1
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Brombin A, Patton EE. Melanocyte lineage dynamics in development, growth and disease. Development 2024; 151:dev201266. [PMID: 39092608 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201266] [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] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Melanocytes evolved to produce the melanin that gives colour to our hair, eyes and skin. The melanocyte lineage also gives rise to melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer. The melanocyte lineage differentiates from neural crest cells during development, and most melanocytes reside in the skin and hair, where they are replenished by melanocyte stem cells. Because the molecular mechanisms necessary for melanocyte specification, migration, proliferation and differentiation are co-opted during melanoma initiation and progression, studying melanocyte development is directly relevant to human disease. Here, through the lens of advances in cellular omic and genomic technologies, we review the latest findings in melanocyte development and differentiation, and how these developmental pathways become dysregulated in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Brombin
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
- Edinburgh Cancer Research, CRUK Scotland Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - E Elizabeth Patton
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
- Edinburgh Cancer Research, CRUK Scotland Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
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2
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Huber PB, Rao A, LaBonne C. BET activity plays an essential role in control of stem cell attributes in Xenopus. Development 2024; 151:dev202990. [PMID: 38884356 PMCID: PMC11266789 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202990] [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: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Neural crest cells are a stem cell population unique to vertebrate embryos that retains broad multi-germ layer developmental potential through neurulation. Much remains to be learned about the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that control the potency of neural crest cells. Here, we examine the role that epigenetic readers of the BET (bromodomain and extra terminal) family play in controlling the potential of pluripotent blastula and neural crest cells. We find that inhibiting BET activity leads to loss of pluripotency at blastula stages and a loss of neural crest at neurula stages. We compare the effects of HDAC (an eraser of acetylation marks) and BET (a reader of acetylation) inhibition and find that they lead to similar cellular outcomes through distinct effects on the transcriptome. Interestingly, loss of BET activity in cells undergoing lineage restriction is coupled to increased expression of genes linked to pluripotency and prolongs the competence of initially pluripotent cells to transit to a neural progenitor state. Together these findings advance our understanding of the epigenetic control of pluripotency and the formation of the vertebrate neural crest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B. Huber
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Anjali Rao
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Carole LaBonne
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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3
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Halblander FN, Meng FW, Murphy PJ. Anp32e protects against accumulation of H2A.Z at Sox motif containing promoters during zebrafish gastrulation. Dev Biol 2024; 507:34-43. [PMID: 38159623 PMCID: PMC10922954 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.12.010] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation of chromatin states is crucial for proper gene expression programs and progression during development, but precise mechanisms by which epigenetic factors influence differentiation remain poorly understood. Here we find that the histone variant H2A.Z accumulates at Sox motif-containing promoters during zebrafish gastrulation while neighboring genes become transcriptionally active. These changes coincide with reduced expression of anp32e, the H2A.Z histone removal chaperone, suggesting that loss of Anp32e may lead to increases in H2A.Z binding during differentiation. Remarkably, genetic removal of Anp32e in embryos leads to H2A.Z accumulation prior to gastrulation and developmental genes become precociously active. Accordingly, H2A.Z accumulation occurs most extensively at Sox motif-associated genes, including many which are normally activated following gastrulation. Altogether, our results provide compelling evidence for a mechanism in which Anp32e preferentially restricts H2A.Z accumulation at Sox motifs to regulate the initial phases of developmental differentiation in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian N Halblander
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Fanju W Meng
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
| | - Patrick J Murphy
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
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4
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Shi C, Jiao P, Chen Z, Ma L, Yao S. Exploring the roles of noncoding RNAs in craniofacial abnormalities: A systematic review. Dev Biol 2024; 505:75-84. [PMID: 37923186 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Congenital craniofacial abnormalities are congenital anomalies of variable expressivity and severity with a recognizable set of abnormalities, which are derived from five identifiable primordial structures. They can occur unilaterally or bilaterally and include various malformations such as cleft lip with/without palate, craniosynostosis, and craniofacial microsomia. To date, the molecular etiology of craniofacial abnormalities is largely unknown. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs, long ncRNAs, circular RNAs and PIWI-interacting RNAs, function as major regulators of cellular epigenetic hallmarks via regulation of various molecular and cellular processes. Recently, aberrant expression of ncRNAs has been implicated in many diseases, including craniofacial abnormalities. Consequently, this review focuses on the role and mechanism of ncRNAs in regulating craniofacial development in the hope of providing clues to identify potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Shi
- The Affiliated Stomatology Hospital of Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou, 215000, China; Nanjing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Pengfei Jiao
- The Affiliated Stomatology Hospital of Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Zhiyi Chen
- Suzhou Stomatological Hospital, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Lan Ma
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210000, China.
| | - Siyue Yao
- The Affiliated Stomatology Hospital of Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou, 215000, China.
