Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE75778: Cerebellar RNA-Seq from ATXN1 Transgenic Mice Reveals SCA1 Disease Progression and Protection Pathways

Bulk RNA sequencing

SCA1, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, is caused by a CAG expansion encoding a polyglutamine stretch in the protein ATXN1. We used RNA-seq to profile cerebellar RNA expression in ATXN1 mice, including lines with ataxia and progressive pathology and lines having ataxia in absence of Purkinje cell progressive pathology. Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis of the cerebellar RNA-seq data revealed two gene networks that significantly correlated with disease, the Magenta (342 genes) and Light Yellow (35 genes) Modules. Features of the Magenta and Light Yellow Modules indicate they reflect distinctive pathways. The Magenta Module provides a description of suppressed transcriptional programs reflecting disease progression in Purkinje cells, while the Lt Yellow Module reflects other transcriptional programs activated in response to disease in Purkinje cells as well as other cerebellar cell types. We also found that up-regulation of cholecystokinin (Cck) blocked progression of Purkinje cell pathology and that loss of Cck function in mice lacking progressive disease enabled Purkinje cell pathology to progress to cell death. SOURCE: Christine Henzler (chenzler@umn.edu) - University of Minnesota