1
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Sedas Perez S, McQueen C, Stainton H, Pickering J, Chinnaiya K, Saiz-Lopez P, Placzek M, Ros MA, Towers M. Fgf signalling triggers an intrinsic mesodermal timer that determines the duration of limb patterning. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5841. [PMID: 37730682 PMCID: PMC10511490 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41457-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex signalling between the apical ectodermal ridge (AER - a thickening of the distal epithelium) and the mesoderm controls limb patterning along the proximo-distal axis (humerus to digits). However, the essential in vivo requirement for AER-Fgf signalling makes it difficult to understand the exact roles that it fulfils. To overcome this barrier, we developed an amenable ex vivo chick wing tissue explant system that faithfully replicates in vivo parameters. Using inhibition experiments and RNA-sequencing, we identify a transient role for Fgfs in triggering the distal patterning phase. Fgfs are then dispensable for the maintenance of an intrinsic mesodermal transcriptome, which controls proliferation/differentiation timing and the duration of patterning. We also uncover additional roles for Fgf signalling in maintaining AER-related gene expression and in suppressing myogenesis. We describe a simple logic for limb patterning duration, which is potentially applicable to other systems, including the main body axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Sedas Perez
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Caitlin McQueen
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
- Chester Medical School, Chester, CH2 1BR, UK
| | - Holly Stainton
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Joseph Pickering
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Kavitha Chinnaiya
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Patricia Saiz-Lopez
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, IBBTEC (CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria), 39011, Santander, Spain
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
| | - Marysia Placzek
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Maria A Ros
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, IBBTEC (CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria), 39011, Santander, Spain
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
| | - Matthew Towers
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
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2
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Zhang S, Zhang X, Zhang C, Xu S, Wang D, Guo C. Developmental Genetic Basis of Hoxd9 Homeobox Domain Deletion in Pampus argenteus Pelvic Fin Deficiency. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11769. [PMID: 37511526 PMCID: PMC10380636 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Pampus argenteus is important for commercial fishery catch species and is an emerging target for aquaculture production. Notably, P. argenteus has a bizarre morphology and lacks pelvic fins. However, the reason for the lack of pelvic fins remains unclear, ultimately leading to frequent upside-down floating of P. argenteus during breeding and marked consumption of physical energy. Some lineages, including whales, fugu, snakes, and seahorse, independently lost the pelvic appendages over evolutionary time. Do different taxa employ the same molecular genetic pathways when they independently evolve similar developmental morphologies? Through analysis of the gene responsible for appendage localization, Hoxd9, it was discovered that the Hox domain was absent in the Hoxd9 gene of P. argenteus, and the Hoxd9b gene lacked the Hox9 activation region, a feature not observed in the Hoxd9 gene of other fish species. Interestingly, those distinctive characteristics are not observed in the Hoxd9 gene of other fish species. To determine the association between the Hoxd9 gene characteristics and the pelvic fin deletion in P. argenteus, the full-length cDNA of the Hoxd9a gene was cloned, and morphological observations of the species' juveniles were performed using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Thereafter, the tissue localization of Hoxd9a in the species was analyzed at the gene and protein levels. Based on the results, deletion of the Hoxd9a structural domain possibly leads to disruptions in the protein translation and the pelvic fin localization in P. argenteus during its early ontogenetic developmental stage, resulting in the absence of pelvic fins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun Zhang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- National Engineering Research Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- National Engineering Research Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- National Engineering Research Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Shanliang Xu
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biotechnology, Ningbo University, Chinese Ministry of Education, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Danli Wang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Mariculture (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chunyang Guo
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Mariculture (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
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3
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Fuiten AM, Yoshimoto Y, Shukunami C, Stadler HS. Digits in a dish: An in vitro system to assess the molecular genetics of hand/foot development at single-cell resolution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1135025. [PMID: 36994104 PMCID: PMC10040768 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1135025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro models allow for the study of developmental processes outside of the embryo. To gain access to the cells mediating digit and joint development, we identified a unique property of undifferentiated mesenchyme isolated from the distal early autopod to autonomously re-assemble forming multiple autopod structures including: digits, interdigital tissues, joints, muscles and tendons. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of these developing structures revealed distinct cell clusters that express canonical markers of distal limb development including: Col2a1, Col10a1, and Sp7 (phalanx formation), Thbs2 and Col1a1 (perichondrium), Gdf5, Wnt5a, and Jun (joint interzone), Aldh1a2 and Msx1 (interdigital tissues), Myod1 (muscle progenitors), Prg4 (articular perichondrium/articular cartilage), and Scx and Tnmd (tenocytes/tendons). Analysis of the gene expression patterns for these signature genes indicates that developmental timing and tissue-specific localization were also recapitulated in a manner similar to the initiation and maturation of the developing murine autopod. Finally, the in vitro digit system also recapitulates congenital malformations associated with genetic mutations as in vitro cultures of Hoxa13 mutant mesenchyme produced defects present in Hoxa13 mutant autopods including digit fusions, reduced phalangeal segment numbers, and poor mesenchymal condensation. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the in vitro digit system to recapitulate digit and joint development. As an in vitro model of murine digit and joint development, this innovative system will provide access to the developing limb tissues facilitating studies to discern how digit and articular joint formation is initiated and how undifferentiated mesenchyme is patterned to establish individual digit morphologies. The in vitro digit system also provides a platform to rapidly evaluate treatments aimed at stimulating the repair or regeneration of mammalian digits impacted by congenital malformation, injury, or disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M. Fuiten
- Research Center, Shriners Children’s, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Yuki Yoshimoto
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Chisa Shukunami
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - H. Scott Stadler
- Research Center, Shriners Children’s, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
- *Correspondence: H. Scott Stadler,
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4
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Creating artificial signaling gradients to spatially pattern engineered tissues. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 78:102810. [PMID: 36182872 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Artificially constructing a fully-fledged tissue - comprising multiple cell types whose identities and spatial arrangements reflect those of a native tissue - remains daunting. There has been impressive progress in generating three-dimensional cell cultures (often dubbed 'organoids') from stem cells. However, it is critical to appreciate that not all such three-dimensional cultures will intrinsically self-organize to spontaneously recreate native tissue architecture. Instead, most tissues in vivo are exogenously patterned by extracellular signaling gradients emanating from organizer cells located outside the tissue. Innovations to impose artificial signaling gradients - using microfluidics, optogenetics, or introducing organizer cells - could thus prove decisive to create spatially patterned tissues in vitro. Additionally, unified terminology to describe these tissue-like simulacra as 'aggregates', 'spheroids', or 'organoids' will be critical for the field.
