Project description:AIN-2::GFP IP were used to purify miRISC from stage sychronized C.elegans populations (Egg, L1, L2, L3 and L4 stages). The mRNA composition of the IP results and the corresponding total RNA samples were analyzed by WUSTL Caenorhabditis elegans Whole Genome 23k Oligo Array. The miRISC associated mRNAs (miRNA targets) in each stage were identified by measuring the relative enrichment of each mRNA in the IP sample versus the corresponding total RNA sample The mRNAs in AIN-2::GFP IP results (IP) and the corresponding input total lysate (tot) were analyzed for each stage (Egg, L1, L2, L3, and L4 stages). At least three independent biological replicates were analyzed for each stage.
Project description:AIN-2::GFP IP were used to purify miRISC from stage sychronized C.elegans populations (Egg, L1, L2, L3 and L4 stages). The mRNA composition of the IP results and the corresponding total RNA samples were analyzed by WUSTL Caenorhabditis elegans Whole Genome 23k Oligo Array. The miRISC associated mRNAs (miRNA targets) in each stage were identified by measuring the relative enrichment of each mRNA in the IP sample versus the corresponding total RNA sample
Project description:Background: The force generating mechanism of muscle is evolutionarily ancient; the fundamental structural and functional components of the sarcomere are common to motile animals throughout phylogeny. Recent evidence suggests that the transcription factors that regulate muscle development are also conserved. Thus, a comprehensive description of muscle gene expression in a simple model organism should define a basic muscle transcriptome that is also expressed in animals with more complex body plans. To this end, we have applied Micro-Array Profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans Cells (MAPCeL) to muscle cell populations extracted from developing Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Results: Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) was used to isolate myo-3::GFP-positive muscle cells, and their cultured derivatives, from dissociated early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Microarray analysis identified 6,693 expressed genes, 1,305 of which are enriched in the myo-3::GFP positive cell population relative to the average embryonic cell. The muscle-enriched gene set was validated by comparisons to known muscle markers, independently derived expression data, and GFP reporters in transgenic strains. These results confirm the utility of MAPCeL for cell type-specific expression profiling and reveal that 60% of these transcripts have human homologs. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive description of gene expression in developing Caenorhabditis elegans embryonic muscle cells. The finding that over half of these muscle-enriched transcripts encode proteins with human homologs suggests that mutant analysis of these genes in Caenorhabditis elegans could reveal evolutionarily conserved models of muscle gene function with ready application to human muscle pathologies. Keywords: embryonic muscle, myo-3::GFP
Project description:Background: The force generating mechanism of muscle is evolutionarily ancient; the fundamental structural and functional components of the sarcomere are common to motile animals throughout phylogeny. Recent evidence suggests that the transcription factors that regulate muscle development are also conserved. Thus, a comprehensive description of muscle gene expression in a simple model organism should define a basic muscle transcriptome that is also expressed in animals with more complex body plans. To this end, we have applied Micro-Array Profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans Cells (MAPCeL) to muscle cell populations extracted from developing Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Results: Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) was used to isolate myo-3::GFP-positive muscle cells, and their cultured derivatives, from dissociated early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Microarray analysis identified 6,693 expressed genes, 1,305 of which are enriched in the myo-3::GFP positive cell population relative to the average embryonic cell. The muscle-enriched gene set was validated by comparisons to known muscle markers, independently derived expression data, and GFP reporters in transgenic strains. These results confirm the utility of MAPCeL for cell type-specific expression profiling and reveal that 60% of these transcripts have human homologs. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive description of gene expression in developing Caenorhabditis elegans embryonic muscle cells. The finding that over half of these muscle-enriched transcripts encode proteins with human homologs suggests that mutant analysis of these genes in Caenorhabditis elegans could reveal evolutionarily conserved models of muscle gene function with ready application to human muscle pathologies. Keywords: embryonic muscle, myo-3::GFP
Project description:We generated animals carrying a genomically integrated mir-124 promoter::gfp transgene and identified mir-124 promoter::GFP labelled cells as a subset of the C. elegans sensory neurons. We used fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate four distinct cell populations: mir-124 expressing (GFP+) and non-expressing (GFP-) cells from both wild-type and mutant animals. RNA samples obtained from the four cell populations were used for Affymetrix gene expression analysis to study the effect of mir-124 deletion on the transcriptome of mir-124 expressing (GFP+) and non-expressing (GFP-) cells. Affymetrix gene expression data from isolated populations of mir-124 expressing (GFP+) and non-expressing (GFP-) cells obtained from wild-type and mir-124 mutant C. elegans (in biological triplicates)
Project description:Identifying the physiological functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) is often challenging because miRNAs commonly impact gene expression under specific physiological conditions through complex miRNA::mRNA interaction networks and in coordination with other means of gene regulation, such as transcriptional regulation and protein degradation. Such complexity creates difficulties in dissecting miRNA functions through traditional genetic methods using individual miRNA mutations. To investigate the physiological functions of miRNAs in neurons, we combined a genetic M-bM-^@M-^\enhancerM-bM-^@M-^] approach complemented by biochemical analysis of neuronal miRNA-induced silencing complexes (miRISCs) in C. elegans. Total miRNA function can be compromised by mutating one of the two GW182 proteins (AIN-1), an important component of miRISC. We found that combining an ain-1 mutation with a mutation in unc-3, a neuronal transcription factor, resulted in an inappropriate entrance into the stress-induced, alternative larval stage known as dauer, indicating a role of miRNAs in preventing aberrant dauer formation. Analysis of this genetic interaction suggests that neuronal miRNAs perform such a role partly by regulating endogenous cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling, potentially influencing two other dauer-regulating pathways. Through tissue-specific immunoprecipitations of miRISC, we identified miRNAs and their likely target mRNAs within neuronal tissue. We verified the biological relevance of several of these miRNAs and found that many miRNAs likely regulate dauer formation through multiple dauer-related targets. Further analysis of target mRNAs suggests potential miRNA involvement in various neuronal processes, but the importance of these miRNA::mRNA interactions remains unclear. Finally, we found that neuronal genes may be more highly regulated by miRNAs than intestinal genes. Overall, our study identifies miRNAs and their targets, and a physiological function of these miRNAs in neurons. It also suggests that compromising other aspects of gene expression, along with miRISC, can be an effective approach to reveal miRNA functions in specific tissues under specific physiological conditions. Each array was used for one biological replicate, where the red channel is used for IP RNA and the green channel is used for Total RNA. IP RNA indicates the transcripts associated with a neuronally expressed, GFP-tagged, miRISC. Five biological replicates were done on asynchronous worms. Please note the two different microarray platforms that were used.
Project description:We generated animals carrying a genomically integrated mir-124 promoter::gfp transgene and identified mir-124 promoter::GFP labelled cells as a subset of the C. elegans sensory neurons. We used fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate four distinct cell populations: mir-124 expressing (GFP+) and non-expressing (GFP-) cells from both wild-type and mutant animals. RNA samples obtained from the four cell populations were used for Affymetrix gene expression analysis to study the effect of mir-124 deletion on the transcriptome of mir-124 expressing (GFP+) and non-expressing (GFP-) cells.
Project description:Comprehensive list of SUMO targets from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. SUMO conjugates isolated from transgenic worms carrying 8His and GFP tagged SUMO. The constructs rescues the lethal knock-out of a single SUMO gene, smo-1. SUMO conjugates where isolated from heat shock, arsenite exposure, and UV treated SUMO-GFP worms as well as from control non treated animals. In parallel identical purification procedure was performed with non-transgenic worms and proteins identified with this control where excluded.