Project description:H5N1 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has been spreading to Asia, Eurasia and African coutries. An original or six of recombinant H5N1 subtype influenza viruses with varying survivability were infected to chickens for elucidating genes correlated with pathogenicity. Two chickens were infected with each 10^6EID50/ head virus intranasally, and their lung was collected from infected chicken at 24 hours after infection.
Project description:Generation of genetically uniformed individuals from somatic cells is an effective approach for large-scale reproduction of elite varieties and a powerful tool for restoration of endangered species. However, this technique has never been realized in avian due to their oviparous reproduction pattern. In this study, we produced cloned-like chicken by allogeneic transplantation of somatic cells induced primordial germ cells (PGCs). Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and Lin28A (OSNL) factors were employed to reprogram primary chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) to pluripotent stem cells (iPS), in which DNA demethylation and histone acetylation were found to increase the efficiency to 13.00%. The obtained iPS presented embryonic stem cell like characters and were further induced to PGCs by BMP4/BMP8b/EGF, in which histone acetylation and glycolysis inhibition elevated the induction rate to 17.30% and 16.41%, respectively. With the optimized system, we induced Black Langshan Chicken (Gallus domestiaus, black feather) donated CEF to PGCs and transplanted them into the Recessive White Chicken (white feather) embryos. The transplanted cells migrated into the genital ridges and produced functional sperm or oocytes. The sexual matured recipients were self-crossed, with 189/509 (37.13%) cloned-like chicken produced. Microsatellite analysis confirmed their DNA inheritance from the black donor chicken. Thus, we demonstrated, for the first time, the feasibility of avian cloning from somatic cells.
Project description:The inner ear utilizes sensory hair cells as mechano-electric transducers for sensing sound and balance. In mammals, these hair cells lack the capacity for regeneration. Unlike mammals, hair cells from non-mammalian vertebrates, such as birds, can be regenerated throughout the life of the organism making them a useful model for studying inner ear genetics pathways. The zinc finger transcription factor GATA3 is required for inner ear development and mutations cause sensory neural deafness in humans. In the avian cochlea GATA3 is expressed throughout the sensory epithelia; however, expression is limited to the striola of the utricle. The striola corresponds to an abrupt change in morphologically distinct hair cell types and a 180° shift in hair cell orientation. We used 3 complimentary approaches to identify potential downstream targets of GATA3 in the avian utricle. Specifically we used microarray expression profiling of GATA3 knockdown by siRNA and GATA3 over-expression treatments as well as direct comparisons of GATA3 expressing cells from the striola and non GATA3 expressing cells from the extra-striola.
Project description:Purpose: the goal of this study is to analyse various chicken stem cell lines and to compare them with both primary somatic fibroblasts and blastodermal cells derived from pre-gastrulating embryos Methods: NGS RNA-sequencing was performed on chicken primary embryonic fibroblasts (CEF), embryonic stem cells (cESC), on blastodermal cells of EGK-X EGK-XII stages embryos (BCs), long term in vitro cultured primordial germ cells (PGCs) as specific chicken stem cells and reprogrammed cells (1A, 1D, 3E, 3F) derived from CEF by somatic reprogramming process. The librairies were prepared using the TruSeq R Stranded mRNA sample preparation kit (Illumina). The paired-end sequencing was performed on the NextSeq 500 sequencer (Illumina) and controlled by the Seqencing Analysis viewer software (Illumina). The quality control of the Sample-ID.fastq files was performed with the FasQC software (Babraham Institute). Results: the total number of reads ranges from was of 80 millions to 145 millions.
Project description:A minor population of M cells within the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) of intestinal Peyer’s patches (PP) serves as a major portal for entry of exogenous antigens. Characterization of the mammalian M cells, including identification of M-cell surface molecules used for bacterial uptake, has been hampered by their relative rarity. In contrast, M cells constitute virtually all of the FAE cells in the avian bursa of Fabricius. We therefore performed comparative gene expression profiling of chicken and murine FAE to identify commonly expressed genes by M cells in both species. The comprehensive transcriptome analysis revealed that 28 genes were commonly up-regulated in FAE from both species. In situ hybridization (ISH) revealed that annexin A10 (Anxa10) mRNA was scattered in FAE, and co-localized with Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1(UEA-1) that binds to M cells. Whole-mount immunostaining also revealed that cellular prion protein (PrPC) was expressed on the luminal side of the apical plasma membrane of M cells, and co-localized with grycoprotein2 (GP2) that recognizes only M cells in murine PP. Taken together, we found new M-cell-specific molecules by using comprehensive transcriptome analysis. These molecules conserved in M cells from both species might play critical roles in M-cell function and/or differentiation.
Project description:It has been suggested that the transcription factor Nanog is essential for the establishment of pluripotency during the derivation of embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. However, successful reprogramming to pluripotency with a growing list of divergent transcription factors, at ever increasing efficiencies, suggests that there may be many distinct routes to a pluripotent state. Here, we have investigated whether Nanog is necessary for reprogramming murine fibroblasts under highly efficient conditions using the canonical reprogramming factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and cMyc. In agreement with prior results, the efficiency of reprogramming Nanog-/- fibroblasts was significantly lower than that of control fibroblasts. However, in contrast to previous findings, we were able to reproducibly generate iPS cells from Nanog-/- fibroblasts that effectively contributed to chimeric mice. Thus while Nanog may be an important mediator of reprogramming it is not required for establishing pluripotency in the mouse, even under standard conditions. In order to further evaluate the equivalency of Nanog null iPSC to nanog null ESCs, we have performed RNAseq on two independent nanog null iPSC lines, as well as Nanog Null ESC, WT ESC and iPSCs as well as MEFs. As a negativve control for reprogramming we have analyzed a partially reprogrammed iPSC line. 2-4 biological replicates each of 7 conditions (WT MEFs, WT ESC, WT iPSC, WT partially reprogrammed iPSC (piPS), Nanog null ESC, Nanog null iPSC clone G2 and Nanog null iPSC clone G5)
Project description:The inner ear utilizes sensory hair cells as mechano-electric transducers for sensing sound and balance. In mammals, these hair cells lack the capacity for regeneration. Unlike mammals, hair cells from non-mammalian vertebrates, such as birds, can be regenerated throughout the life of the organism making them a useful model for studying inner ear genetics pathways. The zinc finger transcription factor GATA3 is required for inner ear development and mutations cause sensory neural deafness in humans. In the avian cochlea GATA3 is expressed throughout the sensory epithelia; however, expression is limited to the striola of the utricle. The striola corresponds to an abrupt change in morphologically distinct hair cell types and a 180° shift in hair cell orientation. We used 3 complimentary approaches to identify potential downstream targets of GATA3 in the avian utricle. Specifically we used microarray expression profiling of GATA3 knockdown by siRNA and GATA3 over-expression treatments as well as direct comparisons of GATA3 expressing cells from the striola and non GATA3 expressing cells from the extra-striola. To identify genes that are co-expressed with GATA3 at the striola reversal zone, we compared gene expression in cells micro-dissected from the sensory epithelia of the chick utricle striola to cells from the surrounding extra-striola. There are 2 biological samples and experiments include technical replicates as well as dye-switches for a total of 8 microarrays.