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Karnam S, Maddala R, Stiber JA, Rao PV. Drebrin, an actin-binding protein, is required for lens morphogenesis and growth. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1600-1617. [PMID: 33896079 PMCID: PMC8542647 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lens morphogenesis, architecture, and clarity are known to be critically dependent on actin cytoskeleton organization and cell adhesive interactions. There is limited knowledge, however regarding the identity and role of key proteins regulating actin cytoskeletal organization in the lens. This study investigated the role of drebrin, a developmentally regulated actin-binding protein, in mouse lens development by generating and characterizing a conditional knockout (cKO) mouse model using the Cre-LoxP recombination approach. RESULTS Drebrin E, a splice variant of DBN1 is a predominant isoform expressed in the mouse lens and exhibits a maturation-dependent downregulation. Drebrin co-distributes with actin in both epithelium and fibers. Conditional deficiency (both haploinsufficiency and complete absence) of drebrin results in disrupted lens morphogenesis leading to cataract and microphthalmia. The drebrin cKO lens reveals a dramatic decrease in epithelial height and width, E-cadherin, and proliferation, and increased apoptotic cell death and expression of α-smooth muscle actin, together with severely impaired fiber cell organization, polarity, and cell-cell adhesion. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the requirement of drebrin in lens development and growth, with drebrin deficiency leading to impaired lens morphogenesis and microphthalmia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruthi Karnam
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. USA
| | - Rupalatha Maddala
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. USA
| | - Jonathan A Stiber
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. USA
| | - Ponugoti V Rao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. USA
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52
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Mutation of the EPHA2 Tyrosine-Kinase Domain Dysregulates Cell Pattern Formation and Cytoskeletal Gene Expression in the Lens. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102606. [PMID: 34685586 PMCID: PMC8534143 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variations in ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EPHA2) have been associated with inherited and age-related forms of cataract in humans. Here, we have characterized the eye lens phenotype and transcript profile of germline Epha2 knock-in mutant mice homozygous for either a missense variant associated with age-related cataract in humans (Epha2-Q722) or a novel insertion-deletion mutation (Epha2-indel722) that were both located within the tyrosine-kinase domain of EPHA2. Confocal imaging of ex vivo lenses from Epha2-indel722 mice on a fluorescent reporter background revealed misalignment of epithelial-to-fiber cell meridional-rows at the lens equator and severe disturbance of Y-suture formation at the lens poles, whereas Epha2-Q722 lenses displayed mild disturbance of posterior sutures. Immunofluorescent labeling showed that EPHA2 was localized to radial columns of hexagonal fiber cell membranes in Epha2-Q722 lenses, whereas Epha2-indel722 lenses displayed disorganized radial cell columns and cytoplasmic retention of EPHA2. Immunoprecipitation/blotting studies indicated that EPHA2 formed strong complexes with Src kinase and was mostly serine phosphorylated in the lens. RNA sequencing analysis revealed differential expression of several cytoskeleton-associated genes in Epha2-mutant and Epha2-null lenses including shared downregulation of Lgsn and Clic5. Collectively, our data suggest that mutations within the tyrosine-kinase domain of EPHA2 result in lens cell patterning defects and dysregulated expression of several cytoskeleton-associated proteins.
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53
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Shu DY, Lovicu FJ. Insights into Bone Morphogenetic Protein-(BMP-) Signaling in Ocular Lens Biology and Pathology. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102604. [PMID: 34685584 PMCID: PMC8533954 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a diverse class of growth factors that belong to the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) superfamily. Although originally discovered to possess osteogenic properties, BMPs have since been identified as critical regulators of many biological processes, including cell-fate determination, cell proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis, throughout the body. In the ocular lens, BMPs are important in orchestrating fundamental developmental processes such as induction of lens morphogenesis, and specialized differentiation of its fiber cells. Moreover, BMPs have been reported to facilitate regeneration of the lens, as well as abrogate pathological processes such as TGFβ-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and apoptosis. In this review, we summarize recent insights in this topic and discuss the complexities of BMP-signaling including the role of individual BMP ligands, receptors, extracellular antagonists and cross-talk between canonical and non-canonical BMP-signaling cascades in the lens. By understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying BMP activity, we can advance their potential therapeutic role in cataract prevention and lens regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy Y. Shu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
| | - Frank J. Lovicu
- School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-2-9351-5170
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54
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Latta L, Figueiredo FC, Ashery-Padan R, Collinson JM, Daniels J, Ferrari S, Szentmáry N, Solá S, Shalom-Feuerstein R, Lako M, Xapelli S, Aberdam D, Lagali N. Pathophysiology of aniridia-associated keratopathy: Developmental aspects and unanswered questions. Ocul Surf 2021; 22:245-266. [PMID: 34520870 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Aniridia, a rare congenital disease, is often characterized by a progressive, pronounced limbal insufficiency and ocular surface pathology termed aniridia-associated keratopathy (AAK). Due to the characteristics of AAK and its bilateral nature, clinical management is challenging and complicated by the multiple coexisting ocular and systemic morbidities in aniridia. Although it is primarily assumed that AAK originates from a congenital limbal stem cell deficiency, in recent years AAK and its pathogenesis has been questioned in the light of new evidence and a refined understanding of ocular development and the biology of limbal stem cells (LSCs) and their niche. Here, by consolidating and comparing the latest clinical and preclinical evidence, we discuss key unanswered questions regarding ocular developmental aspects crucial to AAK. We also highlight hypotheses on the potential role of LSCs and the ocular surface microenvironment in AAK. The insights thus gained lead to a greater appreciation for the role of developmental and cellular processes in the emergence of AAK. They also highlight areas for future research to enable a deeper understanding of aniridia, and thereby the potential to develop new treatments for this rare but blinding ocular surface disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Latta
- Dr. Rolf. M. Schwiete Center for Limbal Stem Cell and Aniridia Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany; Department of Ophthalmology, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Saar, Germany.
| | - F C Figueiredo
- Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - R Ashery-Padan
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - J M Collinson
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - J Daniels
- Cells for Sight, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - S Ferrari
- The Veneto Eye Bank Foundation, Venice, Italy
| | - N Szentmáry
- Dr. Rolf. M. Schwiete Center for Limbal Stem Cell and Aniridia Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany
| | - S Solá
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - R Shalom-Feuerstein
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - M Lako
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - S Xapelli
- Instituto Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - D Aberdam
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM U1138, Team 17, France; Université de Paris, 75006, Paris, France.
| | - N Lagali
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Ophthalmology, Sørlandet Hospital Arendal, Arendal, Norway.
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Thompson B, Chen Y, Davidson EA, Garcia-Milian R, Golla JP, Apostolopoulos N, Orlicky DJ, Schey K, Thompson DC, Vasiliou V. Impaired GSH biosynthesis disrupts eye development, lens morphogenesis and PAX6 function. Ocul Surf 2021; 22:190-203. [PMID: 34425299 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2021.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to elucidate the role and molecular consequences of impaired glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis on eye development. METHODS GSH biosynthesis was impaired in surface ectoderm-derived ocular tissues by crossing Gclcf/f mice with hemizygous Le-Cre transgenic mice to produce Gclcf/f/Le-CreTg/- (KO) mice. Control mice included Gclcf/fand Gclcwt/wt/Le-CreTg/- mice (CRE). Eyes from all mice (at various stages of eye development) were subjected to histological, immunohistochemical, Western blot, RT-qPCR, RNA-seq, and subsequent Gene Ontology, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and TRANSFAC analyses. PAX6 transactivation activity was studied using a luciferase reporter assay in HEK293T cells depleted of GSH using buthionine sulfoximine (BSO). RESULTS Deletion of Gclc diminished GSH levels, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), and caused an overt microphthalmia phenotype characterized by malformation of the cornea, iris, lens, and retina that is distinct from and much more profound than the one observed in CRE mice. In addition, only the lenses of KO mice displayed reduced crystallin (α, β), PITX3 and Foxe3 expression. RNA-seq analyses at postnatal day 1 revealed 1552 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the lenses of KO mice relative to those from Gclcf/f mice, with Crystallin and lens fiber cell identity genes being downregulated while lens epithelial cell identity and immune response genes were upregulated. Bioinformatic analysis of the DEGs implicated PAX6 as a key upstream regulator. PAX6 transactivation activity was impaired in BSO-treated HEK293T cells. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that impaired ocular GSH biosynthesis may disrupt eye development and PAX6 function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Thompson
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ying Chen
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Emily A Davidson
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rolando Garcia-Milian
- Bioinformatics Support Program, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jaya Prakash Golla
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - David J Orlicky
- Department of Pathology, Anschutz School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Kevin Schey
- Department of Biochemistry and Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - David C Thompson
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Vasilis Vasiliou
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, USA.
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56
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Berry V, Ionides A, Pontikos N, Moore AT, Quinlan RA, Michaelides M. Variants in PAX6, PITX3 and HSF4 causing autosomal dominant congenital cataracts. Eye (Lond) 2021; 36:1694-1701. [PMID: 34345029 PMCID: PMC9307513 DOI: 10.1038/s41433-021-01711-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Lens development is orchestrated by transcription factors. Disease-causing variants in transcription factors and their developmental target genes are associated with congenital cataracts and other eye anomalies. Methods Using whole exome sequencing, we identified disease-causing variants in two large British families and one isolated case with autosomal dominant congenital cataract. Bioinformatics analysis confirmed these disease-causing mutations as rare or novel variants, with a moderate to damaging pathogenicity score, with testing for segregation within the families using direct Sanger sequencing. Results Family A had a missense variant (c.184 G>A; p.V62M) in PAX6 and affected individuals presented with nuclear cataract. Family B had a frameshift variant (c.470–477dup; p.A160R*) in PITX3 that was also associated with nuclear cataract. A recurrent missense variant in HSF4 (c.341 T>C; p.L114P) was associated with congenital cataract in a single isolated case. Conclusions We have therefore identified novel variants in PAX6 and PITX3 that cause autosomal dominant congenital cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanita Berry
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK. .,Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
| | - Alex Ionides
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Nikolas Pontikos
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK.,Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Roy A Quinlan
- School of Biological and Medical Sciences, University of Durham, Durham, UK
| | - Michel Michaelides
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK. .,Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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57
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Disatham J, Brennan L, Chauss D, Kantorow J, Afzali B, Kantorow M. A functional map of genomic HIF1α-DNA complexes in the eye lens revealed through multiomics analysis. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:497. [PMID: 34215186 PMCID: PMC8254356 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07795-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During eye lens development the embryonic vasculature regresses leaving the lens without a direct oxygen source. Both embryonically and throughout adult life, the lens contains a decreasing oxygen gradient from the surface to the core that parallels the natural differentiation of immature surface epithelial cells into mature core transparent fiber cells. These properties of the lens suggest a potential role for hypoxia and the master regulator of the hypoxic response, hypoxia-inducible transcription factor 1 (HIF1), in the regulation of genes required for lens fiber cell differentiation, structure and transparency. Here, we employed a multiomics approach combining CUT&RUN, RNA-seq and ATACseq analysis to establish the genomic complement of lens HIF1α binding sites, genes activated or repressed by HIF1α and the chromatin states of HIF1α-regulated genes. RESULTS CUT&RUN analysis revealed 8375 HIF1α-DNA binding complexes in the chick lens genome. One thousand one hundred ninety HIF1α-DNA binding complexes were significantly clustered within chromatin accessible regions (χ2 test p < 1 × 10- 55) identified by ATACseq. Formation of the identified HIF1α-DNA complexes paralleled the activation or repression of 526 genes, 116 of which contained HIF1α binding sites within 10kB of the transcription start sites. Some of the identified HIF1α genes have previously established lens functions while others have novel functions never before examined in the lens. GO and pathway analysis of these genes implicate HIF1α in the control of a wide-variety of cellular pathways potentially critical for lens fiber cell formation, structure and function including glycolysis, cell cycle regulation, chromatin remodeling, Notch and Wnt signaling, differentiation, development, and transparency. CONCLUSIONS These data establish the first functional map of genomic HIF1α-DNA complexes in the eye lens. They identify HIF1α as an important regulator of a wide-variety of genes previously shown to be critical for lens formation and function and they reveal a requirement for HIF1α in the regulation of a wide-variety of genes not yet examined for lens function. They support a requirement for HIF1α in lens fiber cell formation, structure and function and they provide a basis for understanding the potential roles and requirements for HIF1α in the development, structure and function of more complex tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Disatham
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Rd., Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA
| | - Lisa Brennan
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Rd., Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA
| | - Daniel Chauss
- Immunoregulation Section, Kidney Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | | | - Behdad Afzali
- Immunoregulation Section, Kidney Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Marc Kantorow
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Rd., Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA
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58
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Summers JA, Schaeffel F, Marcos S, Wu H, Tkatchenko AV. Functional integration of eye tissues and refractive eye development: Mechanisms and pathways. Exp Eye Res 2021; 209:108693. [PMID: 34228967 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Refractive eye development is a tightly coordinated developmental process. The general layout of the eye and its various components are established during embryonic development, which involves a complex cross-tissue signaling. The eye then undergoes a refinement process during the postnatal emmetropization process, which relies heavily on the integration of environmental and genetic factors and is controlled by an elaborate genetic network. This genetic network encodes a multilayered signaling cascade, which converts visual stimuli into molecular signals that guide the postnatal growth of the eye. The signaling cascade underlying refractive eye development spans across all ocular tissues and comprises multiple signaling pathways. Notably, tissue-tissue interaction plays a key role in both embryonic eye development and postnatal eye emmetropization. Recent advances in eye biometry, physiological optics and systems genetics of refractive error have significantly advanced our understanding of the biological processes involved in refractive eye development and provided a framework for the development of new treatment options for myopia. In this review, we summarize the recent data on the mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying refractive eye development and discuss new evidence suggesting a wide-spread signal integration across different tissues and ocular components involved in visually guided eye growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jody A Summers
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Frank Schaeffel
- Section of Neurobiology of the Eye, Ophthalmic Research Institute, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Myopia Research Group, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Susana Marcos
- Instituto de Óptica "Daza de Valdés", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Andrei V Tkatchenko
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, USA; Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA.
