Transcriptomic analysis comparing mouse strains with extreme total lung capacities identifies novel candidate genes for pulmonary function. Mus musculus

Our data demonstrates enrichment of the GO term extracellular region among the decreased lung transcripts of JF1 throughout the process of lung development and maturation in consistent to the altered elastin to collagen ratio. Our microarray data showed increased ~4 fold increased elastin transcripts in JF1 lungs at P70. Specific CL‐saline/air ratio in JF1 mice compared to C3H (JF1-male: 2.68±01.10 versus C3H-male: 2.15±0.42, p<0.05; JF1-female: 3.22±0.88 versus C3H-female: 2.27±0.23, p<0.05) suggests that surface tension contributes more than the elastic recoiling properties of lung in determining the lung compliance as assessed by air filling. This observation is consistent with the smaller alveolar size of JF1 mice. The lower ratio (specific compliance) of CLAir/TLC and CLSaline/TLC in JF1 indicates that elastic recoil due to tissue properties is higher in JF1 compared to C3H. Therefore, the two phenomenon results in a less compliant lung due to higher surface tension in the alveoli and higher elastic recoil due to tissue properties in JF1 compared to C3H. Therefore, the lung architecture, lung function and molecular data of the two strains are in agreement with each other. Overall design: We compare lung tissue of the two inbred strains C3H/HeJ and JF1/MsJ at three time points during lung development (embryonic day 18, postnatal days 28 and 70).