Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (dGTEx)

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The goal of the dGTEx initiative is to establish a resource database and associated tissue bank to study gene expression patterns in multiple reference tissues during human and non-human primate developmental stages, building upon the completed Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project .

The human Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (dGTEx) project is co-funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The non-human primate (NHP) dGTEx project is co-funded by NHGRI and the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP).

Overview

The main goal of the project is to establish a molecular and data analysis resource as well as a tissue bank to study the regulation of gene expression in multiple relatively healthy reference neonatal, pediatric, and adolescent tissues. Other researchers will be able to use this resource to advance our understanding of a myriad of disease conditions.

Additionally, the Non-Human Primate Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (NHP dGTEx) project, co-funded by NHGRI, NIMH and the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), studies developmental gene expression patterns in two species of non-human primates: Macaca mulatta (rhesus macaque), an Old World monkey, and Callithrix jacchus (common marmoset), a New World monkey. These patterns will be compared to human patterns to help inform interpretation of the data in humans and gain greater insight about the similarities and differences in gene expression during primate development more generally.

Study Design

Developmental GTEx (dGTEx) was created after the successful Common Fund project, GTEx (2010 - 2019), which investigated how genetic variation impacts gene expression in multiple tissues across individuals. The goal of dGTEx is to expand the GTEx dataset to include early developmental stages to understand how tissue-specific gene expression patterns change throughout human development. The dGTEx Project will establish a database, data portal, and associated tissue bank with data and samples from a minimum of 120 post-mortem donors, including up to 75 tissues from 30 donors for each of the following age groups: postnatal (0-2 years), early childhood (2-8 years), pre-pubertal (~8-12.5 years), post-pubertal (~12.5-18 years). This resource of gene-expression levels, genetic data, and samples will be broadly available for further research. The dGTEx resource will be a powerful tool to provide a comprehensive dataset of gene expression across a wide range of human tissues throughout development, filling a gap in genomic databases across developmental stages.

The Non-Human Primate Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (NHP dGTEx) Project will establish a resource database and associated tissue bank with data and samples from old world and new world primates at developmental stages corresponding to those in humans, as well as pre-natal stages. NHP dGTEx will provide datasets complementary to those from human dGTEx using non-human primates. NHP dGTEx will consist of up to 54 tissues from rhesus macaques and common marmosets across prenatal and postnatal developmental stages. This project will allow cross-species comparisons through the collection of high-quality tissue samples from well-characterized animals, whole genome and RNAseq data, and analysis of tissue- and cell-type specific gene expression at different stages of primate development.

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Figure 1. Schematic representation of the sampling timepoints across the developmental timeline of rhesus macaques (upper), marmosets (middle) and humans (lower). G=gestational day, d=day, mo=month, yr=year. n= number of donors per cohort. Credit: Oregon Health & Science University.

Funding Opportunities

Expired

RFA-HG-23-005 : Data Integration and Statistical Analysis Methods (DISAM) (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

RFA-HD-21-008 : Pediatric Biospecimen Procurement Center (BPC) Supporting the Developmental Gene Expression (dGTEx) Project (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

RFA-HG-20-039 : Laboratory, Data Analysis, and Coordinating Center (LDACC) for the Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

RFA-HG-21-026 : Non-Human Primate Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (NHP dGTEx) Project (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)

News

NIH will expand existing gene expression resources to include developmental tissues
October 5, 2021

Events

NHP dGTEx Applicant Webinar
July 7, 2021

NHGRI and NICHD dGTEx Applicant Webinar
August 3, 2020

Resources

Please refer to the links below to find more information about the concept and discussion during NHGRI’s 2020 and 2021 February Councils.

dGTEx

• Concept Clearance for FOAs
• Video: Concept Clearance: Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (RFA)
• Slides from Concept Clearance Presentation

NHP dGTEx

• Video: Concept Clearance: Non-Human Primate Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (RFA)

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