Project description:Gene expression from 2 livers and 2 hearts from mouse Mut-ko/ki (MUT p.M700K) described in Forny et al JBC 2016 and 3 livers, 2 hearts from littermate controls
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of FACS-sorted ureteric bud-derivative cells from Hoxb7CreGFP mice without floxed Bdkrb2 allele (WT) or with homozygously floxed Bdkrb2 alleles (MUT) at the age of postnatal one. Both WT and MUT mice have R26RTdTomato allele as a recombinase efficiency indicator, which allows the FACS to sort cells according to both GFP and TdTomato. This experiment aimed to uncover the genome-wide alternation in gene expression resulting from the removal of Bdkrb2 in the ureteric buds and their derivative collecting ducts.
Project description:Cognate antigen signals control CD8+ T cell priming, expansion size and effector versus memory cell fates, however, it is not clear whether they can also modulate the functional features of memory CD8+ T cells. We observed that OT-I cells that were primed with weak cognate antigen signals incorporate more cytokine signals, leading to a hypothesis that CD8+ T cells that receive weak TCR signals require cytokine signals to form functional memory. Using a previously described mouse model in which IL-2 signaling via its high affinity receptor CD25 is selectively impaired, the “Il2ramut/mut” mouse, we conducted a comparative analysis of gene expression and epigenetic landscape of Il2ramut/mut and WT OT-I memory cells that were primed with strong (Lm-Ova N4) versus weak (Lm-Ova T4). RNA seq data showed that both TCR and IL-2 priming signals have minimal effect on gene expression in resting memory CD8 T cells, but they significantly modify the epigenetic landscape of the memory CD8 T cells. These findings have important contributions to the current understanding of how priming signals program memory CD8 T cells in vivo.
Project description:The MUT-7 family of 3’-5’ exoribonucleases is evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom and plays essential roles in small RNA production in the germline. Most MUT-7 homologs carry a C-terminal domain of unknown function named MUT7 C appended to the exoribonuclease domain. Our analysis shows that the MUT7-C is evolutionary ancient, as a minimal version of the domain exists as an individual protein in prokaryotes. Throughout evolution, MUT7-C has acquired different insertions in animals, expanding its functions. C. elegans MUT-7 contains a specific insertion within MUT7-C, which allows binding to MUT 8 and, consequently, MUT-7 recruitment to germ granules. In addition, in C. elegans and human MUT-7, the MUT7 C domain contributes to RNA binding and is thereby crucial for nuclease activity. This RNA-binding function most likely represents the ancestral function of the MUT7 C domain. Overall, this study sheds light on MUT7-C and assigns two functions to this previously uncharacterised domain.