Project description:Heart development is known to be influenced by haemodynamics, however the effects of abnormal load on gene expression are not clearly defined. To determine the hearts transcriptional response to stress, a model of haemodynamic alteration, outflow tract (OFT) banding, was employed in the chick embryo at HH21. Stereological and expression analysis were performed at HH29, with targeted expression studies at HH35. We defined a phenotype of left sided heart dilation and performed RNA sequencing on OFT-banded hearts compared to Sham controls. Globin transcripts were depleted in the RNA during library preparation, and 28 differentially expressed genes were identified. Expression appeared to represent a mechanism of cardioprotection with calcium sequestering, metabolic and developmental genes highlighted. Significant reductions in apoptosis were also seen. We have presented a model of left sided dilation in OFT-banded hearts and found differential expression of genes that may be associated with stress and maintaining cardiac output.
Project description:The project aims at unraveling the venom repertoire of the lesser banded hornet (Vespa affinis) and investigate the regimes of natural selection underpinning their venom evolution. The study also sheds light on the clinical repercussions of the V. affinis venom.
Project description:In the present study we aimed to investigate whether alterations in left ventricular myocardial micro-RNA (miRNA) expression and post-transcriptional gene regulation might contribute to the development of systolic heart failure in aortic-banded (AB) rats. Hence, in young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats abdominal AB was carried out. In 10% of the AB animals, congestive systolic heart failure developed after 12 weeks of follow-up. These rats made up the AB-heart failure group. On the other hand, in the majority of the AB rats (almost 90%), heart failure signs were not present. These rats made up the AB-hypertrophy group. Additionally, sham-operated animals served as controls. miRNA profiling was conducted in all the three experimental groups. Based on the NGS data, network theoretical miRNA-target analysis was than performed to predict target genes. The mRNA expression of the predicted genes were finally measured by qPCR.