Project description:We report the application of the Illumina/Solexa sequencing-by-synthesis platform to analysis differential expression genes of two key tissues (brain and adipose tissue) during hibernation vs. aroused state, with a hibernating bat species (Myotis ricketti) as model. Total of 12272 genes were identified including 11291 genes in brain and 10691 genes in adipose tissue. Chi-square test indicated that 1943 and 3673 genes in brain and adipose tissues respectively reached the significant level (P ⤠0.01), including 1243 up-regulated and 700 down-regulated genes in hibernating brain and 2621 up-regulated and 1052 down-regulated genes in hibernating adipose tissue. This study provide opportunity to in-deep analysis the molecular mechanism of hibernating regualtion.
Project description:Bats are a major reservoir of zoonotic viruses, and there has been growing interest in characterizing bat-specific features of innate immunity and inflammation. Recent studies have revealed bat-specific adaptations affecting interferon (IFN) signaling and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), but we still have a limited understanding of the genetic mechanisms that have shaped the evolution of bat immunity. Here we investigated the transcriptional and epigenetic dynamics of transposable elements (TEs) during the type I IFN response in little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) primary embryonic fibroblast cells, using RNA-seq and CUT&RUN. We found multiple bat-specific TEs that undergo both locus-specific and family-level transcriptional upregulation in response to IFN. Our transcriptome reassembly identified multiple ISGs that have acquired novel exons from bat-specific TEs, including NRLC5, SLNF5 and a previously unannotated isoform of the IFITM2 gene. We also identified examples of TE-derived regulatory elements, but did not find strong evidence supporting genome-wide epigenetic activation of TEs in response to IFN. Collectively, our study uncovers numerous TE-derived transcripts, proteins, and alternative isoforms that are induced by IFN in Myotis lucifugus cells, highlighting potential candidate loci that contribute to bat-specific immune function.