Both microRNAs and alternative pre-mRNA splicing have been implicated in the development of the nervous system (NS), but functional interactions between these two pathways are poorly understood. We demonstrate that the neuron-specific microRNA miR-124a directly targets PTBP1/PTB/hnRNPI mRNA, which encodes a global repressor of alternative pre-mRNA splicing in non-neuronal cells. Among the targets of PTBP1 is a critical cassette exon in the pre-mRNA of PTBP2/nPTB/brPTB, an NS-enriched PTBP1 homolog. When this exon is skipped, PTBP2 mRNA is subject to nonsense-mediated decay. During neuronal differentiation, miR-124a reduces PTBP1 levels leading to the accumulation of correctly spliced PTBP2 mRNA and a dramatic increase in PTBP2 protein. These events culminate in the transition from non-NS to NS-specific alternative splicing patterns. We also present evidence that miR-124a plays a key role in the differentiation of progenitor cells to mature neurons. Thus, miR-124a promotes NS development at least in part by regulating an intricate network of NS-specific alternative splicing.
The MicroRNA miR-124 promotes neuronal differentiation by triggering brain-specific alternative pre-mRNA splicing.
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View SamplesWT and Ikbke-/- EF cells were stimulated with recombinant interferon beta for 6 hours. Cells lacking IKKe kinase show a defect in a subset of interferon stimulated gene transcription
Multiple functions of the IKK-related kinase IKKepsilon in interferon-mediated antiviral immunity.
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View SamplesWe profiled the gene expression/splicing program of normal and hnRNP U-deficient mouse hearts by RNA-seq. Overall design: RNA-seq profiles of control and Hnrnpu mutant hearts at postnatal day 14. Hnrnpu mutant hearts were generated by breeding the Hnrnpu conditional knockout mice with Ckmm-Cre transgenic mice.
hnRNP U protein is required for normal pre-mRNA splicing and postnatal heart development and function.
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View SamplesWe report cell type specific Nova HITS-CLIP using BAC-transgenic lines expressing GFP-Nova under the motor neuron specific choline acetyltransferase (Chat) promoter. By comparing transcriptome wide Nova binding map in motor neurons and that in the whole spinal cord, we identified differential Nova binding sites in motor neurons, which correlate with motor neuron specific RNA processing. Overall design: 14 total samples were analyzed. For HITS-CLIP, 4 biological replicates were performed for each BAC-transgenic line, as well as the whole spinal cord. For RNA-seq, 2 biological repliates were performed on the whole spinal cord.
Cell type-specific CLIP reveals that NOVA regulates cytoskeleton interactions in motoneurons.
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View SamplesHuman pluripotent stem cells are a promising source of diverse cells for developmental studies, cell transplantation, disease modeling, and drug testing. However, their widespread use even for intensely studied cell types like spinal motor neurons, is hindered by the long duration and low yields of existing protocols for in vitro differentiation and by the molecular heterogeneity of the populations generated. We report a combination of small molecules that induce up to 50% motor neurons within 3 weeks from human pluripotent stem cells with defined subtype identities that are relevant to neurodegenerative diseases. Despite their accelerated differentiation, motor neurons expressed combinations of HB9, ISL1 and column-specific markers that mirror those observed in vivo in human fetal spinal cord. They also exhibited spontaneous and induced activity, and projected axons towards muscles when grafted into developing chick spinal cord. Strikingly, this novel protocol preferentially generates motor neurons expressing markers of limb-innervating lateral motor column motor neurons (FOXP1+/LHX3-). Access to high-yield cultures of human limb-innervating motor neuron subtypes will facilitate in-depth study of motor neuron subtype-specific properties, disease modeling, and development of large-scale cell-based screening assays. Overall design: We analyzed 3 samples including 2 positive samples and 1 negative sample. Descriptions are as follows: a) Positive Sample 1: SHH-derived, day 21 GFP-high FACS-purified motor neurons. b) Positive Sample 2: S+P-derived, day 21 GFP-high FACS-purified motor neurons. c) Negative: S+P condition, day 21 GFP-off FACS-purified non-motor neurons. Initial analysis of data was performed on ~40% of fastq reads (Amoroso et al., J Neurosci 2013 Jan 9;33(2):574-86. PMID: 23303937). Further processing of the full dataset has since been carried out and the updated rpkm file and expression analysis reflecting all aligned reads can be accessed at: http://scholar.harvard.edu/amorosornaseq/
Accelerated high-yield generation of limb-innervating motor neurons from human stem cells.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesPurpose: We purified spinal cord microglia utilizing percoll gradients and magnetic beads, followed by transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) to define microglia expression profiles against other neural, immune cell-types. We next observed how the microglai transcriptomes change during activation in the SOD1-G93A mouse model of motor neuron degeneration at 3 timepoints. We also compared these profiles with that induced by LPS injection. Results and conclusions: ALS microglia were found to differ substantially from those activated by LPS and from M1/M2 macrophages by comparison with published datasets. These ALS microglia showing substantial induction of a "neurodegeneration-tailored phenotype", with induction of lysosomal, RNA splicing, and Alzheimer''s disease pathway genes. Overall they express a mixture of neuroprotective and neurotoxic factors during activation in ALS mice, showing that neuro-immune activation in the spinal cord is a double-edged sword. We also detected the transcriptional nature of surface marker expression in microglia (CD11b, CD86, CD11c), and substantial T-cell microglia cross-talk using correlative microglia transcriptome/FACS analysis. Overall design: 42 total RNA samples from purified spinal cord microglia were subjected to paired-end RNA-sequencing. Parallel flow cytometry data was collected from the same spinal cords.
