Project description:HIV-infected persons are at increased risk for developing pulmonary diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the fungal opportunistic pathogen, Pneumocystis jirovecii (Pc) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of HIV-related COPD. We previously developed a non-human primate model of HIV-related COPD using simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) and Pc co-infection in cynomolgus macaques. In the present study we examined gene expression profiles in lung tissue from SHIV/Pc co-infected monkeys with COPD and compared them to SHIV-infected monkeys infected with normal lung function. Microarray technology was used to develop gene profiles, and differential gene expression was determined by a comparative evaluation of competing normalization methods applied to our expression data set followed by validation using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis for select genes. Of over 52,000 transcripts representing more than 20,000 genes analyzed, the SHIV/Pc infected macaques with COPD exhibited 243 differentially expressed (DE) genes compared to SHIV-infected monkeys with normal lung function. DE genes fell into a number of functional categories which may be important in COPD development including: inflammation (pulmonary surfactants A2, B, C, D, upregulated; alternative macrophage activation-associated CC chemokine, upregulated), protease/antiprotease balance (cathepsin H, upregulated; alpha-1-chymotrypsin and secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor, downregulated), redox balance (glutathione peroxidase 4 and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, upregulated) and tissue homeostasis (connective tissue growth factor, downregulated; ornithine decarboxylase antizyme, upregulated). These results identify factors and pathways that may be involved in early development of Pneumocystis and SHIV-associated COPD and reveal several novel, potential therapeutic targets.
Project description:HIV-infected persons are at increased risk for developing pulmonary diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the fungal opportunistic pathogen, Pneumocystis jirovecii (Pc) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of HIV-related COPD. We previously developed a non-human primate model of HIV-related COPD using simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) and Pc co-infection in cynomolgus macaques. In the present study we examined gene expression profiles in lung tissue from SHIV/Pc co-infected monkeys with COPD and compared them to SHIV-infected monkeys infected with normal lung function. Microarray technology was used to develop gene profiles, and differential gene expression was determined by a comparative evaluation of competing normalization methods applied to our expression data set followed by validation using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis for select genes. Of over 52,000 transcripts representing more than 20,000 genes analyzed, the SHIV/Pc infected macaques with COPD exhibited 243 differentially expressed (DE) genes compared to SHIV-infected monkeys with normal lung function. DE genes fell into a number of functional categories which may be important in COPD development including: inflammation (pulmonary surfactants A2, B, C, D, upregulated; alternative macrophage activation-associated CC chemokine, upregulated), protease/antiprotease balance (cathepsin H, upregulated; alpha-1-chymotrypsin and secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor, downregulated), redox balance (glutathione peroxidase 4 and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, upregulated) and tissue homeostasis (connective tissue growth factor, downregulated; ornithine decarboxylase antizyme, upregulated). These results identify factors and pathways that may be involved in early development of Pneumocystis and SHIV-associated COPD and reveal several novel, potential therapeutic targets. There are totally 11 samples in the experiment. The sample breakdown is as follows: KN14(group 1) is a true control in that the monkey was not infected with simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) nor was it colonized with Pneumocystis. KN02, KN03, KN07 and KN08 (group 2) are also controls of a sort. They were infected with SHIV but they did not become colonized with Pneumocystis. The remainder (KN01, KN04, KN06, KN11, KN12, KN13) (group3) were both infected with SHIV and colonized with Pneumocystis. The primary interest is in comparing the two SHIV-infected groups (2 and 3)
Project description:With improved whole-cell isolation protocols, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and profiled the transcriptomes from adult non-human primate brain. We identified discriminative cell populations with canonical and novel markers. Cross-species projection demonstrated the evolutionary conservation among mouse, monkey, and human. This dataset serves as a detailed transcriptomic atlas for understanding the adult primate central nervous system.
Project description:Macaca fascicularis (long-tailed, cynomolgus, or crab-eating macaque) is a highly advantageous model in which to study human cochlea with regard to both evolutionary proximity and physiological similarity of the auditory system. To better understand the properties of primate cochlear function, we analyzed the genes predominantly expressed in M. fascicularis cochlea.
Project description:The long-tailed macaque, also referred to as cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis), is one of the most important non-human primate animal models in basic and applied biomedical research. To improve the predictive power of primate experiments for humans, we determined the genome sequence of a Macaca fascicularis female of Mauritian origin using a whole-genome shotgun sequencing approach. We applied a template switch strategy which employs either the rhesus or the human genome to assemble sequence reads. The 6-fold sequence coverage of the draft genome sequence enabled discovery of about 2.1 million potential single-nucleotide polymorphisms based on occurrence of a dimorphic nucleotide at a given position in the genome sequence. Homology-based annotation allowed us to identify 17,387 orthologs of human protein-coding genes in the M. fascicularis draft genome and the predicted transcripts enabled the design of a M. fascicularis-specific gene expression microarray. Using liver samples from 36 individuals of different geographic origin, we identified 718 genes with highly variable expression in liver, whereas the majority of the transcriptome shows relatively stable and comparable expression. Knowledge of the M. fascicularis draft genome is an important contribution to both the use of this animal in disease models and the safety assessment of drugs and their metabolites. In particular, this information allows high-resolution genotyping and microarray-based gene expression profiling for animal stratification, thereby allowing the use of well-characterized animals for safety testing. Finally, the genome sequence presented here is a significant contribution to the global "3R" animal welfare initiative, which has the goal to reduce, refine and replace animal experiments.