Project description:We report the identification of immature thymic CD4(-),CD8(-) double-negative (DN)1e cells with the NKT cell lineage potential. We also analyzed the gene expression profiles of DN1e thymocytes compared with those of mature thymic NKT cell developmental stages termed NKT stage-1, 2, and -3, which are characterized by differential expression levels of NK1.1 and CD44 antigens in C57BL/6 mouse strain. Next generation sequencing of total transcriptomes using total RNA isolated from FACS sorted ex vivo thymic DN1eP (Lin-/CD44+/CD25-/CD24low/CD5+/CD27+/Ly108-/CXCR3+) fraction, and mature thymic alphaGalCer-loaded CD1d dimer+TCRbeta+ NKT cell developmental stage-1 (CD44-/NK1.1-), stage-2 (CD44+/NK1.1-), and stage-3 (CD44+/NK1.1+) cells.
Project description:We report the identification of immature thymic CD4(-),CD8(-) double-negative (DN)1e cells with the NKT cell lineage potential. We also analyzed the gene expression profiles of DN1e thymocytes compared with those of mature thymic NKT cell developmental stages termed NKT stage-1, 2, and -3, which are characterized by differential expression levels of NK1.1 and CD44 antigens in C57BL/6J mouse strain.
Project description:Introgressed variants from other species can be an important source of genetic variation because they may arise rapidly, can include multiple mutations on a single haplotype, and have often been pretested by selection in the species of origin. Although introgressed alleles are generally deleterious, several studies have reported introgression as the source of adaptive alleles-including the rodenticide-resistant variant of Vkorc1 that introgressed from Mus spretus into European populations of Mus musculus domesticus. Here, we conducted bidirectional genome scans to characterize introgressed regions into one wild population of M. spretus from Spain and three wild populations of M. m. domesticus from France, Germany, and Iran. Despite the fact that these species show considerable intrinsic postzygotic reproductive isolation, introgression was observed in all individuals, including in the M. musculus reference genome (GRCm38). Mus spretus individuals had a greater proportion of introgression compared with M. m. domesticus, and within M. m. domesticus, the proportion of introgression decreased with geographic distance from the area of sympatry. Introgression was observed on all autosomes for both species, but not on the X-chromosome in M. m. domesticus, consistent with known X-linked hybrid sterility and inviability genes that have been mapped to the M. spretus X-chromosome. Tract lengths were generally short with a few outliers of up to 2.7 Mb. Interestingly, the longest introgressed tracts were in olfactory receptor regions, and introgressed tracts were significantly enriched for olfactory receptor genes in both species, suggesting that introgression may be a source of functional novelty even between species with high barriers to gene flow.
Project description:We report the application of single-molecule-based sequencing technology for mapping the Egr2 transcriptional program in developing thymic NKT. We found that Egr2 controls the induction of genes required for NKT development. Examination of developing NKT cells and thymocytes receiving a strong TCR signal in vivo by injecting 500ug anti-TCRb antibody.
Project description:Semi-invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells are thymus-derived innate lymphocytes that modulate microbial and tumour immunity as well as autoimmune diseases. These immunoregulatory properties of NKT cells are acquired during their development. Much has been learnt regarding the molecular and cellular cues that promote NKT cell development, yet how these cells are maintained in the thymus and the periphery and how they acquire functional competence are incompletely understood. We found that IL-15 induced several Bcl-2 family survival factors in thymic and splenic NKT cells in vitro. Yet, IL15-mediated thymic and peripheral NKT cell survival critically depended on Bcl-xL expression. Additionally, IL-15 regulated thymic developmental stage 2 (ST2) to ST3 lineage progression and terminal NKT cell differentiation. Global gene expression analyses and validation revealed that IL-15 regulated Tbx21 (T-bet) expression in thymic ST3 NKT cells. The loss of IL15-dependent T-bet expression resulted in poor expression of IFN-γ and several NK cell receptors in NKT cells. Taken together, our findings reveal a critical role for IL-15 in NKT cell survival, which is mediated by Bcl-xL, and effector differentiation, which is regulated by T-bet. Gene expression was measured in NKT cells sorted from pooled thymi of wild-type (3 replicates) or IL-15 deficient (2 replicates) mice.