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5
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Huber PB, LaBonne C. Small molecule-mediated reprogramming of Xenopus blastula stem cells to a neural crest state. Dev Biol 2024; 505:34-41. [PMID: 37890713 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Neural crest cells are a stem cell population unique to vertebrates that give rise to a diverse array of derivatives, including much of the peripheral nervous system, pigment cells, cartilage, mesenchyme, and bone. Acquisition of these cells drove the evolution of vertebrates and defects in their development underlies a broad set of neurocristopathies. Moreover, studies of neural crest can inform differentiation protocols for pluripotent stem cells and regenerative medicine applications. Xenopus embryos are an important system for studies of the neural crest and have provided numerous insights into the signals and transcription factors that control the formation and later lineage diversification of these stem cells. Pluripotent animal pole explants are a particularly powerful tool in this system as they can be cultured in simple salt solution and instructed to give rise to any cell type including the neural crest. Here we report a protocol for small molecule-mediated induction of the neural crest state from blastula stem cells and validate it using transcriptome analysis and grafting experiments. This is an powerful new tool for generating this important cell type that will facilitate future studies of neural crest development and mutations and variants linked to neurocristopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Huber
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Carole LaBonne
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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6
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Arora S, Yang J, Akiyama T, James DQ, Morrissey A, Blanda TR, Badjatia N, Lai WK, Ko MS, Pugh BF, Mahony S. Joint sequence & chromatin neural networks characterize the differential abilities of Forkhead transcription factors to engage inaccessible chromatin. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.06.561228. [PMID: 37873361 PMCID: PMC10592618 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.06.561228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
The DNA-binding activities of transcription factors (TFs) are influenced by both intrinsic sequence preferences and extrinsic interactions with cell-specific chromatin landscapes and other regulatory proteins. Disentangling the roles of these binding determinants remains challenging. For example, the FoxA subfamily of Forkhead domain (Fox) TFs are known pioneer factors that can bind to relatively inaccessible sites during development. Yet FoxA TF binding also varies across cell types, pointing to a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic forces guiding their binding. While other Forkhead domain TFs are often assumed to have pioneering abilities, how sequence and chromatin features influence the binding of related Fox TFs has not been systematically characterized. Here, we present a principled approach to compare the relative contributions of intrinsic DNA sequence preference and cell-specific chromatin environments to a TF's DNA-binding activities. We apply our approach to investigate how a selection of Fox TFs (FoxA1, FoxC1, FoxG1, FoxL2, and FoxP3) vary in their binding specificity. We over-express the selected Fox TFs in mouse embryonic stem cells, which offer a platform to contrast each TF's binding activity within the same preexisting chromatin background. By applying a convolutional neural network to interpret the Fox TF binding patterns, we evaluate how sequence and preexisting chromatin features jointly contribute to induced TF binding. We demonstrate that Fox TFs bind different DNA targets, and drive differential gene expression patterns, even when induced in identical chromatin settings. Despite the association between Forkhead domains and pioneering activities, the selected Fox TFs display a wide range of affinities for preexiting chromatin states. Using sequence and chromatin feature attribution techniques to interpret the neural network predictions, we show that differential sequence preferences combined with differential abilities to engage relatively inaccessible chromatin together explain Fox TF binding patterns at individual sites and genome-wide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonny Arora
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Jianyu Yang
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Tomohiko Akiyama
- Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Current address: School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Japan
| | - Daniela Q. James
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Alexis Morrissey
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Thomas R. Blanda
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Nitika Badjatia
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - William K.M. Lai
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, NY, USA
| | - Minoru S.H. Ko
- Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - B. Franklin Pugh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, NY, USA
| | - Shaun Mahony
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
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7
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Thawani A, Maunsell HR, Zhang H, Ankamreddy H, Groves AK. The Foxi3 transcription factor is necessary for the fate restriction of placodal lineages at the neural plate border. Development 2023; 150:dev202047. [PMID: 37756587 PMCID: PMC10617604 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The Foxi3 transcription factor, expressed in the neural plate border at the end of gastrulation, is necessary for the formation of posterior placodes and is thus important for ectodermal patterning. We have created two knock-in mouse lines expressing GFP or a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase to show that Foxi3 is one of the earliest genes to label the border between the neural tube and epidermis, and that Foxi3-expressing neural plate border progenitors contribute primarily to cranial placodes and epidermis from the onset of expression, but not to the neural crest or neural tube lineages. By simultaneously knocking out Foxi3 in neural plate border cells and following their fates, we show that neural plate border cells lacking Foxi3 contribute to all four lineages of the ectoderm - placodes, epidermis, crest and neural tube. We contrast Foxi3 with another neural plate border transcription factor, Zic5, the progenitors of which initially contribute broadly to all germ layers until gastrulation and gradually become restricted to the neural crest lineage and dorsal neural tube cells. Our study demonstrates that Foxi3 uniquely acts early at the neural plate border to restrict progenitors to a placodal and epidermal fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Thawani
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Helen R. Maunsell
- Program in Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hongyuan Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Andrew K. Groves
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Program in Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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8
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Selleri L, Rijli FM. Shaping faces: genetic and epigenetic control of craniofacial morphogenesis. Nat Rev Genet 2023; 24:610-626. [PMID: 37095271 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00594-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Major differences in facial morphology distinguish vertebrate species. Variation of facial traits underlies the uniqueness of human individuals, and abnormal craniofacial morphogenesis during development leads to birth defects that significantly affect quality of life. Studies during the past 40 years have advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that establish facial form during development, highlighting the crucial roles in this process of a multipotent cell type known as the cranial neural crest cell. In this Review, we discuss recent advances in multi-omics and single-cell technologies that enable genes, transcriptional regulatory networks and epigenetic landscapes to be closely linked to the establishment of facial patterning and its variation, with an emphasis on normal and abnormal craniofacial morphogenesis. Advancing our knowledge of these processes will support important developments in tissue engineering, as well as the repair and reconstruction of the abnormal craniofacial complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Licia Selleri
