1
|
Zhang B, Chen F, Xu T, Tian Y, Zhang Y, Cao M, Guo X, Yin D. The crosstalk effects of polybrominated diphenyl ethers on the retinoic acid and thyroid hormone signaling pathway. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 883:163590. [PMID: 37088389 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The toxicological and pathological influences of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) on the animal central nervous system have attracted worldwide attention. However, their mechanism of action has not been completely elucidated. Given that retinoic acid (RA) and thyroid hormone (TH) signaling pathway are closely related to neurodevelopment, the crosstalk between the two signaling pathways at the levels of metabolite conversion, gene expression and ligand-receptor interaction after exposure to two representative PBDE congeners (BDE-47 and BDE-209) using zebrafish larvae, dual reporter gene assay, and docking simulation was studied. Our results clarified that BDE-47 could disrupt the transport and metabolism of retinoids, induce changes in expression of key genes, bind with the seven nuclear receptors, and activate RA signaling pathway. BDE-47 exhibited more effects on the indicators of the two signaling pathways than BDE-209. Furthermore, BDE-47 may disrupt TH signaling pathway by disrupting RA signaling pathway, indicating that RA signal is priorly influenced than TH signal. This work offered a new perspective to elucidate TH signal disruption mechanism induced by PBDEs from RA signaling pathway, which is of great significance to elucidate the health effects of PBDEs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhang
- Department of Health Toxicology, Faculty of Naval Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Fu Chen
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Ting Xu
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Yijun Tian
- Department of Health Toxicology, Faculty of Naval Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yajie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Miao Cao
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xueping Guo
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Daqiang Yin
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gur M, Bendelac-Kapon L, Shabtai Y, Pillemer G, Fainsod A. Reduced Retinoic Acid Signaling During Gastrulation Induces Developmental Microcephaly. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:844619. [PMID: 35372345 PMCID: PMC8967241 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.844619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) is a central signaling molecule regulating multiple developmental decisions during embryogenesis. Excess RA induces head malformations, primarily by expansion of posterior brain structures at the expense of anterior head regions, i.e., hindbrain expansion. Despite this extensively studied RA teratogenic effect, a number of syndromes exhibiting microcephaly, such as DiGeorge, Vitamin A Deficiency, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and others, have been attributed to reduced RA signaling. This causative link suggests a requirement for RA signaling during normal head development in all these syndromes. To characterize this novel RA function, we studied the involvement of RA in the early events leading to head formation in Xenopus embryos. This effect was mapped to the earliest RA biosynthesis in the embryo within the gastrula Spemann-Mangold organizer. Head malformations were observed when reduced RA signaling was induced in the endogenous Spemann-Mangold organizer and in the ectopic organizer of twinned embryos. Two embryonic retinaldehyde dehydrogenases, ALDH1A2 (RALDH2) and ALDH1A3 (RALDH3) are initially expressed in the organizer and subsequently mark the trunk and the migrating leading edge mesendoderm, respectively. Gene-specific knockdowns and CRISPR/Cas9 targeting show that RALDH3 is a key enzyme involved in RA production required for head formation. These observations indicate that in addition to the teratogenic effect of excess RA on head development, RA signaling also has a positive and required regulatory role in the early formation of the head during gastrula stages. These results identify a novel RA activity that concurs with its proposed reduction in syndromes exhibiting microcephaly.
Collapse
|
3
|
Thiel W, Esposito EJ, Findley AP, Blume ZI, Mitchell DM. Modulation of retinoid-X-receptors differentially regulates expression of apolipoprotein genes apoc1 and apoeb by zebrafish microglia. Biol Open 2021; 11:273656. [PMID: 34878094 PMCID: PMC8822359 DOI: 10.1242/bio.058990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptome analyses performed in both human and zebrafish indicate strong expression of Apoe and Apoc1 by microglia. Apoe expression by microglia is well appreciated, but Apoc1 expression has not been well-examined. PPAR/RXR and LXR/RXR receptors appear to regulate expression of the apolipoprotein gene cluster in macrophages, but a similar role in microglia in vivo has not been studied. Here, we characterized microglial expression of apoc1 in the zebrafish central nervous system (CNS) in situ and demonstrate that in the CNS, apoc1 expression is unique to microglia. We then examined the effects of PPAR/RXR and LXR/RXR modulation on microglial expression of apoc1 and apoeb during early CNS development using a pharmacological approach. Changes in apoc1 and apoeb transcripts in response to pharmacological modulation were quantified by RT-qPCR in whole heads, and in individual microglia using hybridization chain reaction (HCR) in situ hybridization. We found that expression of apoc1 and apoeb by microglia were differentially regulated by LXR/RXR and PPAR/RXR modulating compounds, respectively, during development. Our results also suggest RXR receptors could be involved in endogenous induction of apoc1 expression by microglia. Collectively, our work supports the use of zebrafish to better understand regulation and function of these apolipoproteins in the CNS. Summary: Here we investigate expression of two apolipoprotein genes by microglia in the zebrafish model during normal development, and in contexts of pharmacological manipulations that target candidate regulatory receptors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Whitney Thiel
- Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, Russia
| | - Emma J Esposito
- Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, Russia
| | - Anna P Findley
- Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, Russia
| | - Zachary I Blume
- Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, Russia
| | - Diana M Mitchell
- Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cho K, Lee SM, Heo J, Kwon YM, Chung D, Yu WJ, Bae SS, Choi G, Lee DS, Kim Y. Retinaldehyde Dehydrogenase Inhibition-Related Adverse Outcome Pathway: Potential Risk of Retinoic Acid Synthesis Inhibition during Embryogenesis. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13110739. [PMID: 34822523 PMCID: PMC8623920 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13110739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) is one of the factors crucial for cell growth, differentiation, and embryogenesis; it interacts with the retinoic acid receptor and retinoic acid X receptor to eventually regulate target gene expression in chordates. RA is transformed from retinaldehyde via oxidization by retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH), which belongs to the family of oxidoreductases. Several chemicals, including disulphiram, diethylaminobenzaldehyde, and SB-210661, can effectively inhibit RALDH activity, potentially causing reproductive and developmental toxicity. The modes of action can be sequentially explained based on the molecular initiating event toward key events, and finally the adverse outcomes. Adverse outcome pathway (AOP) is a conceptual and theoretical framework that describes the sequential chain of casually liked events at different biological levels from molecular events to adverse effects. In the present review, we discussed a recently registered AOP (AOP297; inhibition of retinaldehyde dehydrogenase leads to population decline) to explain and support the weight of evidence for RALDH inhibition-related developmental toxicity using the existing knowledge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kichul Cho
- Department of Genetic Resources Research, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), Seocheon 33662, Korea; (K.C.); (Y.M.K.); (D.C.); (W.-J.Y.); (S.S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Sang-Moo Lee
- Department of Applied Bioscience, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Korea;
| | - Jina Heo
- Department of Growth Engine Research, Chungbuk Research Institute (CRI), Chungju 28517, Korea;
| | - Yong Min Kwon
- Department of Genetic Resources Research, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), Seocheon 33662, Korea; (K.C.); (Y.M.K.); (D.C.); (W.-J.Y.); (S.S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Dawoon Chung
- Department of Genetic Resources Research, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), Seocheon 33662, Korea; (K.C.); (Y.M.K.); (D.C.); (W.-J.Y.); (S.S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Woon-Jong Yu
- Department of Genetic Resources Research, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), Seocheon 33662, Korea; (K.C.); (Y.M.K.); (D.C.); (W.-J.Y.); (S.S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Seung Seob Bae
- Department of Genetic Resources Research, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), Seocheon 33662, Korea; (K.C.); (Y.M.K.); (D.C.); (W.-J.Y.); (S.S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Grace Choi
- Department of Genetic Resources Research, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), Seocheon 33662, Korea; (K.C.); (Y.M.K.); (D.C.); (W.-J.Y.); (S.S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Dae-Sung Lee
- Department of Genetic Resources Research, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK), Seocheon 33662, Korea; (K.C.); (Y.M.K.); (D.C.); (W.-J.Y.); (S.S.B.); (G.C.)
