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PloS one2020; 15(3); e0229797; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229797

Non-invasive evaluation of the equine gastrointestinal mucosal transcriptome.

Abstract: Evaluating the health and function of the gastrointestinal tract can be challenging in all species, but is especially difficult in horses due to their size and length of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Isolation of mRNA of cells exfoliated from the GI mucosa into feces (i.e., the exfoliome) offers a novel means of non-invasively examining the gene expression profile of the GI mucosa. This approach has been utilized in people with colorectal cancer. Moreover, we have utilized this approach in a murine model of GI inflammation and demonstrated that the exfoliome reflects the tissue transcriptome. The ability of the equine exfoliome to provide non-invasive information regarding the health and function of the GI tract is not known. The objective of this study was to characterize the gene expression profile found in exfoliated intestinal epithelial cells from normal horses and compare the exfoliome data with the tissue mucosal transcriptome. Mucosal samples were collected from standardized locations along the GI tract (i.e. ileum, cecum, right dorsal colon, and rectum) from four healthy horses immediately following euthanasia. Voided feces were also collected. RNA isolation, library preparation, and RNA sequencing was performed on fecal and intestinal mucosal samples. Comparison of gene expression profiles from the tissue and exfoliome revealed correlation of gene expression. Moreover, the exfoliome contained reads representing the diverse array of cell types found in the GI mucosa suggesting the equine exfoliome serves as a non-invasive means of examining the global gene expression pattern of the equine GI tract.
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Publication Date: 2020-03-16 PubMed ID: 32176710PubMed Central: PMC7075554DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229797Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research focuses on non-invasively examining the gene expression profile of the equine gastrointestinal mucosa, or inner lining, by studying the exfoliome, which reflects the tissue transcriptome. The horse’s exfoliome was studied to understand the health and function of the horse’s gastrointestinal tract.

Objectives and Study Method

  • The primary objective of the study was to understand the gene expression profile in exfoliated intestinal epithelial cells from normal horses and compare these exfoliome data with the tissue mucosal transcriptome.
  • Mucosal samples were collected from four healthy horses immediately after euthanasia. The samples were taken from standardized locations along the GI tract, including the ileum, cecum, right dorsal colon, and rectum. Voided feces were also collected for further study.
  • To analyze the samples, researchers performed RNA isolation, library preparation, and RNA sequencing on both fecal and intestinal mucosal samples.

Findings and Conclusion

  • After comparing the gene expression profiles of the tissue and the exfoliome, the researchers found a correlation in gene expression. This suggests that the exfoliome does reflect the tissue transcriptome.
  • The researchers also found that the exfoliome contained reads that represented the diverse array of cell types present in the GI mucosa. This suggests that studying the exfoliome could serve as a non-invasive means of examining the overall gene expression pattern of the equine GI tract.
  • The non-invasive approach explored in this study has potential applications not only in equine health monitoring but could help in the detection and tracking of diseases like colorectal cancer in humans, where similar techniques have been used.

Cite This Article

APA
Coleman MC, Whitfield-Cargile C, Cohen ND, Goldsby JL, Davidson L, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, Ivanov I, Eades S, Ing N, Chapkin RS. (2020). Non-invasive evaluation of the equine gastrointestinal mucosal transcriptome. PLoS One, 15(3), e0229797. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229797

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Pages: e0229797
PII: e0229797

Researcher Affiliations

Coleman, Michelle C
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
Whitfield-Cargile, Canaan
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
Cohen, Noah D
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
Goldsby, Jennifer L
  • Program in Integrative Nutrition & Complex Diseases, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States America.
Davidson, Laurie
  • Program in Integrative Nutrition & Complex Diseases, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States America.
Chamoun-Emanuelli, Ana M
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
Ivanov, Ivan
  • Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
Eades, Susan
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
Ing, Nancy
  • Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
Chapkin, Robert S
  • Program in Integrative Nutrition & Complex Diseases, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States America.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Feces / cytology
  • Horses / genetics
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism
  • Intestine, Large / cytology
  • Intestine, Large / metabolism
  • Transcriptome

Grant Funding

  • P30 ES029067 / NIEHS NIH HHS

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
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  4. Whitfield-Cargile CM, Chung HC, Coleman MC, Cohen ND, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, Ivanov I, Goldsby JS, Davidson LA, Gaynanova I, Ni Y, Chapkin RS. Integrated analysis of gut metabolome, microbiome, and exfoliome data in an equine model of intestinal injury. Microbiome 2024 Apr 15;12(1):74.
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