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A comprehensive spatial-temporal transcriptomic analysis of differentiating nascent mouse lens epithelial and fiber cells

ABSTRACT: The lens is comprised of the anterior lens epithelium and posterior lens fibers, which form the bulk of the lens. The RNAseq data enables identification of lens epithelium and fiber differentially expressed genes and temporally differentially expressed genes which were also validated by qRTPCR. The present RNA-seq data serves as a comprehensive reference resource for deciphering molecular principles of normal mammalian lens differentiation, mapping a full spectrum of signaling pathways and DNA-binding transcription factors operating in both lens compartments, and predicting novel pathways required to establish lens transparency.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE113887 | GEO | 2018/10/02

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:The mature eye lens contains a surface layer of epithelial cells called the lens epithelium that require a functional mitochondrial population to maintain the homeostasis and transparency of the entire lens. The lens epithelium overlies a core of terminally differentiated fiber cells that must degrade their mitochondria to achieve lens transparency. These distinct mitochondrial populations make the lens a useful model system to identify those genes that regulate the balance between mitochondrial homeostasis and elimination. Here we used an RNA sequencing and bioinformatics approach to identify the transcript levels of all genes expressed by distinct regions of the lens epithelium and maturing fiber cells of the embryonic Gallus gallus (chicken) lens. Our analysis detected over 15,000 unique transcripts expressed by the embryonic chicken lens. Of these, over 3000 transcripts exhibited significant differences in expression between lens epithelial cells and fiber cells. Multiple transcripts coding for separate mitochondrial homeostatic and degradation mechanisms were identified to exhibit preferred patterns of expression in lens epithelial cells that require mitochondria relative to lens fiber cells that require mitochondrial elimination. These included differences in the expression levels of metabolic, autophagy, and mitophagy transcripts between lens epithelial cells and lens fiber cells. These data provide a comprehensive window into all genes transcribed by the lens and those mitochondrial regulatory and degradation pathways that function to maintain mitochondrial populations in the lens epithelium and to eliminate mitochondria in maturing lens fiber cells. Differentiation-state transcriptional analysis of embryonic chicken lenses was performed following microdissection of 100 embryonic day 13 (E13) chicken lenses into four distinct regions that represent a continuum of lens cell differentiation states: lens central epithelium (EC), equatorial epithelium (EQ), cortical fibers (FP), and central fibers (FC). Further analysis of the transcriptional content of biologically replicate samples was performed by Illumina directional mRNA sequencing and resulting reads mapped by TopHat and assembled with Cufflinks.

Project description:Epithelial cells and differentiated fiber cells represent distinct compartments in the ocular lens. While previous studies have revealed proteins that are preferentially expressed in epithelial vs. fiber cells, a comprehensive proteomics library comparing the molecular composition of epithelial vs. fiber cells is essential for understanding lens formation, function, disease and regenerative potential, and for efficient differentiation of pluripotent stem cells for modeling of lens development and pathology in vitro. To compare protein composition between the lens epithelium and fibers, we employed tandem mass spectrometry (2DLC/ MS) analysis of micro-dissected mouse P0.5 lenses. Functional classifications of the top 525 identified proteins into gene ontology categories by molecular process and subcellular localization, were adapted for lens. Expression levels of both epithelial and fiber proteomes were compared with their temporal and spatial mRNA levels using E14.5, E16.5, E18.5, and P0.5 RNA-Seq data sets. During this developmental time window, multiple complex biosynthetic and catabolic processes generate the molecular and structural foundation for lens transparency. As expected, crystallins showed a high correlation between their mRNA and protein levels. Comprehensive data analysis confirmed and/or predicted roles for transcription factors (TFs), RNA-binding proteins, translational apparatus including ribosomal heterogeneity and initiation factors, microtubules, cytoskeletal and membrane proteins in lens formation and maturation. Our data highlighted many proteins with unknown function in the lens that were preferentially enriched in epithelium or fibers, setting the stage for future studies to further dissect the roles of these proteins in fiber cell differentiation vs. epithelial cell maintenance. In conclusion, the present proteomic datasets established reference mouse lens epithelium and fiber cell proteomes, provided quantitative analyses of protein and RNA-Seq data, and probed the major proteome remodeling required to form the mature lens fiber cells.

Dataset Information

A comprehensive spatial-temporal transcriptomic analysis of differentiating nascent mouse lens epithelial and fiber cells

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