Inbred congenic strain B6.C6.132.54/Vad was created using C57BL/6ByJ background and BALB/cJ donor strains. Flanking background markers at chr. 6: 75.9 Mb (rs4226008, NCBI Mouse Build 36 / dbSNP Build 126) and 122.3 Mb (rs3023093), and limiting donor markers at 81.9 Mb (rs4226024) and at 91.8 Mb (rs3712161) defined the introgressed region. We concluded the segment size must be between 9.9 Mb and 46.4 Mb. In a Quantitative Trait Gene identification study we compared brain (without cerebellum) gene expression between progenitors and congenics. Such comparisons can facilitate identification of cis-regulated genes and to establish genetic control of a complex phenotype whose expression is associated with the introgressed chromosome segment.
Glutamate receptor metabotropic 7 is cis-regulated in the mouse brain and modulates alcohol drinking.
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View SamplesThe organs of multicellular species are comprised of cell types that must function together to perform specific tasks. One critical organ function is responding to internal or external change but little is known about how responses are tailored to specific cell types or coordinated among them on a global level. Here we use cellular profiling of five Arabidopsis root cell types in response to a limiting resource, nitrogen, to uncover a vast and predominantly cell-specific response that was largely undetectable using traditional methods. These methods reveal a new class of cell-specific nitrogen responses. As a proof-of-principle, we dissected one cell-specific response circuit that mediates nitrogen-induced changes in root branching from pericycle cells. Thus, cellular response profiling links gene modules to discrete functions in specific cell types.
Cell-specific nitrogen responses mediate developmental plasticity.
Specimen part
View SamplesTo identify potential transient interactions between a TF and its targets, we developed an approach that can identify primary targets based either on TF-induced regulation or TF-binding, assayed in the same samples. Our studies focused on the TF bZIP1 (BASIC LEUCINE ZIPPER 1), a central integrator of cellular and metabolic signaling.
Hit-and-run transcriptional control by bZIP1 mediates rapid nutrient signaling in Arabidopsis.
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View SamplesDensely ionizing radiation is a major component of the space radiation environment and has potentially greater carcinogenic effect compared to sparsely ionizing radiation that is prevalent in the terrestrial environment. It is unknown to what extent the irradiated microenvironment contributes to the differential carcinogenic potential of densely ionizing radiation. To address this gap, 10-week old BALB/c mice were irradiated with 100 cGy sparsely ionizing g-radiation or 10, 30, or 80 cGy of densely ionizing, 350 MeV/amu Si particles and transplanted 3 days later with syngeneic Trp53 null mammary fragments. Tumor appearance was monitored for 600 days. Tumors arising in Si-particle irradiated mice had a shorter median time to appearance, grew faster and were more likely to metastasize. Most tumors arising in sham-irradiated mice were ER-positive, pseudo-glandular and contained both basal keratin 14 and luminal keratin 8/18 cells (designated K14/18), while most tumors arising in irradiated hosts were K8/18 positive (designated K18) and ER negative. Comparison of K18 vs K14/18 tumor expression profiles showed that genes increased in K18 tumors were associated with ERBB2 and KRAS while decreased genes overlapped with those down regulated in metastasis and by loss of E-cadherin. Consistent with this, K18 tumors grew faster than K14/18 tumors and more mice with K18 tumors developed lung metastases compared to mice with K14/18 tumors. However, K18 tumors arising in Si-particle irradiated mice grew even faster and were more metastatic compared to control mice. A K18 Si-irradiated host profile was enriched in genes involved in mammary stem cells, stroma, and Notch signaling. Thus systemic responses to densely ionizing radiation enriches for a ER-negative, K18-positive tumor, whose biology is more aggressive compared to similar tumors arising in non-irradiated hosts.
Densely ionizing radiation acts via the microenvironment to promote aggressive Trp53-null mammary carcinomas.
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View SamplesRoot branching in response to changes in nitrogen status in the soil, is a dramatic example of the plants remarkable developmental plasticity. In recent work we investigated the genetic architecture of developmental plasticity, combining phenoclustering and genome-wide association studies in 96 Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes with expression profiling in 7 ecotypes, to characterise natural variation in root architectural plasticity at the phenotypic, genetic, and transcriptional levels. This series contains the microarray expression data for 7 ecotypes that represent a range of root branching strategies.
