Project description:In higher plants, NAD synthesis starts with the oxidation of aspartate. This oxidation is catalyzed by aspartate oxidase (AO) encoded by a nitrate-inducible gene. To assess the effects of this upregulation of AO gene in response to a nitrate supply, a transgenic line was generated by introduction of AO gene under the control of a mutated AO promoter into the ao knockout mutant. Since, unlike the wild-type AO promoter, this mutated AO promoter was not activated by a nitrate supply, gene expression in this transgenic line was compared with that in another transgenic line that was generated by introduction of AO gene under the regulation of the wild-type AO promoter into the ao knockout mutant. Changes in gene expression in response to a nitrate supply were analyzed in these transgenic lines.
Project description:We have developed apical-out (AO)- endometrial organoids (EMO) that emulate the in vivo archtecture of endometrial epithelium. The AO-EMO exposes the apical surface of the epithelium. To explore the hormone responsiveness and spatial heterogeneity of AO-EMO, we conducted transcriptomic analysis.
Project description:Vascular extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening is a risk factor for aortic and coronary artery disease. How matrix stiffening regulates the transcriptome profile of human aortic (Ao) and coronary (Co) vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is not well understood. Furthermore, the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the cellular response to stiffening has never been explored. This study characterizes the stiffness-sensitive transcriptome of human Ao and Co VSMCs and identify potentially key lncRNA regulators of stiffness-dependent VSMC functions. Ao and Co VSMCs were cultured on hydrogel substrates mimicking physiologic and pathologic ECM stiffness. Total RNA-seq was performed to compare the stiffness-sensitive transcriptome profiles of Ao and Co VSMCs.
Project description:We established a novel alveolar epithelial culture method, called "On-Gel" culture. To characterize the "On-Gel" culture, we compared each transcriptome of the cultured cells in "On-Gel", fibroblast dependent-alveolar organoids (FD-AO) and fibroblast-free alveolar organoids (FF-AO) and their progenitor cells (CPMhigh Lung Progenitors).
Project description:Ascorbate (vitamin C) is an important antioxidant in leaves with multiple functions in photosynthesis and its levels are tightly regulated by light quality. The majority of work to date has focussed on regulation of ascorbate levels via biosynthesis. However, the pathway of ascorbate degradation, which is localised in the apoplast may additionally play a significant role. The degradative pathway begins with ascorbate oxidation by the enzyme ascorbate oxidase (AO) and hence we have examined the impact of manipulation of ascorbate oxidase activity on the content of ascorbate and the acclimation of photosynthesis to changing light levels. Leaf ascorbate content was highly light dependent in Nicotiana tobaccum being double in high compared with low light conditions. In contrast ascorbate oxidase activity was not altered by changing light levels. Transgenic tobacco lines with reduced or enhanced AO activity exhibited no morphological phenotype and photosynthesis under high light was similarly impaired irrespective of the measured AO activity. However further investigation between AO activity and leaf acclimation to changing light intensity revealed a suite of metabolic and transcriptome changes indicating a role for the apoplastic ascorbate pool in chloroplast to nucleus communication. In all genotypes, transcripts associated with ascorbate synthesis and recycling were less abundant following transition from high to low light. However transcripts associated with glutathione recycling, light harvesting, reaction centre function and the Calvin cycle were all increased in abundance. Following the transition from high to low light increases in leaf threonate, an ascorbate degradation product, were proportional to AO activity. A number of chloroplast synthesised amino acids were significantly increased both during high light and following transfer back to LL for 12 h. Similarly, several primary carbohydrates and TCA intermediates were significantly enhanced following high light treatment. In addition to light effects, AO activity had a significant impact on ï¢-alanine, aspartate and threonine. Intriguingly, a large number of fatty acids were reduced in antisense AO and wild-type plants immediately after high light stress however the content of these compounds were significantly increased in overexpressing sense lines. We conclude that AO mediated turnover plays an important role in adjusting cellular ascorbate content to photosynthetic need in a fluctuating light environment and that light mediated signals rapidly adjust that the apoplastic ascorbate pool.
Project description:We have developed a method to generate human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal cells (iMES) that were able to induce AT1 and AT2 epithelial cells within their organoids (iMES-AO). Single-cell transcriptome analysis comparing iMES-AO with our previously reported alveolar organoids using human fetal lung fibroblasts delineated not only differences in composition of epithelial lineages but also distinctive mesenchymal lineages.