Project description:Morphogenesis of the mammalian neural tube (NT) is reliant on precise, spatio-temporal expression of numerous genes and coordinated interaction of signal transduction and gene regulatory networks, disruption of which may contribute to the etiology of neural tube defects (NTDs). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as well as their downstream messenger RNA (mRNA) targets are key modulators of cell and tissue differentiation. To define potential roles of miRNAs and mRNAs in development of the murine neural tube (NT), total RNA preparations from gestation day (GD)-8.5, -9.0 and -9.5 (crtitcal period of NT developemnt) mouse embryos were used to hybridize both microRNA arrays and messenger RNA arrays, to identify miRNAs and mRNAs co-expressed in the same developing NT tissue samples.
Project description:Morphogenesis of the mammalian neural tube (NT) is reliant on precise, spatio-temporal expression of numerous genes and coordinated interaction of signal transduction and gene regulatory networks, disruption of which may contribute to the etiology of neural tube defects (NTDs). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as well as their downstream messenger RNA (mRNA) targets are key modulators of cell and tissue differentiation. To define potential roles of miRNAs and mRNAs in development of the murine neural tube (NT), total RNA preparations from gestation day (GD)-8.5, -9.0 and -9.5 (crtitcal period of NT developemnt) mouse embryos were used to hybridize both microRNA arrays and messenger RNA arrays, to identify miRNAs and mRNAs co-expressed in the same developing NT tissue samples.
Project description:At an incidence of approximately 1/1000 births, neural tube defects (NTDs) comprise one of the most common and devastating congenital disorders. In an attempt to enhance and expand our understanding of neural tube closure, we undertook a high-throughput gene expression analysis of the neural tube as it was forming in the mouse embryo. Open and closed sections of the developing neural tube were micro-dissected from mouse embryos, and hybridized to Affymetrix mouse expression arrays. Clustering of genes differentially regulated in open and closed sections of the developing neural tube highlighted molecular processes previously recognized to be involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis. Analysis of the genes in these categories identified potential candidates underlying neural tube closure. In addition, we identified approximately 25 novel genes, of unknown function, that were significantly up-regulated in the closed neural tube. Based on their expression patterns in the developing neural tube, five novel genes are proposed as interesting candidates for involvement in neurogenesis. The high-throughput expression analysis of the neural tube as it forms allows for better characterization of pathways involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis, and hopefully will strengthen the foundation for further research along the pathways dictating neural tube development. Embryos were dissected at days E8.5 and E9.5, and the neuroepithelium/ neural tube were mechanically detached from underlying tissues, and then separated into two regions: 1) M-bM-^@M-^\open neuroepitheliumM-bM-^@M-^]: neuroepithelial tissue caudal to the open/closed junction, and 2) M-bM-^@M-^\closed neural tubeM-bM-^@M-^], extending from a somiteM-bM-^@M-^Ys breadth rostral to the open/closed junction, up to the level of the fifth- or sixth-to-last somite. Samples consisted of biological triplicates of RNA extract from the above tissues (pooled by litter, and representing a total of 111 embryos): E8.5 open neuroepithelium, E8.5 closed neural tube, E9.5 open neuroepithelium, and E9.5 closed neural tube. Thus, a total of 12 samples (representing 111 embryos) were hybridized to the GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array (Affymetrix Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA). One of the samples (06, closed E8.5) deviated significantly from the others in quality assessment and was therefore removed from subsequent analysis and not submitted to GEO.
Project description:RNA-seq differential gene expression analysis was accomplished in E9.5 pooled(n = approximately 30) microdissected heart tubes from Sox7-null embryos and a wild-type littermates.
Project description:At an incidence of approximately 1/1000 births, neural tube defects (NTDs) comprise one of the most common and devastating congenital disorders. In an attempt to enhance and expand our understanding of neural tube closure, we undertook a high-throughput gene expression analysis of the neural tube as it was forming in the mouse embryo. Open and closed sections of the developing neural tube were micro-dissected from mouse embryos, and hybridized to Affymetrix mouse expression arrays. Clustering of genes differentially regulated in open and closed sections of the developing neural tube highlighted molecular processes previously recognized to be involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis. Analysis of the genes in these categories identified potential candidates underlying neural tube closure. In addition, we identified approximately 25 novel genes, of unknown function, that were significantly up-regulated in the closed neural tube. Based on their expression patterns in the developing neural tube, five novel genes are proposed as interesting candidates for involvement in neurogenesis. The high-throughput expression analysis of the neural tube as it forms allows for better characterization of pathways involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis, and hopefully will strengthen the foundation for further research along the pathways dictating neural tube development.
Project description:Purpose: Study the developing neural cell fate of the D1 blastomere in the 8-cell embryo. Determine what transcripts are dependant on cell/cell signaling and which are inherit to the single cell and do not depend on the rest of the embryo. Methods: D1 blastomere was either injected with fluorescent dye or explanted away from the developing embryo. Transcript profile was taken at 7 time points: 8-cell, 16-cell, 32-cell, blastula, gastrula, early neurula, and mid/late neurula. 3 biological triplicates were taken at each time point for both the dissect and explant condition. Results: Up until blastula stage, dissect and explant transcript profiles remain fairly similar. But following this the profiles completely diverge, with the dissect tissue heading towards the neural fate while the explant samples head towards an ectoderm/epithelial fate.
Project description:Neural crest (NC) cells form a multipotent stem cell population specified during neurulation, which undergoes an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migrate extensively in the developing embryo, to generate numerous tissues and cell types including the craniofacial skeleton, the peripheral nervous system and pigment cells. The genetic and molecular details of neural crest specification are governed by a complex, yet still partially understood gene regulatory network (NC-GRN). In particular, the precise function of microRNAs in this network remains poorly known. MicroRNAs are short non-coding 20-22 nucleotides long RNAs which control gene expression through post-transcriptional repression. Since miRNA-196a is expressed in the developing neural and neural crest cells of Xenopus laevis embryos we here investigated miR-196a function in the NC-GRN, by knocking-down its expression using antisense morpholinos. Depletion of miR-196a revealed major neural crest and craniofacial phenotypes. These defects were preceded by the perturbed expression of key neural, neural border and neural crest markers such as sox2/3, zic1/3, pax3, sox10 and snail2. Using RNA sequencing of individual neural border and neural crest explants, we have identified a signature of genes up- and down-regulated by miR-196a and validate these with rescue experiments using a miR mimic. We show that Sox10, a predicted target of miR-196a, is lost following morpholino knockdown and rescued upon miR 196a mimic expression. Our study identifies miR-196a as a key actor of early patterning in the dorsal ectoderm, balancing the extent of immature neural plate progenitors with neural crest and placode specification, while also promoting neuron differentiation within the neural plate.