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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
Isolating Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and CD4+ T cells from Sézary Syndrome Patients for Transcriptomic Profiling
Published on: October 14, 2021
The transcriptome of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Alicja Pacholewska1, Michaela Drögemüller2, Jolanta Klukowska-Rötzler3
1Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern and Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
This study used RNA sequencing to improve horse genome annotation, discovering thousands of new transcripts, including potentially novel equine genes. Experimental validation confirmed nine new coding equine transcripts, enhancing our understanding of the equine transcriptome.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Transcriptomics
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- High-resolution transcriptomic data is limited for non-model organisms like horses.
- Existing horse gene models are often computationally predicted and lack experimental validation.
- Most annotated equine genes are currently described as single-transcript genes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the annotation of the horse genome using experimental transcriptomic data.
- To identify and characterize novel equine transcripts and alternative splicing events.
- To experimentally validate newly discovered equine coding transcripts.
Main Methods:
- Performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on 561 peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples from 85 Warmblood horses.
- Developed a new transcriptome assembly based on mapped sequencing reads.
- Utilized RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing for experimental validation of novel transcripts.
Main Results:
- Generated a new transcriptome assembly revealing numerous alternative isoforms for known and predicted genes.
- Identified 7,531 transcripts unassociated with current horse gene annotations, with 3,280 showing no homology in the NCBI EST database.
- Characterized 230 novel transcripts with high coding potential and experimentally validated 9 new equine coding transcripts.
Conclusions:
- The study significantly improves horse genome annotation by providing extensive transcriptomic data.
- Identified a substantial number of potentially horse-specific transcripts, expanding the known equine gene repertoire.
- The validated novel coding transcripts offer valuable insights into equine gene function and evolution.
