Classical embryological studies revealed that during mid-embryogenesis vertebrates show similar morphologies. This “phylotypic stage” has recently received support from transcriptome analyses, which have also detected similar stages in nematodes and arthropods. A conserved stage in these three phyla has led us to ask if all animals pass through a universal definitive stage as a consequence of ancestral constraints on animal development. Previous work has suggested that HOX genes may comprise such a ‘zootypic’ stage, however this hypothetical stage has hitherto resisted systematic analysis. We have examined the embryonic development of ten different animals each of a fundamentally different phylum, including a segmented worm, a flatworm, a roundworm, a water bear, a fruitfly, a sea urchin, a zebrafish, a sea anemone, a sponge, and a comb jelly. For each species, we collected the embryonic transcriptomes at ~100 different developmental stages and analyzed their gene expression profiles. We found dynamic gene expression across all of the species that is structured in a stage like manner. Strikingly, we found that animal embryology contains two dominant modules of zygotic expression in terms of their protein domain composition: one involving proliferation, and a second involving differentiation. The switch between these two modules involves induction of the zootype; which in addition to homeobox containing genes, also involves Wnt and Notch signaling as well as forkhead domain transcription factors. Our results provide a systematic characterization of animal universality and identify the points of embryological constraints and flexibility. Overall design: 139 single embryo samples.
The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans.
Subject
View SamplesClassical embryological studies revealed that during mid-embryogenesis vertebrates show similar morphologies. This “phylotypic stage” has recently received support from transcriptome analyses, which have also detected similar stages in nematodes and arthropods. A conserved stage in these three phyla has led us to ask if all animals pass through a universal definitive stage as a consequence of ancestral constraints on animal development. Previous work has suggested that HOX genes may comprise such a ‘zootypic’ stage, however this hypothetical stage has hitherto resisted systematic analysis. We have examined the embryonic development of ten different animals each of a fundamentally different phylum, including a segmented worm, a flatworm, a roundworm, a water bear, a fruitfly, a sea urchin, a zebrafish, a sea anemone, a sponge, and a comb jelly. For each species, we collected the embryonic transcriptomes at ~100 different developmental stages and analyzed their gene expression profiles. We found dynamic gene expression across all of the species that is structured in a stage like manner. Strikingly, we found that animal embryology contains two dominant modules of zygotic expression in terms of their protein domain composition: one involving proliferation, and a second involving differentiation. The switch between these two modules involves induction of the zootype; which in addition to homeobox containing genes, also involves Wnt and Notch signaling as well as forkhead domain transcription factors. Our results provide a systematic characterization of animal universality and identify the points of embryological constraints and flexibility. Overall design: 106 single embryo samples
The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesClassical embryological studies revealed that during mid-embryogenesis vertebrates show similar morphologies. This “phylotypic stage” has recently received support from transcriptome analyses, which have also detected similar stages in nematodes and arthropods. A conserved stage in these three phyla has led us to ask if all animals pass through a universal definitive stage as a consequence of ancestral constraints on animal development. Previous work has suggested that HOX genes may comprise such a ‘zootypic’ stage, however this hypothetical stage has hitherto resisted systematic analysis. We have examined the embryonic development of ten different animals each of a fundamentally different phylum, including a segmented worm, a flatworm, a roundworm, a water bear, a fruitfly, a sea urchin, a zebrafish, a sea anemone, a sponge, and a comb jelly. For each species, we collected the embryonic transcriptomes at ~100 different developmental stages and analyzed their gene expression profiles. We found dynamic gene expression across all of the species that is structured in a stage like manner. Strikingly, we found that animal embryology contains two dominant modules of zygotic expression in terms of their protein domain composition: one involving proliferation, and a second involving differentiation. The switch between these two modules involves induction of the zootype; which in addition to homeobox containing genes, also involves Wnt and Notch signaling as well as forkhead domain transcription factors. Our results provide a systematic characterization of animal universality and identify the points of embryological constraints and flexibility. Overall design: 91 single embryo samples.
The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans.
