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Yasinoglu SA, Kuipers TB, Suidgeest E, van der Weerd L, Mei H, Baelde HJ, Peters DJM. Transcriptomic profiling of Polycystic Kidney Disease identifies paracrine factors in the early cyst microenvironment. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2024; 1870:166987. [PMID: 38070582 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2023.166987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Initial cysts that are formed upon Pkd1 loss in mice impose persistent stress on surrounding tissue and trigger a cystic snowball effect, in which local aberrant PKD-related signaling increases the likelihood of new cyst formation, ultimately leading to accelerated disease progression. Although many pathways have been associated with PKD progression, the knowledge of early changes near initial cysts is limited. To perform an unbiased analysis of transcriptomic alterations in the cyst microenvironment, microdomains were collected from kidney sections of iKsp-Pkd1del mice with scattered Pkd1-deletion using Laser Capture Microdissection. These microdomains were defined as F4/80-low cystic, representing early alterations in the cyst microenvironment, F4/80-high cystic, with more advanced alterations, or non-cystic. RNA sequencing and differential gene expression analysis revealed 953 and 8088 dysregulated genes in the F4/80-low and F4/80-high cyst microenvironment, respectively, when compared to non-cystic microdomains. In the early cyst microenvironment, several injury-repair, growth, and tissue remodeling-related pathways were activated, accompanied by mild metabolic changes. In the more advanced F4/80-high microdomains, these pathways were potentiated and the metabolism was highly dysregulated. Upstream regulator analysis revealed a series of paracrine factors with increased activity in the early cyst microenvironment, including TNFSF12 and OSM. In line with the upstream regulator analysis, TWEAK and Oncostatin-M promoted cell proliferation and inflammatory gene expression in renal epithelial cells and fibroblasts in vitro. Collectively, our data provide an overview of molecular alterations that specifically occur in the cyst microenvironment and identify paracrine factors that may mediate early and advanced alterations in the cyst microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sevtap A Yasinoglu
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas B Kuipers
- Sequencing Analysis Support Core, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ernst Suidgeest
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Louise van der Weerd
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Hailiang Mei
- Sequencing Analysis Support Core, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Hans J Baelde
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Dorien J M Peters
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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2
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Davies KA, Welch SR, Sorvillo TE, Coleman-McCray JD, Martin ML, Brignone JM, Montgomery JM, Spiropoulou CF, Spengler JR. Optimal reference genes for RNA tissue analysis in small animal models of hemorrhagic fever viruses. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19384. [PMID: 37938597 PMCID: PMC10632498 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45740-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays are frequently used to evaluate gene expression in animal model studies. Data analyses depend on normalization using a suitable reference gene (RG) to minimize effects of variation due to sample collection, sample processing, or experimental set-up. Here, we investigated the suitability of nine potential RGs in laboratory animals commonly used to study viral hemorrhagic fever infection. Using tissues (liver, spleen, gonad [ovary or testis], kidney, heart, lung, eye, brain, and blood) collected from naïve animals and those infected with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (mice), Nipah (hamsters), or Lassa (guinea pigs) viruses, optimal species-specific RGs were identified based on five web-based algorithms to assess RG stability. Notably, the Ppia RG demonstrated stability across all rodent tissues tested. Optimal RG pairs that include Ppia were determined for each rodent species (Ppia and Gusb for mice; Ppia and Hrpt for hamsters; and Ppia and Gapdh for guinea pigs). These RG pair assays were multiplexed with viral targets to improve assay turnaround time and economize sample usage. Finally, a pan-rodent Ppia assay capable of detecting Ppia across multiple rodent species was developed and successfully used in ecological investigations of field-caught rodents, further supporting its pan-species utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Davies
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Zoonotic and Emerging Disease Research Unit, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Stephen R Welch
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Teresa E Sorvillo
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - JoAnn D Coleman-McCray
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - María Laura Martin
- Departamento Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas (INEVH) "Dr. Julio I. Maiztegui", Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Julia M Brignone
- Departamento Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas (INEVH) "Dr. Julio I. Maiztegui", Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Joel M Montgomery
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christina F Spiropoulou
