-mapping prioritized rs234043 as a candidate causal variant. The rs234043 risk allele preferentially recruited HOXC8 and repressed LINC02068 transcription. Reduced LINC02068 expression promoted malignant cellular phenotypes and was associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Mechanistically, LINC02068 localized to mitochondria, interacted with the cochaperone DNAJA3, and promoted DNAJA3 destabilization, thereby attenuating mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Allele-specific editing and genetic rescue experiments further supported a functional rs234043–HOXC8–LINC02068–DNAJA3 regulatory axis driving ccRCC progression. Pharmacologic impairment of mitochondrial complex I suppressed ccRCC cell migration and proliferation. These findings establish a mechanistic link between a germline noncoding variation and mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming in ccRCC and identify targeting oxidative phosphorylation as a potential avenue for precision therapy. Significance: A clear-cell renal cell carcinoma risk variant acts as an allele-specific regulatory element that preferentially recruits HOXC8 to repress LINC02068 and promote oxidative phosphorylation, revealing how inherited variation shapes tumor metabolism.

SUMMARY: The COVID-19 pandemic is a widespread and deadly public health crisis. The pathogen SARS-CoV-2 replicates in the lower respiratory tract and causes fatal pneumonia. Although tremendous efforts have been put into investigating the pathogeny of SARS-CoV-2, the underlying mechanism of how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with its host is largely unexplored. Here, by comparing the genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 and human, we identified five fully conserved elements in SARS-CoV-2 genome, which were termed as “human identical sequences (HIS)”. HIS are also recognized in both SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV genome. Meanwhile, HIS-SARS-CoV-2 are highly conserved in the primate. Mechanically, HIS-SARS-CoV-2, behaving as virus-derived miRNAs, directly target to the human genomic loci and further interact with host enhancers to activate the expression of adjacent and distant genes, including cytokines gene and angiotensin converting enzyme II ( ACE2 ), a well-known cell entry receptor of SARS-CoV-2, and hyaluronan synthase 2 ( HAS2 ), which further increases hyaluronan formation. Noteworthily, hyaluronan level in plasma of COVID-19 patients is tightly correlated with severity and high risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and may act as a predictor for the progression of COVID-19. HIS antagomirs, which downregulate hyaluronan level effectively, and 4-Methylumbelliferone (MU), an inhibitor of hyaluronan synthesis, are potential drugs to relieve the ARDS related ground-glass pattern in lung for COVID-19 treatment. Our results revealed that unprecedented HIS elements of SARS-CoV-2 contribute to the cytokine storm and ARDS in COVID-19 patients. Thus, blocking HIS-involved activating processes or hyaluronan synthesis directly by 4-MU may be effective strategies to alleviate COVID-19 progression.