- Correspondence: (D.-S.L.); (Y.K.)
| | - Youngjun Kim
- Environmental Safety Group, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Europe, Campus E 7.1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Correspondence: (D.-S.L.); (Y.K.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Treffy RW, Rajan SG, Jiang X, Nacke LM, Malkana UA, Naiche LA, Bergey DE, Santana D, Rajagopalan V, Kitajewski JK, O'Bryan JP, Saxena A. Neuroblastoma differentiation in vivo excludes cranial tumors. Dev Cell 2021; 56:2752-2764.e6. [PMID: 34610330 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common cancer in the first year of life, presents almost exclusively in the trunk. To understand why an early-onset cancer would have such a specific localization, we xenotransplanted human NB cells into discrete neural crest (NC) streams in zebrafish embryos. Here, we demonstrate that human NB cells remain in an undifferentiated, tumorigenic state when comigrating posteriorly with NC cells but, upon comigration into the head, differentiate into neurons and exhibit decreased survival. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this in vivo differentiation requires retinoic acid and brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling from the microenvironment, as well as cell-autonomous intersectin-1-dependent phosphoinositide 3-kinase-mediated signaling, likely via Akt kinase activation. Our findings suggest a microenvironment-driven explanation for NB's trunk-biased localization and highlight the potential for induced differentiation to promote NB resolution in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Randall W Treffy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Sriivatsan G Rajan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Xinghang Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Lynne M Nacke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Usama A Malkana
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - L A Naiche
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Dani E Bergey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Dianicha Santana
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Vinodh Rajagopalan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Jan K Kitajewski
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - John P O'Bryan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
| | - Ankur Saxena
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Crespo D, Assis LHC, Zhang YT, Safian D, Furmanek T, Skaftnesmo KO, Norberg B, Ge W, Choi YC, den Broeder MJ, Legler J, Bogerd J, Schulz RW. Insulin-like 3 affects zebrafish spermatogenic cells directly and via Sertoli cells. Commun Biol 2021; 4:204. [PMID: 33589679 PMCID: PMC7884674 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01708-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Pituitary hormones can use local signaling molecules to regulate target tissue functions. In adult zebrafish testes, follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) strongly increases the production of insulin-like 3 (Insl3), a Leydig cell-derived growth factor found in all vertebrates. Little information is available regarding Insl3 function in adult spermatogenesis. The Insl3 receptors Rxfp2a and 2b were expressed by type A spermatogonia and Sertoli and myoid cells, respectively, in zebrafish testis tissue. Loss of insl3 increased germ cell apoptosis in males starting at 9 months of age, but spermatogenesis appeared normal in fully fertile, younger adults. Insl3 changed the expression of 409 testicular genes. Among others, retinoic acid (RA) signaling was up- and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg) signaling was down-regulated. Follow-up studies showed that RA and Pparg signaling mediated Insl3 effects, resulting in the increased production of differentiating spermatogonia. This suggests that Insl3 recruits two locally active nuclear receptor pathways to implement pituitary (Fsh) stimulation of spermatogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diego Crespo
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands ,grid.10917.3e0000 0004 0427 3161Present Address: Research Group Reproduction and Developmental Biology, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
| | - Luiz H. C. Assis
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Yu Ting Zhang
- grid.12955.3a0000 0001 2264 7233State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Fujian, PR China ,grid.449133.80000 0004 1764 3555Present Address: Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Diego Safian
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands ,grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Present Address: Experimental Zoology Group and Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Department of Animal Science, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tomasz Furmanek
- grid.10917.3e0000 0004 0427 3161Research Group Reproduction and Developmental Biology, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kai Ove Skaftnesmo
- grid.10917.3e0000 0004 0427 3161Research Group Reproduction and Developmental Biology, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
| | - Birgitta Norberg
- grid.10917.3e0000 0004 0427 3161Institute of Marine Research, Austevoll Research Station, Storebø, Norway
| | - Wei Ge
- grid.437123.00000 0004 1794 8068Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging (CRDA), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau China
| | - Yung-Ching Choi
- grid.437123.00000 0004 1794 8068Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging (CRDA), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau China
| | - Marjo J. den Broeder
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Division of Toxicology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Juliette Legler
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Division of Toxicology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Bogerd
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rüdiger W. Schulz
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands ,grid.10917.3e0000 0004 0427 3161Research Group Reproduction and Developmental Biology, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhu GJ, Gong S, Ma DB, Tao T, He WQ, Zhang L, Wang F, Qian XY, Zhou H, Fan C, Wang P, Chen X, Zhao W, Sun J, Chen H, Wang Y, Gao X, Zuo J, Zhu MS, Gao X, Wan G. Aldh inhibitor restores auditory function in a mouse model of human deafness. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009040. [PMID: 32970669 PMCID: PMC7553308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic hearing loss is a common health problem with no effective therapy currently available. DFNA15, caused by mutations of the transcription factor POU4F3, is one of the most common forms of autosomal dominant non-syndromic deafness. In this study, we established a novel mouse model of the human DFNA15 deafness, with a Pou4f3 gene mutation (Pou4f3Δ) identical to that found in a familial case of DFNA15. The Pou4f3(Δ/+) mice suffered progressive deafness in a similar manner to the DFNA15 patients. Hair cells in the Pou4f3(Δ/+) cochlea displayed significant stereociliary and mitochondrial pathologies, with apparent loss of outer hair cells. Progression of hearing and outer hair cell loss of the Pou4f3(Δ/+) mice was significantly modified by other genetic and environmental factors. Using Pou4f3(-/+) heterozygous knockout mice, we also showed that DFNA15 is likely caused by haploinsufficiency of the Pou4f3 gene. Importantly, inhibition of retinoic acid signaling by the aldehyde dehydrogenase (Aldh) and retinoic acid receptor inhibitors promoted Pou4f3 expression in the cochlear tissue and suppressed the progression of hearing loss in the mutant mice. These data demonstrate Pou4f3 haploinsufficiency as the main underlying cause of human DFNA15 deafness and highlight the therapeutic potential of Aldh inhibitors for treatment of progressive hearing loss. More than 50% of deafness cases are due to genetic defects with no treatment available. DFNA15, caused by mutations of the transcription factor POU4F3, is one of the most common types of autosomal dominant non-syndromic deafness. Here, we established a novel mouse model with the exact Pou4f3 mutation identified in human patients. The mutant mouse display similar auditory pathophysiology as human patients and exhibit multiple hair cell abnormalities. The onset and severity of hearing loss in the mouse model is highly modifiable to environmental factors, such as aging, noise exposure or genetic backgrounds. Using a new knockout mouse model, we found Pou4f3 haploinsufficiency as the underlying mechanism of human DFNA15. Importantly, we identified Aldh inhibitor as a potent small molecule for upregulation of Pou4f3 and treatment of hearing loss in the mutant mouse. The identification of Aldh inhibitor for treatment of DFNA15 deafness represents a major advance in the unmet medical need for this common form of progressive hearing loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Jie Zhu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Sihao Gong
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Deng-Bin Ma
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Tao
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei-Qi He
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and Cambridge-Suda (CAM-SU) Genomic Resource Center, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Linqing Zhang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao-Yun Qian
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Han Zhou
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chi Fan
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Pei Wang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jie Sun
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Huaqun Chen
- College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ye Wang
- Nanjing MuCyte Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Nanjing, China
| | - Xiang Gao
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian Zuo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Creighton University, United States of America
| | - Min-Sheng Zhu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- * E-mail: (MSZ); (XG); (GW)
| | - Xia Gao
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- * E-mail: (MSZ); (XG); (GW)
| | - Guoqiang Wan
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Provincial Key Discipline of the affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University and Model Animal Research Center, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Studies, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- * E-mail: (MSZ); (XG); (GW)
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Retinoids and developmental neurotoxicity: Utilizing toxicogenomics to enhance adverse outcome pathways and testing strategies. Reprod Toxicol 2020; 96:102-113. [PMID: 32544423 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The use of genomic approaches in toxicological studies has greatly increased our ability to define the molecular profiles of environmental chemicals associated with developmental neurotoxicity (DNT). Integration of these approaches with adverse outcome pathways (AOPs), a framework that translates environmental exposures to adverse developmental phenotypes, can potentially inform DNT testing strategies. Here, using retinoic acid (RA) as a case example, we demonstrate that the integration of toxicogenomic profiles into the AOP framework can be used to establish a paradigm for chemical testing. RA is a critical regulatory signaling molecule involved in multiple aspects of mammalian central nervous system (CNS) development, including hindbrain formation/patterning and neuronal differentiation, and imbalances in RA signaling pathways are linked with DNT. While the mechanisms remain unresolved, environmental chemicals can cause DNT by disrupting the RA signaling pathway. First, we reviewed literature evidence of RA and other retinoid exposures and DNT to define a provisional AOP related to imbalances in RA embryonic bioavailability and hindbrain development. Next, by integrating toxicogenomic datasets, we defined a relevant transcriptomic signature associated with RA-induced developmental neurotoxicity (RA-DNT) in human and rodent models that was tested against zebrafish model data, demonstrating potential for integration into an AOP framework. Finally, we demonstrated how these approaches may be systematically utilized to identify chemical hazards by testing the RA-DNT signature against azoles, a proposed class of compounds that alters RA-signaling. The provisional AOP from this study can be expanded in the future to better define DNT biomarkers relevant to RA signaling and toxicity.
