Project description:Aging is a major risk factor for the development of many diseases, and liver as the most important metabolic organ is significantly affected by aging. Earlier studies have shown that liver weight tends to increase and decrease with age in rodents and human, respectively. Intriguingly, the pig has a genomic structure, physiological and biochemical features similar to those of humans, and has been found to be a valuable model for studying human diseases. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms of large mammal’s liver aging in a comprehensive transcriptional level has been poorly understood. Therefore, the pig can be an ideal model animal to clearly and fully understand the molecular mechanism of human liver aging. We have identified many age-related genes in the porcine liver, GO annotation showed that up-regulated genes were mainly related to immune response, and the down-regulated genes were mainly involved in metabolism. Moreover, some lncRNAs and their target genes were also found differentially expressed during liver aging. In addition, we assessed the multi-group cooperative control relationships and constructed circRNA-miRNA co-expression networks during liver aging.
Project description:BackgroundAging is a major risk factor for the development of many diseases, and the liver, as the most important metabolic organ, is significantly affected by aging. It has been shown that the liver weight tends to increase in rodents and decrease in humans with age. Pigs have a genomic structure, with physiological as well as biochemical features that are similar to those of humans, and have therefore been used as a valuable model for studying human diseases. The molecular mechanisms of the liver aging of large mammals on a comprehensive transcriptional level remain poorly understood. The pig is an ideal model animal to clearly and fully understand the molecular mechanism underlying human liver aging.MethodsIn this study, four healthy female Yana pigs (an indigenous Chinese breed) were investigated: two young sows (180-days-old) and two old sows (8-years-old). High throughput RNA sequencing was performed to evaluate the expression profiles of messenger RNA, long non-coding RNAs, micro RNAs, and circular RNAs during the porcine liver aging process. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to investigate the biological functions of age-related genes.ResultsA number of age-related genes were identified in the porcine liver. GO annotation showed that up-regulated genes were mainly related to immune response, while the down-regulated genes were mainly related to metabolism. Moreover, several lncRNAs and their target genes were also found to be differentially expressed during liver aging. In addition, the multi-group cooperative control relationships and constructed circRNA-miRNA co-expression networks were assessed during liver aging.ConclusionsNumerous age-related genes were identified and circRNA-miRNA co-expression networks that are active during porcine liver aging were constructed. These findings contribute to the understanding of the transcriptional foundations of liver aging and also provide further references that clarify human liver aging at the molecular level.
Project description:Using two complementary approaches, analysis of imprinting of candidate genes by pyrosequencing and expression profiling of parthenogenetic fetuses, we carried a comprehensive survey of genomic imprinting in swine. In the case of imprinted genes where transcription of one of the two parental alleles is silenced, uniparental embryos like parthenotes can be used to measure transcript dosage effects. Using Affymetrix Porcine GeneChip microarrays, four tissues of day 30 fetuses were profiled: brain, fibroblast, liver, and placenta. Keywords: Transcriptional profiling of epigenetic asymmetry in porcine day 30 parthenogenetic and biparental fetal tissues 24 samples total of Day 30 occidental porcine fetuses: 2 treatments (parthenote, control); four tissues (brain, fibroblast, liver, placenta); technical replicates (3 fibroblast only)
Project description:Using two complementary approaches, analysis of imprinting of candidate genes by pyrosequencing and expression profiling of parthenogenetic fetuses, we carried a comprehensive survey of genomic imprinting in swine. In the case of imprinted genes where transcription of one of the two parental alleles is silenced, uniparental embryos like parthenotes can be used to measure transcript dosage effects. Using Affymetrix Porcine GeneChip microarrays, four tissues of day 30 fetuses were profiled: brain, fibroblast, liver, and placenta. Keywords: Transcriptional profiling of epigenetic asymmetry in porcine day 30 parthenogenetic and biparental fetal tissues
