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:The ketogenic diet has been successful in promoting weight loss among patients that have struggled with weight gain. This is due to the cellular switch in metabolism that utilizes liver-derived ketone bodies for the primary energy source rather than glucose. Fatty acid transport protein 2 (FATP2) is highly expressed in liver, small intestine, and kidney where it functions in both the transport of exogenous long chain fatty acids (LCFA) and in the activation to CoA thioesters of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA). We have completed a multi-omic study of FATP2-null (Fatp2-/-) mice maintained on a ketogenic diet (KD) or paired control diet (CD), with and without a 24-hour fast (KD-fasted and CD-fasted) to address the impact of deleting FATP2 under high-stress conditions. Control (wt/wt) and Fatp2-/- mice were maintained on their respective diets for 4-weeks. Afterwards, half the population was sacrificed while the remaining were fasted for 24-hours prior to sacrifice. We then performed paired-end RNA-sequencing on the whole liver tissue to investigate differential gene expression. The differentially expressed genes mapped to ontologies such as the metabolism of amino acids and derivatives, fatty acid metabolism, protein localization, and components of the immune system’s complement cascade, and were supported by the proteome and histological staining.
Project description:To understand the mechanisms through which JunB regulates Tregs-mediated immune regulation, we examined the global gene expression profiles in the JunB WT and KO Tregs by performing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis.
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:IL-6 Ko and wildtype control mice were subjected to 30 min left filamentous middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo)/reperfusion or sham operation. Animals were killed at 2 and at 10 days after MCAo or sham operation, respectively. The left (i.e. ischemic) hemisphere was used for further gene expression analysis.
Project description:Objective: To define the role of epigenetics, particularly DNA methylation in adaptive vascular growth in hyperlipidemic and type 2 diabetic mouse models of hind limb ischemia Methods: Unilateral hindlimb ischemia was induced by ligating femoral artery proximal to the bifurcation of superficial and deep femoral artery. DNA was isolated from ischemic muscles collected at day 7 after ischemia induction using DNeasy Tissue kit (Qiagen). 5 µg of genomic DNA was sheared into small fragments with a mean size of 150 bp by using a Covaris⢠S2 sonicator System. Quality of the fragmentation was analyzed with Bioanalyzer. Fragmented DNA samples were used for preparation of DNA fragment libraries and sequenced on the SOLiD4 sequencing instrument on one flow cell for 50 bp reads. The sequencing reads were mapped to mus musculus genome build mm9. Data was analyzed by using Bioscope. The samples were normalized with the MEDIPS package in R/B Bioconductor. The analysis of CpG methylation was done primarily in the proximal promoter regions encompassing a region of â1kb upstream of the transcription start site (TSS) and +500 bp downstream of the TSS. Comparisons were performed between hyperlipidemic versus controls and diabetic versus controls to detect differentially methylated regions. R package Limma was used for performing the statistical testing between the groups. Results: When visualizing the whole normalized data the samples did not cluster according to the sample groups. Especially two samples from hyperlipidemic and diabetic ischemic muscles differed clearly from the rest of the samples. To detect the differentially methylated genes, stringent thresholds for p-values and fold change values were chosen to list a reasonable number of genes. Upon filtering, significant differences in the methylation patterns of the sample groups were observed. More importantly, when clustering only the filtered genes, the samples clustered clearly according to the sample groups giving evidence of condition-dependent behavior. Using a threshold of methylation fold change of >1.2 and p value <0.05, we identified 397 and 446 genes to be hypomethylated in hyperlipidemic and diabetic ischemic muscles respectively compared to controls. There were 46 genes commonly shared, but still having a unique pattern of hypomethylation in 371 and 394 genes in hyperlipidemic and diabetic ischemic muscles respectively compared to controls. Similarly, there were 371 and 394 genes hypermethylated in hyperlipidemic and diabetic ischemic respectively compared to controls. Interestingly, we found 264 genes to be commonly hypermethylated, whereas 107 and 130 genes were uniquely hypermethylated in hyperlipidemic and diabetic ischemic muscles respectively. Thus, proximal promoter methylation suggested a shared, yet distinct pattern of DNA methylation in ischemic muscles of hyperlipidemic and type 2 diabetic mice compared to controls. Out of 397 genes that were hypomethylated in hyperlipidemic ischemic muscle, 68 genes were shown to be upregulated in âproinflammatory M1 macrophagesâ as shown by recent studies. Similarly, out of the 371 hypermethylated genes 93 genes were shown to be upregulated in âanti-inflammatory and proangiogenic M2 macrophagesâ as described recently. Out of 446 hypomethylated genes in diabetic ischemic muscle, 65 genes were shown to be upregulated in âproinflammatory M1 macrophagesâ as shown recently. Similarly, out of 394 hypermethylated genes 105 genes were specifically upregulated in âanti-inflammatory and proangiogenic M2 macrophagesâ as shown recently. qRT-PCR analysis suggested an inverse relationship between proximal promoter hypermethylation and mRNA expression in a subset of M2 macrophage specific genes in hyperlipidemic and type 2 diabetic ischemic muscles compared to control ischemic muscles. Conclusions: Our results suggest a role of epigenetics particularly proximal promoter DNA methylation in macrophage polarization and their contribution to angiogenesis and tissue repair in hyperlipidemic and type 2 diabetic mouse models of hind limb ischemia. Epigenetics at the level of DNA methylation may act as a deciding factor in promoting a pro or anti-inflammatory phenotype of macrophages critical in cardiovascular diseases. Ischemic skeletal muscle DNA methylation sequencing of triplicate samples from C57BL/6J (WT) mice, hyperlipidemic mice (LDLR-/-ApoB100/100 , C57BL/6J background) and type 2 diabetic mice (IGF-II/LDLR-/-ApoB100/100 , C57BL/6J background) using SoliD4 sequencing platform