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Khetan S, Bulyk ML. Overlapping binding sites underlie TF genomic occupancy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.05.583629. [PMID: 38496549 PMCID: PMC10942454 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.05.583629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Sequence-specific DNA binding by transcription factors (TFs) is a crucial step in gene regulation. However, current high-throughput in vitro approaches cannot reliably detect lower affinity TF-DNA interactions, which play key roles in gene regulation. Here, we developed PADIT-seq ( p rotein a ffinity to D NA by in vitro transcription and RNA seq uencing) to assay TF binding preferences to all 10-bp DNA sequences at far greater sensitivity than prior approaches. The expanded catalogs of low affinity DNA binding sites for the human TFs HOXD13 and EGR1 revealed that nucleotides flanking high affinity DNA binding sites create overlapping lower affinity sites that together modulate TF genomic occupancy in vivo . Formation of such extended recognition sequences stems from an inherent property of TF binding sites to interweave each other and expands the genomic sequence space for identifying noncoding variants that directly alter TF binding. One-Sentence Summary Overlapping DNA binding sites underlie TF genomic occupancy through their inherent propensity to interweave each other.
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2
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Gu J, Li S, Zhu B, Liang Q, Chen B, Tang X, Chen C, Wu DD, Li Y. Genetic variation and domestication of horses revealed by 10 chromosome-level genomes and whole-genome resequencing. Mol Ecol Resour 2023; 23:1656-1672. [PMID: 37259205 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13818] [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: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the genetic variations of the horse (Equus caballus) genome will improve breeding conservation and welfare. However, genetic variations in long segments, such as structural variants (SVs), remain understudied. We de novo assembled 10 chromosome-level three-dimensional horse genomes, each representing a distinct breed, and analysed horse SVs using a multi-assembly approach. Our findings suggest that SVs with the accumulation of mammalian-wide interspersed repeats related to long interspersed nuclear elements might be a horse-specific mechanism to modulate genome-wide gene regulatory networks. We found that olfactory receptors were commonly loss and accumulated deleterious mutations, but no purge of deleterious mutations occurred during horse domestication. We examined the potential effects of SVs on the spatial structure of chromatin via topologically associating domains (TADs). Breed-specific TADs were significantly enriched by breed-specific SVs. We identified 4199 unique breakpoint-resolved novel insertions across all chromosomes that account for 2.84 Mb sequences missing from the reference genome. Several novel insertions might have potential functional consequences, as 519 appeared to reside within 449 gene bodies. These genes are primarily involved in pathogen recognition, innate immune responses and drug metabolism. Moreover, 37 diverse horses were resequenced. Combining this with public data, we analysed 97 horses through a comparative population genomics approach to identify the genetic basis underlying breed characteristics using Thoroughbreds as a case study. We provide new scientific evidence for horse domestication, an understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying the phenotypic evolution of horses, and a comprehensive genetic variation resource for further genetic studies of horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Gu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Changsha, China
| | - Sheng Li
- Maxun Biotechnology Institute, Changsha, China
| | - Bo Zhu
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Qiqi Liang
- Key Laboratory of Pig Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture & Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bin Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Changsha, China
| | - Xiangwei Tang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Changsha, China
| | - Chujie Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Changsha, China
| | - Dong-Dong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Yan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resource, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
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3
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Butovskaya M, Adam Y, Batsevich V, Shackelford TK, Fink B. Direct and radiographic digit ratio (2D:4D) measurements of Tuvan children and adolescents from Southern Siberia: Sex differences and skeletal maturation. Early Hum Dev 2023; 184:105835. [PMID: 37517120 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2023.105835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Mongolian-origin ethnic groups digit ratio (2D:4D; a proxy for prenatal sex-steroids) is sexually dimorphic (males < females), as reported for other ethnicities. Most studies measured 2D:4D from soft tissue (directly from the digits, or indirectly from hand scans), or from radiographs. Evidence on the correspondence of 2D:4D measurements from soft tissue with measurements from radiographic images is scarce and has not been reported for a Mongolian-origin sample. In addition, previous research has not considered relationships between 2D:4D and measures of skeletal maturity. AIM To examine (i) associations between 2D:4D measured directly from the palms with those obtained from radiographic images of the same individuals in a sample of children and adolescents from the Tuvan population in Siberia (Russian Federation), and ii) associations between 2D:4D measurements with chronological and skeletal age. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Participants were Tuvan boys and girls aged 7 to 18 years. 2D:4D of the right and left hand was measured from soft tissue (directly from the palm) and compared with radiographic images (left hand only). In addition to finger length 2D:4D, we examined 2D:4D of the phalanges from measurements of radiographs. Skeletal age was assessed using the Tanner-Whitehouse method. RESULTS Sex differences (boys < girls) in measurements of 2D:4D from soft tissue and radiographs were found for total finger length and phalanges. In addition, 2D:4D measurements from radiographs correlated positively and significantly with those obtained from soft tissue. Sex predicted 2D:4D measurements from soft tissue and radiographs, but no effects of chronological/skeletal age and body height were detected. In girls (but not in boys), earlier skeletal maturity (relative to chronological age) was associated with higher 2D:4D in soft tissue measurements of both hands, radiographic 2D:4D, and 2D:4D of the proximal phalanges. CONCLUSION Consistent with reports from other ethnic groups, 2D:4D in young Tuvans was sexually dimorphic, with boys having lower 2D:4D than girls. For girls, higher 2D:4D was found for participants whose skeletal age was more advanced than chronological age. This finding was obtained from direct soft tissue and indirect radiographic measurements. Age and body height were not associated with 2D:4D, which suggests differences in hormone developmental trajectories for 2D:4D and height.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Butovskaya
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation; National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation; Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Yulia Adam
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Valery Batsevich
- Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | | | - Bernhard Fink
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Biosocial Science Information, Biedermannsdorf, Austria.
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4
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Fang W, Li K, Ma S, Wei F, Hu Y. Natural selection and convergent evolution of the HOX gene family in Carnivora. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1107034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
HOX genes play a central role in the development and regulation of limb patterns. For mammals in the order Carnivora, limbs have evolved in different forms, and there are interesting cases of phenotypic convergence, such as the pseudothumb of the giant and red pandas, and the flippers or specialized limbs of the pinnipeds and sea otter. However, the molecular bases of limb development remain largely unclear. Here, we studied the molecular evolution of the HOX9 ~ 13 genes of 14 representative species in Carnivora and explored the molecular evolution of other HOX genes. We found that only one limb development gene, HOXC10, underwent convergent evolution between giant and red pandas and was thus an important candidate gene related to the development of pseudothumbs. No signals of amino acid convergence and natural selection were found in HOX9 ~ 13 genes between pinnipeds and sea otter, but there was evidence of positive selection and rapid evolution in four pinniped species. Overall, few HOX genes evolve via natural selection or convergent evolution, and these could be important candidate genes for further functional validation. Our findings provide insights into potential molecular mechanisms of the development of specialized pseudothumbs and flippers (or specialized limbs).
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Chen X, Zhao F, Xu Y, Cao Y, Li S, Zhang X, Zhao X. Clinical and genetic analysis in Chinese families with synpolydactyly, and cellular localization of HOXD13 with different length of polyalanine tract. Front Genet 2023; 14:1105046. [PMID: 37035736 PMCID: PMC10073534 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1105046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Synpolydactyly (SPD) is caused by mutations in the transcription factor gene HOXD13. Such mutations include polyalanine expansion (PAE), but further study is required for the phenotypic spectrum characteristics of HOXD13 PAE. We investigated four unrelated Chinese families with significant limb malformations. Three PAEs were found in the HOXD13 polyalanine coding region: c.172_192dup (p.Ala58_Ala64dup) in Family 1, c.169_192dup (p.Ala57_Ala64dup) in Family 2, and c.183_210dup (p.Ala62_Ala70dup) in Family 3 and Family 4. Interestingly, we identified a new manifestation of preaxial polydactyly in both hands in a pediatric patient with an expansion of seven alanines, a phenotype not previously noted in SPD patients. Comparing with the wild-type cells and mutant cells with polyalanine contractions (PACs), the HOXD13 protein with a PAE of nine-alanine or more was difficult to enter the nucleus, and easy to form inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm, and with the increase of PAE, the more inclusion bodies were formed. This study not only expanded the phenotypic spectrum of SPD, but also enriched our understanding of its pathogenic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Xue Zhang
- *Correspondence: Xue Zhang, ; Xiuli Zhao,
| | - Xiuli Zhao
- *Correspondence: Xue Zhang, ; Xiuli Zhao,
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6
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Tremblay JO, Bernstein JM, Schoenleber SJ. Lower Extremity Malformations. Pediatr Rev 2022; 43:704-713. [PMID: 36450641 DOI: 10.1542/pir.2020-001180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica M Bernstein
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL
| | - Scott J Schoenleber
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR
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7
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The molecular genetics of human appendicular skeleton. Mol Genet Genomics 2022; 297:1195-1214. [PMID: 35907958 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-022-01930-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Disorders that result from de-arrangement of growth, development and/or differentiation of the appendages (limbs and digit) are collectively called as inherited abnormalities of human appendicular skeleton. The bones of appendicular skeleton have central role in locomotion and movement. The different types of appendicular skeletal abnormalities are well described in the report of "Nosology and Classification of Genetic skeletal disorders: 2019 Revision". In the current article, we intend to present the embryology, developmental pathways, disorders and the molecular genetics of the appendicular skeletal malformations. We mainly focused on the polydactyly, syndactyly, brachydactyly, split-hand-foot malformation and clubfoot disorders. To our knowledge, only nine genes of polydactyly, five genes of split-hand-foot malformation, nine genes for syndactyly, eight genes for brachydactyly and only single gene for clubfoot have been identified to be involved in disease pathophysiology. The current molecular genetic data will help life sciences researchers working on the rare skeletal disorders. Moreover, the aim of present systematic review is to gather the published knowledge on molecular genetics of appendicular skeleton, which would help in genetic counseling and molecular diagnosis.
