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Huybrechts Y, Appelman-Dijkstra NM, Steenackers E, Van Beylen W, Mortier G, Hendrickx G, Van Hul W. A Mosaic Variant in CTNNB1/β-catenin as a Novel Cause for Osteopathia Striata With Cranial Sclerosis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2024; 109:1891-1898. [PMID: 38173341 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgad757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis (OSCS) is a rare bone disorder with X-linked dominant inheritance, characterized by a generalized hyperostosis in the skull and long bones and typical metaphyseal striations in the long bones. So far, loss-of-function variants in AMER1 (also known as WTX or FAM123B), encoding the APC membrane recruitment protein 1 (AMER1), have been described as the only molecular cause for OSCS. AMER1 promotes the degradation of β-catenin via AXIN stabilization, acting as a negative regulator of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway, a central pathway in bone formation. OBJECTIVE In this study, we describe a Dutch adult woman with an OSCS-like phenotype, namely, generalized high bone mass and characteristic metaphyseal striations, but no genetic variant affecting AMER1. RESULTS Whole exome sequencing led to the identification of a mosaic missense variant (c.876A > C; p.Lys292Asn) in CTNNB1, coding for β-catenin. The variant disrupts an amino acid known to be crucial for interaction with AXIN, a key factor in the β-catenin destruction complex. Western blotting experiments demonstrate that the p.Lys292Asn variant does not significantly affect the β-catenin phosphorylation status, and hence stability in the cytoplasm. Additionally, luciferase reporter assays were performed to investigate the effect of p.Lys292Asn β-catenin on canonical WNT signaling. These studies indicate an average 70-fold increase in canonical WNT signaling activity by p.Lys292Asn β-catenin. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this study indicates that somatic variants in the CTNNB1 gene could explain the pathogenesis of unsolved cases of osteopathia striata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yentl Huybrechts
- Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
| | - Natasha M Appelman-Dijkstra
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen Steenackers
- Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
| | - Wouter Van Beylen
- Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
| | - Geert Mortier
- Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
- Laboratory for Skeletal Dysplasia Research, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Human Genetics, University Hospital Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gretl Hendrickx
- Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
- Laboratory for Skeletal Dysplasia Research, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Van Hul
- Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
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Boamah GA, Huang Z, Ke C, You W, Ayisi CL, Amenyogbe E, Droepenu E. Preliminary analysis of pathways and their implications during salinity stress in abalone. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2024; 50:101224. [PMID: 38430709 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2024.101224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Transcriptome sequencing has offered immense opportunities to study non-model organisms. Abalone is an important marine mollusk that encounters harsh environmental conditions in its natural habitat and under aquaculture conditions; hence, research that increases molecular information to understand abalone physiology and stress response is noteworthy. Accordingly, the study used transcriptome sequencing of the gill tissues of abalone exposed to low salinity stress. The aim is to explore some enriched pathways during salinity stress and the crosstalk and functions of the genes involved in the candidate biological processes for future further analysis of their expression patterns. The data suggest that abalone genes such as YAP/TAZ, Myc, Nkd, and Axin (involved in the Hippo signaling pathway) and PI3K/Akt, SHC, and RTK (involved in the Ras signaling pathways) might mediate growth and development. Thus, deregulation of the Hippo and Ras pathways by salinity stress could be a possible mechanism by which unfavorable salinities influence growth in abalone. Furthermore, PEPCK, GYS, and PLC genes (mediating the Glucagon signaling pathway) might be necessary for glucose homeostasis, reproduction, and abalone meat sensory qualities; hence, a need to investigate how they might be influenced by environmental stress. Genes such as MYD88, IRAK1/4, JNK, AP-1, and TRAF6 (mediating the MAPK signaling pathway) could be useful in understanding abalone's innate immune response to environmental stresses. Finally, the aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathway hints at the mechanism by which new raw materials for protein biosynthesis are mobilized for physiological processes and how abalone might respond to this process during salinity stress. Low salinity clearly regulated genes in these pathways in a time-dependent manner, as hinted by the heat maps. In the future, qRT-PCR verification and in-depth study of the various genes and proteins discussed would provide enormous molecular information resources for the abalone biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Afumwaa Boamah
- Department of Water Resources and Aquaculture Management, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, PMB, Somanya, Ghana.
