Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33758175›Full record

ArticleNature communications2021

Epigenetically regulated digital signaling defines epithelial innate immunity at the tissue level.

Helen R Clark, Connor McKenney, Nathan M Livingston, Ariel Gershman, Seema Sajjan, Isaac S Chan, Andrew J Ewald, Winston Timp, Bin Wu, Abhyudai Singh and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  4. Lineage memory shapes viral resistance barriers in human skin.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
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  10. CDK4/6 activity is required during GScience (New York, N.Y.) · 2024
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Helen R ClarkDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Connor McKenneyDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Nathan M LivingstonThe Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4670-708X
Ariel GershmanDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Seema SajjanDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Isaac S ChanOncology Department, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Andrew J EwaldOncology Department, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1964-0740
Winston TimpDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Bin WuCenter for Cell Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9442-3041
Abhyudai SinghElectrical and Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1451-2838
Sergi RegotDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. sregot@jhmi.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9786-3897
Johns Hopkins University · USUniversity of Delaware · US

Funding

BIOCHEMISTRY, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY PROGRAMT32GM007445 · NIGMS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI GREEN, RACHEL · 1985 to 2021
$24.1M
Nanopore based profiling of epigenetic stateR01HG009190 · NHGRI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI TIMP, WINSTON GEORGE · 2017 to 2024
$4.8M
Single Cell Analysis of MAPK Signaling Dynamics in MulticellularityR35GM133499 · NIGMS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Sergi Regot · 2019 to 2026
$3.3M
Consequences and Control of Randomness in Timing of Intracellular EventsR01GM124446 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE · PI SINGH, ABHYUDAI · 2017 to 2020
$914k
Stochastic hybrid systems approach to uncovering cell-size control mechanisms R01GM126557 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE · PI SINGH, ABHYUDAI · 2017 to 2019
$675k
CRCNS: Mechanistic Modeling and Inference of Neuronal Synaptic TransmissionR01DC019268 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE · PI SINGH, ABHYUDAI · 2020 to 2022
$333k
NHGRI NIH HHS R01 HG009190NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM124446NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM126557NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM133499NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM007445
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To prevent damage to the host or its commensal microbiota, epithelial tissues must match the intensity of the immune response to the severity of a biological threat. Toll-like receptors allow epithelial cells to identify microbe associated molecular patterns. However, the mechanisms that mitigate biological noise in single cells to ensure quantitatively appropriate responses remain unclear. Here we address this question using single cell and single molecule approaches in mammary epithelial cells and primary organoids. We find that epithelial tissues respond to bacterial microbe associated molecular patterns by activating a subset of cells in an all-or-nothing (i.e. digital) manner. The maximum fraction of responsive cells is regulated by a bimodal epigenetic switch that licenses the TLR2 promoter for transcription across multiple generations. This mechanism confers a flexible memory of inflammatory events as well as unique spatio-temporal control of epithelial tissue-level immune responses. We propose that epigenetic licensing in individual cells allows for long-term, quantitative fine-tuning of population-level responses.

Indexed as

Immunity, InnateAnimalsBacteriaCell LineCytokinesDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticEpithelial CellsFlagellinGene Expression RegulationHumansImage Processing, Computer-AssistedIn Situ Hybridization, FluorescenceLipopeptidesMammary Glands, AnimalMiceCytokinesFlagellinLipopeptidesNF-kappa BToll-Like Receptor 2Toll-Like Receptors

Identifiers

PMID33758175
PMCPMC7988009
OpenAlexW3138553998

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.