Project description:Investigation of content of microvesicles exocytosed by cardiomyocytes. The aims of the study were to identify DNA and RNA content in microvesicles from cardiomyocytes. DNA and RNA were purified from microveicles from cultured cardiomyocytes. Illumina microarrays were used to detect DNA and mRNA molecules and identify them.
Project description:Introduction: Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles, released from various cells, which can stimulate or repress responses in target cells. We have recently shown that cultured cardiomyocytes release exosomes and that they, in turn, are involved in facilitating events in target cells by alteration of gene expression. We investigated whether external stimuli of the cardiomyocyte might influence the released exosome characteristics. Material and Methods: Exosomes were isolated from media collected from cultured cardiomyocyte (HL-1) cells with or without growth factor treatment (TGF-beta2 and PDGF-BB), with a series of differential centrifugations. The exosomes were characterized with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Western blot and analysed with Illumina whole genome microarray gene expression. Results: An average size of 50-80 nm in diameter with no difference between treatment groups was found. Analysis of the mRNA content revealed 623 transcripts in the control group, 691 in the TGF-beta2-treated group and 362 in the PDGF-BB-treated group. 235 transcripts were common for all three groups. Conclusion: We conclude that there is a difference in mRNA content between exosomes derived from cultured cardiomyocytes stimulated with growth factors. We also conclude that all exosomes contain a basic package consisting of ribosomal transcripts and mRNAs coding for proteins with functions within the energy supply system. To study if the transcriptional content in exosomes derived from untreated and growth factor-treated cultured cardiomyocytes (HL-1) differ, and if so, can this difference be explained, 4 control (untreated) exosome samples, 4 TFG-beta2-treated cardiomyocyte-derived exosome samples and 4 PDGF-BB-treated cardiomyocyte-derived exosomes were studied.
Project description:BACKGROUND: In previous studies using candidate gene approaches, low sperm count (oligospermia) has been associated with altered sperm mRNA content and DNA methylation in both imprinted and non-imprinted genes. We performed a genome-wide analysis of sperm DNA methylation and mRNA content to test for associations with sperm function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sperm DNA and mRNA were isolated from 21 men with a range of semen parameters presenting to a tertiary male reproductive health clinic. DNA methylation was measured with the Illumina Infinium array at 27,000 CpG loci. Unsupervised clustering of methylation data differentiated the 21 sperm samples by their motility values. Recursively partitioned mixture modeling (RPMM) of methylation data resulted in four distinct methylation profiles that were significantly associated with sperm motility (P=0.01). Linear models of microarray analysis (LIMMA) was performed based on motility and identified 9,189 CpG loci with significantly altered methylation (Q<0.05) in the low motility samples, with many loci located in genes associated with subfertility and epigenetic regulation. In the low motility samples, the majority of disrupted CpG loci (80%) were hypomethylated. Of the aberrantly methylated CpGs, 194 were associated with imprinted genes almost equally distributed into hypermethylated (predominantly paternally expressed) and hypomethylated (predominantly maternally expressed) groups. Sperm mRNA was measured with the Human Gene 1.0 ST Affymetrix GeneChip Array. LIMMA analysis based on motility identified 20 candidate transcripts as differentially expressed in low motility sperm, including HDAC1 (NCBI 3065), SIRT3 (NCBI 23410), and DNMT3A (NCBI 1788). Altered expression of these epigenetic regulatory genes was associated with RPMM DNA methylation class. CONCLUSIONS: Using integrative genome-wide approaches to study epigenetic and gene expression patterns in human sperm we identified CpG methylation profiles and mRNA alterations associated with low sperm motility, and that low motility sperm may have aberrant genome-wide hypomethylation due to excess HDAC1 activity. See "summary" above