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8
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Yamada M, Suzuki H, Miya F, Takenouchi T, Kosaki K. Deciphering complex rearrangements at the breakpoint of an apparently balanced reciprocal translocation t(4:18)(q31;q11.2)dn and at a cryptic deletion: Further evidence of TLL1 as a causative gene for atrial septal defect. Am J Med Genet A 2022; 188:2472-2478. [PMID: 35567499 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
When a de novo balanced reciprocal translocation is identified in patients with multiple congenital abnormalities, attempts are often made to infer the relationship between the phenotype of the patient and genes in the proximity of the breakpoint. Here, we report a patient with intellectual disability, atrial septal defect, syndactyly, and cleft lip and palate who had an "apparently balanced" de novo reciprocal translocation t(4:18)(q31;q11.2) as well as a 7-Mb cryptic deletion spanning the HOXD cluster on chromosome 2q31 that was unrelated to the reciprocal translocation. Further analysis using a nanopore long-read sequencer showed complex rearrangements on both derivative chromosomes 4 and 18 and the deleted chromosome 2. First, the TLL1 locus, which is associated with atrial septal defect, was disrupted by the rearrangement involving chromosome 4. Second, the deleted interval at 2q31 included the entire HOXD cluster, the deletion of which is known to cause toe syndactyly, and the DLX1 and DLX2 loci, which are responsible for cleft lip and palate. Among the haplo-sensitive genes within the deleted interval on 2q31, only the RAPGEF4 gene is known to be associated with an autistic phenotype. Hence, most of the clinical features of the patient could be ascribed to specific genomic rearrangements. We have shown the effectiveness of long-read sequencing in defining, in detail, the likely effects of an apparently balanced translocation and cryptic deletion. The results of the present analysis suggest the possibility of phenotypic prediction through a detailed analysis of structural abnormalities, including balanced translocations and deletions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamiko Yamada
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hisato Suzuki
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fuyuki Miya
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshiki Takenouchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenjiro Kosaki
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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9
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Starosta RT, Granadillo JL, Patel KR, Finegold MJ, Stoll J, Kulkarni S. Intrahepatic Cholestasis, Refractory Epilepsy, Skeletal Dysplasia, Endocrine Failure, and Dysmorphic Features in a Child With a Monoallelic 2q24-32.2 Deletion Encompassing ABCB11. Pediatr Dev Pathol 2022; 25:174-179. [PMID: 34428094 DOI: 10.1177/10935266211036084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We report a newborn who presented with multiple limb and facial anomalies, endocrine disorders, and progressively worsening low-GGT cholestasis. A liver biopsy revealed hepatocellular cholestasis with giant cell transformation. Immunohistochemical staining revealed complete absence of BSEP protein compared to control liver. A large 2q24-32.2 deletion leading to loss of 78 OMIM genes. Multiple structural anomalies, epilepsy and endocrine anomalies have been described with hemizygous loss of these genes. This deletion also resulted in complete heterozygous deletion of ABCB11, which encodes the bile salt export pump (BSEP). Genetic analysis did not reveal any pathogenic variants, deletions, or duplications in the other ABCB11 allele. A heterozygous variant in NR1H4, which causes the autosomal recessive progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 5, was also detected. The possible explanations for the PFIC type 2 phenotype in heterozygous loss of ABCB11 include genetic modifiers or di-genic disease with a compound ABCB11 deletion and an NR1H4 missense variant; or undetected pathogenic variants in the other ABCB11 or NR1H4 alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Tzovenos Starosta
- Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 7548Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri.,Department of Pediatrics, 7548Washington University in Saint Louis, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Jorge Luis Granadillo
- Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 7548Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Kalyani R Patel
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Janis Stoll
- Department of Pediatrics, 7548Washington University in Saint Louis, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Sakil Kulkarni
- Department of Pediatrics, 7548Washington University in Saint Louis, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Saint Louis, Missouri
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10
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Guo R, Fang X, Mao H, Sun B, Zhou J, An Y, Wang B. A Novel Missense Variant of HOXD13 Caused Atypical Synpolydactyly by Impairing the Downstream Gene Expression and Literature Review for Genotype-Phenotype Correlations. Front Genet 2021; 12:731278. [PMID: 34777468 PMCID: PMC8579070 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.731278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Synpolydactyly (SPD) is a hereditary congenital limb malformation with distinct syndactyly designated as SPD1, SPD2, and SPD3. SPD1 is caused by mutations of HOXD13, which is a homeobox transcription factor crucial for limb development. More than 143 SPD patients have been reported to carry HOXD13 mutations, but there is a lack of genotype-phenotype correlation. We report a novel missense mutation of c. 925A > T (p.I309F) in an individual with atypical synpolydactyly inherited from her father with mild clinodactyly and three other different alanine insertion mutations in HOXD13 identified by whole exome sequencing (WES) in 12 Chinese SPD families. Unlike polyalanine extension, which tends to form α-helix and causes protein aggregation in the cytoplasm as shown by molecular simulation and immunofluorescence, the c. 925A > T mutation impairs downstream transcription of EPHA7. We compiled literature findings and analyzed genotype-phenotype features in 173 SPD individuals of 53 families, including 12 newly identified families. Among the HOXD13-related individuals, mutations were distributed in three regions: polyalanine, homeobox, and non-homeobox. Polyalanine extension was the most common variant (45%), followed by missense mutations (32%) mostly in the homeobox compared with the loss-of-function (LOF) variants more likely in non-homeobox. Furthermore, a more severe degree and classic SPD were associated with polyalanine mutations although missense variants were associated with brachydactyly and syndactyly in hands and feet and LOF variants with clinodactyly in hands. Our study broadens the HOXD13 mutation spectrum and reveals the profile of three different variants and their severity of SPD, the genotype-phenotype correlation related to the HOXD13 mutation site provides clinical insight, including for genetic counseling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiji Guo
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xia Fang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hailei Mao
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Sun
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiateng Zhou
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu An
- Human Phenome Institute, MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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11
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Housman G, Quillen EE, Stone AC. An evolutionary perspective of DNA methylation patterns in skeletal tissues using a baboon model of osteoarthritis. J Orthop Res 2021; 39:2260-2269. [PMID: 33325553 PMCID: PMC8206284 DOI: 10.1002/jor.24957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation, play an influential role in the development of the degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis (OA). These molecular mechanisms have been heavily studied in humans, and although OA affects several other animals in addition to humans, few efforts have taken an evolutionary perspective. This study explores the evolution of OA epigenetics by assessing the relationship between DNA methylation variation and knee OA development in baboons (Papio spp.) and by comparing these findings to human OA epigenetic associations. Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns were identified in bone and cartilage of the right distal femora from 56 pedigreed, adult baboons (28 with and 28 without knee OA) using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. Several significantly differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and regions were found between tissue types. Substantial OA-related differential methylation was also identified in cartilage, but not in bone, suggesting that cartilage epigenetics may be more influential in OA than bone epigenetics. Additionally, some genes containing OA-related DMPs overlap with and display methylation patterns similar to those previously identified in human OA, revealing a mixture of evolutionarily conserved and divergent OA-related methylation patterns in primates. Overall, these findings reinforce the current etiological perspectives of OA and enhance our evolutionary understanding of epigenetic mechanisms associated with OA. This study further establishes baboons as a valuable nonhuman primate model of OA, and continued investigations in baboons will help to disentangle the molecular mechanisms contributing to OA and their evolutionary histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve Housman
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Corresponding author: Genevieve Housman, Section of Genetic Medicine, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, CLSC 317, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Phone: 574-206-6564. Fax: 773-834-8470.
