Comparative multi-tissue profiling reveals extensive tissue-specificity in transcriptome reprogramming during thermal...

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Molecular Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Thermal adaptation influences thermogenesis and mitochondrial activity in adipose tissues.
• It is explored as a lifestyle intervention for body weight management.
• The impact of thermal acclimation on gene expression in non-adipose tissues is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically characterize the effects of different temperatures on gene expression across multiple tissues.
• To compare the transcriptional responses to thermal changes in various organs.
• To understand tissue-specific adaptations to temperature in a whole-organism context.

Main Methods:

• Comparative multi-tissue RNA sequencing was performed on mice exposed to 10 °C, 22 °C, and 34 °C.
• Gene expression profiles were analyzed in a panel of organs including spleen, bone marrow, brain, liver, and adipose tissues.
• Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was used to identify functional pathways affected by temperature.

Main Results:

• Transcriptional responses to temperature alterations demonstrated high tissue-specificity at both the gene and GO enrichment levels.
• This tissue-specificity was not dictated by the inherent basic gene expression patterns of the organs.
• Significant differences in gene expression were observed across various tissues in response to environmental temperature.

Conclusions:

• Thermal adaptation induces distinct, tissue-specific transcriptional programming throughout the body.
• Understanding these tissue-specific responses is crucial for a comprehensive view of temperature-mediated biological effects.
• The study provides an integrative transcriptional framework for analyzing whole-organism adaptation to temperature.