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5
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Díaz-Hernández ME, Galván-Hernández CI, Marín-Llera JC, Camargo-Sosa K, Bustamante M, Wischin S, Chimal-Monroy J. Activation of the WNT-BMP-FGF Regulatory Network Induces the Onset of Cell Death in Anterior Mesodermal Cells to Establish the ANZ. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:703836. [PMID: 34820367 PMCID: PMC8606791 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.703836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatiotemporal control of programmed cell death (PCD) plays a significant role in sculpting the limb. In the early avian limb bud, the anterior necrotic zone (ANZ) and the posterior necrotic zone are two cell death regions associated with digit number reduction. In this study, we evaluated the first events triggered by the FGF, BMP, and WNT signaling interactions to initiate cell death in the anterior margin of the limb to establish the ANZ. This study demonstrates that in a period of two to 8 h after the inhibition of WNT or FGF signaling or the activation of BMP signaling, cell death was induced in the anterior margin of the limb concomitantly with the regulation of Dkk, Fgf8, and Bmp4 expression. Comparing the gene expression profile between the ANZ and the undifferentiated zone at 22HH and 25HH and between the ANZ of 22HH and 25HH stages correlates with functional programs controlled by the regulatory network FGF, BMP, and WNT signaling in the anterior margin of the limb. This work provides novel insights to recognize a negative feedback loop between FGF8, BMP4, and DKK to control the onset of cell death in the anterior margin of the limb to the establishment of the ANZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Elena Díaz-Hernández
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Mexico
| | - Claudio Iván Galván-Hernández
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Mexico
| | - Jessica Cristina Marín-Llera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Mexico
| | - Karen Camargo-Sosa
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Mexico
| | - Marcia Bustamante
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Mexico
| | - Sabina Wischin
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Mexico
| | - Jesús Chimal-Monroy
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Mexico
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6
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Dokmegang J, Nguyen H, Kardash E, Savy T, Cavaliere M, Peyriéras N, Doursat R. Quantification of cell behaviors and computational modeling show that cell directional behaviors drive zebrafish pectoral fin morphogenesis. Bioinformatics 2021; 37:2946-2954. [PMID: 33760050 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Understanding the mechanisms by which the zebrafish pectoral fin develops is expected to produce insights on how vertebrate limbs grow from a 2D cell layer to a 3D structure. Two mechanisms have been proposed to drive limb morphogenesis in tetrapods: a growth-based morphogenesis with a higher proliferation rate at the distal tip of the limb bud than at the proximal side, and directed cell behaviors that include elongation, division and migration in a non-random manner. Based on quantitative experimental biological data at the level of individual cells in the whole developing organ, we test the conditions for the dynamics of pectoral fin early morphogenesis. RESULTS We found that during the development of the zebrafish pectoral fin, cells have a preferential elongation axis that gradually aligns along the proximodistal (PD) axis of the organ. Based on these quantitative observations, we build a center-based cell model enhanced with a polarity term and cell proliferation to simulate fin growth. Our simulations resulted in 3D fins similar in shape to the observed ones, suggesting that the existence of a preferential axis of cell polarization is essential to drive fin morphogenesis in zebrafish, as observed in the development of limbs in the mouse, but distal tip-based expansion is not. AVAILABILITYAND IMPLEMENTATION Upon publication, biological data will be available at http://bioemergences.eu/modelingFin, and source code at https://github.com/guijoe/MaSoFin. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Dokmegang
- Centre for Advanced Computational Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UK
| | - Hanh Nguyen
- BioEmergences, FRE2039, CNRS Université Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France
| | - Elena Kardash
- BioEmergences, FRE2039, CNRS Université Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France
| | - Thierry Savy
- BioEmergences, FRE2039, CNRS Université Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France.,Complex Systems Institute, Paris Ile-de-France, Paris 75013, France
| | - Matteo Cavaliere
- Centre for Advanced Computational Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UK
| | - Nadine Peyriéras
- BioEmergences, FRE2039, CNRS Université Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France.,Complex Systems Institute, Paris Ile-de-France, Paris 75013, France
| | - René Doursat
- BioEmergences, FRE2039, CNRS Université Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France.,Complex Systems Institute, Paris Ile-de-France, Paris 75013, France
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7
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Beccari L, Jaquier G, Lopez-Delisle L, Rodriguez-Carballo E, Mascrez B, Gitto S, Woltering J, Duboule D. Dbx2 regulation in limbs suggests interTAD sharing of enhancers. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1280-1299. [PMID: 33497014 PMCID: PMC8451760 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During tetrapod limb development, the HOXA13 and HOXD13 transcription factors are critical for the emergence and organization of the autopod, the most distal aspect where digits will develop. Since previous work had suggested that the Dbx2 gene is a target of these factors, we set up to analyze in detail this potential regulatory interaction. RESULTS We show that HOX13 proteins bind to mammalian-specific sequences at the vicinity of the Dbx2 locus that have enhancer activity in developing digits. However, the functional inactivation of the DBX2 protein did not elicit any particular phenotype related to Hox genes inactivation in digits, suggesting either redundant or compensatory mechanisms. We report that the neighboring Nell2 and Ano6 genes are also expressed in distal limb buds and are in part controlled by the same Dbx2 enhancers despite being localized into two different topologically associating domains (TADs) flanking the Dbx2 locus. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that Hoxa13 and Hoxd genes cooperatively activate Dbx2 expression in developing digits through binding to mammalian specific regulatory sequences in the Dbx2 neighborhood. Furthermore, these enhancers can overcome TAD boundaries in either direction to co-regulate a set of genes located in distinct chromatin domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institut NeuroMyoGène, CNRS UMR 5310, INSERM U1217, University Claude Bernard Lyon1, Lyon, France
| | - Gabriel Jaquier
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Eddie Rodriguez-Carballo
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Joost Woltering
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Life Sciences, Federal School of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Collège de France, Paris, France
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8
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Truong BT, Artinger KB. The power of zebrafish models for understanding the co-occurrence of craniofacial and limb disorders. Genesis 2021; 59:e23407. [PMID: 33393730 PMCID: PMC8153179 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Craniofacial and limb defects are two of the most common congenital anomalies in the general population. Interestingly, these defects are not mutually exclusive. Many patients with craniofacial phenotypes, such as orofacial clefting and craniosynostosis, also present with limb defects, including polydactyly, syndactyly, brachydactyly, or ectrodactyly. The gene regulatory networks governing craniofacial and limb development initially seem distinct from one another, and yet these birth defects frequently occur together. Both developmental processes are highly conserved among vertebrates, and zebrafish have emerged as an advantageous model due to their high fecundity, relative ease of genetic manipulation, and transparency during development. Here we summarize studies that have used zebrafish models to study human syndromes that present with both craniofacial and limb phenotypes. We discuss the highly conserved processes of craniofacial and limb/fin development and describe recent zebrafish studies that have explored the function of genes associated with human syndromes with phenotypes in both structures. We attempt to identify commonalities between the two to help explain why craniofacial and limb anomalies often occur together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany T. Truong
- Human Medical Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
| | - Kristin Bruk Artinger
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
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9
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He J, Yan J, Wang J, Zhao L, Xin Q, Zeng Y, Sun Y, Zhang H, Bai Z, Li Z, Ni Y, Gong Y, Li Y, He H, Bian Z, Lan Y, Ma C, Bian L, Zhu H, Liu B, Yue R. Dissecting human embryonic skeletal stem cell ontogeny by single-cell transcriptomic and functional analyses. Cell Res 2021; 31:742-757. [PMID: 33473154 PMCID: PMC8249634 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-021-00467-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Human skeletal stem cells (SSCs) have been discovered in fetal and adult long bones. However, the spatiotemporal ontogeny of human embryonic SSCs during early skeletogenesis remains elusive. Here we map the transcriptional landscape of human limb buds and embryonic long bones at single-cell resolution to address this fundamental question. We found remarkable heterogeneity within human limb bud mesenchyme and epithelium, and aligned them along the proximal–distal and anterior–posterior axes using known marker genes. Osteo-chondrogenic progenitors first appeared in the core limb bud mesenchyme, which give rise to multiple populations of stem/progenitor cells in embryonic long bones undergoing endochondral ossification. Importantly, a perichondrial embryonic skeletal stem/progenitor cell (eSSPC) subset was identified, which could self-renew and generate the osteochondral lineage cells, but not adipocytes or hematopoietic stroma. eSSPCs are marked by the adhesion molecule CADM1 and highly enriched with FOXP1/2 transcriptional network. Interestingly, neural crest-derived cells with similar phenotypic markers and transcriptional networks were also found in the sagittal suture of human embryonic calvaria. Taken together, this study revealed the cellular heterogeneity and lineage hierarchy during human embryonic skeletogenesis, and identified distinct skeletal stem/progenitor cells that orchestrate endochondral and intramembranous ossification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian He
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Jing Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Jianfang Wang
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Liangyu Zhao
- Department of Orthopedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Qian Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yang Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yuxi Sun
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072, China
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Transfusion, Daping Hospital, Army Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Zhijie Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Zongcheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yanli Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yandong Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yunqiao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Han He
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Zhilei Bian
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Yu Lan
- Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China.,Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health-Guangdong Laboratory (GRMH-GDL), Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510530, China
| | - Chunyu Ma
- Department of Gynecology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Lihong Bian
- Department of Gynecology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Heng Zhu
- Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, 100850, China.
| | - Bing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China. .,Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China.
| | - Rui Yue
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
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10
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Knudsen TB, Pierro JD, Baker NC. Retinoid signaling in skeletal development: Scoping the system for predictive toxicology. Reprod Toxicol 2021; 99:109-130. [PMID: 33202217 PMCID: PMC11451096 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), the biologically active form of vitamin A, is instrumental in regulating the patterning and specification of the vertebrate embryo. Various animal models demonstrate adverse developmental phenotypes following experimental retinoid depletion or excess during pregnancy. Windows of vulnerability for altered skeletal patterning coincide with early specification of the body plan (gastrulation) and regional specification of precursor cell populations forming the facial skeleton (cranial neural crest), vertebral column (somites), and limbs (lateral plate mesoderm) during organogenesis. A common theme in physiological roles of ATRA signaling is mutual antagonism with FGF signaling. Consequences of genetic errors or environmental disruption of retinoid signaling include stage- and region-specific homeotic transformations to severe deficiencies for various skeletal elements. This review derives from an annex in Detailed Review Paper (DRP) of the OECD Test Guidelines Programme (Project 4.97) to support recommendations regarding assay development for the retinoid system and the use of resulting data in a regulatory context for developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART) testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas B Knudsen
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE), Biomolecular and Computational Toxicology Division (BCTD), Computational Toxicology and Bioinformatics Branch (CTBB), Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, United States.
| | - Jocylin D Pierro
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE), Biomolecular and Computational Toxicology Division (BCTD), Computational Toxicology and Bioinformatics Branch (CTBB), Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, United States.
| | - Nancy C Baker
- Leidos, Contractor to CCTE, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, United States.