Subject
View SamplesNext-generation sequencing has become an important tool for genome-wide quantification of DNA and RNA. However, a major technical hurdle lies in the need to map short sequence reads back to their correct locations in a reference genome. Here we investigate the impact of SNP variation on the reliability of read-mapping in the context of detecting allele-specific expression (ASE).We generated sixteen million 35 bp reads from mRNA of each of two HapMap Yoruba individuals. When we mapped these reads to the human genome we found that, at heterozygous SNPs, there was a significant bias towards higher mapping rates of the allele in the reference sequence, compared to the alternative allele. Masking known SNP positions in the genome sequence eliminated the reference bias but, surprisingly, did not lead to more reliable results overall. We find that even after masking, $\sim$5-10\% of SNPs still have an inherent bias towards more effective mapping of one allele. Filtering out inherently biased SNPs removes 40\% of the top signals of ASE. The remaining SNPs showing ASE are enriched in genes previously known to harbor cis-regulatory variation or known to show uniparental imprinting. Our results have implications for a variety of applications involving detection of alternate alleles from short-read sequence data. Scripts, written in Perl and R, for simulating short reads, masking SNP variation in a reference genome, and analyzing the simulation output are available upon request from JFD. Overall design: RNA-Seq on two YRI Hapmap cell lines. Each individual sequenced on two lanes of the Illumina Genome Analyzer
Effect of read-mapping biases on detecting allele-specific expression from RNA-sequencing data.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesA diverse antibody repertoire is formed through the rearrangement of V, D, and J segments at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) loci. The C57BL/6 murine Igh locus has over 100 functional VH gene segments that can recombine to a rearranged DJH. While the non-random usage of VH genes is well documented, it is not clear what elements determine recombination frequency. To answer this question we conducted deep sequencing of 5’-RACE products of the Igh repertoire in pro-B cells, amplified in an unbiased manner. ChIP-seq results for several histone modifications and RNA polymerase II binding, RNA-seq for sense and antisense non-coding germline transcripts, and proximity to CTCF and Rad21 sites were compared to the usage of individual V genes. Computational analyses assessed the relative importance of these various accessibility elements. These elements divide the Igh locus into four epigenetically and transcriptionally distinct domains, and our computational analyses reveal different regulatory mechanisms for each region. Proximal V genes are relatively devoid of active histone marks and non-coding RNA in general, but having a CTCF site near their RSS is critical, suggesting that position near the base of the chromatin loops is important for rearrangement. In contrast, distal V genes have high levels of histone marks and non-coding RNA, which may compensate for their poorer RSS and for being distant from CTCF sites. Thus, the Igh locus has evolved a complex system for the regulation of V(D)J rearrangement that is different for of each the four domains that comprise this locus. Overall design: RNA was extracted from C57BL/6 RAG-/- pro-B cells using Trizol® (Life Technologies Corp., Carlsbad CA) and genomic DNA was eliminated using the genomic DNA wipeout buffer in the QuantiTect Reverse transcription kit (QIAGEN). A final purification of the RNA was performed with the RNeasy kit from QIAGEN. For each sample, 100 ng of total RNA was used to make RNASeq libraries using the NuGEN Encore Complete DR kits following manufacturer''s recommended protocols. Sequencing libraries were gel purified to ensure insert sizes were larger than 100 bp in length and sequenced on an Ilumina HiSeq2000 for 100 bases plus 7 bases for indexing.
Deep sequencing of the murine IgH repertoire reveals complex regulation of nonrandom V gene rearrangement frequencies.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesWith advances in supportive therapy in the last two decades, mortality rates from ALI/ARDS have improved somewhat, but remain around 30 to 40% with significant morbidity in survivors. Several promising treatments are in various stages of evaluation, but many have failed to prove beneficial in large randomized clinical trials (RCT). The first definitive step forward in ALI therapeutics occurred recently as a result of a large RCT demonstrating a mortality decrease from 40 to 31% with the use of low-volume ventilation strategies. From this, it is clear that the opportunity for successful intervention in ALI exists. However, therapeutic advances remain frustrated by the lack of complete understanding of ALI pathophysiology. This stresses the importance of integrating basic and clinical research of the molecular pathogenesis of this disease. The conclusions of a recent National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Working Group on ALI support this type of research as a priority for future investigations of ALI. One of the areas of research given priority by this ALI Working Group is the issue of ALI severity progression and the role of cells of innate immunity in this process. Currently, the processes that determine which ALI patients progress to ARDS and which do not are unclear. As with many phenotype differences, there is most likely a genetic component involved. The basis for this has been demonstrated. For example, a surfactant protein B (SP-B) polymorphism appears to increase a patients risk of developing ALI from pneumonia. Additionally, a polymorphism in the promoter region of the gene for interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been associated with a poor prognosis in patients with ARDS. Understanding the intracellular processes of these genes and the cells expressing them in ALI progression could lead to the identification of molecular markers of ALI severity and eventually to the development of targeted therapies. An examination of genetically uniform animals will provide a clearer insight into the interaction between immune cells in ALI progression as well as guide future human experiments.
