TERT is an essential protein component of telomerase, a ribonuclearprotein complex that protects chromosomal ends. Ectopic expression of TERT in mouse skin activates hair follicle stem cells and induces active growth phase of hair cycles, called anagen. This activity of TERT is independent of its reverse transcriptase function, indicating that this is a non-telomeric function of TERT.
TERT promotes epithelial proliferation through transcriptional control of a Myc- and Wnt-related developmental program.
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View SamplesThrough the generation of humanized FUS mice expressing full length human FUS, we identify that when expressed at near endogenous murine FUS levels both wild-type or ALS- and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-causing mutations complement the essential function(s) of murine FUS. Replacement of murine FUS with mutant, but not wild-type, human FUS causes stress-mediated induction of chaperones, decreased expression of ion channels/transporters essential for synaptic function, and reduced synaptic activity, without loss of nuclear FUS or its cytoplasmic aggregation. Most strikingly, accumulation of mutant human FUS is shown to activate an integrated stress response and inhibit local, intra-axonal protein synthesis in hippocampal neurons and sciatic nerves. Collectively, our evidence demonstrates that human ALS/FTD-linked mutations in FUS induce a gain-of-toxicity that includes stress-mediated suppression in intra-axonal translation, synaptic dysfunction, and progressive, age-dependent motor and cognitive disease without cytoplasmic aggregation, altered nuclear localization, or aberrant splicing of FUS-bound pre-mRNAs. Methods: RNA from mouse spinal cords of 18-month-old mFUS-/-/hgFUS (WT, R521C or R521H) and their Non-Tg control littermates was extracted with TRIzol. RNA quality was measured using the Agilent Bioanalyzer system and processed using the Illumina TruSeq Stranded mRNA Sample Preparation Kit according to manufacturer's protocols. mRNA profiles were generated by deep sequencing, with n=3 biological replicates per group. Results: We mapped on average 15 million non-redundant reads per sample. Fastq files were aligned to mouse reference genome (mm9 UCSC Genome Browser) using TopHat workfow and the transcript abundance for each annotated protein-coding gene [as fragments per kilobase of transcript per million mapped reads (FPKM)] was estimated by Cufflinks. 13,468 genes which expressed FPKM>=1 were kept for downstream analyses. RNA profiles from normal (Non-Tg) and humanized hgFUSWT mice were almost undistinguishable. Both humanized mutant FUS lines had highly distinct RNA profiles [determined with unsupervised hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis (PCA)], with 709 down and 348 up-regulated genes relative to age-matched Non-Tg or humanized hgFUSWT littermates (P<0.05). These changes uncovered FUS mutant dependent altered pathways that may contribute to ALS/FTD-linked mutant FUS-mediated toxicity. The validation by RT-QPCR of altered expression of 20 genes is shown in Figure 5. Overall design: RNA expression profile of mouse spinal cords from 18-month-old mFUS-/-/hgFUS (WT, R521C or R521H) and their Non-Tg control littermates was obtained by deep sequencing in n=3 indendepent animals per genotype using Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencer.
ALS/FTD-Linked Mutation in FUS Suppresses Intra-axonal Protein Synthesis and Drives Disease Without Nuclear Loss-of-Function of FUS.
Age, Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesPurpose: The purpose of this experiment is to identify a C9-ALS/FTD specific genomic profile in fibroblast lines that is distinct from sporadic ALS without C9orf72 expansion and non-neurologic control cells. The study will then evaluate the effect on this identified profile of ASO treatment targeting the sense strand RNA transcript of the C9orf72 gene. Methods: Expression profiling was performed on RNAs from fibroblasts of four C9orf72 patients, four control individuals and four sporadic ALS patients using Multiplex Analysis of PolyA-linked Sequences method. Results: Hierarchical clustering of expression values for all genes showed that the four C9orf72 patient lines had an expression profile distinct from control and sporadic ALS lines. Statistical comparison of expression values between the four C9orf72 lines and the four control lines revealed that 122 genes were upregulated (defined by a False Discovery Rate FDR<0.05) and 34 genes were downregulated (defined by a False Discovery Rate FDR <0.05) in C9orf72 patient fibroblasts. Conclusions: A genome wide RNA signature can be defined in fibroblasts with C9orf72 expansion. ASO-mediated reduction of C9orf72 RNA levels in fibroblasts with the hexanucleotide expansion efficiently reduced accumulation of GGGGCC RNA foci. This did not, however, generate a reversal of the C9orf72 RNA profile. Overall design: Use of Multiplex Analysis of PolyA-linked Sequences to identify expression changes in fibroblasts from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia patients harboring an hexanucleotide expansion in the C9orf72 gene.