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11
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Luria V, Laufer E. The Geometry of Limb Motor Innervation is Controlled by the Dorsal-Ventral Compartment Boundary in the Chick Limbless Mutant. Neuroscience 2020; 450:29-47. [PMID: 33038447 PMCID: PMC9922539 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.09.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Precise control of limb muscles, and ultimately of limb movement, requires accurate motor innervation. Motor innervation of the vertebrate limb is established by sequential selection of trajectories at successive decision points. Motor axons of the lateral motor column (LMC) segregate at the base of the limb into two groups that execute a choice between dorsal and ventral tissue: medial LMC axons innervate the ventral limb, whereas lateral LMC axons innervate the dorsal limb. We investigated how LMC axons are targeted to the limb using the chick mutant limbless (ll), which has a dorsal transformation of the ventral limb mesenchyme. In ll the spatial pattern of motor projections to the limb is abnormal while their targeting is normal. While extensive, the dorsal transformation of the ll ventral limb mesenchyme is incomplete whereas the generation, specification and targeting of spinal motor neurons are apparently unaffected. Thus, the dorsal-ventral motor axon segregation is an active choice that is independent of the ratio between dorsal and ventral tissue but dependent on the presence of both tissues. Therefore, the fidelity of the motor projections to the limb depends on the presence of both dorsal and ventral compartments, while the geometry of motor projections is controlled by the position of limb dorsal-ventral compartment boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Luria
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Ed Laufer
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
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12
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Becker D, Weikard R, Schulze C, Wohlsein P, Kühn C. A 50-kb deletion disrupting the RSPO2 gene is associated with tetradysmelia in Holstein Friesian cattle. Genet Sel Evol 2020; 52:68. [PMID: 33176673 PMCID: PMC7661195 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-020-00586-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tetradysmelia is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by an extremely severe reduction of all limb parts distal of the scapula and pelvic girdle. We studied a Holstein Friesian backcross family with 24 offspring, among which six calves displayed autosomal recessive tetradysmelia. In order to identify the genetic basis of the disorder, we genotyped three affected calves, five dams and nine unaffected siblings using a Bovine Illumina 50 k BeadChip and sequenced the whole genome of the sire. Results Pathological examination of four tetradysmelia cases revealed a uniform and severe dysmelia of all limbs. Applying a homozygosity mapping approach, we identified a homozygous region of 10.54 Mb on chromosome 14 (Bos taurus BTA14). Only calves that were diagnosed with tetradysmelia shared a distinct homozygous haplotype for this region. We sequenced the whole genome of the cases’ sire and searched for heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small variants on BTA14 that were uniquely present in the sire and absent from 3102 control whole-genome sequences of the 1000 Bull Genomes Project, but none were identified in the 10.54-Mb candidate region on BTA14. Therefore, we subsequently performed a more comprehensive analysis by also considering structural variants and detected a 50-kb deletion in the targeted chromosomal region that was in the heterozygous state in the cases’ sire. Using PCR, we confirmed that this detected deletion segregated perfectly within the family with tetradysmelia. The deletion spanned three exons of the bovine R-spondin 2 (RSPO2) gene, which encode three domains of the respective protein. R-spondin 2 is a secreted ligand of leucine-rich repeats containing G protein-coupled receptors that enhance Wnt signalling and is involved in a broad range of developmental processes during embryogenesis. Conclusions We identified a 50-kb deletion on BTA14 that disrupts the coding sequence of the RSPO2 gene and is associated with bovine tetradysmelia. To our knowledge, this is the first reported candidate causal mutation for tetradysmelia in a large animal model. Since signalling pathways involved in limb development are conserved across species, the observed inherited defect may serve as a model to further elucidate fundamental pathways of limb development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doreen Becker
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Genome Biology, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Rosemarie Weikard
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Genome Biology, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Christoph Schulze
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.,Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
| | - Christa Kühn
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Genome Biology, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany. .,Rostock, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Rostock, Germany.
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13
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Lin GH, Zhang L. Apical ectodermal ridge regulates three principal axes of the developing limb. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2020; 21:757-766. [PMID: 33043642 PMCID: PMC7606201 DOI: 10.1631/jzus.b2000285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Understanding limb development not only gives insights into the outgrowth and differentiation of the limb, but also has clinical relevance. Limb development begins with two paired limb buds (forelimb and hindlimb buds), which are initially undifferentiated mesenchymal cells tipped with a thickening of the ectoderm, termed the apical ectodermal ridge (AER). As a transitional embryonic structure, the AER undergoes four stages and contributes to multiple axes of limb development through the coordination of signalling centres, feedback loops, and other cell activities by secretory signalling and the activation of gene expression. Within the scope of proximodistal patterning, it is understood that while fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) function sequentially over time as primary components of the AER signalling process, there is still no consensus on models that would explain proximodistal patterning itself. In anteroposterior patterning, the AER has a dual-direction regulation by which it promotes the sonic hedgehog (Shh) gene expression in the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) for proliferation, and inhibits Shh expression in the anterior mesenchyme. In dorsoventral patterning, the AER activates Engrailed-1 (En1) expression, and thus represses Wnt family member 7a (Wnt7a) expression in the ventral ectoderm by the expression of Fgfs, Sp6/8, and bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) genes. The AER also plays a vital role in shaping the individual digits, since levels of Fgf4/8 and Bmps expressed in the AER affect digit patterning by controlling apoptosis. In summary, the knowledge of crosstalk within AER among the three main axes is essential to understand limb growth and pattern formation, as the development of its areas proceeds simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-hao Lin
- Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Sports Health Promotion, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, China
| | - Lan Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Sports Health Promotion, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, China
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14
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Lewis EMA, Sankar S, Tong C, Patterson ES, Waller LE, Gontarz P, Zhang B, Ornitz DM, Kroll KL. Geminin is required for Hox gene regulation to pattern the developing limb. Dev Biol 2020; 464:11-23. [PMID: 32450229 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Development of the complex structure of the vertebrate limb requires carefully orchestrated interactions between multiple regulatory pathways and proteins. Among these, precise regulation of 5' Hox transcription factor expression is essential for proper limb bud patterning and elaboration of distinct limb skeletal elements. Here, we identified Geminin (Gmnn) as a novel regulator of this process. A conditional model of Gmnn deficiency resulted in loss or severe reduction of forelimb skeletal elements, while both the forelimb autopod and hindlimb were unaffected. 5' Hox gene expression expanded into more proximal and anterior regions of the embryonic forelimb buds in this Gmnn-deficient model. A second conditional model of Gmnn deficiency instead caused a similar but less severe reduction of hindlimb skeletal elements and hindlimb polydactyly, while not affecting the forelimb. An ectopic posterior SHH signaling center was evident in the anterior hindlimb bud of Gmnn-deficient embryos in this model. This center ectopically expressed Hoxd13, the HOXD13 target Shh, and the SHH target Ptch1, while these mutant hindlimb buds also had reduced levels of the cleaved, repressor form of GLI3, a SHH pathway antagonist. Together, this work delineates a new role for Gmnn in modulating Hox expression to pattern the vertebrate limb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M A Lewis
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Savita Sankar
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Caili Tong
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ethan S Patterson
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Laura E Waller
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Paul Gontarz
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - David M Ornitz
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Kristen L Kroll
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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15
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Mathematical modeling of chondrogenic pattern formation during limb development: Recent advances in continuous models. Math Biosci 2020; 322:108319. [PMID: 32001201 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2020.108319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The phenomenon of chondrogenic pattern formation in the vertebrate limb is one of the best studied examples of organogenesis. Many different models, mathematical as well as conceptual, have been proposed for it in the last fifty years or so. In this review, we give a brief overview of the fundamental biological background, then describe in detail several models which aim to describe qualitatively and quantitatively the corresponding biological phenomena. We concentrate on several new models that have been proposed in recent years, taking into account recent experimental progress. The major mathematical tools in these approaches are ordinary and partial differential equations. Moreover, we discuss models with non-local flux terms used to account for cell-cell adhesion forces and a structured population model with diffusion. We also include a detailed list of gene products and potential morphogens which have been identified to play a role in the process of limb formation and its growth.