| | - Ellen E. Quillen
- Department of Genetics, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Anne C. Stone
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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12
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Wu B, Feng C, Zhu C, Xu W, Yuan Y, Hu M, Yuan K, Li Y, Ren Y, Zhou Y, Jiang H, Qiu Q, Wang W, He S, Wang K. The Genomes of Two Billfishes Provide Insights into the Evolution of Endothermy in Teleosts. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:2413-2427. [PMID: 33533895 PMCID: PMC8136490 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Endothermy is a typical convergent phenomenon which has evolved independently at least eight times in vertebrates, and is of significant advantage to organisms in extending their niches. However, how vertebrates other than mammals or birds, especially teleosts, achieve endothermy has not previously been fully understood. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of two billfishes (swordfish and sailfish), members of a representative lineage of endothermic teleosts. Convergent amino acid replacements were observed in proteins related to heat production and the visual system in two endothermic teleost lineages, billfishes and tunas. The billfish-specific genetic innovations were found to be associated with heat exchange, thermoregulation, and the specialized morphology, including elongated bill, enlarged dorsal fin in sailfish and loss of the pelvic fin in swordfish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baosheng Wu
- Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chenguang Feng
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.,The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Chenglong Zhu
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenjie Xu
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Mingliang Hu
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ke Yuan
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yongxin Li
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yandong Ren
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haifeng Jiang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Qiu
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wen Wang
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shunping He
- Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.,School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Wang
- School for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
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13
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Legoff L, D'Cruz SC, Lebosq M, Gely-Pernot A, Bouchekhchoukha K, Monfort C, Kernanec PY, Tevosian S, Multigner L, Smagulova F. Developmental exposure to chlordecone induces transgenerational effects in somatic prostate tissue which are associated with epigenetic histone trimethylation changes. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 152:106472. [PMID: 33711761 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chlordecone (CD), also known as Kepone, is an organochlorine insecticide that has been used in banana crops in the French West Indies. Due to long-term contamination of soils and water, the population is still exposed to CD. Exposure to CD in adulthood is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (PCa). OBJECTIVES We examined the transgenerational effects of CD on murine prostate tissue. METHODS We exposed pregnant Swiss mice to CD. The prostates from directly exposed (F1) and non-exposed (F3) male progeny were analyzed. We used immunofluorescence, RNA-seq and ChIP-seq techniques for the comprehensive analyses of chromatin states in prostate. RESULTS We observed an increased prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia phenotype (PIN) in both F1 and F3 generations. Transcriptomic analysis in CD-derived F1 and F3 prostate using RNA-seq revealed that 970 genes in F1 and 218 in F3 genes were differentially expressed. The differentially expressed genes in both datasets could be clustered accordingly to common biological processes, "cell differentiation", "developmental process", "regulating of signaling", suggesting that in both generations similar processes were perturbed. We detected that in both datasets several Hox genes were upregulated; in F1, the expression was detected mainly in Hoxb and Hoxd, and in F3, in Hoxa family genes. Using a larger number of biological replicates and RT-qPCR we showed that genes implicated in testosterone synthesis (Akr1b3, Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, Srd5a1) were dramatically upregulated in PIN samples; Cyp19a1, converting testosterone to estradiol was elevated as well. We found a dramatic increase in Esr2 expression both in F1 and F3 prostates containing PIN. The PIN-containing samples have a strong increase in expression of self-renewal-related genes (Nanog, Tbx3, Sox2, Sox3, Rb1). We observed changes in liver, F1 CD-exposed males have an increased expression of genes related to DNA repair, matrix collagen and inflammation related pathways in F1 but not in F3 adult CD-derived liver. The changes in RNA transcription were associated with epigenetic changes. Specifically, we found a global increase in H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) and a decrease in H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) in prostate of F1 mice. ChIP-seq analysis showed that 129 regions in F1 and 240 in F3 acquired altered H3K4me3 occupancy in CD-derived prostate, including highest increase at several promoters of Hoxa family genes in both datasets. The alteration in H3K4me3 in both generations overlap 73 genes including genes involved in proliferation regulation, Tbx2, Stat3, Stat5a, Pou2f3 and homeobox genes Hoxa13, Hoxa9. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that developmental exposure to CD leads to epigenetic changes in prostate tissue. The PIN containing samples showed evidence of implication in hormonal pathway and self-renewal gene expression that have the capacity to promote neoplasia in CD-exposed mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Legoff
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Shereen Cynthia D'Cruz
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Morgane Lebosq
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Aurore Gely-Pernot
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Katia Bouchekhchoukha
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Christine Monfort
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Pierre-Yves Kernanec
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Sergei Tevosian
- University of Florida, Department of Physiological Sciences, Box 100144, 1333 Center Drive, 32610 Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Luc Multigner
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Fatima Smagulova
- Univ. Rennes, EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
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14
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Ernsten L, Körner LM, Heil M, Richards G, Schaal NK. Investigating the reliability and sex differences of digit lengths, ratios, and hand measures in infants. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10998. [PMID: 34040007 PMCID: PMC8155043 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89590-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Hands and digits tend to be sexually dimorphic and may reflect prenatal androgen exposure. In the past years, the literature introduced several hand and digit measures, but there is a lack of studies in prepubertal cohorts. The available literature reports more heterogeneous findings in prepubertal compared to postpubertal cohorts. The comparability of the available studies is further limited by the study design and different measurement techniques. The present study compared the reliability and sex differences of available hand and digit measures, namely digit lengths of 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, digit ratios 2D:4D, 2D:5D, 3D:4D, 3D:5D, 4D:5D, relative digit lengths rel2, rel3, rel4, rel5, directional asymmetry of right and left 2D:4D (Dr-l), hand width, length, and index of 399 male and 364 female 6-month-old German infants within one study using only indirect and computer-assisted measurements. The inter-examiner reliability was excellent while the test-retest reliability of hand scans was only moderate to high. Boys exhibited longer digits as well as wider and longer hands than girls, but smaller digit ratios, with ratios comprising the fifth digit revealing the largest effect sizes. Other hand and digit ratios revealed sex differences to some extent. The findings promote the assumption of sexual dimorphic hand and digit measures. However, by comparing the results of the available literature, there remains an uncertainty regarding the underlying hypothesis. Specifically in prepubertal cohorts, i.e. before the influence of fluctuating hormones, significant effects should be expected. It seems like other factors than the influence of prenatal androgens contribute to the sexual dimorphism in hand and digit lengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Ernsten
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Lisa M Körner
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin Heil
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Gareth Richards
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Nora K Schaal
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
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15
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Wang Y, He B, Dong Y, He GJ, Qi XW, Li Y, Yang YF, Rao Y, Cen ZS, Han F, Ding J, Li JJ. Homeobox-A13 acts as a functional prognostic and diagnostic biomarker via regulating P53 and Wnt signaling pathways in lung cancer. Cancer Biomark 2021; 31:239-254. [PMID: 33896818 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-200540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prognosis of lung cancer patients is poor without useful prognostic and diagnostic biomarker. To search for novel prognostic and diagnostic markers, we previously found homeobox-A13 (HOXA13) as a promising candidate in lung cancer. OBJECTIVE To determine the precisely clinical feature, prognostic and diagnostic value, possible role and mechanism of HOXA13. METHODS Gene-expression was explored by real-time quantitative-PCR, western-blot and tissue-microarray. The associations were analyzed by Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression. The roles and mechanisms were evaluated by MTS, EdU, transwell, xenograft tumor and luciferase-reporter assays. RESULTS HOXA13 expression is increased in tumors, and correlated with age of patients. HOXA13 expression is associated with unfavorable overall survival and relapse-free survival of patients in four cohorts. Interestingly, HOXA13 has different prognostic significance in adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), and is a sex- and smoke-related prognostic factor only in ADC. Importantly, HOXA13 can serve as a diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer, especially for SCC. HOXA13 can promote cancer-cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and facilitate tumorigenicity and tumor metastasis in vivo. HOXA13 acts the oncogenic roles on tumor growth and metastasis by regulating P53 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling activities in lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS HOXA13 is a new prognostic and diagnostic biomarker associated with P53 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bo He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Pediatrics, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Oncology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Gong-Jing He
- Department of Otolaryngology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiao-Wei Qi
- Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Li
- Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Yi-Fei Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yu Rao
- Department of Pediatrics, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhong-Shun Cen
- Department of Pediatrics, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Fei Han
- Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jun Ding
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jian-Jun Li
- Department of Oncology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
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16
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Cieslak A, Charbonnier G, Tesio M, Mathieu EL, Belhocine M, Touzart A, Smith C, Hypolite G, Andrieu GP, Martens JHA, Janssen-Megens E, Gut M, Gut I, Boissel N, Petit A, Puthier D, Macintyre E, Stunnenberg HG, Spicuglia S, Asnafi V. Blueprint of human thymopoiesis reveals molecular mechanisms of stage-specific TCR enhancer activation. J Exp Med 2021; 217:151947. [PMID: 32667968 PMCID: PMC7478722 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20192360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell differentiation is accompanied by epigenetic changes leading to precise lineage definition and cell identity. Here we present a comprehensive resource of epigenomic data of human T cell precursors along with an integrative analysis of other hematopoietic populations. Although T cell commitment is accompanied by large scale epigenetic changes, we observed that the majority of distal regulatory elements are constitutively unmethylated throughout T cell differentiation, irrespective of their activation status. Among these, the TCRA gene enhancer (Eα) is in an open and unmethylated chromatin structure well before activation. Integrative analyses revealed that the HOXA5-9 transcription factors repress the Eα enhancer at early stages of T cell differentiation, while their decommission is required for TCRA locus activation and enforced αβ T lineage differentiation. Remarkably, the HOXA-mediated repression of Eα is paralleled by the ectopic expression of homeodomain-related oncogenes in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These results highlight an analogous enhancer repression mechanism at play in normal and cancer conditions, but imposing distinct developmental constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Cieslak
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Charbonnier
- Aix-Marseille University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Theories and Approaches of Genomic Complexity, UMR1090, Marseille, France.,Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France
| | - Melania Tesio
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Eve-Lyne Mathieu
- Aix-Marseille University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Theories and Approaches of Genomic Complexity, UMR1090, Marseille, France.,Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France
| | - Mohamed Belhocine
- Aix-Marseille University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Theories and Approaches of Genomic Complexity, UMR1090, Marseille, France.,Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France
| | - Aurore Touzart
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France.,Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Charlotte Smith
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Hypolite
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume P Andrieu
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Joost H A Martens
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculties of Science and Medicine, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Eva Janssen-Megens
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculties of Science and Medicine, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Marta Gut
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico-Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ivo Gut
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico-Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nicolas Boissel
- Université Paris Diderot, Institut Universitaire d'Hématologie, EA-3518, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, University Hospital Saint-Louis, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Petit
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Armand Trousseau, Paris, France
| | - Denis Puthier
- Aix-Marseille University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Theories and Approaches of Genomic Complexity, UMR1090, Marseille, France.,Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France
| | - Elizabeth Macintyre
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Hendrik G Stunnenberg
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculties of Science and Medicine, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Salvatore Spicuglia
- Aix-Marseille University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Theories and Approaches of Genomic Complexity, UMR1090, Marseille, France.,Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France
| | - Vahid Asnafi
- Université de Paris (Descartes), Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1151, and Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
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17
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Mansy M, Kotb M, Abdelmeguid Y, Raafat S, Abdelaziz M. Hemiscrotal agenesis: a novel phenotype of a rare malformation. BMC Pediatr 2020; 20:536. [PMID: 33248450 PMCID: PMC7697378 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-020-02424-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hemiscrotal agenesis (HSA) is an exceedingly rare congenital anomaly in scrotal development. It is characterized by unilateral absence of scrotal skin with intact midline raphe. In the English literature, only seven patients were diagnosed with HSA. Herein, we report a 14-month-old boy with HSA, unilateral cryptorchidism and a perineal skin tag. Additionally, the patient had a monodactylous limb, unilateral cerebellar hypoplasia, and a cardiac septal defect. CASE PRESENTATION A 14-month-old boy presented with right HSA and ectopic scrotal skin in the right perineal region. Extra-genital examination showed right monodactylous lower limb, without dysmorphic facial features or any other skeletal anomalies. His karyotype was 46, XY, while his hormonal profile showed prepubertal LH and FSH. Skeletal survey showed right monodactylous lower limb (with only a big toe which had 2 phalanges) and normal spine alignment. A previous echocardiography was done and showed a small muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) that closed on follow-up. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed posterior fossa malformation. The patient had his right testis fixed in the right scrotum. The pathological examination of the perineal lesion showed fibro-epithelial polyp (skin tag), with no testicular tissue or atypia. CONCLUSION We believe that this is the first case to be reported with hemiscrotal agenesis and ipsilateral cryptorchidism, associated with a perineal skin tag, unilateral monodactylous lower limb on the same side, unilateral cerebellar hypoplasia, and VSD. Interestingly, further genetic analysis is required to reach a final diagnosis. However, regrettably, advanced molecular diagnostic studies for this patient is not available in our country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Mansy
- Pediatric Surgery, Port Said Faculty of Medicine, Port Said, Egypt
| | - Mostafa Kotb
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, 21615, Alexandria, Egypt.