Sepsis alters the megakaryocyte-platelet transcriptional axis resulting in granzyme B-mediated lymphotoxicity.
Specimen part
View SamplesUnderstanding the genetic mechanisms underlying natural variation in gene expression is a central goal of both medical and evolutionary genetics, and studies of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) have become an important tool for achieving this goal. While all eQTL studies to date have assayed mRNA levels using expression microarrays, recent advances in RNA sequencing enable the analysis of transcript variation at unprecedented resolution. We sequenced RNA from 69 lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) derived from unrelated Nigerian individuals that have been extensively genotyped by the International HapMap Project. Pooling data from all individuals, we generated a map of the transcriptional landscape of these cells, identifying extensive use of unannotated polyadenylation sites and over 100 novel putative protein-coding exons. Using the genotypes from the HapMap project, we identified over a thousand genes at which genetic variation influences overall expression levels or splicing. We demonstrate that eQTLs near genes generally act via a mechanism involving allele-specific expression, and that variation that influences the inclusion of an exon is enriched within or near the consensus splice sites. Our results illustrate the power of high-throughput sequencing for the joint analysis of variation in transcription, splicing, and allele-specific expression across individuals. Overall design: RNA-Seq in 69 lymphoblastoid cell lines from multiple Yoruban HapMap individuals in at least two replicate lanes per individual
Understanding mechanisms underlying human gene expression variation with RNA sequencing.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesHuntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating neurological disorder that is caused by an expansion of the poly-Q tract in exon 1 of the Huntingtin gene (HTT). HTT is an evolutionarily conserved and ubiquitously expressed protein that has been linked to a variety of functions including transcriptional regulation, mitochondrial function, and vesicle transport. This large protein has numerous caspase and calpain cleavage sites and can be decorated with several post-translational modifications such as phosphorylations, acetylations, sumoylations, and palmitoylations. However, the exact function of HTT and the role played by its modifications in the cell is still not well understood. Scrutiny of HTT function has been focused on a single, full length, mRNA. In this study, we report the discovery of 5 novel HTT mRNA splice isoforms that are expressed in normal and HD-hESC lines as well as cortical neurons differentiated from hESCs. Interestingly, none of the novel isoforms generates a truncated protein. Instead, 4 of the 5 new isoforms specifically eliminate domains and modifications to generate smaller HTT proteins. The fifth novel isoform incorporates a previously unreported additional exon, dubbed 41b, which is hominid-specific and introduces a potential phosphorylation site in the protein. The discovery of this hominid-specific isoform may shed light on human-specific pathogenic mechanisms of HTT, which could not be investigated with current mouse models of the disease. Furthermore, it provides a new human-specific target for drug screening in Huntington’s disease. Overall design: We performed RNAseq of human embryonic stem cells in pluripotency conditions to check expression of multiple HTT isoforms.
Discovery of novel isoforms of huntingtin reveals a new hominid-specific exon.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesHsa-miR-500a-5p (miR500a) activity has been associated with breast cancer survival.
miR-500a-5p regulates oxidative stress response genes in breast cancer and predicts cancer survival.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesThe aim of this study is to analyze the transcriptome of epithelial (CD326+ enriched) and immune (CD45+ enriched) fraction in Celiac Disease and controls to find differentially expressed genes.
The methylome of the celiac intestinal epithelium harbours genotype-independent alterations in the HLA region.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease
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