Project description:We report that long noncoding RNAs contribute to transcription and developmental process. Thousands of lncRNAs have been identified in the whole genome, and tend to located closely to protein-coding genes. To study position relationship between lncRNA and protein-coding genes, we classified all of lncRNA to several subgroups based on the genome position with their coding neighbors. XH, the head to head subgroup is associated with transcription and development in GO analysis. Here, we knockdown serveral XH lncRNA by shRNA in embryonic stem cells and induce nondirectional differnetiation by removing LIF or neural differnetiation by RA. Knockdown of XH lncRNAs led to uniform downregulation of nearby coding genes, and form regulatory circuits with its nearby coding genes to fine-tune embryonic lineage development. In addition, we also knockout one lncRNA-Evx1as and its nearby protein-coding gene-EVX1 by CRISPR, and get similar results as knockdown.We propose that XH lncRNA may function primarily as 'cis-regulators' of the expression of nearby protein-coding genes, and tend to participate in transcriptional or development regulations as their coding neighbors. All RNA-seq(s) were designed to reveal the differentially expressed genes between wild-type and XH lncRNA knockdown/knockout ESCs during differentiation.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of mouse embryonic stem cells comparing control (dCas9 transfected) ES cells with ES cells transfected with a Hottip promoter gRNAs and Hoxa13 promoter gRNAs along with dCAs9-VP160. Goal was to determine the effects of activation of Hottip lncRNA and Hoxa13 on expression of Hox genes
Project description:We report that long noncoding RNAs contribute to transcription and developmental process. Thousands of lncRNAs have been identified in the whole genome, and tend to located closely to protein-coding genes. To study position relationship between lncRNA and protein-coding genes, we classified all of lncRNA to several subgroups based on the genome position with their coding neighbors. XH, the head to head subgroup is associated with transcription and development in GO analysis. Here, we knockdown serveral XH lncRNA by shRNA in embryonic stem cells and induce nondirectional differnetiation by removing LIF or neural differnetiation by RA. Knockdown of XH lncRNAs led to uniform downregulation of nearby coding genes, and form regulatory circuits with its nearby coding genes to fine-tune embryonic lineage development. In addition, we also knockout one lncRNA-Evx1as and its nearby protein-coding gene-EVX1 by CRISPR, and get similar results as knockdown.We propose that XH lncRNA may function primarily as 'cis-regulators' of the expression of nearby protein-coding genes, and tend to participate in transcriptional or development regulations as their coding neighbors.
Project description:Embryonic stem (ES) cells and embryos reversibly pause via chemical mTOR inhibition. In this study, we investigate the tissue-specific response to mTORi-induced pausing in ES and trophoblast stem (TS) cells. To resolve the sequential rewiring of the proteome, we conducted a time-series proteomics experiment at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours upon induction of pausing, and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours upon release of pausing in ES and TS cells. We find that ES, but not TS cells pause reversibly. To optimise developmental pausing conditions, we reasoned that by understanding the difference in pausing response of ES and TS cells, we could identify which pathways are essential for pausing. We found that KEGG pathways related to amino acid degradation, fatty acid degradation, and DNA repair are upregulated in ES cells, but downregulated in TS cells during entry into pausing. Moreover, by targeted metabolomics, we found a depletion of short chain carnitines in the paused ES cells. To extend the length of developmental pausing, we supplemented paused embryos with L-carnitine. The L-carnitine supplementation facilitates lipid usage and prolongs the pausing length by 19 days through the establishment of a more dormant state.
Project description:The skeletal myogenic lineage in developing embryos is specified within the somites and requires members of the Paired box (Pax) family of transcription factors. In particular, Pax3 is the first member of this family expressed in the central region of the dermomyotome and it is necessary for specification, migration and survival of the myogenic progenitors that will form the muscles of the limbs, diaphragm and tongue. To investigate Pax3 molecular functions in the developing mesoderm, we generated doxycycline-inducible mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells expressing untagged and HaFlag-tagged-Pax3. These cell lines were used to unbiasedly identify its interacting partners by tandem affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry.
Project description:High temporal resolution RNAseq timecourse of mouse ES differentiation Investigations of transcriptional responses during developmental transitions typically use time courses with intervals that are not commensurate with the timescales of known biological processes. Moreover, such experiments typically focus on protein-coding transcripts, ignoring the important impact of long noncoding RNAs. We evaluated coding and noncoding expression dynamics at unprecedented temporal resolution (6-hourly) in differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells and report the effects of increased temporal resolution on the characterization of the underlying molecular processes.
Project description:TG-interacting factor1 (Tgif1) is well-known as a transcriptional repressor in transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) signaling pathway. Target mapping of ES cell core factors in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells revealed that Tgif1 is occupied by Oct4 and Nanog. Moreover, recent interactome study of mouse gene regulatory regions showed a preferential regulation of Tgif1 by mouse ES cell specific enhancers. However, the detailed role and mode of actions of Tgif1 in stem cell maintenance and development remains elusive. We show that Tgif1 is indispensable for self-renewal and pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Aberrant expression of Tgif1 promotes differentiation of ES cells even in the presence of LIF in part by deregulation of pluripotency factors. Intriguingly, we find that Tgif1 level is a critical factor to determine specific lineage commitment in a dosage-dependent manner. We further show that Tgif1 interacts with ES cell core factors and co-localizes at their binding sites, which eventually restricts expression of ES cell core factors including Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog. Taken together, we provide new insights into the roles of Tgif1 in maintenance as well as differentiation of ES cells.
Project description:Sall4 is a mouse homolog of a causative gene of the autosomal dominant disorder known as Okihiro syndrome. We previously showed that Sall4 absence leads to lethality during peri-implantation and that Sall4-null embryonic stem (ES) cells proliferate poorly with intact pluripotency when cultured on feeder cells. However, a subsequent report indicated that shRNA-mediated Sall4 inhibition in ES cells led to a severe reduction in Oct3/4 and a secondary increase in Cdx2, which resulted in complete differentiation into the trophectoderm when cultured in the feeder-free condition. So we profiled gene expression changes when Sall4 is deleted in ES cells in the presence or absence of feeder cells. key word: embryonic stem (ES) cell, Sall4, feeder