Project description:We collected whole genome testis expression data from hybrid zone mice. We integrated GWAS mapping of testis expression traits and low testis weight to gain insight into the genetic basis of hybrid male sterility.
Project description:We collected whole genome testis expression data from hybrid zone mice. We integrated GWAS mapping of testis expression traits and low testis weight to gain insight into the genetic basis of hybrid male sterility. Gene expression was measured in whole testis from males aged 62-86 days. Samples include 190 first generation lab-bred male offspring of wild-caught mice from the Mus musculus musculus - M. m. domesticus hybrid zone.
Project description:To characterize the genetic basis of hybrid male sterility in detail, we used a systems genetics approach, integrating mapping of gene expression traits with sterility phenotypes and QTL. We measured genome-wide testis expression in 305 male F2s from a cross between wild-derived inbred strains of M. musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus. We identified several thousand cis- and trans-acting QTL contributing to expression variation (eQTL). Many trans eQTL cluster into eleven ‘hotspots,’ seven of which co-localize with QTL for sterility phenotypes identified in the cross. The number and clustering of trans eQTL - but not cis eQTL - were substantially lower when mapping was restricted to a ‘fertile’ subset of mice, providing evidence that trans eQTL hotspots are related to sterility. Functional annotation of transcripts with eQTL provides insights into the biological processes disrupted by sterility loci and guides prioritization of candidate genes. Using a conditional mapping approach, we identified eQTL dependent on interactions between loci, revealing a complex system of epistasis. Our results illuminate established patterns, including the role of the X chromosome in hybrid sterility.
Project description:We analyzed the functional role of DOR (Diabetes and Obesity Regulated gene) (also named Tp53inp2) in skeletal muscle. We show that DOR has a direct impact on skeletal muscle mass in vivo. Thus, using different transgenic mouse models, we demonstrate that while muscle-specific DOR gain-of-function results in reduced muscle mass, loss-of-function causes muscle hypertrophy. DOR has been described as a protein with two different functions, i.e., a nuclear coactivator and an autophagy regulator (Baumgartner et. al., PLoS One, 2007; Francis et. al., Curr Biol, 2010; Mauvezin et. al., EMBO Rep, 2010; Nowak et. al., Mol Biol Cell, 2009). This is why we decided to analyze which of these two functions could explain the phenotype observed in our mice models. In this regard, we performed a transcriptomic analysis using microarrays looking for genes differentially expressed in the quadriceps muscle of WT and SKM-Tg mice as well as in C and SKM-KO animals. Surprisingly, only a reduced number of genes were dysregulated upon DOR manipulation and most of the genes underwent mild changes in expression. These data strongly suggest that DOR does not operate as a nuclear co-factor in mouse skeletal muscle under the conditions subjected to study. In contrast, DOR enhances basal autophagy in skeletal muscle and promotes muscle wasting when autophagy is a contributor to muscle loss. To determine the functional role of DOR in skeletal muscle, we generated transgenic mice (SKM-Tg) overexpressing DOR specifically in skeletal muscle under the Myosin-Light Chain 1 promoter/enhancer. The open reading frame of DOR was introduced in an EcoRI site in the MDAF2 vector, which contains a 1.5 kb fragment of the MLC1 promoter and 0.9 kb fragment of the MLC1/3 gene containing a 3' muscle enhancer element (Rosenthal et. al., PNAS, 1989; Otaegui et. al., FASEB J, 2003). The fragment obtained after the digestion of this construct with BssHII was the one used to generate both transgenic mouse lines. Nontransgenic littermates were used as controls for the transgenic animals (Wt). In addition, a muscle-specific DOR knock-out mouse line (SKM-KO) was also generated by crossing homozygous DOR loxP/loxP mice with a mouse strain expressing Cre recombinase under the control of the Myosin-Light Chain 1 promoter (Bothe et. al., Genesis, 2000). Deletion of exons 3 and 4 driven by Cre recombinase caused the ablation of DOR expression. Non-expressing Cre DOR loxP/loxP littermates were used as controls for knockout animals (C). Four-month-old male mice were used in all experiments. Mice were in a C57BL/6J pure genetic background.