1
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Kurup AJ, Bailet F, Fürthauer M. Myosin1G promotes Nodal signaling to control zebrafish left-right asymmetry. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6547. [PMID: 39095343 PMCID: PMC11297164 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50868-y] [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: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Myosin1D (Myo1D) has recently emerged as a conserved regulator of animal Left-Right (LR) asymmetry that governs the morphogenesis of the vertebrate central LR Organizer (LRO). In addition to Myo1D, the zebrafish genome encodes the closely related Myo1G. Here we show that while Myo1G also controls LR asymmetry, it does so through an entirely different mechanism. Myo1G promotes the Nodal-mediated transfer of laterality information from the LRO to target tissues. At the cellular level, Myo1G is associated with endosomes positive for the TGFβ signaling adapter SARA. myo1g mutants have fewer SARA-positive Activin receptor endosomes and a reduced responsiveness to Nodal ligands that results in a delay of left-sided Nodal propagation and tissue-specific laterality defects in organs that are most distant from the LRO. Additionally, Myo1G promotes signaling by different Nodal ligands in specific biological contexts. Our findings therefore identify Myo1G as a context-dependent regulator of the Nodal signaling pathway.
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2
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Schauer A, Pranjic-Ferscha K, Hauschild R, Heisenberg CP. Robust axis elongation by Nodal-dependent restriction of BMP signaling. Development 2024; 151:dev202316. [PMID: 38372390 PMCID: PMC10911127 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202316] [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: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Embryogenesis results from the coordinated activities of different signaling pathways controlling cell fate specification and morphogenesis. In vertebrate gastrulation, both Nodal and BMP signaling play key roles in germ layer specification and morphogenesis, yet their interplay to coordinate embryo patterning with morphogenesis is still insufficiently understood. Here, we took a reductionist approach using zebrafish embryonic explants to study the coordination of Nodal and BMP signaling for embryo patterning and morphogenesis. We show that Nodal signaling triggers explant elongation by inducing mesendodermal progenitors but also suppressing BMP signaling activity at the site of mesendoderm induction. Consistent with this, ectopic BMP signaling in the mesendoderm blocks cell alignment and oriented mesendoderm intercalations, key processes during explant elongation. Translating these ex vivo observations to the intact embryo showed that, similar to explants, Nodal signaling suppresses the effect of BMP signaling on cell intercalations in the dorsal domain, thus allowing robust embryonic axis elongation. These findings suggest a dual function of Nodal signaling in embryonic axis elongation by both inducing mesendoderm and suppressing BMP effects in the dorsal portion of the mesendoderm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Schauer
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | | | - Robert Hauschild
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
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3
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Concha ML, Reig G. Origin, form and function of extraembryonic structures in teleost fishes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210264. [PMID: 36252221 PMCID: PMC9574637 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Teleost eggs have evolved a highly derived early developmental pattern within vertebrates as a result of the meroblastic cleavage pattern, giving rise to a polar stratified architecture containing a large acellular yolk and a small cellular blastoderm on top. Besides the acellular yolk, the teleost-specific yolk syncytial layer (YSL) and the superficial epithelial enveloping layer are recognized as extraembryonic structures that play critical roles throughout embryonic development. They provide enriched microenvironments in which molecular feedback loops, cellular interactions and mechanical signals emerge to sculpt, among other things, embryonic patterning along the dorsoventral and left-right axes, mesendodermal specification and the execution of morphogenetic movements in the early embryo and during organogenesis. An emerging concept points to a critical role of extraembryonic structures in reinforcing early genetic and morphogenetic programmes in reciprocal coordination with the embryonic blastoderm, providing the necessary boundary conditions for development to proceed. In addition, the role of the enveloping cell layer in providing mechanical, osmotic and immunological protection during early stages of development, and the autonomous nutritional support provided by the yolk and YSL, have probably been key aspects that have enabled the massive radiation of teleosts to colonize every ecological niche on the Earth. This article is part of the theme issue 'Extraembryonic tissues: exploring concepts, definitions and functions across the animal kingdom'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel L. Concha
- Integrative Biology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute (BNI), Santiago 8380453, Chile
- Center for Geroscience, Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), Santiago 7800003, Chile
| | - Germán Reig
- Escuela de Tecnología Médica y del Centro Integrativo de Biología y Química Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago 7800003, Chile
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4
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Kuhn T, Landge AN, Mörsdorf D, Coßmann J, Gerstenecker J, Čapek D, Müller P, Gebhardt JCM. Single-molecule tracking of Nodal and Lefty in live zebrafish embryos supports hindered diffusion model. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6101. [PMID: 36243734 PMCID: PMC9569377 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33704-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The hindered diffusion model postulates that the movement of a signaling molecule through an embryo is affected by tissue geometry and binding-mediated hindrance, but these effects have not been directly demonstrated in vivo. Here, we visualize extracellular movement and binding of individual molecules of the activator-inhibitor signaling pair Nodal and Lefty in live developing zebrafish embryos using reflected light-sheet microscopy. We observe that diffusion coefficients of molecules are high in extracellular cavities, whereas mobility is reduced and bound fractions are high within cell-cell interfaces. Counterintuitively, molecules nevertheless accumulate in cavities, which we attribute to the geometry of the extracellular space by agent-based simulations. We further find that Nodal has a larger bound fraction than Lefty and shows a binding time of tens of seconds. Together, our measurements and simulations provide direct support for the hindered diffusion model and yield insights into the nanometer-to-micrometer-scale mechanisms that lead to macroscopic signal dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Kuhn
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Biophysics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Amit N. Landge
- grid.9811.10000 0001 0658 7699University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - David Mörsdorf
- grid.418026.90000 0004 0492 0357Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Max-Planck-Ring 9, 72076 Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424University of Vienna, Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jonas Coßmann
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Biophysics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Johanna Gerstenecker
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Biophysics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Daniel Čapek
- grid.9811.10000 0001 0658 7699University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Patrick Müller
- grid.9811.10000 0001 0658 7699University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany ,grid.418026.90000 0004 0492 0357Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Max-Planck-Ring 9, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - J. Christof M. Gebhardt
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Biophysics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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5
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Negretti MI, Böse N, Petri N, Kremnyov S, Tsikolia N. Nodal asymmetry and hedgehog signaling during vertebrate left–right symmetry breaking. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:957211. [PMID: 36172285 PMCID: PMC9511907 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.957211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of visceral left–right asymmetry in bilateria is based on initial symmetry breaking followed by subsequent asymmetric molecular patterning. An important step is the left-sided expression of transcription factor pitx2 which is mediated by asymmetric expression of the nodal morphogen in the left lateral plate mesoderm of vertebrates. Processes leading to emergence of the asymmetric nodal domain differ depending on the mode of symmetry breaking. In Xenopus laevis and mouse embryos, the leftward fluid flow on the ventral surface of the left–right organizer leads through intermediate steps to enhanced activity of the nodal protein on the left side of the organizer and subsequent asymmetric nodal induction in the lateral plate mesoderm. In the chick embryo, asymmetric morphogenesis of axial organs leads to paraxial nodal asymmetry during the late gastrulation stage. Although it was shown that hedgehog signaling is required for initiation of the nodal expression, the mechanism of its asymmetry remains to be clarified. In this study, we established the activation of hedgehog signaling in early chick embryos to further study its role in the initiation of asymmetric nodal expression. Our data reveal that hedgehog signaling is sufficient to induce the nodal expression in competent domains of the chick embryo, while treatment of Xenopus embryos led to moderate nodal inhibition. We discuss the role of symmetry breaking and competence in the initiation of asymmetric gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nina Böse
- Anatomy and Embryology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Natalia Petri
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Stanislav Kremnyov
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikoloz Tsikolia
- Anatomy and Embryology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Nikoloz Tsikolia,
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6
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Brown W, Bardhan A, Darrah K, Tsang M, Deiters A. Optical Control of MicroRNA Function in Zebrafish Embryos. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:16819-16826. [PMID: 36073798 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c04479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs play crucial and dynamic roles in vertebrate development and diseases. Some, like miR-430, are highly expressed during early embryo development and regulate hundreds of transcripts, which can make it difficult to study their role in the timing and location of specific developmental processes using conventional morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) knockdown or genetic deletion approaches. We demonstrate that light-activated circular morpholino oligonucleotides (cMOs) can be applied to the conditional control of microRNA function. We targeted miR-430 in zebrafish embryos to study its role in the development of the embryo body and the heart. Using 405 nm irradiation, precise spatial and temporal control over miR-430 function was demonstrated, offering insight into the cell populations and developmental timepoints involved in each process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wes Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Anirban Bardhan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Kristie Darrah
