RORA alleviates LPS-induced apoptosis of renal epithelial cells by promoting PGC-1α transcription

Retinoic Acid-Related Orphan Receptor Alpha May Regulate the State of Hair Follicle Stem Cells by Upregulating the Expression of BNIP3

The hair, an exclusive keratinized dermal appendage in mammals, stands as a quintessential outcome of adaptive evolution, conferring resilience against adverse environmental conditions. The ontogenesis of the coat displays a pronounced rhythmic pattern, with hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) emerging as pivotal facilitators of hair follicle reconstitution. The retinoic acid-related orphan receptor alpha, a nuclear receptor with extensive involvement in the regulation of cellular physiological states, exerts its functions predominantly through the modulation of downstream target gene transcription. The Bnip3 gene exhibits a robust correlation with cellular apoptosis and autophagy, which are indispensable physiological mechanisms underlying the maintenance of HFSC homeostasis. Consequently, the expression level of Bnip3 may be intimately linked to the status of HFSCs. In this investigative endeavor, we employed rat HFSCs as a model system to validate the regulatory impact of RORA on Bnip3 gene expression. Our findings unequivocally demonstrate that Bnip3 serves as a direct downstream target of RORA. Specifically, RORA binds to the motif within the Bnip3 promoter region, thereby upregulating Bnip3 expression levels. In light of our research findings, we propose that RORA holds potential as a target for modulating the status of HFSCs.

Integrative ATAC-seq and RNA-seq analyses of IPEC-J2 cells reveals porcine transcription and chromatin accessibility changes associated with Escherichia coli F18ac inhibited by Lactobacillus reuteri

Escherichia coli is the main cause of postweaning diarrhea in pigs, leading to economic loss. As a probiotic, Lactobacillus reuteri has been used to inhibit E. coli in clinical applications; however, its integrative interactions with hosts remain unclear, especially in pigs. Here, we found that L. reuteri effectively inhibited E. coli F18ac adhering to porcine IPEC-J2 cells, and explored the genome-wide transcription and chromatin accessibility landscapes of IPEC-J2 cells by RNA-seq and ATAC-seq. The results showed that some key signal transduction pathways, such as PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways, were enriched in the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between E. coli F18ac treatment with and without L. reuteri groups. However, we found less overlap between RNA-seq and ATAC-seq datasets; we speculated that this might be caused by histones modification through ChIP-qPCR detection. Furthermore, we identified the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton pathway and a number of candidate genes (ARHGEF12, EGFR, and DIAPH3) that might be associated with the inhibition of E. coli F18ac adherence to IPEC-J2 cells by L. reuteri. In conclusion, we provide a valuable dataset that can be used to seek potential porcine molecular markers of E. coli F18ac pathogenesis and L. reuteri antibacterial activity, and to guide the antibacterial application of L. reuteri.