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Root ZD, Allen C, Gould C, Brewer M, Jandzik D, Medeiros DM. A Comprehensive Analysis of Fibrillar Collagens in Lamprey Suggests a Conserved Role in Vertebrate Musculoskeletal Evolution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:809979. [PMID: 35242758 PMCID: PMC8887668 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.809979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrates have distinct tissues which are not present in invertebrate chordates nor other metazoans. The rise of these tissues also coincided with at least one round of whole-genome duplication as well as a suite of lineage-specific segmental duplications. Understanding whether novel genes lead to the origin and diversification of novel cell types, therefore, is of great importance in vertebrate evolution. Here we were particularly interested in the evolution of the vertebrate musculoskeletal system, the muscles and connective tissues that support a diversity of body plans. A major component of the musculoskeletal extracellular matrix (ECM) is fibrillar collagens, a gene family which has been greatly expanded upon in vertebrates. We thus asked whether the repertoire of fibrillar collagens in vertebrates reflects differences in the musculoskeletal system. To test this, we explored the diversity of fibrillar collagens in lamprey, a jawless vertebrate which diverged from jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) more than five hundred million years ago and has undergone its own gene duplications. Some of the principal components of vertebrate hyaline cartilage are the fibrillar collagens type II and XI, but their presence in cartilage development across all vertebrate taxa has been disputed. We particularly emphasized the characterization of genes in the lamprey hyaline cartilage, testing if its collagen repertoire was similar to that in gnathostomes. Overall, we discovered thirteen fibrillar collagens from all known gene subfamilies in lamprey and were able to identify several lineage-specific duplications. We found that, while the collagen loci have undergone rearrangement, the Clade A genes have remained linked with the hox clusters, a phenomenon also seen in gnathostomes. While the lamprey muscular tissue was largely similar to that seen in gnathostomes, we saw considerable differences in the larval lamprey skeletal tissue, with distinct collagen combinations pertaining to different cartilage types. Our gene expression analyses were unable to identify type II collagen in the sea lamprey hyaline cartilage nor any other fibrillar collagen during chondrogenesis at the stages observed, meaning that sea lamprey likely no longer require these genes during early cartilage development. Our findings suggest that fibrillar collagens were multifunctional across the musculoskeletal system in the last common ancestor of vertebrates and have been largely conserved, but these genes alone cannot explain the origin of novel cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary D Root
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Cara Allen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Claire Gould
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Margaux Brewer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - David Jandzik
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States.,Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Daniel M Medeiros
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
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Kuratani S, Oisi Y, Ota KG. Evolution of the Vertebrate Cranium: Viewed from Hagfish Developmental Studies. Zoolog Sci 2016; 33:229-38. [DOI: 10.2108/zs150187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shigeru Kuratani
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Morphology, RIKEN, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Oisi
- Development and Function of Inhibitory Neural Circuits, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, One Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458-2906, USA
| | - Kinya G. Ota
- Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Yilan 26242, Taiwan
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Enault S, Muñoz DN, Silva WTAF, Borday-Birraux V, Bonade M, Oulion S, Ventéo S, Marcellini S, Debiais-Thibaud M. Molecular footprinting of skeletal tissues in the catshark Scyliorhinus canicula and the clawed frog Xenopus tropicalis identifies conserved and derived features of vertebrate calcification. Front Genet 2015; 6:283. [PMID: 26442101 PMCID: PMC4584932 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the evolutionary emergence and subsequent diversification of the vertebrate skeleton requires a comprehensive view of the diverse skeletal cell types found in distinct developmental contexts, tissues, and species. To date, our knowledge of the molecular nature of the shark calcified extracellular matrix, and its relationships with osteichthyan skeletal tissues, remain scarce. Here, based on specific combinations of expression patterns of the Col1a1, Col1a2, and Col2a1 fibrillar collagen genes, we compare the molecular footprint of endoskeletal elements from the chondrichthyan Scyliorhinus canicula and the tetrapod Xenopus tropicalis. We find that, depending on the anatomical location, Scyliorhinus skeletal calcification is associated to cell types expressing different subsets of fibrillar collagen genes, such as high levels of Col1a1 and Col1a2 in the neural arches, high levels of Col2a1 in the tesserae, or associated to a drastic Col2a1 downregulation in the centrum. We detect low Col2a1 levels in Xenopus osteoblasts, thereby revealing that the osteoblastic expression of this gene was significantly reduced in the tetrapod lineage. Finally, we uncover a striking parallel, from a molecular and histological perspective, between the vertebral cartilage calcification of both species and discuss the evolutionary origin of endochondral ossification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Enault
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, UMR5554, Université Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRD, EPHE Montpellier, France
| | - David N Muñoz
- Laboratory of Development and Evolution, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción Concepción, Chile
| | - Willian T A F Silva
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, UMR5554, Université Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRD, EPHE Montpellier, France
