The nonhuman primate kidney transcriptome during fetal development
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ABSTRACT: Little is known about the repertoire of nonhuman primate kidney genes expressed throughout development. The present work establishes an understanding of the primate renal transcriptome at different stages of fetal development and defines the framework of gene expression in the context of renal maturation, which provides a basis for identifying deviations in transcriptome expression resulting from suboptimal conditions during renal development. The baboon kidney transcriptome was characterized at 60 days gestation (DG), 90DG, 125DG, 160DG and adulthood (6-12 years) using human genome arrays to identify differential gene expression in the context of biological pathways and hierarchical clusters. Whole genome expression profiling showed 11,331 genes that were expressed during kidney development, 4,698 of which were differentially expressed among the developmental time points. Pathway analysis indicated activation of annotated pathways previously reported to be important to kidney development and pathways not reported as relevant to kidney development. QRT-PCR for genes central to these pathways validated expression profiles and revealed differences between males and females at specific times in gestation. Hierarchical clustering indicated that two clusters best fit the data, one containing genes that increased in expression from 60DG to adult and one that decreased. Cluster analysis also revealed gene splice variants with discordant expression profiles during development. For example, SMAD4, which is central to Wnt signaling, TGF-β signaling and cell cycle, showed up-regulation of the full-length splice variant during development and down-regulation of a shorter variant that is missing DNA binding and protein heterotrimerization domains suggesting decreased inhibition of cell proliferation, which may impact renal cell number and maturation. This study provides the first detailed genetic analysis of the developing primate kidney, and our findings of discordant expression of gene splice variants suggest that gene arrays likely provide a simplified view and demonstrate the need to study the fetal renal proteome.
Project description:Infants born prematurely are at increased risk for chronic kidney disease and end stage renal disease later in life due to low nephron number. The mechanism of how nephrons are formed during late-gestation human kidney development is not known, and direct study of human fetal kidney development is fraught with moral and technical difficulties. In this study, the rhesus macaque kidney was identified to be morphologically similar to the human kidney during late-gestation. The preliminary findings support that kidney progenitor cells age over time and are different from the progenitor cells early in gestation. The non-human primate model could bridge the gap for molecular study of late-gestation human kidney development to ultimately improve nephron numbers in preterm infants.
Project description:Preterm neonates are at high risk for nephron loss under adverse clinical conditions (e.g., cardiocirculatory decompensation, nephrotoxic drugs). Importantly, the onset of renal damage potentially collides with the proceeding nephrogenesis of prematurity prior 36 weeks of gestation. Recent animal studies suggest that early nephron loss within this vulnerable phase is associated with more severe glomerular and tubulointerstitial alterations later in life, irrespective of the occurrence of arterial hypertension. It is known that nephrogenic pathways are reactivated after acute kidney injury supporting renal repair and regeneration. In this study we hypothesized that nephron loss during nephrogenesis leads to an alteration of the kidney developmental program which in turn impairs homeostasis and repair and thus aggravates kidney injury later in life. Preterm infants prior to 36 weeks of gestation show an active nephrogenesis after birth. In rats, nephrogenesis is still active until day 10 of life. Mimicking the human situation of acute nephron loss in preterm neonates with ongoing nephrogenesis, rats were uninephrectomized at day 1 of life (UNXd1). A second group of animals was uninephrectomized at day 14 of life (UNXd14), which resembles a nephron loss after terminated nephrogenesis. Age-matched control groups were sham operated. Three days after uninephrectomy the animals were sacrificed. Transcriptional renal changes were analyzed by RNAseqencing, followed by in silico functional pathway analysis. In UNXd1 animals 1182 genes were differentially regulated compared to the respective control group. The functional groups “renal development” and “kidney injury” were among the most differentially regulated groups and revealed distinctive alterations in UNXd1 animals. Reduced expression levels of candidate genes concerning renal development (Bmp7, Gdnf, Pdgf-B, Wt1) and kidney injury (nephrin, podocin, Tgf-β1) were detected in the kidney of UNXd1 animals. The downregulation of Bmp7 and Gdnf expression in the remaining kidney of UNXd1 animals persisted until day 28 of life. In UNXd14 rats Six2 was upregulated and Pax22 downregulated compared to controls. We conclude that neonatal nephron loss during active nephrogenesis affects renal development and induces persistently reduced expression levels of genes which in turn might hinder tissue repair after kidney injury later in life.
Project description:Samples E12/E13/E14/E16/E18: We aims to screen out different gene expression profile in Embryo kidney on different gestation stages of the Notch signaling pathway Results from the various study components can help to screening important candidate genes during embryonic kidney development. Keywords: Embryo kidney, Development, Notch signaling pathway, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis The Oligo GEArray Assay comprises various components: RNA isolation,Assesing RNA yield and quality,cRNA labeling and synthesis,Hybridization,Chemiluminescent detection and Image acquisition and data analysis. Samples E12: This study has been accomplished with Embryo kidney on gestation 12, 3 techinical replicates. Samples E13: This study has been accomplished with Embryo kidney on gestation 13, 3 techinical replicates. Samples E14: This study has been accomplished with Embryo kidney on gestation 14, 2 techinical replicates. Samples E16: This study has been accomplished with 1Embryo kidney on gestation 16, 2 techinical replicates. Samples E18: This study has been accomplished with Embryo kidney on gestation 18, 2 techinical replicates.