| | | | - Shaymaa Raafat
- Pediatric Endocrinology, Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Marwa Abdelaziz
- Pathology, Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria, Egypt
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18
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Díaz-Santiago E, Jabato FM, Rojano E, Seoane P, Pazos F, Perkins JR, Ranea JAG. Phenotype-genotype comorbidity analysis of patients with rare disorders provides insight into their pathological and molecular bases. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009054. [PMID: 33001999 PMCID: PMC7553355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic and molecular analysis of rare disease is made difficult by the small numbers of affected patients. Phenotypic comorbidity analysis can help rectify this by combining information from individuals with similar phenotypes and looking for overlap in terms of shared genes and underlying functional systems. However, few studies have combined comorbidity analysis with genomic data. We present a computational approach that connects patient phenotypes based on phenotypic co-occurence and uses genomic information related to the patient mutations to assign genes to the phenotypes, which are used to detect enriched functional systems. These phenotypes are clustered using network analysis to obtain functionally coherent phenotype clusters. We applied the approach to the DECIPHER database, containing phenotypic and genomic information for thousands of patients with heterogeneous rare disorders and copy number variants. Validity was demonstrated through overlap with known diseases, co-mention within the biomedical literature, semantic similarity measures, and patient cluster membership. These connected pairs formed multiple phenotype clusters, showing functional coherence, and mapped to genes and systems involved in similar pathological processes. Examples include claudin genes from the 22q11 genomic region associated with a cluster of phenotypes related to DiGeorge syndrome and genes related to the GO term anterior/posterior pattern specification associated with abnormal development. The clusters generated can help with the diagnosis of rare diseases, by suggesting additional phenotypes for a given patient and potential underlying functional systems. Other tools to find causal genes based on phenotype were also investigated. The approach has been implemented as a workflow, named PhenCo, which can be adapted to any set of patients for which phenomic and genomic data is available. Full details of the analysis, including the clusters formed, their constituent functional systems and underlying genes are given. Code to implement the workflow is available from GitHub. Although rare diseases each affect a small number of people, taken together they affect millions. Better diagnosis and understanding of the underlying mechanisms are needed. By combining phenotypic data for many rare disease patients, we can build clusters of comorbid phenotypes that tend to co-occur together. By using genomic information, we can supplement these clusters and look for related genes and functional systems, such as pathways and molecular mechanisms. We applied such an approach to thousands of rare disease patients from the DECIPHER resources. We were able to detect hundreds of pairs of comorbid phenotypes, and use them to build tens of phenotype clusters. By mapping genes to these phenotypes, based on data from the same patients, we were able to detect related genes and functional systems, such as genes mapping to the 22q11 genomic region underlying a cluster of phenotypes related to DiGeorge syndrome. To ensure that these clusters made sensible predictions, results were validated using literature co-mention, overlap with known disease and semantic similarity measures. These comorbidity patterns, along with their underlying molecular systems, can give important insights into disease mechanisms, moreover they can be used to direct differential-diagnosis of rare disease patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Díaz-Santiago
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Fernando M. Jabato
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Elena Rojano
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Pedro Seoane
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - James R. Perkins
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
- The Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Juan A. G. Ranea
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
- The Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain
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19
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Fan T, Meng X, Sun C, Yang X, Chen G, Li W, Chen Z. Genome-wide DNA methylation profile analysis in thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum. J Cell Mol Med 2020; 24:8753-8762. [PMID: 32583558 PMCID: PMC7412700 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.15509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) causes serious spinal canal stenosis. The underlying aetiology may relate to genetic and inflammatory factors. DNA methylation plays a critical role in osteogenesis and inflammation, whereas there is no genome‐wide DNA methylation analysis about TOLF. The two subtypes of TOLF (single‐level and multiple‐level) have distinct clinical features. Using micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT), we showed the ossification arose from the joint between two vertebrae at one/both sides of ligament flavum. With Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 850 BeadChip arrays, genome‐wide DNA methylation profile was measured in ligament flavum of eight healthy and eight TOLF samples. Only 65 of the differentially methylated cytosine‐phosphate‐guanine dinucleotides were found in both subtype groups. Principal component analysis and heat map analysis showed a different methylation pattern in TOLF samples, and methylation patterns of two subtypes are also distinct. The Gene Ontology enrichment analysis was significantly enriched in differentiation and inflammation. Pyrosequencing analysis and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction were performed to validate the arrays results and expression levels, to test six differentially methylated genes (SLC7A11, HOXA10, HOXA11AS, TNIK, homeobox transcript antisense RNA, IFITM1), using another independent samples (P < 0.05). Our findings first demonstrated an altered Genome‐wide DNA methylation profile in TOLF, and implied distinct methylated features in two subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqi Fan
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangyu Meng
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Chuiguo Sun
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxi Yang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Guanghui Chen
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Weishi Li
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongqiang Chen
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
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20
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Zhang L, Chen X, Xu L, Guan S, Wang D, Lin Y, Wang Z. Novel frameshift mutations of ANKUB1, GLI3, and TAS2R3 associated with polysyndactyly in a Chinese family. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2020; 8:e1223. [PMID: 32253825 PMCID: PMC7284028 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.1223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polysyndactyly (PSD) is an autosomal dominant genetic limb malformation caused by mutations. METHODS Whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used to determine the mutations in PSD patients. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to determine the effect of GLI3 mutation on its transcriptional activity. RESULTS In this study, we investigated the gene mutations of three affected individuals across three generations. The frameshift mutations of GLI3 (NM_000168:c.4659del, NP_000159.3: p.Ser1553del), ANKUB1 (NM_001144960:c.1385del, NP_001138432.1: p.Pro462del), and TAS2R3 (NM_016943:c.128_131del, NP_058639.1: p.Leu43del) were identified in the three affected individuals, but not in three unaffected members by whole exome sequencing and sanger sequencing. Luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that GLI3 mutation reduced the transcriptional activity of GLI3. The results from SMART analysis showed that the frameshift mutation of TAS2R3 altered most protein sequence, which probably destroyed protein function. Although the frameshift mutation of ANKUB1 did not locate in ankyrin repeat domain and ubiquitin domain, it might influence the interaction between ANKUB1 and other proteins, and further affected the ubiquitinylation. CONCLUSION These results indicated that the frameshift mutations of GLI3, ANKUB1, and TAS2R3 might alter the functions of these proteins, and accelerated PSD progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lishan Zhang
- Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, Shandong provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaobin Chen
- Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, Shandong provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lanwei Xu
- Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, Shandong provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shibing Guan
- Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, Shandong provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Dehua Wang
- Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, Shandong provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yanliang Lin
- Center Laboratory, Shandong provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Zengtao Wang
- Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, Shandong provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
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21
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Shanta O, Noor A, Sebat J. The effects of common structural variants on 3D chromatin structure. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:95. [PMID: 32000688 PMCID: PMC6990566 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6516-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Three-dimensional spatial organization of chromosomes is defined by highly self-interacting regions 0.1–1 Mb in size termed Topological Associating Domains (TADs). Genetic factors that explain dynamic variation in TAD structure are not understood. We hypothesize that common structural variation (SV) in the human population can disrupt regulatory sequences and thereby influence TAD formation. To determine the effects of SVs on 3D chromatin organization, we performed chromosome conformation capture sequencing (Hi-C) of lymphoblastoid cell lines from 19 subjects for which SVs had been previously characterized in the 1000 genomes project. We tested the effects of common deletion polymorphisms on TAD structure by linear regression analysis of nearby quantitative chromatin interactions (contacts) within 240 kb of the deletion, and we specifically tested the hypothesis that deletions at TAD boundaries (TBs) could result in large-scale alterations in chromatin conformation. Results Large (> 10 kb) deletions had significant effects on long-range chromatin interactions. Deletions were associated with increased contacts that span the deleted region and this effect was driven by large deletions that were not located within a TAD boundary (nonTB). Some deletions at TBs, including a 80 kb deletion of the genes CFHR1 and CFHR3, had detectable effects on chromatin contacts. However for TB deletions overall, we did not detect a pattern of effects that was consistent in magnitude or direction. Large inversions in the population had a distinguishable signature characterized by a rearrangement of contacts that span its breakpoints. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that common SVs in the population impact long-range chromatin structure, and deletions and inversions have distinct signatures. However, the effects that we observe are subtle and variable between loci. Genome-wide analysis of chromatin conformation in large cohorts will be needed to quantify the influence of common SVs on chromatin structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Shanta
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UCSD, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Amina Noor
- Beyster Center for Genomics of Psychiatric Diseases, Department of Psychiatry, UCSD, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Sebat
- Beyster Center for Genomics of Psychiatric Diseases, Department of Psychiatry, UCSD, San Diego, CA, USA. .,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD, San Diego, CA, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, UCSD, San Diego, CA, USA.
