BACKGROUND:
Milk yield responses to changes in milking frequency during early lactation are associated with coordinated and persistent changes in mammary gene expression.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesMilking dairy cows four times daily (4X) instead of twice daily (2X) during early lactation stimulates an increase in milk yield that partly persists through late lactation; however, the mechanisms behind this response are unknown. We hypothesized that the acute mammary response to regular milkings would be transient and would involve different genes from those that may be specifically regulated in response to 4X. Nine multiparous cows were assigned at parturition to unilateral frequent milking (UFM; 2X of the left udder half, 4X of the right udder half). Mammary biopsies were obtained from both rear quarters at 5 days in milk (DIM), immediately after 4X glands had been milked (Experiment 1; n = 4 cows), or 2.5 h after both udder halves had last been milked (Experiment 2; n = 5 cows). Affymetrix GeneChip Bovine Genome Arrays were used to measure gene expression. Eight hundred and fifty five genes were differentially expressed in mammary tissue between 2X vs. 4X glands of cows in experiment 1 (FDR 0.05), whereas none were differentially expressed in experiment 2 using the same criterion. We conclude that there is an acute transcriptional response to milk removal, but 4X milking did not elicit differential expression of unique genes. Therefore, there does not appear to be a sustained transcriptional response to 4X milking on day 5 of lactation. Using a differential expression plot of data from both experiments, as well as qRT-PCR, we identified at least two genes that may be responsive to both milk removal and to 4X milking. Therefore, the milk yield response to 4X milking may be mediated by genes that are acutely regulated by removal of milk from the mammary gland.
Acute milk yield response to frequent milking during early lactation is mediated by genes transiently regulated by milk removal.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesCows exposed to short day photoperiod (SD, 8L:16D) during the 60-day non-lactating period prior to parturition produce more milk in their subsequent lactation compared to cows exposed to long day photoperiod (LD,16L:8D). Although this response is well-established in dairy cows, the underlying mechanisms are not understood. We hypothesized that differential gene expression in cows exposed to SD or LD photoperiods during the dry period could be used to identify the functional basis for the subsequent increase in milk production during lactation. Pregnant, multiparous cows were maintained on a SD or LD photoperiod for 60-days prior to parturition. Mammary biopsies were obtained on days -24 and -9 relative to parturition and Affymetrix GeneChip Bovine Genome Arrays were used to quantify gene expression. Sixty-four genes were differentially expressed (p 0.05 and fold-change |1.5|) between SD and LD treatments. Many of these genes were associated with cell growth and proliferation, or immune function. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted upstream regulators to include TNF, TGF1, interferon and several interleukins. In addition, expression of 125 genes was significantly different between day -24 and day -9; those genes were associated with milk component metabolism and immune function. The interaction of photoperiod and time affected 32 genes associated with insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) signaling. Genes differentially expressed in response to photoperiod were associated with mammary development and immune function consistent with the enhancement of milk yield in the ensuing lactation. Our results provide insight into the mechanisms by which photoperiod affects the mammary gland and subsequently lactation.
Responses of the mammary transcriptome of dairy cows to altered photoperiod during late gestation.
Specimen part
View SamplesUsing EWS-FLI and its parental transcription factor, FLI1, we created a unique experimental system to address questions regarding the genomic mechanisms by which chimeric transcription factors cause cancer. We found that in tumor cells, EWS-FLI targets regions of the genome distinct from FLI1, despite identical DNA-binding domains. In primary endothelial cells, however, EWS-FLI and FLI1 demonstrate similar targeting. To understand this mistargeting, we examined chromatin organization. Regions targeted by EWS-FLI are normally repressed and nucleosomal in primary endothelial cells. In tumor cells, however, bound regions are nucleosome-depleted and harbor the chromatin signature of enhancers. We next demonstrated that through chimerism, EWS-FLI acquired the ability to alter chromatin. Expression of EWS-FLI results in nucleosome depletion at targeted sites, whereas silencing of EWS-FLI in tumor cells restored nucleosome occupancy. Thus, the EWS-FLI chimera acquired chromatin-altering activity, leading to mistargeting, chromatin disruption, and ultimately transcriptional dysregulation.
Tumor-specific retargeting of an oncogenic transcription factor chimera results in dysregulation of chromatin and transcription.
Cell line
View SamplesTargeted disruption of NRAS was performed in a stable 381T ERMS cell line harboring tamoxifen inducible CRISPR/Cas9 gRNA against NRAS Overall design: RNA sequencing was performed using RNA extracted from uninduced control 381T ERMS cells as well as tamoxifen (TAM)-induced ERMS cells with NRAS CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout. Each in 3 biological replicates.