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59
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Gu Y, Yao K, Fu Q. Lens regeneration: scientific discoveries and clinical possibilities. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:4911-4923. [PMID: 34143397 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06489-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In the process of exploring new methods for cataract treatment, lens regeneration is an ideal strategy for effectively restoring accommodative vision and avoiding postoperative complications and has great clinical potential. Lens regeneration, which is not a simple repetition of lens development, depends on the complex regulatory network comprising the FGF, BMP/TGF-β, Notch, and Wnt signaling pathways. Current research mainly focuses on in situ and in vitro lens regeneration. On the one hand, the possibility of the autologous stem cell in situ regeneration of functional lenses has been confirmed; on the other hand, both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells have been induced into lentoid bodies in vitro which are similar to the natural lens to a certain extent. This article will briefly summarize the regulatory mechanisms of lens development, describe the recent progress of lens regeneration, explore the key molecular signaling pathways, and, more importantly, discuss the prospects and challenges of their clinical applications to provide reference for clinical transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhou Gu
- Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Ke Yao
- Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China. .,Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China.
| | - Qiuli Fu
- Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China. .,Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China.
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60
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Faranda AP, Shihan MH, Wang Y, Duncan MK. The aging mouse lens transcriptome. Exp Eye Res 2021; 209:108663. [PMID: 34119483 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Age is a major risk factor for cataract (ARC). However, the influence of aging on the lens transcriptome is under studied. Lens epithelial (LEC) and fiber cells (LFC) were isolated from young (3 month old) and aged (24 month old) C57BL/6J mice, and the transcriptome elucidated via RNAseq. EdgeR estimated differential gene expression in pairwise contrasts, and Advaita's Ipathway guide and custom R scripts were used to evaluate the potential biological significance of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). This analysis revealed age-dependent decreases in lens differentiation marker expression in both LECs and LFCs, with gamma crystallin transcripts downregulating nearly 50 fold in aged LFCs. The expression of the transcription factors Hsf4 and Maf, which are known to activate lens fiber cell preferred genes, are downregulated, while FoxE3, which represses gamma crystallin expression, is upregulated in aged fibers. Aged LECs upregulate genes controlling the immune response, complement pathways, and cellular stress responses, including glutathione peroxidase 3 (Gpx3). Aged LFCs exhibit broad changes in the expression of genes regulating cell communication, and upregulate genes involved in antigen processing/presentation and cholesterol metabolism, while changes in the expression of mitochondrial respiratory chain genes are consistent with mitochondrial stress, including upregulation of NDufa4l2, which encodes an alternate electron transport chain protein. However, age did not profoundly affect the response of LECs to injury as both young and aged LECs upregulate inflammatory gene signatures at 24 h post injury to similar extents. These RNAseq profiles provide a rich data set that can be mined to understand the genetic regulation of lens aging and how this impinges on the pathophysiology of age related cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam P Faranda
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Delaware Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Mahbubul H Shihan
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Delaware Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Delaware Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Melinda K Duncan
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Delaware Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
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61
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Lu Q, Zhang Y, Kasetti RB, Gaddipati S, Cvm NK, Borchman D, Li Q. Heterozygous Loss of Yap1 in Mice Causes Progressive Cataracts. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2021; 61:21. [PMID: 33085740 PMCID: PMC7585397 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.61.12.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Yap1 encodes an evolutionarily conserved transcriptional coactivator and functions as a down-stream effector of the Hippo signaling pathway that controls tissue size and cell growth. Yap1 contributes to lens epithelial development. However, the effect of Yap1 haplodeficiency on the lens epithelium and its role in the development of cataracts has not been reported. The aim of the current study is to investigate Yap1 function and its regulatory mechanisms in lens epithelial cells (LECs). Methods Lens phenotypes were investigated in Yap1 heterozygous mutant mice by visual observation and histological and biochemical methods. Primary LEC cultures were used to study regulatory molecular mechanism. Results The heterozygous inactivation of Yap1 in mice caused cataracts during adulthood with defective LEC phenotypes. Despite a normal early development of the eye including the lens, the majority of Yap1 heterozygotes developed cataracts in the first six months of age. Cataract was preceded by multiple morphological defects in the lens epithelium, including decreased cell density and abnormal cell junctions. The low LEC density was coincident with reduced LEC proliferation. In addition, expression of the Yap1 target gene Crim1 was reduced in the Yap1+/− LEC, and overexpression of Crim1 restored Yap1+/− LEC cell proliferation in vitro. Conclusions Homozygosity of the Yap1 gene was critical for adequate Crim1 expression needed to maintain the constant proliferation of LEC and to maintain a normal-sized lens. Yap1 haplodeficiency leads to cataracts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxian Lu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Yingnan Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Ramesh Babu Kasetti
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Subhash Gaddipati
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Naresh Kumar Cvm
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Douglas Borchman
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Qiutang Li
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
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62
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Farnsworth DR, Posner M, Miller AC. Single cell transcriptomics of the developing zebrafish lens and identification of putative controllers of lens development. Exp Eye Res 2021; 206:108535. [PMID: 33705730 PMCID: PMC8092445 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The vertebrate lens is a valuable model system for investigating the gene expression changes that coordinate tissue differentiation due to its inclusion of two spatially separated cell types, the outer epithelial cells and the deeper denucleated fiber cells that they support. Zebrafish are a useful model system for studying lens development given the organ's rapid development in the first several days of life in an accessible, transparent embryo. While we have strong foundational knowledge of the diverse lens crystallin proteins and the basic gene regulatory networks controlling lens development, no study has detailed gene expression in a vertebrate lens at single cell resolution. Here we report an atlas of lens gene expression in zebrafish embryos and larvae at single cell resolution through five days of development, identifying a number of novel putative regulators of lens development. Our data address open questions about the temperospatial expression of α-crystallins during lens development that will support future studies of their function and provide the first detailed view of β- and γ-crystallin expression in and outside the lens. We describe divergent expression in transcription factor genes that occur as paralog pairs in the zebrafish. Finally, we examine the expression dynamics of cytoskeletal, membrane associated, RNA-binding, and transcription factor genes, identifying a number of novel patterns. Overall these data provide a foundation for identifying and characterizing lens developmental regulatory mechanisms and revealing targets for future functional studies with potential therapeutic impact.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mason Posner
- Department of Biology and Toxicology, Ashland University, Ashland, OH, USA.
| | - Adam C Miller
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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63
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Cvekl A, Eliscovich C. Crystallin gene expression: Insights from studies of transcriptional bursting. Exp Eye Res 2021; 207:108564. [PMID: 33894228 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Cellular differentiation is marked by temporally and spatially regulated gene expression. The ocular lens is one of the most powerful mammalian model system since it is composed from only two cell subtypes, called lens epithelial and fiber cells. Lens epithelial cells differentiate into fiber cells through a series of spatially and temporally orchestrated processes, including massive production of crystallins, cellular elongation and the coordinated degradation of nuclei and other organelles. Studies of transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene regulatory mechanisms in lens provide a wide range of opportunities to understand global molecular mechanisms of gene expression as steady-state levels of crystallin mRNAs reach very high levels comparable to globin genes in erythrocytes. Importantly, dysregulation of crystallin gene expression results in lens structural abnormalities and cataracts. The mRNA life cycle is comprised of multiple stages, including transcription, splicing, nuclear export into cytoplasm, stabilization, localization, translation and ultimate decay. In recent years, development of modern mRNA detection methods with single molecule and single cell resolution enabled transformative studies to visualize the mRNA life cycle to generate novel insights into the sequential regulatory mechanisms of gene expression during embryogenesis. This review is focused on recent major advancements in studies of transcriptional bursting in differentiating lens fiber cells, analysis of nascent mRNA expression from bi-directional promoters, transient nuclear accumulation of specific mRNAs, condensation of chromatin prior lens fiber cell denucleation, and outlines future studies to probe the interactions of individual mRNAs with specific RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in the cytoplasm and regulation of translation and mRNA decay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ales Cvekl
- Department of Ophthalmology and VIsual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA; Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA.