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Michael Tsang
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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7
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Xing C, Shen W, Gong B, Li Y, Yan L, Meng A. Maternal Factors and Nodal Autoregulation Orchestrate Nodal Gene Expression for Embryonic Mesendoderm Induction in the Zebrafish. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:887987. [PMID: 35693948 PMCID: PMC9178097 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.887987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nodal proteins provide crucial signals for mesoderm and endoderm induction. In zebrafish embryos, the nodal genes ndr1/squint and ndr2/cyclops are implicated in mesendoderm induction. It remains elusive how ndr1 and ndr2 expression is regulated spatiotemporally. Here we investigated regulation of ndr1 and ndr2 expression using Mhwa mutants that lack the maternal dorsal determinant Hwa with deficiency in β-catenin signaling, Meomesa mutants that lack maternal Eomesodermin A (Eomesa), Meomesa;Mhwa double mutants, and the Nodal signaling inhibitor SB431542. We show that ndr1 and ndr2 expression is completely abolished in Meomesa;Mhwa mutant embryos, indicating an essential role of maternal eomesa and hwa. Hwa-activated β-catenin signaling plays a major role in activation of ndr1 expression in the dorsal blastodermal margin, while eomesa is mostly responsible for ndr1 expression in the lateroventral margin and Nodal signaling contributes to ventral expansion of the ndr1 expression domain. However, ndr2 expression mainly depends on maternal eomesa with minor or negligible contribution of maternal hwa and Nodal autoregulation. These mechanisms may help understand regulation of Nodal expression in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cencan Xing
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Daxing Research Institute, University of Science and Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Weimin Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Gong
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yaqi Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Yan
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Anming Meng
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Anming Meng,
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8
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Jones WD, Mullins MC. Cell signaling pathways controlling an axis organizing center in the zebrafish. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 150:149-209. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2022.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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9
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Hasanpour S, Eagderi S, Poorbagher H, Angrand PO, Hasanpour M, Lashkarbolok M. The effect of Activin pathway modulation on the expression of both pluripotency and differentiation markers during early zebrafish development compared with other vertebrates. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2021; 336:562-575. [PMID: 34254429 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Activin-like factors control many developmental processes, including pluripotency maintenance and differentiation. Although Activin-like factors' action in mesendoderm induction has been demonstrated in zebrafish, their involvement in preserving the stemness remains unknown. To investigate the role of maternal Activin-like factors, their effects were promoted or blocked using synthetic human Activin A or SB-431542 treatments respectively until the maternal to zygotic transition. To study the role of zygotic Activin-like factors, SB-431542 treatment was also applied after the maternal to zygotic transition. The effect of the pharmacological modulations of the Activin/Smad pathway was then studied on the mRNA expressions of the ndr1, ndr2, tbxta (no tail/ntl) as the differentiation index, mych, nanog, and oct4 (pou5f3) as the pluripotency markers of the zebrafish embryonic cells as well as sox17 as a definitive endoderm marker. Expression of the target genes was measured at the 16-cell, 256-cell, 1K-cell, oblong, dome, and shield stages using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Activation of the maternal Activin signaling pathway led to an increase in zygotic expression of the tbxta, particularly marked at the oblong stage. In other words, promotion of the maternal Activin/Smad pathway induced differentiation by advancing the major peaks of ndr1 and nanog, thereby eliciting tbxta expression. Whereas suppression of the maternal or zygotic Activin/Smad pathway sustained the pluripotency by preventing the major peaks of ndr1 and nanog as well as tbxta encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaghayegh Hasanpour
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.,Development and Biosystematic Lab., Department of Fisheries and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Soheil Eagderi
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Hadi Poorbagher
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Pierre-Olivier Angrand
- Univ Lille, CNRS UMR 9020, Inserm UMR-S 1277, CHU Lille, Centre Oscar Lambret, UMR Canther-Cancer Heterogeneity, Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, Lille, France
| | - Mohammad Hasanpour
- Department of Neurosurgery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Lashkarbolok
- Department of Radiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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10
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Reassembling gastrulation. Dev Biol 2021; 474:71-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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11
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Castro Colabianchi AM, Tavella MB, Boyadjián López LE, Rubinstein M, Franchini LF, López SL. Segregation of brain and organizer precursors is differentially regulated by Nodal signaling at blastula stage. Biol Open 2021; 10:bio.051797. [PMID: 33563608 PMCID: PMC7928228 DOI: 10.1242/bio.051797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The blastula Chordin- and Noggin-expressing (BCNE) center comprises animal-dorsal and marginal-dorsal cells of the amphibian blastula and contains the precursors of the brain and the gastrula organizer. Previous findings suggested that the BCNE behaves as a homogeneous cell population that only depends on nuclear β-catenin activity but does not require Nodal and later segregates into its descendants during gastrulation. In contrast to previous findings, in this work, we show that the BCNE does not behave as a homogeneous cell population in response to Nodal antagonists. In fact, we found that chordin.1 expression in a marginal subpopulation of notochordal precursors indeed requires Nodal input. We also establish that an animal BCNE subpopulation of cells that express both, chordin.1 and sox2 (a marker of pluripotent neuroectodermal cells), and gives rise to most of the brain, persisted at blastula stage after blocking Nodal. Therefore, Nodal signaling is required to define a population of chordin.1+ cells and to restrict the recruitment of brain precursors within the BCNE as early as at blastula stage. We discuss our findings in Xenopus in comparison to other vertebrate models, uncovering similitudes in early brain induction and delimitation through Nodal signaling. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: Nodal signaling is involved in the delimitation of the blastula cell populations that give rise to the brain and axial mesoderm in Xenopus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitana M Castro Colabianchi
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología / 1° U.A. Departamento de Histología, Embriología, Biología Celular y Genética, Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular "Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco", Buenos Aires 1121, Argentina.,CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. E. De Robertis" (IBCN), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1121, Argentina
| | - María B Tavella
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI) "Dr. Héctor N. Torres", Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires C1428, Argentina
| | - Laura E Boyadjián López
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología / 1° U.A. Departamento de Histología, Embriología, Biología Celular y Genética, Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular "Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco", Buenos Aires 1121, Argentina.,CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. E. De Robertis" (IBCN), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1121, Argentina
| | - Marcelo Rubinstein
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI) "Dr. Héctor N. Torres", Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires C1428, Argentina.,Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
| | - Lucía F Franchini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI) "Dr. Héctor N. Torres", Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires C1428, Argentina
| | - Silvia L López
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología / 1° U.A. Departamento de Histología, Embriología, Biología Celular y Genética, Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular "Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco", Buenos Aires 1121, Argentina .,CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. E. De Robertis" (IBCN), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1121, Argentina
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12
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Isthmin1, a secreted signaling protein, acts downstream of diverse embryonic patterning centers in development. Cell Tissue Res 2020; 383:987-1002. [PMID: 33367974 PMCID: PMC7960586 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03318-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Extracellular signals play essential roles during embryonic patterning by providing positional information in a concentration-dependent manner, and many such signals, like Wnt, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), Hedgehog (Hh), and retinoic acid, act by being secreted into the extracellular space, thereby triggering receptor-mediated responses in other cells. Isthmin1 (ism1) is a secreted protein whose gene expression pattern coincides with that of early dorsal determinants, nodal ligand genes like sqt and cyc, and with fgf8 during various phases of zebrafish development. Ism1 functions in early embryonic patterning and development are poorly understood; however, it has recently been shown to interact with nodal pathway genes to control organ asymmetry in chicken. Here, we show that misexpression of ism1 deletion constructs disrupts embryonic patterning in zebrafish and exhibits genetic interactions with both Fgf and nodal signaling. Unlike Fgf and nodal pathway mutants, CRISPR/Cas9-engineered ism1 mutants did not show obvious developmental defects. Further, in vivo single molecule fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) showed that Ism1 diffuses freely in the extra-cellular space, with a diffusion coefficient similar to that of Fgf8a; however, our measurements do not support direct molecular interactions between Ism1 and either nodal ligands or Fgf8a in the developing zebrafish embryo. Together, data from gain- and loss-of-function experiments suggest that zebrafish Ism1 plays a complex role in regulating extracellular signals during early embryonic development.
