It has widely accepted that 5-methylcytosine is the only form of DNA methylation in mammalian genomes, whereas the other forms, such as N6-methyladenine, primarily exist in prokaryotes and only a few eukaryotes. Herein, we demonstrated the surprising presence of N6-methyladenine in mammalian genomes, especially, mouse embryonic stem cells. This modification is enriched at histone variant H2A.X-deposited genomic regions in wild type embryonic stem cells. Our work also showed that a previously unknown DNA demethylase, Alkbh1, is the major demethylase for N6-methyladenine in embryonic stem cells. Increase of N6-methyladenine levels in Alkbh1 deficient cells leads to silencing of genes that regulate embryonic development. Surprisingly, genes located on the X-chromosome, but not the Y-chromosome or autosomes are preferentially silenced by N6-methyladenine. Strikingly, N6-methyladenine in Alkbh1 deficient cells are specifically deposition at young, full-length subfamilies of LINE1 transposons that are strongly enriched on the X chromosome. Furthermore, N6-methyladenine deposition on LINE1s pattern is inversely correlated with their evolutionary age. The deposition of N6-methyladenine results in epigenetic silencing of such L1s, which are otherwise actively transcribed in wild type embryonic stem cells, and the neighboring enhancers and genes. Furthermore, N6-methyladenine induced-silencing resists gene activation signals during embryonic stem cell differentiation. Thus, N6-methyladenine adopts a new function in epigenetic silencing in evolution, distinct from its role in gene activation in other organisms. In summary, our results demonstrate that N6-methyladenine unexpectedly constitutes a crucial component of the epigenetic regulation repertoire in mammalian genomes. RNASeq compare the differential expressed genes in Alkbh1 KO and WT ES cell Overall design: total RNA with mRNA HiSeq sequencing
DNA methylation on N(6)-adenine in mammalian embryonic stem cells.
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1q gain and CDT2 overexpression underlie an aggressive and highly proliferative form of Ewing sarcoma.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Cell line
View SamplesThe 1q gain is related to poor survival, and to a profile of cell cycle deregulation in Ewing's Sarcoma (ES). Tumor samples with 1q gain overexpress the gene DTL.
1q gain and CDT2 overexpression underlie an aggressive and highly proliferative form of Ewing sarcoma.
Disease, Cell line
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Novel subtype-specific genes identify distinct subpopulations of callosal projection neurons.
Specimen part
View SamplesMyocardial infarction (MI) often results in left ventricular (LV) remodeling followed by heart failure (HF). It is of great clinical importance to understand the molecular mechanisms that trigger transition from compensated LV injury to HF and to identify relevant diagnostic biomarkers. In this study, we performed transcriptional profiling of LVs in rats with a wide range of experimentally induced infarct sizes and of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in animals that developed HF.
Transcriptional profiling of left ventricle and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in a rat model of postinfarction heart failure.
Specimen part
View Samples3 subtypes of cortical projection neurons were purified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) at 4 different stages of development from mouse cortex. A detailed description of the data set is described in Arlotta, P et al (2005) and Molyneaux, BJ et al (2009). The hybridization cocktails used here were originally applied to the Affymetrix mouse 430A arrays and submitted as GEO accession number GSE2039. The same hybridization cocktails were then applied to the Affymetrix mouse 430 2.0 arrays, and those data are contained in this series.
Novel subtype-specific genes identify distinct subpopulations of callosal projection neurons.
Specimen part
View SamplesMutations of the transcriptional regulator Mecp2 cause the X-linked autism spectrum disorder Rett syndrome (RTT), and Mecp2 has been implicated in several other neurodevelopmental disorders. To identify potential target genes regulated directly or indirectly by MeCP2, we performed comparative gene expression analysis via oligonucleotide microarrays on Mecp2-/y (Mecp2-null) and wild-type CPN purified via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).
Reduction of aberrant NF-κB signalling ameliorates Rett syndrome phenotypes in Mecp2-null mice.
Specimen part
View SamplesMolecular mechanisms controlling specification and differentiation of distinct neuron subtypes in the cerebral cortex are not well understood. Corticothalamic projection neurons (CThPN) are a diverse set of neurons, critical for function of the neocortex, but little is known about the molecular mechansims controlling their development.
Corticothalamic Projection Neuron Development beyond Subtype Specification: Fog2 and Intersectional Controls Regulate Intraclass Neuronal Diversity.
Specimen part
View SamplesStriatal medium spiny neurons (MSN) are critically involved in motor control, and their degeneration is a principal component of Huntingtons disease. We find that the transcription factor Ctip2 (also known as Bcl11b) is central to MSN differentiation and striatal development. Within the striatum, it is expressed by all MSN, while it is excluded from essentially all striatal interneurons. In the absence of Ctip2, MSN do not fully differentiate, as demonstrated by dramatically reduced expression of a large number of MSN markers, including DARPP-32, FOXP1, Chrm4, Reelin, MOR1, GluR1, and Plexin-D1. Furthermore, MSN fail to aggregate into patches, resulting in severely disrupted patch-matrix organization within the striatum. Finally, heterotopic cellular aggregates invade the Ctip2-/- striatum suggesting a failure by MSN to repel these cells in the absence of Ctip2. In order to investigate the molecular mechanisms that underlie Ctip2-dependent differentiation of MSN and that underlie the patch-matrix disorganization in the mutant striatum, we directly compared gene expression between wild type and mutant striatum at P0. Because CTIP2-expressing MSN constitute 90-95% of the neurons within the striatum, we reasoned that we should be able to detect changes in medium spiny neuron gene expression in Ctip2 null mutants. We microdissected out small regions of striatum at matched locations in wild type and Ctip2-/- mutant littermates at P0 and investigated gene expression with Affymetrix microarrays. We selected the 153 most significant genes and further analyzed them to identify a smaller set of genes of potentially high biological relevance. In order to verify the microarray data and define the distribution of the identified genes in the striatum, we performed in situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry for 12 selected genes: Plexin-D1, Ngef, Nectin-3, Kcnip2, Pcp4L1, Neto1, Basonuclin 2, Fidgetin, Semaphorin 3e, Secretagogin, Unc5d, and Neurotensin. We find that all these genes are either specifically downregulated (Plexin-D1, Ngef, Nectin-3 Kcnip2, Pcp4L1, Neto1), or upregulated (Basonuclin 2, Fidgetin, Semaphorin 3e, Secretagogin, Unc5d, Neurotensin), in the Ctip2-/- striatum, confirming and extending the microarray results. Together, these data indicate that Ctip2 is a critical regulator of MSN differentiation, striatal patch development, and the establishment of the cellular architecture of the striatum.
Ctip2 controls the differentiation of medium spiny neurons and the establishment of the cellular architecture of the striatum.
No sample metadata fields
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Identification of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL in breast cancer as a target for the human miR-34a microRNA.
Cell line
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