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22
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A heterozygous duplication variant of the HOXD13 gene caused synpolydactyly type 1 with variable expressivity in a Chinese family. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2019; 20:203. [PMID: 31870337 PMCID: PMC6929446 DOI: 10.1186/s12881-019-0908-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Background Synpolydactyly type 1 (SPD1), also known as syndactyly type II, is an autosomal dominant limb deformity generally results in webbing of 3rd and 4th fingers, duplication of 4th or 5th toes. It is most commonly caused by mutation in HOXD13 gene. In this study, a five-generation Chinese family affected with SPD1 disease were collected. We tried to identify the pathogenic variations associated with SPD1 involved in the family. Methods We used the whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify the pathogenic variant in this family which was later confirmed by PCR-Sanger sequencing. The genetic variation were evaluated with the frequencies in the 1000 Genome Project and Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) dataset. The significance of variants were assessed using different mutation predictor softwares like Mutation Taster, PROVEAN and SIFT. The classification of variants was assessed according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines. Results Our results showed the mutation of 24-base pair duplication (c.183_206dupAGCGGCGGCTGCGGCGGCGGCGGC) in exon one of HOXD13 in heterozygous form which was predicted to result in eight extra alanine (A) residues in N-terminal domain of HOXD13 protein. The mutation was detected in all affected members of the family. Conclusion Based on our mutation analysis of variant c.183_206dupAGCGGCGGCTGCGGCGGCGGCGGC in HOXD13 and its cosegregation in all affected family members, we found this variant as likely pathogenic to this SPD1 family. Our study highlights variable expressivity of HOXD13 mutation. Our results also widen the spectrum of HOXD13 mutation responsible for SPD1.
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23
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Chen Z, Lin X, Lei Y, Chen H, Finnell RH, Wang Y, Xu J, Lu D, Xie H, Chen F. Genome-wide association study in Chinese cohort identifies one novel hypospadias risk associated locus at 12q13.13. BMC Med Genomics 2019; 12:196. [PMID: 31856834 PMCID: PMC6923877 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-019-0642-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hypospadias risk–associated gene variants have been reported in populations of European descent using genome-wide association studies (GWASs). There is little known at present about any possible hypospadias risk associations in Han Chinese populations. Methods To systematically investigate hypospadias risk–associated gene variants in Chinese patients, we performed the first GWAS in a Han Chinese cohort consisting of 197 moderate-severe hypospadias cases and 933 unaffected controls. Suggestive loci (p < 1 × 10− 4) were replicated in 118 cases and 383 controls, as well as in a second independent validation population of 137 cases and 190 controls. Regulatory and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) were then conducted for the functional analyses of candidate variants. Results We identified rs11170516 with the risk allele G within the SP1/SP7 region that was independently associated with moderate-severe hypospadias [SP1/SP7, rs11170516, Pcombine = 3.5 × 10− 9, odds ratio (OR) = 1.96 (1.59–2.44)]. Results also suggested that rs11170516 is associated with the expression of SP1 as a cis-expression quantitative trait locus (cis-eQTL). Protein SP1 could affect the risk of hypospadias via PPIs. Conclusions We performed the first GWAS of moderate-severe hypospadias in a Han Chinese cohort, and identified one novel susceptibility cis-acting regulatory locus at 12q13.13, which may regulate a variety of hypospadias-related pathways by affecting proximal SP1 gene expression and subsequent PPIs. This study complements known common hypospadias risk-associated variants and provides the possible role of cis-acting regulatory variant in causing hypospadias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongzhong Chen
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Xiaoling Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.,Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Yunping Lei
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Haitao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Richard H Finnell
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yaping Wang
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Jianfeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.,Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Daru Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Hua Xie
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Fang Chen
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200062, China. .,Department of Urology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China. .,Shanghai Eastern Urological Reconstruction and Repair institute, Shanghai, 200233, China.
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Fuller NW, Haase CG, Silas KA, Olson SH, McGuire LP. First Reported Case of Diphallia in Corynorhinus townsendii. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2019. [DOI: 10.3398/064.079.0313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W. Fuller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
| | - Catherine G. Haase
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
| | - Kirk A. Silas
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Health Program, Bronx, NY
| | - Sarah H. Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Health Program, Bronx, NY
| | - Liam P. McGuire
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
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25
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A predicted novel protein isoform of HOXA9. Leuk Res 2019; 82:7-10. [PMID: 31112908 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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26
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Luo Z, Rhie SK, Farnham PJ. The Enigmatic HOX Genes: Can We Crack Their Code? Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11030323. [PMID: 30866492 PMCID: PMC6468460 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11030323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Homeobox genes (HOX) are a large family of transcription factors that direct the formation of many body structures during early embryonic development. There are 39 genes in the subgroup of homeobox genes that constitute the human HOX gene family. Correct embryonic development of flies and vertebrates is, in part, mediated by the unique and highly regulated expression pattern of the HOX genes. Disruptions in these fine-tuned regulatory mechanisms can lead to developmental problems and to human diseases such as cancer. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms of action of the HOX family of transcription factors are severely under-studied, likely due to idiosyncratic details of their structure, expression, and function. We suggest that a concerted and collaborative effort to identify interacting protein partners, produce genome-wide binding profiles, and develop HOX network inhibitors in a variety of human cell types will lead to a deeper understanding of human development and disease. Within, we review the technological challenges and possible approaches needed to achieve this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifei Luo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Suhn K Rhie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Peggy J Farnham
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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27
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WITHDRAWN: A 24-base pair duplication in exon one of HOXD13 gene linked to synpolydactyly type 1 in a Chinese family. Meta Gene 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mgene.2018.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Generation of Progesterone-Responsive Endometrial Stromal Fibroblasts from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Role of the WNT/CTNNB1 Pathway. Stem Cell Reports 2018; 11:1136-1155. [PMID: 30392973 PMCID: PMC6234962 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Defective endometrial stromal fibroblasts (EMSFs) contribute to uterine factor infertility, endometriosis, and endometrial cancer. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from skin or bone marrow biopsies provide a patient-specific source that can be differentiated to various cells types. Replacement of abnormal EMSFs is a potential novel therapeutic approach for endometrial disease; however, the methodology or mechanism for differentiating iPSCs to EMSFs is unknown. The uterus differentiates from the intermediate mesoderm (IM) to form coelomic epithelium (CE) followed by the Müllerian duct (MD). Here, we successfully directed the differentiation of human iPSCs (hiPSCs) through IM, CE, and MD to EMSFs under molecularly defined embryoid body culture conditions using specific hormonal treatments. Activation of CTNNB1 was essential for expression of progesterone receptor that mediated the final differentiation step of EMSFs before implantation. These hiPSC-derived tissues illustrate the potential for iPSC-based endometrial regeneration for future cell-based treatments. We developed a molecularly defined system for differentiating hiPSCs to EMSFs hiPSC-derived EMSFs undergo decidualization in response to hormonal stimulation D14 embryoid bodies recapitulate the molecular signature of primary EMSFs The WNT/CTNNB1 pathway is required for induction of EMSF from hiPSCs
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29
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Sfontouris IA, Lainas GT, Lainas TG, Faros E, Banti M, Kardara K, Anagnostopoulou K, Kontos H, Petsas GK, Kolibianakis EM. Complex chromosomal aberrations in a fetus originating from oocytes with smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) aggregates. Syst Biol Reprod Med 2018; 64:283-290. [PMID: 29718716 DOI: 10.1080/19396368.2018.1466375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The presence of smooth endoplasmic reticulum aggregates (SERa) in the ooplasm is considered as the most severe oocyte dysmorphism due to its serious and potentially lethal outcomes in offspring. In the present case report, a couple underwent their first intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle using a gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol, followed by fetal ultrasound scanning and amniocentesis. SERa were observed in all oocytes retrieved. A singleton pregnancy was established. The second trimester fetal ultrasound scan revealed a female fetus with overlapping fingers in both hands, and amniocentesis was performed for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities. Comprehensive genetic analysis with the combined use of array-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), fluoresence in situ hybridization (FISH) and conventional cytogenetics revealed a complex chromosome rearrangement (CCR) involving three break points on two chromosomes, resulting in a reciprocal translocation with a cryptic 2q31 deletion. A week following amniocentesis, there was rupture of amniotic membranes and a stillborn was delivered. This is the first case in the literature to report a CCR with concomitant 2q31 deletion resulting in a well-defined and clinically recognizable contiguous gene syndrome with an abnormal phenotype in a fetus arising from a cohort of oocytes affected by SERa. It is suggested that fertilization and transfer of oocytes with SERa should be avoided, until further research establishes whether there is a causal relationship between the presence of SERa and chromosomal abnormalities in the resulting fetus. ABBREVIATIONS SER: smooth endoplasmic reticulum; ICSI: intracytoplasmic sperm injection; GnRH: gonadotrophin releasing hormone; CGH: comparative genomic hybridization; FISH: fluoresence in situ hybridization; FSH: follicle stimulating hormone; hCG: human chorionic gonadotrophin; OHSS: ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome; IVF: in vitro fertilization; MII: metaphase II; GV: germinal vesicle; CCR: complex chromosome rearrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Maria Banti
- a Eugonia Assisted Reproduction Unit , Athens , Greece
| | | | | | - Harris Kontos
- b Genomedica, Clinical Diagnosis Laboratory , Piraeus , Greece
| | | | - Efstratios M Kolibianakis
- c Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Medical School , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece
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30
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Colwell M, Drown M, Showel K, Drown C, Palowski A, Faulk C. Evolutionary conservation of DNA methylation in CpG sites within ultraconserved noncoding elements. Epigenetics 2018; 13:49-60. [PMID: 29372669 PMCID: PMC5836973 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2017.1411447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultraconserved noncoding elements (UCNEs) constitute less than 1 Mb of vertebrate genomes and are impervious to accumulating mutations. About 4000 UCNEs exist in vertebrate genomes, each at least 200 nucleotides in length, sharing greater than 95% sequence identity between human and chicken. Despite extreme sequence conservation over 400 million years of vertebrate evolution, we show both ordered interspecies and within-species interindividual variation in DNA methylation in these regions. Here, we surveyed UCNEs with high CpG density in 56 species finding half to be intermediately methylated and the remaining near 0% or 100%. Intermediately methylated UCNEs displayed a greater range of methylation between mouse tissues. In a human population, most UCNEs showed greater variation than the LINE1 transposon, a frequently used epigenetic biomarker. Global methylation was found to be inversely correlated to hydroxymethylation across 60 vertebrates. Within UCNEs, DNA methylation is flexible, conserved between related species, and relaxed from the underlying sequence selection pressure, while remaining heritable through speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathia Colwell
