Project description:The adult vertebrate red spotted newt is a champion of regeneration, demonstrating an amazing ability to regenerate damaged organs and tissues back to an uninjured state without the formation of scar or reduction in function. By developing a novel cardiac resection strategy, our group recently demonstrated that newt hearts could morphologically and functionally regenerate, without scarring, within a period of 2-3 months following injury. MicroRNAs (miRs) have been widely publicized as essential post-transcriptional gene regulators in a variety of biological processes, including regeneration. We have conducted a microarray screen for vertebrate miRs, with several candidate miRs showing significant differential expression at important time-points following injury to the newt heart. The newt microRNA expression between uninjured hearts and regenerating hearts, 7 and 21 days post-injury (dpi), was compared by microarray analysis. Three paired samples were analyzed: Uninjured, 7dpi and 21dpi newt hearts. Three arrays were hybridized comparing two-paired samples each time.
Project description:The adult vertebrate red spotted newt is a champion of regeneration, demonstrating an amazing ability to regenerate damaged organs and tissues back to an uninjured state without the formation of scar or reduction in function. By developing a novel cardiac resection strategy, our group recently demonstrated that newt hearts could morphologically and functionally regenerate, without scarring, within a period of 2-3 months following injury. MicroRNAs (miRs) have been widely publicized as essential post-transcriptional gene regulators in a variety of biological processes, including regeneration. We have conducted a microarray screen for vertebrate miRs, with several candidate miRs showing significant differential expression at important time-points following injury to the newt heart. The newt microRNA expression between uninjured hearts and regenerating hearts, 7 and 21 days post-injury (dpi), was compared by microarray analysis.
Project description:To obtain a quick glimpse into possible function of five novel Notopthalmus viridescens (newt) genes (and given certain restrains with transgenic newts, such as time) we express these genes using transgenic Drosophila melanogaster. We generated the transgenic flies containing newt candidate genes, and prepared samples for RNA sequencing to evaluate the overall role of candidate genes in tissue development and layout map for future studies.
Project description:MicroRNA sequencing using Ion Torrent Proton platform of the undamaged heart of the red spotted newt Notophthalmus viridescens. MicroRNAS were identified using MIRPIPE
Project description:In this study, we show that by simple modulation of extrinsic signaling pathways, a new class of pluripotent stem cells, referred to as region selective epiblast stem cells (rsEpiSCs), could be efficiently derived from different stages of the early embryo. rsEpiSCs share features of primed pluripotency yet are distinct from EpiSCs in their molecular characteristics and ability to colonize post-implantation embryos. We performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) experiments to compare the DNA methylation landscapes of conventional EpiSCs and rsEpiSCs. Compare the DNA methylation profiles in 2 pluripotent stem cell types (LP-EpiSCs and conventional EpiSCs) in mouse. Two replicates are examined for each cell type.
Project description:In Arabidopsis thaliana a high rate of spontaneous epigenetic variation can occur in the DNA methylome in the absence of genetic variation and selection. It has been of great interest, whether natural epigenetic variation is subject to selection and contributes to fitness and adaptation in selective environments. We compared the variation in selected phenotypic traits, genome-wide cytosine DNA methylation and gene expression in two Arabidopsis recombinant inbred lines, which had undergone five generations of selection in experimental landscapes relative to their genetically identical ancestors. Selected populations exerted significant differences in flowering time and the number of branches and fruits, differences that were maintained over two to three generations in the absence of selection. We identified 4,629 and 5,158 differentially methylated cytosines which were overrepresented in genes that regulate flowering time, epigenetic processes, development and morphogenesis. Differentially methylated genes were enriched in differentially expressed genes. Thus, epigenetic variation is subject to selection and may play an important role in the adaptive response of populations in rapidly changing natural environments. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole-plant above-ground tissue of individual 25-day-old plants with the Qiagen DNeasy kit (Qiagen). DNA from two randomly chosen CVL39 individuals from ancestral (A3) lines and from 7 selected (S3) lines that had experienced 5 generations of selection in the three replicated dynamic landscapes (2xD1, 3xD5,2xD6) was sequenced (paired-end, 100 bp) using the Illumina Highseq 2000 Instrument. Single nucleotide polymorphisms and TE insertions were mapped with respect to the recombinant reference genome and compared between selected and ancestral lines.