The Mediator complex regulates gene transcription by linking basal transcriptional machinery with DNA-bound transcription factors. The activity of the Mediator complex is mainly controlled by a kinase submodule that is comprised of four proteins, including MED12. Although ubiquitously expressed, Mediator subunits can differentially regulate gene expression in a tissue-specific manner. Here, we report that MED12 is required for normal cardiac function such that mice with conditional cardiac-specific deletion of MED12 display progressive dilated cardiomyopathy. Loss of MED12 perturbs expression of calcium handling genes in the heart, consequently altering calcium cycling in cardiomyocytes and disrupting cardiac electrical activity. We identified transcription factors that regulate expression of calcium-handling genes that are downregulated in the heart in the absence of MED12, and found that MED12 localizes to transcription factor consensus sequences within calcium handling genes. We showed that MED12 interacts with one such transcription factor, MEF2, in cardiomyocytes, and that MED12 and MEF2 co-occupy promoters of calcium handling genes. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MED12 enhances MEF2 transcriptional activity and overexpression of both increases expression of calcium handling genes in cardiomyocytes. Our data support a role for MED12 as a coordinator of transcription through MEF2 and other transcription factors. We conclude that MED12 is a regulator of a network of calcium handling genes, consequently “mediating” contractility in the mammalian heart. Overall design: Ventricle mRNA profiles of 1-day old control (CTL, CreNEG) and cardiac-specific Med12 knockout mice (Med12cKO, CrePOS) were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina.
MED12 regulates a transcriptional network of calcium-handling genes in the heart.
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View SamplesSegmental aneuploidy refers to the relative excess or deficiency of specific chromosome regions. This condition results in gene dosage imbalance and often causes severe phenotypic alterations in plants and animals. The mechanisms by which gene dosage imbalance effects gene expression and phenotype are not completely clear. The effects of aneuploidy on the transcriptome may depend on the types of cells analyzed and on the developmental stage. We performed global gene expression profiling to determine the effects of segmental aneuploidy on gene expression levels in two different maize tissues and a detailed analysis of expression of 30 genes affected by aneuploidy in multiple maize tissues.
Aneuploidy causes tissue-specific qualitative changes in global gene expression patterns in maize.
Specimen part
View SamplesABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: While changes in chromosome number that result in aneuploidy are associated with phenotypic consequences such as Down syndrome and cancer, the molecular causes of specific phenotypes and genome-wide expression changes that occur in aneuploids are still being elucidated. RESULTS: We employed a segmental aneuploid condition in maize to study phenotypic and gene expression changes associated with aneuploidy. Maize plants that are trisomic for 90% of the short arm of chromosome 5 and monosomic for a small distal portion of the short arm of chromosome 6 exhibited a phenotypic syndrome that includes reduced stature, tassel morphology changes and the presence of knots on the leaves. The knotted-like homeobox gene knox10, which is located on the short arm of chromosome 5, was shown to be ectopically expressed in developing leaves of the aneuploid plants. Expression profiling revealed that ~40% of the expressed genes in the trisomic region exhibited the expected 1.5 fold increased transcript levels while the remaining 60% of genes did not show altered expression even with increased gene dosage. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the majority of genes with altered expression levels were located within the chromosomal regions affected by the segmental aneuploidy and exhibits dosage-dependent expression changes. A small number of genes exhibit higher levels of expression change not predicted by the dosage, or display altered expression even though they are not located in the aneuploid regions.
Profiling expression changes caused by a segmental aneuploid in maize.