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Melissa Drown
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Kelly Showel
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Chelsea Drown
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Amanda Palowski
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Christopher Faulk
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, Saint Paul, MN, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW HOXA9 is a homeodomain transcription factor that plays an essential role in normal hematopoiesis and acute leukemia, in which its overexpression is strongly correlated with poor prognosis. The present review highlights recent advances in the understanding of genetic alterations leading to deregulation of HOXA9 and the downstream mechanisms of HOXA9-mediated transformation. RECENT FINDINGS A variety of genetic alterations including MLL translocations, NUP98-fusions, NPM1 mutations, CDX deregulation, and MOZ-fusions lead to high-level HOXA9 expression in acute leukemias. The mechanisms resulting in HOXA9 overexpression are beginning to be defined and represent attractive therapeutic targets. Small molecules targeting MLL-fusion protein complex members, such as DOT1L and menin, have shown promising results in animal models, and a DOT1L inhibitor is currently being tested in clinical trials. Essential HOXA9 cofactors and collaborators are also being identified, including transcription factors PU.1 and C/EBPα, which are required for HOXA9-driven leukemia. HOXA9 targets including IGF1, CDX4, INK4A/INK4B/ARF, mir-21, and mir-196b and many others provide another avenue for potential drug development. SUMMARY HOXA9 deregulation underlies a large subset of aggressive acute leukemias. Understanding the mechanisms regulating the expression and activity of HOXA9, along with its critical downstream targets, shows promise for the development of more selective and effective leukemia therapies.
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Dong Y, Cai Y, Liu B, Jiao X, Li ZT, Guo DY, Li XW, Wang YJ, Yang DK. HOXA13 is associated with unfavorable survival and acts as a novel oncogene in prostate carcinoma. Future Oncol 2017; 13:1505-1516. [PMID: 28766961 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2016-0522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM To investigate the clinical relevance and functional role of HOXA13 in prostate cancer Methods: PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry were performed to determine the expression. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression survival analyses investigated the clinical relevance. Cell viability, flow cytometry and transwell assays were used to determine the functional roles. RESULTS HOXA13 expression is sharply increased in carcinoma tissues and is significantly associated with poor prognosis of prostate cancer patients. Interestingly, nucleus not cytoplasm HOXA13 expression is associated with unfavorable survival of the patients. Furthermore, nucleus HOXA13 expression represents an unfavorable and independent prognosis factor of histological grade 2 or Gleason grade <8 patients. Functionally, forced expression of HOXA13 obviously promotes tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas inhibits tumor cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION HOXA13 is an unfavorable prognostic factor and a novel oncogene for prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Dong
- Department of Urology, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China.,Department of Oncology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ying Cai
- Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Burns & plastic Surgery, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China
| | - Xiang Jiao
- Department of Urology, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China
| | - Zhong-Tai Li
- Department of Urology, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China
| | - Da-Yong Guo
- Department of Urology, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China
| | - Xin-Wei Li
- Department of Urology, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China
| | - Yong-Jun Wang
- Department of Urology, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China
| | - Deng-Ke Yang
- Department of Urology, 159th Hospital of PLA, Zhumadian, China
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Abstract
Background Duplications or deletions in the 12q13.13 region are rare. Only scattered cases with duplications and/or deletions in this region have been reported in the literature or in online databases. Owing to the limited number of patients with genomic alteration within this region and lack of systematic analysis of these patients, the common clinical manifestation of these patients has remained elusive. Case presentation Here we report an 802 kb duplication in the 12q13.13q13.13 region in a 14 year-old male who presented with dysmorphic features, developmental delay (DD), mild intellectual disability (ID) and mild deformity of digits. Comparing the phenotype of our patient with those of reported patients, we find that patients with the 12q13.13 duplication or the deletion share similar phenotypes, including dysmorphic facies, abnormal nails, intellectual disability, and deformity of digits or limbs. However, patients with the deletion appear to have more severe deformity of digits or limbs. Conclusions Deletion and duplication of the 12q13.13 region may represent novel contiguous gene alteration syndromes. All seven reported 12q13.13 deletions and three of four duplications are de novo and vary in size. Therefore, these genomic alterations are not due to non-allelic homologous recombination.
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Yokoyama S, Furukawa S, Kitada S, Mori M, Saito T, Kawakami K, Belmonte JCI, Kawakami Y, Ito Y, Sato T, Asahara H. Analysis of transcription factors expressed at the anterior mouse limb bud. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175673. [PMID: 28467430 PMCID: PMC5415108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Limb bud patterning, outgrowth, and differentiation are precisely regulated in a spatio-temporal manner through integrated networks of transcription factors, signaling molecules, and downstream genes. However, the exact mechanisms that orchestrate morphogenesis of the limb remain to be elucidated. Previously, we have established EMBRYS, a whole-mount in situ hybridization database of transcription factors. Based on the findings from EMBRYS, we focused our expression pattern analysis on a selection of transcription factor genes that exhibit spatially localized and temporally dynamic expression patterns with respect to the anterior-posterior axis in the E9.5–E11.5 limb bud. Among these genes, Irx3 showed a posteriorly expanded expression domain in Shh-/- limb buds and an anteriorly reduced expression domain in Gli3-/- limb buds, suggesting their importance in anterior-posterior patterning. To assess the stepwise EMBRYS-based screening system for anterior regulators, we generated Irx3 transgenic mice in which Irx3 was expressed in the entire limb mesenchyme under the Prrx1 regulatory element. The Irx3 gain-of-function model displayed complex phenotypes in the autopods, including digit loss, radial flexion, and fusion of the metacarpal bones, suggesting that Irx3 may contribute to the regulation of limb patterning, especially in the autopods. Our results demonstrate that gene expression analysis based on EMBRYS could contribute to the identification of genes that play a role in patterning of the limb mesenchyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigetoshi Yokoyama
- Department of Systems Biomedicine, National Institute of Child Health and Development, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Soichi Furukawa
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shoya Kitada
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaki Mori
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Saito
- Department of Systems Biomedicine, National Institute of Child Health and Development, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koichi Kawakami
- Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Genetics, and Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Yasuhiko Kawakami
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Yoshiaki Ito
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tempei Sato
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Asahara
- Department of Systems Biomedicine, National Institute of Child Health and Development, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Tickle C, Towers M. Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Limb Development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2017; 5:14. [PMID: 28293554 PMCID: PMC5328949 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2017.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The gene encoding the secreted protein Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is expressed in the polarizing region (or zone of polarizing activity), a small group of mesenchyme cells at the posterior margin of the vertebrate limb bud. Detailed analyses have revealed that Shh has the properties of the long sought after polarizing region morphogen that specifies positional values across the antero-posterior axis (e.g., thumb to little finger axis) of the limb. Shh has also been shown to control the width of the limb bud by stimulating mesenchyme cell proliferation and by regulating the antero-posterior length of the apical ectodermal ridge, the signaling region required for limb bud outgrowth and the laying down of structures along the proximo-distal axis (e.g., shoulder to digits axis) of the limb. It has been shown that Shh signaling can specify antero-posterior positional values in limb buds in both a concentration- (paracrine) and time-dependent (autocrine) fashion. Currently there are several models for how Shh specifies positional values over time in the limb buds of chick and mouse embryos and how this is integrated with growth. Extensive work has elucidated downstream transcriptional targets of Shh signaling. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how antero-posterior positional values are encoded and then interpreted to give the particular structure appropriate to that position, for example, the type of digit. A distant cis-regulatory enhancer controls limb-bud-specific expression of Shh and the discovery of increasing numbers of interacting transcription factors indicate complex spatiotemporal regulation. Altered Shh signaling is implicated in clinical conditions with congenital limb defects and in the evolution of the morphological diversity of vertebrate limbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryll Tickle
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of BathBath, UK,*Correspondence: Cheryll Tickle
| | - Matthew Towers
- Department of Biomedical Science, The Bateson Centre, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, UK,Matthew Towers
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Sinha N, A. Seeley M, S. Horwitz D, Maniar H, H. Seeley A. Pediatric Orthogenomics: The Latest Trends and Controversies. AIMS MEDICAL SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.3934/medsci.2017.2.192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Abstract
Safe, effective approaches for bone regeneration are needed to reverse bone loss caused by trauma, disease, and tumor resection. Unfortunately, the science of bone regeneration is still in its infancy, with all current or emerging therapies having serious limitations. Unlike current regenerative therapies that use single regenerative factors, the natural processes of bone formation and repair require the coordinated expression of many molecules, including growth factors, bone morphogenetic proteins, and specific transcription factors. As will be developed in this article, future advances in bone regeneration will likely incorporate therapies that mimic critical aspects of these natural biological processes, using the tools of gene therapy and tissue engineering. This review will summarize current knowledge related to normal bone development and fracture repair, and will describe how gene therapy, in combination with tissue engineering, may mimic critical aspects of these natural processes. Current gene therapy approaches for bone regeneration will then be summarized, including recent work where combinatorial gene therapy was used to express groups of molecules that synergistically interacted to stimulate bone regeneration. Last, proposed future directions for this field will be discussed, where regulated gene expression systems will be combined with cells seeded in precise three-dimensional configurations on synthetic scaffolds to control both temporal and spatial distribution of regenerative factors. It is the premise of this article that such approaches will eventually allow us to achieve the ultimate goal of bone tissue engineering: to reconstruct entire bones with associated joints, ligaments, or sutures. Abbreviations used: BMP, bone morphogenetic protein; FGF, fibroblast growth factor; AER, apical ectodermal ridge; ZPA, zone of polarizing activity; PZ, progress zone; SHH, sonic hedgehog; OSX, osterix transcription factor; FGFR, fibroblast growth factor receptor; PMN, polymorphonuclear neutrophil; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; IGF, insulin-like growth factor; TGF-β, tumor-derived growth factor β; CAR, coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor; MLV, murine leukemia virus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; AAV, adeno-associated virus; CAT, computer-aided tomography; CMV, cytomegalovirus; GAM, gene-activated matrix; MSC, marrow stromal cell; MDSC, muscle-derived stem cell; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- R T Franceschi
- University of Michigan School of Dentistry, 1011 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078, USA.
