Project description:We systematically assessed the transcriptomic changes of circulating leukocytes from whole blood of mice that had undergone polymicrobial sepsis. We systematically assessed the transcriptomic changes of liver tissue of mice that had undergone polymicrobial sepsis. Data indicate strong dissimilarities in early gene expression during murine sepsis affecting several pathways such as Toll-like receptor signalling, MAPK signalling, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine-signalling, and apoptosis during murine sepsis.
Project description:We systematically assessed the transcriptomic changes of heart biopsies of mice that had undergone polymicrobial sepsis. Data indicate strong cardiac in vivo responses during murine sepsis affecting a large amount of pathways and categories including cytokines, mitochondria, immune system and cardiomyocytes.
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:NF-kB is a transcriptional factor that consists in homo and heterodimers of the large family of Rel subunits. Among the most important functions for NF-kB, initiation of immunological/inflammatory responses and regulation of cell proliferation/apoptosis which are the major features of severe infections. Although the role of NF-kB is crucial in host defense against pathogens, mice deficient for individual subunits of NF-kB have not been explored in murine models of polymicrobial infection. In this report, we have investigated in vivo the consequences of cRel subunit deficiency in the survival to polymicrobial infection. We have also approached the underlying mechanisms of the host defense by analyzing cytokine production, bacterial clearance and the distribution of innate and adaptive immune cells. Absence of cRel enhances mice mortality to polymicrobial sepsis. The decreased survival of cRel-/- animals upon infection is not related to altered local mechanisms of innate defense such as the peritoneal recruitment of the Gr.1+CD11b+ phagocytic cells and the bacterial clearance. However, cRel deficiency allows to altered systemic cytokine response associated to sustained loss of the lymphoïd subset CD8a+ of spleen dendritic cells, key antigen-presenting cells for the initiation of the adaptive immunity. Genome-wide analysis of the systemic host response to polymicrobial sepsis reveals inflammatory/immune and apoptotic gene signatures associated to cRel subunit. In this study we identified the NF-kB member cRel, as a key factor which plays a critical role in survival to polymicrobial sepsis and also as a regulatory transcription subunit controlling the inflammatory and the adaptive immune responses in severe infection.
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:The importance of unanchored Ub in innate immunity has been shown only for a limited number of unanchored Ub-interactors. We investigated what additional cellular factors interact with unanchored Ub and whether unanchored Ub plays a broader role in innate immunity. To identify unanchored Ub-interacting factors from murine lungs, we used His-tagged recombinant poly-Ub chains as bait. These chains were mixed with lung tissue lysates and protein complexes were isolated with Ni-NTA beads. Sample elutions were subjected to mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) analysis.