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View SamplesThe contribution of epigenetic alterations to natural variation for gene transcription levels remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the functional targets of the maize chromomethylase ZMET2 in multiple inbred lines to determine whether epigenetic changes conditioned by this chromomethylase are conserved or variable within the species. Gene expression microarrays were hybridized with RNA samples from the inbred lines B73 and Mo17, and from near-isogenic derivatives containing the loss-of-function allele zmet2-m1. A set of 126 genes that displayed statistically significant differential expression in zmet2 mutants relative to wild-type plants in at least one of the two genetic backgrounds were identified. Analysis of the transcript levels in both wild-type and mutant individuals revealed that only 10% of these genes were affected in zmet2 mutants in both B73 and Mo17 genetic backgrounds. Over 80% of the genes with expression patterns affected by zmet2 mutations display variation for gene expression between wild-type B73 and Mo17 plants. Further analysis was performed for seven genes that were transcriptionally silent in wild-type B73, but expressed in B73 zmet2-m1, wild-type Mo17 and Mo17 zmet2-m1 lines. Mapping experiments confirmed that the expression differences in wild-type B73 relative to Mo17 inbreds for these genes were caused by cis-acting regulatory variation. Methylation-sensitive PCR and bisulphite sequencing demonstrated that for five of these genes the CpNpG methylation in the wild-type B73 genetic background was substantially decreased in the B73 zmet2-m1 mutant and in wild-type Mo17. A survey of eight maize inbreds reveals that each of these five genes exhibit transcriptionally silent and methylated states in some inbred lines and unmethylated, expressed states in other inbreds, providing evidence for natural variation in epigenetic states for some maize genes.
Natural variation for alleles under epigenetic control by the maize chromomethylase zmet2.
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View SamplesThe purpose of this study was to determine the pathogenic changes that occur in myoepithelial cells (MECs) from lacrimal glands of a mouse model of Sjogren’s syndrome. MECs were cultured from lacrimal glands of C57BL/6J (wild type, WT), and thrombospondin 1 knockout null (TSP1 -/- ) mice.
Lacrimal Gland Myoepithelial Cells Are Altered in a Mouse Model of Dry Eye Disease.
Sex
View SamplesThe canonical Wnt signaling pathway is critical for myogenesis and can induce muscle progenitors to switch from proliferation to differentiation; how Wnt signals integrate with muscle specific regulatory factors in this process is poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that the Barx2 homeobox protein promotes differentiation in cooperation with the muscle regulatory factor (MRF) MyoD. Pax7, another important muscle homeobox factor represses differentiation. We now identify Barx2,MyoD,and Pax7 as novel components of the Wnt effector complex, providing a new molecular pathway for regulation of muscle progenitor differentiation. Canonical Wnt signaling induces Barx2 expression in muscle progenitors and perturbation of Barx2 leads to misregulation of Wnt target genes. Barx2 activates two endogenous Wnt target promoters as well as the Wnt reporter gene TOPflash, the latter synergistically with MyoD. Moreover, Barx2 interacts with the core Wnt effectors ß-catenin and TCF, is recruited to TCF/LEF sites, and promotes recruitment of ß-catenin. In contrast, Pax7 represses the Wnt reporter gene and antagonizes the activating effect of Barx2. Pax7 also binds ß-catenin suggesting that Barx2 and Pax7 may compete for interaction with the core Wnt effector complex. Overall, the data show for the first time that Barx2, Pax7, and MRFs can act as direct transcriptional effectors of Wnt signals in myoblasts and that Barx2 and Wnt signaling participate in a regulatory loop. We propose that antagonism between Barx2 and Pax7 in regulation of Wnt signaling may help mediate the switch from myoblast proliferation to differentiation. Overall design: RNA-Seq analyses was used to characterize gene expression in primary myoblasts from wild-type and Barx2 knockout mice.
Barx2 and Pax7 have antagonistic functions in regulation of wnt signaling and satellite cell differentiation.