| | - Carolina Eliscovich
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA; Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
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64
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Anand D, Al Saai S, Shrestha SK, Barnum CE, Chuma S, Lachke SA. Genome-Wide Analysis of Differentially Expressed miRNAs and Their Associated Regulatory Networks in Lenses Deficient for the Congenital Cataract-Linked Tudor Domain Containing Protein TDRD7. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:615761. [PMID: 33665188 PMCID: PMC7921330 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.615761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations/deficiency of TDRD7, encoding a tudor domain protein involved in post-transcriptional gene expression control, causes early onset cataract in humans. While Tdrd7 is implicated in the control of key lens mRNAs, the impact of Tdrd7 deficiency on microRNAs (miRNAs) and how this contributes to transcriptome misexpression and to cataracts, is undefined. We address this critical knowledge-gap by investigating Tdrd7-targeted knockout (Tdrd7-/-) mice that exhibit fully penetrant juvenile cataracts. We performed Affymetrix miRNA 3.0 microarray analysis on Tdrd7-/- mouse lenses at postnatal day (P) 4, a stage preceding cataract formation. This analysis identifies 22 miRNAs [14 over-expressed (miR-15a, miR-19a, miR-138, miR-328, miR-339, miR-345, miR-378b, miR-384, miR-467a, miR-1224, miR-1935, miR-1946a, miR-3102, miR-3107), 8 reduced (let-7b, miR-34c, miR-298, miR-382, miR-409, miR-1198, miR-1947, miR-3092)] to be significantly misexpressed (fold-change ≥ ± 1.2, p-value < 0.05) in Tdrd7-/- lenses. To understand how these misexpressed miRNAs impact Tdrd7-/- cataract, we predicted their mRNA targets and examined their misexpression upon Tdrd7-deficiency by performing comparative transcriptomics analysis on P4 and P30 Tdrd7-/- lens. To prioritize these target mRNAs, we used various stringency filters (e.g., fold-change in Tdrd7-/- lens, iSyTE-based lens-enriched expression) and identified 98 reduced and 89 elevated mRNA targets for overexpressed and reduced miRNAs, respectively, which were classified as “top-priority” “high-priority,” and “promising” candidates. For Tdrd7-/- lens overexpressed miRNAs, this approach identified 18 top-priority reduced target mRNAs: Alad, Ankrd46, Ceacam10, Dgat2, Ednrb, H2-Eb1, Klhl22, Lin7a, Loxl1, Lpin1, Npc1, Olfm1, Ppm1e, Ppp1r1a, Rgs8, Shisa4, Snx22 and Wnk2. Majority of these targets were also altered in other gene-specific perturbation mouse models (e.g., Brg1, E2f1/E2f2/E2f3, Foxe3, Hsf4, Klf4, Mafg/Mafk, Notch) of lens defects/cataract, suggesting their importance to lens biology. Gene ontology (GO) provided further insight into their relevance to lens pathology. For example, the Tdrd7-deficient lens capsule defect may be explained by reduced mRNA targets (e.g., Col4a3, Loxl1, Timp2, Timp3) associated with “basement membrane”. GO analysis also identified new genes (e.g., Casz1, Rasgrp1) recently linked to lens biology/pathology. Together, these analyses define a new Tdrd7-downstream miRNA-mRNA network, in turn, uncovering several new mRNA targets and their associated pathways relevant to lens biology and offering molecular insights into the pathology of congenital cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepti Anand
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Salma Al Saai
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.,Center for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Sanjaya K Shrestha
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Carrie E Barnum
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Shinichiro Chuma
- Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Salil A Lachke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.,Center for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
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Shparberg R, Dewi CU, Gnanasambandapillai V, Liyanage L, O'Connor MD. Single cell RNA-sequencing data generated from human pluripotent stem cell-derived lens epithelial cells. Data Brief 2021; 34:106657. [PMID: 33521174 PMCID: PMC7820909 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed transcriptomic analyses of differentiated cell populations derived from human pluripotent stem cells is routinely used to assess the identity and utility of the differentiated cells. Here we provide single cell RNA-sequencing data obtained from ROR1-expressing lens epithelial cells (ROR1e LECs), obtained via directed differentiation of CA1 human embryonic stem cells. Analysis of the data using principal component analysis, heat maps and gene ontology assessments revealed phenotypes associated with lens epithelial cells. These data provide a resource for future characterisation of both normal and cataractous human lens biology. Corresponding morphological and functional data obtained from ROR1e LECs are reported in the associated research article "A simplified method for producing human lens epithelial cells and light-focusing micro-lenses from pluripotent stem cells " (Dewi et al., 2020).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Shparberg
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Chitra Umala Dewi
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Vikkitharan Gnanasambandapillai
- Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics, Garvan Institute, UNSW Cellular Genomics Futures Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2010, Australia
| | - Liwan Liyanage
- School of Computer, Data and Mathematical Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| | - Michael D. O'Connor
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
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66
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Maddala R, Gao J, Mathias RT, Lewis TR, Arshavsky VY, Levine A, Backer JM, Bresnick AR, Rao PV. Absence of S100A4 in the mouse lens induces an aberrant retina-specific differentiation program and cataract. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2203. [PMID: 33500475 PMCID: PMC7838418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81611-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
S100A4, a member of the S100 family of multifunctional calcium-binding proteins, participates in several physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we demonstrate that S100A4 expression is robustly induced in differentiating fiber cells of the ocular lens and that S100A4 (-/-) knockout mice develop late-onset cortical cataracts. Transcriptome profiling of lenses from S100A4 (-/-) mice revealed a robust increase in the expression of multiple photoreceptor- and Müller glia-specific genes, as well as the olfactory sensory neuron-specific gene, S100A5. This aberrant transcriptional profile is characterized by corresponding increases in the levels of proteins encoded by the aberrantly upregulated genes. Ingenuity pathway network and curated pathway analyses of differentially expressed genes in S100A4 (-/-) lenses identified Crx and Nrl transcription factors as the most significant upstream regulators, and revealed that many of the upregulated genes possess promoters containing a high-density of CpG islands bearing trimethylation marks at histone H3K27 and/or H3K4, respectively. In support of this finding, we further documented that S100A4 (-/-) knockout lenses have altered levels of trimethylated H3K27 and H3K4. Taken together, our findings suggest that S100A4 suppresses the expression of retinal genes during lens differentiation plausibly via a mechanism involving changes in histone methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupalatha Maddala
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Junyuan Gao
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Stony Brook University, Stony-Brook, NY, USA
| | - Richard T Mathias
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Stony Brook University, Stony-Brook, NY, USA
| | - Tylor R Lewis
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Vadim Y Arshavsky
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Adriana Levine
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan M Backer
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Anne R Bresnick
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Ponugoti V Rao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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Fagny M, Kuijjer ML, Stam M, Joets J, Turc O, Rozière J, Pateyron S, Venon A, Vitte C. Identification of Key Tissue-Specific, Biological Processes by Integrating Enhancer Information in Maize Gene Regulatory Networks. Front Genet 2021; 11:606285. [PMID: 33505431 PMCID: PMC7834273 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.606285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are key players in the spatio-temporal coordination of gene expression during numerous crucial processes, including tissue differentiation across development. Characterizing the transcription factors (TFs) and genes they connect, and the molecular functions underpinned is important to better characterize developmental processes. In plants, the recent molecular characterization of enhancers revealed their capacity to activate the expression of several target genes. Nevertheless, identifying these target genes at a genome-wide level is challenging, particularly for large-genome species, where enhancers and target genes can be hundreds of kilobases away. Therefore, the contribution of enhancers to plant regulatory networks remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the enhancer-driven regulatory network of two maize tissues at different stages: leaves at seedling stage (V2-IST) and husks (bracts) at flowering. Using systems biology, we integrate genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic data to model the regulatory relationships between TFs and their potential target genes, and identify regulatory modules specific to husk and V2-IST. We show that leaves at the V2-IST stage are characterized by the response to hormones and macromolecules biogenesis and assembly, which are regulated by the BBR/BPC and AP2/ERF TF families, respectively. In contrast, husks are characterized by cell wall modification and response to abiotic stresses, which are, respectively, orchestrated by the C2C2/DOF and AP2/EREB families. Analysis of the corresponding enhancer sequences reveals that two different transposable element families (TIR transposon Mutator and MITE Pif/Harbinger) have shaped part of the regulatory network in each tissue, and that MITEs have provided potential new TF binding sites involved in husk tissue-specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maud Fagny
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, GQE – Le Moulon, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Marieke Lydia Kuijjer
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), Nordic EMBL Partnership, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Maike Stam
- Plant Development and (Epi) Genetics, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Johann Joets
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, GQE – Le Moulon, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Olivier Turc
- LEPSE, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Rozière
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, GQE – Le Moulon, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, INRAE, Univ Evry, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France
- Université de Paris, CNRS, INRAE, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France
| | - Stéphanie Pateyron
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, INRAE, Univ Evry, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France
- Université de Paris, CNRS, INRAE, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France
| | - Anthony Venon
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, GQE – Le Moulon, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Clémentine Vitte
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, GQE – Le Moulon, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Yu P, Wang Y, Yang WT, Li Z, Zhang XJ, Zhou L, Gui JF. Upregulation of the PPAR signaling pathway and accumulation of lipids are related to the morphological and structural transformation of the dragon-eye goldfish eye. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2021; 64:1031-1049. [PMID: 33428077 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-020-1814-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Goldfish comprise around 300 different strains with drastically altered and aesthetical morphologies making them suitable models for evolutionary developmental biology. The dragon-eye strain is characterized by protruding eyes (analogous to those of Chinese dragons). Although the strain has been selected for about 400 years, the mechanism of its eye development remains unclear. In this study, a stable dragon-eye goldfish strain with a clear genetic background was rapidly established and studied. We found that upregulation of the PPAR signaling pathway accompanied by an increase in lipid accumulation might trigger the morphological and structural transformation of the eye in dragon-eye goldfish. At the developmental stage of proptosis (eye protrusion), downregulation of the phototransduction pathway was consistent with the structural defects and myopia of the dragon-eye strain. With the impairment of retinal development, cytokine-induced inflammation was activated, especially after proptosis, similar to the pathologic symptoms of many human ocular diseases. In addition, differentially expressed transcription factors were significantly enriched in the PAX and homeobox families, two well-known transcription factor families involved in eye development. Therefore, our findings reveal the dynamic changes in key pathways during eye development in dragon-eye goldfish, and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying drastically altered eyes in goldfish and human ocular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wen-Tao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Zhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Li Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Jian-Fang Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, the Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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69
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Liu Z, Wang R, Lin H, Liu Y. Lens regeneration in humans: using regenerative potential for tissue repairing. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:1544. [PMID: 33313289 PMCID: PMC7729322 DOI: 10.21037/atm-2019-rcs-03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The crystalline lens is an important optic element in human eyes. It is transparent and biconvex, refracting light and accommodating to form a clear retinal image. The lens originates from the embryonic ectoderm. The epithelial cells at the lens equator proliferate, elongate and differentiate into highly aligned lens fiber cells, which are the structural basis for maintaining the transparency of the lens. Cataract refers to the opacity of the lens. Currently, the treatment of cataract is to remove the opaque lens and implant an intraocular lens (IOL). This strategy is inappropriate for children younger than 2 years, because a developing eyeball is prone to have severe complications such as inflammatory proliferation and secondary glaucoma. On the other hand, the absence of the crystalline lens greatly affects visual function rehabilitation. The researchers found that mammalian lenses possess regenerative potential. We identified lens stem cells through linear tracking experiments and designed a minimally invasive lens-content removal surgery (MILS) to remove the opaque lens material while preserving the lens capsule, stem cells and microenvironment. In infants with congenital cataract, functional lens regeneration in situ can be observed after MILS, and the prognosis of visual function is better than that of traditional surgery. Because of insufficient regenerative ability in humans, the morphology and volume of the regenerated lens cannot reach the level of a normal lens. The activation, proliferation and differentiation of lens stem cells and the alignment of lens fibers are regulated by epigenetic factors, growth factors, transcription factors, immune system and other signals and their interactions. The construction of appropriate microenvironment can accelerate lens regeneration and improve its morphology. The therapeutic concept of MILS combined with microenvironment manipulation to activate endogenous stem cells for functional regeneration of organs in situ can be extended to other tissues and organs with strong self-renewal and repair ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruixin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haotian Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yizhi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Wang X, Wang L, Sun Y, Chen B, Xiong L, Chen J, Huang M, Wu J, Tan X, Zheng Y, Huang S, Liu Y. MiR-22-3p inhibits fibrotic cataract through inactivation of HDAC6 and increase of α-tubulin acetylation. Cell Prolif 2020; 53:e12911. [PMID: 32985730 PMCID: PMC7653254 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Fibrotic cataract, including posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and anterior subcapsular cataract (ASC), renders millions of people visually impaired worldwide. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report a miRNA-based regulatory pathway that controls pathological fibrosis of lens epithelium. MATERIALS AND METHODS Expression of miR-22-3p and histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) in normal and PCO patient samples were measured by qPCR. Human lens epithelial explants were treated with TGF-β2 in the presence or absence of miR-22-3p mimics or inhibitor. Cell proliferation was determined by MTS assay, and migration was tested by transwell assay. Expression of HDAC6 and EMT-related molecules were analysed by Western blot, qPCR and immunocytochemical experiments. RESULTS We identify miR-22-3p as a downregulated miRNA targeting HDAC6 in LECs during lens fibrosis and TGF-β2 treatment. Mechanistically, gain- and loss-of-function experiments in human LECs and lens epithelial explants reveal that miR-22-3p prevents proliferation, migration and TGF-β2 induced EMT of LECs via targeting HDAC6 and thereby promoting α-tubulin acetylation. Moreover, pharmacological targeting of HDAC6 deacetylase with Tubacin prevents fibrotic opaque formation through increasing α-tubulin acetylation under TGF-β2 stimulated conditions in both human lens epithelial explants and the whole rat lenses. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that miR-22-3p prevents lens fibrotic progression by targeting HDAC6 thereby promoting α-tubulin acetylation. The 'miR-22-HDAC6-α-tubulin (de)acetylation' signalling axis may be therapeutic targets for the treatment of fibrotic cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoran Wang
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Liping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Baoxin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Lang Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Jieping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Mi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Jing Wu
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xuhua Tan
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yingfeng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Shan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yizhi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of OphthalmologyZhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
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71
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ATRIP protects progenitor cells against DNA damage in vivo. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:923. [PMID: 33110058 PMCID: PMC7591577 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03090-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The maintenance of genomic stability during the cell cycle of progenitor cells is essential for the faithful transmission of genetic information. Mutations in genes that ensure genome stability lead to human developmental syndromes. Mutations in Ataxia Telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) or in ATR-interacting protein (ATRIP) lead to Seckel syndrome, which is characterized by developmental malformations and short life expectancy. While the roles of ATR in replicative stress response and chromosomal segregation are well established, it is unknown how ATRIP contributes to maintaining genomic stability in progenitor cells in vivo. Here, we generated the first mouse model to investigate ATRIP function. Conditional inactivation of Atrip in progenitor cells of the CNS and eye led to microcephaly, microphthalmia and postnatal lethality. To understand the mechanisms underlying these malformations, we used lens progenitor cells as a model and found that ATRIP loss promotes replicative stress and TP53-dependent cell death. Trp53 inactivation in Atrip-deficient progenitor cells rescued apoptosis, but increased mitotic DNA damage and mitotic defects. Our findings demonstrate an essential role of ATRIP in preventing DNA damage accumulation during unchallenged replication.
