Biomedical subjects

Atsushi Kumanogoh

Publications and source records attributed to Atsushi Kumanogoh.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Multiancestry genome-wide association and multiomics analyses elucidate spatiocellular features of multiple sclerosis genetics.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination disseminated in space and time. Here we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 688 MS cases and 205,199 controls from the Japanese population and identified significant associations in the major histocompatibility complex region and a population-specific risk variant in 11q24. Through cross-population GWAS meta-analyses using a total of 29,374 cases and 1,843,563 controls from 4 ancestral populations, we identified 22 novel susceptibility loci. Integration of GWAS and single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and subcortical lesions from patients with MS revealed enrichment of genetic risk factors for MS in CD4+ T helper cell lineage and regulatory T cells, as well as in endothelial cells. Furthermore, spatial transcriptomics of subcortical lesions demonstrated spatial and temporal heterogeneity in associations with MS genetic risk. Our study demonstrates the value of investigation of spatiocellular features of disease genetics across diverse populations and omics modalities.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Comparison of culture and culture-free methods for comprehensive identification of mycobacteria: a single-center prospective study.

The genus Mycobacterium, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and over 200 nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), shows wide variability in clinical outcomes and drug susceptibility. Although culture-based identification remains the gold standard, slow mycobacterial growth delays diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we evaluated a novel culture-free method for subspecies-level identification directly from sputum. In this single-center prospective cohort study at Osaka Toneyama Medical Center, we analyzed 125 sputum samples from 115 patients with NTM pulmonary disease and 10 with non-NTM respiratory conditions. Samples were decontaminated using N-acetyl-L-cysteine-sodium hydroxide (NALC-NaOH) or succinic acid. We compared the reference culture method (mycobacterial culture plus whole-genome sequencing) and a culture-free direct target capture sequencing method. Core genome multi-locus sequence typing identified subspecies in both workflows, covering 186 mycobacterial species, including M. tuberculosis. The 115 NTM cohort specimens yielded 57 smear-positive and 93 culture-positive results. The identified subspecies included 48 Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis, 22 Mycobacterium intracellulare subsp. intracellulare, 5 subsp. chimaera, 7 Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus, 5 subsp. massiliense, 1 M. tuberculosis, and 5 other NTM species. The culture-free method showed a high identification rate for smear-positive specimens (75.4%) but a low identification rate for smear-negative specimens (13.9%). NALC-NaOH pretreatment resulted in higher accuracy (90.5%) than did succinic acid pretreatment (66.7%). Thus, our culture-free subspecies-level identification method achieved high accuracy, especially in alkaline-treated smear-positive sputum samples, achieving rates above 90%. This method is recommended in clinical practice for patients who require rapid diagnosis and timely initiation of appropriate treatment, bypassing time-consuming culture steps.IMPORTANCEAccurate identification of Mycobacterium species and subspecies is crucial for effective treatment, as drug susceptibility and clinical outcomes vary significantly among them. However, conventional diagnosis relies on culture-based methods that can take several weeks, critically delaying appropriate therapy. This study validates a novel culture-free method using target capture sequencing for the comprehensive, subspecies-level identification of over 186 mycobacterial species directly from sputum specimens. Our findings revealed the high accuracy of this approach for smear-positive specimens, especially with alkaline pretreatment. This rapid method is applicable in clinical settings and enables timely and precise treatment decisions, greatly benefiting patients who require urgent intervention.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Molecular epidemiological surveillance for non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: a single-center prospective cohort study.

UNLABELLED: Bacterial species cultured from sputum change during treatment or observation for non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease; however, strain-level changes remain unrecognized. Variable number tandem repeat typing is a standard technique for strain identification; nonetheless, its labor-intensive and time-consuming nature limits routine clinical use. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate species-subspecies and strain dynamics in non-tuberculous mycobacteria and develop a simple sequence-based strain-level determination method. We performed a single-center prospective cohort study of 112 patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on two sputum samples collected at enrollment and at the end of follow-up, followed by variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) typing. We also developed a simple long-read sequencing-based digital VNTR (dVNTR) typing method and evaluated its efficacy. Our results demonstrate that core genome multi-locus sequencing typing revealed species/subspecies changes in 13 patients (11.6%); VNTR typing detected strain changes in 16 patients (14.3%) without species/subspecies changes. Overall, pathogen shifts occurred in 29 patients (shift [+] group, 25.9%), whereas 83 had no detectable pathogen shift (shift [-] group, 74.1%). Interestingly, macrolide and amikacin susceptibility changed in both groups, but resistance remained higher in shift (-) patients. dVNTR results aligned with those of conventional VNTR typing. In conclusion, since susceptibility factors remain unclear, routine species/subspecies identification and molecular typing, such as VNTR, are optimal for patient care. Core genome multi-locus sequencing typing with a dVNTR identified pathogen shifts, innovating non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease management.Clinical TrialsThis study is registered with UMIN as UMIN 000056067. IMPORTANCE: Pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease is a chronic infection in which the causative pathogens may change at the species, subspecies, or strain level over time. Accurate tracking of these changes is essential for optimizing treatment; however, conventional clinical practice lacks efficient methods for monitoring such dynamics. Our study revealed pathogen changes in approximately one-quarter of patients over 1.5 years, prompting the development of a novel surveillance system that integrates next-generation sequencing for both species-subspecies identification and strain-level molecular epidemiology. This innovation enables real-time monitoring of pathogen dynamics, allowing clinicians to promptly adjust treatment strategies and improve patient care through more informed decision-making.

Humans↗

PubMed2024

Quantification of escape from X chromosome inactivation with single-cell omics data reveals heterogeneity across cell types and tissues.

Several X-linked genes escape from X chromosome inactivation (XCI), while differences in escape across cell types and tissues are still poorly characterized. Here, we developed scLinaX for directly quantifying relative gene expression from the inactivated X chromosome with droplet-based single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. The scLinaX and differentially expressed gene analyses with large-scale blood scRNA-seq datasets consistently identified the stronger escape in lymphocytes than in myeloid cells. An extension of scLinaX to a 10x multiome dataset (scLinaX-multi) suggested a stronger escape in lymphocytes than in myeloid cells at the chromatin-accessibility level. The scLinaX analysis of human multiple-organ scRNA-seq datasets also identified the relatively strong degree of escape from XCI in lymphoid tissues and lymphocytes. Finally, effect size comparisons of genome-wide association studies between sexes suggested the underlying impact of escape on the genotype-phenotype association. Overall, scLinaX and the quantified escape catalog identified the heterogeneity of escape across cell types and tissues.

X Chromosome Inactivation↗