Adult-onset diseases can be associated with in utero events, but mechanisms for such temporally distant dysregulation of organ function remain unknown. The polycomb histone methyltransferase, Ezh2, stabilizes transcription by depositing repressive histone marks during development that persist into adulthood, but the function of Ezh2-mediated transcriptional stability in postnatal organ homeostasis is not understood. Here, we show that Ezh2 stabilizes the postnatal cardiac gene expression program and prevents cardiac pathology, primarily by repressing the homeodomain transcription factor Six1 in differentiating cardiac progenitors. Loss of Ezh2 in embryonic cardiac progenitors, but not in differentiated cardiomyocytes, resulted in postnatal cardiac pathology, including cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis. Loss of Ezh2 caused broad derepression of skeletal muscle genes, including the homeodomain transcription factor Six1, which is expressed in cardiac progenitors but is normally silenced upon cardiac differentiation. Many of the deregulated genes are direct Six1 targets, implying a critical requirement for stable repression of Six1 in cardiac myocytes. Indeed, upon de-repression, Six1 promotes cardiac pathology, as it was sufficient to induce cardiac hypertrophy. Furthermore, genetic reduction of Six1 levels almost completely rescued the pathology of Ezh2-deficient hearts. Thus, repression of a single transcription factor in cardiac progenitors by Ezh2 is essential for stability of the adult heart gene expression program and homeostasis. Our results suggest that epigenetic dysregulation during discrete developmental windows can predispose to adult disease and dysregulated stress responses.
Epigenetic repression of cardiac progenitor gene expression by Ezh2 is required for postnatal cardiac homeostasis.
Specimen part
View SamplesFour male SHR/Ola, BN and SHR-18 rats were fed a normal diet and sacrificed at 9 weeks of age. Four male SHR/Ola and SHR-18 rats at 8 weeks of age were fed 1% NaCl for one week and then sacrificed. Kidneys were removed and frozen in liquid nitrogen for all 20 animals. Total RNA was isolated, labelled cRNA was generated and hybridised to Affymetrix Rat RG-U34ABC arrays.
Dissection of chromosome 18 blood pressure and salt-sensitivity quantitative trait loci in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesWe developed a 5''RNA-seq methodology to concurrently assess gene expression and start-site usage changes. We applied this methodology to study hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in mice harboring a human deleterious mutation. Overall design: 5''RNA-seq analysis of transcriptomes from mouse hearts with or without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Biological replicates were pooled into a single sequencing run. 5''RNA-seq methodology consists of enhanced sequencing of 5'' ends and computational assessment of changes at start-sites of genes.
5'RNA-Seq identifies Fhl1 as a genetic modifier in cardiomyopathy.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe contraceptive effectiveness of intrauterine devices has been attributed in part to effects of a foreign body reaction on the endometrium. We performed this study to identify compare the effects on the endometrial transcriptome of intrauterine devices and combined oral contraceptives, to better understand their mechanisms of action. We collected endometrial and cervical biopsies from women using the levonorgestrel-intrauterine device, copper intrauterine device or levonorgestrel-containing combined oral contraceptives, and from women not using contraceptives (control group). Transcriptional profiling was performed with Affymetrix arrays, Principal Component Analysis and the bioconductor package limma. Pathway analysis was performed using EnrichR and Reactome 2016. In endometrial samples from copper intrauterine device users (n=13), there were no genes with statistically significant differential expression compared to controls (n=11), whereas in levonorgestrel-intrauterine device users (n=11), 2509 genes were significantly dysregulated and mapped onto several immune and inflammatory pathways. In combined oral contraceptive users (n=12), 133 genes were significantly dysregulated and mapped predominantly onto pathways involving regulation of metal ions. Both levonorgestrel-intrauterine device and combined oral contraceptive use were associated with significant downregulation of members of the metallothionein gene family. In cervical samples, none of the groups showed statistically significant differential gene expression compared to controls. In conclusion, hormonal and copper intrauterine devices differ significantly in their effects on the endometrial transcriptome, with endometrium from copper intrauterine device users being indistinguishable from luteal phase endometrium. These results suggest that the contraceptive mechanisms of intrauterine devices are unlikely to rely on a common pathway involving a foreign body reaction in the endometrium.
Differential Effects of the Hormonal and Copper Intrauterine Device on the Endometrial Transcriptome.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe inflammatory response of preterm infants' intestine underlines its inability to respond to hemodynamic stress, microbes and nutrients. Recent evidence suggests that exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) exerts a therapeutic influence on neonatal enteropathies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of EGF remain to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of EGF on the gene expression profiles of the developing human small and large intestine at mid-gestation in serum-free organ cultures using Illumina microarrays.
Anti-inflammatory effects of epidermal growth factor on the immature human intestine.