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, Department of Orofacial Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Filippo M Rijli
- Laboratory of Developmental Neuroepigenetics, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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9
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Nekooie Marnany N, Fodil R, Féréol S, Dady A, Depp M, Relaix F, Motterlini R, Foresti R, Duband JL, Dufour S. Glucose oxidation drives trunk neural crest cell development and fate. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:jcs260607. [PMID: 37589341 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioenergetic metabolism is a key regulator of cellular function and signaling, but how it can instruct the behavior of cells and their fate during embryonic development remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the role of glucose metabolism in the development of avian trunk neural crest cells (NCCs), a migratory stem cell population of the vertebrate embryo. We uncovered that trunk NCCs display glucose oxidation as a prominent metabolic phenotype, in contrast to what is seen for cranial NCCs, which instead rely on aerobic glycolysis. In addition, only one pathway downstream of glucose uptake is not sufficient for trunk NCC development. Indeed, glycolysis, mitochondrial respiration and the pentose phosphate pathway are all mobilized and integrated for the coordinated execution of diverse cellular programs, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, adhesion, locomotion, proliferation and differentiation, through regulation of specific gene expression. In the absence of glucose, the OXPHOS pathway fueled by pyruvate failed to promote trunk NCC adaptation to environmental stiffness, stemness maintenance and fate-decision making. These findings highlight the need for trunk NCCs to make the most of the glucose pathway potential to meet the high metabolic demands appropriate for their development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Redouane Fodil
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94010 Créteil, France
| | - Sophie Féréol
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94010 Créteil, France
| | - Alwyn Dady
- Laboratoire Gly-CRRET, Université Paris-Est Créteil, 94000 Créteil, France
| | - Marine Depp
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94010 Créteil, France
| | - Frederic Relaix
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94010 Créteil, France
| | | | - Roberta Foresti
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94010 Créteil, France
| | - Jean-Loup Duband
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94010 Créteil, France
| | - Sylvie Dufour
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94010 Créteil, France
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10
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Chong-Morrison V, Mayes S, Simões FC, Senanayake U, Carroll DS, Riley PR, Wilson SW, Sauka-Spengler T. Ac/Ds transposition for CRISPR/dCas9-SID4x epigenome modulation in zebrafish. Biol Open 2023; 12:bio059995. [PMID: 37367831 PMCID: PMC10320716 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its genetic amenability coupled with advances in genome editing, zebrafish is an excellent model to examine the function of (epi)genomic elements. Here, we repurposed the Ac/Ds maize transposition system to efficiently characterise zebrafish cis-regulated elements, also known as enhancers, in F0-microinjected embryos. We further used the system to stably express guide RNAs enabling CRISPR/dCas9-interference (CRISPRi) perturbation of enhancers without disrupting the underlying genetic sequence. In addition, we probed the phenomenon of antisense transcription at two neural crest gene loci. Our study highlights the utility of Ac/Ds transposition as a new tool for transient epigenome modulation in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Chong-Morrison
- University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Sarah Mayes
- University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Filipa C. Simões
- University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
- University of Oxford, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Upeka Senanayake
- University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Dervla S. Carroll
- University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Paul R. Riley
- University of Oxford, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Stephen W. Wilson
- University College London, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Tatjana Sauka-Spengler
- University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
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11
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Chen HJ, Barske L, Talbot JC, Dinwoodie OM, Roberts RR, Farmer DT, Jimenez C, Merrill AE, Tucker AS, Crump JG. Nuclear receptor Nr5a2 promotes diverse connective tissue fates in the jaw. Dev Cell 2023; 58:461-473.e7. [PMID: 36905926 PMCID: PMC10050118 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Organ development involves the sustained production of diverse cell types with spatiotemporal precision. In the vertebrate jaw, neural-crest-derived progenitors produce not only skeletal tissues but also later-forming tendons and salivary glands. Here we identify the pluripotency factor Nr5a2 as essential for cell-fate decisions in the jaw. In zebrafish and mice, we observe transient expression of Nr5a2 in a subset of mandibular postmigratory neural-crest-derived cells. In zebrafish nr5a2 mutants, nr5a2-expressing cells that would normally form tendons generate excess jaw cartilage. In mice, neural-crest-specific Nr5a2 loss results in analogous skeletal and tendon defects in the jaw and middle ear, as well as salivary gland loss. Single-cell profiling shows that Nr5a2, distinct from its roles in pluripotency, promotes jaw-specific chromatin accessibility and gene expression that is essential for tendon and gland fates. Thus, repurposing of Nr5a2 promotes connective tissue fates to generate the full repertoire of derivatives required for jaw and middle ear function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Jhen Chen
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Lindsey Barske
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Jared C Talbot
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Olivia M Dinwoodie
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Ryan R Roberts
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - D'Juan T Farmer
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Department and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Christian Jimenez
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Amy E Merrill
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Abigail S Tucker
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - J Gage Crump
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
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12
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Verteporfin-induced proteotoxicity impairs cell homeostasis and survival in neuroblastoma subtypes independent of YAP/TAZ expression. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3760. [PMID: 36882436 PMCID: PMC9992669 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29796-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a highly aggressive extracranial solid tumor in children. Due to its heterogeneity, NB remains a therapeutic challenge. Several oncogenic factors, including the Hippo effectors YAP/TAZ, are associated with NB tumorigenesis. Verteporfin (VPF) is an FDA-approved drug shown to directly inhibit YAP/TAZ activity. Our study aimed to investigate VPF's potential as a therapeutic agent in NB. We show that VPF selectively and efficiently impairs the viability of YAP/TAZ-expressing NB GI-ME-N and SK-N-AS cells, but not of non-malignant fibroblasts. To investigate whether VPF-mediated NB cell killing is YAP-dependent, we tested VPF potency in CRISPR-mediated YAP/TAZ knock-out GI-ME-N cells, and BE(2)-M17 NB cells (a MYCN-amplified, predominantly YAP-negative NB subtype). Our data shows that VPF-mediated NB cell killing is not dependent on YAP expression. Moreover, we determined that the formation of higher molecular weight (HMW) complexes is an early and shared VPF-induced cytotoxic mechanism in both YAP-positive and YAP-negative NB models. The accumulation of HMW complexes, involving STAT3, GM130 and COX IV proteins, impaired cell homeostasis and triggered cell stress and cell death mechanisms. Altogether, our study shows significant in vitro and in vivo VPF-induced suppression of NB growth, making VPF a potential therapeutic candidate against NB.