Collapse
|
9
|
Shannon SR, Yu J, Defnet AE, Bongfeldt D, Moise AR, Kane MA, Trainor PA. Identifying vitamin A signaling by visualizing gene and protein activity, and by quantification of vitamin A metabolites. Methods Enzymol 2020; 637:367-418. [PMID: 32359653 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2020.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Vitamin A (retinol) is an essential nutrient for embryonic development and adult homeostasis. Signaling by vitamin A is carried out by its active metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), following a two-step conversion. RA is a small, lipophilic molecule that can diffuse from its site of synthesis to neighboring RA-responsive cells where it binds retinoic acid receptors within RA response elements of target genes. It is critical that both vitamin A and RA are maintained within a tight physiological range to protect against developmental disorders and disease. Therefore, a series of compensatory mechanisms exist to ensure appropriate levels of each. This strict regulation is provided by a number synthesizing and metabolizing enzymes that facilitate the precise spatiotemporal control of vitamin A metabolism, and RA synthesis and signaling. In this chapter we describe protocols that (1) biochemically isolate and quantify vitamin A and its metabolites and (2) visualize the spatiotemporal activity of genes and proteins involved in the signaling pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Shannon
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States; University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Jianshi Yu
- University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Amy E Defnet
- University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Danika Bongfeldt
- Medical Sciences Division, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, ON, Canada; Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Biology and Biomolecular Sciences Program, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Alexander R Moise
- Medical Sciences Division, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, ON, Canada; Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Biology and Biomolecular Sciences Program, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Maureen A Kane
- University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Paul A Trainor
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States; University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas City, KS, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Fainsod A, Bendelac-Kapon L, Shabtai Y. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Embryogenesis Under Reduced Retinoic Acid Signaling Conditions. Subcell Biochem 2020; 95:197-225. [PMID: 32297301 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-42282-0_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a complex set of developmental malformations, neurobehavioral anomalies and mental disabilities induced by exposing human embryos to alcohol during fetal development. Several experimental models and a series of developmental and biochemical approaches have established a strong link between FASD and reduced retinoic acid (RA) signaling. RA signaling is involved in the regulation of numerous developmental decisions from patterning of the anterior-posterior axis, starting at gastrulation, to the differentiation of specific cell types within developing organs, to adult tissue homeostasis. Being such an important regulatory signal during embryonic development, mutations or environmental perturbations that affect the level, timing or location of the RA signal can induce multiple and severe developmental malformations. The evidence connecting human syndromes to reduced RA signaling is presented here and the resulting phenotypes are compared to FASD. Available data suggest that competition between ethanol clearance and RA biosynthesis is a major etiological component in FASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Fainsod
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ein Kerem, POB 12271, 9112102, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Liat Bendelac-Kapon
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ein Kerem, POB 12271, 9112102, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yehuda Shabtai
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ein Kerem, POB 12271, 9112102, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Abstract
This chapter brings together data on the role of retinoic acid (RA) in the embryonic development of fins in zebrafish , limbs in amphibians , chicks , and mice, and regeneration of the amphibian limb . The intention is to determine whether there is a common set of principles by which we can understand the mode of action of RA in both embryos and adults. What emerges from this synthesis is that there are indeed commonalities in the involvement of RA in processes that ventralize, posteriorize, and proximalize the developing and regenerating limb . Different axes of the limb have historically been studied independently; as for example, the embryonic development of the anteroposterior (AP) axis of the chick limb bud versus the regeneration of the limb bud proximodistal (PD) axis . But when we take a broader view, a unifying principle emerges that explains why RA administration to embryos and regenerating limbs results in the development of multiple limbs in both cases. As might be expected, different molecular pathways govern the development of different systems and model organisms, but despite these differences, the pathways involve similar RA signaling genes, such as tbx5, meis, shh, fgfs and hox genes. Studies of developing and regenerating systems have highlighted that RA acts by being synthesized in one embryonic location while acting in another one, exactly as embryonic morphogens do, although there is no evidence for the presence of an RA gradient within the limb . What also emerges is that there is a paucity of information on the involvement of RA in development of the dorsoventral (DV) axis . A molecular explanation as to how RA establishes and alters positional information in all three axes is the most important area of study for the future.
Collapse
|
12
|
Crespo D, Assis LHC, van de Kant HJG, de Waard S, Safian D, Lemos MS, Bogerd J, Schulz RW. Endocrine and local signaling interact to regulate spermatogenesis in zebrafish: follicle-stimulating hormone, retinoic acid and androgens. Development 2019; 146:dev.178665. [PMID: 31597660 DOI: 10.1242/dev.178665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) is crucial for mammalian spermatogonia differentiation, and stimulates Stra8 expression, a gene required for meiosis. Certain fish species, including zebrafish, have lost the stra8 gene. While RA still seems important for spermatogenesis in fish, it is not known which stage(s) respond to RA or whether its effects are integrated into the endocrine regulation of spermatogenesis. In zebrafish, RA promoted spermatogonia differentiation, supported androgen-stimulated meiosis, and reduced spermatocyte and spermatid apoptosis. Follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) stimulated RA production. Expressing a dominant-negative RA receptor variant in germ cells clearly disturbed spermatogenesis but meiosis and spermiogenesis still took place, although sperm quality was low in 6-month-old adults. This condition also activated Leydig cells. Three months later, spermatogenesis apparently had recovered, but doubling of testis weight demonstrated hypertrophy, apoptosis/DNA damage among spermatids was high and sperm quality remained low. We conclude that RA signaling is important for zebrafish spermatogenesis but is not of crucial relevance. As Fsh stimulates androgen and RA production, germ cell-mediated, RA-dependent reduction of Leydig cell activity may form a hitherto unknown intratesticular negative-feedback loop.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diego Crespo
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
| | - Luiz H C Assis
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
| | - Henk J G van de Kant
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
| | - Sjors de Waard
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
| | - Diego Safian
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
| | - Moline S Lemos
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Jan Bogerd
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
| | - Rüdiger W Schulz
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division Developmental Biology, Department Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands .,Research Group Reproduction and Developmental Biology, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen NO-5817, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Abstract
Vertebrate color vision requires spectrally selective opsin-based pigments, expressed in distinct cone photoreceptor populations. In primates and in fish, spectrally divergent opsin genes may reside in head-to-tail tandem arrays. Mechanisms underlying differential expression from such arrays have not been fully elucidated. Regulation of human red (LWS) vs. green (MWS) opsins is considered a stochastic event, whereby upstream enhancers associate randomly with promoters of the proximal or distal gene, and one of these associations becomes permanent. We demonstrate that, distinct from this stochastic model, the endocrine signal thyroid hormone (TH) regulates differential expression of the orthologous zebrafish lws1/lws2 array, and of the tandemly quadruplicated rh2-1/rh2-2/rh2-3/rh2-4 array. TH treatment caused dramatic, dose-dependent increases in abundance of lws1, the proximal member of the lws array, and reduced lws2 Fluorescent lws reporters permitted direct visualization of individual cones switching expression from lws2 to lws1 Athyroidism increased lws2 and reduced lws1, except within a small ventral domain of lws1 that was likely sustained by retinoic acid signaling. Changes in lws abundance and distribution in athyroid zebrafish were rescued by TH, demonstrating plasticity of cone phenotype in response to this signal. TH manipulations also regulated the rh2 array, with athyroidism reducing abundance of distal members. Interestingly, the opsins encoded by the proximal lws gene and distal rh2 genes are sensitive to longer wavelengths than other members of their respective arrays; therefore, endogenous TH acts upon each opsin array to shift overall spectral sensitivity toward longer wavelengths, underlying coordinated changes in visual system function during development and growth.
Collapse
|
14
|
Frank D, Sela-Donenfeld D. Hindbrain induction and patterning during early vertebrate development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:941-960. [PMID: 30519881 PMCID: PMC11105337 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2974-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The hindbrain is a key relay hub of the central nervous system (CNS), linking the bilaterally symmetric half-sides of lower and upper CNS centers via an extensive network of neural pathways. Dedicated neural assemblies within the hindbrain control many physiological processes, including respiration, blood pressure, motor coordination and different sensations. During early development, the hindbrain forms metameric segmented units known as rhombomeres along the antero-posterior (AP) axis of the nervous system. These compartmentalized units are highly conserved during vertebrate evolution and act as the template for adult brainstem structure and function. TALE and HOX homeodomain family transcription factors play a key role in the initial induction of the hindbrain and its specification into rhombomeric cell fate identities along the AP axis. Signaling pathways, such as canonical-Wnt, FGF and retinoic acid, play multiple roles to initially induce the hindbrain and regulate Hox gene-family expression to control rhombomeric identity. Additional transcription factors including Krox20, Kreisler and others act both upstream and downstream to Hox genes, modulating their expression and protein activity. In this review, we will examine the earliest embryonic signaling pathways that induce the hindbrain and subsequent rhombomeric segmentation via Hox and other gene expression. We will examine how these signaling pathways and transcription factors interact to activate downstream targets that organize the segmented AP pattern of the embryonic vertebrate hindbrain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dale Frank
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 31096, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Dalit Sela-Donenfeld
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 76100, Rehovot, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Metzler MA, Raja S, Elliott KH, Friedl RM, Tran NQH, Brugmann SA, Larsen M, Sandell LL. RDH10-mediated retinol metabolism and RARα-mediated retinoic acid signaling are required for submandibular salivary gland initiation. Development 2018; 145:dev.164822. [PMID: 29986869 DOI: 10.1242/dev.164822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, the epithelial tissues of major salivary glands generate saliva and drain it into the oral cavity. For submandibular salivary glands (SMGs), the epithelial tissues arise during embryogenesis from naïve oral ectoderm adjacent to the base of the tongue, which begins to thicken, express SOX9 and invaginate into underlying mesenchyme. The developmental mechanisms initiating salivary gland development remain unexplored. In this study, we show that retinoic acid (RA) signaling activity at the site of gland initiation is colocalized with expression of retinol metabolic genes Rdh10 and Aldh1a2 in the underlying SMG mesenchyme. Utilizing a novel ex vivo assay for SMG initiation developed for this study, we show that RDH10 and RA are required for salivary gland initiation. Moreover, we show that the requirement for RA in gland initiation involves canonical signaling through retinoic acid receptors (RAR). Finally, we show that RA signaling essential for gland initiation is transduced specifically through RARα, with no contribution from other RAR isoforms. This is the first study to identify a molecular signal regulating mammalian salivary gland initiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A Metzler
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Swetha Raja
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Kelsey H Elliott
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Regina M Friedl
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - N Q H Tran
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Samantha A Brugmann
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Melinda Larsen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Lisa L Sandell
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Mechanisms of Photoreceptor Patterning in Vertebrates and Invertebrates. Trends Genet 2017; 32:638-659. [PMID: 27615122 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2016.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, visual systems have evolved to be uniquely suited to the environments and behavioral patterns of different species. Visual acuity and color perception depend on the distribution of photoreceptor (PR) subtypes within the retina. Retinal mosaics can be organized into three broad categories: stochastic/regionalized, regionalized, and ordered. We describe here the retinal mosaics of flies, zebrafish, chickens, mice, and humans, and the gene regulatory networks controlling proper PR specification in each. By drawing parallels in eye development between these divergent species, we identify a set of conserved organizing principles and transcriptional networks that govern PR subtype differentiation.