Specimen part
View SamplesHepatocyte-nuclear-factor-4 (Hnf4) is a transcription factor that controls epithelial cell polarity and maturation during embryogenesis. Hnf4 conditional deletion during post-natal development results in minor consequences on intestinal epithelium integrity but promotes activation of the Wnt/-catenin pathway. Here we show that Hnf4 does not act as a tumor suppressor gene but is crucial to promote gut tumorigenesis in mice. Polyp multiplicity in ApcMin mice that lacks Hnf4 is suppressed in comparison to littermate ApcMin controls. Analysis of microarray gene expression profiles from mice lacking Hnf4 in the intestinal epithelium identifies its novel function in regulating the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxifying genes. This role is supported with the demonstration that HNF4 is functionally involved in the protection against spontaneous and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy-induced production of intracellular ROS in colorectal cancer cell lines. The analysis of a colorectal cancer patient cohort establishes that HNF4 is significantly up-regulated at both gene transcript and protein levels in tumors relative to adjacent benign epithelial resections. Several genes involved in ROS neutralization are also up-regulated in correlation with HNF4 expression. All together, the findings point to the nuclear receptor HNF4 as a potential therapeutic target to eradicate aberrant epithelial cell resistance to ROS production during intestinal tumorigenesis.
Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha promotes gut neoplasia in mice and protects against the production of reactive oxygen species.
Specimen part
View SamplesBackground & Aims: HNF4 is an important transcriptional regulator of hepatocyte and pancreatic function. Hnf4 deletion is embryonically lethal with severe defects in visceral endoderm formation, liver maturation and colon development. However, the precise role of this transcription factor in maintaining homeostasis of the adult intestine remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the adult intestinal functions of Hnf4. Methods: A conditional intestinal epithelial Hnf4 knockout mouse was generated. Histological abnormality of the colonic mucosa was assessed by immunodetection and Western. Changes in global gene expression and biological network were analyzed. Results: Hnf4 intestine null mice developed normally until reaching young adulthood. Crypt distortion became apparent in the Hnf4 null colon at 3 months of age followed by focal areas of crypt dropout, increased immune cell infiltrates, crypt hyperplasia and early signs of polyposis later in life. A gene profiling analysis identified cell death and cell cycle related to cancer as the most significant sets of genes altered in the Hnf4 colon null mice. Expression levels of the tight junction proteins claudin 4, 8 and 15 were altered early in the colon epithelium of Hnf4 mutants and correlated with increased barrier permeability to a molecular tracer that does not normally penetrate normal mucosa. Conclusion: These observations support a functional role for Hnf4 in protecting the colonic mucosa against the initiation of the changes resembling inflammatory bowel diseases and polyp formation.
Loss of hepatocyte-nuclear-factor-4alpha affects colonic ion transport and causes chronic inflammation resembling inflammatory bowel disease in mice.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe samples are a part of a study aiming at diagnosing ulcerative colitis from genome-wide gene expression analysis of the colonic mucosa. Colonic mucosal samples were collected as endoscopic pinch biopsies from ulcerative colitis patients and from control subjects. Samples with and without macroscopic signs of inflammation were collected from the patients.
Diagnosis of ulcerative colitis before onset of inflammation by multivariate modeling of genome-wide gene expression data.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesIn this study, we used a cardiac-specific, inducible expression system to activate YAP in adult mouse heart. Activation of YAP in adult heart promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation and did not deleteriously affect heart function. Furthermore, YAP activation after myocardial infarction (MI) preserved heart function and reduced infarct size. Using adeno-associated virus subtype 9 (AAV9) as a delivery vector, we expressed human YAP in the murine myocardium immediately after MI. We found that AAV9:hYAP significantly improved cardiac function and mouse survival. AAV9:hYAP did not exert its salutary effects by reducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Rather, we found that AAV9:hYAP stimulated adult cardiomyocyte proliferation. Gene expression profiling indicated that AAV9:hYAP stimulated cell cycle gene expression, enhanced TGF-signaling, and activated of components of the inflammatory response.Cardiac specific YAP activation after MI mitigated myocardial injury after MI, improved cardiac function and mouse survival. These findings suggest that therapeutic activation of hYAP or its downstream targets, potentially through AAV-mediated gene therapy, may be a strategy to improve outcome after MI.
Cardiac-specific YAP activation improves cardiac function and survival in an experimental murine MI model.
Specimen part
View SamplesSETD5, a gene linked to intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a member of the SET-domain family and encodes a putative histone methyltransferase (HMT). To date, the mechanism by which SETD5 haploinsufficiency causes ASD/ID remains an unanswered question. Setd5 is the highly conserved mouse homolog, and although the Setd5 null mouse is embryonic lethal, the heterozygote is viable. Morphological tracing and multi electrode array was used on cultured cortical neurons. MRI was conducted of adult mouse brains and immunohistochemistry of juvenile mouse brains. RNA-Seq was used to investigate gene expression in the developing cortex. Behavioral assays were conducted on adult mice. Setd5+/- cortical neurons displayed significantly reduced synaptic density and neuritic outgrowth in vitro, with corresponding decreases in network activity and synchrony by electrophysiology. A specific subpopulation of fetal Setd5+/- cortical neurons showed altered gene expression of neurodevelopment-related genes. Setd5+/- animals manifested several autism-like behaviors, including hyperactivity, cognitive deficit, and altered social interactions. Anatomical differences were observed in Setd5+/- adult brains, accompanied by a deficit of deep-layer cortical neurons in the developing brain. Our data converge on a picture of abnormal neurodevelopment driven by Setd5 haploinsufficiency, consistent with a highly penetrant risk factor. Overall design: Single cell RNA-Seq of CD24+ CD45- neuronal cells isolated from E18.5 WT or SetD5 +/- mouse fetuses.
Setd5 haploinsufficiency alters neuronal network connectivity and leads to autistic-like behaviors in mice.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
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