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jessica R Spengler
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Krawczyk MC, Pan L, Zhang AJ, Zhang Y. Lymphocyte deficiency alters the transcriptomes of oligodendrocytes, but not astrocytes or microglia. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0279736. [PMID: 36827449 PMCID: PMC9956607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Though the brain was long characterized as an immune-privileged organ, findings in recent years have shown extensive communications between the brain and peripheral immune cells. We now know that alterations in the peripheral immune system can affect the behavioral outputs of the central nervous system, but we do not know which brain cells are affected by the presence of peripheral immune cells. Glial cells including microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are critical for the development and function of the central nervous system. In a wide range of neurological and psychiatric diseases, the glial cell state is influenced by infiltrating peripheral lymphocytes. However, it remains largely unclear whether the development of the molecular phenotypes of glial cells in the healthy brain is regulated by lymphocytes. To answer this question, we acutely purified each type of glial cell from immunodeficient Rag2-/- mice. Interestingly, we found that the transcriptomes of microglia, astrocytes, and OPCs developed normally in Rag2-/- mice without reliance on lymphocytes. In contrast, there are modest transcriptome differences between the oligodendrocytes from Rag2-/- and control mice. Furthermore, the subcellular localization of the RNA-binding protein Quaking, is altered in oligodendrocytes. These results demonstrate that the molecular attributes of glial cells develop largely without influence from lymphocytes and highlight potential interactions between lymphocytes and oligodendrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell C. Krawczyk
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Lin Pan
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Alice J. Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Ye Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
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Gunne S, Schwerdtner M, Henke M, Schneider AK, Keutmann L, Böttcher-Friebertshäuser E, Schiffmann S. TMPRSS2 Impacts Cytokine Expression in Murine Dendritic Cells. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11020419. [PMID: 36830955 PMCID: PMC9952936 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) proteolytically activates the envelope proteins of several viruses for viral entry via membrane fusion and is therefore an interesting and promising target for the development of broad-spectrum antivirals. However, the use of a host protein as a target may lead to potential side effects, especially on the immune system. We examined the effect of a genetic deletion of TMPRSS2 on dendritic cells. METHODS Bone marrow cells from wild-type (WT) and TMPRSS2-deficient mice (TMPRSS2-/-) were differentiated to plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and classical DCs (cDCs) and activated with various toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists. We analyzed the released cytokines and the mRNA expression of chemokine receptors, TLR7, TLR9, IRF7 and TCF4 stimulation. RESULTS In cDCs, the lack of TMPRSS2 led to an increase in IL12 and IFNγ in TLR7/8 agonist resiquimod or TLR 9 agonist ODN 1668-activated cells. Only IL-10 was reduced in TMPRSS2-/- cells in comparison to WT cells activated with ODN 1668. In resiquimod-activated pDCs, the lack of TMPRSS2 led to a decrease in IL-6, IL-10 and INFγ. ODN 1668 activation led to a reduction in IFNα. The effect on receptor expression in pDCs and cDCs was low. CONCLUSION The effect of TMPRSS2 on pDCS and cDCs depends on the activated TLR, and TMPRSS2 seems to affect cytokine release differently in pDCs and cDCs. In cDCs, TMPRSS2 seems to suppress cytokine release, whereas in pDCS TMPRSS2 possibly mediates cytokine release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Gunne
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP), Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-69870025073
| | - Marie Schwerdtner
- Institute of Virology, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Marina Henke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP), Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Schneider
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP), Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lucas Keutmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP), Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Susanne Schiffmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP), Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Cahyadi DD, Warita K, Takeda-Okuda N, Tamura JI, Hosaka YZ. Qualitative and quantitative analyses in sulfated glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate, during 3 T3-L1 adipocytes differentiation. Anim Sci J 2023; 94:e13894. [PMID: 38054387 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS) is a member of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) found in animal tissues. Major CS/DS subclasses, O, A, C, D, and E units, exist based on the sulfation pattern in d-glucuronic acid (GlcA) and N-acetyl-d-galactosamine repeating units. DS is formed when GlcA is epimerized into l-iduronic acid. Our study aimed to analyze the CS/DS profile in 3 T3-L1 cells before and after adipogenic induction. CS/DS contents, molecular weight (Mw), and sulfation pattern were analyzed by using high-performance