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Transcriptional and histological analyses of the thymic developmental process in the fetal pig.

ABSTRACT: The humanized pig model, in which human cells or tissues can be functionally maintained in pigs, can be an invaluable tool for human medical research. Although the recent development of immunodeficient pigs has opened the door for the development of such a model, the efficient engraftment and differentiation of human cells may be difficult to achieve. The transplantation of human cells into fetal pigs, whose immune system is immature, will ameliorate this problem. Therefore, we examined the development of porcine fetal thymus, which is critical for the establishment of the immune system. We first analyzed the levels of mRNA expression of genes that are relevant to the function of thymic epithelial cells or thymocytes in whole thymi from 35 to 85 days of gestation (DG) and at 2 days postpartum (DP) by quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, immunohistochemical analyses of thymic epithelial cells from DG35 to DG55 and DP2 were performed. These analyses showed that the thymic cortex was formed as early as DG35, and thymic medulla gradually developed from DG45 to DG55. These findings suggested that, at least before DG45, the thymus do not differentiate to form fully functional T cells.

SUBMITTER: Suzuki S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4160976 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Transcriptional and histological analyses of the thymic developmental process in the fetal pig.

Suzuki Shunichi S Suzuki Misae M Nakai Michiko M Sembon Shoichiro S Fuchimoto Daiichiro D Onishi Akira A

Experimental animals 20140101 2

The humanized pig model, in which human cells or tissues can be functionally maintained in pigs, can be an invaluable tool for human medical research. Although the recent development of immunodeficient pigs has opened the door for the development of such a model, the efficient engraftment and differentiation of human cells may be difficult to achieve. The transplantation of human cells into fetal pigs, whose immune system is immature, will ameliorate this problem. Therefore, we examined the deve ...[more]

PMID: 24770647

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Project description:BackgroundSugarcane is one of the major crops worldwide. It is cultivated in over 100 countries on 22 million ha. The complex genetic architecture and the lack of a complete genomic sequence in sugarcane hamper the adoption of molecular approaches to study its physiology and to develop new varieties. Investments on the development of new sugarcane varieties have been made to maximize sucrose yield, a trait dependent on photosynthetic capacity. However, detailed studies on sugarcane leaves are scarce. In this work, we report the first molecular and physiological characterization of events taking place along a leaf developmental gradient in sugarcane.ResultsPhotosynthetic response to CO2 indicated divergence in photosynthetic capacity based on PEPcase activity, corroborated by activity quantification (both in vivo and in vitro) and distinct levels of carbon discrimination on different segments along leaf length. Additionally, leaf segments had contrasting amount of chlorophyll, nitrogen and sugars. RNA-Seq data indicated a plethora of biochemical pathways differentially expressed along the leaf. Some transcription factors families were enriched on each segment and their putative functions corroborate with the distinct developmental stages. Several genes with higher expression in the middle segment, the one with the highest photosynthetic rates, were identified and their role in sugarcane productivity is discussed. Interestingly, sugarcane leaf segments had a different transcriptional behavior compared to previously published data from maize.ConclusionThis is the first report of leaf developmental analysis in sugarcane. Our data on sugarcane is another source of information for further studies aiming to understand and/or improve C4 photosynthesis. The segments used in this work were distinct in their physiological status allowing deeper molecular analysis. Although limited in some aspects, the comparison to maize indicates that all data acquired on one C4 species cannot always be easily extrapolated to other species. However, our data indicates that some transcriptional factors were segment-specific and the sugarcane leaf undergoes through the process of suberizarion, photosynthesis establishment and senescence.

Dataset Information

Transcriptional and histological analyses of the thymic developmental process in the fetal pig.

Publications

Transcriptional and histological analyses of the thymic developmental process in the fetal pig.

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