Integrated proteomic and transcriptomic profiling of mouse lung development and Nmyc target genes

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Proteomics
• Genomics

Background:

• Microarray analysis has provided insights into mouse lung gene expression dynamics.
• Extensive correlations between gene expression and protein product levels during lung organogenesis are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a global survey of protein expression during mouse lung organogenesis.
• To correlate proteomic profiles with DNA microarray data.
• To investigate Nmyc's role in regulating gene and protein expression during lung development.

Main Methods:

• Gel-free two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to shotgun tandem mass spectrometry (MudPIT) for global protein expression profiling.
• Mathematical modeling to integrate proteomic and transcriptomic data.
• Analysis of Nmyc loss- and gain-of-function mutants.

Main Results:

• Identified significant correlations and divergences between protein and transcript levels during lung development.
• Revealed a set of 90 putative target genes regulated by Nmyc.
• Demonstrated Nmyc's role in regulating mRNA processing genes and repressing the imprinted gene Igf2r.

Conclusions:

• Nmyc is a crucial regulator of gene expression and protein levels during mouse lung organogenesis.
• Integrative analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic data provides a comprehensive understanding of developmental regulation.
• Nmyc influences mRNA processing and imprinting in the developing lung.