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72
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Nakazawa K, Shichino Y, Iwasaki S, Shiina N. Implications of RNG140 (caprin2)-mediated translational regulation in eye lens differentiation. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:15029-15044. [PMID: 32839273 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.012715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulation of gene expression at the translational level is key to determining cell fate and function. An RNA-binding protein, RNG140 (caprin2), plays a role in eye lens differentiation and has been reported to function in translational regulation. However, the mechanism and its role in eyes has remained unclear. Here, we show that RNG140 binds to the translation initiation factor eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) and suppresses translation through mechanisms involving suppression of eIF3-dependent translation initiation. Comprehensive ribosome profiling revealed that overexpression of RNG140 in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells reduces translation of long mRNAs, including those associated with cell proliferation. RNG140-mediated translational regulation also operates in the mouse eye, where RNG140 knockout increased the translation of long mRNAs. mRNAs involved in lens differentiation, such as crystallin mRNAs, are short and can escape translational inhibition by RNG140 and be translated in differentiating lenses. Thus, this study provides insights into the mechanistic basis of lens cell transition from proliferation to differentiation via RNG140-mediated translational regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaori Nakazawa
- Laboratory of Neuronal Cell Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan; Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yuichi Shichino
- RNA Systems Biochemistry Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shintaro Iwasaki
- RNA Systems Biochemistry Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Saitama, Japan; Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Shiina
- Laboratory of Neuronal Cell Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan; Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan; Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan.
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73
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Eintracht J, Toms M, Moosajee M. The Use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Model for Developmental Eye Disorders. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:265. [PMID: 32973457 PMCID: PMC7468397 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately one-third of childhood blindness is attributed to developmental eye disorders, of which 80% have a genetic cause. Eye morphogenesis is tightly regulated by a highly conserved network of transcription factors when disrupted by genetic mutations can result in severe ocular malformation. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are an attractive tool to study early eye development as they are more physiologically relevant than animal models, can be patient-specific and their use does not elicit the ethical concerns associated with human embryonic stem cells. The generation of self-organizing hiPSC-derived optic cups is a major advancement to understanding mechanisms of ocular development and disease. Their development in vitro has been found to mirror that of the human eye and these early organoids have been used to effectively model microphthalmia caused by a VSX2 variant. hiPSC-derived optic cups, retina, and cornea organoids are powerful tools for future modeling of disease phenotypes and will enable a greater understanding of the pathophysiology of many other developmental eye disorders. These models will also provide an effective platform for identifying molecular therapeutic targets and for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Toms
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom.,The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom.,The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.,Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.,Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
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74
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Marakhonov AV, Voskresenskaya AA, Ballesta MJ, Konovalov FA, Vasilyeva TA, Blanco-Kelly F, Pozdeyeva NA, Kadyshev VV, López-González V, Guillen E, Ayuso C, Zinchenko RA, Corton M. Expanding the phenotype of CRYAA nucleotide variants to a complex presentation of anterior segment dysgenesis. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2020; 15:207. [PMID: 32791987 PMCID: PMC7427288 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-020-01484-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mutations in CRYAA, which encodes the α-crystallin protein, are associated with a spectrum of congenital cataract–microcornea syndromes. Results In this study, we performed clinical examination and subsequent genetic analysis in two unrelated sporadic cases of different geographical origins presenting with a complex phenotype of ocular malformation. Both cases manifested bilateral microphthalmia and severe anterior segment dysgenesis, primarily characterized by congenital aphakia, microcornea, and iris hypoplasia/aniridia. NGS-based analysis revealed two novel single nucleotide variants occurring de novo and affecting the translation termination codon of the CRYAA gene, c.520T > C and c.521A > C. Both variants are predicted to elongate the C-terminal protein domain by one-third of the original length. Conclusions Our report not only expands the mutational spectrum of CRYAA but also identifies the genetic cause of the unusual ocular phenotype described in this report.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V Marakhonov
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moskvorechie Str., 1, Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Anna A Voskresenskaya
- Cheboksary Branch of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution, Cheboksary, Russian Federation
| | - Maria Jose Ballesta
- Medical Genetics Department, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.,Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), ISCIII - Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fedor A Konovalov
- Independent Clinical Bioinformatics Laboratory, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Tatyana A Vasilyeva
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moskvorechie Str., 1, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Fiona Blanco-Kelly
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), ISCIII - Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Genetics & Genomics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Av. Reyes Católicos n° 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nadezhda A Pozdeyeva
- Cheboksary Branch of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution, Cheboksary, Russian Federation
| | - Vitaly V Kadyshev
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moskvorechie Str., 1, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Vanesa López-González
- Medical Genetics Department, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.,Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), ISCIII - Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Encarna Guillen
- Medical Genetics Department, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.,Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), ISCIII - Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Ayuso
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), ISCIII - Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Genetics & Genomics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Av. Reyes Católicos n° 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rena A Zinchenko
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moskvorechie Str., 1, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Marta Corton
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), ISCIII - Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. .,Department of Genetics & Genomics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Av. Reyes Católicos n° 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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75
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Barnum CE, Al Saai S, Patel SD, Cheng C, Anand D, Xu X, Dash S, Siddam AD, Glazewski L, Paglione E, Polson SW, Chuma S, Mason RW, Wei S, Batish M, Fowler VM, Lachke SA. The Tudor-domain protein TDRD7, mutated in congenital cataract, controls the heat shock protein HSPB1 (HSP27) and lens fiber cell morphology. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 29:2076-2097. [PMID: 32420594 PMCID: PMC7390939 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations of the RNA granule component TDRD7 (OMIM: 611258) cause pediatric cataract. We applied an integrated approach to uncover the molecular pathology of cataract in Tdrd7-/- mice. Early postnatal Tdrd7-/- animals precipitously develop cataract suggesting a global-level breakdown/misregulation of key cellular processes. High-throughput RNA sequencing integrated with iSyTE-bioinformatics analysis identified the molecular chaperone and cytoskeletal modulator, HSPB1, among high-priority downregulated candidates in Tdrd7-/- lens. A protein fluorescence two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE)-coupled mass spectrometry screen also identified HSPB1 downregulation, offering independent support for its importance to Tdrd7-/- cataractogenesis. Lens fiber cells normally undergo nuclear degradation for transparency, posing a challenge: how is their cell morphology, also critical for transparency, controlled post-nuclear degradation? HSPB1 functions in cytoskeletal maintenance, and its reduction in Tdrd7-/- lens precedes cataract, suggesting cytoskeletal defects may contribute to Tdrd7-/- cataract. In agreement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed abnormal fiber cell morphology in Tdrd7-/- lenses. Further, abnormal phalloidin and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining of Tdrd7-/- fiber cells, particularly those exhibiting nuclear degradation, reveals distinct regulatory mechanisms control F-actin cytoskeletal and/or membrane maintenance in post-organelle degradation maturation stage fiber cells. Indeed, RNA immunoprecipitation identified Hspb1 mRNA in wild-type lens lysate TDRD7-pulldowns, and single-molecule RNA imaging showed co-localization of TDRD7 protein with cytoplasmic Hspb1 mRNA in differentiating fiber cells, suggesting that TDRD7-ribonucleoprotein complexes may be involved in optimal buildup of key factors. Finally, Hspb1 knockdown in Xenopus causes eye/lens defects. Together, these data uncover TDRD7's novel upstream role in elevation of stress-responsive chaperones for cytoskeletal maintenance in post-nuclear degradation lens fiber cells, perturbation of which causes early-onset cataracts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie E Barnum
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Salma Al Saai
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Shaili D Patel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Catherine Cheng
- School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Deepti Anand
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Xiaolu Xu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Soma Dash
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Archana D Siddam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Lisa Glazewski
- Nemours Biomedical Research Department, Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
| | - Emily Paglione
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Shawn W Polson
- Center for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Shinichiro Chuma
- Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Robert W Mason
- Nemours Biomedical Research Department, Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
| | - Shuo Wei
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Mona Batish
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Velia M Fowler
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Salil A Lachke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
- Center for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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76
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Aryal S, Viet J, Weatherbee BAT, Siddam AD, Hernandez FG, Gautier-Courteille C, Paillard L, Lachke SA. The cataract-linked RNA-binding protein Celf1 post-transcriptionally controls the spatiotemporal expression of the key homeodomain transcription factors Pax6 and Prox1 in lens development. Hum Genet 2020; 139:1541-1554. [PMID: 32594240 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-020-02195-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The homeodomain transcription factors (TFs) Pax6 (OMIM: 607108) and Prox1 (OMIM: 601546) critically regulate gene expression in lens development. While PAX6 mutations in humans can cause cataract, aniridia, microphthalmia, and anophthalmia, among other defects, Prox1 deletion in mice causes severe lens abnormalities, in addition to other organ defects. Furthermore, the optimal dosage/spatiotemporal expression of these key TFs is essential for development. In lens development, Pax6 expression is elevated in cells of the anterior epithelium compared to fiber cells, while Prox1 exhibits the opposite pattern. Whether post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms control these precise TF expression patterns is unknown. Here, we report the unprecedented finding that the cataract-linked RNA-binding protein (RBP), Celf1 (OMIM: 601074), post-transcriptionally regulates Pax6 and Prox1 protein expression in lens development. Immunostaining shows that Celf1 lens-specific conditional knockout (Celf1cKO) mice exhibit abnormal elevation of Pax6 protein in fiber cells and abnormal Prox1 protein levels in epithelial cells-directly opposite to their normal expression patterns in development. Furthermore, RT-qPCR shows no change in Pax6 and Prox1 transcript levels in Celf1cKO lenses, suggesting that Celf1 regulates these TFs on the translational level. Indeed, RNA-immunoprecipitation assays using Celf1 antibody indicate that Celf1 protein binds to Pax6 and Prox1 transcripts. Furthermore, reporter assays in Celf1 knockdown and Celf1-overexpression cells demonstrate that Celf1 negatively controls Pax6 and Prox1 translation via their 3' UTRs. These data define a new mechanism of RBP-based post-transcriptional regulation that enables precise control over spatiotemporal expression of Pax6 and Prox1 in lens development, thereby uncovering a new etiological mechanism for Celf1 deficiency-based cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Aryal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Justine Viet
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR-UMR 6290, 35000, Rennes, France
| | | | - Archana D Siddam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | | | - Carole Gautier-Courteille
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR-UMR 6290, 35000, Rennes, France
| | - Luc Paillard
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR-UMR 6290, 35000, Rennes, France.
