Project description:In paravertebral sympathetic ganglia, 50 to 70% of the neurons selectively express neuropeptide Y (NPY). We sought to identify other genes that are differentially expressed by NPY-positive and NPY-negative neurons. This study used NPY reporter mice (B6.FVB-Tg(Npy-hrGFP)1Lowl/J) (Jackson Laboratory #006417) that were bred as hemizygotes with C57BL/6 mice.
Project description:PURPOSE: To provide a detailed gene expression profile of the normal postnatal mouse cornea. METHODS: Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) was performed on postnatal day (PN)9 and adult mouse (6 week) total corneas. The expression of selected genes was analyzed by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: A total of 64,272 PN9 and 62,206 adult tags were sequenced. Mouse corneal transcriptomes are composed of at least 19,544 and 18,509 unique mRNAs, respectively. One third of the unique tags were expressed at both stages, whereas a third was identified exclusively in PN9 or adult corneas. Three hundred thirty-four PN9 and 339 adult tags were enriched more than fivefold over other published nonocular libraries. Abundant transcripts were associated with metabolic functions, redox activities, and barrier integrity. Three members of the Ly-6/uPAR family whose functions are unknown in the cornea constitute more than 1% of the total mRNA. Aquaporin 5, epithelial membrane protein and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) omega-1, and GST alpha-4 mRNAs were preferentially expressed in distinct corneal epithelial layers, providing new markers for stratification. More than 200 tags were differentially expressed, of which 25 mediate transcription. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to providing a detailed profile of expressed genes in the PN9 and mature mouse cornea, the present SAGE data demonstrate dynamic changes in gene expression after eye opening and provide new probes for exploring corneal epithelial cell stratification, development, and function and for exploring the intricate relationship between programmed and environmentally induced gene expression in the cornea. Keywords: other
Project description:The cell bodies of postganglionic sympathetic neurons innervating the heart primarily reside in the stellate ganglion (SG), alongside neurons innervating other organs and tissues. Whether cardiac-innervating stellate ganglionic neurons (SGNs) exhibit diversity and distinction from those innervating other tissues is not known. To identify and resolve the transcriptomic profiles of SGNs innervating the heart we leveraged retrograde tracing techniques using adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing fluorescent proteins (GFP or Td-tomato) with single cell RNA sequencing. We investigated electrophysiologic, morphologic, and physiologic roles for subsets of cardiac-specific neurons and found that three of five adrenergic SGN subtypes innervate the heart. These three subtypes stratify into two subpopulations; high (NA1a) and low (NA1b and NA1c) Npy-expressing cells, exhibit distinct morphological, neurochemical, and electrophysiologic characteristics. In physiologic studies in transgenic mouse models modulating NPY signaling, we identified differential control of cardiac responses by these two subpopulations to high and low stress states. These findings provide novel insights into the unique properties of neurons responsible for cardiac sympathetic regulation, with implications for novel strategies to target specific neuronal subtypes for sympathetic blockade in cardiac disease.
Project description:Comparison of gene expression profiles from Mus musculus brain (hemisphere) of animals kept in standard environment and enriched environment. The RNA-seq data comprise 4 groups: 2 age groups, each w/ and w/o enriched environment. Jena Centre for Systems Biology of Ageing - JenAge (www.jenage.de)
Project description:Comparison of gene expression profiles from Mus musculus brain (hippocampus) of animals kept in standard environment and enriched environment. The RNA-seq data comprise 4 groups: 2 age groups, each w/ and w/o enriched environment. Jena Centre for Systems Biology of Ageing - JenAge (www.jenage.de)
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:Comparison of gene expression profiles from Mus musculus skin of two age groups. The RNA-seq data comprise 2 groups at ages: 2 and 9 months. Jena Centre for Systems Biology of Ageing - JenAge (www.jenage.de)
Project description:Neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a remarkable tool for modeling human neural development and diseases. However, it remains largely unknown whether the hPSC-derived neurons can be functionally coupled with their target tissues in vitro, which is essential for understanding inter-cellular physiology and further translational studies. Here, we demonstrate that hPSC-derived sympathetic neurons can be obtained from hPSCs and that the resulting neurons form physical and functional connections with cardiac muscle cells. By use of multiple hPSC reporter lines, we recapitulated human autonomic neuron development in vitro, and successfully isolated PHOX2B::eGFP+ neurons exhibiting sympathetic marker expression, electrophysiological properties, and norepinephrine secretion. With pharmacological and optogenetic manipulations, the PHOX2B::eGFP+ neurons controlled the beating rates of cardiomyocytes, and their physical interaction led to neuronal maturation. Our study lays a foundation for the specification of human sympathetic neurons and for the hPSC-based neuronal control of end organs in a dish. Using the four genetic reporter systems (OCT4::eGFP, SOX10::eGFP, ASCL1::eGFP, and PHOX2B::eGFP reporter hESC lines), we were able to purify discrete cell populations at four differentiation stages, recapitulating the sympathoadrenal differentiation process in vitro with purified and defined populations in four specific differentiation stages. We performed transcriptome analysis of OCT4::eGFP+ cells (3 biological replicates, representing undifferentiated hESCs), SOX10::eGFP+ cells (3 biological replicates, multi-potent neural crest), ASCL1::eGFP+ cells (3 biological replicates, putative sympathoadrenal progenitors), and PHOX2B::eGFP+ cells (2 biological replicates, putative sympathetic neuronal precursors).
Project description:Comparison of gene expression profiles from Mus musculus brain of animals kept in standard environment and enriched environment. The RNA-seq data comprise 4 groups: 2 age groups, each w/ and w/o enriched environment. Jena Centre for Systems Biology of Ageing - JenAge (www.jenage.de)