Project description:HIF-metagene identifies hypoxic or constitutive HIF activation in scRNA-seq. Hypoxic normal cells have higher HIF-metagene scores than normoxic normal cells, and ccRCC tumour cells (harbouring VHL inactivation) have higher HIF-metagene score than normal cells.
Project description:Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype and the lack of specific signature makes difficult the development of targeted therapeutic strategy. We previously found that PRICKLE1, an evolutionary conserved protein acting as a regulator of vertebrate development, is upregulated in TNBC. Proteomic approaches allowed us to decipher the protein complex associated to PRICKLE1 in TNBC. Within that complex, we identified a large subset of proteins involved in the regulation of Rho-GTPase family members. We build a metagene with regulators of small G-protein activity and we found that this metagene is overexpressed in TNBC and is a poor prognosis marker. We analyzed the combination of the metagene expression and PRICKLE1 expression and identified that combined expression of ECT2 and PRICKLE1 provides a worst prognosis than PRICKLE1 expression alone in TNBC. ECT2 is a GEF for Rac1 and we showed that PRICKLE1 regulate the enzymatic activity of ECT2. Finally, we also observed that Ect2 and Prickle1 are functionally connected during evolution since both act synergistically to coordinate cellular movement during vertebrate gastrulation. Our results demonstrate the pivotal role of PRICKLE1 in TNBC and build the path for development of targeted therapeutic strategies to heal TNBC patients.
Project description:Although mechanisms underlying early steps in cerebellar development are known, evidence is lacking on genetic and epigenetic changes during the establishment of the synaptic circuitry. Using metagene analysis, we report pivotal changes in multiple reactomes of epigenetic pathway genes in cerebellar granule cells (GCs) during circuit formation. During this stage, Tet genes are up-regulated and vitamin C activation of Tet enzymes increases the levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) at exon start sites of up-regulated genes, notably axon guidance genes and ion channel genes. Knockdown of Tet1 and Tet3 by RNA interference in ex vivo cerebellar slice cultures inhibits dendritic arborization of developing GCs, a critical step in circuit formation. These findings demonstrate a role for Tet genes and chromatin remodeling genes in the formation of cerebellar circuitry. 5hmC-enriched genomic DNA fragments were purified with a selective labeling strategy known as hMe-Seal and carried out DNA deep sequencing using Illumina HiSeq 2500.
Project description:We identified and validated the pivotal role for a metagene containing IFN-induced genes in association to higher metastatic potential as a function of the specific molecular subtype
Project description:To determine if MCPyV ST was recruited to chromatin together with MAX and the TRRAP complex, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) using the validated antibodies to MCPyV ST produced in our lab, HA tagged ST, MAX and EP400 followed by next generation sequencing. De novo DNA motif analysis revealed that the canonical E-box MYC target sequence was the most frequently observed motif. Metagene analysis revealed that antibodies to MAX, EP400, ST (Ab5) and HA tagged ST showed strong enrichment in transcription start site (TSS). H3K4me3 ChIP-seq confirmed that the peaks enriched with antibodies to MAX, EP400 and ST all centered on the H3K4me3 peaks with a high degree of overlap.
Project description:Background: The soil environment is responsible for sustaining most terrestrial plant life on earth, yet we know surprisingly little about the important functions carried out by diverse microbial communities in soil. Soil microbes that inhabit the channels of decaying root systems, the detritusphere, are likely to be essential for plant growth and health, as these channels are the preferred locations of new root growth. Understanding the microbial metagenome of the detritusphere and how it responds to agricultural management such as crop rotations and soil tillage will be vital for improving global food production. Methods: The rhizosphere soils of wheat and chickpea growing under + and - decaying root were collected for metagenomics sequencing. A gene catalogue was established by de novo assembling metagenomic sequencing. Genes abundance was compared between bulk soil and rhizosphere soils under different treatments. Conclusions: The study describes the diversity and functional capacity of a high-quality soil microbial metagenome. The results demonstrate the contribution of the microbiome from decaying root in determining the metagenome of developing root systems, which is fundamental to plant growth, since roots preferentially inhabit previous root channels. Modifications in root microbial function through soil management, can ultimately govern plant health, productivity and food security.