Project description:In order to more thoroughly investigate the mechanism of arsenate-induced NTDs we designed experiment in which highly sensitive Folr2 nullizygous mice were treated i.p. with teratogenic dose of sodium arsenate just at the beginning of the neural tube formation process. This specific knockout mouse and arsenic exposure conditions were chosen as they warranted high incidence of exencephaly in exposed embryos. We investigated the gene expression changes induced by arsenic in the anterior part of neural tube in order to discover patterns that might shed light on the mechanism of arsenic’s teratogenicity. Keywords: toxic response
Project description:Single-cell mRNA sequencing was overlaid with single-cell ATAC sequencing of the mouse E9.5 cranial region for both wildtype and miR-302 knockout embryos, an established example of a neural tube closure defect. The goals of this study were to compare changes in gene expression and chromatin accessibility upon loss of a stem cell miRNA and neural tube closure defect.
Project description:At an incidence of approximately 1/1000 births, neural tube defects (NTDs) comprise one of the most common and devastating congenital disorders. In an attempt to enhance and expand our understanding of neural tube closure, we undertook a high-throughput gene expression analysis of the neural tube as it was forming in the mouse embryo. Open and closed sections of the developing neural tube were micro-dissected from mouse embryos, and hybridized to Affymetrix mouse expression arrays. Clustering of genes differentially regulated in open and closed sections of the developing neural tube highlighted molecular processes previously recognized to be involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis. Analysis of the genes in these categories identified potential candidates underlying neural tube closure. In addition, we identified approximately 25 novel genes, of unknown function, that were significantly up-regulated in the closed neural tube. Based on their expression patterns in the developing neural tube, five novel genes are proposed as interesting candidates for involvement in neurogenesis. The high-throughput expression analysis of the neural tube as it forms allows for better characterization of pathways involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis, and hopefully will strengthen the foundation for further research along the pathways dictating neural tube development. Embryos were dissected at days E8.5 and E9.5, and the neuroepithelium/ neural tube were mechanically detached from underlying tissues, and then separated into two regions: 1) M-bM-^@M-^\open neuroepitheliumM-bM-^@M-^]: neuroepithelial tissue caudal to the open/closed junction, and 2) M-bM-^@M-^\closed neural tubeM-bM-^@M-^], extending from a somiteM-bM-^@M-^Ys breadth rostral to the open/closed junction, up to the level of the fifth- or sixth-to-last somite. Samples consisted of biological triplicates of RNA extract from the above tissues (pooled by litter, and representing a total of 111 embryos): E8.5 open neuroepithelium, E8.5 closed neural tube, E9.5 open neuroepithelium, and E9.5 closed neural tube. Thus, a total of 12 samples (representing 111 embryos) were hybridized to the GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array (Affymetrix Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA). One of the samples (06, closed E8.5) deviated significantly from the others in quality assessment and was therefore removed from subsequent analysis and not submitted to GEO.
Project description:Maternal diabetes is a teratogen that can lead to neural tube closure defects in the offspring. We therefore sought to compare gene expression profiles at the site of neural tube closure between stage-matched embryos from normal dams, and embryos from diabetic dams. Neurulation-stage mouse embryos at 8.5 days of gestation were used to prepare neural tissue at the anterior aspect of neural tube closure site 1. Tissue was procured from the open neural tube immediately anterior of the closure site, and from the closed neural tube immediately posterior to the closure site by laser microdissection. For each sample, 10 sections were pooled, total RNA was extracted, and 7 ng of total RNA were used for expression profiling by Tag sequencing using an Applied Biosystems SolidSAGE kit for library construction, and an AB SOLiD 5500 XL instrument for sequencing. Sequence reads were mapped to RefSeq RNA, and count data per gene were obtained using a modified version of the Applied Biosystems SOLiDâ?¢ SAGEâ?¢ Analysis Software. diabetic dam - closed neural tube // diabetic dam - open neural tube // normal dam - closed neural tube // normal dam - open neural tube
Project description:At an incidence of approximately 1/1000 births, neural tube defects (NTDs) comprise one of the most common and devastating congenital disorders. In an attempt to enhance and expand our understanding of neural tube closure, we undertook a high-throughput gene expression analysis of the neural tube as it was forming in the mouse embryo. Open and closed sections of the developing neural tube were micro-dissected from mouse embryos, and hybridized to Affymetrix mouse expression arrays. Clustering of genes differentially regulated in open and closed sections of the developing neural tube highlighted molecular processes previously recognized to be involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis. Analysis of the genes in these categories identified potential candidates underlying neural tube closure. In addition, we identified approximately 25 novel genes, of unknown function, that were significantly up-regulated in the closed neural tube. Based on their expression patterns in the developing neural tube, five novel genes are proposed as interesting candidates for involvement in neurogenesis. The high-throughput expression analysis of the neural tube as it forms allows for better characterization of pathways involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis, and hopefully will strengthen the foundation for further research along the pathways dictating neural tube development.