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13
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Computational approaches to understand transcription regulation in development. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:1-12. [PMID: 36695505 PMCID: PMC9988001 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210145] [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: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) serve as useful abstractions to understand transcriptional dynamics in developmental systems. Computational prediction of GRNs has been successfully applied to genome-wide gene expression measurements with the advent of microarrays and RNA-sequencing. However, these inferred networks are inaccurate and mostly based on correlative rather than causative interactions. In this review, we highlight three approaches that significantly impact GRN inference: (1) moving from one genome-wide functional modality, gene expression, to multi-omics, (2) single cell sequencing, to measure cell type-specific signals and predict context-specific GRNs, and (3) neural networks as flexible models. Together, these experimental and computational developments have the potential to significantly impact the quality of inferred GRNs. Ultimately, accurately modeling the regulatory interactions between transcription factors and their target genes will be essential to understand the role of transcription factors in driving developmental gene expression programs and to derive testable hypotheses for validation.
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14
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Stepwise fate conversion of supporting cells to sensory hair cells in the chick auditory epithelium. iScience 2023; 26:106046. [PMID: 36818302 PMCID: PMC9932131 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In contrast to mammals, the avian cochlea, specifically the basilar papilla, can regenerate sensory hair cells, which involves fate conversion of supporting cells to hair cells. To determine the mechanisms for converting supporting cells to hair cells, we used single-cell RNA sequencing during hair cell regeneration in explant cultures of chick basilar papillae. We identified dynamic changes in the gene expression of supporting cells, and the pseudotime trajectory analysis demonstrated the stepwise fate conversion from supporting cells to hair cells. Initially, supporting cell identity was erased and transition to the precursor state occurred. A subsequent gain in hair cell identity progressed together with downregulation of precursor-state genes. Transforming growth factor β receptor 1-mediated signaling was involved in induction of the initial step, and its inhibition resulted in suppression of hair cell regeneration. Our data provide new insights for understanding fate conversion from supporting cells to hair cells in avian basilar papillae.
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15
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Wnt/β-catenin signalling is required for pole-specific chromatin remodeling during planarian regeneration. Nat Commun 2023; 14:298. [PMID: 36653403 PMCID: PMC9849279 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35937-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
For successful regeneration, the identity of the missing tissue must be specified according to the pre-existing tissue. Planarians are ideal for the study of the mechanisms underlying this process; the same field of cells can regrow a head or a tail according to the missing body part. After amputation, the differential activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signal specifies anterior versus posterior identity. Initially, both wnt1 and notum (Wnt inhibitor) are expressed in all wounds, but 48 hours later they are restricted to posterior or anterior facing wounds, respectively, by an unknown mechanism. Here we show that 12 hours after amputation, the chromatin accessibility of cells in the wound region changes according to the polarity of the pre-existing tissue in a Wnt/β-catenin-dependent manner. Genomic analyses suggest that homeobox transcription factors and chromatin-remodeling proteins are direct Wnt/β-catenin targets, which trigger the expression of posterior effectors. Finally, we identify FoxG as a wnt1 up-stream regulator, probably via binding to its first intron enhancer region.
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16
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Hovland AS, Bhattacharya D, Azambuja AP, Pramio D, Copeland J, Rothstein M, Simoes-Costa M. Pluripotency factors are repurposed to shape the epigenomic landscape of neural crest cells. Dev Cell 2022; 57:2257-2272.e5. [PMID: 36182685 PMCID: PMC9743141 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Yamanaka factors are essential for establishing pluripotency in embryonic stem cells, but their function in multipotent stem cell populations is poorly understood. Here, we show that OCT4 and SOX2 cooperate with tissue-specific transcription factors to promote neural crest formation. By assessing avian and human neural crest cells at distinct developmental stages, we characterized the epigenomic changes that occur during their specification, migration, and early differentiation. This analysis determined that the OCT4-SOX2 dimer is required to establish a neural crest epigenomic signature that is lost upon cell fate commitment. The OCT4-SOX2 genomic targets in the neural crest differ from those of embryonic stem cells, indicating the dimer displays context-specific functions. Binding of OCT4-SOX2 to neural crest enhancers requires pioneer factor TFAP2A, which physically interacts with the dimer to modify its genomic targets. Our results demonstrate how Yamanaka factors are repurposed in multipotent cells to control chromatin organization and define their developmental potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin S Hovland
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | | | - Ana Paula Azambuja
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dimitrius Pramio
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jacqueline Copeland
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Megan Rothstein
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Marcos Simoes-Costa
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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17
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Rowley AJ, Square TA, Miller CT. Site pleiotropy of a stickleback Bmp6 enhancer. Dev Biol 2022; 492:111-118. [PMID: 36198347 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.09.012] [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: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Development and regeneration are orchestrated by gene regulatory networks that operate in part through transcriptional enhancers. Although many enhancers are pleiotropic and are active in multiple tissues, little is known about whether enhancer pleiotropy is due to 1) site pleiotropy, in which individual transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) are required for activity in multiple tissues, or 2) multiple distinct sites that regulate expression in different tissues. Here, we investigated the pleiotropy of an intronic enhancer of the stickleback Bone morphogenetic protein 6 (Bmp6) gene. This enhancer was previously shown to regulate evolved changes in tooth number and tooth regeneration, and is highly pleiotropic, with robust activity in both fins and teeth throughout embryonic, larval, and adult life, and in the heart and kidney in adult fish. We tested the hypothesis that the pleiotropy of this enhancer is due to site pleiotropy of an evolutionarily conserved predicted Foxc1 TFBS. Transgenic analysis and site-directed mutagenesis experiments both deleting and scrambling this predicted Foxc1 TFBS revealed that the binding site is required for enhancer activity in both teeth and fins throughout embryonic, larval, and adult development, and in the heart and kidney in adult fish. Collectively these data support a model where the pleiotropy of this Bmp6 enhancer is due to site pleiotropy and this putative binding site is required for enhancer activity in multiple anatomical sites from the embryo to the adult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa J Rowley
