Project description:Engineering of genetically encoded calcium indicators predominantly focused on optimizing fluorescence changes, but effects of indicator expression on host organisms have largely not been addressed. Here, we report biocompatibility and wide-spread functional expression of the genetically encoded calcium indicator TN-XXL in a transgenic mouse model. To validate the model and to characterize potential effects of indicator expression we assessed both indicator function and a variety of host parameters such as anatomy, physiology, behavior and gene expression profiles in these mice. We also demonstrate the usefulness of primary cell types and organ explants prepared from these mice for imaging applications. While we do find mild signatures of indicator expression that may guide further indicator development the M-bM-^@M-^\greenM-bM-^@M-^] indicator mice generated provide a well characterized resource of primary cells and tissues for in vitro and in vivo calcium imaging applications. Using expression profiling we could detect a number of transcripts regulated predominantly in heart and skeletal muscle of TN-XXL transgenic mice but only very few showed a level of regulation of a factor of two or higher and thus the majority of these changes were considered physiologically irrelevant. Remarkably this regulation occurred in skeletal and cardiac muscle, but not in brain. This suggests that skeletal muscle TnC as calcium sensing moiety within the indicator may be bio-orthogonal in brain but may lose some of this advantage in muscle tissue where it is derived from. Factorial design comparing transgenic mice with wild type littermates in three different tissues (hippocampus, skeletal and heart muscle)
Project description:Engineering of genetically encoded calcium indicators predominantly focused on optimizing fluorescence changes, but effects of indicator expression on host organisms have largely not been addressed. Here, we report biocompatibility and wide-spread functional expression of the genetically encoded calcium indicator TN-XXL in a transgenic mouse model. To validate the model and to characterize potential effects of indicator expression we assessed both indicator function and a variety of host parameters such as anatomy, physiology, behavior and gene expression profiles in these mice. We also demonstrate the usefulness of primary cell types and organ explants prepared from these mice for imaging applications. While we do find mild signatures of indicator expression that may guide further indicator development the “green” indicator mice generated provide a well characterized resource of primary cells and tissues for in vitro and in vivo calcium imaging applications. Using expression profiling we could detect a number of transcripts regulated predominantly in heart and skeletal muscle of TN-XXL transgenic mice but only very few showed a level of regulation of a factor of two or higher and thus the majority of these changes were considered physiologically irrelevant. Remarkably this regulation occurred in skeletal and cardiac muscle, but not in brain. This suggests that skeletal muscle TnC as calcium sensing moiety within the indicator may be bio-orthogonal in brain but may lose some of this advantage in muscle tissue where it is derived from.
Project description:Transdifferentiation has been recently described as a novel method for converting human fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells. Such an approach can produce differentiated cells to study physiology or pathophysiology, examine drug interactions or toxicities, and engineer tissues. Here we describe the transdifferentiation of human dermal fibroblasts towards the cardiac cell lineage via the induced expression of transcription factors (TFs) GATA4, TBX5, MEF2C, MYOCD, NKX2-5, and delivery of microRNAs miR-1 and miR-133a. Cells undergoing transdifferentiation expressed ACTN2 and TNNT2 and partially organized their cytoskeleton in a cross-striated manner. The conversion process was associated with significant upregulation of a cohort of cardiac-specific genes, activation of pathways associated with muscle contraction and physiology, and downregulation of fibroblastic markers. We used a genetically encoded calcium indicator and readily detected active calcium transients although no spontaneous contractions were observed in transdifferentiated cells. Finally, we determined that inhibition of Janus kinase 1, inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3, or addition of NRG1 significantly enhanced the efficiency of transdifferentiation. Overall, we describe a method for achieving transdifferentiation of human dermal fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells via transcription factor overexpression, microRNA delivery, and molecular pathway manipulation.
