Project description:Mammals and reptiles possess a metanephric kidney as the terminal renal organ for homeostasis of solutes and waste products. The development of the metanephric kidney has primarily been studied in mammalian model systems. Little is known about the conservation of metanephric kidney formation in non-mammalian species such as reptiles. Uniquely, reptiles maintain kidney progenitor cell populations throughout life and continually develop new nephrons, the functional unit of the kidney. The red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, was utilized to investigate the conservation of reptilian metanephric kidney development. The nephron progenitor cell (NPC) marker, Six2, was detected in whole-mount turtle kidneys in a similar pattern to mammals. However, there were differences in progenitor cell niche morphology where turtle NPC populations formed distinct elongated rows instead of the rosette-like morphology found in the mouse. The pattern of NPC populations in the embryonic turtle kidney was maintained in the adult turtle. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing was performed on cortical tissue containing the NPC populations from adult turtle kidneys and compared to those of adult mice. Significant conservation of gene methylation was detected in adult cortical tissue between the two species, although unique signatures were detected in turtle samples related to DNA repair and β-catenin signaling. This suggests a high level of conservation of metanephric kidney development at the genetic level.
Project description:RNA-sequencing of the orbitofrontal cortex was performed in male and female rats following exposure to the limited bedding and nesting model of early life adversity.
Project description:We applied nanoscale liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) in a single Trionyx triunguis reference specimen to identify diagnostic COl1 peptide markers. Our analysis revealed four COL1 biomarkers that differentiate T. triunguis from all sea turtle species, as well as seven additional turtle species with COL1 sequences available on NCBI: Chelonoidis abingdonii, Chrysemys picta bellii, Gopherus evgoodei, Mauremys reevesii, Pelodiscus sinensis, Terrapene carolina triunguis, and Trachemys scripta elegans. These findings enhance biomolecular identification methods for freshwater and marine turtle remains in archaeological and ecological contexts (especially on the Levant).
Project description:Leaf contents of free riboflavin were modulated by ectopic expression of the turtle gene encoding riboflavin-binding protein (RfBP). Compared to Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) ecotype Col-0 (wild type), REAT (modified type) that constitutive express RfBP had 71%-77% less flavins of free form. We used microarray to investigate the influence on plants due to the reduced free flavin. One modified line (REAT11) and wild type (WT) were tested by microarray, and the experiments data revealed that abundance of transcripts for 950 genes in REAT was altered compared to the wild type. Four samples were analyzed. Two WT and two REAT11 biological replicates were analyzed (one array each).
Project description:Uncovering the genomic regulation of phenotypic adaptation is a major goal in biology, but this has been hard to achieve for complex behavioral traits. Here, we leverage the repeated evolution of obligate cavity-nesting in birds to test the hypothesis that the shared pressure to compete for a limited breeding resource drives convergent behavioral evolution via convergent gene regulatory changes in the brain. Using behavioral assays in the field, hormonal measures, and transcriptome-wide analyses in 10 focal species, we examined females and males in five avian families, each including one obligate cavity-nesting species and a related species with a more flexible nesting strategy. Results support the hypothesis of behavioral convergence, with high levels of territorial aggression in obligate cavity-nesters, particularly among females. Levels of testosterone were not associated with nesting strategy for either sex, but phylogenetic analyses of individual genes and co-regulated gene networks revealed some shared patterns of gene expression, with functional enrichment related to metabolic and mitochondrial processes. Though this gene regulatory convergence may contribute to behavioral convergence, concordance in gene expression did not scale across multiple families. These observations indicate that replicated evolutionary increases in aggression arise via largely lineage-specific changes in brain gene expression.
Project description:Sex determination is the process by which and original bipotential gonad differentiate into either a testis or ovaries. While mammals and birds determine their sex solely by genetic clues (genetic sex determination, GSD), other vertebrates like the turtle Trachemys scripta are influenced by environmental factors, like temperature (environmental sex determination, ESD). In both cases an initially bipotential gonad develops into either testes or ovaries in response to GSD or ESD cues. In order to shed light into the differences and similarities between sex determination systems we performed single-cell RNA-seq on Trachemys scripta developing gonads during the sex determination window.