| | - Salil A Lachke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA. .,Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
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77
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Garzón I, Chato-Astrain J, González-Gallardo C, Ionescu A, Cardona JDLC, Mateu M, Carda C, Pérez MDM, Martín-Piedra MÁ, Alaminos M. Long-Term in vivo Evaluation of Orthotypical and Heterotypical Bioengineered Human Corneas. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:681. [PMID: 32671048 PMCID: PMC7327129 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Human cornea substitutes generated by tissue engineering currently require limbal stem cells for the generation of orthotypical epithelial cell cultures. We recently reported that bioengineered corneas can be fabricated in vitro from a heterotypical source obtained from Wharton’s jelly in the human umbilical cord (HWJSC). Methods Here, we generated a partial thickness cornea model based on plastic compression nanostructured fibrin-agarose biomaterials with cornea epithelial cells on top, as an orthotypical model (HOC), or with HWJSC, as a heterotypical model (HHC), and determined their potential in vivo usefulness by implantation in an animal model. Results No major side effects were seen 3 and 12 months after implantation of either bioengineered partial cornea model in rabbit corneas. Clinical results determined by slit lamp and optical coherence tomography were positive after 12 months. Histological and immunohistochemical findings demonstrated that in vitro HOC and HHC had moderate levels of stromal and epithelial cell marker expression, whereas in vivo grafted corneas were more similar to control corneas. Conclusion These results suggest that both models are potentially useful to treat diseases requiring anterior cornea replacement, and that HHC may be an efficient alternative to the use of HOC which circumvents the need to generate cornea epithelial cell cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Garzón
- Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Histology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
| | - Jesus Chato-Astrain
- Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Histology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Ana Ionescu
- Biomaterials Optics Group, Department of Optics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Miguel Mateu
- Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Histology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
| | - Carmen Carda
- Department of Histology and Pathology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - María Del Mar Pérez
- Biomaterials Optics Group, Department of Optics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Martín-Piedra
- Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Histology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
| | - Miguel Alaminos
- Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Histology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
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78
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Kröll-Hermi A, Ebstein F, Stoetzel C, Geoffroy V, Schaefer E, Scheidecker S, Bär S, Takamiya M, Kawakami K, Zieba BA, Studer F, Pelletier V, Eyermann C, Speeg-Schatz C, Laugel V, Lipsker D, Sandron F, McGinn S, Boland A, Deleuze JF, Kuhn L, Chicher J, Hammann P, Friant S, Etard C, Krüger E, Muller J, Strähle U, Dollfus H. Proteasome subunit PSMC3 variants cause neurosensory syndrome combining deafness and cataract due to proteotoxic stress. EMBO Mol Med 2020; 12:e11861. [PMID: 32500975 PMCID: PMC7338805 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201911861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin–proteasome system degrades ubiquitin‐modified proteins to maintain protein homeostasis and to control signalling. Whole‐genome sequencing of patients with severe deafness and early‐onset cataracts as part of a neurological, sensorial and cutaneous novel syndrome identified a unique deep intronic homozygous variant in the PSMC3 gene, encoding the proteasome ATPase subunit Rpt5, which lead to the transcription of a cryptic exon. The proteasome content and activity in patient's fibroblasts was however unaffected. Nevertheless, patient's cells exhibited impaired protein homeostasis characterized by accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins suggesting severe proteotoxic stress. Indeed, the TCF11/Nrf1 transcriptional pathway allowing proteasome recovery after proteasome inhibition is permanently activated in the patient's fibroblasts. Upon chemical proteasome inhibition, this pathway was however impaired in patient's cells, which were unable to compensate for proteotoxic stress although a higher proteasome content and activity. Zebrafish modelling for knockout in PSMC3 remarkably reproduced the human phenotype with inner ear development anomalies as well as cataracts, suggesting that Rpt5 plays a major role in inner ear, lens and central nervous system development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Kröll-Hermi
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institut für Biologische und Chemische Systeme (IBCS, BIP), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Frédéric Ebstein
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IMBM), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Corinne Stoetzel
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Véronique Geoffroy
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Elise Schaefer
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sophie Scheidecker
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Laboratoires de Diagnostic Génétique, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Séverine Bär
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), UMR7156, Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Masanari Takamiya
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institut für Biologische und Chemische Systeme (IBCS, BIP), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Koichi Kawakami
- Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan.,Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Mishima, Japan
| | - Barbara A Zieba
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IMBM), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Fouzia Studer
- Filière SENSGENE, Centre de Référence pour les affections rares en génétique ophtalmologique, CARGO, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Valerie Pelletier
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Filière SENSGENE, Centre de Référence pour les affections rares en génétique ophtalmologique, CARGO, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Carine Eyermann
- Service de chirurgie ORL, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Claude Speeg-Schatz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Vincent Laugel
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Service de Pédiatrie, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dan Lipsker
- Faculté de Médecine, Hôpitaux Universitaires, Université de Strasbourg et Clinique Dermatologique, Strasbourg, France
| | - Florian Sandron
- Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine (CNRGH), Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Steven McGinn
- Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine (CNRGH), Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Anne Boland
- Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine (CNRGH), Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Jean-François Deleuze
- Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine (CNRGH), Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France.,Centre d'études du polymorphisme humain-Fondation Jean Dausset, Paris, France
| | - Lauriane Kuhn
- CNRS FRC1589, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IBMC), Plateforme Protéomique Strasbourg-Esplanade, Strasbourg, France
| | - Johana Chicher
- CNRS FRC1589, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IBMC), Plateforme Protéomique Strasbourg-Esplanade, Strasbourg, France
| | - Philippe Hammann
- CNRS FRC1589, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IBMC), Plateforme Protéomique Strasbourg-Esplanade, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sylvie Friant
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), UMR7156, Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Christelle Etard
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institut für Biologische und Chemische Systeme (IBCS, BIP), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Elke Krüger
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IMBM), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jean Muller
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Laboratoires de Diagnostic Génétique, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Uwe Strähle
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institut für Biologische und Chemische Systeme (IBCS, BIP), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Hélène Dollfus
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, INSERM, UMRS_1112, Institut de Génétique Médicale d'Alsace (IGMA), Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Filière SENSGENE, Centre de Référence pour les affections rares en génétique ophtalmologique, CARGO, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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Viet J, Reboutier D, Hardy S, Lachke SA, Paillard L, Gautier-Courteille C. Modeling ocular lens disease in Xenopus. Dev Dyn 2020; 249:610-621. [PMID: 31872467 PMCID: PMC7759097 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ocular lens clouding is termed as cataract, which depending on the onset, is classified as congenital or age-related. Developing new cataract treatments requires new models. Thus far, Xenopus embryos have not been evaluated as a system for studying cataract. RESULTS We characterized the developmental process of lens formation in Xenopus laevis tailbuds and tadpoles, and we disrupted the orthologues of three mammalian cataract-linked genes in F0 by CRISPR/Cas9. We assessed the consequences of gene inactivation by combining external examination with histochemical analyses and functional vision assays. Inactivating the key metazoan eye development transcription factor gene pax6 produces a strong eye phenotype including an absence of eye tissue. Inactivating the genes for gap-junction protein and a nuclease, gja8 and dnase2b, produces lens defects that share several features of human cataracts, including impaired vision acuity, nuclei retention in lens fiber cells, and actin fibers disorganization. We tested the potential improvement of the visual acuity of gja8 crispant tadpoles upon treatment with the molecular chaperone 4-phenylbutyrate. CONCLUSION Xenopus is a valuable model organism to understand the molecular pathology of congenital eye defects, including cataracts, and to screen molecules with a potential to prevent or reverse cataracts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Viet
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR-UMR 6290, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | | | - Serge Hardy
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR-UMR 6290, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Salil A. Lachke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Luc Paillard
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR-UMR 6290, F-35000 Rennes, France
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80
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Rbm24 controls poly(A) tail length and translation efficiency of crystallin mRNAs in the lens via cytoplasmic polyadenylation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:7245-7254. [PMID: 32170011 PMCID: PMC7132282 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917922117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Lens transparency critically requires the abundant accumulation of crystallin proteins, and deregulation of this process causes congenital cataracts in humans. Rbm24 is an RNA-binding protein with highly conserved expression in differentiating lens fiber cells among all vertebrates. We use a zebrafish model to demonstrate that loss of Rbm24 function specifically impedes lens fiber cell differentiation, resulting in cataract formation and blindness. Molecular analyses reveal that Rbm24 interacts with cytoplasmic polyadenylation complex and binds to a large number of lens-expressed messenger RNAs to maintain their stability and protect their poly(A) tail length, thereby crucially contributing to their efficient translation into functional proteins. This work identifies an important mechanism by which Rbm24 posttranscriptionally controls lens gene expression to establish transparency and refraction power. Lens transparency is established by abundant accumulation of crystallin proteins and loss of organelles in the fiber cells. It requires an efficient translation of lens messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to overcome the progressively reduced transcriptional activity that results from denucleation. Inappropriate regulation of this process impairs lens differentiation and causes cataract formation. However, the regulatory mechanism promoting protein synthesis from lens-expressed mRNAs remains unclear. Here we show that in zebrafish, the RNA-binding protein Rbm24 is critically required for the accumulation of crystallin proteins and terminal differentiation of lens fiber cells. In the developing lens, Rbm24 binds to a wide spectrum of lens-specific mRNAs through the RNA recognition motif and interacts with cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein (Cpeb1b) and cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding protein (Pabpc1l) through the C-terminal region. Loss of Rbm24 reduces the stability of a subset of lens mRNAs encoding heat shock proteins and shortens the poly(A) tail length of crystallin mRNAs encoding lens structural components, thereby preventing their translation into functional proteins. This severely impairs lens transparency and results in blindness. Consistent with its highly conserved expression in differentiating lens fiber cells, the findings suggest that vertebrate Rbm24 represents a key regulator of cytoplasmic polyadenylation and plays an essential role in the posttranscriptional control of lens development.
