Open AccessTranscriptomic Analysis of Cell-free Fetal RNA in the Amniotic Fluid of Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus)
Author(s) -
Anna J. Jasinska,
Dalar Rostamian,
Ashley Davis,
Kylie Kavanagh
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
comparative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2769-819X
pISSN - 1532-0820
DOI - 10.30802/aalas-cm-19-000037
Subject(s) - transcriptome , amniocentesis , vervet monkey , biology , amniotic fluid , fetus , gene , gene expression , rna , andrology , bioinformatics , pregnancy , genetics , medicine , prenatal diagnosis , evolutionary biology
NHP are important translational models for understanding the genomic underpinnings of growth, development, fetal programming, and predisposition to disease, with potential for the development of early health biomarkers. Understanding how prenatal gene expression is linked to pre- and postnatal health and development requires methods for assessing the fetal transcriptome. Here we used RNAseq methodology to analyze the expression of cell-free fetal RNA in the amniotic fluid supernatant (AFS) of vervet monkeys. Despite the naturally high level of degradation of free-floating RNA, we detected more than 10,000 gene transcripts in vervet AFS. The most highly expressed genes were H19 , IGF2 , and TPT1, which are involved in embryonic growth and glycemic health. We noted global similarities in expression profiles between vervets and humans, with genes involved in embryonic growth and glycemic health among the genes most highly expressed in AFS. Our study demonstrates both the feasibility and usefulness of prenatal transcriptomic profiles, by using amniocentesis procedures to obtain AFS and cell-free fetal RNA from pregnant vervets.