Collapse
|
17
|
Nikaido M, Navajas Acedo J, Hatta K, Piotrowski T. Retinoic acid is required and Fgf, Wnt, and Bmp signaling inhibit posterior lateral line placode induction in zebrafish. Dev Biol 2017; 431:215-225. [PMID: 28923486 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The lateral line system is a mechanosensory systems present in aquatic animals. The anterior and posterior lateral lines develop from anterior and posterior lateral line placodes (aLLp and pLLp), respectively. Although signaling molecules required for the induction of other cranial placodes have been well studied, the molecular mechanisms underlying formation of the lateral line placodes are unknown. In this study we tested the requirement of multiple signaling pathways, such as Wnt, Bmp Fgf, and Retinoic Acid for aLLp and pLLp induction. We determined that aLLp specification requires Fgf signaling, whilst pLLp specification requires retinoic acid which inhibits Fgf signaling. pLLp induction is also independent of Wnt and Bmp activities, even though these pathways limit the boundaries of the pLLp. This is the first report that the aLLp and pLLp depend on different inductive mechanisms and that pLLp induction requires the inhibition of Fgf, Wnt and Bmp signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masataka Nikaido
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Graduate School of Life Sciences, University of Hyogo, Hyogo Pref. 678-1297, Japan
| | | | - Kohei Hatta
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, University of Hyogo, Hyogo Pref. 678-1297, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Kameda Y. Morphological and molecular evolution of the ultimobranchial gland of nonmammalian vertebrates, with special reference to the chicken C cells. Dev Dyn 2017; 246:719-739. [PMID: 28608500 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
This review summarizes the current understanding of the nonmammalian ultimobranchial gland from morphological and molecular perspectives. Ultimobranchial anlage of all animal species develops from the last pharyngeal pouch. The genes involved in the development of pharyngeal pouches are well conserved across vertebrates. The ultimobranchial anlage of nonmammalian vertebrates and monotremes does not merge with the thyroid, remaining as an independent organ throughout adulthood. Although C cells of all animal species secrete calcitonin, the shape, cellular components and location of the ultimobranchial gland vary from species to species. Avian ultimobranchial gland is unique in several phylogenic aspects; the organ is located between the vagus and recurrent laryngeal nerves at the upper thorax and is densely innervated by branches emanating from them. In chick embryos, TuJ1-, HNK-1-, and PGP 9.5-immunoreactive cells that originate from the distal vagal (nodose) ganglion, colonize the ultimobranchial anlage and differentiate into C cells; neuronal cells give rise to C cells. Like C cells of mammals, the cells of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and also a subset of C cells of birds, appear to be derived from the endodermal epithelium forming ultimobranchial anlage. Thus, the avian ultimobranchial C cells may have dual origins, neural progenitors and endodermal epithelium. Developmental Dynamics 246:719-739, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Kameda
- Department of Anatomy, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
da Silva S, Cepko CL. Fgf8 Expression and Degradation of Retinoic Acid Are Required for Patterning a High-Acuity Area in the Retina. Dev Cell 2017; 42:68-81.e6. [PMID: 28648799 PMCID: PMC5798461 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Species that are highly reliant on their visual system have a specialized retinal area subserving high-acuity vision, e.g., the fovea in humans. Although of critical importance for our daily activities, little is known about the mechanisms driving the development of retinal high-acuity areas (HAAs). Using the chick as a model, we found a precise and dynamic expression pattern of fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8) in the HAA anlage, which was regulated by enzymes that degrade retinoic acid (RA). Transient manipulation of RA signaling, or reduction of Fgf8 expression, disrupted several features of HAA patterning, including photoreceptor distribution, ganglion cell density, and organization of interneurons. Notably, patterned expression of RA signaling components was also found in humans, suggesting that RA also plays a role in setting up the human fovea.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susana da Silva
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Constance L Cepko
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) form a superfamily of transcription factors that can be activated by ligands and are involved in a wide range of physiological processes. NRs are well conserved between vertebrate species. The zebrafish, an increasingly popular animal model system, contains a total of 73 NR genes, and orthologues of almost all human NRs are present. In this review article, an overview is presented of NR research in which the zebrafish has been used as a model. Research is described on the three most studied zebrafish NRs: the estrogen receptors (ERs), retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). The studies on these receptors illustrate the versatility of the zebrafish as a model for ecotoxicological, developmental and biomedical research. Although the use of the zebrafish in NR research is still relatively limited, it is expected that in the next decade the full potential of this animal model will be exploited.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel J M Schaaf
- Institute of Biology (IBL)Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Dash SN, Narumanchi S, Paavola J, Perttunen S, Wang H, Lakkisto P, Tikkanen I, Lehtonen S. Sept7b is required for the subcellular organization of cardiomyocytes and cardiac function in zebrafish. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2017; 312:H1085-H1095. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00394.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Myofibrils made up of actin, myosin, and associated proteins generate the contractile force in muscle, and, consequently, mutations in these proteins may lead to heart failure. Septins are a conserved family of small GTPases that associate with actin filaments, microtubules, and cellular membranes. Despite the importance of septins in cytoskeleton organization, their role in cardiomyocyte organization and function is poorly characterized. Here, we show that septin 7 is expressed in both embryonic and adult zebrafish hearts and elucidate the physiological significance of sept7b, the zebrafish ortholog of human septin 7, in the heart in embryonic and larval zebrafish. Knockdown of sept7b reduced F-actin and α-cardiac actin expression in the heart and caused disorganization of actin filaments. Electron microscopy of sept7b-depleted larvae showed disorganization of heart myofibrils and partial detachment from Z-disks. Functional studies revealed that knockdown of sept7b leads to reduced ventricular dimensions, contractility, and cardiac output. Furthermore, we found that depletion of sept7b diminished the expression of retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2, which catalyzes the synthesis of retinoic acid necessary for heart morphogenesis. We further observed that the sept7b and retinoic acid signaling pathways converge to regulate cardiac function. Together, these results specify an essential role for sept7b in the contractile function of the heart. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Knockdown of the zebrafish ortholog of human septin 7 ( sept7b) destabilizes cardiac actin and reduces ventricular dimensions, contractility, and cardiac output in larval zebrafish, indicating that sept7b is essential for cardiac function. We further found that sept7b and retinoic acid signaling pathways converge to regulate cardiac function. These data prompt further studies defining the role of sept7b in cardiomyopathies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Suneeta Narumanchi
- Unit of Cardiovascular Research, Minerva Institute for Medical Research, Biomedicum Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jere Paavola
- Unit of Cardiovascular Research, Minerva Institute for Medical Research, Biomedicum Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Internal Medicine, Jorvi Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, Espoo, Finland
| | - Sanni Perttunen
- Unit of Cardiovascular Research, Minerva Institute for Medical Research, Biomedicum Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Päivi Lakkisto
- Unit of Cardiovascular Research, Minerva Institute for Medical Research, Biomedicum Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; and
| | - Ilkka Tikkanen
- Unit of Cardiovascular Research, Minerva Institute for Medical Research, Biomedicum Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Abdominal Center, Nephrology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sanna Lehtonen
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Burton DF, Zhang C, Boa-Amponsem O, Mackinnon S, Cole GJ. Long-term behavioral change as a result of acute ethanol exposure in zebrafish: Evidence for a role for sonic hedgehog but not retinoic acid signaling. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2017; 61:66-73. [PMID: 28223149 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2017.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developmental exposure to ethanol is recognized to produce long-term neurobehavioral impairment in multiple animal models. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these deficits remain poorly understood. The present study was undertaken to ascertain whether two well-characterized targets of prenatal alcohol exposure, sonic hedgehog (Shh) and retinoic acid (RA), that induce the hallmark morphological phenotypes of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), are involved in the generation of behavioral alterations as a result of alcohol exposure. METHODS Zebrafish embryos were exposed to ethanol (0%, 1%, 3%) at either 8-10 or 24-27h post-fertilization (hpf) and then evaluated during adolescence in the novel tank dive test to assess anxiety and risk-taking behavior. Overt signs of dysmorphogenesis were also scored and behavioral and morphological changes were compared for embryos treated with alcohol alone or in combination with subthreshold doses of shh or alhh1a3 morpholinos (MOs). RESULTS Ethanol treated fish displayed altered tank diving behavior that was not exacerbated by combined MO treatment. While treatment of embryos with either shha mRNA or RA prior to ethanol exposure only ameliorated the altered tank diving response in the case of shha mRNA overexpression, dysmorphogenesis was rescued by both treatments. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the effects of ethanol exposure on changes in anxiety and risk-taking behavior in adolescent zebrafish is manifested by a blunting of Shh, but not RA, signaling during early development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Derek F Burton
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, United States; Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, United States
| | - Chengjin Zhang
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, United States
| | - Oswald Boa-Amponsem
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, United States; Integrated Biosciences Program, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, United States
| | - Shanta Mackinnon
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, United States
| | - Gregory J Cole
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, United States; Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Metzler MA, Sandell LL. Enzymatic Metabolism of Vitamin A in Developing Vertebrate Embryos. Nutrients 2016; 8:E812. [PMID: 27983671 PMCID: PMC5188467 DOI: 10.3390/nu8120812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development is orchestrated by a small number of signaling pathways, one of which is the retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathway. Vitamin A is essential for vertebrate embryonic development because it is the molecular precursor of the essential signaling molecule RA. The level and distribution of RA signaling within a developing embryo must be tightly regulated; too much, or too little, or abnormal distribution, all disrupt embryonic development. Precise regulation of RA signaling during embryogenesis is achieved by proteins involved in vitamin A metabolism, retinoid transport, nuclear signaling, and RA catabolism. The reversible first step in conversion of the precursor vitamin A to the active retinoid RA is mediated by retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10) and dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR family) member 3 (DHRS3), two related membrane-bound proteins that functionally activate each other to mediate the interconversion of retinol and retinal. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes do not contribute to RA production under normal conditions during embryogenesis. Genes involved in vitamin A metabolism and RA catabolism are expressed in tissue-specific patterns and are subject to feedback regulation. Mutations in genes encoding these proteins disrupt morphogenesis of many systems in a developing embryo. Together these observations demonstrate the importance of vitamin A metabolism in regulating RA signaling during embryonic development in vertebrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A Metzler
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Craniofacial Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40201, USA.
