Abstract
The submandibular gland (SG) is a relatively simple organ formed by three cell types: acinar, myoepithelial, and an intricate network of duct-forming epithelial cells, that together fulfills several physiological functions from assisting food digestion to acting as an immune barrier against pathogens. Successful SG organogenesis is the product of highly controlled and orchestrated genetic and transcriptional programs. Mounting evidence links Transposable Elements (TEs), originally thought to be selfish genetic elements, to different aspects of gene regulation in mammalian development and disease. To our knowledge, the role of TEs during murine SG organogenesis has not been studied. Using novel bioinformatic tools and publicly available RNA-Seq datasets, our results indicate that a significant number of genic and intergenic TEs are differentially expressed during the SG development. Furthermore, changes in expression of specific TEs correlated with that of genes involved in cellular division and differentiation, critical aspects for SG maturation. Altogether, we propose that TEs modulate gene networks that operate during SG development.
Highlights
The salivary glands are responsible for producing buccal fluid for digestion, vocalization, oral pH maintenance and bacterial control [1, 32]
Our bioinformatic analyses were based on 15 RNA-Seq datasets obtained at different stages of submandibular gland (SG) development, which were listed as follows: 3 datasets obtained on embryonic day E14.5, 2 datasets from E16.5 and 2 of E18.5
We found that the PCA performed with Transposable Ele‐ ments (TEs) expression follows a similar trend to the one based on gene expression, indicating that TEs are expressed at different timepoints of SG development (Fig. 1)
Summary
The salivary glands are responsible for producing buccal fluid for digestion, vocalization, oral pH maintenance and bacterial control [1, 32]. The submandibular gland (SG) is the largest of the salivary organs, it accounts for ~ 80% of the buccal fluid production. In mice, at E11 (embryonic day 11), a primordial thickening of the oral epithelium occurs (pre-bud). At E12.5, the pre-bud begins to invaginate forming a primary bud, the structure that gives rise to a rudimentary ductal network. At E16, the canalicular ducts begin to form and branch profusely to generate a denser ductal system.
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