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Koide EM, Abbott EA, Helbing CC. Uncovering early thyroid hormone signalling events through temperature-mediated activation of molecular memory in the cultured bullfrog tadpole tail fin. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 323-324:114047. [PMID: 35472316 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Thyroid hormone (TH) is a critical signalling molecule for all vertebrate organisms, playing a crucial role in postembryonic development. The best-studied mechanism of TH response is through modulating gene expression, however TH's involvement in coordinating the early steps in the TH signal transduction pathway is still poorly understood. The American bullfrog, Rana [Lithobates] catesbeiana, is a useful model to study these early responses as tadpole post-embryonic development in the form of metamorphosis of the tadpole into a frog can be experimentally induced by TH exposure. The rate of TH-induced metamorphosis can be modulated by temperature where sufficiently cold temperatures (5 °C) completely halt precocious metamorphosis. Interestingly, when premetamorphic tadpoles exposed to exogenous THs at 5 °C are shifted to permissive temperatures (24 °C), their metamorphic rate exceeds that of TH-exposed tadpoles at the permissive temperature. This suggests that a molecular memory of TH exposure is retained at 5 °C even after THs are cleared at this low temperature. However, the molecular memory machinery is poorly understood. Herein we use RNA-seq analysis to identify potential components of the molecular memory in cultured tail fin that allows for the recapitulation of the molecular memory phenomenon. Eighty-one gene transcripts were TH-responsive at 5 °C compared to matched controls indicating that the molecular memory is more complex than previously thought. Many of these transcripts encode transcription factors including thyroid hormone-induced B/Zip, thibz, and a novel krüppel-like factor family member, klfX. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide treatment had no effect on their TH induction suggesting that a change in transcription or translation is not required. Rather a change in RNA stability may be a possible mechanism contributing to the molecular memory. The ability to manipulate temperature and TH response in cultured organs provide an exciting opportunity to further elucidate the early TH signalling mechanisms during postembryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Koide
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - E A Abbott
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - C C Helbing
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada.
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Thambirajah AA, Koide EM, Imbery JJ, Helbing CC. Contaminant and Environmental Influences on Thyroid Hormone Action in Amphibian Metamorphosis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:276. [PMID: 31156547 PMCID: PMC6530347 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquatic and terrestrial environments are increasingly contaminated by anthropogenic sources that include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial and agricultural chemicals (i. e., pesticides). Many of these substances have the potential to disrupt endocrine function, yet their effect on thyroid hormone (TH) action has garnered relatively little attention. Anuran postembryonic metamorphosis is strictly dependent on TH and perturbation of this process can serve as a sensitive barometer for the detection and mechanistic elucidation of TH disrupting activities of chemical contaminants and their complex mixtures. The ecological threats posed by these contaminants are further exacerbated by changing environmental conditions such as temperature, photoperiod, pond drying, food restriction, and ultraviolet radiation. We review the current knowledge of several chemical and environmental factors that disrupt TH-dependent metamorphosis in amphibian tadpoles as assessed by morphological, thyroid histology, behavioral, and molecular endpoints. Although the molecular mechanisms for TH disruption have yet to be determined for many chemical and environmental factors, several affect TH synthesis, transport or metabolism with subsequent downstream effects. As molecular dysfunction typically precedes phenotypic or histological pathologies, sensitive assays that detect changes in transcript, protein, or metabolite abundance are indispensable for the timely detection of TH disruption. The emergence and application of 'omics techniques-genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics-on metamorphosing tadpoles are powerful emerging assets for the rapid, proxy assessment of toxicant or environmental damage for all vertebrates including humans. Moreover, these highly informative 'omics techniques will complement morphological, behavioral, and histological assessments, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of how TH-dependent signal disruption is propagated by environmental contaminants and factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Caren C. Helbing
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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Sachs LM, Buchholz DR. Insufficiency of Thyroid Hormone in Frog Metamorphosis and the Role of Glucocorticoids. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:287. [PMID: 31143159 PMCID: PMC6521741 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Thyroid hormone (TH) is the most important hormone in frog metamorphosis, a developmental process which will not occur in the absence of TH but can be induced precociously by exogenous TH. However, such treatments including in-vitro TH treatments often do not replicate the events of natural metamorphosis in many organs, including lung, brain, blood, intestine, pancreas, tail, and skin. A potential explanation for the discrepancy between natural and TH-induced metamorphosis is the involvement of glucocorticoids (GCs). GCs are not able to advance development by themselves but can modulate the rate of developmental progress induced by TH via increased tissue sensitivity to TH. Global gene expression analyses and endocrine experiments suggest that GCs may also have direct actions required for completion of metamorphosis independent of their effects on TH signaling. Here, we provide a new review and analysis of the requirement and necessity of TH signaling in light of recent insights from gene knockout frogs. We also examine the independent and interactive roles GCs play in regulating morphological and molecular metamorphic events dependent upon TH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent M. Sachs