Project description:BACKGROUND: In previous studies using candidate gene approaches, low sperm count (oligospermia) has been associated with altered sperm mRNA content and DNA methylation in both imprinted and non-imprinted genes. We performed a genome-wide analysis of sperm DNA methylation and mRNA content to test for associations with sperm function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sperm DNA and mRNA were isolated from 21 men with a range of semen parameters presenting to a tertiary male reproductive health clinic. DNA methylation was measured with the Illumina Infinium array at 27,000 CpG loci. Unsupervised clustering of methylation data differentiated the 21 sperm samples by their motility values. Recursively partitioned mixture modeling (RPMM) of methylation data resulted in four distinct methylation profiles that were significantly associated with sperm motility (P=0.01). Linear models of microarray analysis (LIMMA) was performed based on motility and identified 9,189 CpG loci with significantly altered methylation (Q<0.05) in the low motility samples, with many loci located in genes associated with subfertility and epigenetic regulation. In the low motility samples, the majority of disrupted CpG loci (80%) were hypomethylated. Of the aberrantly methylated CpGs, 194 were associated with imprinted genes almost equally distributed into hypermethylated (predominantly paternally expressed) and hypomethylated (predominantly maternally expressed) groups. Sperm mRNA was measured with the Human Gene 1.0 ST Affymetrix GeneChip Array. LIMMA analysis based on motility identified 20 candidate transcripts as differentially expressed in low motility sperm, including HDAC1 (NCBI 3065), SIRT3 (NCBI 23410), and DNMT3A (NCBI 1788). Altered expression of these epigenetic regulatory genes was associated with RPMM DNA methylation class. CONCLUSIONS: Using integrative genome-wide approaches to study epigenetic and gene expression patterns in human sperm we identified CpG methylation profiles and mRNA alterations associated with low sperm motility, and that low motility sperm may have aberrant genome-wide hypomethylation due to excess HDAC1 activity.
Project description:Introduction: Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles, released from various cells, which can stimulate or repress responses in target cells. We have recently shown that cultured cardiomyocytes release exosomes and that they, in turn, are involved in facilitating events in target cells by alteration of gene expression. We investigated whether external stimuli of the cardiomyocyte might influence the released exosome characteristics. Material and Methods: Exosomes were isolated from media collected from cultured cardiomyocyte (HL-1) cells with or without growth factor treatment (TGF-beta2 and PDGF-BB), with a series of differential centrifugations. The exosomes were characterized with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Western blot and analysed with Illumina whole genome microarray gene expression. Results: An average size of 50-80 nm in diameter with no difference between treatment groups was found. Analysis of the mRNA content revealed 623 transcripts in the control group, 691 in the TGF-beta2-treated group and 362 in the PDGF-BB-treated group. 235 transcripts were common for all three groups. Conclusion: We conclude that there is a difference in mRNA content between exosomes derived from cultured cardiomyocytes stimulated with growth factors. We also conclude that all exosomes contain a basic package consisting of ribosomal transcripts and mRNAs coding for proteins with functions within the energy supply system.
Project description:Genome wide gene expression analysis of mRNA siolated from whole heart tissue from wild type and cardiomyocyte selective MR null mice. The role of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) in specific cell types of the myocardium in cardiac remodeling remains unknown. We investigated MR in cardiomyocytes in DOC/salt-induced cardiac pathology. Cardiomyocyte MR-null mice (CM-MRKO) and control mice (WT) were given DOC/salt and cardiac responses were examined at 8 days and 8 weeks. Cardiac function in untreated mice wild type and CM-MRKO mice was determined by Langendorf and showed no differences. At 8 days CM-MRKO showed equivalent monocyte/macrophage recruitment to wild type mice in response to DOC/salt treatment. Profibrotic markers were significantly reduced in CM-MRKO hearts at base line and in response to DOC/salt. In contrast, at 8 weeks CM-MRKO mice showed no DOC/salt-induced increase in inflammatory cell infiltrate, fibrosis or systolic blood pressure (SBP). Similarly, DOC/salt-mediated increases in proinflammatory and profibrotic gene expression were not detected in CM-MRKO mice. Although mRNA levels for fibronectin and collagen III were similar for each genotype, this was not translated into protein expression. Interestingly, untreated CM-MRKO mice showed increased mRNA and protein for decorin and a further increase with DOC/salt. Together, these data suggest a direct role for cardiomyocyte MR in DOC/salt-induced tissue remodelling and SBP regulation. Moreover, a specific profibrotic pathway is dysregulated in CM-MRKO mice, suggesting a potential mechanism for the cardioprotective effects of selective MR deletion in cardiomyocytes. Pool mRNA (equal amounts) from whole heart from 8 animals per group.