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Liu CF, Samsa WE, Zhou G, Lefebvre V. Transcriptional control of chondrocyte specification and differentiation. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 62:34-49. [PMID: 27771362 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A milestone in the evolutionary emergence of vertebrates was the invention of cartilage, a tissue that has key roles in modeling, protecting and complementing the bony skeleton. Cartilage is elaborated and maintained by chondrocytes. These cells derive from multipotent skeletal progenitors and they perform highly specialized functions as they proceed through sequential lineage commitment and differentiation steps. They form cartilage primordia, the primary skeleton of the embryo. They then transform these primordia either into cartilage growth plates, temporary drivers of skeletal elongation and endochondral ossification, or into permanent tissues, namely articular cartilage. Chondrocyte fate decisions and differentiated activities are controlled by numerous extrinsic and intrinsic cues, and they are implemented at the gene expression level by transcription factors. The latter are the focus of this review. Meritorious efforts from many research groups have led over the last two decades to the identification of dozens of key chondrogenic transcription factors. These regulators belong to all types of transcription factor families. Some have master roles at one or several differentiation steps. They include SOX9 and RUNX2/3. Others decisively assist or antagonize the activities of these masters. They include TWIST1, SOX5/6, and MEF2C/D. Many more have tissue-patterning roles and regulate cell survival, proliferation and the pace of cell differentiation. They include, but are not limited to, homeodomain-containing proteins and growth factor signaling mediators. We here review current knowledge of all these factors, one superclass, class, and family at a time. We then compile all knowledge into transcriptional networks. We also identify remaining gaps in knowledge and directions for future research to fill these gaps and thereby provide novel insights into cartilage disease mechanisms and treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Feng Liu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.
| | - William E Samsa
- Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Guang Zhou
- Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Véronique Lefebvre
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.
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Szczerbal I, Stefaniak T, Dubiel A, Siembieda J, Nizanski W, Switonski M. Chromosome Instability in a Calf with Amelia of Thoracic Limbs. Vet Pathol 2016; 43:789-92. [PMID: 16966464 DOI: 10.1354/vp.43-5-789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We report here on a case of a Holstein-Friesian male calf with the congenital total absence of thoracic limbs (amelia). cytogenetic study showed a high rate of chromosome instability, represented by chromosome or chromatid breaks and gaps in 46% of the analyzed metaphase spreads. Moreover, 12% of the spreads appeared to be polypolid. The number of micronuclei also was significantly higher when compared to control animals. This paper discusses the association between chromosome instability and limb malformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Szczerbal
- Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, August Cieszkowski Agricultural University of Poznan, Wolynska 33, 60-637 Poznan, Poland
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Watson CM, Crinnion LA, Harrison SM, Lascelles C, Antanaviciute A, Carr IM, Bonthron DT, Sheridan E. A Chromosome 7 Pericentric Inversion Defined at Single-Nucleotide Resolution Using Diagnostic Whole Genome Sequencing in a Patient with Hand-Foot-Genital Syndrome. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157075. [PMID: 27272187 PMCID: PMC4896502 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Next generation sequencing methodologies are facilitating the rapid characterisation of novel structural variants at nucleotide resolution. These approaches are particularly applicable to variants initially identified using alternative molecular methods. We report a child born with bilateral postaxial syndactyly of the feet and bilateral fifth finger clinodactyly. This was presumed to be an autosomal recessive syndrome, due to the family history of consanguinity. Karyotype analysis revealed a homozygous pericentric inversion of chromosome 7 (46,XX,inv(7)(p15q21)x2) which was confirmed to be heterozygous in both unaffected parents. Since the resolution of the karyotype was insufficient to identify any putatively causative gene, we undertook medium-coverage whole genome sequencing using paired-end reads, in order to elucidate the molecular breakpoints. In a two-step analysis, we first narrowed down the region by identifying discordant read-pairs, and then determined the precise molecular breakpoint by analysing the mapping locations of “soft-clipped” breakpoint-spanning reads. PCR and Sanger sequencing confirmed the identified breakpoints, both of which were located in intergenic regions. Significantly, the 7p15 breakpoint was located 523 kb upstream of HOXA13, the locus for hand-foot-genital syndrome. By inference from studies of HOXA locus control in the mouse, we suggest that the inversion has delocalised a HOXA13 enhancer to produce the phenotype observed in our patient. This study demonstrates how modern genetic diagnostic approach can characterise structural variants at nucleotide resolution and provide potential insights into functional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M. Watson
- Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Laura A. Crinnion
- Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
| | - Sally M. Harrison
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
| | - Carolina Lascelles
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
| | - Agne Antanaviciute
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M. Carr
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
| | - David T. Bonthron
- Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
| | - Eamonn Sheridan
- Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
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Selection on different genes with equivalent functions: the convergence story told by Hox genes along the evolution of aquatic mammalian lineages. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:113. [PMID: 27209096 PMCID: PMC4875654 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0682-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Convergent evolution has been a challenging topic for decades, being cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians textbook examples of three independent origins of equivalent phenotypes. These mammalian lineages acquired similar anatomical features correlated to an aquatic life, and remarkably differ from their terrestrial counterparts. Whether their molecular evolutionary history also involved similar genetic mechanisms underlying such morphological convergence nevertheless remained unknown. To test for the existence of convergent molecular signatures, we studied the molecular evolution of Hox genes in these three aquatic mammalian lineages, comparing their patterns to terrestrial mammals. Hox genes are transcription factors that play a pivotal role in specifying embryonic regional identity of nearly any bilateral animal, and are recognized major agents for diversification of body plans. Results We detected few signatures of positive selection on Hox genes across the three aquatic mammalian lineages and verified that purifying selection prevails in these sequences, as expected for pleiotropic genes. Genes found as being positively selected differ across the aquatic mammalian lineages, but we identified a substantial overlap of their developmental functions. Such pattern likely resides on the duplication history of Hox genes, which probably provided different possible evolutionary routes for achieving the same phenotypic solution. Conclusions Our results indicate that convergence occurred at a functional level of Hox genes along three independent origins of aquatic mammals. This conclusion reinforces the idea that different changes in developmental genes may lead to similar phenotypes, probably due to the redundancy provided by the participation of Hox paralogous genes in several developmental functions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0682-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Booker BM, Friedrich T, Mason MK, VanderMeer JE, Zhao J, Eckalbar WL, Logan M, Illing N, Pollard KS, Ahituv N. Bat Accelerated Regions Identify a Bat Forelimb Specific Enhancer in the HoxD Locus. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005738. [PMID: 27019019 PMCID: PMC4809552 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular events leading to the development of the bat wing remain largely unknown, and are thought to be caused, in part, by changes in gene expression during limb development. These expression changes could be instigated by variations in gene regulatory enhancers. Here, we used a comparative genomics approach to identify regions that evolved rapidly in the bat ancestor, but are highly conserved in other vertebrates. We discovered 166 bat accelerated regions (BARs) that overlap H3K27ac and p300 ChIP-seq peaks in developing mouse limbs. Using a mouse enhancer assay, we show that five Myotis lucifugus BARs drive gene expression in the developing mouse limb, with the majority showing differential enhancer activity compared to the mouse orthologous BAR sequences. These include BAR116, which is located telomeric to the HoxD cluster and had robust forelimb expression for the M. lucifugus sequence and no activity for the mouse sequence at embryonic day 12.5. Developing limb expression analysis of Hoxd10-Hoxd13 in Miniopterus natalensis bats showed a high-forelimb weak-hindlimb expression for Hoxd10-Hoxd11, similar to the expression trend observed for M. lucifugus BAR116 in mice, suggesting that it could be involved in the regulation of the bat HoxD complex. Combined, our results highlight novel regulatory regions that could be instrumental for the morphological differences leading to the development of the bat wing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betty M. Booker
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Tara Friedrich
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Mandy K. Mason
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Julia E. VanderMeer
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Control and Optimization for Chemical Processes of the Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Walter L. Eckalbar
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Malcolm Logan
- Division of Developmental Biology, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guys Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Illing
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Katherine S. Pollard
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Division of Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KSP); (NA)
| | - Nadav Ahituv
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KSP); (NA)
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HoxA Genes and the Fin-to-Limb Transition in Vertebrates. J Dev Biol 2016; 4:jdb4010010. [PMID: 29615578 PMCID: PMC5831813 DOI: 10.3390/jdb4010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
HoxA genes encode for important DNA-binding transcription factors that act during limb development, regulating primarily gene expression and, consequently, morphogenesis and skeletal differentiation. Within these genes, HoxA11 and HoxA13 were proposed to have played an essential role in the enigmatic evolutionary transition from fish fins to tetrapod limbs. Indeed, comparative gene expression analyses led to the suggestion that changes in their regulation might have been essential for the diversification of vertebrates' appendages. In this review, we highlight three potential modifications in the regulation and function of these genes that may have boosted appendage evolution: (1) the expansion of polyalanine repeats in the HoxA11 and HoxA13 proteins; (2) the origin of +a novel long-non-coding RNA with a possible inhibitory function on HoxA11; and (3) the acquisition of cis-regulatory elements modulating 5' HoxA transcription. We discuss the relevance of these mechanisms for appendage diversification reviewing the current state of the art and performing additional comparative analyses to characterize, in a phylogenetic framework, HoxA11 and HoxA13 expression, alanine composition within the encoded proteins, long-non-coding RNAs and cis-regulatory elements.
