Project description:Restriction site Associated DNA (RAD) tags are a genome-wide representation of every site of a particular restriction enzyme by short DNA tags. Most organisms segregate large numbers of DNA sequence polymorphisms that disrupt restriction sites, which allow RAD tags to serve as genetic markers spread at a high-density throughout the genome. Here, we demonstrate the applicability of RAD markers for both individual and bulk-segregant genotyping. First, we show that these markers can be identified and typed on pre-existing microarray formats. Second, we present a method that uses RAD marker DNA to rapidly produce a low-cost microarray genotyping resource that can be used to efficiently identify and type thousands of RAD markers. We demonstrate the utility of the former approach by using a tiling path array for the fruit fly to map a recombination breakpoint, and the latter approach by creating and utilizing an enriched RAD marker array for the threespine stickleback. The high number of RAD markers enabled localization of a previously identified region, as well as a second novel region also associated with the lateral plate phenotype. Taken together, our results demonstrate that RAD markers, and the method to develop a RAD marker microarray resource, allow high-throughput, high-resolution genotyping in both model and non-model systems. Keywords: microarray genotyping
Project description:To investiage the ability of positve inotropism from myocardial Rad reduction we induced Rad knockout after onset of pressure overload to reverse or compensate progression of heart failure
Project description:One of the most recognizable physiological phenomena is the adrenergic-induced fight-or-flight increase in heart rate and cardiac contraction. For the β-adenergic agonist-induced enhancement of calcium influx and transients, and contractility in the heart, we identify the dual requirement of a subpopulation of Rad-bound calcium channels under basal conditions and PKA phosphorylation of Rad. In mice expressing a non-phosphorylatable Rad mutant, basal cardiac contractility is reduced and adrenergic-augmentation of the calcium current and contractility are disabled. Expression of mutant calcium channel β-subunits that cannot bind the mutant Rad restored contractility, revealing a highly specific therapeutic approach to mimic the contractility imparted by adrenergic agonists. Our findings place Rad and its modulation of calcium channels at the nexus of adrenergic modulation of cardiac responses.
Project description:Fight-or-flight responses involve β-adrenergic-induced increases in heart rate and contractile force. Despite decades of investigations, predominantly focusing on ryanodine receptor and phospholamban phosphorylation, the molecular mechanisms underlying the sympathetic nervous system control of cardiac contractility remain controversial and incompletely elucidated. Here, we identify the calcium-channel inhibitor Rad as a critical component. In cardiomyocytes isolated from knock-in mice expressing Rad with alanine-substitutions of the four PKA-phosphorylated serine residues (4SA-Rad), calcium currents cannot be increased by adrenergic agonists or phosphatase inhibitor. In these mice, basal cardiac contractility, exercise capacity and heart rate are reduced, and the augmentation of contractile force by adrenergic agonists is severely blunted. Expression of mutant calcium-channel β-subunits that cannot bind Rad is sufficient to restore calcium influx and cardiac contractility in 4SA-Rad mice to levels induced by adrenergic agonists in wild-type mice, revealing a potential therapeutic approach to enhance cardiac contractility while bypassing stimulation of adrenergic receptors.
Project description:Four purified RNA extracts (2 from cells grown in glucose supplemented medium and another 2 from cells grown in PE supplemented medium) were subjected to sequencing. Following cDNA library preparations, the final sequencing libraries were quantified using the KAPA kit (KAPA Biosystem, USA) on a Stratagene Mx-3005P qPCR system (Agilent Technologies, USA) and the respective library sizes were confirmed using Agilent Bioanalyzer High Sensitivity DNA Chip (Agilent Technologies, USA). The resulting libraries were subjected to cluster generation and sequenced using an Illumina flow cell, 202 cycles (101 bp paired-end reads) on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 system (Illumina, USA).
Project description:The Hippo pathway plays a key role in regulating cell turnover in adult tissues, and abnormalities are consistently associated with human cancers. Initially related with the control of cell proliferation and death, hippo inhibition is commonly linked to an expansion of stem cells and progenitors, which leads to larger organs and tumors. To understand the mechanism through which Hippo directs cell renewal and promotes stemness, we studied its function in planarians, a stem cell-based organism that allows analysis of the complex cellular events underlying tissue renewal in the whole organism. We show that hippo inhibition in planarians decreases cell death, produces cell cycle arrest, and promotes the dedifferentiation of post-mitotic cells. Thus, hippo (RNAi) planarians have extensive undifferentiated areas and overgrowths with no effects on size or cell number. We propose an essential role for hippo in restricting cell plasticity and ensuring genomic stability, and thus in preventing tumoral transformation.
Project description:The Hippo pathway is an emerging signaling cascade involved in the regulation of organ size control. It consists of evolutionally conserved protein kinases that are sequentially phosphorylated and activated. The active Hippo pathway subsequently phosphorylates a transcription coactivator, YAP, which precludes its nuclear localization and transcriptional activation. Identification of transcriptional targets of YAP in diverse cellular contexts is therefore critical to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms in which the Hippo pathway restricts tissue growth. We used microarrays to profile the gene expression patterns upon acute siRNA knockdown of Hippo pathway components in multiple mammalian cell lines and identified a set of genes representing immediate transcriptional targets of the Hippo/Yap signaling pathway. Three mammalian cell lines (HEK293T, HepG2, HaCaT) were transfected with scramble siRNA controls or siRNAs against NF2 and LATS2, two core components of the Hippo pathway, simultaneously. Total RNAs were harvested four days after transfection to reveal the gene expression pattern unsing microarry. YAP and TAZ siRNAs were also transfected along with NF2 and LATS2 siRNAs to identify YAP/TAZ-dependent transcriptional targets upon loss of NF2/LATS2.