Project description:Ten-Eleven-translocation (Tet2) encodes an epigenetic modifier enzyme and is mutated somatically during age-associated clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) as well as in myeloid malignancies 1-7. Tet2 deficiency leads to increased hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) renewal in human 7 and mouse 8. However, the development of myeloproliferation and myeloid malignancies occurs at late age, and only occasionally in humans 2,6,7,9 and in 50-75% of Tet2 deficient animals 8,10,11, suggesting that undefined triggers are required for pre-leukemic myeloid expansion. Our studies reveal that Tet2 deficient mice can exhibit high levels of plasma IL-6, systemic dissemination of indigenous gut bacteria and increased intestinal permeability that correlate with the development of a pre-leukemic myeloproliferative phenotype. Increased intestinal permeability was linked to a large number of transcriptional changes in the jejunum, especially among genes involved in defense response to bacterium and intestinal barrier function. Strikingly, antibiotic treatment reduced plasma IL-6 levels and both, prevented early myeloid expansion and reversed the pre-leukemic myeloproliferative phenotype in Tet2-/- mice. In summary, we show that Tet2 deficiency promotes intestinal bacterial translocation and subsequent systemic inflammation, and that gut-derived microbial signals are required for the development of pre-leukemic myeloproliferation in a Tet2-deficient host. Our studies suggest that controlling bacterial translocation and bacteria-associated systemic inflammation could decrease the risk of myeloid malignancies significantly in individuals with somatic Tet2 mutations.
Project description:TET2 is one of the most frequently mutated genes in hematological malignancies. TET2 mutations are also frequently observed in healthy individuals with clonal hematopoiesis. Additional factors, such as inflammatory stress, might promote the expansion and initiate the pre-leukemic condition of Tet2 deficient hematopoietic stem cells. Antibiotics treatment is frequently used in normal individuals and patients with hematological malignancies treatment to suppress infection-induced inflammation. However, prolonged antibiotics treatment resulted in bone marrow suppression and gut microbiota alteration. In our study, we observed that the expansion of Tet2 deficient myeloid cells are positively correlated with serum cytokine levels at pre-malignant stages. We then evaluated the effect of antibiotic treatment in Tet2 deficient myeloid and lymphoid tumors in vivo. We found that antibiotics treatment suppressed the growth of Tet2 deficient malignant cells in vivo. RNA-seq analysis revealed significant changes in immune related signaling pathways (e.g., Tnf-α signaling) in antibiotics treated Tet2 deficient myeloid and lymphoid tumor cells. Suppression of Tnf-α signaling using pharmacological inhibitors partially suppressed Tet2 deficient tumor cell growth in vivo. In summary, our results suggest that the expansion of Tet2 deficient blood cells are positively associated with a pre-inflammatory condition and suppression of inflammatory pathways may attenuate the progression of TET2 inactivation-associated hematological malignancies.
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:We created mice, which are deficient for Myc specifically in cardiac myocytes by crossing crossed Myc-floxed mice (Mycfl/fl) and MLC-2VCre/+ mice. Serial analysis of earlier stages of gestation revealed that Myc-deficient mice died prematurely at E13.5-14.5. Morphological analyses of E13.5 Myc-null embryos showed normal ventricular size and structure; however, decreased cardiac myocyte proliferation and increased apoptosis was observed. BrdU incorporation rates were also decreased significantly in Myc-null myocardium. Myc-null mice displayed a 3.67-fold increase in apoptotic cardiomyocytes by TUNEL assay. We examined global gene expression using oligonucleotide microarrays. Numerous genes involved in mitochondrial death pathways were dysregulated including Bnip3L and Birc2. Keywords: wildtype vs Myc-null
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:PGCs undergo two distinct stages of demethylation before reaching a hypomethylated ground state at E13.5. Stage 1 occurs between E7.25- E9.5 in which PGCs experience a global loss of cytosine methylation. However, discreet loci escape this global loss of methylation and between E10.5-E13.5, stage 2 of demethylation takes place. In this stage these loci are targeted by Tet1 and Tet2 leading to the loss of the remaining methylation and resulting in the epigenetic ground state. Our data shows that Dnmt1 is responsible for maintaining the methylation of loci that escape stage 1 demethylation, and that it functions in a UHRF1 independent manner. Our data further demonstrates that when these loci lose methylation prior to stage 2 it results in early activation of the meiotic program, which leads to precocious differentiation of the germ line resulting in a decreased pool of PGCs in the embryo and subsequent infertility in adult mice.
Project description:The conversion of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) into 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by ten-eleven translocation (Tet) family has recently been identified as a key process for active DNA demethylation, whose effects in the immune response is currently unknown. We used microarrays to characterize the regulation of Tet2 in T cells. We found that deletion of the Tet2 gene in T cells decreased expression of effector cytokines such as IFN-?, IL-17, and IL-10. To analyze the regulation of Tet2 in Th subset differentation, CD2(Cre)Tet2(f/f) mice were used to derive Tet2-deficient Th1 and Th17 cells, and Tet2(f/f) mice were used for Tet2-enriched Th1 and Th17 cells.
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.