Project description:Muscle is highly hierarchically organized, with functions shaped by genetically controlled expression of protein ensembles with different isoform profiles at the sarcomere scale. However, it remains unclear how isoform profiles shape whole-muscle performance. We compared two mouse hindlimb muscles, the slow, relatively parallel-fibered soleus and the faster, more pennate-fibered tibialis anterior (TA), across scales: from gene regulation, isoform expression and translation speed, to force-length-velocity-power for intact muscles. Expression of myosin heavy-chain (MHC) isoforms directly corresponded with contraction velocity. The fast-twitch TA with fast MHC isoforms had faster unloaded velocities (actin sliding velocity, Vactin; peak fiber velocity, Vmax) than the slow-twitch soleus. For the soleus, Vactin was biased towards Vactin for purely slow MHC I, despite this muscle's even fast and slow MHC isoform composition. Our multi-scale results clearly identified a consistent and significant dampening in fiber shortening velocities for both muscles, underscoring an indirect correlation between Vactin and fiber Vmax that may be influenced by differences in fiber architecture, along with internal loading due to both passive and active effects. These influences correlate with the increased peak force and power in the slightly more pennate TA, leading to a broader length range of near-optimal force production. Conversely, a greater force-velocity curvature in the near-parallel fibered soleus highlights the fine-tuning by molecular-scale influences including myosin heavy and light chain expression along with whole-muscle characteristics. Our results demonstrate that the individual gene, protein and whole-fiber characteristics do not directly reflect overall muscle performance but that intricate fine-tuning across scales shapes specialized muscle function.
Project description:To identify the cuticular proteins in developing wing scales of Bombyx mori, we performed LC-MS/MS analysis of dissoliving developing wing scales from Bombyx mori
Project description:To identify the cuticular proteins in developing wing scales of Bombyx mori, we performed LC-MS/MS analysis of dissoliving developing wing scales from Bombyx mori
Project description:To identify the cuticular proteins in developing wing scales of Bombyx mori, we performed LC-MS/MS analysis of dissoliving developing wing scales from Bombyx mori
Project description:Birds and other reptiles possess a diversity of feather and scale-like skin appendages. Feathers are commonly assumed to have originated from ancestral scales in theropod dinosaurs. However, most birds also have scaled feet, indicating birds evolved the capacity to grow both ancestral and derived morphologies. This suggests a more complex evolutionary history than a simple linear transition between feathers and scales. We set out to investigate the evolution of feathers via the comparison of transcriptomes assembled from diverse skin appendages in chicken, emu, and alligator. Our data reveal that feathers and the overlapping ‘scutate’ scales of birds share more similar gene expression to each other, and to two types of alligator scales, than they do to the tuberculate ‘reticulate’ scales on bird footpads. Accordingly, we propose a history of skin appendage diversification, in which feathers and bird scutate scales arose from ancestral archosaur body scales, whereas reticulate scales arose earlier in tetrapod evolution. We also show that many “feather-specific genes” are also expressed in alligator scales. In-situ hybridization results in feather buds suggest that these genes represent ancestral scale genes that acquired novel roles in feather morphogenesis and were repressed in bird scales. Our findings suggest that the differential reuse, in feathers, and suppression, in bird scales, of genes ancestrally expressed in archosaur scales has been a key factor in the origin of feathers – and may represent an important mechanism for the origin of evolutionary novelties.
Project description:Epidermal keratinocytes form cornified skin appendages such as scutate scales on the legs of birds. Here, we investigated the molecular pathways of keratinocyte differentiation in chicken scutate scales by single cell transcriptomics. We identified two distinct populations of differentiated keratinocytes. The first type of differentiated keratinocytes is characterized by mRNAs encoding scale-type corneous beta-proteins (CBPs), also known as beta-keratins and cysteine-rich keratins, indicating that these cells form hard scales. The second type of differentiated keratinocytes contains mRNAs encoding keratinocyte-type CBPs and cysteine-poor keratins, indicating that these cells form the soft interscale epidermis. Immunostaining with a newly raised antibody confirmed that keratin 9-like cysteine-rich 2 (KRT9LC2) or Hard Acid Sauropsid-specific 2 (HAS2) keratin, which is a marker of the first type of keratinocytes, is expressed in the suprabasal epidermal layers of scutate scales but not in interscale epidermis. Furthermore, mRNA of CTNN1B, previously implicated in scale placode formation, was enriched in differentiated scale keratinocytes, whereas genes involved in lipid metabolism, such as ELOVL4 and FADS1 were enriched in keratinocytes of the interscale epidermis. In conclusion, this study defines the gene expression programs that build the scutate scales and interscale epidermis of birds.
Project description:NANOG is a key stem cell pluripotency factor. NANOG’s unique ability to form prion-like assemblies provides a cooperative and concerted DNA bridging mechanism essential for chromatin reorganization and dose-sensitive activation of ground state pluripotency. We take advantage of Hi-C and ChIP-seq experiments to directly address whether NANOG can bridge DNA elements together in human cells, and our results support this.
Project description:It has been reported that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) act on calcified tissue and suppress osteoblastic activity in the scales of teleost fish. In the present study, the differentially-expressed genes in the zebrafish scales treated with benzo[c]phenanthrene (BcP), a kind of PAH, or its metabolite 3-hydroxybenzo[c]phenanthrene (3-OHBcP) were investigated using GeneChip® oligonucleotide microarrays.