Myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a syndrome of unknown etiology characterized by profound fatigue exacerbated by physical activity, also known as post-exertional malaise (PEM). Previously, we did not detect evidence of immune dysregulation or virus reactivation outside of PEM periods. Here we sought to determine whether cardiopulmonary exercise stress testing of ME/CFS patients could trigger such changes. ME/CFS patients (n=14) and matched sedentary controls (n=11) were subjected to cardiopulmonary exercise on 2 consecutive days and followed up to 7 days post-exercise, and longitudinal whole blood samples analyzed by RNA-seq. Although ME/CFS patients showed significant worsening of symptoms following exercise versus controls, with 8 of 14 ME/CFS patients showing oxygen consumption (V?O2) on day 2, transcriptome analysis yielded only 6 differentially expressed gene (DEG) candidates when comparing ME/CFS patients to controls across all time points. None of the DEGs were related to immune signaling, and no DEGs were found in ME/CFS patients before and after exercise. Virome composition (P=0.746 by chi-square test) and number of viral reads (P = 0.098 by paired t-test) were not significantly associated with PEM. These observations do not support transcriptionally-mediated immune cell dysregulation or viral reactivation in ME/CFS patients during symptomatic PEM episodes. Overall design: RNAseq of whole blood samples from ME/CFS patients and controls following exercise.
Whole blood human transcriptome and virome analysis of ME/CFS patients experiencing post-exertional malaise following cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesA phylogenetic analysis of seven different species (human, mouse, rat, worm, fly, yeast, and plant) utilizing all (541) basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) genes identified, including expressed sequence tags (EST), was performed. A super-tree involving six clades and a structural categorization involving the entire coding sequence was established. A nomenclature was developed based on clade distribution to discuss the functional and ancestral relationships of all the genes. The position/location of specific genes on the phylogenetic tree in relation to known bHLH factors allows for predictions of the potential functions of uncharacterized bHLH factors, including EST's. A genomic analysis using microarrays for four different mouse cell types (i.e. Sertoli, Schwann, thymic, and muscle) was performed and considered all known bHLH family members on the microarray for comparison. Cell-specific groups of bHLH genes helped clarify those bHLH genes potentially involved in cell specific differentiation. This phylogenetic and genomic analysis of the bHLH gene family has revealed unique aspects of the evolution and functional relationships of the different genes in the bHLH gene family. PMID: 18557763
Phylogenetic and expression analysis of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor gene family: genomic approach to cellular differentiation.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesThe effect of drugs, disease and other perturbations on mRNA levels are studied using gene expression microarrays or RNA-seq, with the goal of understanding molecular effects arising from the perturbation. Previous comparisons of reproducibility across laboratories have been limited in scale and focused on a single model. The use of model systems, such as cultured primary cells or cancer cell lines, assumes that mechanistic insights derived with would have been observed via in vivo studies. We examined the concordance of compound-induced transcriptional changes using data from several sources: rat liver and rat primary hepatocytes (RPH) from Drug Matrix (DM) and open TG-GATEs (TG), primary human hepatocytes (HPH) from TG, and mouse liver / HepG2 results from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository. Gene expression changes for treatments were normalized to controls and analyzed with three methods: 1) gene level for 9071 high expression genes in rat liver, 2) gene set analysis (GSA) using canonical pathways and gene ontology sets, 3) weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Co-expression networks performed better than genes or GSA on a quantitative metric when comparing treatment effects within rat liver and rat vs. mouse liver. Genes and modules performed similarly at Connectivity Map-style analyses, where success at identifying similar treatments among a collection of reference profiles is the goal. Comparisons between rat liver and RPH, and those between RPH, HPH and HepG2 cells reveal low concordance for all methods. We investigate differences in the baseline state of cultured cells in the context of drug-induced perturbations in rat liver and highlight the striking similarity between toxicant-exposed cells in vivo and untreated cells in vitro.
Assessing Concordance of Drug-Induced Transcriptional Response in Rodent Liver and Cultured Hepatocytes.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesIschemic tolerance can be induced by numerous preconditioning stimuli, including various Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. We have shown previously that systemic administration of the TLR4 ligand, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or the TLR9 ligand, unmethylated CpG ODNs prior to transient brain ischemia in mice confers substantial protection against ischemic damage. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of preconditioning, we compared brain and blood genomic profiles in response to preconditioning with these TLR ligands and to preconditioning via exposure to brief ischemia.
Multiple preconditioning paradigms converge on interferon regulatory factor-dependent signaling to promote tolerance to ischemic brain injury.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesThe signaling molecule retinoic acid (RA) regulates rod and cone photoreceptor fate, differentiation, and survival. The purpose of this study was to identify eye-specific genes controlled by RA during photoreceptor differentiation in the zebrafish.
Retinoic Acid Signaling Regulates Differential Expression of the Tandemly-Duplicated Long Wavelength-Sensitive Cone Opsin Genes in Zebrafish.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe response to growth hormone in humans is dependent on phenotypic, genetic and environmental factors. The present study in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) collected worldwide characterised gene-environment interactions on growth response to recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH). Growth responses in children are linked to latitude, and we found that a correlation of latitude, summer daylight exposure (SDE) was a key environmental factor related to growth response to r-hGH. In turn growth response was determined by an interaction between both SDE and genes known to affect growth response to r-hGH. In addition analysis of associated networks of gene expression implicated a role for circadian clock pathways and specifically the developmental transcription factor NANOG. This work provides the first observation of gene-environment interactions in children treated with r-hGH.
