Project description:SERPINA11 is a hitherto poorly characterised gene belonging to Clade A of the SERPIN superfamily. The exact functional significance and expression pattern of this gene remains unknown. Here we report a perinatal lethal phenotype associated with biallelic loss of function variants in SERPINA11, and characterised by gross and histopathological features of extracellular matrix disruption. We found SERPINA11 protein expression in multiple mouse tissues and human fetal lungs. Immunofluorescence of the affected fetal lung revealed markedly reduced expression of SERPINA11 protein compared with healthy, gestation matched human fetal lung. Protein expression data from HEK293T cell lines following site directed mutagenesis is also presented to support the loss of function nature of the variant. This novel serpinopathy appears to be a consequence of loss of inhibition of serine proteases involved in extracellular matrix remodelling, revealing SERPINA11 as a protease inhibitor critical for embryonic development.
Project description:Generating effective therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders has remained elusive. An emerging drug discovery approach for neurodevelopmental disorders is to characterize transcriptome wide dysregulation in an appropriate model system and screen therapeutics based on their capacity to restore functionally relevant expression patterns. We characterized transcriptomic dysregulation in a human model of HNRNPU-related disorder to explore the potential of such a paradigm. We identified widespread dysregulation in functionally relevant pathways and then compared dysregulation in a human model to transcriptomic differences in embryonic and perinatal mice to determine whether dysregulation in an in vitro human model is partially replicated in an in vivo model of HNRNPU-related disorder. Strikingly, we find enrichment of co-dysregulation between 45-day-old human organoids and embryonic, but not perinatal, mice from distinct models of HNRNPU-related disorder. Thus, hnRNPU deficient human organoids may only be suitable to model transcriptional dysregulation in certain cell types within a specific developmental time window.
Project description:Whole genome gene expression and single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays were used to characterise a novel immunodeficiency disorder, Herbert's Syndrome.
Project description:Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), a global health burden, is strongly associated with age-related renal function decline, hypertension and diabetes, frequent consequences of obesity. Despite extensive studies the mechanisms determining susceptibility to CKD remain elusive. Clinical evidence together with prior studies from our group showed that perinatal metabolic disorders after maternal obesity adversely affect kidney structure and function throughout life. Since obesity and aging processes converge in similar pathways we tested if perinatal obesity induced by High-Fat Diet (HFD)-fed female mice sensitizes aging-associated mechanism in kidneys of newborn mice. Tissue from the kidney cortex and the kidney medulla was collected from offspring of control or HFD-fed mice.
Project description:Whole genome gene expression and single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays were used to characterise a novel immunodeficiency disorder, Herbert's Syndrome. Affymetrix 250K Sty arrays run through genomic DNA from peripheral blood of case and control subjects, used for DNA copy number analysis. Affymetrix HU133 Plus 2.0 microarrays run through total-RNA from peripheral blood of case and control subjects, used for differential gene expression analysis.
Project description:In order to understand the transcriptional regulatory program of cardiomyocytes perinatal transition, we mapped chromatin accessibility, transcription-centered long-range chromatin interactions as well as gene expression in cardiomyocyte undergoing perinatal transition.