Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE139818: Investigation of the gene expression changes triggered by the lung mesenchymal Tsc2KO in each major cell subpopulation of the adult mouse lung

Bulk RNA sequencing

Tumor suppressor Tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2) is a key negative regulator of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a central controller of cell growth and metabolism in health and disease. Loss of TSC2 induces the constitutive activation of mTORC1 in rare lung disease pulmonary Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), which affects only women of childbearing age and characterized by lung destruction and progressive loss of pulmonary function. Little is known how TSC2 loss induces LAM and what is the LAM cell of origin. To determine cell-type specific effects of TSC2 loss and mTORC1 activation on lung homeostasis we generated new transgenic mice with targeted Tsc2 deletion in lung mesenchyme Tbx4-Cre+Tsc2flox/flox and lung epithelium Shh-Cre+Tsc2flox/flox. Both Tbx4-Cre+, Tsc2flox/flox and Shh-Cre+, Tsc2flox/flox mice were viable and fertile. Adult Tbx4-Cre+Tsc2flox/flox mice demonstrated mTORC1 activation in lung mesenchyme, progressive alveolar enlargement, female-specific pulmonary function decline and prgenancy-induced lesion growth. To investigate molecular mechanism underlying observed phenotypic changes in the Tsc2KO lungs we performed comparative bulk-RNAseq analysis of the gene expression changes in the major cell subpopulations of the adult female 8-week-old Tsc2KO mouse lungs compared to the age- and sex-matched WT controls. SOURCE: Michael,Patrick,Morley (mmorley@mail.med.upenn.edu) - Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania