Dataset: Gene expression profiling in the developing neural tube

At an incidence of approximately 1/1000 births, neural tube defects (NTDs) comprise one of the most common and devastating congenital disorders. In an attempt to enhance and expand our understanding of neural tube closure, we undertook a high-throughput gene expression analysis of the neural tube as it was forming in the mouse embryo. Open and closed sections of the developing neural tube were micro-dissected from mouse embryos, and hybridized to Affymetrix mouse expression arrays. Clustering of genes differentially regulated in open and closed sections of the developing neural tube highlighted molecular processes previously recognized to be involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis. Analysis of the genes in these categories identified potential candidates underlying neural tube closure. In addition, we identified approximately 25 novel genes, of unknown function, that were significantly up-regulated in the closed neural tube. Based on their expression patterns in the developing neural tube, five novel genes are proposed as interesting candidates for involvement in neurogenesis. The high-throughput expression analysis of the neural tube as it forms allows for better characterization of pathways involved in neural tube closure and neurogenesis, and hopefully will strengthen the foundation for further research along the pathways dictating neural tube development. Embryos were dissected at days E8.5 and E9.5, and the neuroepithelium/ neural tube were mechanically detached from underlying tissues, and then separated into two regions: 1) “open neuroepithelium”: neuroepithelial tissue caudal to the open/closed junction, and 2) “closed neural tube”, extending from a somite’s breadth rostral to the open/closed junction, up to the level of the fifth- or sixth-to-last somite. Samples consisted of biological triplicates of RNA extract from the above tissues (pooled by litter, and representing a total of 111 embryos): E8.5 open neuroepithelium, E8.5 closed neural tube, E9.5 open neuroepithelium, and E9.5 closed neural tube. Thus, a total of 12 samples (representing 111 embryos) were hybridized to the GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array (Affymetrix Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA). One of the samples (06, closed E8.5) deviated significantly from the others in quality assessment and was therefore removed from subsequent analysis and not submitted to GEO.

Species:

mouse

Samples:

11

Source:

E-GEOD-39442

Updated:

Dec.12, 2014

Registered:

Nov.12, 2014