Project description:Gallstone disease is a major contributor to health care costs in the United States. Approximately 12 % of the U.S. population has gallstones. As a result, more than 700,000 cholecystectomies are performed in this country each year. Many of these patients are obese and have a positive family history; but surprisingly, little is known about the link between obesity, genetics and gallstone formation. Obese individuals have been shown to have supersaturated bile, larger gallbladder fasting volumes and impaired gallbladder emptying. We have recently demonstrated that leptin plays a role in gallbladder motility. In an effort to understand the genetic basis for these observations, we tested the hypothesis that leptin would alter gallbladder gene expression. Methods: Affymetrix oligonucleotide microarrays 430 2.0 were used to compare gallbladder gene expression profiles from 12 week old control saline-treated leptin-deficient (Lep ob) and from leptin-treated Lep ob female mice. Analyses were performed on pooled RNA (n=4) from the gallbladders of 12 saline-treated Lep ob mice and from 12 Lep ob mice which were administered daily IP 5 ug/g of recombinant murine leptin for 4 weeks. Resulting data were analyzed utilizing Gene Chip Operating Software or MAS 5.0. Results: Of the genes analyzed 314 were upregulated and 108 were downregulated by leptin administration. Numerous genes related to gallstone pathogenesis, gallbladder absorption/secretion, inflammatory cytokines, and insulin resistance were altered by leptin. Experiment Overall Design: Female B6.V-lepob obese mice (n=24) aged 7 weeks were obtained from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME). Upon arrival, mice were placed on a standard chow diet and were allowed to acclimate for 1 week before starting the experiment. For leptin treatments, mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of either recombinant mouse leptin (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN) (n=12) at a dose of 5 µg/g body weight or with saline as a control (n=12) for 4 weeks. At 12 weeks of age, mice were fasted overnight with free access to water. The following morning the mice underwent cholecystectomy. Three gallbladders were pooled to create 4 pools in each treatment and total RNA was isolated. Affymetrix murine 430 2.0 arrays were utilized to examine altered gallbladder gene expression as a result of leptin administration. The resulting data was analyzed utlizing Gene Chip Operating Software or MAS 5.0.
Project description:Gallstone disease is a major contributor to health care costs in the United States. Approximately 12 % of the U.S. population has gallstones. As a result, more than 700,000 cholecystectomies are performed in this country each year. Many of these patients are obese and have a positive family history; but surprisingly, little is known about the link between obesity, genetics and gallstone formation. Obese individuals have been shown to have supersaturated bile, larger gallbladder fasting volumes and impaired gallbladder emptying. We have recently demonstrated that leptin plays a role in gallbladder motility. In an effort to understand the genetic basis for these observations, we tested the hypothesis that leptin would alter gallbladder gene expression. Methods: Affymetrix oligonucleotide microarrays 430 2.0 were used to compare gallbladder gene expression profiles from 12 week old control saline-treated leptin-deficient (Lep ob) and from leptin-treated Lep ob female mice. Analyses were performed on pooled RNA (n=4) from the gallbladders of 12 saline-treated Lep ob mice and from 12 Lep ob mice which were administered daily IP 5 ug/g of recombinant murine leptin for 4 weeks. Resulting data were analyzed utilizing Gene Chip Operating Software or MAS 5.0. Results: Of the genes analyzed 314 were upregulated and 108 were downregulated by leptin administration. Numerous genes related to gallstone pathogenesis, gallbladder absorption/secretion, inflammatory cytokines, and insulin resistance were altered by leptin. Keywords: comparitive response to leptin
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:The aim of the study was to investigate whether the trefoil peptide genes, in concerted action with a miRNA regulatory network, were contributing to nutritional maintrenance. Using a Tff2 knock-out mouse model, 48 specific miRNAs were noted to be significantly deregulated when compared to the wild type strain.
Project description:The aim of the study was to investigate whether the trefoil peptide genes, in concerted action with a miRNA regulatory network, were contributing to nutritional maintrenance. Using a Tff3 knock-out mouse model, 21 specific miRNAs were noted to be significantly deregulated when compared to the wild type strain.