Effect of summer daylight exposure and genetic background on growth in growth hormone-deficient children.
Sex, Age
View SamplesDiesel exhaust (DE) has been shown to enhance allergic sensitization in animals following high dose instillation or chronic inhalation exposure scenarios. The purpose of this study was to determine if short term exposures to diluted DE enhance allergic immune responses to antigen, and identify possible mechanisms using microarray technology. BALB/c mice were exposed to filtered air or diluted DE to yield particle concentrations of 500 or 2000 g/m3 4 hr/day on days 0-4. Mice were sensitized intranasally with ovalbumin (OVA) antigen or saline on days 0-2, and 18 and all were challenged with OVA on day 28. Mice were necropsied either 4 hrs after the last DE exposure on day 4, or 18, 48, and 96 hrs after challenge. Immunological endpoints included OVA-specific serum IgE, biochemical and cellular profiles of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and cytokine production in the BAL. OVA-sensitized mice exposed to both concentrations of DE had increased eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and IL-6 post-challenge compared to OVA control, while DE/saline exposure yielded increases in neutrophils at the high dose only. Microarray analysis demonstrated distinct gene expression profiles for the high dose DE/OVA and DE/saline groups. DE/OVA induced pathways involved in oxidative stress and metabolism while DE in the absence of allergen sensitization modulated cell cycle control, growth and differentiation, G-proteins, and cell adhesion pathways. This study shows for the first time early changes in gene expression induced by the combination of diesel exhaust inhalation and antigen sensitization, which resulted in stronger development of an allergic asthma phenotype.
Increased transcription of immune and metabolic pathways in naive and allergic mice exposed to diesel exhaust.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesTransgenic Arabidopsis plants with constitutively low inositol (1,4,5) triphosphate exhibit an increased tolerance to water stress by an ABA-independent pathway
Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the type 1 inositol 5-phosphatase exhibit increased drought tolerance and altered abscisic acid signaling.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe development of the epidermis, a stratified squamous epithelium, is dependent on the regulated differentiation of keratinocytes. Differentiation begins with the initiation of stratification, a process tightly controlled through proper gene expression. AP-2 is expressed in skin and previous research suggested a pathway where p63 gene induction results in increased expression of AP-2 which in turn is responsible for induction of K14. This study uses a conditional gene ablation model to further explore the role of AP-2 in skin development. Mice deficient for AP-2 exhibited delayed expression of p63, K14, and K1, key genes required for development and differentiation of the epidermis. In addition, microarray analysis of E16.5 skin revealed delayed expression of additional late epidermal differentiation genes: filaggrin, repetin and secreted Ly6/Plaur domain containing 1, in mutant mice. The genetic delay in skin development was further confirmed by a functional delay in the formation of an epidermal barrier. These results document an important role for AP-2 in skin development, and reveal the existence of regulatory factors that can compensate for AP-2 in its absence.
Disruption of epidermal specific gene expression and delayed skin development in AP-2 gamma mutant mice.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe transcriptional response to many widely used drugs and its modulation by genetic variability is poorly understood. Here we present an analysis of RNAseq profiles from heart tissue of 18 inbred mouse strains treated with the ß-blocker atenolol (ATE) and the ß-agonist isoproterenol (ISO). Differential expression analyses revealed a large set of genes responding to ISO (n=1770 at FDR=0.0001) and a comparatively small one responding to ATE (n=23 at FDR=0.0001). At a less stringent definition of differential expression, the transcriptional responses to these two antagonistic drugs are reciprocal for many genes, with an overall anti-correlation of r= -0.3. This trend is also observed at the level of most individual strains even though the power to detect differential expression is significantly reduced. The inversely expressed gene sets are enriched with genes annotated for heart-related functions. Modular analysis revealed gene sets that exhibited coherent transcription profiles across some strains and/or treatments. Correlations between such modules and a broad spectrum of cardiovascular traits are stronger than expected by chance. This provides evidence for the overall importance of transcriptional regulation for these organismal responses and explicits links between co-expressed genes and the traits they are associated with. Gene set enrichment analysis of differentially expressed groups of genes pointed to pathways related to heart development and functionality. Our study provides new insights into the transcriptional response of the heart to perturbations of the ß-adrenergic system, implicating several new genes that had not been associated to this system previously. Overall design: Cardiac mRNA expression profiles of the various inbred mouse strains were examined either under baseline condition (control) or in response to chronic administration of isoproterenol or atenolol at 10 mg/kg per day for 2 weeks. Expression data were produced by RNA-sequencing, in triplicates, using the HiSeq 2000 Illumina platform. Only males, aged ten to twelve weeks on average, were included in the experimental protocol. Mouse ID numbers refer to those described in Berthonneche C. et al. PLoS One. 2009 Aug 12;4(8):e6610 (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006610. PMID: 19672458). Corresponding individual phenotypic values, in particular heart rate, systolic blood pressure, electrocardiogaphic measurements and heart weight are available in dataset "maurer1" of the Mouse Phenome Database (http://phenome.jax.org/). Preparation of the sequencing libraries, RNA-sequencing and RNA expression quantitations were performed by the BGI.
RNAseq analysis of heart tissue from mice treated with atenolol and isoproterenol reveals a reciprocal transcriptional response.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
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