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Tyler A Square
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Craig T Miller
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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18
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Stierli S, Sommer L. Neural crest cells hijack pluripotent stem cell factors to realize their developmental potential. Dev Cell 2022; 57:2249-2250. [DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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19
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Candido-Ferreira IL, Lukoseviciute M, Sauka-Spengler T. Multi-layered transcriptional control of cranial neural crest development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 138:1-14. [PMID: 35941042 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The neural crest (NC) is an emblematic population of embryonic stem-like cells with remarkable migratory ability. These distinctive attributes have inspired the curiosity of developmental biologists for over 150 years, however only recently the regulatory mechanisms controlling the complex features of the NC have started to become elucidated at genomic scales. Regulatory control of NC development is achieved through combinatorial transcription factor binding and recruitment of associated transcriptional complexes to distal cis-regulatory elements. Together, they regulate when, where and to what extent transcriptional programmes are actively deployed, ultimately shaping ontogenetic processes. Here, we discuss how transcriptional networks control NC ontogeny, with a special emphasis on the molecular mechanisms underlying specification of the cephalic NC. We also cover emerging properties of transcriptional regulation revealed in diverse developmental systems, such as the role of three-dimensional conformation of chromatin, and how they are involved in the regulation of NC ontogeny. Finally, we highlight how advances in deciphering the NC transcriptional network have afforded new insights into the molecular basis of human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan L Candido-Ferreira
- University of Oxford, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Martyna Lukoseviciute
- University of Oxford, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Tatjana Sauka-Spengler
- University of Oxford, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK.
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20
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Abstract
Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a dynamic, multipotent, vertebrate-specific population of embryonic stem cells. These ectodermally-derived cells contribute to diverse tissue types in developing embryos including craniofacial bone and cartilage, the peripheral and enteric nervous systems and pigment cells, among a host of other cell types. Due to their contribution to a significant number of adult tissue types, the mechanisms that drive their formation, migration and differentiation are highly studied. NCCs have a unique ability to transition from tightly adherent epithelial cells to mesenchymal and migratory cells by altering their polarity, expression of cell-cell adhesion molecules and gaining invasive abilities. In this Review, we discuss classical and emerging factors driving NCC epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and migration, highlighting the role of signaling and transcription factors, as well as novel modifying factors including chromatin remodelers, small RNAs and post-translational regulators, which control the availability and longevity of major NCC players.
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21
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Ducos B, Bensimon D, Scerbo P. Vertebrate Cell Differentiation, Evolution, and Diseases: The Vertebrate-Specific Developmental Potential Guardians VENTX/ NANOG and POU5/ OCT4 Enter the Stage. Cells 2022; 11:cells11152299. [PMID: 35892595 PMCID: PMC9331430 DOI: 10.3390/cells11152299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
During vertebrate development, embryonic cells pass through a continuum of transitory pluripotent states that precede multi-lineage commitment and morphogenesis. Such states are referred to as “refractory/naïve” and “competent/formative” pluripotency. The molecular mechanisms maintaining refractory pluripotency or driving the transition to competent pluripotency, as well as the cues regulating multi-lineage commitment, are evolutionarily conserved. Vertebrate-specific “Developmental Potential Guardians” (vsDPGs; i.e., VENTX/NANOG, POU5/OCT4), together with MEK1 (MAP2K1), coordinate the pluripotency continuum, competence for multi-lineage commitment and morphogenesis in vivo. During neurulation, vsDPGs empower ectodermal cells of the neuro-epithelial border (NEB) with multipotency and ectomesenchyme potential through an “endogenous reprogramming” process, giving rise to the neural crest cells (NCCs). Furthermore, vsDPGs are expressed in undifferentiated-bipotent neuro-mesodermal progenitor cells (NMPs), which participate in posterior axis elongation and growth. Finally, vsDPGs are involved in carcinogenesis, whereby they confer selective advantage to cancer stem cells (CSCs) and therapeutic resistance. Intriguingly, the heterogenous distribution of vsDPGs in these cell types impact on cellular potential and features. Here, we summarize the findings about the role of vsDPGs during vertebrate development and their selective advantage in evolution. Our aim to present a holistic view regarding vsDPGs as facilitators of both cell plasticity/adaptability and morphological innovation/variation. Moreover, vsDPGs may also be at the heart of carcinogenesis by allowing malignant cells to escape from physiological constraints and surveillance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Ducos
- LPENS, PSL, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- IBENS, PSL, CNRS, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- High Throughput qPCR Core Facility, ENS, PSL, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (B.D.); (D.B.); (P.S.)
| | - David Bensimon
- LPENS, PSL, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- IBENS, PSL, CNRS, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90094, USA
- Correspondence: (B.D.); (D.B.); (P.S.)
| | - Pierluigi Scerbo
- LPENS, PSL, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- IBENS, PSL, CNRS, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (B.D.); (D.B.); (P.S.)
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22
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Cellular plasticity in the neural crest and cancer. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2022; 75:101928. [PMID: 35749971 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2022.101928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, neural crest cells (NCCs) are a multipotent embryonic population generating both neural/neuronal and mesenchymal derivatives, and thus the neural crest (NC) is often referred to as the fourth germ layer. NC development is a dynamic process, where NCCs possess substantial plasticity in transcriptional and epigenomic profiles. Recent technical advances in single-cell and low-input sequencing have empowered fine-resolution characterisation of NC development. In this review, we summarise the latest models underlying NC-plasticity acquirement and cell-fate restriction, outline the connections between NC plasticity and NC-derived cancer and envision the new opportunities in studying NC plasticity and its link to cancer.