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13
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Wu CS, Lu YF, Liu YH, Huang CJ, Hwang SPL. Zebrafish Cdx1b modulates epithalamic asymmetry by regulating ndr2 and lft1 expression. Dev Biol 2020; 470:21-36. [PMID: 33197427 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.11.001] [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: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Nodal signaling is essential for mesoderm and endoderm formation, as well as neural plate induction and establishment of left-right asymmetry. However, the mechanisms controlling expression of Nodal pathway genes in these contexts are not fully known. Previously, we showed that Cdx1b induces expression of downstream Nodal signaling factors during early endoderm formation. In this study, we show that Cdx1b also regulates epithalamic asymmetry in zebrafish embryos by modulating expression of ndr2 and lft1. We first knocked down cdx1b with translation-blocking and splicing-blocking morpholinos (MOs). Most embryos injected with translation-blocking MOs showed absent ndr2, lft1 and pitx2c expression in the left dorsal diencephalon during segmentation and pharyngula stages accompanied by aberrant parapineal migration and habenular laterality at 72 h post fertilization (hpf). These defects were less frequent in embryos injected with splicing-blocking MO. To confirm the morphant phenotype, we next generated both zygotic (Z)cdx1b-/- and maternal zygotic (MZ)cdx1b-/- mutants by CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis. Expression of ndr2, lft1 and pitx2c was absent in the left dorsal diencephalon of a high proportion of MZcdx1b-/- mutants; however, aberrant dorsal diencephalic pitx2c expression patterns were observed at low frequency in Zcdx1b-/- mutant embryos. Correspondingly, dysregulated parapineal migration and habenular laterality were also observed in MZcdx1b-/- mutant embryos at 72 hpf. On the other hand, Kupffer's vesicle cilia length and number, expression pattern of spaw in the lateral plate mesoderm and pitx2c in the gut as well as left-right patterning of various visceral organs were not altered in MZcdx1b-/- mutants compared to wild-type embryos. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that Cdx1b directly regulates ndr2 and lft1 expression. Furthermore, injection of cdx1b-vivo MO1 but not cdx1b-vivo 4 mm MO1 in the forebrain ventricle at 18 hpf significantly downregulated lft1 expression in the left dorsal diencephalon at 23-24 s stages. Together, our results suggest that Cdx1b regulates transcription of ndr2 and lft1 to maintain proper Nodal activity in the dorsal diencephalon and epithalamic asymmetry in zebrafish embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Shiu Wu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Fen Lu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsiu Liu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Jen Huang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Ping L Hwang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan; Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
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14
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He X, Chen W, Liu Z, Yu G, Chen Y, Cai YJ, Sun L, Xu W, Zhong L, Gao C, Chen J, Zhang M, Yang S, Yao Y, Zhang Z, Ma F, Zhang CC, Lu HP, Yu B, Cheng TL, Qiu J, Sheng Q, Zhou HM, Lv ZR, Yan J, Zhou Y, Qiu Z, Cui Z, Zhang X, Meng A, Sun Q, Yang Y. Efficient and risk-reduced genome editing using double nicks enhanced by bacterial recombination factors in multiple species. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:e57. [PMID: 32232370 PMCID: PMC7261186 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Site-specific DNA double-strand breaks have been used to generate knock-in through the homology-dependent or -independent pathway. However, low efficiency and accompanying negative impacts such as undesirable indels or tumorigenic potential remain problematic. In this study, we present an enhanced reduced-risk genome editing strategy we named as NEO, which used either site-specific trans or cis double-nicking facilitated by four bacterial recombination factors (RecOFAR). In comparison to currently available approaches, NEO achieved higher knock-in (KI) germline transmission frequency (improving from zero to up to 10% efficiency with an average of 5-fold improvement for 8 loci) and 'cleaner' knock-in of long DNA fragments (up to 5.5 kb) into a variety of genome regions in zebrafish, mice and rats. Furthermore, NEO yielded up to 50% knock-in in monkey embryos and 20% relative integration efficiency in non-dividing primary human peripheral blood lymphocytes (hPBLCs). Remarkably, both on-target and off-target indels were effectively suppressed by NEO. NEO may also be used to introduce low-risk unrestricted point mutations effectively and precisely. Therefore, by balancing efficiency with safety and quality, the NEO method reported here shows substantial potential and improves the in vivo gene-editing strategies that have recently been developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhen He
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Wenfeng Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Guirong Yu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Youbang Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Yi-Jun Cai
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ling Sun
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Wanli Xu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Lili Zhong
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Caixi Gao
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Jishen Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Minjie Zhang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Shengxi Yang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Yizhou Yao
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Zhiping Zhang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Fujun Ma
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Chen-Chen Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Hui-Ping Lu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Bin Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Tian-Lin Cheng
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Juhui Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Engineering, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Qing Sheng
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China
| | - Hai-Meng Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Enzymology, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314006, China
| | - Zhi-Rong Lv
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Enzymology, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314006, China
| | - Junjun Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Yongjian Zhou
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, China
| | - Zilong Qiu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Zongbin Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Anming Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Engineering, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Qiang Sun
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yufeng Yang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
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15
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Schauer A, Pinheiro D, Hauschild R, Heisenberg CP. Zebrafish embryonic explants undergo genetically encoded self-assembly. eLife 2020; 9:55190. [PMID: 32250246 PMCID: PMC7190352 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic stem cell cultures are thought to self-organize into embryoid bodies, able to undergo symmetry-breaking, germ layer specification and even morphogenesis. Yet, it is unclear how to reconcile this remarkable self-organization capacity with classical experiments demonstrating key roles for extrinsic biases by maternal factors and/or extraembryonic tissues in embryogenesis. Here, we show that zebrafish embryonic tissue explants, prepared prior to germ layer induction and lacking extraembryonic tissues, can specify all germ layers and form a seemingly complete mesendoderm anlage. Importantly, explant organization requires polarized inheritance of maternal factors from dorsal-marginal regions of the blastoderm. Moreover, induction of endoderm and head-mesoderm, which require peak Nodal-signaling levels, is highly variable in explants, reminiscent of embryos with reduced Nodal signals from the extraembryonic tissues. Together, these data suggest that zebrafish explants do not undergo bona fide self-organization, but rather display features of genetically encoded self-assembly, where intrinsic genetic programs control the emergence of order.
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16
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Yang F, Qi J. miR-430a regulates the development of left-right asymmetry by targeting sqt in the teleost. Gene 2020; 745:144628. [PMID: 32224271 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.144628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs) are short, endogenous non-coding RNAs that contain approximately 18-22 nucleotides. miRNAs are involved in gene regulation by recognizing and binding the 3'UTR of target gene. In our previous data, miR-430 family showed significant differential expression modes through metamorphosis in Japanese flounder. It was speculated that miR-430a plays a key role in left-right patterning. We predicted the targets of miR-430a and gene ontology (GO) was performed. We speculated miR-430a is involved in the basal molecular function and organ development. In Japanese flounder, sqt as a target of miR-430a was enriched into heart development term. Sqt has been reported to participate in mesendoderm formation and organ development. Cardiac morphogenesis is the first asymmetric development process, which breaks left-right symmetry in bilateria. It was used as a marker to detect L-R asymmetric effects of miR-430a. Overexpression and suppression of miR-430a resulted in abnormal KV (Kupffer's vesicles) development and disordered in nodal-related expression with consequent cardiac laterality. Squint mRNA of Japanese flounder (Posqt) as a target of miR-430a was overexpressed and caused similar phenotype with miR-430a suppression group, such as longer cilia in KV and high range of clmc2 and spaw ectopic expression. Moreover, rescue experiments were performed and suggested that cardiac and KV defections, induced by overexpressing miR-430a, could be rescued by injecting Posqt mRNA. These results suggested that miR-430a regulates the development of left-right asymmetry by targeting sqt in the teleost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Jie Qi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China.
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17
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Miletto Petrazzini ME, Sovrano VA, Vallortigara G, Messina A. Brain and Behavioral Asymmetry: A Lesson From Fish. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:11. [PMID: 32273841 PMCID: PMC7113390 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that the left and right hemispheres of human brains display both anatomical and functional asymmetries. For more than a century, brain and behavioral lateralization have been considered a uniquely human feature linked to language and handedness. However, over the past decades this idea has been challenged by an increasing number of studies describing structural asymmetries and lateralized behaviors in non-human species extending from primates to fish. Evidence suggesting that a similar pattern of brain lateralization occurs in all vertebrates, humans included, has allowed the emergence of different model systems to investigate the development of brain asymmetries and their impact on behavior. Among animal models, fish have contributed much to the research on lateralization as several fish species exhibit lateralized behaviors. For instance, behavioral studies have shown that the advantages of having an asymmetric brain, such as the ability of simultaneously processing different information and perform parallel tasks compensate the potential costs associated with poor integration of information between the two hemispheres thus helping to better understand the possible evolutionary significance of lateralization. However, these studies inferred how the two sides of the brains are differentially specialized by measuring the differences in the behavioral responses but did not allow to directly investigate the relation between anatomical and functional asymmetries. With respect to this issue, in recent years zebrafish has become a powerful model to address lateralization at different level of complexity, from genes to neural circuitry and behavior. The possibility of combining genetic manipulation of brain asymmetries with cutting-edge in vivo imaging technique and behavioral tests makes the zebrafish a valuable model to investigate the phylogeny and ontogeny of brain lateralization and its relevance for normal brain function and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.,Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Messina
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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18
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Lombardo VA, Heise M, Moghtadaei M, Bornhorst D, Männer J, Abdelilah-Seyfried S. Morphogenetic control of zebrafish cardiac looping by Bmp signaling. Development 2019; 146:dev.180091. [PMID: 31628109 DOI: 10.1242/dev.180091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac looping is an essential and highly conserved morphogenetic process that places the different regions of the developing vertebrate heart tube into proximity of their final topographical positions. High-resolution 4D live imaging of mosaically labelled cardiomyocytes reveals distinct cardiomyocyte behaviors that contribute to the deformation of the entire heart tube. Cardiomyocytes acquire a conical cell shape, which is most pronounced at the superior wall of the atrioventricular canal and contributes to S-shaped bending. Torsional deformation close to the outflow tract contributes to a torque-like winding of the entire heart tube between its two poles. Anisotropic growth of cardiomyocytes based on their positions reinforces S-shaping of the heart. During cardiac looping, bone morphogenetic protein pathway signaling is strongest at the future superior wall of the atrioventricular canal. Upon pharmacological or genetic inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein signaling, myocardial cells at the superior wall of the atrioventricular canal maintain cuboidal cell shapes and S-shaped bending is impaired. This description of cellular rearrangements and cardiac looping regulation may also be relevant for understanding the etiology of human congenital heart defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica A Lombardo
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad Nacional de Rosario, 2000 Rosario, Argentina .,Centro de Estudios Interdisciplinarios, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, 2000 Rosario, Argentina
| | - Melina Heise
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Hannover Medical School, D-30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Motahareh Moghtadaei
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Hannover Medical School, D-30625 Hannover, Germany.,Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Dorothee Bornhorst
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Hannover Medical School, D-30625 Hannover, Germany.,Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jörg Männer
- Institute of Anatomy and Embryology, UMG, Göttingen University, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Salim Abdelilah-Seyfried
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Hannover Medical School, D-30625 Hannover, Germany .,Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
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19
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Abstract
Soon after fertilization the zebrafish embryo generates the pool of cells that will give rise to the germline and the three somatic germ layers of the embryo (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm). As the basic body plan of the vertebrate embryo emerges, evolutionarily conserved developmental signaling pathways, including Bmp, Nodal, Wnt, and Fgf, direct the nearly totipotent cells of the early embryo to adopt gene expression profiles and patterns of cell behavior specific to their eventual fates. Several decades of molecular genetics research in zebrafish has yielded significant insight into the maternal and zygotic contributions and mechanisms that pattern this vertebrate embryo. This new understanding is the product of advances in genetic manipulations and imaging technologies that have allowed the field to probe the cellular, molecular and biophysical aspects underlying early patterning. The current state of the field indicates that patterning is governed by the integration of key signaling pathways and physical interactions between cells, rather than a patterning system in which distinct pathways are deployed to specify a particular cell fate. This chapter focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the genetic and molecular control of the events that impart cell identity and initiate the patterning of tissues that are prerequisites for or concurrent with movements of gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence L Marlow
- Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, New York, NY, United States.