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16
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Dynamic and self-regulatory interactions among gene regulatory networks control vertebrate limb bud morphogenesis. Curr Top Dev Biol 2020; 139:61-88. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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17
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Da Silva-Álvarez S, Picallos-Rabina P, Antelo-Iglesias L, Triana-Martínez F, Barreiro-Iglesias A, Sánchez L, Collado M. The development of cell senescence. Exp Gerontol 2019; 128:110742. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2019.110742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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18
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Pickering J, Chinnaiya K, Towers M. An autoregulatory cell cycle timer integrates growth and specification in chick wing digit development. eLife 2019; 8:47625. [PMID: 31545166 PMCID: PMC6777937 DOI: 10.7554/elife.47625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental question is how proliferation and growth are timed during embryogenesis. Although it has been suggested that the cell cycle could be a timer, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we describe a cell cycle timer that operates in Sonic hedgehog (Shh)-expressing polarising region cells of the chick wing bud. Our data are consistent with Shh signalling stimulating polarising region cell proliferation via Cyclin D2, and then inhibiting proliferation via a Bmp2-p27kip1 pathway. When Shh signalling is blocked, polarising region cells over-proliferate and form an additional digit, which can be prevented by applying Bmp2 or by inhibiting D cyclin activity. In addition, Bmp2 also restores posterior digit identity in the absence of Shh signalling, thus indicating that it specifies antero-posterior (thumb to little finger) positional values. Our results reveal how an autoregulatory cell cycle timer integrates growth and specification and are widely applicable to many tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Pickering
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Kavitha Chinnaiya
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Towers
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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19
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Purushothaman S, Elewa A, Seifert AW. Fgf-signaling is compartmentalized within the mesenchyme and controls proliferation during salamander limb development. eLife 2019; 8:48507. [PMID: 31538936 PMCID: PMC6754229 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Although decades of studies have produced a generalized model for tetrapod limb development, urodeles deviate from anurans and amniotes in at least two key respects: their limbs exhibit preaxial skeletal differentiation and do not develop an apical ectodermal ridge (AER). Here, we investigated how Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) signaling regulate limb development in the axolotl. We found that Shh-expressing cells contributed to the most posterior digit, and that inhibiting Shh-signaling inhibited Fgf8 expression, anteroposterior patterning, and distal cell proliferation. In addition to lack of a morphological AER, we found that salamander limbs also lack a molecular AER. We found that amniote and anuran AER-specific Fgfs and their cognate receptors were expressed entirely in the mesenchyme. Broad inhibition of Fgf-signaling demonstrated that this pathway regulates cell proliferation across all three limb axes, in contrast to anurans and amniotes where Fgf-signaling regulates cell survival and proximodistal patterning. Salamanders are a group of amphibians that are well-known for their ability to regenerate lost limbs and other body parts. At the turn of the twentieth century, researchers used salamander embryos as models to understand the basic concepts of how limbs develop in other four-limbed animals, including amphibians, mammals and birds, which are collectively known as “tetrapods”. However, the salamander’s amazing powers of regeneration made it difficult to carry out certain experiments, so researchers switched to using the embryos of other tetrapods – namely chickens and mice – instead. Studies in chickens, later confirmed in mice and frogs, established that there are two major signaling centers that control how the limbs of tetrapod embryos form and grow: a small group of cells known as the “zone of polarizing activity” within a structure called the “limb bud mesenchyme”; and an overlying, thin ridge of cells called the “apical ectodermal ridge”. Both of these centers release potent signaling molecules that act on cells in the limbs. The cells in the zone of polarizing activity produce a molecule often called Sonic hedgehog, or Shh for short. The apical ectodermal ridge produces another group of signals commonly known as fibroblast growth factors, or simply Fgfs. Several older studies reported that salamander embryos do not have an apical ectodermal ridge suggesting that these amphibian’s limbs may form differently to other tetrapods. Yet, contemporary models in developmental biology treated salamander limbs like those of chicks and mice. To address this apparent discrepancy, Purushothaman et al. studied how the forelimbs develop in a salamander known as the axolotl. The experiments showed that, along with lacking an apical ectodermal ridge, axolotls did not produce fibroblast growth factors normally found in this tissue. Instead, these factors were only found in the limb bud mesenchyme. Purushothaman et al. also found that fibroblast growth factors played a different role in axolotls than previously reported in chick, frog and mouse embryos. On the other hand, the pattern and function of Shh activity in the axolotl limb bud was similar to that previously observed in chicks and mice. These findings show that not all limbs develop in the same way and open up questions for evolutionary biologists regarding the evolution of limbs. Future studies that examine limb development in other animals that regenerate tissues, such as other amphibians and lungfish, will help answer these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmed Elewa
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, United States
| | - Ashley W Seifert
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
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20
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Sonnen KF, Merten CA. Microfluidics as an Emerging Precision Tool in Developmental Biology. Dev Cell 2019; 48:293-311. [PMID: 30753835 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Microfluidics has become a precision tool in modern biology. It enables omics data to be obtained from individual cells, as compared to averaged signals from cell populations, and it allows manipulation of biological specimens in entirely new ways. Cells and organisms can be perturbed at extraordinary spatiotemporal resolution, revealing mechanistic insights that would otherwise remain hidden. In this perspective article, we discuss the current and future impact of microfluidic technology in the field of developmental biology. In addition, we provide detailed information on how to start using this technology even without prior experience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christoph A Merten
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.
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21
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Brantley SE, Fuller MT. Somatic support cells regulate germ cell survival through the Baz/aPKC/Par6 complex. Development 2019; 146:dev.169342. [PMID: 30918053 PMCID: PMC6503986 DOI: 10.1242/dev.169342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Local signals and structural support from the surrounding cellular microenvironment play key roles in directing development in both embryonic organs and adult tissues. In Drosophila, male germ cells are intimately associated and co-differentiate with supporting somatic cells. Here, we show that the function of the Baz/aPKC/Par6 apical polarity complex in somatic cyst cells is required stage specifically for survival of the germ cells they enclose. Although spermatogonia enclosed by cyst cells in which the function of the Par complex had been knocked down survived and proliferated, newly formed spermatocytes enclosed by cyst cells lacking Par complex proteins died soon after onset of meiotic prophase. Loss of Par complex function resulted in stage-specific overactivation of the Jun-kinase (JNK) pathway in cyst cells. Knocking down expression of JNK pathway components or the GTPase Rab35 in cyst cells lacking Par complex function rescued the survival of neighboring spermatocytes, suggesting that action of the apical polarity complex ensures germ cell survival by preventing JNK pathway activation, and that the mechanism by which cyst cells lacking Par complex function kill neighboring spermatocytes requires intracellular trafficking in somatic cyst cells. Summary: The Par polarity complex suppresses JNK pathway activity in Drosophila somatic support cells to allow stage-specific germ cell survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna E Brantley
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Margaret T Fuller
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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22
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Kirchgeorg L, Felker A, van Oostrom M, Chiavacci E, Mosimann C. Cre/lox-controlled spatiotemporal perturbation of FGF signaling in zebrafish. Dev Dyn 2018; 247:1146-1159. [PMID: 30194800 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spatiotemporal perturbation of signaling pathways in vivo remains challenging and requires precise transgenic control of signaling effectors. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling guides multiple developmental processes, including body axis formation and cell fate patterning. In zebrafish, mutants and chemical perturbations affecting FGF signaling have uncovered key developmental processes; however, these approaches cause embryo-wide perturbations, rendering assessment of cell-autonomous vs. non-autonomous requirements for FGF signaling in individual processes difficult. RESULTS Here, we created the novel transgenic line fgfr1-dn-cargo, encoding dominant-negative Fgfr1a with fluorescent tag under combined Cre/lox and heatshock control to perturb FGF signaling spatiotemporally. Validating efficient perturbation of FGF signaling by fgfr1-dn-cargo primed with ubiquitous CreERT2, we established that primed, heatshock-induced fgfr1-dn-cargo behaves similarly to pulsed treatment with the FGFR inhibitor SU5402. Priming fgfr1-dn-cargo with CreERT2 in the lateral plate mesoderm triggered selective cardiac and pectoral fin phenotypes without drastic impact on overall embryo patterning. Harnessing lateral plate mesoderm-specific FGF inhibition, we recapitulated the cell-autonomous and temporal requirement for FGF signaling in pectoral fin outgrowth, as previously inferred from pan-embryonic FGF inhibition. CONCLUSIONS As a paradigm for rapid Cre/lox-mediated signaling perturbations, our results establish fgfr1-dn-cargo as a genetic tool to define the spatiotemporal requirements for FGF signaling in zebrafish. Developmental Dynamics 247:1146-1159, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Kirchgeorg
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anastasia Felker
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marek van Oostrom
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Elena Chiavacci
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Mosimann
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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23
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Woronowicz KC, Gline SE, Herfat ST, Fields AJ, Schneider RA. FGF and TGFβ signaling link form and function during jaw development and evolution. Dev Biol 2018; 444 Suppl 1:S219-S236. [PMID: 29753626 PMCID: PMC6239991 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
How does form arise during development and change during evolution? How does form relate to function, and what enables embryonic structures to presage their later use in adults? To address these questions, we leverage the distinct functional morphology of the jaw in duck, chick, and quail. In connection with their specialized mode of feeding, duck develop a secondary cartilage at the tendon insertion of their jaw adductor muscle on the mandible. An equivalent cartilage is absent in chick and quail. We hypothesize that species-specific jaw architecture and mechanical forces promote secondary cartilage in duck through the differential regulation of FGF and TGFβ signaling. First, we perform transplants between chick and duck embryos and demonstrate that the ability of neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) to direct the species-specific insertion of muscle and the formation of secondary cartilage depends upon the amount and spatial distribution of NCM-derived connective tissues. Second, we quantify motility and build finite element models of the jaw complex in duck and quail, which reveals a link between species-specific jaw architecture and the predicted mechanical force environment. Third, we investigate the extent to which mechanical load mediates FGF and TGFβ signaling in the duck jaw adductor insertion, and discover that both pathways are mechano-responsive and required for secondary cartilage formation. Additionally, we find that FGF and TGFβ signaling can also induce secondary cartilage in the absence of mechanical force or in the adductor insertion of quail embryos. Thus, our results provide novel insights on molecular, cellular, and biomechanical mechanisms that couple musculoskeletal form and function during development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine C Woronowicz
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - Stephanie E Gline
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - Safa T Herfat
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - Aaron J Fields
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - Richard A Schneider
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA.