| | - Véronique Borday-Birraux
- Laboratoire EGCE UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 9191, IRD247, Université Paris Sud Gif-sur-Yvette, France ; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité Paris, France
| | - Morgane Bonade
- Laboratoire EGCE UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 9191, IRD247, Université Paris Sud Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Silvan Oulion
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, UMR5554, Université Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRD, EPHE Montpellier, France
| | - Stéphanie Ventéo
- Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1051 Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvain Marcellini
- Laboratory of Development and Evolution, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción Concepción, Chile
| | - Mélanie Debiais-Thibaud
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, UMR5554, Université Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRD, EPHE Montpellier, France
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Abstract
Over two decades ago, two isoforms of the type II procollagen gene (COL2A1) were discovered. These isoforms, named IIA and IIB, are generated in a developmentally-regulated manner by alternative splicing of exon 2. Chondroprogenitor cells synthesize predominantly IIA isoforms (containing exon 2) while differentiated chondrocytes produce mainly IIB transcripts (devoid of exon 2). Importantly, this IIA-to-IIB alternative splicing switch occurs only during chondrogenesis. More recently, two other isoforms have been reported (IIC and IID) that also involve splicing of exon 2; these findings highlight the complexities involving regulation of COL2A1 expression. The biological significance of why different isoforms of COL2A1 exist within the context of skeletal development and maintenance is still not completely understood. This review will provide current knowledge on COL2A1 isoform expression during chondrocyte differentiation and what is known about some of the mechanisms that control exon 2 alternative splicing. Utilization of mouse models to address the biological significance of Col2a1 alternative splicing in vivo will also be discussed. From the knowledge acquired to date, some new questions and concepts are now being proposed on the importance of Col2a1 alternative splicing in regulating extracellular matrix assembly and how this may subsequently affect cartilage and endochondral bone quality and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey McAlinden
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Musculoskeletal Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA
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Ota KG, Fujimoto S, Oisi Y, Kuratani S. Late development of hagfish vertebral elements. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2013; 320:129-39. [PMID: 23401412 PMCID: PMC3646255 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2012] [Revised: 12/26/2012] [Accepted: 01/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
It has been demonstrated recently that hagfishes, one of two groups of extant jawless vertebrates, have cartilaginous vertebral elements. Embryological and gene expression analyses have also shown that this group of animals develops a sclerotome, the potential primordium of the axial skeleton. However, it has not been shown unequivocally that the hagfish sclerotome truly differentiates into cartilage, because access to late-stage embryos and information about the cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) are lacking for these animals. Here we investigated the expression patterns of the biglycan/decorin (BGN/DCN) gene in the inshore hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri. The homologue of this gene encodes the major noncollagenous component of the cartilaginous ECM among gnathostomes. We clearly identified the expression of this gene in adult vertebral tissues and in embryonic mesenchymal cells on the ventral aspect of the notochord. Taking into account that the sclerotome in the gnathostomes expresses BGN/DCN gene during the chondrogenesis, it is highly expected the hagfish BGN/DCN-positive mesenchymal cells are derived from the sclerotomes. We propose that hagfishes and gnathostomes share conserved developmental mechanisms not only in their somite differentiation, but also in chondrogenesis of their vertebral elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinya G Ota
- Laboratory of Aquatic Zoology, Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Yilan, Taiwan.
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Fujimoto S, Oisi Y, Kuraku S, Ota KG, Kuratani S. Non-parsimonious evolution of hagfish Dlx genes. BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:15. [PMID: 23331926 PMCID: PMC3552724 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 01/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The number of members of the Dlx gene family increased during the two rounds of whole-genome duplication that occurred in the common ancestor of the vertebrates. Because the Dlx genes are involved in the development of the cranial skeleton, brain, and sensory organs, their expression patterns have been analysed in various organisms in the context of evolutionary developmental biology. Six Dlx genes have been isolated in the lampreys, a group of living jawless vertebrates (cyclostomes), and their expression patterns analysed. However, little is known about the Dlx genes in the hagfish, the other cyclostome group, mainly because the embryological analysis of this animal is difficult. Results To identify the hagfish Dlx genes and describe their expression patterns, we cloned the cDNA from embryos of the Japanese inshore hagfish Eptatretus burgeri. Our results show that the hagfish has at least six Dlx genes and one pseudogene. In a phylogenetic analysis, the hagfish Dlx genes and those of the lampreys tended to be excluded from the clade of the gnathostome Dlx genes. In several cases, the lamprey Dlx genes clustered with the clade consisting of two hagfish genes, suggesting that independent gene duplications have occurred in the hagfish lineage. Analysis of the expression of these genes showed distinctive overlapping expression patterns in the cranial mesenchymal cells and the inner ear. Conclusions Independent duplication, pseudogenization, and loss of the Dlx genes probably occurred in the hagfish lineage after its split from the other vertebrate lineages. This pattern is reminiscent of the non-parsimonious evolution of its morphological traits, including its inner ear and vertebrae, which indicate that this group is an early-branching lineage that diverged before those characters evolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoko Fujimoto
