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.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	gene-expression analysis, free messenger-RNA, noncoding RNA, H19 locus, growth, TCTP, proliferation, IGF2
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Agricultural biotechnology
Research Field:	Agricultural biotechnology diagnostics (incl. biosensors)
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in the biomedical and clinical sciences
UTAS Author:	Kavanagh, K (Associate Professor Kylie Kavanagh)
ID Code:	151708
Year Published:	2020
Web of Science® Times Cited:	3
Deposited By:	Medicine
Deposited On:	2022-08-03
Last Modified:	2022-09-16
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