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24
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Watson BA, Feenstra JM, Van Arsdale JM, Rai-Bhatti KS, Kim DJH, Coggins AS, Mattison GL, Yoo S, Steinman ED, Pira CU, Gongol BR, Oberg KC. LHX2 Mediates the FGF-to-SHH Regulatory Loop during Limb Development. J Dev Biol 2018; 6:E13. [PMID: 29914077 PMCID: PMC6027391 DOI: 10.3390/jdb6020013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
During limb development, fibroblast growth factors (Fgfs) govern proximal⁻distal outgrowth and patterning. FGFs also synchronize developmental patterning between the proximal⁻distal and anterior⁻posterior axes by maintaining Sonic hedgehog (Shh) expression in cells of the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) in the distal posterior mesoderm. Shh, in turn, maintains Fgfs in the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) that caps the distal tip of the limb bud. Crosstalk between Fgf and Shh signaling is critical for patterned limb development, but the mechanisms underlying this feedback loop are not well-characterized. Implantation of Fgf beads in the proximal posterior limb bud can maintain SHH expression in the former ZPA domain (evident 3 h after application), while prolonged exposure (24 h) can induce SHH outside of this domain. Although temporally and spatially disparate, comparative analysis of transcriptome data from these different populations accentuated genes involved in SHH regulation. Comparative analysis identified 25 candidates common to both treatments, with eight linked to SHH expression or function. Furthermore, we demonstrated that LHX2, a LIM Homeodomain transcription factor, is an intermediate in the FGF-mediated regulation of SHH. Our data suggest that LHX2 acts as a competency factor maintaining distal posterior SHH expression subjacent to the AER.
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Affiliation(s)
- Billy A Watson
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
- Division of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Jennifer M Feenstra
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Jonathan M Van Arsdale
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Karndeep S Rai-Bhatti
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Diana J H Kim
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Ashley S Coggins
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Gennaya L Mattison
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Stephen Yoo
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Eric D Steinman
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Charmaine U Pira
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Brendan R Gongol
- Department of Cardiopulmonary Sciences, School of Allied Health Professions, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
| | - Kerby C Oberg
- Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA.
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Makanae A, Satoh A. Ectopic Fgf signaling induces the intercalary response in developing chicken limb buds. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2018; 4:8. [PMID: 29721334 PMCID: PMC5907462 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-018-0090-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intercalary pattern formation is an important regulatory step in amphibian limb regeneration. Amphibian limb regeneration is composed of multiple steps, including wounding, blastema formation, and intercalary pattern formation. Attempts have been made to transfer insights from regeneration-competent animals to regeneration-incompetent animalsat each step in the regeneration process. In the present study, we focused on the intercalary mechanism in chick limb buds. In amphibian limb regeneration, a proximodistal axis is organized as soon as a regenerating blastema is induced. Intermediate structures are subsequently induced (intercalated) between the established proximal and distal identities. Intercalary tissues are derived from proximal tissues. Fgf signaling mediates the intercalary response in amphibian limb regeneration. RESULTS We attempted to transfer insights into intercalary regeneration from amphibian models to the chick limb bud. The zeugopodial part was dissected out, and the distal and proximal parts were conjunct at st. 24. Delivering ectopic Fgf2 + Fgf8 between the distal and proximal parts resulted in induction of zeugopodial elements. Examination of HoxA11 expression, apoptosis, and cell proliferation provides insights to compare with those in the intercalary mechanism of amphibian limb regeneration. Furthermore, the cellular contribution was investigated in both the chicken intercalary response and that of axolotl limb regeneration. CONCLUSIONS We developed new insights into cellular contribution in amphibian intercalary regeneration, and found consistency between axolotl and chicken intercalary responses. Our findings demonstrate that the same principal of limb regeneration functions between regeneration-competent and -incompetent animals. In this context, we propose the feasibility of the induction of the regeneration response in amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aki Makanae
- Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences (RCIS), Okayama University, 3-1-1, Tsushimanaka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8530 Japan
| | - Akira Satoh
- Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences (RCIS), Okayama University, 3-1-1, Tsushimanaka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8530 Japan
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Gao B, Ajima R, Yang W, Li C, Song H, Anderson MJ, Liu RR, Lewandoski MB, Yamaguchi TP, Yang Y. Coordinated directional outgrowth and pattern formation by integration of Wnt5a and Fgf signaling in planar cell polarity. Development 2018; 145:dev.163824. [PMID: 29615464 DOI: 10.1242/dev.163824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic morphogenesis of a complex organism requires proper regulation of patterning and directional growth. Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling is emerging as a crucial evolutionarily conserved mechanism whereby directional information is conveyed. PCP is thought to be established by global cues, and recent studies have revealed an instructive role of a Wnt signaling gradient in epithelial tissues of both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, it remains unclear whether Wnt/PCP signaling is regulated in a coordinated manner with embryonic patterning during morphogenesis. Here, in mouse developing limbs, we find that apical ectoderm ridge-derived Fgfs required for limb patterning regulate PCP along the proximal-distal axis in a Wnt5a-dependent manner. We demonstrate with genetic evidence that the Wnt5a gradient acts as a global cue that is instructive in establishing PCP in the limb mesenchyme, and that Wnt5a also plays a permissive role to allow Fgf signaling to orient PCP. Our results indicate that limb morphogenesis is regulated by coordination of directional growth and patterning through integration of Wnt5a and Fgf signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Gao
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China .,Developmental Genetics Section, Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Rieko Ajima
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Wei Yang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chunyu Li
- Developmental Genetics Section, Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.,Department of Hand Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, China
| | - Hai Song
- Developmental Genetics Section, Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Matthew J Anderson
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Robert R Liu
- Developmental Genetics Section, Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Mark B Lewandoski
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Terry P Yamaguchi
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Yingzi Yang
- Developmental Genetics Section, Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA .,Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Buch PR, Ranadive I, Desai I, Balarakrishnan S. Cyclooxygenase-2 interacts with MMP and FGF pathways to promote epimorphic regeneration in lizard Hemidactylus flaviviridis. Growth Factors 2018; 36:69-77. [PMID: 30196771 DOI: 10.1080/08977194.2018.1497021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an inducible enzyme known for its role in promoting inflammation, pain and cancer. It has more recently been attributed a function in epimorphic regeneration of vertebrate appendages. However, its position among the molecular regulators of regeneration remains unclear. This work was aimed at analyzing the influence of COX-2 on critical mediators of regenerative processes in the lizard Hemidactylus flaviviridis. It was found during the early events of regeneration that MMP and FGF genes get altered in their expression in response to administration of etoricoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor. Results herein also reflect a positive correlation between COX-2 activity and gelatinase activities in our system. These observations, for the first time, establish a definitive interaction of the COX-2 signal with the MMPs and FGFs as essential to the initiation of tail regeneration, placing it as one of the top regulators of the molecular events which characterize epimorphosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranav R Buch
- a Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science , The M. S. University of Baroda , Vadodara , India
| | - Isha Ranadive
- a Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science , The M. S. University of Baroda , Vadodara , India
| | - Isha Desai
- b N. V. Patel College of Pure and Applied Sciences , Vallabh Vidyanagar , Anand , India
| | - Suresh Balarakrishnan
- a Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science , The M. S. University of Baroda , Vadodara , India
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Towers M. Evolution of antero-posterior patterning of the limb: Insights from the chick. Genesis 2018; 56:e23047. [PMID: 28734068 PMCID: PMC5811799 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The developing limbs of chicken embryos have served as pioneering models for understanding pattern formation for over a century. The ease with which chick wing and leg buds can be experimentally manipulated, while the embryo is still in the egg, has resulted in the discovery of important developmental organisers, and subsequently, the signals that they produce. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is produced by mesenchyme cells of the polarizing region at the posterior margin of the limb bud and specifies positional values across the antero-posterior axis (the axis running from the thumb to the little finger). Detailed experimental embryology has revealed the fundamental parameters required to specify antero-posterior positional values in response to Shh signaling in chick wing and leg buds. In this review, the evolution of the avian wing and leg will be discussed in the broad context of tetrapod paleontology, and more specifically, ancestral theropod dinosaur paleontology. How the parameters that dictate antero-posterior patterning could have been modulated to produce the avian wing and leg digit patterns will be considered. Finally, broader speculations will be made regarding what the antero-posterior patterning of chick limbs can tell us about the evolution of other digit patterns, including those that were found in the limbs of the earliest tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Towers
- Department of Biomedical ScienceThe Bateson Centre, University of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldS10 2TNUnited Kingdom
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30
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Co-option of the cardiac transcription factor Nkx2.5 during development of the emu wing. Nat Commun 2017; 8:132. [PMID: 28743862 PMCID: PMC5526984 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00112-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The ratites are a distinctive clade of flightless birds, typified by the emu and ostrich that have acquired a range of unique anatomical characteristics since diverging from basal Aves at least 100 million years ago. The emu possesses a vestigial wing with a single digit and greatly reduced forelimb musculature. However, the embryological basis of wing reduction and other anatomical changes associated with loss of flight are unclear. Here we report a previously unknown co-option of the cardiac transcription factor Nkx2.5 to the forelimb in the emu embryo, but not in ostrich, or chicken and zebra finch, which have fully developed wings. Nkx2.5 is expressed in emu limb bud mesenchyme and maturing wing muscle, and mis-expression of Nkx2.5 throughout the limb bud in chick results in wing reductions. We propose that Nkx2.5 functions to inhibit early limb bud expansion and later muscle growth during development of the vestigial emu wing. The transcription factor Nkx2.5 is essential for heart development. Here, the authors identify a previously unknown expression domain for Nkx2.5 in the emu wing and explore its role in diminished wing bud development in the flightless emu, compared with three other birds that have functional wings.
