Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

Dataset Information

Mecp2: an unexpected regulator of macrophage gene expression and function [RNA-Seq]

ABSTRACT: Mutations in methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a major epigenetic regulator, are the predominant cause of Rett syndrome, an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder. We previously found that Mecp2-null microglia are functionally impaired, and that engraftment of wild-type monocytes into the brain of Mecp2-deficient mice attenuates pathology. In this study we show that Mecp2 is expressed in macrophage and monocyte populations throughout the body, and is indispensable for their transcriptional regulation in multiple contexts. We demonstrate that Mecp2-null mice progressively lose or are chronically deficient in several macrophage populations and resident monocytes. Postnatal re-expression of Mecp2 driven by a tamoxifen-inducible CX3CR1 promoter significantly increased the lifespan of otherwise Mecp2-null mice, suggesting that epigenetic regulation of macrophage function by Mecp2 significantly contributes to pathology. RNA-Seq of acutely isolated microglia and peritoneal macrophages (to our knowledge, the first cell-specific RNA-Seq analysis comparing Mecp2-null and wild type cells of any kind) revealed significantly increased transcription of glucocorticoid- and hypoxia-signaling genes in Mecp2-null cells compared to that in their wild-type counterparts, suggesting that Mecp2 functions as a repressor of these pathways. Furthermore, in-vitro and in vivo validation studies demonstrated that the absence of Mecp2 is associated with cell-intrinsic dysfunction of signaling underlying inflammatory activation, suggesting that Mecp2 is important for regulation of specific macrophage gene-expression programs in response to stimuli and stressors. Our findings demonstrate a fundamental role for Mecp2 in the regulation of macrophage functions, which may provide a link to pathologies in Rett syndrome across multiple organs. Mecp2-null microglia and resident peritoneal macrophages from 10-12 week old mice were acutely isolated via AutoMACS, total RNA collected, and analyzed via RNA-Seq to compare for transcriptional differences in microglia and macrophages in the absence of Mecp2.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: Jonathan Kipnis

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-66211 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Publications

Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2 Regulates Microglia and Macrophage Gene Expression in Response to Inflammatory Stimuli.

Cronk James C JC Derecki Noël C NC Ji Emily E Xu Yang Y Lampano Aaron E AE Smirnov Igor I Baker Wendy W Norris Geoffrey T GT Marin Ioana I Coddington Nathan N Wolf Yochai Y Turner Stephen D SD Aderem Alan A Klibanov Alexander L AL Harris Tajie H TH Jung Steffen S Litvak Vladimir V Kipnis Jonathan J

Immunity 20150401 4

Mutations in MECP2, encoding the epigenetic regulator methyl-CpG-binding protein 2, are the predominant cause of Rett syndrome, a disease characterized by both neurological symptoms and systemic abnormalities. Microglial dysfunction is thought to contribute to disease pathogenesis, and here we found microglia become activated and subsequently lost with disease progression in Mecp2-null mice. Mecp2 was found to be expressed in peripheral macrophage and monocyte populations, several of which also ...[more]

PMID: 25902482

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Project description:Objective: Brain tumors (gliomas) contain large populations of infiltrating macrophages and recruited microglia, which in experimental murine glioma models promote tumor formation and progression. Among the barriers to understanding the contributions of these stromal elements to high-grade glioma (glioblastoma; GBM) biology is the relative paucity of tools to characterize infiltrating macrophages and resident microglia. In this study, we leveraged multiple RNA analysis platforms to identify new monocyte markers relevant to GBM patient outcome. Methods: High-confidence lists of mouse resident microglia- and bone marrow-derived macrophage-specific transcripts were generated using converging RNA-seq and microarray technologies and validated using qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. Expression of select cell surface markers was analyzed in brain-infiltrating macrophages and resident microglia in an induced GBM mouse model, while allogeneic bone marrow transplantation was performed to trace the origins of infiltrating and resident macrophages. Glioma tissue microarrays were examined by immunohistochemistry, and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was queried to determine the prognostic value of identified microglia biomarkers in human GBM. Results: We generated a unique catalog of differentially-expressed bone marrow-derived monocyte and resident microglia transcripts, and demonstrated that brain-infiltrating macrophages acquire F11R expression in GBM and following bone-marrow transplantation. Moreover, mononuclear cell F11R expression positively correlates with human high-grade glioma and additionally serves as a biomarker for GBM patient survival, regardless of GBM molecular subtype. Significance: These studies establish F11R as a novel monocyte prognostic marker for GBM critical for defining a subpopulation of stromal cells for future potential therapeutic intervention. Total RNA was isolated from three independently-generated sets of flow sorted bone marrow monocytes (CD11b+ CD45high CD115+ Ly6G- cells) and brainstem microglia (CD11b+ CD45low CD115low Ly6G- cells) for Illumina RNA-Seq, and two additional pools were subsequently generated and submitted for Affymetrix Mouse Exon 1.0ST microarray. Two of the RNA-Seq samples were additionally analyzed by the microarray, for a total of 6 samples (3 monocyte, 3 microglia) in each platform. Data outputs were analyzed by two analysis methods each (RNA-Seq data: ALEXA-Seq and Cufflinks; microarray data: Partek and Aroma). All four lists were merged into a new high-confidence gene list of transcripts that were significantly differentially expressed (DE) in three out of the four analyses. In this dataset, we include exon expression data obtained from flow sorted mouse bone marrow monocytes and brainstem microglia.

Dataset Information

Mecp2: an unexpected regulator of macrophage gene expression and function [RNA-Seq]

Publications

Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2 Regulates Microglia and Macrophage Gene Expression in Response to Inflammatory Stimuli.

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