Abstract
ObjectivesTo characterize and compare the impact of vitamin A (VA) deficiency on gene expression patterns in the small intestine (SI) and the colon, and to discover novel target genes in VA-related biological pathways. Methodsvitamin A deficient (VAD) mice were generated by feeding VAD diet to pregnant C57/BL6 dams and their post-weaning offspring. Total mRNA extracted from SI and colon were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Differentially Expressed Gene (DEG), Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment, and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) were performed to characterize expression patterns and co-expression patterns. ResultsThe comparison between vitamin A sufficient (VAS) and VAD groups detected 49 and 94 DEGs in SI and colon, respectively. According to GO information, DEGs in the SI demonstrated significant enrichment in categories relevant to retinoid metabolic process, molecule binding, and immune function. Immunity related pathways, such as “humoral immune response” and “complement activation,” were positively associated with VA in SI. On the contrary, in colon, “cell division” was the only enriched category and was negatively associated with VA. WGCNA identified modules significantly correlated with VA status in SI and in colon. One of those modules contained five known retinoic acid targets. Therefore we have prioritized the other module members (e.g., Mbl2, Mmp9, Mmp13, Cxcl14 and Pkd1l2) to be investigated as candidate genes regulated by VA. Comparison of co-expression modules between SI and colon indicated distinct VA effects on these two organs. ConclusionsThe results show that VA deficiency alters the gene expression profiles in SI and colon quite differently. Some immune-related genes (Mbl2, Mmp9, Mmp13, Cxcl14 and Pkd1l2) may be novel targets under the control of VA in SI. Funding SourcesNIH training grant and NIH research grant. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs▪
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