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:Cellular binary fate decisions require the progeny to silence genes associated with the alternative fate. The major subsets of alpha:beta T cells have been extensively studied as a model system for fate decisions. While the transcription factor RUNX3 is required for the initiation of Cd4 silencing in CD8 T cell progenitors, it is not required to maintain the silencing of Cd4 and other helper T lineage genes. The other runt domain containing protein, RUNX1, silences Cd4 in an earlier T cell progenitor, but this silencing is reversed whereas the gene silencing after RUNX3 expression is not reverse. Therefore, we hypothesized that RUNX3 and not RUNX1 recruits other factors that maintains the silencing of helper T lineage genes in CD8 T cells. To this end, we performed a proteomics screen of RUNX1 and RUNX3 to determine candidate silencing factors.
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. Gene expression was measured in whole testis from males aged 62-86 days. Samples include 190 first generation lab-bred male offspring of wild-caught mice from the Mus musculus musculus - M. m. domesticus hybrid zone.
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:Th17 cells are enriched by sorting FR4-CD4+ T cells from SKG mice. A large number of Th17 cells also develop spontaneously when CD4+ T cells from IFN-g-deficient (IFN-g-/-) BALB/c mice are transferred to T cell-deficient RAG2-deficient (RAG2-/-) mice and subjected to homeostatic proliferation, whereas they fail to develop in similar transfer of IL-6-deficient (IL-6-/-) CD4+ T cells to IL-6-/- RAG2-/- mice. To explore the functional molecules specifically expressed by Th17 cells, we conducted Gene Microarray analysis between 10-month-old SKG FR4-CD4+ cells and age-matched BALB/c FR4-CD4+ cells, and between IFN-g-/- CD4+ cells transferred to RAG2-/- mice and IL-6-/- CD4+ T cells transferred to IL-6-/- RAG2-/- mice. The analysis revealed that 1,556 and 115 genes were up-regulated in 10-month-old SKG FR4-CD4+ and IFN-g-/- CD4+ T cells after homeostatic proliferation, respectively, with 29 genes shared by the two groups of genes. The 29 genes included those encoding cytokines, chemokines, and their receptors, such as IL-1 receptor type1 (IL-1R1), IL-17, IL-22, IL-21, CCR6, and CCL20. Experiment Overall Design: We conducted Gene Microarray analysis between 10-month-old SKG FR4-CD4+ cells and age-matched BALB/c FR4-CD4+ cells, and between IFN-g-/- CD4+ cells transferred to RAG2-/- mice and IL-6-/- CD4+ T cells transferred to IL-6-/- RAG2-/- mice using GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array (Affymetrix). Each gruop has three replicates.