Project description:PURPOSE: To provide a detailed gene expression profile of the normal postnatal mouse cornea. METHODS: Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) was performed on postnatal day (PN)9 and adult mouse (6 week) total corneas. The expression of selected genes was analyzed by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: A total of 64,272 PN9 and 62,206 adult tags were sequenced. Mouse corneal transcriptomes are composed of at least 19,544 and 18,509 unique mRNAs, respectively. One third of the unique tags were expressed at both stages, whereas a third was identified exclusively in PN9 or adult corneas. Three hundred thirty-four PN9 and 339 adult tags were enriched more than fivefold over other published nonocular libraries. Abundant transcripts were associated with metabolic functions, redox activities, and barrier integrity. Three members of the Ly-6/uPAR family whose functions are unknown in the cornea constitute more than 1% of the total mRNA. Aquaporin 5, epithelial membrane protein and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) omega-1, and GST alpha-4 mRNAs were preferentially expressed in distinct corneal epithelial layers, providing new markers for stratification. More than 200 tags were differentially expressed, of which 25 mediate transcription. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to providing a detailed profile of expressed genes in the PN9 and mature mouse cornea, the present SAGE data demonstrate dynamic changes in gene expression after eye opening and provide new probes for exploring corneal epithelial cell stratification, development, and function and for exploring the intricate relationship between programmed and environmentally induced gene expression in the cornea. Keywords: other
Project description:A transcriptome study in mouse hematopoietic stem cells was performed using a sensitive SAGE method, in an attempt to detect medium and low abundant transcripts expressed in these cells. Among a total of 31,380 unique transcript, 17,326 (55%) known genes were detected, 14,054 (45%) low-copy transcripts that have no matches to currently known genes. 3,899 (23%) were alternatively spliced transcripts of the known genes and 3,754 (22%) represent anti-sense transcripts from known genes.
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.
Project description:BackgroundCopy number variation is an important dimension of genetic diversity and has implications in development and disease. As an important model organism, the mouse is a prime candidate for copy number variant (CNV) characterization, but this has yet to be completed for a large sample size. Here we report CNV analysis of publicly available, high-density microarray data files for 351 mouse tail samples, including 290 mice that had not been characterized for CNVs previously.ResultsWe found 9634 putative autosomal CNVs across the samples affecting 6.87% of the mouse reference genome. We find significant differences in the degree of CNV uniqueness (single sample occurrence) and the nature of CNV-gene overlap between wild-caught mice and classical laboratory strains. CNV-gene overlap was associated with lipid metabolism, pheromone response and olfaction compared to immunity, carbohydrate metabolism and amino-acid metabolism for wild-caught mice and classical laboratory strains, respectively. Using two subspecies of wild-caught Mus musculus, we identified putative CNVs unique to those subspecies and show this diversity is better captured by wild-derived laboratory strains than by the classical laboratory strains. A total of 9 genic copy number variable regions (CNVRs) were selected for experimental confirmation by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).ConclusionThe analysis we present is a comprehensive, genome-wide analysis of CNVs in Mus musculus, which increases the number of known variants in the species and will accelerate the identification of novel variants in future studies.
Project description:BackgroundLong terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons make up a large fraction of the typical mammalian genome. They comprise about 8% of the human genome and approximately 10% of the mouse genome. On account of their abundance, LTR retrotransposons are believed to hold major significance for genome structure and function. Recent advances in genome sequencing of a variety of model organisms has provided an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate better the diversity of LTR retrotransposons resident in eukaryotic genomes.ResultsUsing a new data-mining program, LTR_STRUC, in conjunction with conventional techniques, we have mined the GenBank mouse (Mus musculus) database and the more complete Ensembl mouse dataset for LTR retrotransposons. We report here that the M. musculus genome contains at least 21 separate families of LTR retrotransposons; 13 of these families are described here for the first time.ConclusionsAll families of mouse LTR retrotransposons are members of the gypsy-like superfamily of retroviral-like elements. Several different families of unrelated non-autonomous elements were identified, suggesting that the evolution of non-autonomy may be a common event. High sequence similarity between several LTR retrotransposons identified in this study and those found in distantly-related species suggests that horizontal transfer has been a significant factor in the evolution of mouse LTR retrotransposons.