Transcriptional regulation of the Drosophila caudal homeobox gene by bHLH-PAS proteins

Molecular cloning and its expression of trachealess gene (As-trh) during development in brine shrimp, Artemia sinica

Basic helix-loop-helix-PAS (bHLH-PAS) family transcription factors are implicated in multiple developmental and physiological regulatory processes. Herein, a full-length cDNA encoding a bHLH-PAS domain transcription factor trachealess gene (designated as As-trh) was cloned and characterized from brine shrimp (Artemia sinica) for the first time. The full-length cDNA of As-trh was 2,698 bp with a 2,319 bp open reading frame encoding a deduced protein of 772 amino acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular mass of 86.02 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.87. Sequence alignment revealed that As-trh had high homology with other species trh gene, including the D-trh gene in Drosophila melanogaster and Bm-trh in Bombyx mori. The early and persistent expression of As-trh in the naupliar stages by whole-mount embryonic in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry suggest that As-trh functions very early in the salt gland and may be required continuously in this tissue. Later in development, expression of As-trh begins to decrease and disappear in salt gland of the older nauplius and appears in the thoracic epipods of the sub-adult Artemia. These results indicated that As-trh might play an important role in osmoregulatiory organ development from the larvae stages through adult stages.

Hypoxia and lineage specification of cell line-derived colorectal cancer stem cells

Hypoxia is an important regulator of normal and cancer stem cell (CSC) differentiation. Colorectal CSCs from SW1222, LS180, and CCK81 colorectal cancer-derived cell lines are able to differentiate into complex 3D lumen-containing structures in normoxia, whereas in hypoxia, they form undifferentiated dense colonies that have reduced expression of the enterocyte differentiation marker CDX1, lack goblet cell formation, and have increased expression of BMI1 and activated Notch1. Hypoxia increases the clonogenicity of CSCs, which is cumulative as each round of hypoxia enriches for more CSCs. The hypoxic phenotype is reversible, because cells from hypoxic-dense colonies are able to reform differentiated structures when regrown in normoxia. We show that CDX1 is able to stimulate the generation of lumens even in hypoxia and has a negative feedback on BMI1 expression. Knockdown of CDX1 reduces lumen formation but does not affect goblet cell formation, suggesting that enterocytes and goblet cells form from different progenitor cells. Notch inhibition by dibenzazepine (DBZ) allowed CSCs to form goblet cells in both normoxia and hypoxia. Finally, we show that Hif1α, but not CA9, is an important mediator of the effects of hypoxia on the clonogenicity and differentiation of CSCs. In summary, hypoxia maintains the stem-like phenotype of colorectal cell line-derived CSCs and prevents differentiation of enterocytes and goblet cells by regulating CDX1 and Notch1, suggesting that this regulation is an important component of how hypoxia controls the switch between stemness and differentiation in CSCs.

Age-related upregulation of Drosophila caudal gene via NF-kappaB in the adult posterior midgut

The Drosophila midgut has emerged as a powerful model system for the investigation of fundamental cellular pathways relevant to intestinal stem cell biology. Understanding the age-related changes in the adult Drosophila midgut may provide insights into the molecular mechanisms that link aging to the modulation of adult stem cell population. The caudal-related homeobox genes encode intestine-specific transcription factors required for normal intestinal development and maintenance. Here, we demonstrate that caudal gene expression is upregulated in the adult posterior midgut in response to age and oxidative stress, and that overexpression of Caudal can stimulate cell proliferation in the adult posterior midgut. We further demonstrate that the age- and oxidative-stress-related upregulation of the caudal gene is mediated by the NF-kappaB binding site located in the 5'-flanking region of the caudal gene. Our results may contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms of age-related changes in the number and activity of intestinal stem cells and progenitors in the Drosophila adult midgut.