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20
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Sandomenico A, Ruvo M. Targeting Nodal and Cripto-1: Perspectives Inside Dual Potential Theranostic Cancer Biomarkers. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:1994-2050. [PMID: 30207211 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180912104707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elucidating the mechanisms of recurrence of embryonic signaling pathways in tumorigenesis has led to the discovery of onco-fetal players which have physiological roles during normal development but result aberrantly re-activated in tumors. In this context, Nodal and Cripto-1 are recognized as onco-developmental factors, which are absent in normal tissues but are overexpressed in several solid tumors where they can serve as theranostic agents. OBJECTIVE To collect, review and discuss the most relevant papers related to the involvement of Nodal and Cripto-1 in the development, progression, recurrence and metastasis of several tumors where they are over-expressed, with a particular attention to their occurrence on the surface of the corresponding sub-populations of cancer stem cells (CSC). RESULTS We have gathered, rationalized and discussed the most interesting findings extracted from some 370 papers related to the involvement of Cripto-1 and Nodal in all tumor types where they have been detected. Data demonstrate the clear connection between Nodal and Cripto-1 presence and their multiple oncogenic activities across different tumors. We have also reviewed and highlighted the potential of targeting Nodal, Cripto-1 and the complexes that they form on the surface of tumor cells, especially of CSC, as an innovative approach to detect and suppress tumors with molecules that block one or more mechanisms that they regulate. CONCLUSION Overall, Nodal and Cripto-1 represent two innovative and effective biomarkers for developing potential theranostic anti-tumor agents that target normal as well as CSC subpopulations and overcome both pharmacological resistance and tumor relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Sandomenico
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IBB-CNR), via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IBB-CNR), via Mezzocannone, 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
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21
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Analysis of novel domain-specific mutations in the zebrafish ndr2/cyclops gene generated using CRISPR-Cas9 RNPs. J Genet 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12041-018-1033-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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22
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Turner AN, Andersen RS, Bookout IE, Brashear LN, Davis JC, Gahan DM, Davis JC, Gotham JP, Hijaz BA, Kaushik AS, Mcgill JB, Miller VL, Moseley ZP, Nowell CL, Patel RK, Rodgers MC, Patel RK, Shihab YA, Walker AP, Glover SR, Foster SD, Challa AK. Analysis of novel domain-specific mutations in the zebrafish ndr2/ cyclops gene generated using CRISPR-Cas9 RNPs. J Genet 2018. [PMID: 30555080 DOI: 10.1101/277715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Nodal-related protein (ndr2) is amember of the transforming growth factor type β superfamily of factors and is required for ventral midline patterning of the embryonic central nervous system in zebrafish. In humans, mutations in the gene encoding nodal cause holoprosencephaly and heterotaxy. Mutations in the ndr2 gene in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) lead to similar phenotypes, including loss of the medial floor plate, severe deficits in ventral forebrain development and cyclopia. Alleles of the ndr2 gene have been useful in studying patterning of ventral structures of the central nervous system. Fifteen different ndr2 alleles have been reported in zebrafish, of which eight were generated using chemical mutagenesis, four were radiation-induced and the remaining alleles were obtained via random insertion, gene targeting (TALEN) or unknown methods. Therefore, most mutation sites were random and could not be predicted a priori. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 system from Streptococcus pyogenes, we targeted distinct regions in all three exons of zebrafish ndr2 and observed cyclopia in the injected (G0) embryos.We show that the use of sgRNA-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes can cause penetrant cyclopic phenotypes in injected (G0) embryos. Targeted polymerase chain reaction amplicon analysis using Sanger sequencing showed that most of the alleles had small indels resulting in frameshifts. The sequence information correlates with the loss of ndr2 activity. In this study, we validate multiple CRISPR targets using an in vitro nuclease assay and in vivo analysis using embryos. We describe one specific mutant allele resulting in the loss of conserved terminal cysteine-coding sequences. This study is another demonstration of the utility of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in generating domain-specific mutations and provides further insights into the structure-function of the ndr2 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley N Turner
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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23
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Almuedo-Castillo M, Bläßle A, Mörsdorf D, Marcon L, Soh GH, Rogers KW, Schier AF, Müller P. Scale-invariant patterning by size-dependent inhibition of Nodal signalling. Nat Cell Biol 2018; 20:1032-1042. [PMID: 30061678 PMCID: PMC6217922 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-018-0155-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Individuals can vary significantly in size, but the proportions of their body plans are often maintained. We generated smaller zebrafish by removing 30% of their cells at blastula stages and found that these embryos developed into normally patterned individuals. Strikingly, the proportions of all germ layers adjusted to the new embryo size within two hours after cell removal. Since Nodal/Lefty signalling controls germ layer patterning, we performed a computational screen for scale-invariant models of this activator/inhibitor system. This analysis predicted that the concentration of the highly diffusive inhibitor Lefty increases in smaller embryos, leading to a decreased Nodal activity range and contracted germ layer dimensions. In vivo studies confirmed that Lefty concentration increased in smaller embryos, and embryos with reduced Lefty levels or with diffusion-hindered Lefty failed to scale their tissue proportions. These results reveal that size-dependent inhibition of Nodal signalling allows scale-invariant patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Almuedo-Castillo
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.,Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alexander Bläßle
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - David Mörsdorf
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Luciano Marcon
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.,Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Gary H Soh
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katherine W Rogers
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alexander F Schier
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Patrick Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.