No associated publication
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesTo determine early changes leading to human cell transformation (cancer) we exposed an immortalized human bronchial epithelial cell line, BEAS-2B, to one of four different metals that may cause cancer via inhalation in humans or rodents: 2.0 micro-Molar soluble sodium arsenite (NaAsO2), 0.50 micro-Molar potassium chromate (K2CrO4), 250 micro-Molar nickel (II) sulfate (NiSO4), 10 micro-Molar sodium meta-vanadate (NaVO3), or were left untreated (control). After a 30-60 day exposure, cells were rinsed of metals and seeded in soft agar. A small number of the cells formed colonies in the soft agar, demonstrating the potential for anchorage independent growth, a characteristic of cancer. These colonies that originated from a single cell were extracted from the agar and grown out in monolayer for 3-4 weeks. The RNA data provided here is taken from these cells. The significance it that the metal exposure was stopped many generations before the analysis, yet each sample demonstrates changes in gene expression based on the original metal exposure.
Gene expression changes in human lung cells exposed to arsenic, chromium, nickel or vanadium indicate the first steps in cancer.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe investigated the morphological roots decisions of Arabidopsis in a NO3- heterogeneous medium. To do so, we used the Split-Root System which is an experimental set up to assess root decisions in nutrient heterogeneous medium. Split-root plants have been subjected to three different treatments. Control KNO3 plants received KNO3 on both sides of the root system (C.NO3) and Control KCl plants received KCl on both sides (C.KCl) as a nitrogen deprivation treatment. 'Split' plants received KNO3 on one side (Sp.NO3) and KCl on the other side (Sp.KCl) of the root system to assess the root decision-making in a heterogeneous environment.
Nitrogen economics of root foraging: transitive closure of the nitrate-cytokinin relay and distinct systemic signaling for N supply vs. demand.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesThe directed differentiation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) and embryonic stem (ES) cells into definitive endoderm (DE) would allow the derivation of otherwise inaccessible progenitors for endodermal tissues. However, a global comparison of the relative equivalency of DE derived from iPS and ES populations has not been performed. Recent reports of molecular differences between iPS and ES cells have raised uncertainty as to whether iPS cells could generate autologous endodermal lineages in vitro. Here, we have shown that both mouse iPS and parental ES cells exhibited highly similar in vitro capacity to undergo directed differentiation into DE progenitors. With few exceptions, both cell types displayed similar surges in gene expression of specific master transcriptional regulators and global transcriptomes that define the developmental milestones of DE differentiation. Microarray analysis showed considerable overlap between the genetic programs of DE derived from ES/iPS cells in vitro and authentic DE from mouse embryos in vivo. Intriguingly, iPS cells exhibited aberrant silencing of imprinted genes known to participate in endoderm differentiation, yet retained a robust ability to differentiate into DE. Our results show that, despite some molecular differences, iPS cells can be efficiently differentiated into DE precursors, reinforcing their potential for development of cell-based therapies for diseased endodermal-derived tissues.
Mouse ES and iPS cells can form similar definitive endoderm despite differences in imprinted genes.
Specimen part
View SamplesA critical step in regeneration is recreating the cellular identities and patterns of lost organs long after embryogenesis is complete. In plants, perpetual (indeterminate) organ growth occurs in apical stem cell niches, which have been shown to re-establish quickly when damaged or removed (1,2). Here we ask whether the machinery of perpetual organ growth, stem cell activity, is needed for the phase of regeneration that leads to replenishing lost cell identities and patterning, or, whether organ re-establishment enlists a wider group of pluripotent cells. We adapt a root tip regeneration system to Arabidopsis that permits us to assess the molecular and functional recovery of specific cell fates during organ regeneration. These results suggest a rapid restoration of missing cell fate and function in advance of the recovery of stem cell activity. Surprisingly, plants with mutations that fail to maintain stem cell activity were able to re-pattern their distal tip and re-specify lost cell fates. Thus, although stem cell activity is required to resume indeterminate growth (3), our results show it is not necessary for cell re-specification and patterning steps. This implies a regeneration mechanism that coordinates patterning of the whole organ, as in embryogenesis, but is initiated from different starting morphologies. 1. Feldman, L. J. Denovo Origin of Quiescent Center Regenerating Root Apices of Zea-Mays. Planta 128, 207-212 (1976). 2. Xu, J. et al. A molecular framework for plant regeneration. Science 311, 385-8 (2006). 3. Gordon, S. P. et al. Pattern formation during de novo assembly of the Arabidopsis shoot meristem. Development 134, 3539-48 (2007).
Organ regeneration does not require a functional stem cell niche in plants.
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View SamplesWhile intensely studied in the context of synaptic plasticity, the interplay between electrical activity and transcription is also relevant to circadian pacemaker neurons where ~24hr rhythms in gene expression and neural activity define the functional state of clock neurons. Here we demonstrate broad transcriptional changes in Drosophila circadian pacemaker neurons (LNvs) in response to altered electrical activity, including a large set of circadian genes.
No associated publication
Specimen part
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