Project description:We sought to determine which gene transcripts are enriched in Wnt-responsive adrenocortical mouse cells compared to the entire adrenocortical mouse cell population in vivo. To this end, we employed transgenic reporter mice that label Wnt-responsive cells with GFP expression (TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP mice) or label all adrenocortical cells with GFP expression (Sf1:eGFP mice). GFP-positive adrenocortical cells were obtained from 6-week-old male TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP mice and Sf1:eGFP mice independently. 10 adrenals per genotype per sort were minced and digested by incubation in DMEM:F12 containing 0.1% collagenase/ 0.01% DNaseI solution for 1 h at 37°C. A single cell suspension was obtained following mechanical dispersion, filtration through a 40 micron nylon cell strainer, centrifugation at 1500rpm for 5 min followed by re-suspension in sterile 1X PBS containing 10% cosmic calf serum and 10μg/mL Propidium iodide. 10,000-50,000 viable GFP-positive cells were isolated via FACS using a BD FACSAria III cell sorter. RNA was extracted using an RNeasy Micro Kit (Qiagen) from 4 independent sorts per genotype. cDNA were prepared according to the NuGen WT-Pico V2 kit protocol from 5 ng total RNA (Ovation PicoSL WTA System V2 P/N 3312). Biotinylated single-stranded cDNA were prepared from 3ug of cDNA (Encore Biotin Module P/N 4200-12, 4200-60, 4200-A01). Targets were assayed on the Mouse Gene ST 1.1 strip arrays using the Affymetrix Gene Atlas system (software version 1.0.4.267). One TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP array was deemed low-quality and discarded. Two-sample T-tests were used to compare the two groups of samples. We also supply a supplementary file holding the data and some statistical analysis, as well as probe-set annotation that we used at that time (users may wish to obtain new annotation though). We analyzed only 28944 probe-sets with category "main", "---", and "flmrna->unmapped" according to Affymetrix annotation.
Project description:We sought to determine which gene transcripts are enriched in Wnt-responsive adrenocortical mouse cells compared to the entire adrenocortical mouse cell population in vivo. To this end, we employed transgenic reporter mice that label Wnt-responsive cells with GFP expression (TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP mice) or label all adrenocortical cells with GFP expression (Sf1:eGFP mice). GFP-positive adrenocortical cells were obtained from 6-week-old male TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP mice and Sf1:eGFP mice independently. 10 adrenals per genotype per sort were minced and digested by incubation in DMEM:F12 containing 0.1% collagenase/ 0.01% DNaseI solution for 1 h at 37°C. A single cell suspension was obtained following mechanical dispersion, filtration through a 40 micron nylon cell strainer, centrifugation at 1500rpm for 5 min followed by re-suspension in sterile 1X PBS containing 10% cosmic calf serum and 10μg/mL Propidium iodide. 10,000-50,000 viable GFP-positive cells were isolated via FACS using a BD FACSAria III cell sorter. RNA was extracted using an RNeasy Micro Kit (Qiagen) from 4 independent sorts per genotype. cDNA were prepared according to the NuGen WT-Pico V2 kit protocol from 5 ng total RNA (Ovation PicoSL WTA System V2 P/N 3312). Biotinylated single-stranded cDNA were prepared from 3ug of cDNA (Encore Biotin Module P/N 4200-12, 4200-60, 4200-A01). Targets were assayed on the Mouse Gene ST 1.1 strip arrays using the Affymetrix Gene Atlas system (software version 1.0.4.267). One TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP array was deemed low-quality and discarded. Two-sample T-tests were used to compare the two groups of samples. We also supply a supplementary file holding the data and some statistical analysis, as well as probe-set annotation that we used at that time (users may wish to obtain new annotation though). We analyzed only 28944 probe-sets with category "main", "---", and "flmrna->unmapped" according to Affymetrix annotation. GFP-positive adrenocortical cells were obtained from 6-week-old male TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP mice and Sf1:eGFP mice independently. 10 adrenals per genotype per sort were minced and digested by incubation in DMEM:F12 containing 0.1% collagenase/ 0.01% DNaseI solution for 1 h at 37°C. A single cell suspension was obtained following mechanical dispersion, filtration through a 40 micron nylon cell strainer, centrifugation at 1500rpm for 5 min followed by re-suspension in sterile 1X PBS containing 10% cosmic calf serum and 10μg/mL Propidium iodide. 10,000-50,000 viable GFP-positive cells were isolated via FACS using a BD FACSAria III cell sorter. RNA was extracted using an RNeasy Micro Kit (Qiagen) from 4 independent sorts per genoytpe. cDNA were prepared according to the NuGen WT-Pico V2 kit protocol from 5 ng total RNA (Ovation PicoSL WTA System V2 P/N 3312). Biotinylated single-stranded cDNA were prepared from 3ug of cDNA (Encore Biotin Module P/N 4200-12, 4200-60, 4200-A01). Targets were assayed on the Mouse Gene ST 1.1 strip arrays using the Affymetrix Gene Atlas system (software version 1.0.4.267).