| | - Lisa L Sandell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Craniofacial Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40201, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Pillay LM, Mackowetzky KJ, Widen SA, Waskiewicz AJ. Somite-Derived Retinoic Acid Regulates Zebrafish Hematopoietic Stem Cell Formation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166040. [PMID: 27861498 PMCID: PMC5115706 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent progenitors that generate all vertebrate adult blood lineages. Recent analyses have highlighted the importance of somite-derived signaling factors in regulating HSC specification and emergence from dorsal aorta hemogenic endothelium. However, these factors remain largely uncharacterized. We provide evidence that the vitamin A derivative retinoic acid (RA) functions as an essential regulator of zebrafish HSC formation. Temporal analyses indicate that RA is required for HSC gene expression prior to dorsal aorta formation, at a time when the predominant RA synthesis enzyme, aldh1a2, is strongly expressed within the paraxial mesoderm and somites. Previous research implicated the Cxcl12 chemokine and Notch signaling pathways in HSC formation. Consequently, to understand how RA regulates HSC gene expression, we surveyed the expression of components of these pathways in RA-depleted zebrafish embryos. During somitogenesis, RA-depleted embryos exhibit altered expression of jam1a and jam2a, which potentiate Notch signaling within nascent endothelial cells. RA-depleted embryos also exhibit a severe reduction in the expression of cxcr4a, the predominant Cxcl12b receptor. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibitors of RA synthesis and Cxcr4 signaling act in concert to reduce HSC formation. Our analyses demonstrate that somite-derived RA functions to regulate components of the Notch and Cxcl12 chemokine signaling pathways during HSC formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Pillay
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Kacey J Mackowetzky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Sonya A Widen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Andrew Jan Waskiewicz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Women & Children's Health Research Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Adolfi MC, Herpin A, Regensburger M, Sacquegno J, Waxman JS, Schartl M. Retinoic acid and meiosis induction in adult versus embryonic gonads of medaka. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34281. [PMID: 27677591 PMCID: PMC5039705 DOI: 10.1038/srep34281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In vertebrates, one of the first recognizable sex differences in embryos is the onset of meiosis, known to be regulated by retinoic acid (RA) in mammals. We investigated in medaka a possible meiotic function of RA during the embryonic sex determination (SD) period and in mature gonads. We found RA mediated transcriptional activation in germ cells of both sexes much earlier than the SD stage, however, no such activity during the critical stages of SD. In adults, expression of the RA metabolizing enzymes indicates sexually dimorphic RA levels. In testis, RA acts directly in Sertoli, Leydig and pre-meiotic germ cells. In ovaries, RA transcriptional activity is highest in meiotic oocytes. Our results show that RA plays an important role in meiosis induction and gametogenesis in adult medaka but contrary to common expectations, not for initiating the first meiosis in female germ cells at the SD stage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mateus C Adolfi
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Amaury Herpin
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.,INRA, UR1037, Fish Physiology and Genomics, Rennes F-35000, France
| | - Martina Regensburger
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Jacopo Sacquegno
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Joshua S Waxman
- The Heart Institute, Molecular Cardiovascular Biology and Developmental Biology Divisions, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Manfred Schartl
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.,Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Clinic Würzburg, Josef Schneider Straße 6, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany and Texas Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Abstract
The kidney of the zebrafish shares many features with other vertebrate kidneys including the human kidney. Similar cell types and shared developmental and patterning mechanisms make the zebrafish pronephros a valuable model for kidney organogenesis. Here we review recent advances in studies of zebrafish pronephric development and provide experimental protocols to analyze kidney cell types and structures, measure nephron function, live image kidney cells in vivo, and probe mechanisms of kidney regeneration after injury.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I A Drummond
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - A J Davidson
- The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Abstract
Morphogens were originally defined as secreted signaling molecules that diffuse from local sources to form concentration gradients, which specify multiple cell fates. More recently morphogen gradients have been shown to incorporate a range of mechanisms including short-range signal activation, transcriptional/translational feedback, and temporal windows of target gene induction. Many critical cell-cell signals implicated in both embryonic development and disease, such as Wnt, fibroblast growth factor (Fgf), hedgehog (Hh), transforming growth factor beta (TGFb), and retinoic acid (RA), are thought to act as morphogens, but key information on signal propagation and ligand distribution has been lacking for most. The zebrafish provides unique advantages for genetics and imaging to address gradients during early embryonic stages when morphogens help establish major body axes. This has been particularly informative for RA, where RA response elements (RAREs) driving fluorescent reporters as well as Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) reporters of receptor binding have provided evidence for gradients, as well as regulatory mechanisms that attenuate noise and enhance gradient robustness in vivo. Here we summarize available tools in zebrafish and discuss their utility for studying dynamic regulation of RA morphogen gradients, through combined experimental and computational approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - J Sosnik
- University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Q Nie
- University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Roy NM, Carneiro B, Ochs J. Glyphosate induces neurotoxicity in zebrafish. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2016; 42:45-54. [PMID: 26773362 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2016.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2015] [Revised: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Glyphosate based herbicides (GBH) like Roundup(®) are used extensively in agriculture as well as in urban and rural settings as a broad spectrum herbicide. Its mechanism of action was thought to be specific only to plants and thus considered safe and non-toxic. However, mounting evidence suggests that GBHs may not be as safe as once thought as initial studies in frogs suggest that GBHs may be teratogenic. Here we utilize the zebrafish vertebrate model system to study early effects of glyphosate exposure using technical grade glyphosate and the Roundup(®) Classic formulation. We find morphological abnormalities including cephalic and eye reductions and a loss of delineated brain ventricles. Concomitant with structural changes in the developing brain, using in situ hybridization analysis, we detect decreases in genes expressed in the eye, fore and midbrain regions of the brain including pax2, pax6, otx2 and ephA4. However, we do not detect changes in hindbrain expression domains of ephA4 nor exclusive hindbrain markers krox-20 and hoxb1a. Additionally, using a Retinoic Acid (RA) mediated reporter transgenic, we detect no alterations in the RA expression domains in the hindbrain and spinal cord, but do detect a loss of expression in the retina. We conclude that glyphosate and the Roundup(®) formulation is developmentally toxic to the forebrain and midbrain but does not affect the hindbrain after 24 h exposure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Roy
- Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, United States.
| | - Bruno Carneiro
- Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, United States
| | - Jeremy Ochs
- Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, United States
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
ALDH1A1 provides a source of meiosis-inducing retinoic acid in mouse fetal ovaries. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10845. [PMID: 26892828 PMCID: PMC4762892 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Substantial evidence exists that during fetal ovarian development in mammals, retinoic acid (RA) induces germ cells to express the pre-meiotic marker Stra8 and enter meiosis, and that these effects are prevented in the fetal testis by the RA-degrading P450 enzyme CYP26B1. Nonetheless, the role of RA has been disputed principally because germ cells in embryos lacking two major RA-synthesizing enzymes, ALDH1A2 and ALDH1A3, remain able to enter meiosis. Here we show that a third RA-synthesizing enzyme, ALDH1A1, is expressed in fetal ovaries, providing a likely source of RA in the absence of ALDH1A2 and ALDH1A3. In ovaries lacking ALDH1A1, the onset of germ cell meiosis is delayed. Our data resolve the conundrum posed by conflicting published data sets and reconfirm the model that meiosis is triggered by endogenous RA in the developing ovary.
