Project description:Microarray analysis indicated many changes in gene expression, including genes related the the Notch signaling system, during oral siphon regeneration in adult Ciona. Subsequent qPCR gene expression and inhibitor of experiments confirm a role of the Notch system, probably in the formation of a regeneration blastema.
Project description:Microarray analysis indicated many changes in gene expression, including genes related the the Notch signaling system, during oral siphon regeneration in adult Ciona. Subsequent qPCR gene expression and inhibitor of experiments confirm a role of the Notch system, probably in the formation of a regeneration blastema. To identify the genes defferentially expressed in degenerating siphone, gene expressions in intact siphones and excised siphones (after 3 days, 6 days and 9 days) were examined.
Project description:Ciona intestinalis is an invertebrate animal model system that is well characterized and has many advantages for the study of cardiovascular biology. The regulatory mechanisms of cardiac myocyte proliferation in Ciona are intriguing since Ciona are capable of regeneration throughout their lifespan. To identify important regeneration factors in Ciona, microarray analysis was conducted on RNA from adult Ciona hearts with normal or damaged myocardium using custom Affymetrix GeneChips. After a 24- or 48-hour recovery period, total RNA was isolated from damaged and control hearts. Initial results indicate significant changes in gene expression in hearts damaged by ligation in comparison to cryoinjured or control hearts. Ligation injury shows differential expression of 223 genes as compared to control (fold change >2, p<0.01, Student’s t-test) with limited false discovery (5.8%). Among these 223 genes, 117 have known human orthologs of which 68 were up-regulated and 49 were down-regulated. Notably, FGF 9/16/20 and Ras were significantly upregulated in injured hearts. Histological analyses of injured myocardium were conducted in parallel to the microarray study. Taken together, these studies will coordinate differences in gene expression to cellular changes in the regenerative myocardium of Ciona, which will help to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of cardiac myocyte proliferation across chordates.
Project description:Recent whole-genome studies and in-depth expressed sequence tag (EST) analyses have identified most of the developmentally relevant genes in the urochordate, Ciona intestinalis. In this study, we made use of a large-scale oligo-DNA microarray to further investigate and identify genes with specific or correlated expression profiles. This large-scale oligo-DNA microarray for C. intestinalis should facilitate the understanding of global gene expression and gene networks during the development and ageing of a basal chordate. Keywords: gene expression, development, ageing, life cycle