Project description:Genomic imprinting results in the preferential expression of the paternal, or maternal allele of certain genes. We have performed a genome-wide characterization of imprinting in the mouse embryonic and adult brain using F1 hybrid mice generated from reciprocal crosses of CASTEiJ and C57BL/6J mice. We also uncovered genes associated with sex specific parental effects in the adult mouse brain. Our study identified preferential selection of the maternally inherited X chromosome in glutamatergic neurons of the female cortex.
Project description:Genomic imprinting results in the preferential expression of the paternal, or maternal allele of certain genes. We have performed a genome-wide characterization of imprinting in the mouse embryonic and adult brain using F1 hybrid mice generated from reciprocal crosses of CASTEiJ and C57BL/6J mice. We also uncovered genes associated with sex specific parental effects in the adult mouse brain. Our study identified preferential selection of the maternally inherited X chromosome in glutamatergic neurons of the female cortex. Examination of allele specific expression in the brains of reciprocal crosses of F1 hybrid mice from CASTEiJ and C57BL/6J crosses. Processed data files (GenomicAligned, SNP_calls, TranscriptomeAligned, fRNAdbAligned) and README file linked below as supplementary files.
Project description:DNA methylation is essential for embryonic development and implicated in the regulation of genomic imprinting. Genomic imprinting is established in the germline through parent-specific methylation of distinct cis-regulatory DNA sequences, called imprinting control regions (ICRs). Which factors bind to the opposing chromatin states at ICRs within the same nuclear environment was not systematically addressed. By using a proximity labelling approach with the methylation sensitive transcription factor ZFP57, we identified ATF7IP and other major components of the epigenetic maintenance machinery at ICRs.
Project description:Genomic imprinting is a mammalian-specific gene expression regulation system that distinguishes two parental alleles and yields parent-origin-specific gene expression. It has been identified approximately 90 imprinted gene loci in the mouse genome thus far. One of the molecular bases that establish genomic imprinting is through endogenous antisense transcription. In several imprinted loci, antisense transcription is observed in a repressive allele, probably contributing to the parent-origin-specific gene expression establishment. We investigated the allele- and strand-specific transcriptional dynamics of a megabase-wide genomic region of mouse Ube3a (ubiquitin protein ligase E3A), which is maternally expressed in a tissue-specific manner, by means of a highly parallel SNP genotyping platform that targets the tissue transcriptome. We successfully observed higher resolution transcriptional activity in the vicinity, including brain-specific widespread antisense transcription. We have listed up SNP sites within Ube3a-Snurf/Snrpn region between C57BL/6J and MSM/Ms. SNP sites were loaded onto Illumina GoldenGate Assay platform, and were assayed by targeting total RNA came from brain and liver of F1 hybrid mice.
Project description:Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon leading to parental allele specific expression. Dosage of imprinted genes is crucial for normal development and its dysregulation accounts for a number of human disorders. Imprinted expression is dictated by differences in DNA methylation between parental alleles at specific regulatory elements known as imprinting control regions (ICRs). Although a number of approaches can be used for methylation inspection at ICRs, we lack an easy and cost-effective method to simultaneously measure DNA methylation at multiple imprinted regions. Here, we present IMPLICON, a new high-throughput method measuring DNA methylation levels at imprinted regions with base-pair resolution and over 1000-fold genomic coverage. We initially designed this method to look at ICRs in adult tissues of inbred mice. Then, we validated in hybrid mice from reciprocal crosses for which we could discriminate methylation profiles in the two parental alleles. Lastly, we developed a human version of IMPLICON and detected imprinting errors in naïve human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. We also provide rules and guidelines in which this method can be adapted to investigate the DNA methylation landscape of any set of genomic regions. In summary, IMPLICON is a rapid, cost-effective and scalable method, which could become the gold standard in both imprinting research and diagnostics.
Project description:The maternal and paternal genomes play different roles in mammalian brains as a result of genomic imprinting, an epigenetic regulation leading to differential expression of the parental alleles of some genes. Here we investigate genomic imprinting in the cerebellum using a newly developed Bayesian statistical model that provides unprecedented transcript-level resolution. We uncover 160 imprinted transcripts, including 41 novel and independently validated imprinted genes. Strikingly, many genes exhibit parentally biased -rather than monoallelic- expression, with different magnitudes according to age, organ, and brain region. Developmental changes in parental bias and overall gene expression are strongly correlated, suggesting combined roles in regulating gene dosage. These findings reveal the remarkable complexity of genomic imprinting, with important implications for understanding the normal and diseased brain. 48 samples of F1 mouse hybrids produced by crossing C57Bl/6J males with Cast/EiJ females (denoted as F1i) and reciprocally crossing Cast/EiJ males and C57Bl/6J famales (denoted as F1r).