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24
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Abstract
TGF-β family ligands function in inducing and patterning many tissues of the early vertebrate embryonic body plan. Nodal signaling is essential for the specification of mesendodermal tissues and the concurrent cellular movements of gastrulation. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling patterns tissues along the dorsal-ventral axis and simultaneously directs the cell movements of convergence and extension. After gastrulation, a second wave of Nodal signaling breaks the symmetry between the left and right sides of the embryo. During these processes, elaborate regulatory feedback between TGF-β ligands and their antagonists direct the proper specification and patterning of embryonic tissues. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the function and regulation of TGF-β family signaling in these processes. Although we cover principles that are involved in the development of all vertebrate embryos, we focus specifically on three popular model organisms: the mouse Mus musculus, the African clawed frog of the genus Xenopus, and the zebrafish Danio rerio, highlighting the similarities and differences between these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Zinski
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6058
| | - Benjamin Tajer
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6058
| | - Mary C Mullins
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6058
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25
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Wei S, Wang Q. Molecular regulation of Nodal signaling during mesendoderm formation. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2018; 50:74-81. [PMID: 29206913 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmx128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most important events during vertebrate embryogenesis is the formation or specification of the three germ layers, endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. After a series of rapid cleavages, embryos form the mesendoderm and ectoderm during late blastulation and early gastrulation. The mesendoderm then further differentiates into the mesoderm and endoderm. Nodal, a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily, plays a pivotal role in mesendoderm formation by regulating the expression of a number of critical transcription factors, including Mix-like, GATA, Sox, and Fox. Because the Nodal signal transduction pathway is well-characterized, increasing effort has been made to delineate the spatiotemporal modulation of Nodal signaling during embryonic development. In this review, we summarize the recent progress delineating molecular regulation of Nodal signal intensity and duration during mesendoderm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Wei
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Institute of Zoology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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26
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Burdine RD, Grimes DT. Antagonistic interactions in the zebrafish midline prior to the emergence of asymmetric gene expression are important for left-right patterning. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0402. [PMID: 27821532 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Left-right (L-R) asymmetry of the internal organs of vertebrates is presaged by domains of asymmetric gene expression in the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) during somitogenesis. Ciliated L-R coordinators (LRCs) are critical for biasing the initiation of asymmetrically expressed genes, such as nodal and pitx2, to the left LPM. Other midline structures, including the notochord and floorplate, are then required to maintain these asymmetries. Here we report an unexpected role for the zebrafish EGF-CFC gene one-eyed pinhead (oep) in the midline to promote pitx2 expression in the LPM. Late zygotic oep (LZoep) mutants have strongly reduced or absent pitx2 expression in the LPM, but this expression can be rescued to strong levels by restoring oep in midline structures only. Furthermore, removing midline structures from LZoep embryos can rescue pitx2 expression in the LPM, suggesting the midline is a source of an LPM pitx2 repressor that is itself inhibited by oep Reducing lefty1 activity in LZoep embryos mimics removal of the midline, implicating lefty1 in the midline-derived repression. Together, this suggests a model where Oep in the midline functions to overcome a midline-derived repressor, involving lefty1, to allow for the expression of left side-specific genes in the LPM.This article is part of the themed issue 'Provocative questions in left-right asymmetry'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca D Burdine
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Daniel T Grimes
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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27
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Tadjuidje E, Kofron M, Mir A, Wylie C, Heasman J, Cha SW. Nodal signalling in Xenopus: the role of Xnr5 in left/right asymmetry and heart development. Open Biol 2017; 6:rsob.150187. [PMID: 27488374 PMCID: PMC5008007 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.150187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nodal class TGF-β signalling molecules play essential roles in establishing the vertebrate body plan. In all vertebrates, nodal family members have specific waves of expression required for tissue specification and axis formation. In Xenopus laevis, six nodal genes are expressed before gastrulation, raising the question of whether they have specific roles or act redundantly with each other. Here, we examine the role of Xnr5. We find it acts at the late blastula stage as a mesoderm inducer and repressor of ectodermal gene expression, a role it shares with Vg1. However, unlike Vg1, Xnr5 depletion reduces the expression of the nodal family member xnr1 at the gastrula stage. It is also required for left/right laterality by controlling the expression of the laterality genes xnr1, antivin (lefty) and pitx2 at the tailbud stage. In Xnr5-depleted embryos, the heart field is established normally, but symmetrical reduction in Xnr5 levels causes a severely stunted midline heart, first evidenced by a reduction in cardiac troponin mRNA levels, while left-sided reduction leads to randomization of the left/right axis. This work identifies Xnr5 as the earliest step in the signalling pathway establishing normal heart laterality in Xenopus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Tadjuidje
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, 1627 Hall Street, Montgomery, AL 36101, USA
| | - Matthew Kofron
- Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Adnan Mir
- Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Christopher Wylie
- Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Janet Heasman
- Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Sang-Wook Cha
- Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
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28
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Bisgrove BW, Su YC, Yost HJ. Maternal Gdf3 is an obligatory cofactor in Nodal signaling for embryonic axis formation in zebrafish. eLife 2017; 6:28534. [PMID: 29140249 PMCID: PMC5745076 DOI: 10.7554/elife.28534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish Gdf3 (Dvr1) is a member of the TGFβ superfamily of cell signaling ligands that includes Xenopus Vg1 and mammalian Gdf1/3. Surprisingly, engineered homozygous mutants in zebrafish have no apparent phenotype. Elimination of Gdf3 in oocytes of maternal-zygotic mutants results in embryonic lethality that can be fully rescued with gdf3 RNA, demonstrating that Gdf3 is required only early in development, beyond which mutants are viable and fertile. Gdf3 mutants are refractory to Nodal ligands and Nodal repressor Lefty1. Signaling driven by TGFβ ligand Activin and constitutively active receptors Alk4 and Alk2 remain intact in gdf3 mutants, indicating that Gdf3 functions at the same pathway step as Nodal. Targeting gdf3 and ndr2 RNA to specific lineages indicates that exogenous gdf3 is able to fully rescue mutants only when co-expressed with endogenous Nodal. Together, these findings demonstrate that Gdf3 is an essential cofactor of Nodal signaling during establishment of the embryonic axis. All vertebrates – animals with backbones like fish and humans – have body plans with three clear axes: head-to-tail, back-to-front and left-to-right. Animals lay down these plans as embryos, when signaling molecules bind to receptors on the surface of their cells. These signaling molecules include related proteins called “Nodal” and “Growth and Differentiation Factors”. However, there has been much debate in the field of developmental biology about whether these proteins work together or independently during the early development of vertebrates. Zebrafish are often used to study animal development, and Bisgrove et al. decided to test whether these fish need a Growth and Differentiation Factor known as Gdf3 by deleting it using genome editing. It turns out that zebrafish can survive and develop as normal without the gene for Gdf3, just as long as their mothers still had a working copy of the gene. Yet, when the offspring of mutant females did not inherit the instructions to make Gdf3 from their mothers, they died within a couple of days. This was true even if the offspring inherited a working copy of the gene from their fathers. Bisgrove et al. then went on to show that embryos from a mutant mother could be saved with an injection of short-lived RNA molecules that include the instructions to make some Gdf3 proteins. The injected mutant embryos could live to adulthood. This shows that Gdf3 is only needed during the embryo’s early development. Further experiments suggested that Gdf3 does cannot activate its receptors on its own. Instead, it is likely that Gdf3 interacts with Nodal to form a two-protein complex that activates the receptors. Two other groups of researchers have independently reported similar findings. Mutations affecting proteins very similar to Gdf3 have been found in people with congenital heart defects. By revealing the interaction between Gdf3 and Nodal, these new findings could help scientists to understand the genetic causes of this condition in more detail. Further studies using the mutant zebrafish could also be used to explore the causes of other developmental diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent W Bisgrove
- Molecular Medicine Program, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Yi-Chu Su
- Molecular Medicine Program, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - H Joseph Yost
- Molecular Medicine Program, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, United States
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29
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Roberson S, Halpern ME. Development and connectivity of the habenular nuclei. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 78:107-115. [PMID: 29107475 PMCID: PMC5920772 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence has reinforced that the habenular region of the vertebrate dorsal forebrain is an essential integrating center, and a region strongly implicated in neurological disorders and addiction. Despite the important and diverse neuromodulatory roles the habenular nuclei play, their development has been understudied. The emphasis of this review is on the dorsal habenular nuclei of zebrafish, homologous to the medial nuclei of mammals, as recent work has revealed new information about the signaling pathways that regulate their formation. Additionally, the zebrafish dorsal habenulae have become a valuable model for probing how left-right differences are established in a vertebrate brain. Sonic hedgehog, fibroblast growth factors and Wingless-INT proteins are all involved in the generation of progenitor cells and ultimately, along with Notch signaling, influence habenular neurogenesis and left-right asymmetry. Intriguingly, a genetic network has emerged that leads to the differentiation of dorsal habenular neurons and, through localized chemokine signaling, directs the posterior outgrowth of their newly emerging axons towards their postsynaptic target, the midbrain interpeduncular nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Roberson
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Embryology, 3520 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Marnie E Halpern
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Embryology, 3520 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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30
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Ogasawara S. Duration Control of Protein Expression in Vivo by Light-Mediated Reversible Activation of Translation. ACS Chem Biol 2017; 12:351-356. [PMID: 28049292 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.6b00684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The photocontrol of protein expression enables the spatiotemporal induction of biological events in living cells or organisms. However, commonly used method such as photocontrollable transcription factor or caged nucleic acids is unsuitable for precise control of the duration of protein expression. Here, I report a photocontrollable cap (PC-cap) that can control the translation of mRNA in a reversible manner via its cis-trans photoisomerization through illumination with 370 and 430 nm light. 2-meta-Methyl-phenylazo cap (mMe-2PA-cap) in the trans form silences translation in zebrafish embryo, whereas treatment with the cis form provided a 7.1 times larger amount of translated protein compared to the trans form. Moreover, translation activated by illumination of the embryo with 370 nm light was rapidly inactivated again by subsequent illumination with 430 nm light. An application of this approach was demonstrated by photoinducing the development of double-headed zebrafish by controlling the expression period of squint protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinzi Ogasawara