| | - Zekun Huang
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China
| | - Caihuan Ke
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China
| | - Weiwei You
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China
| | - Christian Larbi Ayisi
- Department of Water Resources and Aquaculture Management, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, PMB, Somanya, Ghana
| | - Eric Amenyogbe
- Department of Water Resources and Aquaculture Management, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, PMB, Somanya, Ghana
| | - Eric Droepenu
- Department of Water Resources and Aquaculture Management, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, PMB, Somanya, Ghana
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Sun L, Ping L, Fan X, Fan Y, Zhang B, Chen X. amer1 Regulates Zebrafish Craniofacial Development by Interacting with the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:734. [PMID: 38255806 PMCID: PMC10815499 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020734] [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: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Microtia-atresia is a rare type of congenital craniofacial malformation causing severe damage to the appearance and hearing ability of affected individuals. The genetic factors associated with microtia-atresia have not yet been determined. The AMER1 gene has been identified as potentially pathogenic for microtia-atresia in two twin families. An amer1 mosaic knockdown zebrafish model was constructed using CRISPR/Cas9. The phenotype and the development process of cranial neural crest cells of the knockdown zebrafish were examined. Components of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway were examined by qPCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assay. IWR-1-endo, a reversible inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, was applied to rescue the abnormal phenotype. The present study showed that the development of mandibular cartilage in zebrafish was severely compromised by amer1 knockdown using CRISPR/Cas9. Specifically, amer1 knockdown was found to affect the proliferation and apoptosis of cranial neural crest cells, as well as their differentiation to chondrocytes. Mechanistically, amer1 exerted an antagonistic effect on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The application of IWR-1-endo could partially rescue the abnormal phenotype. We demonstrated that amer1 was essential for the craniofacial development of zebrafish by interacting with the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These findings provide important insight into the role of amer1 in zebrafish mandibular development and the pathology of microtia-atresia caused by AMER1 gene mutations in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Sun
- Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (L.S.); (X.F.); (Y.F.)
| | - Lu Ping
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China;
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Xinmiao Fan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (L.S.); (X.F.); (Y.F.)
| | - Yue Fan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (L.S.); (X.F.); (Y.F.)
| | - Bo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaowei Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (L.S.); (X.F.); (Y.F.)
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Wisniewski L, French V, Lockwood N, Valdivia LE, Frankel P. P130Cas/bcar1 mediates zebrafish caudal vein plexus angiogenesis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15589. [PMID: 32973180 PMCID: PMC7518251 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71753-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
P130CAS/BCAR1 belongs to the CAS family of adaptor proteins, with important regulatory roles in cell migration, cell cycle control, and apoptosis. Previously, we and others showed that P130CAS mediates VEGF-A and PDGF signalling in vitro, but its cardiovascular function in vivo remains relatively unexplored. We characterise here a novel deletion model of P130CAS in zebrafish. Using in vivo microscopy and transgenic vascular reporters, we observed that while bcar1−/− zebrafish showed no arterial angiogenic or heart defects during development, they strikingly failed to form the caudal vein plexus (CVP). Endothelial cells (ECs) within the CVP of bcar1−/− embryos produced fewer filopodial structures and did not detach efficiently from neighbouring cells, resulting in a significant reduction in ventral extension and overall CVP area. Mechanistically, we show that P130Cas mediates Bmp2b-induced ectopic angiogenic sprouting of ECs in the developing embryo and provide pharmacological evidence for a role of Src family kinases in CVP development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Wisniewski
- Division of Medicine, University College London, 5 University Street, London, WC1E 6JF, UK. .,Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK.
| | - Vanessa French
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, 5 University Street, London, WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Nicola Lockwood
- Division of Medicine, University College London, 5 University Street, London, WC1E 6JF, UK.,The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Leonardo E Valdivia
- Center for Integrative Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paul Frankel
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, 5 University Street, London, WC1E 6JF, UK.
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