Project description:The cardiac conduction system (CCS) consists of distinct components including the sinoatrial node (SAN), atrioventricular node (AVN), His bundle, bundle branches (BB) and Purkinje fibers (PF). Despite an essential role for the CCS in heart development and function, the CCS has remained challenging to interrogate due to inherent obstacles including small cell numbers, large cell type heterogeneity, complex anatomy and difficulty in isolation. We used single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to perform genome-wide analysis of gene expression of the CCS at single-cell resolution.
Project description:Rationale: The atrioventricular conduction system controls ventricular activation and is delineated by expression of Tbx3. Genome-wide association studies identified genetic variants near TBX3 associated with conduction velocities (PR interval and QRS duration), suggesting minor changes in TBX3 dose affect conduction system function. Objective: To assess whether and how Tbx3 dose reduction affects the integrity of the atrioventricular conduction system. Methods and Results: Electrocardiograms revealed a PR interval shortening and prolonged QT interval and QRS duration in heterozygous Tbx3 mutants compared to wild-types. We observed that the atrioventricular bundle and proximal bundle branches of Tbx3+/- mice after birth became hypoplastic, whereas the size of the atrioventricular node was not affected. The transcriptomes of wild-type and Tbx3+/- atrioventricular nodes were analyzed using BAC-Tbx3-Egfp mice enabling specific isolation of the atrioventricular node by laser capture microdissection followed by RNA-sequencing. Hundreds of genes were slightly but consistently deregulated. Cross-referencing with transcriptome data of isolated cardiomyocytes of the conduction system and chamber myocardium derived from Tbx3+/Venus;BAC-Nppb-Katushka hearts revealed that a set of chamber-enriched genes, including Kcne1 (MinK), Ryr2, and Scn5a, were upregulated in Tbx3+/- atrioventricular nodes, whereas conduction system-enriched genes, including Hcn4 and Cacna2d2, were downregulated. We performed ATAC-sequencing on purified fetal Tbx3+ atrioventricular cardiomyocytes to identify potential atrioventricular-specific regulatory DNA elements on a genome-wide scale, and identified regulatory elements mediating the Tbx3-dependent regulation of Ryr2 and other target genes in the atrioventricular node. Conclusions: Tbx3 dose reduction results in deregulation of a large number of genes affecting the electrical properties of the atrioventricular node and causes failure to maintain the structural integrity of the atrioventricular bundle. These data provide a mechanism underlying differences in PR interval and QRS duration in individuals carrying associated variants in the TBX3 locus.
Project description:Rationale: The atrioventricular conduction system controls ventricular activation and is delineated by expression of Tbx3. Genome-wide association studies identified genetic variants near TBX3 associated with conduction velocities (PR interval and QRS duration), suggesting minor changes in TBX3 dose affect conduction system function. Objective: To assess whether and how Tbx3 dose reduction affects the integrity of the atrioventricular conduction system. Methods and Results: Electrocardiograms revealed a PR interval shortening and prolonged QT interval and QRS duration in heterozygous Tbx3 mutants compared to wild-types. We observed that the atrioventricular bundle and proximal bundle branches of Tbx3+/- mice after birth became hypoplastic, whereas the size of the atrioventricular node was not affected. The transcriptomes of wild-type and Tbx3+/- atrioventricular nodes were analyzed using BAC-Tbx3-Egfp mice enabling specific isolation of the atrioventricular node by laser capture microdissection followed by RNA-sequencing. Hundreds of genes were slightly but consistently deregulated. Cross-referencing with transcriptome data of isolated cardiomyocytes of the conduction system and chamber myocardium derived from Tbx3+/Venus;BAC-Nppb-Katushka hearts revealed that a set of chamber-enriched genes, including Kcne1 (MinK), Ryr2, and Scn5a, were upregulated in Tbx3+/- atrioventricular nodes, whereas conduction system-enriched genes, including Hcn4 and Cacna2d2, were downregulated. We performed ATAC-sequencing on purified fetal Tbx3+ atrioventricular cardiomyocytes to identify potential atrioventricular-specific regulatory DNA elements on a genome-wide scale, and identified regulatory elements mediating the Tbx3-dependent regulation of Ryr2 and other target genes in the atrioventricular node. Conclusions: Tbx3 dose reduction results in deregulation of a large number of genes affecting the electrical properties of the atrioventricular node and causes failure to maintain the structural integrity of the atrioventricular bundle. These data provide a mechanism underlying differences in PR interval and QRS duration in individuals carrying associated variants in the TBX3 locus.
Project description:RNA and single-cell RNA sequencing of murine cardiomyocyte and single-cell RNA sequencing of murine CD45+cells in the early phase of heart failure
Project description:The importance of unanchored Ub in innate immunity has been shown only for a limited number of unanchored Ub-interactors. We investigated what additional cellular factors interact with unanchored Ub and whether unanchored Ub plays a broader role in innate immunity. To identify unanchored Ub-interacting factors from murine lungs, we used His-tagged recombinant poly-Ub chains as bait. These chains were mixed with lung tissue lysates and protein complexes were isolated with Ni-NTA beads. Sample elutions were subjected to mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) analysis.
Project description:Single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) was used to profile the transcriptome of 5,264 nuclei in mouse adult testis. This dataset includes two samples from two different individuals. This dataset is part of a larger evolutionary study of adult testis at the single-nucleus level (97,521 single-nuclei in total) across mammals including 10 representatives of the three main mammalian lineages: human, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, gibbon, rhesus macaque, marmoset, mouse (placental mammals); grey short-tailed opossum (marsupials); and platypus (egg-laying monotremes). Corresponding data were generated for a bird (red junglefowl, the progenitor of domestic chicken), to be used as an evolutionary outgroup.