Project description:Aim: To identify the genes and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) involved in the neuroprotective actions of a dietary anti-oxidant (saffron) and of photobiomodulation. Methods: We used a previously published assay of photoreceptor damage, in which albino Sprague Dawley rats raised in dim cyclic illumination (12h 5 lux, 12h darkness) are challenged by 24h exposure to bright (1,000 lux) light. Experimental groups were protected against light damage by pretreatment with dietary saffron (1mg/kg/day for 21d) or photobiomodulation (10 J/cm2 at the eye, daily for 5d). RNA from 1 eye of each of 4 animals in each of the 6 experimental groups (control, light damage (LD), saffron, photobiomodulation (PBM), saffronLD, and PBMLD) was hybridized to Affymetrix rat genome ST arrays. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of 14 selected genes was used to validate microarray results. Results: LD caused the regulation of 175 entities (genes and ncRNAs) beyond criterion levels (P < 0.05 in comparisons with controls, fold-change >2). PBM pretreatment reduced the expression of 126 of these 175 LD-regulated entities below criterion; saffron pretreatment reduced the expression of 53 entities (50 in common with PBM). In addition, PBM pretreatment regulated the expression of 67 entities not regulated by LD, while saffron pretreatment regulated 122 entities not regulated by LD (48 in common with PBM). PBM and saffron, given without LD, regulated genes and ncRNAs beyond criterion levels, but in lesser numbers than during their protective action. A high proportion of the entities regulated by LD (>90%) were known genes; by contrast, ncRNAs where prominent among the entities regulated by PBM and saffron in their neuroprotective roles (73% and 62% respectively). Conclusions: Given alone, saffron and (more prominently) PBM both regulated significant numbers of genes and ncRNAs. Given prior to retinal exposure to damaging light, thus while exerting their neuroprotective action, they regulated much larger numbers of entities, among which ncRNAs were prominent. Further, the downregulation of known genes and of ncRNAs was prominent in the protective actions of both neuroprotectants. These comparisons provide an overview of gene expression induced by two neuroprotectants and provide a basis for more focused study of their mechanisms. The were 3 biological repliactes of each of the following groups: Control, Saffron pretreated, Photobiomodulation pretreated, Light Damage, Saffron Light Damage and Photobiomodulation Light Damage. 18 chips in total were performed.
Project description:Aim: To identify the genes and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) involved in the neuroprotective actions of a dietary anti-oxidant (saffron) and of photobiomodulation. Methods: We used a previously published assay of photoreceptor damage, in which albino Sprague Dawley rats raised in dim cyclic illumination (12h 5 lux, 12h darkness) are challenged by 24h exposure to bright (1,000 lux) light. Experimental groups were protected against light damage by pretreatment with dietary saffron (1mg/kg/day for 21d) or photobiomodulation (10 J/cm2 at the eye, daily for 5d). RNA from 1 eye of each of 4 animals in each of the 6 experimental groups (control, light damage (LD), saffron, photobiomodulation (PBM), saffronLD, and PBMLD) was hybridized to Affymetrix rat genome ST arrays. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of 14 selected genes was used to validate microarray results. Results: LD caused the regulation of 175 entities (genes and ncRNAs) beyond criterion levels (P < 0.05 in comparisons with controls, fold-change >2). PBM pretreatment reduced the expression of 126 of these 175 LD-regulated entities below criterion; saffron pretreatment reduced the expression of 53 entities (50 in common with PBM). In addition, PBM pretreatment regulated the expression of 67 entities not regulated by LD, while saffron pretreatment regulated 122 entities not regulated by LD (48 in common with PBM). PBM and saffron, given without LD, regulated genes and ncRNAs beyond criterion levels, but in lesser numbers than during their protective action. A high proportion of the entities regulated by LD (>90%) were known genes; by contrast, ncRNAs where prominent among the entities regulated by PBM and saffron in their neuroprotective roles (73% and 62% respectively). Conclusions: Given alone, saffron and (more prominently) PBM both regulated significant numbers of genes and ncRNAs. Given prior to retinal exposure to damaging light, thus while exerting their neuroprotective action, they regulated much larger numbers of entities, among which ncRNAs were prominent. Further, the downregulation of known genes and of ncRNAs was prominent in the protective actions of both neuroprotectants. These comparisons provide an overview of gene expression induced by two neuroprotectants and provide a basis for more focused study of their mechanisms.
Project description:Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), as a degenerative multifactorial disease, affects the quality of life and mental health of patients, and also brings a huge socioeconomic burden. Treating synovitis have shown promise as anti-inflammatory therapeutics in mitigating OA symptoms and disease progression. Here, by analysing synovial single-cell sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from KOA, we found that synovial fibroblasts (FLS) in OA synovium showed a distinct pro-inflammatory phenotype. We collected synovial tissue from patients with clinical OA as well as from healthy donors, and histological examination was consistent with findings in scRNA-seq. Inspired by recent cross-tissue fibroblast lineage studies, we identified by sequencing that healthy FLS in synovial tissues share transcriptome-level similarities with dermal fibroblasts (DFb). Subsequently, we revealed the local as well as systemic distribution of intra-articular injected DFbs by constructing/extracting two types of rat fibroblasts (luciferase DFbs as well as GFP DFbs). The results demonstrate that DFbs can be locally retained in the synovium for up to three weeks following targeted engrafting on it. And intra-articular injection does not result in DFbs migration to vital organs or the occurrence of histological changes in these organs. A rat model of KOA was constructed by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) in order to study the therapeutic effect of DFbs on KOA. After injection, the rats showed improvement in painful gait. In addition, histological as well as imaging results showed reduced synovitis and improvement in articular cartilage. Finally we verified the protective effect of DFbs on cytokine-stimulated chondrocytes in a co-culture system.
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:Transcriptional profiling of miRNAs from rat brain tissues comparing controls (Sham) with ischemic rats (tMCAO) and neuroprotected rats (RLIP) Internal normalization: ischemic core vs. periischemic and ANOVA comparison across three experimental conditions: Sham, tMCAO and RLIP