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View SamplesBackground. T cells in the thymus undergo opposing positive and negative selection processes so that the only T cells entering circulation are those bearing a T cell receptor (TCR) with a low affinity for self. The mechanism differentiating negative from positive selection is poorly understood, despite the fact that inherited defects in negative selection underlie organ-specific autoimmune disease in AIRE-deficient people and the non obese diabetic (NOD) mouse strain. Results. Here we use homogeneous populations of T cells undergoing either positive or negative selection in vivo together with genome-wide transcription profiling on microarrays to identify the gene expression differences underlying negative selection to an Aire-dependent organ-specific antigen, including the upregulation of a genomic cluster in the cytogenetic band 2F. Analysis of defective negative selection in the autoimmune-prone NOD strain demonstrates a global impairment in the induction of the negative selection response gene set, but little difference in positive selection response genes. Combining expression differences with genetic linkage data we identify differentially expressed candidate genes including Bim, Bnip3, Smox, Pdrg1, Id1, Pdcd1, Ly6c, Pdia3, Trim30 and Trim12. Conclusions. The data provide a molecular map of the negative selection response in vivo, and by analysis of deviations from this pathway in the autoimmune susceptible NOD strain, suggest that susceptibility arises from small expression differences in genes acting at multiple points in the pathway between the TCR and cell death.
Impairment of organ-specific T cell negative selection by diabetes susceptibility genes: genomic analysis by mRNA profiling.
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View SamplesTemporal changes of gene expression from 1-wk- to 4-wk and 8-wk-old mouse in heart, kidney and lung. Mammalian somatic growth is rapid in early postnatal life but then slows and eventually ceases in multiple tissues. We hypothesized that there exists a postnatal gene expression program that is common to multiple tissues and is responsible for this coordinate growth deceleration. Consistent with this hypothesis, microarray analysis identified >1600 genes that were regulated with age coordinately in kidney, lung, and heart of juvenile mice, including many genes that regulate proliferation. As examples, we focused on three growth-promoting genes, Igf2, Mest, and Peg3, that were markedly downregulated with age. We conclude that there exists an extensive genetic program occurring during postnatal life. Many of the involved genes are regulated coordinately in multiple organs, including many genes that regulate cell proliferation. At least some of these are themselves apparently regulated by growth, suggesting that, in the embryo, a gene expression pattern is established that allows for rapid somatic growth of multiple tissues but then, during postnatal life, this growth leads to negative-feedback changes in gene expression that in turn slow and eventually halt somatic growth, thus imposing a fundamental limit on adult body size.
An extensive genetic program occurring during postnatal growth in multiple tissues.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe objectives of this study were to measure effects of an aspirin intervention on gene expression in normal colonic epithelial and stromal tissue in healthy humans and to determine whether response differed by UGT1A6*2 genotype. We also sought to characterize gene expression differences within colonic tissue microenvironments by identifying genes that were differentially expressed between epithelial and stromal tissue.
Tissue-specific patterns of gene expression in the epithelium and stroma of normal colon in healthy individuals in an aspirin intervention trial.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesGlioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive type of glioma with poor prognosis. However, a small number of patients live much longer than the median survival. A better understanding of these long-term survivors (LTS) may provide important insight into the biology of GBM. We identified 7 patients with GBM treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) with survival greater than 48 months. We characterized the transcriptome of each patient and determined rates of MGMT promoter methylation and IDH1 and IDH2 mutational status. We identified LTS in two independent cohorts (TCGA and REMBRANDT) and analyzed the transcriptomal characteristics of these LTS. The median overall survival of our cohort was 62.5 months. LTS were distributed between the proneural (n=2), neural (n=2), classical (n=2) and mesenchymal (n=1) subtypes. Similarly, LTS in the TCGA and REMBRANDT cohorts demonstrated diverse transcriptomal subclassification identity. The majority of the MSKCC LTS (71%) were found to have methylation of the MGMT promoter. None of the patients had an IDH1 or IDH2 mutations, and IDH mutation occurred in a minority of the TCGA LTS as well. A set of 42 genes was found to be differentially expressed in the MSKCC and TCGA LTS. While IDH mutant proneural tumors impart a better prognosis in the short-term, survival beyond 4 years does not require IDH mutation and is not dictated by a single transcriptional subclass. In contrast, MGMT methylation continues to have strong prognostic value for survival beyond 4 years. These findings have substantial impact for understanding GBM biology and progression.
Transcriptional diversity of long-term glioblastoma survivors.
Disease stage
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