Project description:We found that western diet consumption for 8 weeks resulted in decrease in the percentage of normal Paneth cell population in wild type mice, indicating that western diet could negatively affect Paneth cell function. We performed transcriptional profiling to identify molecular mechanisms associated with Paneth cell defect in wild type mice exposed to western diet. Male mice were used at 4-5 weeks of age. The whole ileum of the mice were harvested for transcriptomic analysis after completing 8 weeks of western diet treatment.
Project description:Mothers may produce more of one sex to maximize their fitness if there are differences in the cost of producing each sex or there are differences in their relative reproductive value. Breeding date and clutch size are known to influence offspring sex ratios in birds through sex differences in dispersal, social behaviours, differential mortality, and available food resources. We tested if breeding date, clutch size and drought conditions influenced offspring sex ratios in a sexually size-monomorphic species, the Western Bluebird, by interrogating a 21-year dataset. After controlling for differential mortality, we found that hatch dates late in the breeding season were associated with the production of more females, suggesting that the value of producing males declines as the breeding season progresses. When clutch size was taken into account, small clutches yielded significantly more females late in the breeding season compared to the early and middle parts of the breeding season that produced significantly more males. Large clutches early in the season tended to produce more females, although this was not significant. Drought severity was not correlated with sex ratio adjustment. We propose and discuss several explanations for these patterns, including male offspring, but not female offspring, acting as helpers, increased female nestling provisioning late in the breeding season, differences in food abundance, and egg-laying order. Future work will help to uncover the mechanisms leading to these patterns. Identifying patterns and mechanisms of sex ratio skew from long-term datasets is important for informing predictions regarding life-history trade-offs in wildlife populations.
Project description:To determine the modulation of gene expression of Leishmania mexicana(M379)-inoculated BALB/c ears in the presence of promastigote secretory gel (PSG) A genome-wide transcriptional analysis was performed by comparing the gene expression profiles of Leishmania mexicana- inoculated BALB/c ears and Leishmania mexicana plus PSG BALB/c ears. Leishmania mexicana amastigotes were purified from mouse cutaneous lesions and transformed in vitro in metacycic promastigotes (MT). After 6, 24 and 48 hours, ears were collected and processed for RNA extraction. Three Biological replicates per condition were run.
Project description:LV hypertrophy is associated with Western diet consumption, while intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is associated with anti-hypertrophic effects. We treated rats for 12 weeks with either a Control diet, a Western diet or a Western + DHA diet. For each of the 3 dietary treatments there were 2 pooled samples of heart tissue (with each pooled sample representing 5 rats) for a total of 6 arrays. Microarray analysis identified 66 differentially expressed transcripts. Pathways were identified using Ingenuity and DAVID software. Array results from two pooled samples (5 rats in each pool) for n=10 per treatment group were used for comparisons. Comparisons between Western vs. Control, Western + DHA vs. Control and Western + DHA vs. Western diets was subjected to analysis to generate log fold changes. A dietary treatment of 12 weeks was used in an effort to produce LVH while limiting the development of comorbidities. Microarray analysis was performed on pooled samples, followed by qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Groups were Control, Western and Western + DHA. Comparisons between groups are expressed as LogFC (i.e. LogFC_WESvCTRL, LogFC_DHAVCTRL, LogFC_DHAvWES), available in Series supplementary files.
Project description:LV hypertrophy is associated with Western diet consumption, while intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is associated with anti-hypertrophic effects. We treated rats for 12 weeks with either a Control diet, a Western diet or a Western + DHA diet. For each of the 3 dietary treatments there were 2 pooled samples of heart tissue (with each pooled sample representing 5 rats) for a total of 6 arrays. Microarray analysis identified 66 differentially expressed transcripts. Pathways were identified using Ingenuity and DAVID software. Array results from two pooled samples (5 rats in each pool) for n=10 per treatment group were used for comparisons. Comparisons between Western vs. Control, Western + DHA vs. Control and Western + DHA vs. Western diets was subjected to analysis to generate log fold changes.