Project description:This study aimed to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of liver regeneration in sharks and to identify the microRNAs that participate in liver regeneration and other liver-related diseases. To this end, normal and regenerating liver tissues from C. plagiosum were harvested 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after partial hepatectomy (PH) and were sequenced using the Illumina/Solexa platform. In total, 309 known microRNAs and 590 novel microRNAs were identified in C. plagiosum. There were 368 microRNAs differentially expressed between the normal and regenerating livers. Using target prediction and GO analysis, most of the differentially expressed microRNAs were assigned to functional categories that may be involved in regulating liver regeneration, such as cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Additionally, this study adds several novel microRNAs to the database, which will help identify microRNAs in other genetically related species and provides a starting point for future studies aimed at understanding the roles of microRNAs in liver regeneration and other liver diseases.
Project description:IgNAR exhibits significant promise in the fields of cancer and anti-virus biotherapies. Notably, the variable regions of IgNAR (VNAR) possess comparable antigen binding affinity with much smaller molecular weight (~12 kDa) compared to IgNAR. Antigen specific VNAR screening is a changeling work, which limits its application in medicine and therapy fields. Though phage display is a powerful tool for VNAR screening, it has a lot of drawbacks, such as small library coverage, low expression levels, unstable target protein, complicating and time-consuming procedures. Here we report VNAR screening with next generation sequencing (NGS) could effectively overcome the limitations of phage display, and we successfully identified approximately 3000 BAFF-specific VNARs in Chiloscyllium plagiosum vaccinated with the BAFF antigen. The results of modelling and molecular dynamics simulation and ELISA assay demonstrated that one out of the top five abundant specific VNARs exhibited higher binding affinity to the BAFF antigen than those obtained through phage display screening. Our data indicates NGS would be an alternative way for VNAR screening with plenty of advantages.
Project description:Objective Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed, endogenous non-coding RNAs. CircRNAs play a vital role in liver diseases, acting as microRNA (miRNA) sponges. However, the angiogenic role of circRNA remains unknown in liver fibrosis and is the focus of this study. Methods Liver fibrosis was induced by thioacetamide (TAA), or carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice. CircRNA-microarray, AGO2-RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and RNA-seq were utilized to explore the hepatic circRNAs profile. The qPCR and PCR-gel electrophoresis analysis were used to investigate the characterization of circRNA-007371. Liver tissues and EMOA murine endothelial cells were used to verify the angiogenic mechanism of circRNA-007371. Results The increased collagen deposition, pseudolobule formation, and angiogenesis were observed in murine liver induced by TAA and CCl4. CircRNA-microarray in TAA-induced fibrotic murine liver indicated that the expression of circRNA-007371 was up-regulated. Moreover, AGO2-RIP and PCR analysis showed that circRNA-007371 had the characterization of circRNAs and played a role as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) sponging miR-200a. In vitro, circRNA-007371 promoted the ability of migration, growth, and blood vessel formation in EMOA murine endothelial cells using wound healing and tube formation assay. The AGO2-RIP and RNA-sequencing analysis in overexpression circRNA-007371 EMOA murine endothelial cells demonstrated that circRNA-007371 upregulates the stromal antigen 1 (Stag1) via spouse of miR-200a and HIF-1 signaling pathway might participate in the angiogenesis. Conclusions This study discovers that circRNA-007371, a novel ceRNA, is up-regulated, and enhances the angiogenesis via angiocrine role to regulate the STAG1-miR-200a-5p signaling pathway in liver fibrosis.
Project description:Whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum), a member of the cartilaginous fish family, has an extremely large liver and demonstrates a strong regeneration ability and immune regulation. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) is an important class of non-coding RNAs. Increasing evidences suggest that circRNAs are a kind of potential regulators. Recently, researchers have isolated and identified different circRNAs from various species, while few reports were on the circRNAs of C. plagiosum. In this study, we have identified a total of 4,558 circRNAs in the liver of C. plagiosum. This finding suggests that circRNAs are not evenly distributed in the chromosomes and follow the GT-AG rule during cyclization. Alternative back-splicing might exist in shark circRNAs as shown by the authenticity identification of predicted circRNAs. The binding strength of circRNAs (<2,000 bp) and the detected miRNAs in shark liver were simultaneously analyzed to construct an mRNA-miRNA-circRNA network for the Glutathione S-transferase P1 gene, and the circRNA authenticity was simultaneously verified. Our data provide not only novel insights into the rich existence of circRNAs in marine animals, but also a basis for characterizing functions of identified circRNAs in the liver homeostasis of C. plagiosum.