Targeted degradation of sense and antisense C9orf72 RNA foci as therapy for ALS and frontotemporal degeneration.
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View SamplesMetazoans utilize a handful of highly conserved signaling pathways to create a signaling backbone that governs all stages of development, by providing spatial and temporal cues that influence gene expression. How these few signals have such a versatile developmental action is of significance to evolution, development, and disease. Their versatility likely depends upon the larger-scale network they form through integration. Such integration is exemplified by cross-talk between the Notch and the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) pathways. We examined the transcriptional output of Notch-RTK cross-talk during Drosophila development and present in vivo data that supports a role for selected mutually-regulated genes as potentially important nodal points for signal integration. We find the complex interplay between these pathways involves their mutual regulation of numerous core components of RTK signaling in addition to targets that include components of all the major signalling pathways (TGF-, Hh, Jak/Stat, Nuclear Receptor and Wnt). Interestingly, Notch-RTK integration did not lead to general antagonism of either pathway, as is commonly believed. Instead, integration had a combinatorial effect on specific cross-regulated targets, which unexpectedly included the majority of Ras-responsive genes, suggesting Notch can specify the response to Ras activation.
Nodal points and complexity of Notch-Ras signal integration.
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View SamplesThe PR domain containing 1a, with ZNF domain factor, gene prdm1a plays an integral role in the development of a number of different cell types during vertebrate embryogenesis, including neural crest cells, Rohon-Beard (RB) sensory neurons and the cranial neural crest-derived craniofacial skeletal elements. To better understand how Prdm1a regulates the development of various cell types in zebrafish, we performed a microarray analysis comparing wild type and prdm1a mutant embryos and identified a number of genes with altered expression in the absence of prdm1a. Rescue analysis determined that two of these, sox10 and islet1, lie downstream of Prdm1a in the development of neural crest cells and Rohon-Beard neurons, respectively. In addition, we identified a number of other novel downstream targets of Prdm1a that may be important for the development of diverse tissues during zebrafish embryogenesis.
prdm1a Regulates sox10 and islet1 in the development of neural crest and Rohon-Beard sensory neurons.
Age, Specimen part
View Samples5 day RNAi treatment to knockdown Enigma, CG9006, a Drosophila mitochondrial protein with homology to acyl-CoA dehydrogenases.
Enigma, a mitochondrial protein affecting lifespan and oxidative stress response in Drosophila.
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View SamplesHuman T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is associated with the development of Adult T-cell Leukemia, an aggressive CD4+ T-cells malignancy. Here, we have developed a new procedure to infect humanized mice with proviruses displaying specific mutations, such as one leading to the loss of the PDZ domain-binding motif (PBM) of Tax. In order to specifically analyze the in vivo role of the PBM of Tax, a comparative study of infected hu-mice was performed. We used next-generation sequencing to perform genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of T-cells infected with wild-type HTLV-1 virus or with virus bearing a mutated form of Tax lacking the PBM. Our results suggest that Tax PBM might be involved in the regulation of genes implicated in proliferation, apoptosis and cytoskeleton organization. Overall design: mRNA profiles of T-cells obtained from hu-Mice infected with wild-type or Tax-PBM HTLV-1 were generated by deep-sequencing in triplicates using Illumina's Hiseq3000 platform.