- Laboratory of Aquatic Zoology, Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Yilan, Taiwan
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Identification of vertebra-like elements and their possible differentiation from sclerotomes in the hagfish. Nat Commun 2011; 2:373. [PMID: 21712821 PMCID: PMC3157150 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2011] [Accepted: 05/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The hagfish, a group of extant jawless fish, are known to lack true vertebrae and, for this reason, have often been excluded from the group Vertebrata. However, it has yet to be conclusively shown whether hagfish lack all vertebra-like structures, and whether their somites follow developmental processes and patterning distinct from those in lampreys and gnathostomes. Here we report the presence of vertebra-like cartilages in the in-shore hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri. These elements arise as small nodules occupying anatomical positions comparable to those of gnathostome vertebrae. Examination of hagfish embryos suggests that the ventromedial portion of a somite transforms into mesenchymal cells that express cognates of Pax1/9 and Twist, strikingly similar to the pattern of sclerotome development in gnathostomes. We conclude that the vertebra-like elements in the hagfish are homologous to gnathostome vertebrae, implying that this animal underwent secondary reduction of vertebrae in most of the trunk. Hagfish, a group of extant jawless fish, lack true vertebrae, but it is not clear if hagfish lack all vertebrata-like structures. Here the authors report the presence of vertebra-like cartilages in the in-shore hagfish, suggesting that the hagfish underwent secondary reduction of vertebra.
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Dale RM, Topczewski J. Identification of an evolutionarily conserved regulatory element of the zebrafish col2a1a gene. Dev Biol 2011; 357:518-31. [PMID: 21723274 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2011] [Revised: 06/03/2011] [Accepted: 06/16/2011] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an excellent model organism for the study of vertebrate development including skeletogenesis. Studies of mammalian cartilage formation were greatly advanced through the use of a cartilage specific regulatory element of the Collagen type II alpha 1 (Col2a1) gene. In an effort to isolate such an element in zebrafish, we compared the expression of two col2a1 homologues and found that expression of col2a1b, a previously uncharacterized zebrafish homologue, only partially overlaps with col2a1a. We focused our analysis on col2a1a, as it is expressed in both the stacked chondrocytes and the perichondrium. By comparing the genomic sequence surrounding the predicted transcriptional start site of col2a1a among several species of teleosts we identified a small highly conserved sequence (R2) located 1.7 kb upstream of the presumptive transcriptional initiation site. Interestingly, neither the sequence nor location of this element is conserved between teleost and mammalian Col2a1. We generated transient and stable transgenic lines with just the R2 element or the entire 1.7 kb fragment 5' of the transcriptional initiation site. The identified regulatory elements enable the tracking of cellular development in various tissues by driving robust reporter expression in craniofacial cartilage, ear, notochord, floor plate, hypochord and fins in a pattern similar to the expression of endogenous col2a1a. Using a reporter gene driven by the R2 regulatory element, we analyzed the morphogenesis of the notochord sheath cells as they withdraw from the stack of initially uniform cells and encase the inflating vacuolated notochord cells. Finally, we show that like endogenous col2a1a, craniofacial expression of these reporter constructs depends on Sox9a transcription factor activity. At the same time, notochord expression is maintained after Sox9a knockdown, suggesting that other factors can activate expression through the identified regulatory element in this tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodney M Dale
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Research Center, 2300 Children's Plaza, Box 204, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA.
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Sansom RS, Gabbott SE, Purnell MA. Decay of vertebrate characters in hagfish and lamprey (Cyclostomata) and the implications for the vertebrate fossil record. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 278:1150-7. [PMID: 20947532 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The timing and sequence of events underlying the origin and early evolution of vertebrates remains poorly understood. The palaeontological evidence should shed light on these issues, but difficulties in interpretation of the non-biomineralized fossil record make this problematic. Here we present an experimental analysis of decay of vertebrate characters based on the extant jawless vertebrates (Lampetra and Myxine). This provides a framework for the interpretation of the anatomy of soft-bodied fossil vertebrates and putative cyclostomes, and a context for reading the fossil record of non-biomineralized vertebrate characters. Decay results in transformation and non-random loss of characters. In both lamprey and hagfish, different types of cartilage decay at different rates, resulting in taphonomic bias towards loss of 'soft' cartilages containing vertebrate-specific Col2α1 extracellular matrix proteins; phylogenetically informative soft-tissue characters decay before more plesiomorphic characters. As such, synapomorphic decay bias, previously recognized in early chordates, is more pervasive, and needs to be taken into account when interpreting the anatomy of any non-biomineralized fossil vertebrate, such as Haikouichthys, Mayomyzon and Hardistiella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert S Sansom
- Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
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