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81
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Shihan MH, Kanwar M, Wang Y, Jackson EE, Faranda AP, Duncan MK. Fibronectin has multifunctional roles in posterior capsular opacification (PCO). Matrix Biol 2020; 90:79-108. [PMID: 32173580 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2020.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Fibrotic posterior capsular opacification (PCO), one of the major complications of cataract surgery, occurs when lens epithelial cells (LCs) left behind post cataract surgery (PCS) undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition, migrate into the optical axis and produce opaque scar tissue. LCs left behind PCS robustly produce fibronectin, although its roles in fibrotic PCO are not known. In order to determine the function of fibronectin in PCO pathogenesis, we created mice lacking the fibronectin gene (FN conditional knock out -FNcKO) from the lens. While animals from this line have normal lenses, upon lens fiber cell removal which models cataract surgery, FNcKO LCs exhibit a greatly attenuated fibrotic response from 3 days PCS onward as assessed by a reduction in surgery-induced cell proliferation, and fibrotic extracellular matrix (ECM) production and deposition. This is correlated with less upregulation of Transforming Growth Factor β (TGFβ) and integrin signaling in FNcKO LCs PCS concomitant with sustained Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling and elevation of the epithelial cell marker E cadherin. Although the initial fibrotic response of FNcKO LCs was qualitatively normal at 48 h PCS as measured by the upregulation of fibrotic marker protein αSMA, RNA sequencing revealed that the fibrotic response was already quantitatively attenuated at this time, as measured by the upregulation of mRNAs encoding molecules that control, and are controlled by, TGFβ signaling, including many known markers of fibrosis. Most notably, gremlin-1, a known regulator of TGFβ superfamily signaling, was upregulated sharply in WT LCs PCS, while this response was attenuated in FNcKO LCs. As exogenous administration of either active TGFβ1 or gremlin-1 to FNcKO lens capsular bags rescued the attenuated fibrotic response of fibronectin null LCs PCS including the loss of SMAD2/3 phosphorylation, this suggests that fibronectin plays multifunctional roles in fibrotic PCO development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahbubul H Shihan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Mallika Kanwar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Erin E Jackson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Adam P Faranda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Melinda K Duncan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
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82
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Garg A, Hannan A, Wang Q, Makrides N, Zhong J, Li H, Yoon S, Mao Y, Zhang X. Etv transcription factors functionally diverge from their upstream FGF signaling in lens development. eLife 2020; 9:e51915. [PMID: 32043969 PMCID: PMC7069720 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The signal regulated transcription factors (SRTFs) control the ultimate transcriptional output of signaling pathways. Here, we examined a family of FGF-induced SRTFs - Etv1, Etv 4, and Etv 5 - in murine lens development. Contrary to FGF receptor mutants that displayed loss of ERK signaling and defective cell differentiation, Etv deficiency augmented ERK phosphorylation without disrupting the normal lens fiber gene expression. Instead, the transitional zone for lens differentiation was shifted anteriorly as a result of reduced Jag1-Notch signaling. We also showed that Etv proteins suppresses mTOR activity by promoting Tsc2 expression, which is necessary for the nuclei clearance in mature lens. These results revealed the functional divergence between Etv and FGF in lens development, demonstrating that these SRTFs can operate outside the confine of their upstream signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankur Garg
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Abdul Hannan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Neoklis Makrides
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Jian Zhong
- Burke Neurological Institute and Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell MedicineWhite PlainsUnited States
| | - Hongge Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Sungtae Yoon
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Yingyu Mao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
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83
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Buono L, Martinez-Morales JR. Retina Development in Vertebrates: Systems Biology Approaches to Understanding Genetic Programs: On the Contribution of Next-Generation Sequencing Methods to the Characterization of the Regulatory Networks Controlling Vertebrate Eye Development. Bioessays 2020; 42:e1900187. [PMID: 31997389 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The ontogeny of the vertebrate retina has been a topic of interest to developmental biologists and human geneticists for many decades. Understanding the unfolding of the genetic program that transforms a field of progenitors cells into a functionally complex and multi-layered sensory organ is a formidable challenge. Although classical genetic studies succeeded in identifying the key regulators of retina specification, understanding the architecture of their gene network and predicting their behavior are still a distant hope. The emergence of next-generation sequencing platforms revolutionized the field unlocking the access to genome-wide datasets. Emerging techniques such as RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, or single cell RNA-seq are used to characterize eye developmental programs. These studies provide valuable information on the transcriptional and cis-regulatory profiles of precursors and differentiated cells, outlining the trajectories that connect each intermediate state. Here, recent systems biology efforts are reviewed to understand the genetic programs shaping the vertebrate retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Buono
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC/UPO/JA) , Seville, 41013 , Spain
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84
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Maddala R, Mongan M, Xia Y, Rao PV. Calponin-3 deficiency augments contractile activity, plasticity, fibrogenic response and Yap/Taz transcriptional activation in lens epithelial cells and explants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1295. [PMID: 31992794 PMCID: PMC6987178 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58189-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The transparent ocular lens plays a crucial role in vision by focusing light on to the retina with loss of lens transparency leading to impairment of vision. While maintenance of epithelial phenotype is recognized to be essential for lens development and function, knowledge of the identity of different molecular mechanisms regulating lens epithelial characteristics remains incomplete. This study reports that CNN-3, the acidic isoform of calponin, an actin binding contractile protein, is expressed preferentially and abundantly relative to the basic and neutral isoforms of calponin in the ocular lens, and distributes predominantly to the epithelium in both mouse and human lenses. Expression and MEKK1-mediated threonine 288 phosphorylation of CNN-3 is induced by extracellular cues including TGF-β2 and lysophosphatidic acid. Importantly, siRNA-induced deficiency of CNN3 in lens epithelial cell cultures and explants results in actin stress fiber reorganization, stimulation of focal adhesion formation, Yap activation, increases in the levels of α-smooth muscle actin, connective tissue growth factor and fibronectin, and decreases in E-cadherin expression. These results reveal that CNN3 plays a crucial role in regulating lens epithelial contractile activity and provide supporting evidence that CNN-3 deficiency is associated with the induction of epithelial plasticity, fibrogenic activity and mechanosensitive Yap/Taz transcriptional activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupalatha Maddala
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Maureen Mongan
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA
| | - Ying Xia
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA
| | - Ponugoti Vasantha Rao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
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85
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Chicken lens development: complete signature of expression of galectins during embryogenesis and evidence for their complex formation with α-, β-, δ-, and τ-crystallins, N-CAM, and N-cadherin obtained by affinity chromatography. Cell Tissue Res 2019; 379:13-35. [PMID: 31773304 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-019-03129-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The emerging multifunctionality of galectins by specific protein-glycan/protein interactions explains the interest to determine their expression during embryogenesis. Complete network analysis of all seven chicken galectins (CGs) is presented in the course of differentiation of eye lens that originates from a single type of progenitor cell. It answers the questions on levels of expression and individual patterns of distribution. A qualitative difference occurs in the CG-1A/B paralogue pair, underscoring conspicuous divergence. Considering different cell phenotypes, lens fiber and also epithelial cells can both express the same CG, with developmental upregulation for CG-3 and CG-8. Except for expression of the lens-specific CG (C-GRIFIN), no other CG appeared to be controlled by the transcription factors L-Maf and Pax6. Studying presence and nature of binding partners for CGs, we tested labeled galectins in histochemistry and in ligand blotting. Mass spectrometric (glyco)protein identification after affinity chromatography prominently yielded four types of crystallins, N-CAM, and, in the cases of CG-3 and CG-8, N-cadherin. Should such pairing be functional in situ, it may be involved in tightly packing intracellular lens proteins and forming membrane contact as well as in gaining plasticity and stability of adhesion processes. The expression of CGs throughout embryogenesis is postulated to give meaning to spatiotemporal alterations in the local glycome.
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86
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Molecular genetics of congenital cataracts. Exp Eye Res 2019; 191:107872. [PMID: 31770519 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2019.107872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Congenital cataracts, the most common cause of visual impairment and blindness in children worldwide, have diverse etiologies. According to statistics analysis, about one quarter of congenital cataracts caused by genetic defects. Various mutations of more than one hundred genes have been identified in hereditary cataracts so far. In this review, we briefly summarize recent developments about the genetics, molecular mechanisms, and treatments of congenital cataracts. The studies of these pathogenic mutations and molecular genetics is making it possible for us to comprehend the underlying mechanisms of cataractogenesis and providing new insights into the preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of cataracts.
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87
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Padula SL, Anand D, Hoang TV, Chaffee BR, Liu L, Liang C, Lachke SA, Robinson ML. High-throughput transcriptome analysis reveals that the loss of Pten activates a novel NKX6-1/RASGRP1 regulatory module to rescue microphthalmia caused by Fgfr2-deficient lenses. Hum Genet 2019; 138:1391-1407. [PMID: 31691004 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-019-02084-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
FGFR signaling is critical to development and disease pathogenesis, initiating phosphorylation-driven signaling cascades, notably the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK and PI3 K-AKT cascades. PTEN antagonizes FGFR signaling by reducing AKT and ERK activation. Mouse lenses lacking FGFR2 exhibit microphakia and reduced ERK and AKT phosphorylation, widespread apoptosis, and defective lens fiber cell differentiation. In contrast, simultaneous deletion of both Fgfr2 and Pten restores ERK and AKT activation levels as well as lens size, cell survival and aspects of fiber cell differentiation; however, the molecular basis of this "rescue" remains undefined. We performed transcriptomic analysis by RNA sequencing of mouse lenses with conditional deletion of Fgfr2, Pten or both Fgfr2 and Pten, which reveal new molecular mechanisms that uncover how FGFR2 and PTEN signaling interact during development. The FGFR2-deficient lens transcriptome demonstrates overall loss of fiber cell identity with deregulated expression of 1448 genes. We find that ~ 60% of deregulated genes return to normal expression levels in lenses lacking both Fgfr2 and Pten. Further, application of customized filtering parameters to these RNA-seq data sets identified 68 high-priority candidate genes. Bioinformatics analyses showed that the cis-binding motif of a high-priority homeodomain transcription factor, NKX6-1, was present in the putative promoters of ~ 78% of these candidates. Finally, biochemical reporter assays demonstrate that NKX6-1 activated the expression of the high-priority candidate Rasgrp1, a RAS-activating protein. Together, these data define a novel regulatory module in which NKX6-1 directly activates Rasgrp1 expression to restore the balance of ERK and AKT activation, thus providing new insights into alternate regulation of FGFR downstream events.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Deepti Anand
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Thanh V Hoang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Blake R Chaffee
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Lin Liu
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Chun Liang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Salil A Lachke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.,Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
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88
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Liu F, Wang L, Fu JL, Xiao Y, Gong X, Liu Y, Nie Q, Xiang JW, Yang L, Chen Z, Liu Y, Li DWC. Analysis of Non-Sumoylated and Sumoylated Isoforms of Pax-6, the Master Regulator for Eye and Brain Development in Ocular Cell Lines. Curr Mol Med 2019; 18:566-573. [PMID: 30636604 DOI: 10.2174/1566524019666190111153310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pax-6 is a master regulator for eye and brain development. Previous studies including ours have shown that Pax-6 exists in 4 major isoforms. According to their sizes, they are named p48, p46, p43 and p32 with the corresponding molecular weight of 48, 46, 43 and 32 kd, respectively. While p48 and p46 is derived from alternative splicing, p32 Pax-6 is generated through an internal translation initiation site. As for 43 kd Pax-6, two resources have been reported. In bird, it was found that an alternative splicing can generate a p43 Pax-6. In human and mouse, we reported that the p43 kd Pax-6 is derived from sumoylation: addition of a 11 kd polypeptide SUMO1 into the p32 Pax-6 at the K91 residue. Whether other Pax-6 isoforms can be sumoylated or not remains to be explored. METHODS The 5 major ocular cell lines were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) or rabbit serum (RBS) and 1% Penicillin- Streptomycin. The mRNA levels were analysed with qRT-PCR. The protein levels were determined with western blot analysis and quantitated with Image J. RESULTS Both non-sumoylated and sumoylated isoforms of Pax-6 exist in 6 major types of ocular cells among which five are lens epithelial cells, and one is retinal pigment epithelial cell. Our results revealed that the most abundant isoforms of Pax-6 are the p32 and p46 Pax-6. These two major isoforms can be sumoylated to generate p43 (mono-sumoylated p32 Pax-6), p57 and p68 Pax-6 (mono- and di-sumoylated p46 Pax-6). In addition, the splicing-generated p48 Pax-6 is also readily detected. CONCLUSION Our results for the first time, have determined the relative isoform abundance and also the sumoylation patterns of pax-6 in 6 major ocular cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangyuan Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Ling Wang
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Jia-Ling Fu
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Yuan Xiao
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Xiaodong Gong
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Qian Nie
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Jia-Wen Xiang
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Lan Yang
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Zhigang Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Yizhi Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - David Wan-Cheng Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
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89