Project description:The spinal cord receives input from peripheral sensory neurons and controls motor output by regulating muscle innervating motor neurons. These functions are carried out by neural circuits comprising molecularly and physiologically distinct neuronal subtypes that are generated in a characteristic spatial-temporal arrangement from progenitors in the embryonic neural tube. The systematic mapping of gene expression in mouse embryos has provided insight into the diversity and complexity of cells in the neural tube. For human embryos, however, less information has been available. To address this, we used single cell mRNA sequencing to profile cervical and thoracic regions in four human embryos of Carnegie Stages (CS) CS12, CS14, CS17 and CS19 from Gestational Weeks (W) 4-7. In total we recovered the transcriptomes of 71,219 cells. Analysis of progenitor and neuronal populations from the neural tube, as well as cells of the peripheral nervous system, in dorsal root ganglia adjacent to the neural tube, identified dozens of distinct cell types and facilitated the reconstruction of the differentiation pathways of specific neuronal subtypes. Comparison with existing mouse datasets revealed the overall similarity of mouse and human neural tube development while highlighting specific features that differed between species. These data provide a catalogue of gene expression and cell type identity in the developing neural tube that will support future studies of sensory and motor control systems.
Project description:The spinal cord receives input from peripheral sensory neurons and controls motor output by regulating muscle innervating motor neurons. These functions are carried out by neural circuits comprising molecularly and physiologically distinct neuronal subtypes that are generated in a characteristic spatial-temporal arrangement from progenitors in the embryonic neural tube. The systematic mapping of gene expression in mouse embryos has provided insight into the diversity and complexity of cells in the neural tube. For human embryos, however, less information has been available. To address this, we used single cell mRNA sequencing to profile cervical and thoracic regions in four human embryos of Carnegie Stages (CS) CS12, CS14, CS17 and CS19 from Gestational Weeks (W) 4-7. In total we recovered the transcriptomes of 71,219 cells. Analysis of progenitor and neuronal populations from the neural tube, as well as cells of the peripheral nervous system, in dorsal root ganglia adjacent to the neural tube, identified dozens of distinct cell types and facilitated the reconstruction of the differentiation pathways of specific neuronal subtypes. Comparison with existing mouse datasets revealed the overall similarity of mouse and human neural tube development while highlighting specific features that differed between species. These data provide a catalogue of gene expression and cell type identity in the developing neural tube that will support future studies of sensory and motor control systems.
Project description:Diabetes mellitus in early pregnancy is a non–genetic maternal risk factor for neural tube defects, which are associated with dysregulated gene expression and disruption of cellular behaviors. However, the key molecules linking high glucose metabolism to gene dysregulation remain unclear. Here, we report elevation of ATP citrate lyase (ACL), a metabolic enzyme of the glucose–related tricarboxylic acid cycle in brains of DM–induced mouse embryos with neural tube defects. Consistent with high glucose exposure, manipulation of ACL expression controlled the levels of acetyl-CoA and subsequent lysine 27 acetylation of histone H3 (H3K27ac). Inhibition of ACL activity significantly ameliorated diabetes mellitus–induced exencephaly in mouse embryos. Combinational analysis of H3K27ac ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data revealed a genome–wide synergistic dysregulation of 566 genes, among which the most highly upregulated gene was Txnip, which encodes a thioredoxin–interacting protein. Manipulation of ACL expression disrupted the levels of TXNIP protein, subsequent phosphorylation of apoptosis signal–regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) and neuroepithelial apoptosis. Such pathogenic pathway involving high glucose–induced ACL–H3K27ac, increased–TXNIP upregulation and excessive apoptosis was validated in human embryonic brain tissue affected by neural tube defects. Our study uncovers an intermediary role of ACL in linking high glucose metabolism to epigenetic alterations and neural tube defect formation.
Project description:Diabetes mellitus in early pregnancy is a non–genetic maternal risk factor for neural tube defects, which are associated with dysregulated gene expression and disruption of cellular behaviors. However, the key molecules linking high glucose metabolism to gene dysregulation remain unclear. Here, we report elevation of ATP citrate lyase (ACL), a metabolic enzyme of the glucose–related tricarboxylic acid cycle in brains of DM–induced mouse embryos with neural tube defects. Consistent with high glucose exposure, manipulation of ACL expression controlled the levels of acetyl-CoA and subsequent lysine 27 acetylation of histone H3 (H3K27ac). Inhibition of ACL activity significantly ameliorated diabetes mellitus–induced exencephaly in mouse embryos. Combinational analysis of H3K27ac ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data revealed a genome–wide synergistic dysregulation of 566 genes, among which the most highly upregulated gene was Txnip, which encodes a thioredoxin–interacting protein. Manipulation of ACL expression disrupted the levels of TXNIP protein, subsequent phosphorylation of apoptosis signal–regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) and neuroepithelial apoptosis. Such pathogenic pathway involving high glucose–induced ACL–H3K27ac, increased–TXNIP upregulation and excessive apoptosis was validated in human embryonic brain tissue affected by neural tube defects. Our study uncovers an intermediary role of ACL in linking high glucose metabolism to epigenetic alterations and neural tube defect formation.