liquid chromatography. CS/DS synthesis- and sulfotransferase-related genes were analyzed by reverse transcription real-time PCR. CS/DS amount was significantly decreased in the differentiated (DI) group compared to the non-differentiated (ND) group, along with a lower expression of CS biosynthesis-related genes, chondroitin sulfate N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 1 and 2, as well as chondroitin polymerizing factor. GAGs in the DI group also showed lower Mw than those of ND. Furthermore, the A unit was the major CS/DS in both groups, with a proportionally higher CS-A in the DI group. This was consistent with the expression of carbohydrate sulfotransferase 12 that encodes chondroitin 4-O-sulfotransferase, for CS-A formation. These qualitative and quantitative changes in CS/DS and CS/DS-synthases before and after adipocyte differentiation reveal valuable insights into adipocyte development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danang Dwi Cahyadi
- Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
- Division of Anatomy Histology and Embryology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Katsuhiko Warita
- Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
- Joint Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Naoko Takeda-Okuda
- Department of Life and Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Tamura
- Department of Life and Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Yoshinao Z Hosaka
- Department of Animal and Marine Bioresource Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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6
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dos Santos Bronel BA, Anauate AC, Maquigussa E, Boim MA, da Silva Novaes A. Determination of reference genes as a quantitative standard for gene expression analysis in mouse mesangial cells stimulated with TGF-β. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15626. [PMID: 36115882 PMCID: PMC9482652 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19548-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard technique for gene expression analysis, but the choice of quantitative reference genes (housekeeping genes, HKG) remains challenging. Identify the best HKG is essential for estimating the expression level of target genes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the best HKG for an in vitro model with mouse mesangial cells (MMCs) stimulated with 5 ng/mL of TGF-β. Five candidates HKG were selected: Actb, Hprt, Gapdh, 18S and Ppia. After quantitative expression, the best combination of these genes was analyzed in silico using six software programs. To validate the results, the best genes were used to normalize the expression levels of fibronectin, vimentin and α-SMA. In silico analysis revealed that Ppia, Gapdh and 18S were the most stable genes between the groups. GenEX software and Spearman's correlation determined Ppia and Gapdh as the best HKG pair, and validation of the HKG by normalizing fibronectin, vimentin and α-SMA were consistent with results from the literature. Our results established the combination of Ppia and Gapdh as the best HKG pair for gene expression analysis by RT-PCR in this in vitro model using MMCs treated with TGF-β.
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Hasanpur K, Hosseinzadeh S, Mirzaaghayi A, Alijani S. Investigation of chicken housekeeping genes using next-generation sequencing data. Front Genet 2022; 13:827538. [PMID: 36176302 PMCID: PMC9514876 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.827538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate normalization of the gene expression assays, using housekeeping genes (HKGs), is critically necessary. To do so, selection of a proper set of HKGs for a specific experiment is of great importance. Despite many studies, there is no consensus about the suitable set of HKGs for implementing in the quantitative real-time PCR analyses of chicken tissues. A limited number of HKGs have been widely used. However, wide utilization of a little number of HKGs for all tissues is challenging. The emergence of high-throughput gene expression RNA-seq data has enabled the simultaneous comparison of the stability of multiple HKGs. Therefore, employing the average coefficient of variations of at least three datasets per tissue, we sorted all reliably expressed genes (REGs; with FPKM ≥ 1 in at least one sample) and introduced the top 10 most suitable and stable reference genes for each of the 16 chicken tissues. We evaluated the consistency of the results of five tissues using the same methodology on other datasets. Furthermore, we assessed 96 previously widely used HKGs (WU-HKGs) in order to challenge the accuracy of the previous studies. The New Tuxedo software suite was used for the main analyses. The results revealed novel, different sets of reference genes for each of the tissues with 17 common genes among the top 10 genes lists of 16 tissues. The results did disprove the suitability of WU-HKGs such as Actb, Ldha, Scd, B2m, and Hprt1 for any of the tissues examined. On the contrary, a total of 6, 13, 14, 23, and 32 validated housekeeping genes (V-HKGs) were discovered as the most stable and suitable reference genes for muscle, spleen, liver, heart, and kidney tissues, respectively. Although we identified a few new HKGs usable for multiple tissues, the selection of suitable HKGs is required to be tissue specific. The newly introduced reference genes from the present study, despite lacking experimental validation, will be able to contribute to the more accurate normalization for future expression analysis of chicken genes.
