Project description:Mammalian spermatogenesis is a complex and highly orchestrated combination of processes in which male germline proliferation and differentiation result in the production of mature spermatozoa. If recent genome-wide studies have contributed to the in-depth analysis of the male germline protein-coding transcriptome, little effort has yet been devoted to the systematic identification of novel unannotated transcribed regions expressed during mammalian spermatogenesis. We report high-resolution expression profiling of male germ cells in the rat using Illumina next-generation sequencing technology and highly enriched testicular cell populations. Among 20,424 high-confidence transcripts reconstructed, we defined a stringent set of 1,419 long multi-exonic unannotated transcripts expressed in the testis, named TUTs. These were classified into seven groups with different expression patterns. The vast majority of TUTs share many of the characteristics of vertebrate long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). We also markedly reinforced the finding that TUTs and known lncRNAs accumulate during the meiotic and postmeiotic stages of spermatogenesis in mammals, and that X-linked meiotic TUTs do not escape the silencing effects of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation. Importantly, we discovered that TUTs and known lncRNAs with a peak expression during meiosis define a distinct class of non-coding transcripts that exhibit exons twice as long as those of other transcripts. Our study provides new insights in transcriptional profiling of the male germline and represents a high-quality resource of novel loci expressed during spermatogenesis that significantly contributes to the rat genome annotation. A graphical display of the data is conveniently accessible through the ReproGenomics Viewer (RGV) at http://rgv.genouest.org. Genome-wide expression profiling analysis using Illumina next-generation sequencing technology
Project description:Mammalian spermatogenesis is a complex and highly orchestrated combination of processes in which male germline proliferation and differentiation result in the production of mature spermatozoa. If recent genome-wide studies have contributed to the in-depth analysis of the male germline protein-coding transcriptome, little effort has yet been devoted to the systematic identification of novel unannotated transcribed regions expressed during mammalian spermatogenesis. We report high-resolution expression profiling of male germ cells in the rat using Illumina next-generation sequencing technology and highly enriched testicular cell populations. Among 20,424 high-confidence transcripts reconstructed, we defined a stringent set of 1,419 long multi-exonic unannotated transcripts expressed in the testis, named TUTs. These were classified into seven groups with different expression patterns. The vast majority of TUTs share many of the characteristics of vertebrate long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). We also markedly reinforced the finding that TUTs and known lncRNAs accumulate during the meiotic and postmeiotic stages of spermatogenesis in mammals, and that X-linked meiotic TUTs do not escape the silencing effects of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation. Importantly, we discovered that TUTs and known lncRNAs with a peak expression during meiosis define a distinct class of non-coding transcripts that exhibit exons twice as long as those of other transcripts. Our study provides new insights in transcriptional profiling of the male germline and represents a high-quality resource of novel loci expressed during spermatogenesis that significantly contributes to the rat genome annotation. A graphical display of the data is conveniently accessible through the ReproGenomics Viewer (RGV) at http://rgv.genouest.org.
Project description:In order to establish a rat embryonic stem cell transcriptome, mRNA from rESC cell line DAc8, the first male germline competent rat ESC line to be described and the first to be used to generate a knockout rat model was characterized using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis.
Project description:Spermatogenesis requires the presence of functional somatic Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testis. Sertoli cells provide support and factors necessary for the successful progression of germ cells into spermatozoa. Sertoli cells are regulated to a large degree by the glycoprotein hormone FSH, which is required for the testis to acquire full size and spermatogenic capacity. Signaling events initiated by the binding of FSH to its receptor lead to an alteration of Sertoli cell gene expression. To characterize the changes in gene expression in FSH-treated Sertoli cells, we used the mRNA from these cells to screen Affymetrix U34A rat GeneChip oligonucleotide microarrays. Sertoli cells from 20-d-old rats were cultured in the presence of 25 ng/ml ovine FSH. At 0, 2, 4, 8, and 24 h after the addition of FSH, total RNA was purified and used to prepare biotinylated target, which was hybridized to the U34A rat microarray containing approximately 9000 rat genes. Analysis identified 100-300 transcripts at each time point that were up-regulated or down-regulated by 2-fold or greater. Genes previously reported to be FSH or cAMP regulated in rat Sertoli cells were identified, in addition to numerous genes not reported to be expressed or FSH regulated in Sertoli cells. The expression patterns of five of these genes, encoding nerve growth factor inducible gene B, PRL-1, PC3 nerve growth factor-inducible antiproliferative putative secreted protein, diacylglycerol acyltransferase, and an expressed sequence tag, in FSH- and N,O'-dibutyryl cAMP-treated rat Sertoli cells were confirmed and characterized by Northern blot analysis. Thus, we have begun to define the transcriptome induced and repressed by FSH in rat Sertoli cells, and we have generated datasets of genes available for further analysis in regard to spermatogenesis and Sertoli cell signaling.
Project description:Analysis of LBNF1 rat testes from controls, containing both somatic and all germ cell types and from irradiated rats in which all cells germ cells except type A spermatgogonia are eliminated. Results provide insight into distinguishing germ and somatic cell genes and identification of somatic cell genes that are upregulated after irradiation.
Project description:Aging causes a functional decline in tissues throughout the body that may be delayed by caloric restriction (CR). However, the cellular profiles and signatures of aging, as well as those ameliorated by CR, remain unclear. Here, we built comprehensive single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic atlases across various rat tissues undergoing aging and CR. CR attenuated aging-related changes in cell type composition, gene expression, and core transcriptional regulatory networks. Immune cells were increased during aging, and CR favorably reversed the aging-disturbed immune ecosystem. Computational prediction revealed that the abnormal cell-cell communication patterns observed during aging, including the excessive proinflammatory ligand-receptor interplay, were reversed by CR. Our work provides multi-tissue single-cell transcriptional landscapes associated with aging and CR in a mammal, enhances our understanding of the robustness of CR as a geroprotective intervention, and uncovers how metabolic intervention can act upon the immune system to modify the process of aging.
Project description:High resolution methylome map of rat reveals role of intragenic DNA methylation in identifying coding region and alternative splice site.