Project description:To investigate whether Mboat7 KO mice showed any abnormality before E11.5, we evaluated the global gene expression patterns in the cortices of Mboat7 heterozygous mice and KO mice at E11.5 using RNA-sequencing. No significant differences in gene expression were observed, suggesting that Mboat7 KO mice develop normally until E11.5. Even at E12.5 when the phenotype starts to become apparent, little difference in gene expression were observed in Mboat7 KO mice.
Project description:Purpose: The goals of this study are to compare transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) resulting from a Mesp1Cre driven ablation of Hira in the heart at E11.5 and E12.5. Methods: RNA extraction was done in triplicate from Mesp1Cre;Hira-/fl and Mesp1Cre;Hira+/fl embryonic hearts at E11.5 and E12.5 using the QIAGEN RNeasy mini kit. RNAseq was processed by the ICH genomics facility, reads were aligned and normalised using BOWTIE and DEseq R package. Strand NGS 2.5 software was used to re-analyse the aligned files (.bam). By applying the Mann Whitney unpaired test, Benjamini Hochberg False discovery rate (FDR) and filtering the genes using adjusted p-value ≤ 0.05 and absolute fold change ≥ 1.5, 95 % of the results were identical to the DEseq package used by the UCL Genomics facility. Results: We identified 360 coding transcripts changed in the mutant hearts (Mann Whitney unpaired test, Benjamini Hochberg FDR, p ≤ 0.05, FC ≥ 1.5) with no trend towards up- or down-regulation of global transcription (48.8% down vs 51.2% up) at E12.5. Conclusions: This work analyses the role of HIRA in mouse cardiac development. It was found that Tnni2 is the most upregulated gene in the absence of Hira. qRT-PCR validation of 25 targets. Little (<5%) or no variation of fold change between RNAseq and qRT-PCR data were observed.
Project description:Lmx1b regulates dorsalization of limb fates, but the mechanism of this regulation has not been characterized. To identify candidate genes regulated by Lmx1b we compared the limbs from Lmx1b KO mice to wild type mice during limb dorsalization (e11.5-13.5). Differentially expressed genes that we common to all three stages examined were considered to be likely candidates for Lmx1b regulation and further evaluated.
Project description:We sought to identify gene expression signatures confined to the small group of cells at the fissure margins that are involved in OFC. Serial cryosections perpendicular to the optic fissure were prepared from mouse embryonic eyes (n=3 at E11.5 and n=3 at E12.5). The fissure margins and a corresponding control region of dorsal optic cup were isolated using laser capture microdissection. This study design aimed to identify the signature of gene expression in the OFC margins and to identify those genes that were more highly expressed along the ventral (inferior) fissure compared to the opposing dorsal (superior region). Fissure closure is active at E11.5 and complete by E12.5
Project description:Objective: The rs641738C>T variant located near the membrane-bound O-acyltransferase domain containing 7 (MBOAT7) locus is associated with fibrosis in liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcohol-related liver disease, hepatitis B and C. We aim to understand the mechanism by which the rs641738C>T variant contributes to pathogenesis of NAFLD. Design: Mice with hepatocyte-specific deletion of MBOAT7 (Mboat7 Δhep) were generated and livers were characterised by histology, flow cytometry, qPCR, RNA sequencing and lipidomics. We analysed the association of rs641738C>T genotype with liver inflammation and fibrosis in 846 NAFLD patients and obtained genotype-specific liver lipidomes from 280 human biopsies. Results: Allelic imbalance analysis of heterozygous human liver samples pointed to lower expression of the MBOAT7 transcript on the rs641738C>T haplotype. Mboat7 Δhep mice showed spontaneous steatosis characterised by increased hepatic cholesterol ester content after 10 weeks. After 6 weeks on a high fat, methionine-low, choline-deficient diet, mice developed increased hepatic fibrosis as measured by picrosirius staining (p<0.05), hydroxyproline content (p<0.05) and transcriptomics, while the inflammatory cell populations and inflammatory mediators were minimally affected. In a human biopsied NAFLD cohort, MBOAT7 rs641738C>T was associated with fibrosis (p=0.004) independent of the presence of histological inflammation. Liver lipidomes of Mboat7 Δhep mice and human rs641738TT carriers with fibrosis showed increased total lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) levels. The altered LPI and phosphatidylinositol subspecies in MBOAT7 Δhep livers and humans rs641738TT carriers were similar. Conclusion: Mboat7 deficiency in mice and human points to an inflammation-independent pathway of liver fibrosis that may be mediated by lipid signalling and a potentially targetable treatment option in NAFLD.
Project description:We previously demonstrated that antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-mediated knockdown of Mboat7, the gene encoding Membrane Bound O-Acyltransferase 7, in the liver and adipose tissue of mice promoted high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis, hyperinsulinemia, and systemic insulin resistance. Thereafter, other groups showed that hepatocyte-specific genetic deletion of Mboat7 promoted striking fatty liver and NAFLD progression in mice but does not alter insulin sensitivity, suggesting the potential for cell autonomous roles. Here, we show that MBOAT7 function in adipocytes contributes to diet-induced metabolic disturbances including hyperinsulinemia and systemic insulin resistance. We generated floxed Mboat7 mice and created hepatocyte- and adipocyte-specific knockout mice using Cre-recombinase mice under the control of the albumin and adiponectin promoter, respectively. After chow and high fat diet feeding (60% kCal fat), mice were subjected to metabolic phenotyping and tissues to molecular workup and analysis. Here, we show that MBOAT7 function in adipocytes contributes to diet-induced metabolic disturbances including hyperinsulinemia and systemic insulin resistance. The expression of Mboat7 in white adipose tissue closely correlates with diet-induced obesity across a panel of ~100 inbred strains of mice fed a high fat/high sucrose diet. Moreover, we found that adipocyte-specific genetic deletion of Mboat7 is sufficient to promote hyperinsulinemia, systemic insulin resistance, and mild fatty liver. Unlike in the liver, where Mboat7 plays a relatively minor role in maintaining arachidonic acid (AA)-containing PI pools, Mboat7 is the major source of AA-containing PI pools in adipose tissue. Our data demonstrate that MBOAT7 is a critical regulator of adipose tissue PI homeostasis, and adipocyte MBOAT7-driven PI biosynthesis is closely linked to hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in mice.
Project description:Slc39a8 KO mouse embryo hearts exhibit ventricle noncompaction phenotype which becomes evident at E12.5. The goal of this experiment is to identify genes that are differentially expressed between Slc39a8 KO and WT, which may be underlying the phenotype.