Project description:In the bone marrow B cell development occurs in initimate and essential association with stromal cells. Known effects of stromal cells on B cell development have been shown to be mediated through direct contact and by soluble factors produced by stromal cells. Our findings suggest that cell-nonautonomous Hh signaling may play an important role in B cell lymphopoiesis. We therefore interrogated OP9 stromal cells for Hh-dependent transcripts that may confer B lymphopoietic identity. We generated OP9 stromal cells deficient in Hh signaling through targeting the non-redundant, pathway-obligate GPCR Smoothened. OP9 cells were transduced with RNAi pLKO.1-Puro lentiviral particles expressing a scrambled control shRNA (NT) or shRNA targeting Smoothened (Smo-kd). RNA from stable NT and Smo-kd OP9 cells were isolated in triplicate and global changes in transcripts were analyzed using the Affymetrix Mouse Exon 1.0 ST gene chip.
Project description:In the bone marrow B cell development occurs in initimate and essential association with stromal cells. Known effects of stromal cells on B cell development have been shown to be mediated through direct contact and by soluble factors produced by stromal cells. Our findings suggest that cell-nonautonomous Hh signaling may play an important role in B cell lymphopoiesis. We therefore interrogated OP9 stromal cells for Hh-dependent transcripts that may confer B lymphopoietic identity.
Project description:We collected whole genome testis expression data from hybrid zone mice. We integrated GWAS mapping of testis expression traits and low testis weight to gain insight into the genetic basis of hybrid male sterility.
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:Subcutanesouly tumors from both Bmal1+/+ and Bmal1-/- mice were used to isolated stromal vascular fractions (SVF). Tumor cells with GFP+ signals were exclusive. Remain GFP- cells were collected to do RNAseq.
Project description:Translational research is commonly performed in the C57B6/J mouse strain, chosen for its genetic homogeneity and phenotypic uniformity. Here, we evaluate the suitability of the white-footed deer mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) as a model organism for aging research, offering a comparative analysis against C57B6/J and diversity outbred (DO) Mus musculus strains. Our study includes comparisons of body composition, skeletal muscle function, and cardiovascular parameters, shedding light on potential applications and limitations of P. leucopus in aging studies. Notably, P. leucopus exhibits distinct body composition characteristics, emphasizing reduced muscle force exertion and a unique metabolism, particularly in fat mass. Cardiovascular assessments showed changes in arterial stiffness, challenging conventional assumptions and highlighting the need for a nuanced interpretation of aging-related phenotypes. Our study also highlights inherent challenges associated with maintaining and phenotyping P. leucopus cohorts. Behavioral considerations, including anxiety-induced responses during handling and phenotyping assessment, pose obstacles in acquiring meaningful data. Moreover, the unique anatomy of P. leucopus necessitates careful adaptation of protocols designed for Mus musculus. While showcasing potential benefits, further extensive analyses across broader age ranges and larger cohorts are necessary to establish the reliability of P. leucopus as a robust and translatable model for aging studies.
Project description:In the intestine, Hedgehog (Hh) signalling orchestrates epithelial homeostasis in a bidirectional loop. Differentiated enterocytes secrete the ligand leading to active downstream signaling exclusively in the stroma. In turn, Hh-driven stromal factors contribute to the control of intestinal stem cell numbers and induce epithelial differentiation. To investigate the consequences of stromal Hh activation on the gene expression level, we performed microarray analysis on full-thickness colonic tissue from Col1a2CreER;Ptch1fl/fl mice (C57BL/6 background). Upon Cre-driven recombination, these mice lack the inhibiting Hh receptor Ptch1 specifically in Col1a2 expressing stroma cells, leading to stroma-specific activation of downstream Hh signaling.