Project description:Expression profiles of porcine liver and tracheobronchial lung lymph node tissues were studied to identify genes being significantly affected by bacterial infection of the lungs. Samples were taken from liver and tracheobronchial lung lymph node tissues in pigs experimentally infected with A. pleuropneumoniae, serotype 5b, and from healthy non-inoculated control pigs from the same herd. Samples were investigated for changes in gene expression by means of global cDNA microarrays.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Mammalian aging is a highly complex process, a full mechanistic understanding of which is still lacking. One way to help understand the molecular changes underlying aging is through a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome, the primary determinant of age-related phenotypic diversity. Previous studies have relied on microarray analysis to examine gene expression profiles in different tissues of aging organisms. However, studies have shown microarray-based transcriptional profiling is less accurate and not fully capable of capturing certain intricacies of the global transcriptome. METHODS:Here, using directional whole transcriptome RNA-sequencing of aged mouse liver we have identified a comprehensive high-resolution profile of differentially expressed liver transcripts comprised of canonical protein-coding transcripts, transcript isoforms, and non-coding RNA transcripts, including pseudogenes, long non-coding RNAs and small RNA species. RESULTS:Results show extensive age-related changes in every component of the mouse liver transcriptome and a pronounced increase in inter-individual variation. Functional annotation of the protein-coding mRNAs and isoforms indicated broad alterations in immune response, cell activation, metabolic processes, and RNA modification. Interestingly, multiple lncRNAs (Meg3, Rian, Mirg) from the Dlk-Dio3 microRNA locus were found up-regulated in aging liver, classifying this locus as a putative regulatory hotspot locus in aging liver. Moreover, integration of the altered non-coding RNAs and protein-coding transcripts into interaction networks of age-related change revealed inflammation, cellular proliferation, and metabolism as the dominant aging phenotypes in mouse liver. CONCLUSIONS:Our analyses provide the first comprehensive dissection of the transcriptional landscape in aging mouse liver.
Project description:Expression profiles of porcine liver and tracheobronchial lung lymph node tissues were studied to identify genes being significantly affected by bacterial infection of the lungs. Samples were taken from liver and tracheobronchial lung lymph node tissues in pigs experimentally infected with A. pleuropneumoniae, serotype 5b, and from healthy non-inoculated control pigs from the same herd. Samples were investigated for changes in gene expression by means of global cDNA microarrays. Expression profiling of samples of liver and lung lymph node tissues from ten pigs challenged with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and from five healthy control pigs was conducted by hybridising all 2x15 samples against a tissue specific common reference consisting of a pool of equal amount of total-RNA from all samples of each tissue type and were balanced with respect to control and challenged animals.
Project description:To evaluate the roles of gene regulation in porcine liver, dynamic profiles of transcriptome were investigated in swine breeds with different traits of commercial interest, we sampled liver tissues from a Chinese well-known elite native breed of Enshi black pig, a Large White pig, and a Chinese wild boar living within the same environment at the same day-old(90d).
Project description:To evaluate the roles of miRNA in porcine liver, dynamic profiles of microRNAome were investigated in swine breeds with different traits of commercial interest, we sampled liver tissues from a Chinese well-known elite native breed of Enshi black pig, a Large White pig, and a Chinese wild boar living within the same environment at the same day-old(90d).
Project description:Aging significantly affects the cardiac muscle (CM) and skeletal muscles (SM). Since the aging process of CM and SM may be different, high throughput RNA sequencing was performed using CM and SM in different age conditions to evaluate the expression profiles of messenger RNA (mRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), micro RNA (miRNA), and circular (circRNA). Several mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were highly expressed and consistently appeared in both ages in one of the two muscle tissues. Gene ontology (GO) annotation described that these genes were required for maintaining normal biological functions of CM and SM tissues. Furthermore, 26 mRNAs, 4 lncRNAs, 22 miRNAs, and 26 circRNAs were differentially expressed during cardiac muscle aging. Moreover, 81 mRNAs, 5 lncRNAs, 79 miRNAs, and 62 circRNAs were differentially expressed during aging of skeletal muscle. When comparing the expression profiles of CM and SM during aging, the senescence process in CM and SM was found to be fundamentally different. In addition, we assessed multi-group cooperative control relationships and constructed circRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-expression networks in muscular aging. In conclusion, our findings will contribute to the understanding of muscular aging and provide a foundation for future studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying muscular aging.