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Mariani FV, Fernandez-Teran M, Ros MA. Ectoderm-mesoderm crosstalk in the embryonic limb: The role of fibroblast growth factor signaling. Dev Dyn 2017; 246:208-216. [PMID: 28002626 PMCID: PMC8262604 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In this commentary we focus on the function of FGFs during limb development and morphogenesis. Our goal is to understand, interpret and, when possible, reconcile the interesting findings and conflicting results that remain unexplained. For example, the cell death pattern observed after surgical removal of the AER versus genetic removal of the AER-Fgfs is strikingly different and the field is at an impasse with regard to an explanation. We also discuss the idea that AER function may involve signaling components in addition to the AER-FGFs and that signaling from the non-AER ectoderm may also have a significant contribution. We hope that a re-evaluation of current studies and a discussion of outstanding questions will motivate new experiments, especially considering the availability of new technologies, that will fuel further progress toward understanding the intricate ectoderm-to-mesoderm crosstalk during limb development. Developmental Dynamics 246:208-216, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca V Mariani
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Marian Fernandez-Teran
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
| | - Maria A Ros
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, CSIC-SODERCAN-Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
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Integration of Shh and Fgf signaling in controlling Hox gene expression in cultured limb cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:3139-3144. [PMID: 28270602 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1620767114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
During embryonic development, fields of progenitor cells form complex structures through dynamic interactions with external signaling molecules. How complex signaling inputs are integrated to yield appropriate gene expression responses is poorly understood. In the early limb bud, for instance, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is expressed in the distal posterior mesenchyme, where it acts as a mediator of anterior to posterior (AP) patterning, whereas fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8) is produced by the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) at the distal tip of the limb bud to direct outgrowth along the proximal to distal (PD) axis. Here we use cultured limb mesenchyme cells to assess the response of the target Hoxd genes to these two factors. We find that they act synergistically and that both factors are required to activate Hoxd13 in limb mesenchymal cells. However, the analysis of the enhancer landscapes flanking the HoxD cluster reveals that the bimodal regulatory switch observed in vivo is only partially achieved under these in vitro conditions, suggesting an additional requirement for other factors.
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Verheyden JM, Sun X. Embryology meets molecular biology: Deciphering the apical ectodermal ridge. Dev Biol 2017; 429:387-390. [PMID: 28131856 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
More than sixty years ago, while studying feather tracks on the shoulder of the chick embryo, Dr. John Saunders used Nile Blue dye to stain the tissue. There, he noticed a darkly stained line of cells that neatly rims the tip of the growing limb bud. Rather than ignoring this observation, he followed it up by removing this tissue and found that it led to a striking truncation of the limb skeletons. This landmark experiment marks the serendipitous discovery of the apical ectodermal ridge (AER), the quintessential embryonic structure that drives the outgrowth of the limb. Dr. Saunders continued to lead the limb field for the next fifty years, not just through his own work, but also by inspiring the next generation of researchers through his infectious love of science. Together, he and those who followed ushered in the discovery of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) as the AER molecule. The seamless marriage of embryology and molecular biology that led to the decoding of the AER serves as a shining example of how discoveries are made for the rest of the developmental biology field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie M Verheyden
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Xin Sun
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States.
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34
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Leal F, Cohn M. Loss and Re-emergence of Legs in Snakes by Modular Evolution of Sonic hedgehog and HOXD Enhancers. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2966-2973. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Revised: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Dowling A, Doroba C, Maier JA, Cohen L, VandeBerg J, Sears KE. Cellular and molecular drivers of differential organ growth: insights from the limbs of Monodelphis domestica. Dev Genes Evol 2016; 226:235-43. [PMID: 27194412 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-016-0549-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental question in biology is "how is growth differentially regulated during development to produce organs of particular sizes?" We used a new model system for the study of differential organ growth, the limbs of the opossum (Monodelphis domestica), to investigate the cellular and molecular basis of differential organ growth in mammals. Opossum forelimbs grow much faster than hindlimbs, making opossum limbs an exceptional system with which to study differential growth. We first used the great differences in opossum forelimb and hindlimb growth to identify cellular processes and molecular signals that underlie differential limb growth. We then used organ culture and pharmacological addition of FGF ligands and inhibitors to test the role of the Fgf/Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway in driving these cellular processes. We found that molecular signals from within the limb drive differences in cell proliferation that contribute to the differential growth of the forelimb and hindlimbs of opossums. We also found that alterations in the Fgf/MAPK pathway can generate differences in cell proliferation that mirror those observed between wild-type forelimb and hindlimbs of opossums and that manipulation of Fgf/MAPK signaling affects downstream focal adhesion-extracellular matrix (FA-ECM) and Wnt signaling in opossum limbs. Taken together, these findings suggest that evolutionary changes in the Fgf/MAPK pathway could help drive the observed differences in cell behaviors and growth in opossum forelimb and hindlimbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Dowling
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Carolyn Doroba
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Jennifer A Maier
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Lorna Cohen
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - John VandeBerg
- Department of Genetics, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, 1206 W Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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Spatiotemporal distribution of proliferation, proapoptotic and antiapoptotic factors in the early human limb development. Acta Histochem 2016; 118:527-36. [PMID: 27282649 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2016.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Involvement of proliferation and apoptosis in the human limb development was analyzed electronmicroscopically and immunohistochemically in histological sections of 8 human embryos, 4(th) -10(th) week old, using apoptotic (caspase-3, AIF, BAX), anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) and proliferation (Ki-67) markers, and TUNEL method. The data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's post hoc test. Initially, developing human limbs consisted of mesenchymal core and surface ectoderm with apical ectodermal ridge (AER). During progression of development, strong proliferation activity gradually decreased in the mesenchyme (from 78% to 68%) and in the epithelium (from 62% to 42%), while in the differentiating finger cartilages proliferation was constantly low (26-7%). Apoptotic caspase-3 and AIF-positive cells characterized mesenchyme and AER at earliest stages, while during digit separation they appeared in interdigital mesenchyme as well. Strong Bcl-2 expression was observed in AER, subridge mesenchyme and phalanges, while BAX expression charaterized limb areas undergoing apoptosis. Ultrastructurally, proliferating cells showed mitotic figures, while apoptotic cells were characterized by nuclear fragmentation. Macrophages were observed around the apoptotic cells. We suggest that intense proliferation enables growth and elongation of human limb primordia, and differential growth of digits. Both caspase-3 and AIF-dependant pathways of cell death control the extent of AER and numer of cells in the subridge mesenchyme at earliest developmental stages, as well as process of digit separation at later stages of limb development. Spatio-temporal co-expresson of Bcl-2 and BAX indicates their role in suppression of apoptosis and selective stimulation of growth during human limb morphogenesis.