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23
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Investigating chromatin accessibility during development and differentiation by ATAC-sequencing to guide the identification of cis-regulatory elements. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:1167-1177. [PMID: 35604124 PMCID: PMC9246326 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mapping accessible chromatin across time scales can give insights into its dynamic nature, for example during cellular differentiation and tissue or organism development. Analysis of such data can be utilised to identify functional cis-regulatory elements (CRE) and transcription factor binding sites and, when combined with transcriptomics, can reveal gene regulatory networks (GRNs) of expressed genes. Chromatin accessibility mapping is a powerful approach and can be performed using ATAC-sequencing (ATAC-seq), whereby Tn5 transposase inserts sequencing adaptors into genomic DNA to identify differentially accessible regions of chromatin in different cell populations. It requires low sample input and can be performed and analysed relatively quickly compared with other methods. The data generated from ATAC-seq, along with other genomic approaches, can help uncover chromatin packaging and potential cis-regulatory elements that may be responsible for gene expression. Here, we describe the ATAC-seq approach and give examples from mainly vertebrate embryonic development, where such datasets have identified the highly dynamic nature of chromatin, with differing landscapes between cellular precursors for different lineages.
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24
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Schock EN, York JR, LaBonne C. The developmental and evolutionary origins of cellular pluripotency in the vertebrate neural crest. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 138:36-44. [PMID: 35534333 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.008] [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: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Neural crest cells are central to vertebrate development and evolution, endowing vertebrates with a "new head" that resulted in morphological, physiological, and behavioral features that allowed vertebrates to become active predators. One remarkable feature of neural crest cells is their multi-germ layer potential that allows for the formation of both ectodermal (pigmentation, peripheral glia, sensory neurons) and mesenchymal (connective tissue, cartilage/bone, dermis) cell types. Understanding the cellular and evolutionary origins of this broad cellular potential in the neural crest has been a long-standing focus for developmental biologists. Here, we review recent work that has demonstrated that neural crest cells share key features with pluripotent blastula stem cells, including expression of the Yamanaka stem cell factors (Oct3/4, Klf4, Sox2, c-Myc). These shared features suggest that pluripotency is either retained in the neural crest from blastula stages or subsequently reactivated as the neural crest forms. We highlight the cellular and molecular parallels between blastula stem cells and neural crest cells and discuss the work that has led to current models for the cellular origins of broad potential in the crest. Finally, we explore how these themes can provide new insights into how and when neural crest cells and pluripotency evolved in vertebrates and the evolutionary relationship between these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carole LaBonne
- Dept. of Molecular Biosciences; NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States.
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25
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Alhashem Z, Feldner-Busztin D, Revell C, Alvarez-Garcillan Portillo M, Camargo-Sosa K, Richardson J, Rocha M, Gauert A, Corbeaux T, Milanetto M, Argenton F, Tiso N, Kelsh RN, Prince VE, Bentley K, Linker C. Notch controls the cell cycle to define leader versus follower identities during collective cell migration. eLife 2022; 11:e73550. [PMID: 35438077 PMCID: PMC9129880 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Coordination of cell proliferation and migration is fundamental for life, and its dysregulation has catastrophic consequences, such as cancer. How cell cycle progression affects migration, and vice versa, remains largely unknown. We address these questions by combining in silico modelling and in vivo experimentation in the zebrafish trunk neural crest (TNC). TNC migrate collectively, forming chains with a leader cell directing the movement of trailing followers. We show that the acquisition of migratory identity is autonomously controlled by Notch signalling in TNC. High Notch activity defines leaders, while low Notch determines followers. Moreover, cell cycle progression is required for TNC migration and is regulated by Notch. Cells with low Notch activity stay longer in G1 and become followers, while leaders with high Notch activity quickly undergo G1/S transition and remain in S-phase longer. In conclusion, TNC migratory identities are defined through the interaction of Notch signalling and cell cycle progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zain Alhashem
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Guy's Campus, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Christopher Revell
- Cellular Adaptive Behaviour Lab, Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Karen Camargo-Sosa
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of BathBathUnited Kingdom
| | - Joanna Richardson
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Guy's Campus, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Manuel Rocha
- Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Anton Gauert
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Guy's Campus, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Tatianna Corbeaux
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Guy's Campus, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | - Natascia Tiso
- Department of Biology, University of PadovaPadovaItaly
| | - Robert N Kelsh
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of BathBathUnited Kingdom
| | - Victoria E Prince
- Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Katie Bentley
- Cellular Adaptive Behaviour Lab, Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Informatics, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Claudia Linker
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Guy's Campus, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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26
