Project description:Background: The mesenchymal compartment plays a key role in organogenesis and cells within the mesenchyme/stroma are a source of potent molecules that control epithelia during development and tumourigenesis. We have used Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) to profile a key subset of prostatic mesenchyme that regulates prostate development and is enriched for growth-regulatory molecules. Results: SAGE libraries were made of prostatic inductive mesenchyme (VMP) and the complete prostatic rudiment (including inductive mesenchyme, epithelium and smooth muscle; VSU). By comparing these two SAGE libraries we generated a list of 219 transcripts that were enriched or specific to inductive mesenchyme and which may act as mesenchymal regulators of organogenesis and tumourigenesis. Conclusions: The use of a precisely defined subset of cells, and a back-comparison approach, allowed us to identify rare mRNAs that might be overlooked using other approaches. Keywords: SAGE, gene profiling Two SAGE libraries were prepared and compared to each other. The VMP forms a subset of the VSU.
Project description:Background: The mesenchymal compartment plays a key role in organogenesis and cells within the mesenchyme/stroma are a source of potent molecules that control epithelia during development and tumourigenesis. We have used Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) to profile a key subset of prostatic mesenchyme that regulates prostate development and is enriched for growth-regulatory molecules. Results: SAGE libraries were made of prostatic inductive mesenchyme (VMP) and the complete prostatic rudiment (including inductive mesenchyme, epithelium and smooth muscle; VSU). By comparing these two SAGE libraries we generated a list of 219 transcripts that were enriched or specific to inductive mesenchyme and which may act as mesenchymal regulators of organogenesis and tumourigenesis. Conclusions: The use of a precisely defined subset of cells, and a back-comparison approach, allowed us to identify rare mRNAs that might be overlooked using other approaches. Keywords: SAGE, gene profiling
Project description:Inflammation is a key component of pathological angiogenesis. Here we induce cornea neovascularisation using sutures placed into the cornea, and sutures are removed to induce a regression phase. We used whole transcriptome microarray to monitor gene expression profies of several genes
Project description:Here, we have asked why the nail base is essential for mammalian digit tip regeneration, focusing on the inductive nail mesenchyme. We identify a transcriptional signature for these cells that includes Lmx1b, and show that the Lmx1b-expressing nail mesenchyme is essential for blastema formation. We use a combination of Lmx1bCreERT2-based lineage tracing and single cell transcriptional analyses to show that the nail mesenchyme contributes cells for two pro-regenerative mechanisms. One group of cells maintains their identity and regenerates the new nail mesenchyme. A second group contributes specifically to the dorsal blastema, loses their nail mesenchyme phenotype, acquires a blastema transcriptional state that is highly similar to blastema cells of other origins and ultimately contributes to regeneration of the dorsal but not ventral dermis and bone. Thus, the regenerative necessity for an intact nail base is explained, at least part by a requirement for the inductive nail mesenchyme.