A neurodegeneration-specific gene-expression signature of acutely isolated microglia from an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse model.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesCTCF/cohesin play a central role in insulator function and higher-order chromatin organization of mammalian genomes. Recent studies identified a correlation between the orientation of CTCF-binding sites (CBSs) and chromatin loops. To test the functional significance of this observation, we combined CRISPR/Cas9-based genomic-DNA-fragment editing with chromosome-conformation-capture experiments to show that the location and relative orientations of CBSs determine the specificity of long-range chromatin looping in mammalian genomes, using protocadherin (Pcdh) and ß-globin as model genes. Inversion of CBS elements within the Pcdh enhancer reconfigures the topology of chromatin loops between the distal enhancer and target promoters, and alters gene-expression patterns. Thus, although enhancers can function in an orientation-independent manner in reporter assays, in the native chromosome context the orientation of at least some enhancers carrying CBSs can determine both the architecture of topological chromatin domains and enhancer/promoter specificity. The findings reveal how 3D chromosome architecture can be encoded by genome sequence. Overall design: HEC-1B mRNA profiles of HS5-1 Inversion
CRISPR Inversion of CTCF Sites Alters Genome Topology and Enhancer/Promoter Function.
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View SamplesAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) results from the selective and progressive degeneration of motor neurons. Although the underlying disease mechanisms remain unknown, glial cells have been implicated in ALS disease progression. Here we examine the effects of glial cell/motor neuron interactions on gene expression, using the hSOD1G93A mouse model of ALS. We detect striking cell autonomous and non-autonomous changes in gene expression in co-cultured motor neurons and glia, revealing that the two cell types profoundly affect each other. In addition, we found a remarkable concordance between the cell culture data, expression profiles of whole spinal cords, and of acutely isolated spinal cord cells, during disease progression in the G93A mouse model, providing validation of the cell culture approach. Bioinformatics analyses identified changes in the expression of specific genes and signaling pathways that may contribute to motor neuron degeneration in ALS, among which are TGF-b signaling pathways. Overall design: RNA-seq profiles of: 1) 43 Sandwich culture samples at 3 different time points (3, 7 and 14 days), in duplicate, in different combinations of genetic background WT/SOD1_G93A mutant glia and WT/SOD1_G93A mutant neurons; 2) 16 spinal cord samples at 4 different time points, WT and SOD1_G93A mutant.
Intricate interplay between astrocytes and motor neurons in ALS.
Sex, Subject, Time
View SamplesOur data suggest that neoadjuvant chemotherapy enhances anti-cancer responses of T cells in peritoneal metastases of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer but does not decrease levels of immune checkpoint molecules, providing a rationale for sequential chemo-immunotherapy. Overall design: tRNA was isolated from 35 omental tissue samples of HGSOC metastases either pre or post NACT treatment. RNASeq was performed on poly-A selected mRNA fragments, 100 b.p paired end, and strand specific, on average 40 million reads per sample.
Mouse Ovarian Cancer Models Recapitulate the Human Tumor Microenvironment and Patient Response to Treatment.
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View SamplesWe describe a function of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in driving anti-tumor immune evasion. The kinase activity of nuclear-targeted FAK in squamous cancer cells drives exhaustion of CD8+ T-cells and recruitment of regulatory T-cells by transcriptionally regulating chemokine/cytokine and ligand-receptor networks, including transcription of Ccl5 that is crucial. These changes inhibit antigen-primed cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell activity, permitting growth of FAK-expressing tumors.
Nuclear FAK controls chemokine transcription, Tregs, and evasion of anti-tumor immunity.
Specimen part
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