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Abstract
An "organizer" is formally defined as a region, or group of cells in an embryo that can both induce (change the fate) and pattern (generate an organized set of structures) adjacent embryonic cells. To date, about four such regions have been demonstrated: the primary or Spemann organizer (Hensen's node in amniotes), the notochord, the zone of polarizing activity of the limb bud, and the mid-hindbrain boundary. Here we review the evidence for these and compare them with a few other regions which have been proposed to represent other organizers and we speculate on why so few such regions have been discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Anderson
- Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claudio D Stern
- Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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Gehrke AR, Shubin NH. Cis-regulatory programs in the development and evolution of vertebrate paired appendages. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 57:31-39. [PMID: 26783722 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Differential gene expression is the core of development, mediating the genetic changes necessary for determining cell identity. The regulation of gene activity by cis-acting elements (e.g., enhancers) is a crucial mechanism for determining differential gene activity by precise control of gene expression in embryonic space and time. Modifications to regulatory regions can have profound impacts on phenotype, and therefore developmental and evolutionary biologists have increasingly focused on elucidating the transcriptional control of genes that build and pattern body plans. Here, we trace the evolutionary history of transcriptional control of three loci key to vertebrate appendage development (Fgf8, Shh, and HoxD/A). Within and across these regulatory modules, we find both complex and flexible regulation in contrast with more fixed enhancers that appear unchanged over vast timescales of vertebrate evolution. The transcriptional control of vertebrate appendage development was likely already incredibly complex in the common ancestor of fish, implying that subtle changes to regulatory networks were more likely responsible for alterations in phenotype rather than the de novo addition of whole regulatory domains. Finally, we discuss the dangers of relying on inter-species transgenesis when testing enhancer function, and call for more controlled regulatory swap experiments when inferring the evolutionary history of enhancer elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Gehrke
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - Neil H Shubin
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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Conte D, Garaffo G, Lo Iacono N, Mantero S, Piccolo S, Cordenonsi M, Perez-Morga D, Orecchia V, Poli V, Merlo GR. The apical ectodermal ridge of the mouse model of ectrodactyly Dlx5;Dlx6-/- shows altered stratification and cell polarity, which are restored by exogenous Wnt5a ligand. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 25:740-54. [PMID: 26685160 PMCID: PMC4743692 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The congenital malformation split hand/foot (SHFM) is characterized by missing central fingers and dysmorphology or fusion of the remaining ones. Type-1 SHFM is linked to deletions/rearrangements of the DLX5–DLX6 locus and point mutations in the DLX5 gene. The ectrodactyly phenotype is reproduced in mice by the double knockout (DKO) of Dlx5 and Dlx6. During limb development, the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) is a key-signaling center responsible for early proximal–distal growth and patterning. In Dlx5;6 DKO hindlimbs, the central wedge of the AER loses multilayered organization and shows down-regulation of FGF8 and Dlx2. In search for the mechanism, we examined the non-canonical Wnt signaling, considering that Dwnt-5 is a target of distalless in Drosophila and the knockout of Wnt5, Ryk, Ror2 and Vangl2 in the mouse causes severe limb malformations. We found that in Dlx5;6 DKO limbs, the AER expresses lower levels of Wnt5a, shows scattered β-catenin responsive cells and altered basolateral and planar cell polarity (PCP). The addition of Wnt5a to cultured embryonic limbs restored the expression of AER markers and its stratification. Conversely, the inhibition of the PCP molecule c-jun N-terminal kinase caused a loss of AER marker expression. In vitro, the addition of Wnt5a on mixed primary cultures of embryonic ectoderm and mesenchyme was able to confer re-polarization. We conclude that the Dlx-related ectrodactyly defect is associated with the loss of basoapical and PCP, due to reduced Wnt5a expression and that the restoration of the Wnt5a level is sufficient to partially reverts AER misorganization and dysmorphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Conte
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Giulia Garaffo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Nadia Lo Iacono
- Human Genome Department, Istituto Tecnologie Biomediche, CNR Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Mantero
- Human Genome Department, Istituto Tecnologie Biomediche, CNR Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Piccolo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy and
| | | | - David Perez-Morga
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie Moléculaire, IBMM-DBM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Valeria Orecchia
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Valeria Poli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Giorgio R Merlo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy,
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Green JD, Tollemar V, Dougherty M, Yan Z, Yin L, Ye J, Collier Z, Mohammed MK, Haydon RC, Luu HH, Kang R, Lee MJ, Ho SH, He TC, Shi LL, Athiviraham A. Multifaceted signaling regulators of chondrogenesis: Implications in cartilage regeneration and tissue engineering. Genes Dis 2015; 2:307-327. [PMID: 26835506 PMCID: PMC4730920 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Defects of articular cartilage present a unique clinical challenge due to its poor self-healing capacity and avascular nature. Current surgical treatment options do not ensure consistent regeneration of hyaline cartilage in favor of fibrous tissue. Here, we review the current understanding of the most important biological regulators of chondrogenesis and their interactions, to provide insight into potential applications for cartilage tissue engineering. These include various signaling pathways, including: fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs), Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog, Notch, hypoxia, and angiogenic signaling pathways. Transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of chondrogenesis will also be discussed. Advances in our understanding of these signaling pathways have led to promising advances in cartilage regeneration and tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan D. Green
- The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Viktor Tollemar
- The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Mark Dougherty
- The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Zhengjian Yan
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Liangjun Yin
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Jixing Ye
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- School of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zachary Collier
- The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Maryam K. Mohammed
- The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Rex C. Haydon
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Hue H. Luu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Richard Kang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Michael J. Lee
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Sherwin H. Ho
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tong-Chuan He
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Lewis L. Shi
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Aravind Athiviraham
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Zuniga A. Next generation limb development and evolution: old questions, new perspectives. Development 2015; 142:3810-20. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.125757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The molecular analysis of limb bud development in vertebrates continues to fuel our understanding of the gene regulatory networks that orchestrate the patterning, proliferation and differentiation of embryonic progenitor cells. In recent years, systems biology approaches have moved our understanding of the molecular control of limb organogenesis to the next level by incorporating next generation ‘omics’ approaches, analyses of chromatin architecture, enhancer-promoter interactions and gene network simulations based on quantitative datasets into experimental analyses. This Review focuses on the insights these studies have given into the gene regulatory networks that govern limb development and into the fin-to-limb transition and digit reductions that occurred during the evolutionary diversification of tetrapod limbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimée Zuniga
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 28, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
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Seki R, Kitajima K, Matsubara H, Suzuki T, Saito D, Yokoyama H, Tamura K. AP-2β is a transcriptional regulator for determination of digit length in tetrapods. Dev Biol 2015; 407:75-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Sears KE, Capellini TD, Diogo R. On the serial homology of the pectoral and pelvic girdles of tetrapods. Evolution 2015; 69:2543-55. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Revised: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen E. Sears
- School of Integrative Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana Illinois 61801
- Institute for Genomic Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana Illinois 61801
| | | | - Rui Diogo
- Howard University College of Medicine; Washington District of Columbia 20059
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Raines AM, Magella B, Adam M, Potter SS. Key pathways regulated by HoxA9,10,11/HoxD9,10,11 during limb development. BMC DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2015; 15:28. [PMID: 26186931 PMCID: PMC4506574 DOI: 10.1186/s12861-015-0078-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background The 39 mammalian Hox genes show problematic patterns of functional overlap. In order to more fully define the developmental roles of Hox genes it is necessary to remove multiple combinations of paralogous and flanking genes. In addition, the downstream molecular pathways regulated by Hox genes during limb development remain incompletely delineated. Results In this report we examine limb development in mice with frameshift mutations in six Hox genes, Hoxa9,10,11 and Hoxd9,10,11. The mice were made with a novel recombineering method that allows the simultaneous targeting of frameshift mutations into multiple flanking genes. The Hoxa9,10,11−/−/Hoxd9,10,11−/− mutant mice show a reduced ulna and radius that is more severe than seen in Hoxa11−/−/Hoxd11−/− mice, indicating a minor role for the flanking Hox9,10 genes in zeugopod development, as well as their primary function in stylopod development. The mutant mice also show severe reduction of Shh expression in the zone of polarizing activity, and decreased Fgf8 expression in the apical ectodermal ridge, thereby better defining the roles of these specific Hox genes in the regulation of critical signaling centers during limb development. Importantly, we also used laser capture microdissection coupled with RNA-Seq to characterize the gene expression programs in wild type and mutant limbs. Resting, proliferative and hypertrophic compartments of E15.5 forelimb zeugopods were examined. The results provide an RNA-Seq characterization of the progression of gene expression patterns during normal endochondral bone formation. In addition of the Hox mutants showed strongly altered expression of Pknox2, Zfp467, Gdf5, Bmpr1b, Dkk3, Igf1, Hand2, Shox2, Runx3, Bmp7 and Lef1, all of which have been previously shown to play important roles in bone formation. Conclusions The recombineering based frameshift mutation of the six flanking and paralogous Hoxa9,10,11 and Hoxd9,10,11 genes provides a resource for the analysis of their overlapping functions. Analysis of the Hoxa9,10,11−/−/Hoxd9,10,11−/− mutant limbs confirms and extends the results of previous studies using mice with Hox mutations in single paralogous groups or with entire Hox cluster deletions. The RNA-Seq analysis of specific compartments of the normal and mutant limbs defines the multiple key perturbed pathways downstream of these Hox genes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12861-015-0078-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Raines
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.
| | - Bliss Magella
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.
| | - Mike Adam
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.
| | - S Steven Potter
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.