Collapse
|
30
|
Valdivia LE, Lamb DB, Horner W, Wierzbicki C, Tafessu A, Williams AM, Gestri G, Krasnow AM, Vleeshouwer-Neumann TS, Givens M, Young RM, Lawrence LM, Stickney HL, Hawkins TA, Schwarz QP, Cavodeassi F, Wilson SW, Cerveny KL. Antagonism between Gdf6a and retinoic acid pathways controls timing of retinal neurogenesis and growth of the eye in zebrafish. Development 2016; 143:1087-98. [PMID: 26893342 PMCID: PMC4852494 DOI: 10.1242/dev.130922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Maintaining neurogenesis in growing tissues requires a tight balance between progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation. In the zebrafish retina, neuronal differentiation proceeds in two stages with embryonic retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) of the central retina accounting for the first rounds of differentiation, and stem cells from the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ) being responsible for late neurogenesis and growth of the eye. In this study, we analyse two mutants with small eyes that display defects during both early and late phases of retinal neurogenesis. These mutants carry lesions in gdf6a, a gene encoding a BMP family member previously implicated in dorsoventral patterning of the eye. We show that gdf6a mutant eyes exhibit expanded retinoic acid (RA) signalling and demonstrate that exogenous activation of this pathway in wild-type eyes inhibits retinal growth, generating small eyes with a reduced CMZ and fewer proliferating progenitors, similar to gdf6a mutants. We provide evidence that RA regulates the timing of RPC differentiation by promoting cell cycle exit. Furthermore, reducing RA signalling in gdf6a mutants re-establishes appropriate timing of embryonic retinal neurogenesis and restores putative stem and progenitor cell populations in the CMZ. Together, our results support a model in which dorsally expressed gdf6a limits RA pathway activity to control the transition from proliferation to differentiation in the growing eye. Summary: In the vertebrate eye, dorsally expressed Gdf6a limits RA pathway activity to control the transition from proliferation to differentiation, thereby regulating eye size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo E Valdivia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Dayna B Lamb
- Department of Biology, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202, USA
| | - Wilson Horner
- Department of Biology, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202, USA
| | - Claudia Wierzbicki
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Amanuel Tafessu
- Department of Biology, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202, USA
| | - Audrey M Williams
- Department of Biology, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202, USA
| | - Gaia Gestri
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Anna M Krasnow
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - McKenzie Givens
- Department of Biology, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202, USA
| | - Rodrigo M Young
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Lisa M Lawrence
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Heather L Stickney
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Thomas A Hawkins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Quenten P Schwarz
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Florencia Cavodeassi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Stephen W Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Kara L Cerveny
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK Department of Biology, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Rönn RE, Guibentif C, Moraghebi R, Chaves P, Saxena S, Garcia B, Woods NB. Retinoic acid regulates hematopoietic development from human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Reports 2015; 4:269-81. [PMID: 25680478 PMCID: PMC4325193 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The functions of retinoic acid (RA), a potent morphogen with crucial roles in embryogenesis including developmental hematopoiesis, have not been thoroughly investigated in the human setting. Using an in vitro model of human hematopoietic development, we evaluated the effects of RA signaling on the development of blood and on generated hematopoietic progenitors. Decreased RA signaling increases the generation of cells with a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-like phenotype, capable of differentiation into myeloid and lymphoid lineages, through two separate mechanisms: by increasing the commitment of pluripotent stem cells toward the hematopoietic lineage during the developmental process and by decreasing the differentiation of generated blood progenitors. Our results demonstrate that controlled low-level RA signaling is a requirement in human blood development, and we propose a new interpretation of RA as a regulatory factor, where appropriate control of RA signaling enables increased generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells from pluripotent stem cells in vitro. RA abrogates blood generation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) RA inhibition improves commitment toward blood at multiple developmental stages RA inhibition promotes maintenance of more primitive human hematopoietic progenitors Hematopoietic development depends on an RAlo environment
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Rönn
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A12, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Carolina Guibentif
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A12, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Roksana Moraghebi
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A12, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Patricia Chaves
- Stem Cell Laboratory, Lund University Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC B10, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Shobhit Saxena
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A12, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Bradley Garcia
- Primorigen Biosciences, 510 Charmany Drive, Madison, WI 53719, USA
| | - Niels-Bjarne Woods
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A12, 221 84 Lund, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Zhang C, Anderson A, Cole GJ. Analysis of crosstalk between retinoic acid and sonic hedgehog pathways following ethanol exposure in embryonic zebrafish. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 103:1046-57. [PMID: 26470995 DOI: 10.1002/bdra.23460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ethanol is a teratogen affecting numerous regions of the developing nervous system. The present study was undertaken to ascertain whether ethanol independently disrupts distinct signaling pathways or rather disrupts interactive pathways that regulate development of ethanol-sensitive tissues. METHODS Zebrafish embryos were exposed to ethanol in the absence or presence of aldh1a3 or Shh morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs), which disrupt retinoic acid (RA) or sonic hedgehog (Shh) function, respectively. Morphological analysis of ocular or midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) development was conducted, and the ability to rescue ethanol and MO-induced phenotypes was assessed. In situ hybridization was used to analyze Pax6a expression during ocular development. RESULTS Chronic ethanol exposure, or combined ethanol and MO treatment, results in perturbed MHB formation and microphthalmia. While RA can rescue the MHB phenotype following ethanol combined with either MO, Shh mRNA is unable to rescue the disrupted MHB with combined ethanol and aldh1a3 MO treatment. RA also is unable to rescue microphthalmia induced by ethanol and Shh MO. CONCLUSION These studies demonstrate that while reduction of either RA or Shh signaling produces the same disruption of MHB or ocular development, that can be phenocopied using ethanol combined with either MO, RA overexpression can only rescue disrupted MHB, but not microphthalmia, in combined subthreshold Shh MO and ethanol. Our data suggest that MHB development may involve crosstalk between RA and Shh signaling, while ocular development depends on RA and Shh signaling that both are targets of ethanol in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders but do not depend on a mechanism involving crosstalk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chengjin Zhang
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ashley Anderson
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gregory J Cole
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Mitchell DM, Stevens CB, Frey RA, Hunter SS, Ashino R, Kawamura S, Stenkamp DL. Retinoic Acid Signaling Regulates Differential Expression of the Tandemly-Duplicated Long Wavelength-Sensitive Cone Opsin Genes in Zebrafish. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005483. [PMID: 26296154 PMCID: PMC4546582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The signaling molecule retinoic acid (RA) regulates rod and cone photoreceptor fate, differentiation, and survival. Here we elucidate the role of RA in differential regulation of the tandemly-duplicated long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) cone opsin genes. Zebrafish embryos were treated with RA from 48 hours post-fertilization (hpf) to 75 hpf, and RNA was isolated from eyes for microarray analysis. ~170 genes showed significantly altered expression, including several transcription factors and components of cellular signaling pathways. Of interest, the LWS1 opsin gene was strongly upregulated by RA. LWS1 is the upstream member of the tandemly duplicated LWS opsin array and is normally not expressed embryonically. Embryos treated with RA 48 hpf to 100 hpf or beyond showed significant reductions in LWS2-expressing cones in favor of LWS1-expressing cones. The LWS reporter line, LWS-PAC(H) provided evidence that individual LWS cones switched from LWS2 to LWS1 expression in response to RA. The RA signaling reporter line, RARE:YFP indicated that increased RA signaling in cones was associated with this opsin switch, and experimental reduction of RA signaling in larvae at the normal time of onset of LWS1 expression significantly inhibited LWS1 expression. A role for endogenous RA signaling in regulating differential expression of the LWS genes in postmitotic cones was further supported by the presence of an RA signaling domain in ventral retina of juvenile zebrafish that coincided with a ventral zone of LWS1 expression. This is the first evidence that an extracellular signal may regulate differential expression of opsin genes in a tandemly duplicated array.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diana M. Mitchell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Craig B. Stevens
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Ruth A. Frey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Samuel S. Hunter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Ryuichi Ashino
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Deborah L. Stenkamp
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Chang JT, Lehtinen MK, Sive H. Zebrafish cerebrospinal fluid mediates cell survival through a retinoid signaling pathway. Dev Neurobiol 2015; 76:75-92. [PMID: 25980532 PMCID: PMC4644717 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Revised: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) includes conserved factors whose function is largely unexplored. To assess the role of CSF during embryonic development, CSF was repeatedly drained from embryonic zebrafish brain ventricles soon after their inflation. Removal of CSF increased cell death in the diencephalon, indicating a survival function. Factors within the CSF are required for neuroepithelial cell survival as injected mouse CSF but not artificial CSF could prevent cell death after CSF depletion. Mass spectrometry analysis of the CSF identified retinol binding protein 4 (Rbp4), which transports retinol, the precursor to retinoic acid (RA). Consistent with a role for Rbp4 in cell survival, inhibition of Rbp4 or RA synthesis increased neuroepithelial cell death. Conversely, ventricle injection of exogenous human RBP4 plus retinol, or RA alone prevented cell death after CSF depletion. Zebrafish rbp4 is highly expressed in the yolk syncytial layer, suggesting Rbp4 protein and retinol/RA precursors can be transported into the CSF from the yolk. In accord with this suggestion, injection of human RBP4 protein into the yolk prevents neuroepithelial cell death in rbp4 loss‐of‐function embryos. Together, these data support the model that Rbp4 and RA precursors are present within the CSF and used for synthesis of RA, which promotes embryonic neuroepithelial survival. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 75–92, 2016
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica T Chang
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142.,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139
| | - Maria K Lehtinen
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
| | - Hazel Sive
