Abstract
Heat stress triggers an evolutionarily conserved set of responses in cells. The transcriptome responds to hyperthermia by altering expression of genes to adapt the cell or organism to survive the heat challenge. RNA-seq technology allows rapid identification of environmentally responsive genes on a large scale. In this study, we have used RNA-seq to identify heat stress responsive genes in the chicken male white leghorn hepatocellular (LMH) cell line. The transcripts of 812 genes were responsive to heat stress (p < 0.01) with 235 genes upregulated and 577 downregulated following 2.5 h of heat stress. Among the upregulated were genes whose products function as chaperones, along with genes affecting collagen synthesis and deposition, transcription factors, chromatin remodelers, and genes modulating the WNT and TGF-beta pathways. Predominant among the downregulated genes were ones that affect DNA replication and repair along with chromosomal segregation. Many of the genes identified in this study have not been previously implicated in the heat stress response. These data extend our understanding of the transcriptome response to heat stress with many of the identified biological processes and pathways likely to function in adapting cells and organisms to hyperthermic stress. Furthermore, this study should provide important insight to future efforts attempting to improve species abilities to withstand heat stress through genome-wide association studies and breeding.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12192-015-0621-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Fluctuations in environmental temperatures are encountered over the life span of most organisms
A total of 15,945 chicken genes were analyzed in LMH cells for their response to heat stress at 43 °C
The total number of sequences from each library prepared from separate flasks of either control (37 °C) or heat stressed (43 °C) LMH cells is given in the Total Reads column
Summary
Fluctuations in environmental temperatures are encountered over the life span of most organisms. When the external temperature rises above this range, the heat produced by a homothermic animal exceeds the amount that can be lost to the environment, resulting in a rise in body temperature. This triggers an evolutionarily conserved heat stress transcriptome response modulating genes that control multiple cellular activities including protein folding, protein degradation, transport, metabolism, DNA repair, and replication (Lindquist and Craig 1988; Feder and Hofmann 1999; Kregel 2002). While the ultimate goal might be to identify every gene in every tissue of an organism that responds to heat stress, a practical first step is to use in vitro cell culture methods. Enrichment analysis identified functional groupings such as molecular chaperones and transcription factors within the induced genes, and DNA replication and DNA repair among the repressed genes
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