Project description:Microglia play important roles in life-long brain maintenance and in pathology, but are also crucial in the developing central nervous system; yet their regulatory dynamics during development have not been fully elucidated. Genome-wide chromatin and expression profiling coupled with single-cell transcriptomic analysis throughout development reveal that microglia undergo three temporal developmental stages in synchrony with the brain: early, pre-, and adult microglia, which are under the control of distinct regulatory circuits. Knockout of the transcription factor MafB caused disruption of homeostasis in adulthood and increased inflammation. Environmental perturbations, such as the microbiome or prenatal immune activation, led to dysregulation of the developmental program, particularly in terms of inflammation. Together, our work identifies a stepwise developmental program of microglia integrating immune response pathways that may be associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders.
Project description:Microglia play important roles in life-long brain maintenance and in pathology, but are also crucial in the developing central nervous system; yet their regulatory dynamics during development have not been fully elucidated. Genome-wide chromatin and expression profiling coupled with single-cell transcriptomic analysis throughout development reveal that microglia undergo three temporal developmental stages in synchrony with the brain: early, pre-, and adult microglia, which are under the control of distinct regulatory circuits. Knockout of the transcription factor MafB caused disruption of homeostasis in adulthood and increased inflammation. Environmental perturbations, such as the microbiome or prenatal immune activation, led to dysregulation of the developmental program, particularly in terms of inflammation. Together, our work identifies a stepwise developmental program of microglia integrating immune response pathways that may be associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders.
Project description:Microglia play important roles in life-long brain maintenance and in pathology, but are also crucial in the developing central nervous system; yet their regulatory dynamics during development have not been fully elucidated. Genome-wide chromatin and expression profiling coupled with single-cell transcriptomic analysis throughout development reveal that microglia undergo three temporal developmental stages in synchrony with the brain: early, pre-, and adult microglia, which are under the control of distinct regulatory circuits. Knockout of the transcription factor MafB caused disruption of homeostasis in adulthood and increased inflammation. Environmental perturbations, such as the microbiome or prenatal immune activation, led to dysregulation of the developmental program, particularly in terms of inflammation. Together, our work identifies a stepwise developmental program of microglia integrating immune response pathways that may be associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders.
Project description:We report the genomic characterization of H3K9me3 occupancy in microglia at E14 brain.CUT&Tag experiment was performed with antibody against H3K9me3. We generated genome-wide characterization of H3K9me3 occupancy in microglia and find that H3K9me3 was prone to bind the promoters and the intergenic regions. The number and proximity of H3K9me3 occupancy to the transcription start sites determined the probability of transcriptional regulation on genes expression.The genomic localization of H3K9me3 might reveal the importance role of ARID1A in chromatin landscape of microglia homeostatic state during cortical development. Detailed investigation of the binding profiles show that the enrichments of H3K9me3 peaks in the regulatory regions of Prg3 gene. This study provides a framework for the epigenetic regulation of ARID1A in microglia homeostasis.
Project description:Mesenteric lymph node (mLN) T cells undergo tissue adaptation upon migrating to intestinal lamina propria (LP) and intraepithelial (IE) compartments, ensuring appropriate balance between tolerance and resistance. By combining mouse genetics with single-cell and chromatin analyses, we addressed the molecular imprinting of gut epithelium on T cells. Transcriptionally, conventional and regulatory (Treg) CD4+ T cells from mLN, LP and IE segregate based on the gut layer they occupy; trajectory analysis suggests a stepwise loss of CD4-programming and acquisition of an intraepithelial profile. Treg fate–mapping coupled with RNA– and ATAC–sequencing revealed that the Treg program shuts down before an intraepithelial program becomes fully accessible at the epithelium. Ablation of CD4 lineage–defining transcription factor ThPOK results in premature acquisition of an IEL profile by mLN Tregs, partially recapitulating epithelium imprinting. Thus, coordinated replacement of circulating lymphocyte program with site–specific transcriptional and chromatin changes is necessary for tissue imprinting.