Differential expression of retinal mRNA in experimental autoimmune uveitis mice based on transcriptome sequencing
10.3760/cma.j.cn115989-20241007-00280
- VernacularTitle:基于转录组测序研究实验性自身免疫性葡萄膜炎小鼠视网膜mRNA差异表达
- Author:
Qiang LIU
1
;
Rongfeng LIAO
;
Hua YU
;
Lihong DONG
Author Information
1. 安徽医科大学第一附属医院眼科，合肥 230032
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Transcriptome sequencing;
Experimental autoimmune uveitis;
Differentially expressed genes
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Ophthalmology
2025;43(9):786-792
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To screen differentially expressed genes in the retinas of mice with experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) through transcriptome sequencing.Methods:Twenty 8-week-old SPF grade male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into EAU group and control group by random number table method, with 10 mice in each group.In the EAU group, an emulsion of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein 1-20 and complete Freund adjuvant was injected subcutaneously into the inner side of the hind limbs and intravenously into the tail vein of the mice, and pertussis toxin was injected intraperitoneally to establish the EAU model.In the control group, mice were subcutaneously injected with the corresponding volume of phosphate buffer solution.On the 21st day after model establishment, the anterior segment inflammation of the mouse eyes was examined using a slit-lamp microscope.Retinal blood vessels were observed by fundus photography and clinical inflammation was scored.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the retinal tissues of the two groups.Retinal tissues were collected from two groups of mice.RNA was extracted and cDNA libraries were constructed for transcriptome sequencing.The clusterProfiler package in R programming language was used to screen for differentially expressed genes in EAU, and to conduct GO and KEGG enrichment analyses.The expression of core differentially expressed genes in the retinal tissues was then verified using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.The breeding and use of experimental animals were in compliance with the relevant regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Anhui Medical University.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Anhui Medical University (No.LLSC20221208).Results:On the 21st day after model establishment, the clinical score of the EAU group was 2.83±0.94, significantly higher than 1.89±0.93 of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=2.290, P<0.05). The retinal blood vessels of mice in the EAU group showed tortuosity and dilation.Histopathological examination revealed a large number of inflammatory cell infiltrations in the retina, indicating successful establishment of the EAU mouse model.Transcriptome sequencing of the mouse retinal tissues identified a total of 32 473 genes, and 154 differentially expressed genes were screened out.Among them, 79 genes were up-regulated with Gm38574, Tmem81, Ptpn7 being top three and 75 genes were down-regulated with Gm19802, Fga, Cyp3a11 being top three.GO enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mostly related to immune response and cytokine action.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the Toll-like pathway and cytokine signaling pathway.Compared with the control group, the relative expression levels of Gm38574, Tmem81, and Ptpn7 in the retinal tissues of the EAU group were up-regulated, while the expression levels of Gm19802, Fga, and Cyp3a11 were down-regulated, and the differences were statistically significant ( t=9.755, 5.358, 6.289, 4.312, 6.577, 6.118; all P<0.05). Conclusions:There are significant differences in the key genes Gm38574, Tmem81, Ptpn7, Gm19802, Fga, and Cyp3a11 in the retinal tissues of EAU mice, mainly corelated with the cytokine interaction pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway.