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Godden AM, Antonaci M, Ward NJ, van der Lee M, Abu-Daya A, Guille M, Wheeler GN. An efficient miRNA knockout approach using CRISPR-Cas9 in Xenopus. Dev Biol 2022; 483:66-75. [PMID: 34968443 PMCID: PMC8865746 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In recent years CRISPR-Cas9 knockouts (KO) have become increasingly ultilised to study gene function. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs, 20-22 nucleotides long, which affect gene expression through post-transcriptional repression. We previously identified miRNAs-196a and -219 as implicated in the development of Xenopus neural crest (NC). The NC is a multipotent stem-cell population, specified during early neurulation. Following EMT, NC cells migrate to various points in the developing embryo where they give rise to a number of tissues including parts of the peripheral nervous system, pigment cells and craniofacial skeleton. Dysregulation of NC development results in many diseases grouped under the term neurocristopathies. As miRNAs are so small, it is difficult to design CRISPR sgRNAs that reproducibly lead to a KO. We have therefore designed a novel approach using two guide RNAs to effectively 'drop out' a miRNA. We have knocked out miR-196a and miR-219 and compared the results to morpholino knockdowns (KD) of the same miRNAs. Validation of efficient CRISPR miRNA KO and phenotype analysis included use of whole-mount in situ hybridization of key NC and neural plate border markers such as Pax3, Xhe2, Sox10 and Snail2, q-RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. To show specificity we have also rescued the knockout phenotype using miRNA mimics. MiRNA-219 and miR-196a KO's both show loss of NC, altered neural plate and hatching gland phenotypes. Tadpoles show gross craniofacial and pigment phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice M Godden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Antonaci
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole J Ward
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Michael van der Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Anita Abu-Daya
- King Henry Building, King Henry I St, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Guille
- King Henry Building, King Henry I St, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, United Kingdom
| | - Grant N Wheeler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
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27
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Klein SL, Tavares ALP, Peterson M, Sullivan CH, Moody SA. Repressive Interactions Between Transcription Factors Separate Different Embryonic Ectodermal Domains. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:786052. [PMID: 35198557 PMCID: PMC8859430 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.786052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The embryonic ectoderm is composed of four domains: neural plate, neural crest, pre-placodal region (PPR) and epidermis. Their formation is initiated during early gastrulation by dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior gradients of signaling factors that first divide the embryonic ectoderm into neural and non-neural domains. Next, the neural crest and PPR domains arise, either via differential competence of the neural and non-neural ectoderm (binary competence model) or via interactions between the neural and non-neural ectoderm tissues to produce an intermediate neural border zone (NB) (border state model) that subsequently separates into neural crest and PPR. Many previous gain- and loss-of-function experiments demonstrate that numerous TFs are expressed in initially overlapping zones that gradually resolve into patterns that by late neurula stages are characteristic of each of the four domains. Several of these studies suggested that this is accomplished by a combination of repressive TF interactions and competence to respond to local signals. In this study, we ectopically expressed TFs that at neural plate stages are characteristic of one domain in a different domain to test whether they act cell autonomously as repressors. We found that almost all tested TFs caused reduced expression of the other TFs. At gastrulation these effects were strictly within the lineage-labeled cells, indicating that the effects were cell autonomous, i.e., due to TF interactions within individual cells. Analysis of previously published single cell RNAseq datasets showed that at the end of gastrulation, and continuing to neural tube closure stages, many ectodermal cells express TFs characteristic of more than one neural plate stage domain, indicating that different TFs have the opportunity to interact within the same cell. At neurula stages repression was observed both in the lineage-labeled cells and in adjacent cells not bearing detectable lineage label, suggesting that cell-to-cell signaling has begun to contribute to the separation of the domains. Together, these observations directly demonstrate previous suggestions in the literature that the segregation of embryonic ectodermal domains initially involves cell autonomous, repressive TF interactions within an individual cell followed by the subsequent advent of non-cell autonomous signaling to neighbors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven L Klein
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C., DC, United States
| | - Andre L P Tavares
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C., DC, United States
| | - Meredith Peterson
- Department of Biology, State College, Penn State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | | | - Sally A Moody
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C., DC, United States
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28
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Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of zebrafish cranial neural crest reveals spatiotemporal regulation of lineage decisions during development. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110140. [PMID: 34936864 PMCID: PMC8741273 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural crest (NC) cells migrate throughout vertebrate embryos to give rise to a huge variety of cell types, but when and where lineages emerge and their regulation remain unclear. We have performed single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of cranial NC cells from the first pharyngeal arch in zebrafish over several stages during migration. Computational analysis combining pseudotime and real-time data reveals that these NC cells first adopt a transitional state, becoming specified mid-migration, with the first lineage decisions being skeletal and pigment, followed by neural and glial progenitors. In addition, by computationally integrating these data with RNA-seq data from a transgenic Wnt reporter line, we identify gene cohorts with similar temporal responses to Wnts during migration and show that one, Atp6ap2, is required for melanocyte differentiation. Together, our results show that cranial NC cell lineages arise progressively and uncover a series of spatially restricted cell interactions likely to regulate such cell-fate decisions. Tatarakis et al. provide a single-cell transcriptomic timeline of cranial neural crest (NC) development in zebrafish and address long-standing questions surrounding the integration of NC cell migration and lineage specification. They find that lineages are specified mid-migration. These fate decisions correspond to shifts in Wnt signaling, and lineages rapidly segregate.
