Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

Dataset Information

Differential features of Aire-induced and Aire-independent promiscuous gene expression in thymic epithelial cells

ABSTRACT: Promiscuous gene expression (pGE) of numerous self-antigens in thymic epithelial cells (TEC) enables the elimination of self-reactive T cells. The autoimmune regulator (Aire) is the only known molecular determinant driving pGE in the thymus but the existence of Aire-independent mechanisms has been inferred. Here, we analyzed the poly(A)+ transcriptome of TEC populations by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) in order to reveal differential features of Aire-induced vs. –independent pGE. We report an unanticipated effect of Aire deletion on the proliferation and differentiation of cortical TEC. Moreover, the RNA-seq data reveal the breath of Aire-induced and –independent pGE in medullary TEC (mTEC) subsets and the extent of thymic peripheral tissue representation. The results suggest that Aire-induced promiscuously expressed transcripts affect several functions with far reaching biological consequences in mTEC. High-throughput characterization of TEC transcriptomes will enable progress in understanding TEC biology and the establishment of self-tolerance. The mRNA profiles of cTEC, mTEClo and mTEChi from 6-8 week-old wild type (WT) and Aire-/- (KO) mice were generated by RNA-sequencing using Illumina HiSeq2000.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: Charles St-Pierre

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-65617 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Publications

Differential Features of AIRE-Induced and AIRE-Independent Promiscuous Gene Expression in Thymic Epithelial Cells.

St-Pierre Charles C Trofimov Assya A Brochu Sylvie S Lemieux Sébastien S Perreault Claude C

Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 20150601 2

Establishment of self-tolerance in the thymus depends on promiscuous expression of tissue-restricted Ags (TRA) by thymic epithelial cells (TEC). This promiscuous gene expression (pGE) is regulated in part by the autoimmune regulator (AIRE). To evaluate the commonalities and discrepancies between AIRE-dependent and -independent pGE, we analyzed the transcriptome of the three main TEC subsets in wild-type and Aire knockout mice. We found that the impact of AIRE-dependent pGE is not limited to gene ...[more]

PMID: 26034170

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Project description:Purpose: In all vertebrates, the thymus is necessary and sufficient for production of classic adaptive T cells. The key components of the thymus are cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (cTECs and mTECs). Despite the capital role of TECs, our understanding of TEC biology is quite rudimentary. For instance, we ignore what might be the extent of divergence in the functional program of these two TECs populations. It also remains unclear why the number of TECs decreases rapidly with age, thereby leading to progressive thymic insufficiency. Methods: Systems level understanding of cell function begins with gene expression profiling, and the transcriptome is currently the only '-ome' that can be reliably tackled in its entirety in freshly harvested primary cells. In order to gain novel insights into TEC biology, we therefore decided to analyse the whole transcriptome of cTECs, mTECs and skin epithelial cells. We elected to analyse gene expression using RNA-seq rather microarrays because RNA-seq has higher sensitivity and dynamic range coupled to lower technical variations. Results: Our deep sequencing approach provides a unique perspective into the transcriptome of TECs. Consistent with their ability to express ectopic genes, we found that mTECs expressed more genes than other cell populations. Out of a total of 15,069 genes expressed in TECs, 25% were differentially expressed by at least 5-fold in cTECs vs. mTECs. Genes expressed at higher levels in cTECs than mTECs regulate numerous cell functions including cell differentiation, cell movement and microtubule dynamics. Almost all positive regulators of the cell cycle were overexpressed in skin ECs relative to TECs. Conclusions: Our RNA-seq data provide novel insights into the transcriptional landscape of TECs, highlight substantial divergences in the transcriptome of TEC subsets and suggest that cell cycle progression is differentially regulated in TECS and skinECs. We believe that our work will therefore represent a valuable resource and will be of great interest to readers working in biological sciences, particularly in the areas of immunology and systems biology. The mRNA profiles of cTEC, mTEC (from 14 thymi of 7-days old C57BL/6 mice) and skinEC (from the trunk and dorsum of seven newborn mice) were generated by RNA-sequencing using Illumina HiSeq2000.

Dataset Information

Differential features of Aire-induced and Aire-independent promiscuous gene expression in thymic epithelial cells

Publications

Differential Features of AIRE-Induced and AIRE-Independent Promiscuous Gene Expression in Thymic Epithelial Cells.

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