- Creative Research Institution
Sousei, Hokkaido University, Kita 21 Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0021, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8
Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
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31
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Tseng WC, Munisha M, Gutierrez JB, Dougan ST. Establishment of the Vertebrate Germ Layers. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 953:307-381. [PMID: 27975275 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-46095-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The process of germ layer formation is a universal feature of animal development. The germ layers separate the cells that produce the internal organs and tissues from those that produce the nervous system and outer tissues. Their discovery in the early nineteenth century transformed embryology from a purely descriptive field into a rigorous scientific discipline, in which hypotheses could be tested by observation and experimentation. By systematically addressing the questions of how the germ layers are formed and how they generate overall body plan, scientists have made fundamental contributions to the fields of evolution, cell signaling, morphogenesis, and stem cell biology. At each step, this work was advanced by the development of innovative methods of observing cell behavior in vivo and in culture. Here, we take an historical approach to describe our current understanding of vertebrate germ layer formation as it relates to the long-standing questions of developmental biology. By comparing how germ layers form in distantly related vertebrate species, we find that highly conserved molecular pathways can be adapted to perform the same function in dramatically different embryonic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Chia Tseng
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Mumingjiang Munisha
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Juan B Gutierrez
- Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.,Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Scott T Dougan
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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32
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Hozumi S, Aoki S, Kikuchi Y. Nuclear movement regulated by non-Smad Nodal signaling via JNK is associated with Smad signaling during zebrafish endoderm specification. Development 2017; 144:4015-4025. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.151746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Although asymmetric nuclear positioning is observed during animal development, the regulation and significance of this nuclear positioning in cell differentiation remains poorly understood. Using zebrafish blastulae, we provide evidence that nuclear movement toward the yolk syncytial layer, which comprises extraembryonic tissue, occurs in the first endoderm specified cells during endoderm specification. Nodal signaling is essential for nuclear movement, whereas nuclear envelope proteins are involved in the movement through the microtubule formation. The positioning of the microtubule organizing center, which is proposed to be critical for nuclear movement, is regulated by Nodal signaling and nuclear envelope proteins. The non-Smad JNK signaling pathway, which is downstream of Nodal signaling, regulates nuclear movement independent of the Smad pathway, and this nuclear movement is associated with Smad signal transduction toward the nucleus. Our study provides insights into the function of nuclear movement in Smad signaling toward the nucleus, and could be applied to the control of Transforming Growth Factor-β signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunya Hozumi
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526 Japan
| | - Shun Aoki
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526 Japan
| | - Yutaka Kikuchi
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526 Japan
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33
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Duboué ER, Halpern ME. Genetic and Transgenic Approaches to Study Zebrafish Brain Asymmetry and Lateralized Behavior. LATERALIZED BRAIN FUNCTIONS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6725-4_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
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34
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Reade A, Motta-Mena LB, Gardner KH, Stainier DY, Weiner OD, Woo S. TAEL: a zebrafish-optimized optogenetic gene expression system with fine spatial and temporal control. Development 2016; 144:345-355. [PMID: 27993986 DOI: 10.1242/dev.139238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Here, we describe an optogenetic gene expression system optimized for use in zebrafish. This system overcomes the limitations of current inducible expression systems by enabling robust spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression in living organisms. Because existing optogenetic systems show toxicity in zebrafish, we re-engineered the blue-light-activated EL222 system for minimal toxicity while exhibiting a large range of induction, fine spatial precision and rapid kinetics. We validate several strategies to spatially restrict illumination and thus gene induction with our new TAEL (TA4-EL222) system. As a functional example, we show that TAEL is able to induce ectopic endodermal cells in the presumptive ectoderm via targeted sox32 induction. We also demonstrate that TAEL can be used to resolve multiple roles of Nodal signaling at different stages of embryonic development. Finally, we show how inducible gene editing can be achieved by combining the TAEL and CRISPR/Cas9 systems. This toolkit should be a broadly useful resource for the fish community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Reade
- CVRI & Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Laura B Motta-Mena
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Kevin H Gardner
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA.,Biochemistry, Chemistry and Biology PhD Programs, Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Didier Y Stainier
- CVRI & Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Dept. of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim 61231, Germany
| | - Orion D Weiner
- CVRI & Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Stephanie Woo
- CVRI & Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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35
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Bodenstine TM, Chandler GS, Seftor REB, Seftor EA, Hendrix MJC. Plasticity underlies tumor progression: role of Nodal signaling. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2016; 35:21-39. [PMID: 26951550 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-016-9605-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) superfamily member Nodal is an established regulator of early embryonic development, with primary roles in endoderm induction, left-right asymmetry, and primitive streak formation. Nodal signals through TGFβ family receptors at the plasma membrane and induces signaling cascades leading to diverse transcriptional regulation. While conceptually simple, the regulation of Nodal and its molecular effects are profoundly complex and context dependent. Pioneering work by developmental biologists has characterized the signaling pathways, regulatory components, and provided detailed insight into the mechanisms by which Nodal mediates changes at the cellular and organismal levels. Nodal is also an important factor in maintaining pluripotency of embryonic stem cells through regulation of core transcriptional programs. Collectively, this work has led to an appreciation for Nodal as a powerful morphogen capable of orchestrating multiple cellular phenotypes. Although Nodal is not active in most adult tissues, its reexpression and signaling have been linked to multiple types of human cancer, and Nodal has emerged as a driver of tumor growth and cellular plasticity. In vitro and in vivo experimental evidence has demonstrated that inhibition of Nodal signaling reduces cancer cell aggressive characteristics, while clinical data have established associations with Nodal expression and patient outcomes. As a result, there is great interest in the potential targeting of Nodal activity in a therapeutic setting for cancer patients that may provide new avenues for suppressing tumor growth and metastasis. In this review, we evaluate our current understanding of the complexities of Nodal function in cancer and highlight recent experimental evidence that sheds light on the therapeutic potential of its inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Bodenstine
- Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 225 E. Chicago Avenue, Box 222, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Grace S Chandler
- Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 225 E. Chicago Avenue, Box 222, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Richard E B Seftor
- Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 225 E. Chicago Avenue, Box 222, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Elisabeth A Seftor
- Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 225 E. Chicago Avenue, Box 222, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Mary J C Hendrix
- Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 225 E. Chicago Avenue, Box 222, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
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36
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McDowell GS, Lemire JM, Paré JF, Cammarata G, Lowery LA, Levin M. Conserved roles for cytoskeletal components in determining laterality. Integr Biol (Camb) 2016; 8:267-86. [PMID: 26928161 DOI: 10.1039/c5ib00281h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Consistently-biased left-right (LR) patterning is required for the proper placement of organs including the heart and viscera. The LR axis is especially fascinating as an example of multi-scale pattern formation, since here chiral events at the subcellular level are integrated and amplified into asymmetric transcriptional cascades and ultimately into the anatomical patterning of the entire body. In contrast to the other two body axes, there is considerable controversy about the earliest mechanisms of embryonic laterality. Many molecular components of asymmetry have not been widely tested among phyla with diverse bodyplans, and it is unknown whether parallel (redundant) pathways may exist that could reverse abnormal asymmetry states at specific checkpoints in development. To address conservation of the early steps of LR patterning, we used the Xenopus laevis (frog) embryo to functionally test a number of protein targets known to direct asymmetry in plants, fruit fly, and rodent. Using the same reagents that randomize asymmetry in Arabidopsis, Drosophila, and mouse embryos, we show that manipulation of the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton immediately post-fertilization, but not later, results in laterality defects in Xenopus embryos. Moreover, we observed organ-specific randomization effects and a striking dissociation of organ situs from effects on the expression of left side control genes, which parallel data from Drosophila and mouse. Remarkably, some early manipulations that disrupt laterality of transcriptional asymmetry determinants can be subsequently "rescued" by the embryo, resulting in normal organ situs. These data reveal the existence of novel corrective mechanisms, demonstrate that asymmetric expression of Nodal is not a definitive marker of laterality, and suggest the existence of amplification pathways that connect early cytoskeletal processes to control of organ situs bypassing Nodal. Counter to alternative models of symmetry breaking during neurulation (via ciliary structures absent in many phyla), our data suggest a widely-conserved role for the cytoskeleton in regulating left-right axis formation immediately after fertilization of the egg. The novel mechanisms that rescue organ situs, even after incorrect expression of genes previously considered to be left-side master regulators, suggest LR patterning as a new context in which to explore multi-scale redundancy and integration of patterning from the subcellular structure to the entire bodyplan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary S McDowell
- Biology Department, and Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4600, Medford, MA 02155-4243, USA. and Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Joan M Lemire
- Biology Department, and Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4600, Medford, MA 02155-4243, USA.
| | - Jean-Francois Paré
- Biology Department, and Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4600, Medford, MA 02155-4243, USA.
| | | | | | - Michael Levin
- Biology Department, and Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4600, Medford, MA 02155-4243, USA.