Oncolytic Virus-Mediated RAS Targeting in Rhabdomyosarcoma.
Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Widespread DNA hypomethylation at gene enhancer regions in placentas associated with early-onset pre-eclampsia.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe investigated the DNA methylation and gene expression of 20 chorionic villi samples from early onset preeclampsia placentas to 20 gestational age matched controls. From this we were able to see a widespread disregulation in DNA methylation across a subset of genes in the genome. This may help to elucidate the underlying biological problems that lead to early onset preeclampsia. We noted that there were DNA methylation changes in many genes of importance as well as in different genomic elements such as enhancers.
Widespread DNA hypomethylation at gene enhancer regions in placentas associated with early-onset pre-eclampsia.
Specimen part
View SamplesAnaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) has among the worst prognosis of any solid malignancy. The low incidence of the disease has in part precluded systematic clinical trials and tissue collection, and there has been little progress in developing effective therapies. BRAF and TP53 mutations co-occur in a high proportion of ATC, particularly those associated with a precursor papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). In order to develop an adult-onset model of BRAF-mutant anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, we generated a novel thyroid-specific CreER transgenic mouse. We utilize a Cre-regulated BrafV600E mouse and a conditional Trp53 allelic series to demonstrate that p53 constrains progression from papillary to anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Gene expression and immunohistochemical analyses of murine tumors identified the cardinal features of human ATC including loss of differentiation, local invasion, distant metastasis and rapid lethality. We employed small animal ultrasound imaging to monitor autochthonous tumors, and show that treatment with the selective BRAF inhibitor PLX4720 improved survival, but did not lead to tumor regression or suppress signaling through the MAPK pathway. Combination of PLX4720 and the MEK inhibitor PD0325901 more completely suppressed MAPK pathway activation in mouse and human ATC cell lines, and improved the structural response and survival of ATC-bearing animals. This model expands the limited repertoire of autochthonous models of clinically aggressive thyroid cancer, and these data suggest that small molecule MAPK pathway inhibitors hold clinical promise in the treatment of advanced thyroid carcinoma.
p53 constrains progression to anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in a Braf-mutant mouse model of papillary thyroid cancer.
Specimen part
View SamplesIn recent years, various intervention strategies have reduced malaria morbidity and mortality, but further improvements likely depend upon development of a broadly protective vaccine. To better understand immune requirement for protection, we examined liver-stage immunity after vaccination with irradiated sporozoites, an effective though logistically difficult vaccine. We identified a population of memory CD8+ T cells that expressed the gene signature of tissue-resident memory (Trm) T cells and remained permanently within the liver, where they patrolled the sinusoids. Exploring the requirements for liver Trm cell induction, we showed that by combining dendritic cell-targeted priming with liver inflammation and antigen recognition on hepatocytes, high frequencies of Trm cells could be induced and these cells were essential for protection against malaria sporozoite challenge. Our study highlights the immune potential of liver Trm cells and provides approaches for their selective transfer, expansion or depletion, which may be harnessed to control liver infections or autoimmunity.
Liver-Resident Memory CD8<sup>+</sup> T Cells Form a Front-Line Defense against Malaria Liver-Stage Infection.
Specimen part
View SamplesPredicting the impact of cis-regulatory sequence on gene expression is a foundational challenge for biology. We combine polysome profiling of hundreds of thousands of randomized 5' UTRs with deep learning to build a predictive model that relates human 5' UTR sequence to translation. Together with a genetic algorithm, we use the model to engineer new 5? UTRs that accurately target specified levels of ribosome loading, providing the ability to tune sequences for optimal protein expression. We show that the same approach can be extended to chemically modified RNA, an important feature for applications in mRNA therapeutics and synthetic biology. We test 35,000 truncated human 5' UTRs and 3,577 naturally-occurring variants and show that the model accurately predicts ribosome loading of these sequences. Finally, we provide evidence of 47 SNVs associated with human diseases that cause a significant change in ribosome loading and thus a plausible molecular basis for disease. Overall design: Polysom profiling and sequencing was performed using a library of 300,000 randomized 5' UTR 50-mers with eGFP used as the CDS. Three RNA chemistries were tested: unmodified, pseudouridine, and 1-methylpseudouridine. These were performed in duplicate (6 samples total). A designed library that includes human 5' UTRs, SNVs, and sequences engineered with a genetic algorithm was used with the eGFP CDS (no duplicate). A second randomized library used mCherry as the CDS, also performed in duplicate.
Human 5' UTR design and variant effect prediction from a massively parallel translation assay.
Specimen part, Subject
View Samples