PDZ domain-binding motif of Tax sustains T-cell proliferation in HTLV-1-infected humanized mice.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesAdult neurogenesis in the murine dentate gyrus occurs in a specialized microenvironment that sustains the generation of neurons during life. To fully understand adult neurogenesis, it is essential to determine the neural stem cell (NSC) and progenitor developmental stages, their molecular determinants, and the niche cellular and molecular composition. We report on a single cell RNA sequencing study of the hippocampal niche, performed by isolating all the non-neuronal cell populations. Our analysis provides a comprehensive description of the dentate gyrus cells and allows the identification of exclusive cell type-specific markers. We define the developmental stages and transcriptional dynamics of NSCs and progenitors, and find that while NSCs represent a heterogeneous cellular continuum, progenitors can be grouped in distinct subtypes. We determine the oligodendrocyte lineage and transcriptional dynamics, and describe microglia transcriptional profile and activation state. The combined data constitutes a valuable resource to understand regulatory mechanisms of adult neurogenesis. Overall design: We generated transciptome data from cells unbiasely sorted from the hippocampal neurogenic niche after depleting the neuronal population
A Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Study Reveals Cellular and Molecular Dynamics of the Hippocampal Neurogenic Niche.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesPurpose: The goal of this study is to compare the transcriptome profilling (RNA-seq) of inflorescences infected with tobacco ratle virus (TRV) to mock inoculated inflorescences (negative controls), in Arabidopsis plants Methods: Inflorescences of systemically TRV infected or mock-inoculated plants were collected from more than 40 independent Arabidopsis plants, at 14 days post-inoculation (dpi). TRV and mock mRNA profiles were generated by deep sequencing by Illumina HiSeq 2000. The sequence reads that passed quality filters (SOAPnuke) were analysed by Burrows-Wheeler (BWA) followed by ANOVA (ANOVA) and TopHat followed by Cufflinks. Genes and isoforms were quantified by RSEM sofware package. qRT-PCR validation was performed using TaqMan and SYBR Green assays. Results: Here we report a significant repression of DNA methylation genes in inflorescences of Arabidopsis plants infected with Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) that coincides with dynamic changes in methylation at the whole genome level. Arabidopsis mutants deficient in DNA methylation were more resistant to this virus in early colonized tissues but more susceptible at later time points of infection, indicating that DNA methylation was critical to control both proliferation and antiviral defense. We found that TRV interference with DNA methylation leads to changes in the methylation and trancriptional status of transposable elements (TEs), including TEs located in the promoter of disease resistance genes that were significantly repressed in plants exposed to TRV. Activation of both TEs and their nearby disease resistance genes was altered in a range of hypo- and hyper-methylated Arabidopsis mutants, indicating that perturbations in DNA methylation contributes to modulate their expression in infected plants. Conclussion: Our study showed that TRV interferes with DNA methylation to alter the transcriptional silencing of TEs, which in turn compromises the expression of neighboring disease resistance genes. Overall design: TRV and mock mRNA profiles were generated from Arabidopsis inflorescences by deep sequencing with Illumina HiSeq 2000.
Crosstalk between epigenetic silencing and infection by tobacco rattle virus in Arabidopsis.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThe histone methyltransferase mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) is essential to maintain hematopoietic stem cells and is a leukemia protooncogene. Although Hox genes are well-characterized targets of MLL and MLL fusion oncoproteins, the range of Mll-regulated genes in normal hematopoietic cells remains unknown. Here we identify and characterize part of the Mll-transcriptional network in hematopoietic stem cells with an integrated approach by using conditional loss-of-function models, genomewide expression analyses, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and functional rescue assays. The Mll-dependent transcriptional network extends well beyond the previously appreciated Hox targets, is comprised of many characterized regulators of self-renewal, and contains target genes that are both dependent and independent of the MLL cofactor, Menin. Interestingly, Prdm16 emerged as a target gene that is uniquely effective at partially rescuing Mll-deficient hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. This work highlights the tissue-specific nature of regulatory networks under the control of MLL/Trithorax family members and provides insight into the distinctions between the participation of MLL in normal hematopoiesis and in leukemia.
An MLL-dependent network sustains hematopoiesis.
Specimen part
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