Project description:An allele of a gene can be epigenetically regulated to show a parent-of-origin biasedexpression pattern, a phenomenon referring to as genomic imprinting. Genomic imprinting ishighly tissue-specific, and mammalian brains are hotspots for this effect. Social behaviourdefects in human and various behavioural changes in mouse, had been linked toinappropriate imprinting, but little is known about how and why such effects occur.The olfactory system in the brain is the essential sensory circuitry that mediates rodent innatebehaviour. Meanwhile, monoallelic expression, a related process, is used extensively inchemosensory neurons to regulate olfactory and vomeronasal receptor choice. We have datashowing receptor gene choice is not a random process, which implies allele choice may bebiased also. The olfactory system is therefore a promising target for detecting allelicimbalance, or even novel imprinting genes, by high-resolution RNA-sequencing followed byallelic-specific transcriptomic mapping.This project is designed to detect parent-of-origin and strain-of-origin allelic expression bias inneurons from a key olfactory tissues in rodents: vomernasal organ (VNO) . RNA from reciprocally crossed F1 hybrid mice (S-cross and M-cross) from two distinct inbred strains (C57BL/6J and CAST) have been extracted respectively. After sequencing,expression levels from each allele will be distinguished by incorporating SNP and indeldifferences to the strain-specific reference genomes. Analysis will be carried out incollaboration with Gary Churchill's team at the Jackson Laboratory (who have developed amethod of analysing RNAseq data from CAST x C57BL/6J F1s).Genes with strong, reproducible allelic imbalances will be followed up to assess the functional consequences.
Project description:An allele of a gene can be epigenetically regulated to show a parent-of-origin biasedexpression pattern, a phenomenon referring to as genomic imprinting. Genomic imprinting ishighly tissue-specific, and mammalian brains are hotspots for this effect. Social behaviourdefects in human and various behavioural changes in mouse, had been linked toinappropriate imprinting, but little is known about how and why such effects occur.The olfactory system in the brain is the essential sensory circuitry that mediates rodent innatebehaviour. Meanwhile, monoallelic expression, a related process, is used extensively inchemosensory neurons to regulate olfactory and vomeronasal receptor choice. We have datashowing receptor gene choice is not a random process, which implies allele choice may bebiased also. The olfactory system is therefore a promising target for detecting allelicimbalance, or even novel imprinting genes, by high-resolution RNA-sequencing followed byallelic-specific transcriptomic mapping.This project is designed to detect parent-of-origin and strain-of-origin allelic expression bias inneurons from two olfactory tissues: main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and olfaction bulb (OB). RNA from reciprocally crossed F1 hybrid mice (S-cross and M-cross) from two distinct inbred strains (C57BL/6J and CAST) have been extracted respectively (two crosses, two tissue types). After sequencing,expression levels from each allele will be distinguished by incorporating SNP and indeldifferences to the strain-specific reference genomes. Analysis will be carried out incollaboration with Gary Churchill's team at the Jackson Laboratory (who have developed amethod of analysing RNAseq data from CAST x C57BL/6J F1s).Genes with strong, reproducible allelic imbalances will be followed up to assess the functional consequences.
Project description:Allele specific DNA methylation (ASM) is crucial for genomic imprinting and mammalian development. Here we present a base-resolution, genome-wide allelic DNA methylation map for both CG and non-CG sites in the mouse brain. We found parent-of-origin dependent (imprinted) ASM at 1,952 CGs which form 55 discrete clusters. This uncovers 31 reported differentially methylated regions (DMRs), including virtually all known germline DMRs, and 24 novel candidate DMRs with some occurring at microRNA genes. In the same adult tissue we also report a surprising presence of non-CG methylation with some showing evidence of imprinting. Finally, we identified sequence dependent ASM at 131,765 CGs. Interestingly, methylation at these sites exhibits a strong dependence on the immediate adjacent bases, allowing us to define a conserved sequence preference for the mammalian DNA methylation machinery. Our genome-wide ASM map should help with understanding the epigenetic differences between two parental genomes in mammals. The crosses of the two mouse strains 129x1/SvJ (129) and Cast/EiJ (Cast) were performed at Jackson Laboratories (http://jaxmice.jax.org/) and the male mice F1 offspring and males of each of the two parental strains were shipped to investigator laboratories at 8 to 9 weeks of age. A total of 500ng genomic DNA isolated from IMR90, MEF, and the frontal cortex of F1i and F1r was digested in parallel by the DNA methylation dependent restriction enzyme FspEI. FspEI recognizes the CmC site (the second cytosine is methylated and can be in the context of CG, CHG or CHH) and creates a 5 protruding end 17 bases downstream of the methylcytosine. A similar experiment was performed by incubating the F1i genomic DNA with a DNA methylation independent restriction enzyme BstNI. The digested DNA was gel purified, size selected for fragments within 100-600bp. The resulting DNA was then prepared as genomic DNA libraries for high-throughput sequencing (Illumina).