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37
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Sampath K, Robertson EJ. Keeping a lid on nodal: transcriptional and translational repression of nodal signalling. Open Biol 2016; 6:150200. [PMID: 26791244 PMCID: PMC4736825 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.150200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nodal is an evolutionarily conserved member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily of secreted signalling factors. Nodal factors are known to play key roles in embryonic development and asymmetry in a variety of organisms ranging from hydra and sea urchins to fish, mice and humans. In addition to embryonic patterning, Nodal signalling is required for maintenance of human embryonic stem cell pluripotency and mis-regulated Nodal signalling has been found associated with tumour metastases. Therefore, precise and timely regulation of this pathway is essential. Here, we discuss recent evidence from sea urchins, frogs, fish, mice and humans that show a role for transcriptional and translational repression of Nodal signalling during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karuna Sampath
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AJ, UK
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38
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Sampath K, Ephrussi A. CncRNAs: RNAs with both coding and non-coding roles in development. Development 2016; 143:1234-41. [PMID: 27095489 DOI: 10.1242/dev.133298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
RNAs are known to regulate diverse biological processes, either as protein-encoding molecules or as non-coding RNAs. However, a third class that comprises RNAs endowed with both protein coding and non-coding functions has recently emerged. Such bi-functional 'coding and non-coding RNAs' (cncRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in distinct developmental processes in plants and animals. Here, we discuss key examples of cncRNAs and review their roles, regulation and mechanisms of action during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karuna Sampath
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AJ, UK
| | - Anne Ephrussi
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
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39
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Sako K, Pradhan SJ, Barone V, Inglés-Prieto Á, Müller P, Ruprecht V, Čapek D, Galande S, Janovjak H, Heisenberg CP. Optogenetic Control of Nodal Signaling Reveals a Temporal Pattern of Nodal Signaling Regulating Cell Fate Specification during Gastrulation. Cell Rep 2016; 16:866-77. [PMID: 27396324 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
During metazoan development, the temporal pattern of morphogen signaling is critical for organizing cell fates in space and time. Yet, tools for temporally controlling morphogen signaling within the embryo are still scarce. Here, we developed a photoactivatable Nodal receptor to determine how the temporal pattern of Nodal signaling affects cell fate specification during zebrafish gastrulation. By using this receptor to manipulate the duration of Nodal signaling in vivo by light, we show that extended Nodal signaling within the organizer promotes prechordal plate specification and suppresses endoderm differentiation. Endoderm differentiation is suppressed by extended Nodal signaling inducing expression of the transcriptional repressor goosecoid (gsc) in prechordal plate progenitors, which in turn restrains Nodal signaling from upregulating the endoderm differentiation gene sox17 within these cells. Thus, optogenetic manipulation of Nodal signaling identifies a critical role of Nodal signaling duration for organizer cell fate specification during gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Sako
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Saurabh J Pradhan
- Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Vanessa Barone
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Álvaro Inglés-Prieto
- Laboratory of Synthetic Physiology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Patrick Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Verena Ruprecht
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Daniel Čapek
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Sanjeev Galande
- Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Harald Janovjak
- Laboratory of Synthetic Physiology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Carl-Philipp Heisenberg
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
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40
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Wang Y, Wang X, Wohland T, Sampath K. Extracellular interactions and ligand degradation shape the nodal morphogen gradient. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27101364 PMCID: PMC4887204 DOI: 10.7554/elife.13879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The correct distribution and activity of secreted signaling proteins called morphogens is required for many developmental processes. Nodal morphogens play critical roles in embryonic axis formation in many organisms. Models proposed to generate the Nodal gradient include diffusivity, ligand processing, and a temporal activation window. But how the Nodal morphogen gradient forms in vivo remains unclear. Here, we have measured in vivo for the first time, the binding affinity of Nodal ligands to their major cell surface receptor, Acvr2b, and to the Nodal inhibitor, Lefty, by fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy. We examined the diffusion coefficient of Nodal ligands and Lefty inhibitors in live zebrafish embryos by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We also investigated the contribution of ligand degradation to the Nodal gradient. We show that ligand clearance via degradation shapes the Nodal gradient and correlates with its signaling range. By computational simulations of gradient formation, we demonstrate that diffusivity, extra-cellular interactions, and selective ligand destruction collectively shape the Nodal morphogen gradient. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13879.001 Animals develop from a single fertilized egg cell into multicellular organisms. This process requires chemical signals called “morphogens” that instruct the cells how to behave during development. The morphogens move across cells and tissues to form gradients of the signal. Cells then respond in different ways depending on how much of the signal they receive. This, in turn, depends on several factors: first, how quickly or slowly the signal moves; second, how well the morphogen binds to responding cells and other molecules in its path; and third, how much signal is lost or destroyed during the movement. Many researchers study morphogen gradients in the transparent zebrafish, since it grows quickly and it is easy to see developmental changes. However, until now it was not fully clear how the well-known morphogen called Nodal moves in live zebrafish as they develop. Wang, Wang et al. have now investigated how well Nodal signals bind to the surface of cells that receive the signal and to a molecule called “Lefty”, which is present in the same path and interferes with Nodal signals. Advanced techniques called fluorescence correlation and cross-correlation spectroscopy were used to measure Nodal signals at the level of single molecules in growing zebrafish. The experiments gave insights into how far Nodal signals move and remain active. The results showed that, in addition to Nodal diffusing and binding to receiving cells, one of the most important factors determining how far and quickly Nodal moves is its inactivation and destruction. Lastly, Wang, Wang et al. built computational models to test their observations from live zebrafish. The current work was based on forcing zebrafish to produce molecules including Nodal at locations within the fish that normally do not make them. Therefore future experiments will aim to examine these molecules and their interactions when they are produced at their normal locations in the animal over time. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13879.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Wang
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Thorsten Wohland
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Chemistry, Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Karuna Sampath
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
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41
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Abstract
The neuroendocrine hypothalamus is composed of the tuberal and anterodorsal hypothalamus, together with the median eminence/neurohypophysis. It centrally governs wide-ranging physiological processes, including homeostasis of energy balance, circadian rhythms and stress responses, as well as growth and reproductive behaviours. Homeostasis is maintained by integrating sensory inputs and effecting responses via autonomic, endocrine and behavioural outputs, over diverse time-scales and throughout the lifecourse of an individual. Here, we summarize studies that begin to reveal how different territories and cell types within the neuroendocrine hypothalamus are assembled in an integrated manner to enable function, thus supporting the organism's ability to survive and thrive. We discuss how signaling pathways and transcription factors dictate the appearance and regionalization of the hypothalamic primordium, the maintenance of progenitor cells, and their specification and differentiation into neurons. We comment on recent studies that harness such programmes for the directed differentiation of human ES/iPS cells. We summarize how developmental plasticity is maintained even into adulthood and how integration between the hypothalamus and peripheral body is established in the median eminence and neurohypophysis. Analysis of model organisms, including mouse, chick and zebrafish, provides a picture of how complex, yet elegantly coordinated, developmental programmes build glial and neuronal cells around the third ventricle of the brain. Such conserved processes enable the hypothalamus to mediate its function as a central integrating and response-control mediator for the homeostatic processes that are critical to life. Early indications suggest that deregulation of these events may underlie multifaceted pathological conditions and dysfunctional physiology in humans, such as obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Burbridge
- Bateson Centre and Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Iain Stewart
- Bateson Centre and Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Marysia Placzek
- Bateson Centre and Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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Niu J, Liu C, Yang F, Wang Z, Wang B, Zhang Q, He Y, Qi J. Characterization and genomic structure of Dnah9, and its roles in nodal signaling pathways in the Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2016; 42:167-178. [PMID: 26377939 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-015-0127-9] [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: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The nodal signaling pathway has been shown to play crucial roles in inducing and patterning the mesoderm and endoderm, as well as in regulating neurogenesis and left-right axis asymmetry. Here, we present the first complete cDNA and genomic sequences as well as the promoter predication of the Dnah9 gene in the Japanese flounder. The 15,558-bp-long cDNA is divided into 96 exons and spread over 138 kb of genomic DNA. Protein sequence comparison showed that it shares higher identity with other vertebrate orthologs, with an ATP binding dynein motor, AAA domain and microtubule binding stalk of dynein motor. Dnah9 exhibited maternal and ubiquitous expression in all cells of the early development stages, but became concentrated in the head at 1 DAH, as identified by qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization methods. Furthermore, after nodal signaling was inhibited, the level of Southpaw did not change significantly at early development stage (50 % epiboly) but increased significantly at late stages (27-somite stages and 1 DAH), as well as the expression of Lefty, an inhibitor of nodal signaling, increased continuously. On the other hand, the expression level of Dnah9 decreased. The transcription factor binding site of FAST-1 (SMAD interacting protein) was identified in the transcription region of Dnah9 by the promoter analysis, which might format the complexes of SMADs, FAST-1 and the transcription region of Dnah9 served as a bridge of Dnah9 and nodal signaling. All evidences indicated that Dnah9 might be downstream of nodal during the early development stages, and an indirect function through SMADs for nodal signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Niu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China
| | - Conghui Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China
| | - Fang Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China
| | - Zhenwei Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China
| | - Quanqi Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China
| | - Yan He
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China.
| | - Jie Qi
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China.
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43
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Schröder SS, Tsikolia N, Weizbauer A, Hue I, Viebahn C. Paraxial Nodal Expression Reveals a Novel Conserved Structure of the Left-Right Organizer in Four Mammalian Species. Cells Tissues Organs 2016; 201:77-87. [PMID: 26741372 DOI: 10.1159/000440951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Nodal activity in the left lateral plate mesoderm is a conserved sign of irreversible left-right asymmetry at early somite stages of the vertebrate embryo. An earlier, paraxial nodal domain accompanies the emergence and initial extension of the notochord and is either left-sided, as in the chick and pig, or symmetrical, as in the mouse and rabbit; intriguingly, this interspecific dichotomy is mirrored by divergent morphological features of the posterior notochord (also known as the left-right organizer), which is ventrally exposed to the yolk sac cavity and carries motile cilia in the latter 2 species only. By introducing the cattle embryo as a new model organism for early left-right patterning, we present data to establish 2 groups of mammals characterized by both the morphology of the left-right organizer and the dynamics of paraxial nodal expression: presence and absence of a ventrally open surface of the early (plate-like) posterior notochord correlates with a symmetrical (in mice and rabbits) versus an asymmetrical (in pigs and cattle) paraxial nodal expression domain next to the notochordal plate. High-resolution histological analysis reveals that the latter domain defines in all 4 mammals a novel 'parachordal' axial mesoderm compartment, the topography of which changes according to the specific regression of the similarly novel subchordal mesoderm during the initial phases of notochord development. In conclusion, the mammalian axial mesoderm compartment (1) shares critical conserved features despite the marked differences in early notochord morphology and early left-right patterning and (2) provides a dynamic topographical framework for nodal activity as part of the mammalian left-right organizer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke S Schröder
- Institute of Anatomy and Embryology, University Medical Centre Gx00F6;ttingen, Gx00F6;ttingen, Germany
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44
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Abstract
For many decades, the major function of mRNA was thought to be to provide protein-coding information embedded in the genome. The advent of high-throughput sequencing has led to the discovery of pervasive transcription of eukaryotic genomes and opened the world of RNA-mediated gene regulation. Many regulatory RNAs have been found to be incapable of protein coding and are hence termed as non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, studies in recent years have shown that several previously annotated non-coding RNAs have the potential to encode proteins, and conversely, some coding RNAs have regulatory functions independent of the protein they encode. Such bi-functional RNAs, with both protein coding and non-coding functions, which we term as 'cncRNAs', have emerged as new players in cellular systems. Here, we describe the functions of some cncRNAs identified from bacteria to humans. Because the functions of many RNAs across genomes remains unclear, we propose that RNAs be classified as coding, non-coding or both only after careful analysis of their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Kumari
- Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV47AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Karuna Sampath
- Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV47AJ, United Kingdom.