Project description:We have developed a baboon nonhuman primate (NHP) model of maternal nutrient reduction during fetal development (30% global maternal nutrient reduction, MNR) to evaluate the impact of reduced nutrient availability on primate fetal development. We reported (Antonow-Schlorke et al. PNAS, 2011) that MNR induced major cerebral developmental disturbances at mid gestation (0.5G); however, the impact of MNR at late gestation (0.9G) and the mechanisms mediating these effects have not been determined. We hypothesized that MNR alters developmental trajectories of the fetal prefrontal cortex in the late gestation via miRNA regulation of key transcriptional and translational signaling pathways. Pregnant baboons were fed either ad libitum (control; CON; females n=3; males n=3) or a globally reduced diet (70% of controls; females n=3; males n=3) from 0.16G through 0.9G that produces IUGR (14% reduction in fetal weight). Fetuses were removed by Cesarean section at 0.9G, and prefrontal cortex (PFC) sections collected for analysis. Transcriptome (gene arrays) and small transcriptome (small RNA-Seq) analyses of fetal PFC were performed and gene and miRNA profiles were compared between MNR and CON. We present for the first time transcriptome (GSE42756) and small RNA transcriptome expression profiles of the fetal baboon PFC at 0.9G. Pathway analysis showed that MNR had sex-specific effects on key cellular signaling pathways. We conclude that moderate maternal global nutrient reduction during pregnancy can alter signaling pathways related to nutrient sensing and cell proliferation in the late gestation PFC. In addition, inverse expression of miRNAs known to target genes in these pathways suggests that miRNA mechanisms play a role in these changes.
Project description:Background: Poor nutrition during development programs kidney function. No studies on postnatal consequences of decreased perinatal nutrition exist in nonhuman primates (NHP) for translation to human renal disease. Our baboon model of moderate maternal nutrient restriction (MNR) produces intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) and programs renal fetal phenotype. We hypothesized that the IUGR phenotype persists postnatally influencing responses to a high-fat, high-carbohydrate, high-salt (HFCS) diet. Methods: Pregnant baboons ate chow Control (CON) or 70% of control intake (MNR) from 0.16 gestation through lactation. MNR offspring were IUGR at birth. At weaning, all offspring, (control and IUGR females and males n=3/group) ate chow. At ~3.5 years age, blood, urine, and kidney biopsies were collected before and after a 7-week high HFCS diet challenge. Kidney function, unbiased kidney gene expression, and untargeted urine metabolomics were evaluated. Results: IUGR female and male kidney transcriptome and urine metabolome differed from CON at 3.5 years, prior to HFCS. After the challenge, we observed sex-specific and fetal exposure-specific responses in urine creatinine, urine metabolites, and renal signaling pathways. Conclusions: We previously showed mTOR signaling dysregulation in IUGR fetal kidneys. Before HFCS, gene expression analysis indicated that dysregulation persists postnatally in IUGR females. IUGR male offspring response to HFCS showed uncoordinated signaling pathway responses suggestive of proximal tubule injury. To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing CON and IUGR postnatal juvenile NHP and the impact of fetal and postnatal life caloric mismatch. Perinatal history needs to be taken into account when assessing renal disease risk.
Project description:Samples E12/E13/E14/E16/E18: We aims to screen out different gene expression profile in Embryo kidney on different gestation stages of the Notch signaling pathway Results from the various study components can help to screening important candidate genes during embryonic kidney development. Keywords: Embryo kidney, Development, Notch signaling pathway, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
Project description:Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a burden for Public Health and concerns millions of individuals worldwide. Independently of the cause, CKD is secondary to the replacement of functional renal tissue by extra-cellular matrix proteins (i.e fibrosis) that progressively impairs kidney function. The pathophysiological pathways that control the development of renal fibrosis are common to most of the nephropathies involving native kidneys or kidney grafts. Unfortunately, very few treatments are available to stop renal fibrosis and most of the therapeutic strategies are often barely able to slow down the progression of fibrogenesis in native kidneys. Therefore, it is mandatory to discover new therapeutic pathways to stop renal fibrosis. Our objective is to study new pathways involved in renal fibrosis. We thus decided to use the model of Unilateral Ureteral renal Obstruction in mice, a fast and reproducible experimental model of renal fibrosis. We studied renal fibrosis using experimental model of ureteral unilateral obstruction in mice, which was performed by complete ligation of the left ureter. The control lateral right kidney served as internal control.
Project description:Kidney organoids are emerging as an increasingly applied model system to hold great promise for transplantation to individuals with end-stage renal disease and as a useful tool for kidney research. Multiple iPSC-derived renal organoids have been established to understand kidney development and disease. However, few disease models originated from adult renal tissue with fully mature cell fates have been set up to recapitulate kidney inflammation or fibrosis. Here we created a novel organoid model that faithfully representing the cellular state of inflammatory response during the progression of renal disease upon TNFα exposure. scRNA-seq showed signatured inflammatory chemokines, cytokines and inflammation-associated signaling pathways were activated in TNFα-treatment organoids together with injury-associated markers such as LCN2 and CLU. Donor age is associated with TNFα-induced inflammatory reaction in organoids. Kidney organoids from young donors showed more transcriptional changes by down-regulation of TGFβ and extracellular matrix genes. In summary, we established an in vitro TNFα-treated kidney organoid model that representing the cellular state of the inflammatory response during renal disease progression and provided a novel tool for studying inflammation-related kidney disease and drug discovery.