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Branch S, Smoak IW. THE EFFECTS OF 5-AZA-2'-DEOXYCYTIDINE (D-AZA) ON SONIC HEDGEHOG EXPRESSION IN MOUSE EMBRYONIC LIMB BUDS. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 19:125-133. [PMID: 16642204 PMCID: PMC1447672 DOI: 10.1080/10769180052008904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (d-AZA) causes temporally-related defects in the mouse. At 1.0 mg/kg on gestational day (GD) 10, d-AZA causes hindlimb phocomelia. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) plays a significant role in the normal development of limbs in rodent species. Sonic hedgehog peptides, found in the posterior mesenchyme of limb buds, are involved in patterning functions and in the regulation of both anterior-posterior polarity and proximal-distal outgrowth of the limb. The objective of the present study was to analyze alterations in Shh expression subsequent to d-AZA exposure. Pregnant mice were treated with d-AZA via intraperitonlal injection on GD 10. Controls were untreated. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), whole mount in situ hybridization (ISH), and whole mount immunohistochemistry (WMI) were used to analyze expression patterns of Shh . For RT-PCR, embryonic hindlimb buds (buds) were taken 0, 4, 8, 12, or 24 hr after exposure. Cyclophilin was used as the baseline monitor. RNA was transcribed to cDNA and used as template with Shh specific primers for amplification. Whole embryos were collected 12 and 24 hr posttreatment for ISH. An antisense primer specific for Shh was used in an oligo-based ISH protocol. Whole embryos were collected 36 and 48 hr posttreatment for WMI. The antibody corresponding to the amino terminal subunit of the Shh peptide was used. There was a treatment related up-regulation of Shh transcripts by 12 and 24 hr posttreatment. The protein response of up-regulation was detectable by 36 and 48 hr posttreatment. Our data suggest that 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine-induced hindlimb defects may be associated with alterations in the level of Shh expression. This may be part of a cascade of signaling events involved in d-AZA-induced hindlimb defects. Work is ongoing to determine the relationship of other gene species that may cooperate with Shh in the induction of the hindlimb defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Branch
- Department of Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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46
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Uzkudun M, Marcon L, Sharpe J. Data-driven modelling of a gene regulatory network for cell fate decisions in the growing limb bud. Mol Syst Biol 2015; 11:815. [PMID: 26174932 PMCID: PMC4547844 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20145882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Parameter optimization coupled with model selection is a convenient approach to infer gene regulatory networks from experimental gene expression data, but so far it has been limited to single cells or static tissues where growth is not significant. Here, we present a computational study in which we determine an optimal gene regulatory network from the spatiotemporal dynamics of gene expression patterns in a complex 2D growing tissue (non-isotropic and heterogeneous growth rates). We use this method to predict the regulatory mechanisms that underlie proximodistal (PD) patterning of the developing limb bud. First, we map the expression patterns of the PD markers Meis1, Hoxa11 and Hoxa13 into a dynamic description of the tissue movements that drive limb morphogenesis. Secondly, we use reverse-engineering to test how different gene regulatory networks can interpret the opposing gradients of fibroblast growth factors (FGF) and retinoic acid (RA) to pattern the PD markers. Finally, we validate and extend the best model against various previously published manipulative experiments, including exogenous application of RA, surgical removal of the FGF source and genetic ectopic expression of Meis1. Our approach identifies the most parsimonious gene regulatory network that can correctly pattern the PD markers downstream of FGF and RA. This network reveals a new model of PD regulation which we call the “crossover model”, because the proximal morphogen (RA) controls the distal boundary of Hoxa11, while conversely the distal morphogens (FGFs) control the proximal boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manu Uzkudun
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Program Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona Spain
| | - Luciano Marcon
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Program Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona Spain
| | - James Sharpe
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Program Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona Spain Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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47
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Simkin J, Sammarco MC, Dawson LA, Tucker C, Taylor LJ, Van Meter K, Muneoka K. Epidermal closure regulates histolysis during mammalian (Mus) digit regeneration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 2:106-19. [PMID: 27499872 PMCID: PMC4895321 DOI: 10.1002/reg2.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2014] [Revised: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian digit regeneration progresses through consistent stages: histolysis, inflammation, epidermal closure, blastema formation, and finally redifferentiation. What we do not yet know is how each stage can affect others. Questions of stage timing, tissue interactions, and microenvironmental states are becoming increasingly important as we look toward solutions for whole limb regeneration. This study focuses on the timing of epidermal closure which, in mammals, is delayed compared to more regenerative animals like the axolotl. We use a standard wound closure device, Dermabond (2-octyl cyanoacrylate), to induce earlier epidermal closure, and we evaluate the effect of fast epidermal closure on histolysis, blastema formation, and redifferentiation. We find that fast epidermal closure is reliant upon a hypoxic microenvironment. Additionally, early epidermal closure eliminates the histolysis stage and results in a regenerate that more closely replicates the amputated structure. We show that tools like Dermabond and oxygen are able to independently influence the various stages of regeneration enabling us to uncouple histolysis, wound closure, and other regenerative events. With this study, we start to understand how each stage of mammalian digit regeneration is controlled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Simkin
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana 70118 USA; Department of Biology University of Kentucky Lexington Kentucky 40506 USA
| | - Mimi C Sammarco
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana 70118 USA
| | - Lindsay A Dawson
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana 70118 USA; Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University College Station Texas 77843 USA
| | - Catherine Tucker
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana 70118 USA
| | - Louis J Taylor
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana 70118 USA
| | - Keith Van Meter
- Department of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana 70112 USA
| | - Ken Muneoka
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana 70118 USA; Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University College Station Texas 77843 USA
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Kozhemyakina E, Lassar AB, Zelzer E. A pathway to bone: signaling molecules and transcription factors involved in chondrocyte development and maturation. Development 2015; 142:817-31. [PMID: 25715393 DOI: 10.1242/dev.105536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 372] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Decades of work have identified the signaling pathways that regulate the differentiation of chondrocytes during bone formation, from their initial induction from mesenchymal progenitor cells to their terminal maturation into hypertrophic chondrocytes. Here, we review how multiple signaling molecules, mechanical signals and morphological cell features are integrated to activate a set of key transcription factors that determine and regulate the genetic program that induces chondrogenesis and chondrocyte differentiation. Moreover, we describe recent findings regarding the roles of several signaling pathways in modulating the proliferation and maturation of chondrocytes in the growth plate, which is the 'engine' of bone elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kozhemyakina
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Building C-Room 305A, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew B Lassar
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Building C-Room 305A, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Elazar Zelzer
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Molecular Genetics, PO Box 26, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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Horakova D, Cela P, Krejci P, Balek L, Moravcova Balkova S, Matalova E, Buchtova M. Effect of FGFR inhibitors on chicken limb development. Dev Growth Differ 2014; 56:555-72. [DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2013] [Revised: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dana Horakova
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Petra Cela
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology; Institute of Experimental Biology; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Krejci
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology; Institute of Experimental Biology; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Biology; Faculty of Medicine; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Lukas Balek
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology; Institute of Experimental Biology; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Biology; Faculty of Medicine; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Simona Moravcova Balkova
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Clinic of Stomatology, St. Anne's Faculty Hospital and Faculty of Medicine; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Eva Matalova
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Physiology; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Marcela Buchtova
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
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50
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Nolte MJ, Wang Y, Deng JM, Swinton PG, Wei C, Guindani M, Schwartz RJ, Behringer RR. Functional analysis of limb transcriptional enhancers in the mouse. Evol Dev 2014; 16:207-23. [PMID: 24920384 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional enhancers are genomic sequences bound by transcription factors that act together with basal transcriptional machinery to regulate gene transcription. Several high-throughput methods have generated large datasets of tissue-specific enhancer sequences with putative roles in developmental processes. However, few enhancers have been deleted from the genome to determine their roles in development. To understand the roles of two enhancers active in the mouse embryonic limb bud we deleted them from the genome. Although the genes regulated by these enhancers are unknown, they were selected because they were identified in a screen for putative limb bud-specific enhancers associated with p300, an acetyltransferase that participates in protein complexes that promote active transcription, and because the orthologous human enhancers (H1442 and H280) drive distinct lacZ expression patterns in limb buds of embryonic day (E) 11.5 transgenic mice. We show that the orthologous mouse sequences, M1442 and M280, regulate dynamic expression in the developing limb. Although significant transcriptional differences in enhancer-proximal genes in embryonic limb buds accompany the deletion of M1442 and M280 no gross limb malformations during embryonic development were observed, demonstrating that M1442 and M280 are not required for mouse limb development. However, M280 is required for the development and/or maintenance of body size; M280 mice are significantly smaller than controls. M280 also harbors an "ultraconserved" sequence that is identical between human, rat, and mouse. This is the first report of a phenotype resulting from the deletion of an ultraconserved element. These studies highlight the importance of determining enhancer regulatory function by experiments that manipulate them in situ and suggest that some of an enhancer's regulatory capacities may be developmentally tolerated rather than developmentally required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Nolte
- Graduate Program in Genes and Development, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Genetics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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