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MiRNA expression in lung tissue

ABSTRACT: Sex differences in the incidence and prognosis of respiratory diseases have been reported. Studies have shown that women are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes from air pollution than men, but sex-specific immune gene expression patterns and regulatory networks have not been well studied in the lung. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are environmentally sensitive posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression that may mediate the damaging effects of inhaled pollutants in the lung, by altering the expression of innate immunity molecules. Here, male and female mice of the C57/Bl6 background were exposed to 2ppm of ozone or filtered air (control) for 3 hours. Female mice were also exposed at different stages of the estrous cycle. Following exposure, lungs were harvested and total RNA was extracted. We used PCR arrays to study sex-differences in the expression of 84 miRNAs predicted to target inflammatory and immune genes. Our results identified differentially expressed miRNA signatures in the lungs of male vs. female exposed to ozone. In silico pathway analyses identified sex-specific biological networks affected by exposure to ozone that ranged from direct predicted gene targeting to complex interactions with multiple intermediates. We also identified differences in miRNA expression and predicted regulatory networks in females exposed to ozone at different estrous cycle stages. These results indicate that both sex and hormonal status can influence lung miRNA expression in response to ozone exposure, indicating that sex-specific miRNA regulation of inflammatory gene expression could mediate differential pollution-induced health outcomes in men and women.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE111667 | GEO | 2018/03/13

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Brain structure and function are sexually dimorphic. As neuroscience research has largely focused on the male brain and behavior, the female brain and, in particular, its inherent dynamics have been left underexplored. During the mammalian reproductive period, the female brain is exposed to fluctuating hormone levels over the cycles known as menstrual (in humans) or estrous (in rodents). Variation in estradiol levels has been shown to affect synaptic plasticity in the female brain, including changes in dendritic spine density systematically across the estrous cycle. Female emotionality and cognitive function vary with physiologically fluctuating sex hormone levels. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the dynamic nature of the female brain structure and function are currently unknown. Here we show that neuronal chromatin organization in the female ventral hippocampus of mouse is dynamic and fluctuates across the estrous cycle. We find changes in chromatin organization associated with the transcriptional activity of nearby genes important for neuronal function, neurotransmission, synapse formation, and behavior. We also link these chromatin dynamics to variation in anxiety-like behavior and to fluctuations in dendritic spine and synaptic density in the ventral hippocampus. In terms of chromatin structure, within-female and between-sex variation are of similar magnitudes, emphasizing the importance of accounting for fluctuating sex-hormone levels in females in the studies of the brain epigenome and behavior. These results provide critical insights into the mechanisms underlying sex-hormone and sex-dependent variation in adult brain structure and function. The study also has implications for better understanding of sex-biased disorders such as depression and anxiety which are strongly associated with sex-hormone status in females and are twice as prevalent in women than in men. This study establishes a foundation for the development of sex-specific approaches to treat sex-biased neuropsychiatric disorders including depression and anxiety disorders.

Project description:Ozone is a major air pollutant in highly populated areas. High levels of ambient ozone have been associated with decreased lung function and increased exacerbations of asthma in children and adults. However, the effects of ozone on the newbornM-bM-^@M-^Ys lung are largely unknown. This study was aimed at profiling the newborn lung response to ozone at the transcriptome level to define the impact of ozone pollutant on the developing postnatal lung. Newborn mice were exposed to ozone or filtered normal air for 3 h. Total RNA was isolated from lung tissues at 6 and 24 h after completion of exposure and was subjected to gene expression analysis using Whole Mouse Genome Gene Expression 4X44K Microarrays (G2519F-014868, Agilent Technologies). Transcriptome analysis of the postnatal lung indicated that 455 genes were down-regulated and 166 genes were up-regulated by at least 1.5 fold at 6 h post-ozone exposure (t-test, p<0.05). At 24 h post exposure, 543 genes were down-regulated and 323 genes were up-regulated in the lungs of ozone-exposed newborn mice, compared to filtered air-exposed newborn mice (t-test, p<0.05). After controlling for false discovery rate, 50 genes were significantly down-regulated and only 4 genes were up-regulated at 24 h post ozone-exposure (q<0.05). Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that cell cycle-associated functions including cell division/proliferation, cellular assembly and organization were the predominant pathways negatively regulated by ozone exposure. These findings suggest that elevated ozone pollution may interfere with lung development and growth in the early age. Three-day old BALB/c mice were exposed for 3 h to ozone (1000 parts per billion). Age-matching littermate controls were exposed for 3 h to filtered normal air. Whole lung tissue was collected 6 and 24 h after completion of exposure to ozone or filtered air and was subjected to microarray analysis. Each time point was performed separately with its own filtered air littermate controls. Pups were cross-fostered during exposure so that all pups were with a dam during exposure. A total of 6-8 mice were initially included in each group and time point. Of these, n=4 mouse lungs were randomly selected for use in gene expression analysis.

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MiRNA expression in lung tissue

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