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: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:Transcription factor 21 (TCF21) directly binds and regulates SF1 in tumor and normal adrenocortical cells, and both are involved in the development and steroidogenesis of the adrenal cortex. TCF21 is a tumor suppressor gene and its expression is reduced in malignant tumors. In adrenocortical tumors, it is less expressed in adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) than in adrenocortical adenomas (ACA) and normal tissue. However, a comprehensive analysis to identify TCF21 targets have not yet been conducted in any type of cancer. In this study, we performed Chromatin Immunoprecipitation and Sequencing (ChIP-Seq) in adrenocortical carcinoma cell line (NCI-H295R) overexpressing TCF21, with the aim of identifying TCF21 new targets. The five most frequently identified sequences corresponded to the PRDM7, CNTNAP2, CACNA1B, PTPRN2 and KCNE1B genes. Validation experiments showed that, in NCI-H295R cells, TCF21 regulates gene expression positively in PRDM7 and negatively in CACNA1B. Recently, it was observed that the N-type calcium channel v2.2 (Cav2.2) encoded by CACNA1B gene is important in Angiotensin II signal transduction for corticosteroid biosynthesis in NCI-H295R adrenocortical carcinoma cells. Indeed, TCF21 inhibits CACNA1B and Cav2.2 expression in NCI-H295R. In addition, in a cohort of 55 adult patients with adrenocortical tumor, CACNA1B expression was higher in ACC than ACA, and was related to poor disease-free survival in ACC patients. These results suggest a mechanism of steroidogenesis control by TCF21 in adrenocortical tumor cells, in addition to the control observed through SF1 inhibition. Importantly, steroid production could impair tumor immunogenicity, contributing to the immune resistance described in adrenal cancer.
Project description:A transcriptome study in mouse hematopoietic stem cells was performed using a sensitive SAGE method, in an attempt to detect medium and low abundant transcripts expressed in these cells. Among a total of 31,380 unique transcript, 17,326 (55%) known genes were detected, 14,054 (45%) low-copy transcripts that have no matches to currently known genes. 3,899 (23%) were alternatively spliced transcripts of the known genes and 3,754 (22%) represent anti-sense transcripts from known genes.
Project description:Gonadectomy (GDX) induces sex steroid-producing adrenocortical tumors in certain mouse strains and in the domestic ferret. Complementary approaches, including DNA methylation mapping and microarray expression profiling, were used to identify novel genetic and epigenetic markers of GDX-induced adrenocortical neoplasia in female DBA/2J mice. Markers were validated by quantitative RT-PCR, laser capture microdissection, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. Two genes with hypomethylated promoters, Igfbp6 and Foxs1, were upregulated in post-GDX adrenocortical neoplasms. The neoplastic cells also exhibited hypomethylation of the fetal adrenal enhancer of Sf1, an epigenetic signature that typifies descendants of fetal adrenal rather than gonadal cells. Expression profiling demonstrated upregulation of gonadal-like genes, including Spinlw1, Insl3, and Foxl2, in GDX-induced adrenocortical tumors of the mouse. One of these markers, FOXL2, was detected in adrenocortical tumor specimens from gonadectomized ferrets. These new markers may prove useful for studies of steroidogenic cell development and for diagnostic testing. Total RNA extracted from whole adrenal glands of gonadectomized and non-gonadectomized mice.
Project description:BackgroundCopy number variation is an important dimension of genetic diversity and has implications in development and disease. As an important model organism, the mouse is a prime candidate for copy number variant (CNV) characterization, but this has yet to be completed for a large sample size. Here we report CNV analysis of publicly available, high-density microarray data files for 351 mouse tail samples, including 290 mice that had not been characterized for CNVs previously.ResultsWe found 9634 putative autosomal CNVs across the samples affecting 6.87% of the mouse reference genome. We find significant differences in the degree of CNV uniqueness (single sample occurrence) and the nature of CNV-gene overlap between wild-caught mice and classical laboratory strains. CNV-gene overlap was associated with lipid metabolism, pheromone response and olfaction compared to immunity, carbohydrate metabolism and amino-acid metabolism for wild-caught mice and classical laboratory strains, respectively. Using two subspecies of wild-caught Mus musculus, we identified putative CNVs unique to those subspecies and show this diversity is better captured by wild-derived laboratory strains than by the classical laboratory strains. A total of 9 genic copy number variable regions (CNVRs) were selected for experimental confirmation by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).ConclusionThe analysis we present is a comprehensive, genome-wide analysis of CNVs in Mus musculus, which increases the number of known variants in the species and will accelerate the identification of novel variants in future studies.
Project description:BackgroundLong terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons make up a large fraction of the typical mammalian genome. They comprise about 8% of the human genome and approximately 10% of the mouse genome. On account of their abundance, LTR retrotransposons are believed to hold major significance for genome structure and function. Recent advances in genome sequencing of a variety of model organisms has provided an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate better the diversity of LTR retrotransposons resident in eukaryotic genomes.ResultsUsing a new data-mining program, LTR_STRUC, in conjunction with conventional techniques, we have mined the GenBank mouse (Mus musculus) database and the more complete Ensembl mouse dataset for LTR retrotransposons. We report here that the M. musculus genome contains at least 21 separate families of LTR retrotransposons; 13 of these families are described here for the first time.ConclusionsAll families of mouse LTR retrotransposons are members of the gypsy-like superfamily of retroviral-like elements. Several different families of unrelated non-autonomous elements were identified, suggesting that the evolution of non-autonomy may be a common event. High sequence similarity between several LTR retrotransposons identified in this study and those found in distantly-related species suggests that horizontal transfer has been a significant factor in the evolution of mouse LTR retrotransposons.