Identifying Genes with Specific Expression in the Mouse Brain
Author Information
Author(s): D'Souza Cletus A, Chopra Vikramjit, Varhol Richard, Xie Yuan-Yun, Bohacec Slavita, Zhao Yongjun, Lee Lisa LC, Bilenky Mikhail, Portales-Casamar Elodie, He An, Wasserman Wyeth W, Goldowitz Daniel, Marra Marco A, Holt Robert A, Simpson Elizabeth M, Jones Steven JM
Primary Institution: Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency
Hypothesis
The study aims to identify genes displaying regionally enriched expression in the mouse brain to aid in the design of human mini-promoters for gene therapy.
Conclusion
The study successfully identified mouse genes whose human orthologs are good candidates for designing mini-promoters, which may help explain the unique functions of different brain regions.
Supporting Evidence
- 237 genes were identified as showing specific or enriched expression in 30 target regions of the mouse brain.
- GO term over-representation revealed co-involvement in various aspects of central nervous system development and physiology.
- 22 genes were found to be tissue-specific at a statistically significant level.
Takeaway
The researchers found specific genes in the mouse brain that could help create better treatments for brain diseases by targeting gene therapy more accurately.
Methodology
The study used LongSAGE to identify enriched transcripts and supplemented this with literature meta-analysis and Allen Brain Atlas data.
Potential Biases
The selection of genes was biased towards those with known functions, which may not represent all regionally enriched genes.
Limitations
Some genes could not be confirmed due to lack of representation in databases, and there was low correlation between SAGE and in situ hybridization results for some genes.
Participant Demographics
Adult male C57BL/6J mice were used in the experiments.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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