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Vetrivel S, Zhang R, Engel M, Oßwald A, Watts D, Chen A, Wielockx B, Sbiera S, Reincke M, Riester A. Characterization of Adrenal miRNA-Based Dysregulations in Cushing's Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147676. [PMID: 35887024 PMCID: PMC9320303 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
MiRNAs are important epigenetic players with tissue- and disease-specific effects. In this study, our aim was to investigate the putative differential expression of miRNAs in adrenal tissues from different forms of Cushing’s syndrome (CS). For this, miRNA-based next-generation sequencing was performed in adrenal tissues taken from patients with ACTH-independent cortisol-producing adrenocortical adenomas (CPA), from patients with ACTH-dependent pituitary Cushing’s disease (CD) after bilateral adrenalectomy, and from control subjects. A confirmatory QPCR was also performed in adrenals from patients with other CS subtypes, such as primary bilateral macronodular hyperplasia and ectopic CS. Sequencing revealed significant differences in the miRNA profiles of CD and CPA. QPCR revealed the upregulated expression of miR-1247-5p in CPA and PBMAH (log2 fold change > 2.5, p < 0.05). MiR-379-5p was found to be upregulated in PBMAH and CD (log2 fold change > 1.8, p < 0.05). Analyses of miR-1247-5p and miR-379-5p expression in the adrenals of mice which had been exposed to short-term ACTH stimulation showed no influence on the adrenal miRNA expression profiles. For miRNA-specific target prediction, RNA-seq data from the adrenals of CPA, PBMAH, and control samples were analyzed with different bioinformatic platforms. The analyses revealed that both miR-1247-5p and miR-379-5p target specific genes in the WNT signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study identified distinct adrenal miRNAs as being associated with CS subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharmilee Vetrivel
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, LMU Klinikum, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany; (S.V.); (R.Z.); (A.O.); (M.R.)
| | - Ru Zhang
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, LMU Klinikum, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany; (S.V.); (R.Z.); (A.O.); (M.R.)
| | - Mareen Engel
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany; (M.E.); (A.C.)
| | - Andrea Oßwald
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, LMU Klinikum, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany; (S.V.); (R.Z.); (A.O.); (M.R.)
| | - Deepika Watts
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (D.W.); (B.W.)
| | - Alon Chen
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany; (M.E.); (A.C.)
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Ben Wielockx
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (D.W.); (B.W.)
| | - Silviu Sbiera
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany;
| | - Martin Reincke
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, LMU Klinikum, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany; (S.V.); (R.Z.); (A.O.); (M.R.)
| | - Anna Riester
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, LMU Klinikum, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany; (S.V.); (R.Z.); (A.O.); (M.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-89-440052111
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Prenatal exposure to the phthalate DEHP impacts reproduction-related gene expression in the pituitary. Reprod Toxicol 2022; 108:18-27. [PMID: 34954075 PMCID: PMC8882145 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2021.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Phthalates are chemicals used in products including plastics, personal care products, and building materials, leading to widespread contact. Previous studies on prenatal exposure to Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in mice and humans demonstrated pubertal timing and reproductive performance could be affected in exposed offspring. However, the impacts at the pituitary, specifically regarding signaling pathways engaged and direct effects on the gonadotropins LH and FSH, are unknown. We hypothesized prenatal exposure to DEHP during a critical period of embryonic development (e15.5 to e18.5) will cause sex-specific disruptions in reproduction-related mRNA expression in offspring's pituitary due to interference with androgen and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling. We found that prenatal DEHP exposure in vivo caused a significant increase in Fshb specifically in males, while the anti-androgen flutamide caused significant increases in both Lhb and Fshb in males. AhR target gene Cyp1b1 was increased in both sexes in DEHP-exposed offspring. In embryonic pituitary cultures, the DEHP metabolite MEHP increased Cyp1a1 and Cyp1b1 mRNA in both sexes and Cyp1b1 induction was reduced by co-treatment with AhR antagonist. AhR reporter assay in GHFT1 cells confirmed MEHP can activate AhR signaling. Lhb, Fshb and Gnrhr mRNA were significantly decreased in both sexes by MEHP, but co-treatment with AhR antagonist did not restore mRNA levels in pituitary culture. In summary, our data suggest phthalates can directly affect the function of the pituitary by activating AhR signaling and altering gonadotropin expression. This indicates DEHP's impacts on the pituitary could contribute to reproductive dysfunctions observed in exposed mice and humans.
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