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Jin K, Sukumar S. HOX genes: Major actors in resistance to selective endocrine response modifiers. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2016; 1865:105-10. [PMID: 26803986 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2016.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Long term treatment with therapies aimed at blocking the estrogen- (ER) or androgen receptor (AR) action often leads to the development of resistance to selective modulators of the estrogen receptor (SERMs) in ERα-positive breast cancer, or of the androgen receptor (SARMs) in AR-positive prostate cancer. Many underlying molecular events that confer resistance are known, but a unifying theme is yet to be revealed. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) such EGFR, ERBB2 and IGF1R are major mediators that can directly alter cellular response to the SERM, tamoxifen, but the mechanisms underlying increased expression of RTKs are not clear. A number of HOX genes and microRNAs and non-coding RNAs residing in the HOX cluster, have been identified as important independent predictors of endocrine resistant breast cancer. Recently, convincing evidence has accumulated that several members belonging to the four different HOX clusters contribute to endocrine therapy resistant breast cancer, but the mechanisms remain obscure. In this article, we have reviewed recent progress in understanding of the functioning of HOX genes and regulation of their expression by hormones. We also discuss, in particular, the contributions of several members of the HOX gene family to endocrine resistant breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kideok Jin
- Breast Cancer Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins, 720 Rutland Avenue, 617 Traylor Bldg., Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
| | - Saraswati Sukumar
- Breast Cancer Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
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Abstract
A fundamental initiative for evolutionary biologists is to understand the molecular basis underlying phenotypic diversity. A long-standing hypothesis states that species-specific traits may be explained by differences in gene regulation rather than differences at the protein level. Over the past few years, evolutionary studies have shifted from mere sequence comparisons to integrative analyses in which gene regulation is key to understanding species evolution. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification involved in the regulation of numerous biological processes. Nevertheless, the evolution of the human methylome and the processes driving such changes are poorly understood. Here, we review the close interplay between Cytosine-phosphate-Guanine (CpG) methylation and the underlying genome sequence, as well as its evolutionary impact. We also summarize the latest advances in the field, revisiting the main literature on human and nonhuman primates. We hope to encourage the scientific community to address the many challenges posed by the field of comparative epigenomics.
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Wallis M, Tsurusaki Y, Burgess T, Borzi P, Matsumoto N, Miyake N, True D, Patel C. Dual genetic diagnoses: Atypical hand-foot-genital syndrome and developmental delay due to de novo mutations in HOXA13 and NRXN1. Am J Med Genet A 2015; 170:717-24. [PMID: 26590955 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.37478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
We describe a male patient with dual genetic diagnoses of atypical hand-foot-genital syndrome (HFGS) and developmental delay. The proband had features of HFGS that included bilateral vesicoureteric junction obstruction with ectopic ureters, brachydactyly of various fingers and toes, hypoplastic thenar eminences, and absent nails on both 4th toes and right 5th toe. The atypical features of HFGS present were bilateral hallux valgus malformations and bilateral preaxial polydactyly of the hands. Chromosomal microarray analysis identified a de novo 0.5 Mb deletion at 2p16.3, including the first four exons of the NRXN1 gene. Whole exome sequencing and subsequent Sanger sequencing identified a de novo missense mutation (c.1123G>T, p.Val375Phe) in exon 2 of the HOXA13 gene, predicted to be damaging and located in the homeobox domain. The intragenic NRXN1 deletion is thought to explain his developmental delay via a separate genetic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew Wallis
- Genetic Health Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yoshinori Tsurusaki
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Trent Burgess
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Service, MCRI, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Borzi
- Department of Paediatric Surgery and Urology, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Naomichi Matsumoto
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Noriko Miyake
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Deanna True
- Department of General Paediatrics, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Chirag Patel
- Genetic Health Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Du H, Taylor HS. The Role of Hox Genes in Female Reproductive Tract Development, Adult Function, and Fertility. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2015; 6:a023002. [PMID: 26552702 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a023002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
HOX genes convey positional identity that leads to the proper partitioning and adult identity of the female reproductive track. Abnormalities in reproductive tract development can be caused by HOX gene mutations or altered HOX gene expression. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) and other endocrine disruptors cause Müllerian defects by changing HOX gene expression. HOX genes are also essential regulators of adult endometrial development. Regulated HOXA10 and HOXA11 expression is necessary for endometrial receptivity; decreased HOXA10 or HOXA11 expression leads to decreased implantation rates. Alternation of HOXA10 and HOXA11 expression has been identified as a mechanism of the decreased implantation associated with endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, leiomyoma, polyps, adenomyosis, and hydrosalpinx. Alteration of HOX gene expression causes both uterine developmental abnormalities and impaired adult endometrial development that prevent implantation and lead to female infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongling Du
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
| | - Hugh S Taylor
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
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48
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Turner M, Zhang Y, Carlson HL, Stadler HS, Ames JB. Chemical shift assignments of mouse HOXD13 DNA binding domain bound to duplex DNA. BIOMOLECULAR NMR ASSIGNMENTS 2015; 9:267-270. [PMID: 25491407 PMCID: PMC4465062 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-014-9589-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/03/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The homeobox gene (Hoxd13) codes for a transcription factor protein that binds to AT-rich DNA sequences and controls expression of proteins that control embryonic morphogenesis. We report NMR chemical shift assignments of mouse Hoxd13 DNA binding domain bound to an 11-residue DNA duplex (BMRB No. 25133).
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Turner
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Yonghong Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Hanqian L Carlson
- Shriners Hospital for Children Research Department, 3101 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - H Scott Stadler
- Shriners Hospital for Children Research Department, 3101 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
- Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - James B Ames
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
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49
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Abstract
Apoptosis is a cellular suicide program, which is on the one hand used to remove superfluous cells thereby promoting tissue or organ morphogenesis. On the other hand, the programmed killing of cells is also critical when potentially harmful cells emerge in a developing or adult organism thereby endangering survival. Due to its critical role apoptosis is tightly controlled, however so far, its regulation on the transcriptional level is less studied and understood. Hox genes, a highly conserved gene family encoding homeodomain transcription factors, have crucial roles in development. One of their prominent functions is to shape animal body plans by eliciting different developmental programs along the anterior-posterior axis. To this end, Hox proteins transcriptionally regulate numerous processes in a coordinated manner, including cell-type specification, differentiation, motility, proliferation as well as apoptosis. In this review, we will focus on how Hox proteins control organismal morphology and function by regulating the apoptotic machinery. We will first focus on well-established paradigms of Hox-apoptosis interactions and summarize how Hox transcription factors control morphological outputs and differentially shape tissues along the anterior-posterior axis by fine-tuning apoptosis in a healthy organism. We will then discuss the consequences when this interaction is disturbed and will conclude with some ideas and concepts emerging from these studies.
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Bina M, Wyss P. Impact of the MLL1 morphemes on codon utilization and preservation in CpG Islands. Biopolymers 2015; 103:480-90. [PMID: 25991579 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2014] [Revised: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Minou Bina
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907
| | - Phillip Wyss
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907
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