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Gong X, Nie Q, Xiao Y, Xiang JW, Wang L, Liu F, Fu JL, Liu Y, Yang L, Gan Y, Chen H, Luo Z, Qi R, Chen Z, Tang X, Li DWC. Localization Patterns of Sumoylation Enzymes E1, E2 and E3 in Ocular Cell Lines Predict Their Functional Importance. Curr Mol Med 2019; 18:516-522. [PMID: 30636611 DOI: 10.2174/1566524019666190112144436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE It is well established now that protein sumoylation acts as an important regulatory mechanism mediating control of ocular development through regulation of multiple transcription factors. Yet the functional mechanisms of each factor modulated remain to be further explored using the available in vitro systems. In this regard, various ocular cell lines including HLE, FHL124, αTN4-1, N/N1003A and ARPE-19 have been demonstrated to be useful for biochemical and molecular analyses of normal physiology and pathogenesis. We have recently examined that these cell lines express a full set of sumoylation enzymes E1, E2 and E3. Following this study, here we have examined the localization of these enzymes and determined their differential localization patterns in these major ocular cell lines. METHODS The 5 major ocular cell lines were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) or rabbit serum (RBS) and 1% Penicillin- Streptomycin. The localization of the 3 major sumoylation enzymes in the 5 major ocular cell lines were determined with immunohistochemistry. The images were captured with a Zeiss LSM 880 confocal microscope. RESULTS we have obtained the following results: 1) The sumoylation enzymes SAE1, UBC9 and PIAS1 are distributed in both nucleus and cytoplasm, with a much higher level concentrated in the nucleus and the neighboring cellular organelle zone in all cell lines; 2) The sumoylation enzyme UBA2 was highly concentrated in both cytoplasm membrane, cytoskeleton and nucleus of all cell lines; 3) The ligase E3, RanBP2 was exclusively localized in the nucleus with homogeneous distribution. CONCLUSIONS Our results for the first time established the differential localization patterns of the three types of sumoylation enzymes in 5 major ocular cell lines. Our establishment of the differential localization patterns of the three types of sumoylation enzymes in these cell lines help to predict their functional importance of sumoylation in the vision system. Together, our results demonstrate that these cell lines can be used for assay systems to explore the functional mechanisms of sumoylation mediating ocular development and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Gong
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Qian Nie
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Yuan Xiao
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China.,Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Jia-Wen Xiang
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China.,Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Ling Wang
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Fangyuan Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Jia-Ling Fu
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Lan Yang
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China.,Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Yuwen Gan
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China.,Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Huimin Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China.,Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Zhongwen Luo
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Ruili Qi
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Zhigang Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - Xiangcheng Tang
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China
| | - David Wan-Cheng Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, #7 Jinsui Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510230, China.,Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
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90
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Valensi M, Goldman G, Marchant D, Van Den Berghe L, Jonet L, Daruich A, Robert MP, Krejci E, Klein C, Mascarelli F, Versaux-Botteri C, Moulin A, Putterman M, Guimiot F, Molina T, Terris B, Brémond-Gignac D, Behar-Cohen F, Abitbol MM. Sostdc1 is expressed in all major compartments of developing and adult mammalian eyes. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2019; 257:2401-2427. [PMID: 31529323 DOI: 10.1007/s00417-019-04462-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study was conducted in order to study Sostdc1 expression in rat and human developing and adult eyes. METHODS Using the yeast signal sequence trap screening method, we identified the Sostdc1 cDNA encoding a protein secreted by the adult rat retinal pigment epithelium. We determined by in situ hybridization, RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blot analysis Sostdc1 gene and protein expression in developing and postnatal rat ocular tissue sections. We also investigated Sostdc1 immunohistolocalization in developing and adult human ocular tissues. RESULTS We demonstrated a prominent Sostdc1 gene expression in the developing rat central nervous system (CNS) and eyes at early developmental stages from E10.5 days postconception (dpc) to E13 dpc. Specific Sostdc1 immunostaining was also detected in most adult cells of rat ocular tissue sections. We also identified the rat ocular embryonic compartments characterized by a specific Sostdc1 immunohistostaining and specific Pax6, Sox2, Otx2, and Vsx2 immunohistostaining from embryonic stages E10.5 to E13 dpc. Furthermore, we determined the localization of SOSTDC1 immunoreactivity in ocular tissue sections of developing and adult human eyes. Indeed, we detected SOSTDC1 immunostaining in developing and adult human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina (NR) as well as in several developing and adult human ocular compartments, including the walls of choroidal and scleral vessels. Of utmost importance, we observed a strong SOSTDC1 expression in a pathological ocular specimen of type 2 Peters' anomaly complicated by retinal neovascularization as well in the walls ofother pathological extra-ocular vessels. CONCLUSION: As rat Sostdc1 and human SOSTDC1 are dual antagonists of the Wnt/β-catenin and BMP signaling pathways, these results underscore the potential crucial roles of these pathways and their antagonists, such as Sostdc1 and SOSTDC1, in developing and adult mammalian normal eyes as well as in syndromic and nonsyndromic congenital eye diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maud Valensi
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Gabrielle Goldman
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de L'Hôpital Cochin-Hôtel-Dieu, Université Paris Descartes, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Marchant
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Paris Cité, UFR SMBH, Laboratoire Hypoxie et poumons, Université Paris 13, EA 2363, 93017, Bobigny, France
| | - Loïc Van Den Berghe
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- Inserm UMR 1037, CRCT (Cancer Research Center of Toulouse), 31037, Toulouse, France
| | - Laurent Jonet
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Alejandra Daruich
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Matthieu P Robert
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
- COGnition and Action Group, UMR 8257, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Eric Krejci
- COGnition and Action Group, UMR 8257, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Christophe Klein
- Centre d'Imagerie Cellulaire et de Cytométrie (CICC), Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers (CRC), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6, Université Paris Descartes - Paris 5, UMR_S 1138, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Mascarelli
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Claudine Versaux-Botteri
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Moulin
- Département de Pathologie, Hôpital Ophtalmique Jules-Gonin , 15, avenue de France, 1004, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marc Putterman
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de l'Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Université Paris Descartes, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Fabien Guimiot
- Unité Fonctionnelle de Foeto-Pathologie, Hôpital Universitaire Robert Debré, 48 Boulevard Serrurier, 75019, Paris, France
| | - Thierry Molina
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de l'Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Université Paris Descartes, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Benoît Terris
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de L'Hôpital Cochin-Hôtel-Dieu, Université Paris Descartes, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Brémond-Gignac
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Francine Behar-Cohen
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Service d'Ophtalmologie, Hôpital Universitaire Cochin-Hôtel-Dieu, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Marc M Abitbol
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France.
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France.
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91
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Disatham J, Chauss D, Gheyas R, Brennan L, Blanco D, Daley L, Menko AS, Kantorow M. Lens differentiation is characterized by stage-specific changes in chromatin accessibility correlating with differentiation state-specific gene expression. Dev Biol 2019; 453:86-104. [PMID: 31136738 PMCID: PMC6667291 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Changes in chromatin accessibility regulate the expression of multiple genes by controlling transcription factor access to key gene regulatory sequences. Here, we sought to establish a potential function for altered chromatin accessibility in control of key gene expression events during lens cell differentiation by establishing genome-wide chromatin accessibility maps specific for four distinct stages of lens cell differentiation and correlating specific changes in chromatin accessibility with genome-wide changes in gene expression. ATAC sequencing was employed to generate chromatin accessibility profiles that were correlated with the expression profiles of over 10,000 lens genes obtained by high-throughput RNA sequencing at the same stages of lens cell differentiation. Approximately 90,000 regions of the lens genome exhibited distinct changes in chromatin accessibility at one or more stages of lens differentiation. Over 1000 genes exhibited high Pearson correlation coefficients (r > 0.7) between altered expression levels at specific stages of lens cell differentiation and changes in chromatin accessibility in potential promoter (-7.5kbp/+2.5kbp of the transcriptional start site) and/or other potential cis-regulatory regions ( ±10 kb of the gene body). Analysis of these regions identified consensus binding sequences for multiple transcription factors including members of the TEAD, FOX, and NFAT families of transcription factors as well as HIF1a, RBPJ and IRF1. Functional mapping of genes with high correlations between altered chromatin accessibility and differentiation state-specific gene expression changes identified multiple families of proteins whose expression could be regulated through changes in chromatin accessibility including those governing lens structure (BFSP1,BFSP2), gene expression (Pax-6, Sox 2), translation (TDRD7), cell-cell communication (GJA1), autophagy (FYCO1), signal transduction (SMAD3, EPHA2), and lens transparency (CRYBB1, CRYBA4). These data provide a novel relationship between altered chromatin accessibility and lens differentiation and they identify a wide-variety of lens genes and functions that could be regulated through altered chromatin accessibility. The data also point to a large number of potential DNA regulatory sequences and transcription factors whose functional analysis is likely to provide insight into novel regulatory mechanisms governing the lens differentiation program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Disatham
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Daniel Chauss
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rifah Gheyas
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lisa Brennan
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - David Blanco
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Lauren Daley
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - A Sue Menko
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marc Kantorow
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA.
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92
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Zhou Y, Bennett TM, Shiels A. A charged multivesicular body protein (CHMP4B) is required for lens growth and differentiation. Differentiation 2019; 109:16-27. [PMID: 31404815 PMCID: PMC6815251 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2019.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Charged multivesicular body protein 4B (CHMP4B) functions as a core component of the endosome sorting complex required for transport-III (ESCRT-III) machinery that facilitates diverse membrane remodeling and scission processes in eukaryotes. Mutations in the human CHMP4B gene underlie rare, inherited forms of early-onset lens opacities or cataract. Here we have characterized the lens phenotypes of mutant (knock-in) mice harboring a human cataract-associated mutation (p.D129V) in CHMP4B (Chmp4b-mutant) and conditional knockdown mice deficient in lens CHMP4B (Chmp4b-CKD). In situ hybridization localized Chmp4b transcripts to lens epithelial cells and elongating fiber cells at the lens equator. Heterozygous Chmp4b-mutant (D/V) mice were viable and fertile with lenses grossly similar to those of wild-type. However, homozygous Chmp4b-mutant (V/V) mice died by embryonic day 15.5 (E15.5) with grossly abnormal eye and brain histology. Chmp4b-CKD mice displayed variable degrees of lens dysmorphology including lens ablation. Immuno-localization of aquaporin-0 (AQP0) revealed lens fiber cell degeneration in homozygous Chmp4b-mutant (V/V) mouse embryos and in embryonic and postnatal Chmp4b-CKD mice. DNA fragmentation (TUNEL) analysis revealed global cell death in homozygous Chmp4b-mutant (V/V) embryos, whereas, cell death was confined to the lens of Chmp4b-CKD mice. Immuno-localization of the monocyte/macrophage marker macrosialin (CD68) suggested that severe lens degeneration in Chmp4b-CKD mice resulted in an ocular immune cell response. Collectively, these mouse data suggest that (1) heterozygous, germ-line mutations in Chmp4b may not manifest as cataract, (2) homozygous, germ-line mutations in Chmp4b are embryonic lethal, and (3) conditional loss of Chmp4b results in arrest of lens growth and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuefang Zhou
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Thomas M Bennett
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alan Shiels
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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93
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Weatherbee BAT, Barton JR, Siddam AD, Anand D, Lachke SA. Molecular characterization of the human lens epithelium-derived cell line SRA01/04. Exp Eye Res 2019; 188:107787. [PMID: 31479653 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2019.107787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cataract-associated gene discovery in human and animal models have informed on key aspects of human lens development, homeostasis and pathology. Additionally, in vitro models such as the culture of permanent human lens epithelium-derived cell lines (LECs) have also been utilized to understand the molecular biology of lens cells. However, these resources remain uncharacterized, specifically regarding their global gene expression and suitability to model lens cell biology. Therefore, we sought to molecularly characterize gene expression in the human LEC, SRA01/04, which is commonly used in lens studies. We first performed short tandem repeat (STR) analysis and validated SRA01/04 LEC for its human origin, as recommended by the eye research community. Next, we used Illumina HumanHT-12 v3.0 Expression BeadChip arrays to gain insights into the global gene expression profile of SRA01/04. Comparative analysis of SRA01/04 microarray data was performed using other resources such as the lens expression database iSyTE (integrated Systems Tool for Eye gene discovery), the cataract gene database Cat-Map and the published lens literature. This analysis showed that SRA01/04 significantly expresses >40% of the top iSyTE lens-enriched genes (313 out of 749) across different developmental stages. Further, SRA01/04 also significantly expresses ~53% (168 out of 318) of cataract-associated genes in Cat-Map. We also performed comparative gene expression analysis between SRA01/04 cells and the previously validated mouse LEC 21EM15. To gain insight into whether SRA01/04 reflects epithelial or fiber cell characteristics, we compared its gene expression profile to previously reported differentially expressed genes in isolated mouse lens epithelial and fiber cells. This analysis suggests that SRA01/04 has reduced expression of several fiber cell-enriched genes. In agreement with these findings, cell culture analysis demonstrates that SRA01/04 has reduced potential to initiate spontaneous lentoid body formation compared to 21EM15 cells. Next, to independently validate SRA01/04 microarray gene expression, we subjected several candidate genes to RT-PCR and RT-qPCR assays. This analysis demonstrates that SRA01/04 supports expression of many key genes associated with lens development and cataract, including CRYAB, CRYBB2, CRYGS, DKK3, EPHA2, ETV5, GJA1, HSPB1, INPPL1, ITGB1, PAX6, PVRL3, SFRP1, SPARC, TDRD7, and VIM, among others, and therefore can be relevant for understanding the mechanistic basis of these factors. At the same time, SRA01/04 cells do not exhibit robust expression of several genes known to be important to lens biology and cataract such as ALDH1A1, COL4A6, CP, CRYBA4, FOXE3, HMX1, HSF4, MAF, MEIS1, PITX3, PRX, SIX3, and TRPM3, among many others. Therefore, the present study offers a rich transcript-level resource for case-by-case evaluation of the potential advantages and limitations of SRA01/04 cells prior to their use in downstream investigations. In sum, these data show that the human LEC, SRA01/04, exhibits lens epithelial cell-like character reflected in the expression of several lens-enriched and cataract-associated genes, and therefore can be considered as a useful in vitro resource when combined with in vivo studies to gain insight into specific aspects of human lens epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua R Barton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Archana D Siddam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Deepti Anand