Project description:Phenotypic heterogeneity within a population of cells of the same cell type is a common theme in metazoan development. Apprehending complex developmental and physiological processes critically relies on our ability to probe the expression profile of these genetically defined cell sub-populations. Current strategies rely on cell enrichment based on tandem or simultaneous evaluation of multiple intersecting markers starting from a heterogeneous cellular suspension. The extensive tissue manipulations required for single-cell suspension generation, as well as the complexity of the required equipment, inherently complicates these approaches. Here, we propose an alternative methodology based on a genetically encoded system in the model organism Danio rerio (zebrafish). In transgenic fish, we take advantage of the combinatorial biotin transfer system where polysome-associated mRNAs are selectively recovered from cells expressing both a tagged ribosomal subunit, Rpl10a and the bacterial biotin ligase, BirA. We have applied this technique to skeletal muscle development, identifying genes with novel regulation and have developed tools for highly specific gene expression profiling during vertebrate development. Translational profiling of zebrafish skeletal muscle during 4 time points (21, 24, 27, 34 hours post fertilization)
Project description:Gene expression profiling of wildtype vs. transgenic mice expressing the cardiac specific genetically encoded FRET biosensor Epac1-PLN
Project description:To determine functions of circMbl in brain in vivo we generated genetically encoded shRNA directed against individual circRNA-specific back-spliced junctions. We analyzed gene expression by 3' RNA-seq from control (actin-Gal4) and flies expressing the shRNA under the control of a constitutive driver (actin-Gal4; circRNA KD).
Project description:To model human cerebellar disease, we developed a novel, reproducible method to generate cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that formed synapses when cultured with mouse granule cells and fired large calcium currents, measured with the genetically encoded calcium indicator jRGECO1a. Using translating ribosomal affinity purification (TRAP) to compare gene expression of differentiating hPSC-PCs to developing mouse PCs, we found hPSC-PCs to be most similar to late juvenile (P21) mouse PCs. Analysis of mouse PCs defined novel developmental expression patterns for mitochondria and autophagy associated genes, recapitulated in hPSC-PCs. We further identified species differences in gene expression and confirmed protein expression of CD40LG in native human, but not mouse PCs. This study provides a robust method for generating relatively mature hPSC-PCs with human specific gene expression and defines novel genetic features in comparison to the first comprehensive analysis of global gene expression patterns of postnatal mouse PC development.
Project description:To model human cerebellar disease, we developed a novel, reproducible method to generate cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that formed synapses when cultured with mouse granule cells and fired large calcium currents, measured with the genetically encoded calcium indicator jRGECO1a. Using translating ribosomal affinity purification (TRAP) to compare gene expression of differentiating hPSC-PCs to developing mouse PCs, we found hPSC-PCs to be most similar to late juvenile (P21) mouse PCs. Analysis of mouse PCs defined novel developmental expression patterns for mitochondria and autophagy associated genes, recapitulated in hPSC-PCs. We further identified species differences in gene expression and confirmed protein expression of CD40LG in native human, but not mouse PCs. This study provides a robust method for generating relatively mature hPSC-PCs with human specific gene expression and defines novel genetic features in comparison to the first comprehensive analysis of global gene expression patterns of postnatal mouse PC development.
Project description:To model human cerebellar disease, we developed a novel, reproducible method to generate cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that formed synapses when cultured with mouse granule cells and fired large calcium currents, measured with the genetically encoded calcium indicator jRGECO1a. Using translating ribosomal affinity purification (TRAP) to compare gene expression of differentiating hPSC-PCs to developing mouse PCs, we found hPSC-PCs to be most similar to late juvenile (P21) mouse PCs. Analysis of mouse PCs defined novel developmental expression patterns for mitochondria and autophagy associated genes, recapitulated in hPSC-PCs. We further identified species differences in gene expression and confirmed protein expression of CD40LG in native human, but not mouse PCs. This study provides a robust method for generating relatively mature hPSC-PCs with human specific gene expression and defines novel genetic features in comparison to the first comprehensive analysis of global gene expression patterns of postnatal mouse PC development.
Project description:Isolated mesenteries from MHC::mCherry Adults were used to generate FACS-sorted RNA sequencing libraries in order to characterize gene use in Cnidarian smooth muscle. Transgenic mCherry expressing cells are compared to the non-expressing cells of the surrounding tissues, and up-regulated genes within the muscle cell population can be identified as important muscle-related gene products.