- Département Adaptation du Vivant, UMR 7221 CNRS, Muséum National d'histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Laurent M. Sachs
| | - Daniel R. Buchholz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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Buchholz DR. Xenopus metamorphosis as a model to study thyroid hormone receptor function during vertebrate developmental transitions. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2017; 459:64-70. [PMID: 28363743 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A hormone-dependent developmental transition from aquatic to terrestrial existence occurs in all tetrapod vertebrates, such as birth, hatching, and metamorphosis. Thyroid hormones (TH) and their receptors (TRs) are key players in the tissue transformations comprising vertebrate developmental transitions. The African clawed frog, Xenopus, is a premier model for the role of TRs in developmental transitions because of the numerous and dramatic TH-dependent tissue transformations during metamorphosis and because of the endocrine, molecular, and genomic resources available. TRs are nuclear receptors that repress TH-response genes when plasma TH is minimal and that activate those same genes to induce tissue-specific gene regulation cascades when TH plasma levels increase. Tissue-specific TR expression levels help determine tissue sensitivity and responsivity to TH thereby regulating the initiation and rate of developmental change in TH-sensitive tissues which govern the tissue developmental asynchrony observed during metamorphosis. This review highlighting Xenopus presents the key experimental findings underpinning the roles TRs play in control of vertebrate developmental transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Buchholz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 312 Clifton Ct., Cincinnati, OH, 45221 USA.
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Hammond SA, Warren RL, Vandervalk BP, Kucuk E, Khan H, Gibb EA, Pandoh P, Kirk H, Zhao Y, Jones M, Mungall AJ, Coope R, Pleasance S, Moore RA, Holt RA, Round JM, Ohora S, Walle BV, Veldhoen N, Helbing CC, Birol I. The North American bullfrog draft genome provides insight into hormonal regulation of long noncoding RNA. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1433. [PMID: 29127278 PMCID: PMC5681567 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01316-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Frogs play important ecological roles, and several species are important model organisms for scientific research. The globally distributed Ranidae (true frogs) are the largest frog family, and have substantial evolutionary distance from the model laboratory Xenopus frog species. Unfortunately, there are currently no genomic resources for the former, important group of amphibians. More widely applicable amphibian genomic data is urgently needed as more than two-thirds of known species are currently threatened or are undergoing population declines. We report a 5.8 Gbp (NG50 = 69 kbp) genome assembly of a representative North American bullfrog (Rana [Lithobates] catesbeiana). The genome contains over 22,000 predicted protein-coding genes and 6,223 candidate long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). RNA-Seq experiments show thyroid hormone causes widespread transcriptional change among protein-coding and putative lncRNA genes. This initial bullfrog draft genome will serve as a key resource with broad utility including amphibian research, developmental biology, and environmental research.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Austin Hammond
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - René L Warren
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Benjamin P Vandervalk
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Erdi Kucuk
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Hamza Khan
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Ewan A Gibb
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Pawan Pandoh
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Heather Kirk
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Yongjun Zhao
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Martin Jones
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Andrew J Mungall
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Robin Coope
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Stephen Pleasance
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Richard A Moore
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Robert A Holt
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6
| | - Jessica M Round
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Petch Bldg Room 207, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 5C2
| | - Sara Ohora
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Petch Bldg Room 207, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 5C2
| | - Branden V Walle
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Petch Bldg Room 207, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 5C2
| | - Nik Veldhoen
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Petch Bldg Room 207, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 5C2
| | - Caren C Helbing
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Petch Bldg Room 207, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 5C2.
| | - Inanc Birol
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 570 West 7th Ave - Suite 100, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 4S6.
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