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Salil A Lachke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA; Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
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94
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López-González C, Juárez-Colunga S, Morales-Elías NC, Tiessen A. Exploring regulatory networks in plants: transcription factors of starch metabolism. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6841. [PMID: 31328026 PMCID: PMC6625501 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological networks are complex (non-linear), redundant (cyclic) and compartmentalized at the subcellular level. Rational manipulation of plant metabolism may have failed due to inherent difficulties of a comprehensive understanding of regulatory loops. We first need to identify key factors controlling the regulatory loops of primary metabolism. The paradigms of plant networks are revised in order to highlight the differences between metabolic and transcriptional networks. Comparison between animal and plant transcription factors (TFs) reveal some important differences. Plant transcriptional networks function at a lower hierarchy compared to animal regulatory networks. Plant genomes contain more TFs than animal genomes, but plant proteins are smaller and have less domains as animal proteins which are often multifunctional. We briefly summarize mutant analysis and co-expression results pinpointing some TFs regulating starch enzymes in plants. Detailed information is provided about biochemical reactions, TFs and cis regulatory motifs involved in sucrose-starch metabolism, in both source and sink tissues. Examples about coordinated responses to hormones and environmental cues in different tissues and species are listed. Further advancements require combined data from single-cell transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches. Cell fractionation and subcellular inspection may provide valuable insights. We propose that shuffling of promoter elements might be a promising strategy to improve in the near future starch content, crop yield or food quality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Axel Tiessen
- Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, CINVESTAV Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, México.,Laboratorio Nacional PlanTECC, Irapuato, México
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95
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Limi S, Zhao Y, Guo P, Lopez-Jones M, Zheng D, Singer RH, Skoultchi AI, Cvekl A. Bidirectional Analysis of Cryba4-Crybb1 Nascent Transcription and Nuclear Accumulation of Crybb3 mRNAs in Lens Fibers. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2019; 60:234-244. [PMID: 30646012 PMCID: PMC6336207 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.18-25921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Crystallin gene expression during lens fiber cell differentiation is tightly spatially and temporally regulated. A significant fraction of mammalian genes is transcribed from adjacent promoters in opposite directions ("bidirectional" promoters). It is not known whether two proximal genes located on the same allele are simultaneously transcribed. Methods Mouse lens transcriptome was analyzed for paired genes whose transcriptional start sites are separated by less than 5 kbp to identify coexpressed bidirectional promoter gene pairs. To probe these transcriptional mechanisms, nascent transcription of Cryba4, Crybb1, and Crybb3 genes from gene-rich part of chromosome 5 was visualized by RNA fluorescent in situ hybridizations (RNA FISH) in individual lens fiber cell nuclei. Results Genome-wide lens transcriptome analysis by RNA-seq revealed that the Cryba4-Crybb1 pair has the highest Pearson correlation coefficient between their steady-state mRNA levels. Analysis of Cryba4 and Crybb1 nascent transcription revealed frequent simultaneous expression of both genes from the same allele. Nascent Crybb3 transcript visualization in "early" but not "late" differentiating lens fibers show nuclear accumulation of the spliced Crybb3 transcripts that was not affected in abnormal lens fiber cell nuclei depleted of chromatin remodeling enzyme Snf2h (Smarca5). Conclusions The current study shows for the first time that two highly expressed lens crystallin genes, Cryba4 and Crybb1, can be simultaneously transcribed from adjacent bidirectional promoters and do not show nuclear accumulation. In contrast, spliced Crybb3 mRNAs transiently accumulate in early lens fiber cell nuclei. The gene pairs coexpressed during lens development showed significant enrichment in human "cataract" phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saima Limi
- Departments of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Yilin Zhao
- Departments of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Peng Guo
- Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Melissa Lopez-Jones
- Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Departments of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States.,Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States.,Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Robert H Singer
- Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Arthur I Skoultchi
- Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Ales Cvekl
- Departments of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States.,Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
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96
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Gath N, Gross JM. Zebrafish mab21l2 mutants possess severe defects in optic cup morphogenesis, lens and cornea development. Dev Dyn 2019; 248:514-529. [PMID: 31037784 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mutations in MAB21L2 result in severe ocular defects including microphthalmia, anophthalmia, coloboma, microcornea, and cataracts. The molecular and cellular underpinnings of these defects are unknown, as is the normal cellular function of MAB21L2. Zebrafish mab21l2 au10 mutants possess ocular defects resembling those in humans with MAB21L2 mutations, providing an excellent model to characterize mab21l2 functions during eye development. RESULTS mab21l2 -/- mutants possessed a host of ocular defects including microphthalmia and colobomas as well as small, disorganized lenses and cornea dysgenesis. Decreased proliferation, increased cell death, and defects in marker gene expression were detected in the lens. Cell death in the optic stalk was elevated in mab21l2 -/- mutants and the basement membrane between the edges of the choroid fissure failed to break down. Neuronal differentiation in the retina was normal, however. mab21l2 -/- mutant corneas were disorganized, possessed an increased number of cells, some of which proliferated ectopically, and failed to differentiate the corneal stroma. CONCLUSIONS mab21l2 function is required for morphogenesis and cell survival in the lens and optic cup, and basement membrane breakdown in the choroid fissure. mab21l2 function also regulates proliferation in the lens and cornea; in its absence, the lens is small and mispatterned, and corneal morphogenesis and patterning are also disrupted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Gath
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Departments of Ophthalmology and Developmental Biology, Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jeffrey M Gross
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Departments of Ophthalmology and Developmental Biology, Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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97
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Abstract
Visual impairment leads to a decrease in quality of life. Cataract is the most commonly
observed ocular disease in humans that causes vision disorders. The risk factors
associated with cataract development include aging, infections, eye injuries,
environmental causes, such as radiation and exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight, and
genetic mutations. Additionally, several cataract patients display phenotypic
heterogeneity, suggesting the role of genetic modifiers in the modulation of severity and
onset time of cataractogenesis. However, the genetic modifiers associated with cataract
have not been identified in humans yet. In contrast, the identification and mapping of
genetic modifiers have been successfully carried out in mice and rats. In this review, we
focus on the genetic modifiers of cataract in the rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Wada
- Faculty of Bioindustry, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 196 Yasaka, Abashiri, Hokkaido 099-2493, Japan.,Mammalian Genetics Project, Department of Genome Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Shumpei P Yasuda
- Mammalian Genetics Project, Department of Genome Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Kikkawa
- Mammalian Genetics Project, Department of Genome Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
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98
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Zhao Y, Zheng D, Cvekl A. Profiling of chromatin accessibility and identification of general cis-regulatory mechanisms that control two ocular lens differentiation pathways. Epigenetics Chromatin 2019; 12:27. [PMID: 31053165 PMCID: PMC6498704 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-019-0272-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Promoters and enhancers are cis-regulatory DNA sequences that control specificity and quantity of transcription. Both are rich on clusters of cis-acting sites that interact with sequence-specific DNA-binding transcription factors (TFs). At the level of chromatin, these regions display increased nuclease sensitivity, reduced nucleosome density, including nucleosome-free regions, and specific combinations of posttranslational modifications of core histone proteins. Together, "open" and "closed" chromatins represent transcriptionally active and repressed states of individual genes, respectively. Cellular differentiation is marked by changes in local chromatin structure. Lens morphogenesis, regulated by TF Pax6, includes differentiation of epithelial precursor cells into lens fibers in parallel with differentiation of epithelial precursors into the mature lens epithelium. RESULTS Using ATAC-seq, we investigated dynamics of chromatin changes during mouse lens fibers and epithelium differentiation. Tissue-specific features of these processes are demonstrated via comparative studies of embryonic stem cells, forebrain, and liver chromatins. Unbiased analysis reveals cis-regulatory logic of lens differentiation through known (e.g., AP-1, Ets, Hsf4, Maf, and Pax6 sites) and novel (e.g., CTCF, Tead, and NF1) motifs. Twenty-six DNA-binding TFs, recognizing these cis-motifs, are markedly up-regulated in differentiating lens fibers. As specific examples, our ATAC-seq data uncovered both the regulatory regions and TF binding motifs in Foxe3, Prox1, and Mip loci that are consistent with previous, though incomplete, experimental data. A cross-examination of Pax6 binding with ATAC-seq data demonstrated that Pax6 bound to both open (H3K27ac and P300-enriched) and closed chromatin domains in lens and forebrain. CONCLUSIONS Our study has generated the first lens chromatin accessibility maps that support a general model of stage-specific chromatin changes associated with transcriptional activities of batteries of genes required for lens fiber cell formation. Analysis of active (or open) promoters and enhancers reveals important cis-DNA motifs that establish the molecular foundation for temporally and spatially regulated gene expression in lens. Together, our data and models open new avenues for the field to conduct mechanistic studies of transcriptional control regions, reconstruction of gene regulatory networks that govern lens morphogenesis, and identification of cataract-causing mutations in noncoding sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilin Zhao
- The Departments of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- The Departments of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 USA
- Neurology and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 USA
| | - Ales Cvekl
- The Departments of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 USA
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 USA
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Wiegering A, Petzsch P, Köhrer K, Rüther U, Gerhardt C. GLI3 repressor but not GLI3 activator is essential for mouse eye patterning and morphogenesis. Dev Biol 2019; 450:141-154. [PMID: 30953627 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Since 1967, it is known that the loss of GLI3 causes very severe defects in murine eye development. GLI3 is able to act as a transcriptional activator (GLI3-A) or as a transcriptional repressor (GLI3-R). Soon after the discovery of these GLI3 isoforms, the question arose which of the different isoforms is involved in eye formation - GLI3-A, GLI3-R or even both. For several years, this question remained elusive. By analysing the eye morphogenesis of Gli3XtJ/XtJ mouse embryos that lack GLI3-A and GLI3-R and of Gli3Δ699/Δ699 mouse embryos in which only GLI3-A is missing, we revealed that GLI3-A is dispensable in vertebrate eye formation. Remarkably, our study shows that GLI3-R is sufficient for the creation of morphologically normal eyes although the molecular setup deviates substantially from normality. In depth-investigations elucidated that GLI3-R controls numerous key players in eye development and governs lens and retina development at least partially via regulating WNT/β-CATENIN signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Wiegering
- Institute for Animal Developmental and Molecular Biology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Patrick Petzsch
- Biological and Medical Research Center (BMFZ), Genomics and Transcriptomics Laboratory (GTL), Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Karl Köhrer
- Biological and Medical Research Center (BMFZ), Genomics and Transcriptomics Laboratory (GTL), Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Rüther
- Institute for Animal Developmental and Molecular Biology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Christoph Gerhardt
- Institute for Animal Developmental and Molecular Biology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Baba Y, Watabe Y, Sagara H, Watanabe S. Sall1 plays pivotal roles for lens fiber cell differentiation in mouse. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 512:927-933. [PMID: 30929925 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.03.098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Mammals possess four Sall transcription factors that play various roles in organogenesis. Previously, we found that Sall1 is expressed in microglia in the central nervous system, and it plays pivotal roles in microglia maturation. In the eye, Sall1 was also expressed in the developing lens, and we examined its role in lens development. A knock-in mouse harboring the EGFP gene in the Sall1 locus (Sall1-gfp) was used to analyze the Sall1 expression pattern. In Sall1-gfp/wild, EGFP was expressed throughout the presumptive lens at E11.5, and subsequently the expression in the lens epithelium became weaker. After birth, signals were observed in the equator region. The effects of Sall1 knockout on lens development were examined in Sall1-gfp/gfp. Lens sections revealed small vacuole-like holes and gaps in the center of the lens fibers at E14.5. Subsequently, the vacuoles appeared in most regions of the fiber cells. Electron microscopic analysis indicated that the vacuoles were between the fiber cells, leading to huge gaps. In addition, contact between the lens epithelium and apical end of the fiber cell was disrupted, and there were gaps between the adjoining lens epithelial cells. However, gap junction structure was observed by electron microscopic analysis, and immunostaining of Zo1 showed rather appropriate expression pattern. Immunohistochemistry indicated that the major lens transcription factors Prox1 and Pax6 were expressed in relatively normal patterns. However, although the expression of Prox1 and Pax6 decreased in nuclei in the control lens, it remained in Sall1-gfp/gfp. In addition, lower expression level of c-Maf protein was observed. Therefore, Sall1 is strongly expressed in the lens from the early developmental stage and plays an essential role in the maintenance of fiber cell and lens epithelium adhesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukihiro Baba
- Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yui Watabe
- Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Sagara
- Medical Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sumiko Watanabe
- Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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