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45
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Kuan YS, Roberson S, Akitake CM, Fortuno L, Gamse J, Moens C, Halpern ME. Distinct requirements for Wntless in habenular development. Dev Biol 2015; 406:117-128. [PMID: 26116173 PMCID: PMC4639407 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Secreted Wnt proteins play pivotal roles in development, including regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, progenitor maintenance and tissue patterning. The transmembrane protein Wntless (Wls) is necessary for secretion of most Wnts and essential for effective Wnt signaling. During a mutagenesis screen to identify genes important for development of the habenular nuclei in the dorsal forebrain, we isolated a mutation in the sole wls gene of zebrafish and confirmed its identity with a second, independent allele. Early embryonic development appears normal in homozygous wls mutants, but they later lack the ventral habenular nuclei, form smaller dorsal habenulae and otic vesicles, have truncated jaw and fin cartilages and lack swim bladders. Activation of a reporter for β-catenin-dependent transcription is decreased in wls mutants, indicative of impaired signaling by the canonical Wnt pathway, and expression of Wnt-responsive genes is reduced in the dorsal diencephalon. Wnt signaling was previously implicated in patterning of the zebrafish brain and in the generation of left-right (L-R) differences between the bilaterally paired dorsal habenular nuclei. Outside of the epithalamic region, development of the brain is largely normal in wls mutants and, despite their reduced size, the dorsal habenulae retain L-R asymmetry. We find that homozygous wls mutants show a reduction in two cell populations that contribute to the presumptive dorsal habenulae. The results support distinct temporal requirements for Wls in habenular development and reveal a new role for Wnt signaling in the regulation of dorsal habenular progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Shu Kuan
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
| | - Sara Roberson
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, USA
| | - Courtney M. Akitake
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, USA
| | - Lea Fortuno
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
| | - Joshua Gamse
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, USA
| | - Cecilia Moens
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, USA
| | - Marnie E. Halpern
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, USA
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46
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Röttinger E, DuBuc TQ, Amiel AR, Martindale MQ. Nodal signaling is required for mesodermal and ventral but not for dorsal fates in the indirect developing hemichordate, Ptychodera flava. Biol Open 2015; 4:830-42. [PMID: 25979707 PMCID: PMC4571091 DOI: 10.1242/bio.011809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Nodal signaling plays crucial roles in vertebrate developmental processes such as endoderm and mesoderm formation, and axial patterning events along the anteroposterior, dorsoventral and left-right axes. In echinoderms, Nodal plays an essential role in the establishment of the dorsoventral axis and left-right asymmetry, but not in endoderm or mesoderm induction. In protostomes, Nodal signaling appears to be involved only in establishing left-right asymmetry. Hence, it is hypothesized that Nodal signaling has been co-opted to pattern the dorsoventral axis of deuterostomes and for endoderm, mesoderm formation as well as anteroposterior patterning in chordates. Hemichordata, together with echinoderms, represent the sister taxon to chordates. In this study, we analyze the role of Nodal signaling in the indirect developing hemichordate Ptychodera flava. In particular, we show that during gastrulation nodal transcripts are detected in a ring of cells at the vegetal pole that gives rise to endomesoderm and in the ventral ectoderm at later stages of development. Inhibition of Nodal function disrupts dorsoventral fates and also blocks formation of the larval mesoderm. Interestingly, molecular analysis reveals that only mesodermal, apical and ventral gene expression is affected while the dorsal side appears to be patterned correctly. Taken together, this study suggests that the co-option of Nodal signaling in mesoderm formation and potentially in anteroposterior patterning has occurred prior to the emergence of chordates and that Nodal signaling on the ventral side is uncoupled from BMP signaling on the dorsal side, representing a major difference from the molecular mechanisms of dorsoventral patterning events in echinoderms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Röttinger
- Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, IRCAN, UMR 7284, 06107 Nice, France CNRS, IRCAN, UMR 7284, 06107 Nice, France INSERM, IRCAN, U1081, 06107 Nice, France
| | - Timothy Q DuBuc
- The Whitney Marine Laboratory for Marine Science, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080-8610, USA
| | - Aldine R Amiel
- Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, IRCAN, UMR 7284, 06107 Nice, France CNRS, IRCAN, UMR 7284, 06107 Nice, France INSERM, IRCAN, U1081, 06107 Nice, France
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- The Whitney Marine Laboratory for Marine Science, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080-8610, USA
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47
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Abstract
Activin/Nodal growth factors control a broad range of biological processes, including early cell fate decisions, organogenesis and adult tissue homeostasis. Here, we provide an overview of the mechanisms by which the Activin/Nodal signalling pathway governs stem cell function in these different stages of development. We describe recent findings that associate Activin/Nodal signalling to pathological conditions, focusing on cancer stem cells in tumorigenesis and its potential as a target for therapies. Moreover, we will discuss future directions and questions that currently remain unanswered on the role of Activin/Nodal signalling in stem cell self-renewal, differentiation and proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siim Pauklin
- Anne McLaren Laboratory For Regenerative Medicine, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, West Forvie Building, Robinson Way, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Ludovic Vallier
- Anne McLaren Laboratory For Regenerative Medicine, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, West Forvie Building, Robinson Way, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
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48
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Tessadori F, Noël ES, Rens EG, Magliozzi R, Evers-van Gogh IJA, Guardavaccaro D, Merks RMH, Bakkers J. Nodal signaling range is regulated by proprotein convertase-mediated maturation. Dev Cell 2015; 32:631-9. [PMID: 25684355 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2014.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2014] [Revised: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Tissue patterning is established by extracellular growth factors or morphogens. Although different theoretical models explaining specific patterns have been proposed, our understanding of tissue pattern establishment in vivo remains limited. In many animal species, left-right patterning is governed by a reaction-diffusion system relying on the different diffusivity of an activator, Nodal, and an inhibitor, Lefty. In a genetic screen, we identified a zebrafish loss-of-function mutant for the proprotein convertase FurinA. Embryological and biochemical experiments demonstrate that cleavage of the Nodal-related Spaw proprotein into a mature form by FurinA is required for Spaw gradient formation and activation of Nodal signaling. We demonstrate that FurinA is required cell-autonomously for the long-range signaling activity of Spaw and no other Nodal-related factors. Combined in silico and in vivo approaches support a model in which FurinA controls the signaling range of Spaw by cleaving its proprotein into a mature, extracellular form, consequently regulating left-right patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Tessadori
- Cardiac Development and Genetics, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Emily S Noël
- Cardiac Development and Genetics, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth G Rens
- Life Sciences Group, Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, 1098 XG Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, 2333 CA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Roberto Magliozzi
- Cardiac Development and Genetics, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Inkie J A Evers-van Gogh
- Cardiac Development and Genetics, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Daniele Guardavaccaro
- Cardiac Development and Genetics, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Roeland M H Merks
- Life Sciences Group, Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, 1098 XG Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, 2333 CA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Bakkers
- Cardiac Development and Genetics, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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49
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Zebrafish Rnf111 is encoded by multiple transcripts and is required for epiboly progression and prechordal plate development. Differentiation 2015; 89:22-30. [PMID: 25619648 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2014.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Arkadia (also known as RING finger 111) encodes a nuclear E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets intracellular effectors and modulators of TGFβ/Nodal-related signaling for polyubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation. In the mouse, loss of Arkadia results in early embryonic lethality, with defects attributed to compromised Nodal signaling. Here, we report the isolation of zebrafish arkadia/rnf111, which is represented by 5 transcript variants. arkadia/rnf111 is broadly expressed during the blastula and gastrula stages, with eventual enrichment in the anterior mesendoderm, including the prechordal plate. Morpholino knockdown experiments reveal an unexpected role for Arkadia/Rnf111 in both early blastula organization and epiboly progression. Using a splice junction morpholino, we present additional evidence that arkadia/rnf111 transcript variants containing a 3' alternative exon are specifically required for epiboly progression in the late gastrula. This result suggests that arkadia/rnf111 transcript variants encode functionally relevant protein isoforms that provide additional intracellular flexibility and regulation to the Nodal signaling pathway.
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50
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The Notochord Breaks Bilateral Symmetry by Controlling Cell Shapes in the Zebrafish Laterality Organ. Dev Cell 2014; 31:774-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2014.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 10/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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