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142.,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Tuazon FB, Mullins MC. Temporally coordinated signals progressively pattern the anteroposterior and dorsoventral body axes. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2015; 42:118-33. [PMID: 26123688 PMCID: PMC4562868 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2015.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate body plan is established through the precise spatiotemporal coordination of morphogen signaling pathways that pattern the anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) axes. Patterning along the AP axis is directed by posteriorizing signals Wnt, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), Nodal, and retinoic acid (RA), while patterning along the DV axis is directed by bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) ventralizing signals. This review addresses the current understanding of how Wnt, FGF, RA and BMP pattern distinct AP and DV cell fates during early development and how their signaling mechanisms are coordinated to concomitantly pattern AP and DV tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca B Tuazon
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, 1152 BRBII/III, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, United States
| | - Mary C Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, 1152 BRBII/III, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Zhao J, Zhu X, Xu T, Yin D. Structure-dependent activities of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hydroxylated metabolites on zebrafish retinoic acid receptor. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 22:1723-1730. [PMID: 25077655 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3364-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been shown to disrupt retinoid homeostasis in different species in both laboratory and field studies. However, the molecular mechanisms of interactions with the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) are not fully understood. Zebrafish have proven useful for investigating mechanisms of chemical toxicity. In the present study, a reporter gene assay was used to investigate the activities of 11 PBDEs and six OH-PBDEs with different degrees of bromination on zebrafish RAR. All tested OH-PBDEs induced RAR transcriptional activity; however, of the 11 PBDEs examined, only BDE28 and BDE154 affected the RAR transcriptional activity. Homology modeling and molecular docking were employed to simulate the interactions of PBDEs/OH-PBDEs with zebrafish RARs and to identify binding affinities to analyze the specialization of the interaction between RARs and PBDEs/OH-PBDEs. The results showed that although these compounds could bind with RARs, the effects of PBDEs/OH-PBDEs on RAR transcriptional activity did not depend on their RAR-binding abilities. The present study is the first attempt to demonstrate that OH-PBDEs could induce RAR transcriptional activity by binding directly with RAR; these effects are possibly related to the structure of the compounds, especially their hydroxylation and bromination. Most of the PBDEs could not directly interact with the RAR.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Cunningham TJ, Duester G. Mechanisms of retinoic acid signalling and its roles in organ and limb development. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2015; 16:110-23. [PMID: 25560970 PMCID: PMC4636111 DOI: 10.1038/nrm3932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 387] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) signalling has a central role during vertebrate development. RA synthesized in specific locations regulates transcription by interacting with nuclear RA receptors (RARs) bound to RA response elements (RAREs) near target genes. RA was first implicated in signalling on the basis of its teratogenic effects on limb development. Genetic studies later revealed that endogenous RA promotes forelimb initiation by repressing fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8). Insights into RA function in the limb serve as a paradigm for understanding how RA regulates other developmental processes. In vivo studies have identified RAREs that control repression of Fgf8 during body axis extension or activation of homeobox (Hox) genes and other key regulators during neuronal differentiation and organogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Cunningham
- Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, 10901 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Gregg Duester
- Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, 10901 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Huang W, Wang G, Delaspre F, Vitery MDC, Beer RL, Parsons MJ. Retinoic acid plays an evolutionarily conserved and biphasic role in pancreas development. Dev Biol 2014; 394:83-93. [PMID: 25127993 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
As the developing zebrafish pancreas matures, hormone-producing endocrine cells differentiate from pancreatic Notch-responsive cells (PNCs) that reside within the ducts. These new endocrine cells form small clusters known as secondary (2°) islets. We use the formation of 2° islets in the pancreatic tail of the larval zebrafish as a model of β-cell neogenesis. Pharmacological inhibition of Notch signaling leads to precocious endocrine differentiation and the early appearance of 2° islets in the tail of the pancreas. Following a chemical screen, we discovered that blocking the retinoic acid (RA)-signaling pathway also leads to the induction of 2° islets. Conversely, the addition of exogenous RA blocks the differentiation caused by Notch inhibition. In this report we characterize the interaction of these two pathways. We first verified that signaling via both RA and Notch ligands act together to regulate pancreatic progenitor differentiation. We produced a transgenic RA reporter, which demonstrated that PNCs directly respond to RA signaling through the canonical transcriptional pathway. Next, using a genetic lineage tracing approach, we demonstrated these progenitors produce endocrine cells following inhibition of RA signaling. Lastly, inhibition of RA signaling using a cell-type specific inducible cre/lox system revealed that RA signaling acts cell-autonomously in PNCs to regulate their differentiation. Importantly, the action of RA inhibition on endocrine formation is evolutionarily conserved, as shown by the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in a model of human pancreas development. Together, these results revealed a biphasic function for RA in pancreatogenesis. As previously shown by others, RA initially plays an essential role during embryogenesis as it patterns the endoderm and specifies the pancreatic field. We reveal here that later in development RA is involved in negatively regulating the further differentiation of pancreatic progenitors and expands upon the developmental mechanisms by which this occurs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- Department of Surgery, and McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, 470 Miller Research Building, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Guangliang Wang
- Department of Surgery, and McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, 470 Miller Research Building, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Fabien Delaspre
- Department of Surgery, and McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, 470 Miller Research Building, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Maria Del Carmen Vitery
- Department of Surgery, and McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, 470 Miller Research Building, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Rebecca L Beer
- Department of Surgery, and McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, 470 Miller Research Building, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Michael J Parsons
- Department of Surgery, and McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, 470 Miller Research Building, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Almeida DV, Vaz B, Azevedo Figueiredo M, Junior ASV, Marins LF. Fluorescent transgenic zebrafish as a biosensor for growth-related effects of methyl parathion. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2014; 152:147-151. [PMID: 24768855 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2014] [Revised: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Transgenic fish models are potential alternative subjects in toxicological studies, since they can provide in vivo information on the deleterious effects of different substances. Here, we used a transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) lineage, which expresses a destabilized fluorescent protein (DsRED) driven by the myosin light chain promoter (Mylz2), in order to propose a new research tool for environmental biomonitoring. For validating the MYO-RED lineage, we exposed fish to the organophosphorated pesticide methyl parathion (MP). The effect of MP on fish growth was assessed by evaluating weight, length, condition factor and muscle fiber diameter. All factors suffered reduction at both tested concentrations (0.13μM and 13μM of MP). Similarly, fluorescence intensity decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting muscle protein catabolism. However, DsRED gene expression lowered only at the higher MP concentration. Results indicate that the MYO-RED transgenic zebrafish is an interesting model for detecting the growth-related effects of pollutants. Destabilized proteins such as reporter genes are apparently sensitive biomarkers, since effects were observed even at the lower, environmentally acceptable concentration. Therefore, this transgenic fish is a promising candidate model for sensitive, fast, and easy environmental monitoring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Volcan Almeida
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Aquicultura, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Bernardo Vaz
- Instituto Federal Sul-Riograndense, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | - Márcio Azevedo Figueiredo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Aquicultura, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Luis Fernando Marins
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Aquicultura, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Romano SN, Gorelick DA. Semi-automated imaging of tissue-specific fluorescence in zebrafish embryos. J Vis Exp 2014. [PMID: 24894681 DOI: 10.3791/51533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish embryos are a powerful tool for large-scale screening of small molecules. Transgenic zebrafish that express fluorescent reporter proteins are frequently used to identify chemicals that modulate gene expression. Chemical screens that assay fluorescence in live zebrafish often rely on expensive, specialized equipment for high content screening. We describe a procedure using a standard epifluorescence microscope with a motorized stage to automatically image zebrafish embryos and detect tissue-specific fluorescence. Using transgenic zebrafish that report estrogen receptor activity via expression of GFP, we developed a semi-automated procedure to screen for estrogen receptor ligands that activate the reporter in a tissue-specific manner. In this video we describe procedures for arraying zebrafish embryos at 24-48 hours post fertilization (hpf) in a 96-well plate and adding small molecules that bind estrogen receptors. At 72-96 hpf, images of each well from the entire plate are automatically collected and manually inspected for tissue-specific fluorescence. This protocol demonstrates the ability to detect estrogens that activate receptors in heart valves but not in liver.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shannon N Romano
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
| | - Daniel A Gorelick
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Alabama at Birmingham;
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Ahuja V, Sharma S. Drug safety testing paradigm, current progress and future challenges: an overview. J Appl Toxicol 2013; 34:576-94. [PMID: 24777877 DOI: 10.1002/jat.2935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Revised: 08/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Early assessment of the toxicity potential of new molecules in pharmaceutical industry is a multi-dimensional task involving predictive systems and screening approaches to aid in the optimization of lead compounds prior to their entry into development phase. Due to the high attrition rate in the pharma industry in last few years, it has become imperative for the nonclinical toxicologist to focus on novel approaches which could be helpful for early screening of drug candidates. The need is that the toxicologists should change their classical approach to a more investigative approach. This review discusses the developments that allow toxicologists to anticipate safety problems and plan ways to address them earlier than ever before. This includes progress in the field of in vitro models, surrogate models, molecular toxicology, 'omics' technologies, translational safety biomarkers, stem-cell based assays and preclinical imaging. The traditional boundaries between teams focusing on efficacy/ safety and preclinical/ clinical aspects in the pharma industry are disappearing, and translational research-centric organizations with a focused vision of bringing drugs forward safely and rapidly are emerging. Today's toxicologist should collaborate with medicinal chemists, pharmacologists, and clinicians and these value-adding contributions will change traditional toxicologists from side-effect identifiers to drug development enablers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Varun Ahuja
