Project description:Small noncoding (snc) RNAs represent a growing family of transcripts that regulate key cellular processes, including mRNA degradation, translational repression and transcriptional gene silencing. Among these, the PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a major class of sncRNAs initially identified in the germline of a variety of species, are now being found to be functionally active also in somatic cells. However, whether the Piwi/piRNA pathway is associated with fundamental biological processes, such as cell cycle progression, remains elusive. Here we investigated the possibility that piRNAs are expressed in liver and modulated during regenerative proliferation of this organ. To this aim, smallRNA-Seq was applied to identify and quantitate expression of these RNAs in rat liver before, during and after the wave of cell proliferation that follows partial hepatectomy (PH). Q-PCR analysis revealed the presence in rat liver of two PIWI (PIWI-Like) subfamily members (PIWIL2/HILI and, to a much lower level, PIWIL4/HIWI2) and other components of the piRNA biogenesis pathways, suggesting that this is present and functional in hepatocytes. Indeed, ~1400 piRNAs originally identified in rat and other mammalian germline cells are expressed in adult rat liver, including 72 that show timed changes in expression during cell cycle progression. Most piRNAs are up-regulated 24-48h after hepatectomy, a timing that corresponds to cell transition through the S phase, and return to basal levels by 168 h, when organ regeneration is completed and hepatocytes reach quiescence. These results indicate that the piRNA pathway is active in somatic cells and, more important, that it is subject to regulation during physiological processes, such as cell proliferation, when piRNAs may exert their regulatory functions on the cell genome and transcriptome. smallRNA-Seq was applied to identify and quantitate expression of RNAs in rat liver before and after partial hepatectomy (PH).
Project description:Small noncoding (snc) RNAs represent a growing family of transcripts that regulate key cellular processes, including mRNA degradation, translational repression and transcriptional gene silencing. Among these, the PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a major class of sncRNAs initially identified in the germline of a variety of species, are now being found to be functionally active also in somatic cells. However, whether the Piwi/piRNA pathway is associated with fundamental biological processes, such as cell cycle progression, remains elusive. Here we investigated the possibility that piRNAs are expressed in liver and modulated during regenerative proliferation of this organ. To this aim, smallRNA-Seq was applied to identify and quantitate expression of these RNAs in rat liver before, during and after the wave of cell proliferation that follows partial hepatectomy (PH). Q-PCR analysis revealed the presence in rat liver of two PIWI (PIWI-Like) subfamily members (PIWIL2/HILI and, to a much lower level, PIWIL4/HIWI2) and other components of the piRNA biogenesis pathways, suggesting that this is present and functional in hepatocytes. Indeed, ~1400 piRNAs originally identified in rat and other mammalian germline cells are expressed in adult rat liver, including 72 that show timed changes in expression during cell cycle progression. Most piRNAs are up-regulated 24-48h after hepatectomy, a timing that corresponds to cell transition through the S phase, and return to basal levels by 168 h, when organ regeneration is completed and hepatocytes reach quiescence. These results indicate that the piRNA pathway is active in somatic cells and, more important, that it is subject to regulation during physiological processes, such as cell proliferation, when piRNAs may exert their regulatory functions on the cell genome and transcriptome.
Project description:A series of two color gene expression profiles obtained using Agilent 44K expression microarrays was used to examine sex-dependent and growth hormone-dependent differences in gene expression in rat liver. This series is comprised of pools of RNA prepared from untreated male and female rat liver, hypophysectomized (‘Hypox’) male and female rat liver, and from livers of Hypox male rats treated with either a single injection of growth hormone and then killed 30, 60, or 90 min later, or from livers of Hypox male rats treated with two growth hormone injections spaced 3 or 4 hr apart and killed 30 min after the second injection. The pools were paired to generate the following 6 direct microarray comparisons: 1) untreated male liver vs. untreated female liver; 2) Hypox male liver vs. untreated male liver; 3) Hypox female liver vs. untreated female liver; 4) Hypox male liver vs. Hypox female liver; 5) Hypox male liver + 1 growth hormone injection vs. Hypox male liver; and 6) Hypox male liver + 2 growth hormone injections vs. Hypox male liver. A comparison of untreated male liver and untreated female liver liver gene expression profiles showed that of the genes that showed significant expression differences in at least one of the 6 data sets, 25% were sex-specific. Moreover, sex specificity was lost for 88% of the male-specific genes and 94% of the female-specific genes following hypophysectomy. 25-31% of the sex-specific genes whose expression is altered by hypophysectomy responded to short-term growth hormone treatment in hypox male liver. 18-19% of the sex-specific genes whose expression decreased following hypophysectomy were up-regulated after either one or two growth hormone injections. Finally, growth hormone suppressed 24-36% of the sex-specific genes whose expression was up-regulated following hypophysectomy, indicating that growth hormone acts via both positive and negative regulatory mechanisms to establish and maintain the sex specificity of liver gene expression. For full details, see V. Wauthier and D.J. Waxman, Molecular Endocrinology (2008)