- Drug Safety Assessment, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited (Research Park), 46A/47A, Nande Village, MulshiTaluka, Pune, 412 115, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Blum N, Begemann G. The roles of endogenous retinoid signaling in organ and appendage regeneration. Cell Mol Life Sci 2013; 70:3907-27. [PMID: 23479131 PMCID: PMC11113817 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1303-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2012] [Revised: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to regenerate injured or lost body parts has been an age-old ambition of medical science. In contrast to humans, teleost fish and urodele amphibians can regrow almost any part of the body with seeming effortlessness. Retinoic acid is a molecule that has long been associated with these impressive regenerative capacities. The discovery 30 years ago that addition of retinoic acid to regenerating amphibian limbs causes "super-regeneration" initiated investigations into the presumptive roles of retinoic acid in regeneration of appendages and other organs. However, the evidence favoring or dismissing a role for endogenous retinoids in regeneration processes remained sparse and ambiguous. Now, the availability of genetic tools to manipulate and visualize the retinoic acid signaling pathway has opened up new routes to dissect its roles in regeneration. Here, we review the current understanding on endogenous functions of retinoic acid in regeneration and discuss key questions to be addressed in future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Blum
- Developmental Biology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Gerrit Begemann
- Developmental Biology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Basu S, Sachidanandan C. Zebrafish: a multifaceted tool for chemical biologists. Chem Rev 2013; 113:7952-80. [PMID: 23819893 DOI: 10.1021/cr4000013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Basu
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) , South Campus, New Delhi 110025, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Mandal A, Rydeen A, Anderson J, Sorrell MRJ, Zygmunt T, Torres-Vázquez J, Waxman JS. Transgenic retinoic acid sensor lines in zebrafish indicate regions of available embryonic retinoic acid. Dev Dyn 2013; 242:989-1000. [PMID: 23703807 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.23987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2013] [Revised: 04/26/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Retinoic acid (RA) signaling plays a critical role in vertebrate development. Transcriptional reporters of RA signaling in zebrafish, thus far, have not reflected the broader availability of embryonic RA, necessitating additional tools to enhance our understanding of the spatial and temporal activity of RA signaling in vivo. RESULTS We have generated novel transgenic RA sensors in which a RA receptor (RAR) ligand-binding domain (RLBD) is fused to the Gal4 DNA-binding domain (GDBD) or a VP16-GDBD (VPBD) construct. Stable transgenic lines expressing these proteins when crossed with UAS reporter lines are responsive to RA. Interestingly, the VPBD RA sensor is significantly more sensitive than the GDBD sensor and demonstrates there may be almost ubiquitous availability of RA within the early embryo. Using confocal microscopy to compare the expression of the GDBD RA sensor to our previously established RA signaling transcriptional reporter line, Tg(12XRARE:EGFP), illustrates these reporters have significant overlap, but that expression from the RA sensor is much broader. We also identify previously unreported domains of expression for the Tg(12XRARE:EGFP) line. CONCLUSIONS Our novel RA sensor lines will be useful and complementary tools for studying RA signaling during development and anatomical structures independent of RA signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Mandal
- The Heart Institute, Molecular Cardiovascular Biology Division and Development Biology Division, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Chen Y, Reese DH. A screen for disruptors of the retinol (vitamin A) signaling pathway. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 98:276-82. [PMID: 23696197 DOI: 10.1002/bdrb.21062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 04/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The pathway through which retinol (vitamin A) is converted to its active metabolite, all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA), and subsequent receptor-mediated regulation of gene transcription by atRA is essential for all mammal life stages. This pathway is required for normal embryonic development and maintenance of cellular phenotype in adult organisms; chemicals that cause even minor interference with its normal function are potential developmental and adult toxicants. A short-term (24 h) in vitro mode-of-action screen for detecting chemicals that disrupt this essential pathway is described. It uses the mouse pluripotent P19 stem cell in a 96-well format, RT-qPCR gene-expression assay that does not require RNA purification to detect chemicals that interfere with retinol-induced Hoxa1 gene expression, a target of retinol signaling in mammals. A total of 21 chemicals were screened at a single 45 μM concentration. Four chemicals known to disrupt the pathway in the rodent embryo (citral, disulfiram, and two rodent teratogens, nitrofen and bisdiamine) all significantly inhibited Hoxa1 upregulation by retinol. An additional four of seven chemicals with varying degrees of structural similarity to known disruptors or to the retinoid side chain, but not previously known to disrupt the pathway, were positive in the screen. The xenoestrogens, diethylstilbestrol, bisphenol A, 4-n-nonylphenol, and genistein and the phthalate esters, dibutyl phthalate and dipentyl phthalate, but not diethylhexyl phthalate, also significantly disrupted the pathway. Of the 21 chemicals tested, diethylstilbestrol was the only chemical that showed evidence in the MTT assay that cytotoxicity may have contributed to disruption of the pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanling Chen
- Division of Molecular Biology, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. FDA, Laurel, Maryland 20878, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Weicksel SE, Xu J, Sagerström CG. Dynamic nucleosome organization at hox promoters during zebrafish embryogenesis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e63175. [PMID: 23671670 PMCID: PMC3650070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleosome organization at promoter regions plays an important role in regulating gene activity. Genome-wide studies in yeast, flies, worms, mammalian embryonic stem cells and transformed cell lines have found well-positioned nucleosomes flanking a nucleosome depleted region (NDR) at transcription start sites. This nucleosome arrangement depends on DNA sequence (cis-elements) as well as DNA binding factors and ATP-dependent chromatin modifiers (trans-factors). However, little is understood about how the nascent embryonic genome positions nucleosomes during development. This is particularly intriguing since the embryonic genome must undergo a broad reprogramming event upon fusion of sperm and oocyte. Using four stages of early embryonic zebrafish development, we map nucleosome positions at the promoter region of 37 zebrafish hox genes. We find that nucleosome arrangement at the hox promoters is a progressive process that takes place over several stages. At stages immediately after fertilization, nucleosomes appear to be largely disordered at hox promoter regions. At stages after activation of the embryonic genome, nucleosomes are detectable at hox promoters, with positions becoming more uniform and more highly occupied. Since the genomic sequence is invariant during embryogenesis, this progressive change in nucleosome arrangement suggests that trans-factors play an important role in organizing nucleosomes during embryogenesis. Separating hox genes into expressed and non-expressed groups shows that expressed promoters have better positioned and occupied nucleosomes, as well as distinct NDRs, than non-expressed promoters. Finally, by blocking the retinoic acid-signaling pathway, we disrupt early hox gene transcription, but observe no effect on nucleosome positions, suggesting that active hox transcription is not a driving force behind the arrangement of nucleosomes at the promoters of hox genes during early development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven E. Weicksel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jia Xu
- Bioinformatics Core, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Charles G. Sagerström
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Shimozono S, Iimura T, Kitaguchi T, Higashijima SI, Miyawaki A. Visualization of an endogenous retinoic acid gradient across embryonic development. Nature 2013; 496:363-6. [PMID: 23563268 DOI: 10.1038/nature12037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
|
48
|
Choi WY, Gemberling M, Wang J, Holdway JE, Shen MC, Karlstrom RO, Poss KD. In vivo monitoring of cardiomyocyte proliferation to identify chemical modifiers of heart regeneration. Development 2013; 140:660-6. [PMID: 23293297 DOI: 10.1242/dev.088526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Adult mammalian cardiomyocytes have little capacity to proliferate in response to injury, a deficiency that underlies the poor regenerative ability of human hearts after myocardial infarction. By contrast, zebrafish regenerate heart muscle after trauma by inducing proliferation of spared cardiomyocytes, providing a model for identifying manipulations that block or enhance these events. Although direct genetic or chemical screens of heart regeneration in adult zebrafish present several challenges, zebrafish embryos are ideal for high-throughput screening. Here, to visualize cardiomyocyte proliferation events in live zebrafish embryos, we generated transgenic zebrafish lines that employ fluorescent ubiquitylation-based cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) technology. We then performed a chemical screen and identified several small molecules that increase or reduce cardiomyocyte proliferation during heart development. These compounds act via Hedgehog, Insulin-like growth factor or Transforming growth factor β signaling pathways. Direct examination of heart regeneration after mechanical or genetic ablation injuries indicated that these pathways are activated in regenerating cardiomyocytes and that they can be pharmacologically manipulated to inhibit or enhance cardiomyocyte proliferation during adult heart regeneration. Our findings describe a new screening system that identifies molecules and pathways with the potential to modify heart regeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Yee Choi
- Department of Cell Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Abstract
Vitamin A deficiency causes impaired vision and blindness in millions of children around the world. Previous studies in zebrafish have demonstrated that retinoic acid (RA), the acid form of vitamin A, plays a vital role in early eye development. The objective of this study was to describe the effects of early RA deficiency by treating zebrafish with diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB), a potent inhibitor of the enzyme retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH) that converts retinal to RA. Zebrafish embryos were treated for 2 h beginning at 9 h postfertilization. Gross morphology and retinal development were examined at regular intervals for 5 days after treatment. The optokinetic reflex (OKR) test, visual background adaptation (VBA) test, and the electroretinogram (ERG) were performed to assess visual function and behavior. Early treatment of zebrafish embryos with 100 μM DEAB (9 h) resulted in reduced eye size, and this microphthalmia persisted through larval development. Retinal histology revealed that DEAB eyes had significant developmental abnormalities but had relatively normal retinal lamination by 5.5 days postfertilization. However, the fish showed neither an OKR nor a VBA response. Further, the retina did not respond to light as measured by the ERG. We conclude that early deficiency of RA during eye development causes microphthalmia as well as other visual defects, and that timing of the RA deficiency is critical to the developmental outcome.
Collapse
|
50
|
Terriente J, Pujades C. Use of Zebrafish Embryos for Small Molecule Screening Related to Cancer. Dev Dyn 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.23912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Terriente
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona; PRBB; Barcelona; Spain
| | - Cristina Pujades
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona; PRBB; Barcelona; Spain
| |
Collapse
|