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Puri D, Koschorz B, Engist B, Onishi-Seebacher M, Ryan D, Soujanya M, Montavon T. Foxd3 controls heterochromatin-mediated repression of repeat elements and 2-cell state transcription. EMBO Rep 2021; 22:e53180. [PMID: 34605600 PMCID: PMC8647145 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202153180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeat element transcription plays a vital role in early embryonic development. The expression of repeats such as MERVL characterises mouse embryos at the 2‐cell stage and defines a 2‐cell‐like cell (2CLC) population in a mouse embryonic stem cell culture. Repeat element sequences contain binding sites for numerous transcription factors. We identify the forkhead domain transcription factor FOXD3 as a regulator of major satellite repeats and MERVL transcription in mouse embryonic stem cells. FOXD3 binds to and recruits the histone methyltransferase SUV39H1 to MERVL and major satellite repeats, consequentially repressing the transcription of these repeats by the establishment of the H3K9me3 heterochromatin modification. Notably, depletion of FOXD3 leads to the de‐repression of MERVL and major satellite repeats as well as a subset of genes expressed in the 2‐cell state, shifting the balance between the stem cell and 2‐cell‐like population in culture. Thus, FOXD3 acts as a negative regulator of repeat transcription, ascribing a novel function to this transcription factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Puri
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.,National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Birgit Koschorz
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bettina Engist
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Megumi Onishi-Seebacher
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Devon Ryan
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Montavon
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
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Satb2 acts as a gatekeeper for major developmental transitions during early vertebrate embryogenesis. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6094. [PMID: 34667153 PMCID: PMC8526749 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26234-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) initiates regionalized transcription underlying distinct cellular identities. ZGA is dependent upon dynamic chromatin architecture sculpted by conserved DNA-binding proteins. However, the direct mechanistic link between the onset of ZGA and the tissue-specific transcription remains unclear. Here, we have addressed the involvement of chromatin organizer Satb2 in orchestrating both processes during zebrafish embryogenesis. Integrative analysis of transcriptome, genome-wide occupancy and chromatin accessibility reveals contrasting molecular activities of maternally deposited and zygotically synthesized Satb2. Maternal Satb2 prevents premature transcription of zygotic genes by influencing the interplay between the pluripotency factors. By contrast, zygotic Satb2 activates transcription of the same group of genes during neural crest development and organogenesis. Thus, our comparative analysis of maternal versus zygotic function of Satb2 underscores how these antithetical activities are temporally coordinated and functionally implemented highlighting the evolutionary implications of the biphasic and bimodal regulation of landmark developmental transitions by a single determinant. Activation of the zygotic genome is a critical transition during development, though the link to tissue-specific gene regulation remains unclear. Here the authors demonstrate distinct functions for Satb2 before and after zygotic genome activation, highlighting the temporal coordination of these roles.
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31
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Mizeracka K, Rogers JM, Rumley JD, Shaham S, Bulyk ML, Murray JI, Heiman MG. Lineage-specific control of convergent differentiation by a Forkhead repressor. Development 2021; 148:272306. [PMID: 34423346 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
During convergent differentiation, multiple developmental lineages produce a highly similar or identical cell type. However, few molecular players that drive convergent differentiation are known. Here, we show that the C. elegans Forkhead transcription factor UNC-130 is required in only one of three convergent lineages that produce the same glial cell type. UNC-130 acts transiently as a repressor in progenitors and newly-born terminal cells to allow the proper specification of cells related by lineage rather than by cell type or function. Specification defects correlate with UNC-130:DNA binding, and UNC-130 can be functionally replaced by its human homolog, the neural crest lineage determinant FoxD3. We propose that, in contrast to terminal selectors that activate cell type-specific transcriptional programs in terminally differentiating cells, UNC-130 acts early and specifically in one convergent lineage to produce a cell type that also arises from molecularly distinct progenitors in other lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Mizeracka
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Julia M Rogers
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Committee on Higher Degrees in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jonathan D Rumley
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shai Shaham
- The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Martha L Bulyk
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Committee on Higher Degrees in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - John I Murray
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Maxwell G Heiman
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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32
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Abstract
Neural crest stem/progenitor cells arise early during vertebrate embryogenesis at the border of the forming central nervous system. They subsequently migrate throughout the body, eventually differentiating into diverse cell types ranging from neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system to bones of the face, portions of the heart, and pigmentation of the skin. Along the body axis, the neural crest is heterogeneous, with different subpopulations arising in the head, neck, trunk, and tail regions, each characterized by distinct migratory patterns and developmental potential. Modern genomic approaches like single-cell RNA- and ATAC-sequencing (seq) have greatly enhanced our understanding of cell lineage trajectories and gene regulatory circuitry underlying the developmental progression of neural crest cells. Here, we discuss how genomic approaches have provided new insights into old questions in neural crest biology by elucidating transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms that govern neural crest formation and the establishment of axial level identity. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Genetics, Volume 55 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashank Gandhi
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA; ,
| | - Marianne E Bronner
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA; ,
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33
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In Silico Analysis to Explore Lineage-Independent and -Dependent Transcriptional Programs Associated with the Process of Endothelial and Neural Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10184161. [PMID: 34575270 PMCID: PMC8471316 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10184161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite a major interest in understanding how the endothelial cell phenotype is established, the underlying molecular basis of this process is not yet fully understood. We have previously reported the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from human umbilical vein endothelial cells and differentiation of the resulting HiPS back to endothelial cells (Ec-Diff), as well as neural (Nn-Diff) cell lineage that contained both neurons and astrocytes. Furthermore, the identities of these cell lineages were established by gene array analysis. Here, we explored the same arrays to gain insight into the gene alteration processes that accompany the establishment of endothelial vs. non-endothelial neural cell phenotypes. We compared the expression of genes that code for transcription factors and epigenetic regulators when HiPS is differentiated into these endothelial and non-endothelial lineages. Our in silico analyses have identified cohorts of genes that are similarly up- or downregulated in both lineages, as well as those that exhibit lineage-specific alterations. Based on these results, we propose that genes that are similarly altered in both lineages participate in priming the stem cell for differentiation in a lineage-independent manner, whereas those that are differentially altered in endothelial compared to neural cells participate in a lineage-specific differentiation process. Specific GATA family members and their cofactors and epigenetic regulators (DNMT3B, PRDM14, HELLS) with a major role in regulating DNA methylation were among participants in priming HiPS for lineage-independent differentiation. In addition, we identified distinct cohorts of transcription factors and epigenetic regulators whose alterations correlated specifically with the establishment of endothelial vs. non-endothelial neural lineages.
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34
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Roffers-Agarwal J, Lidberg KA, Gammill LS. The lysine methyltransferase SETD2 is a dynamically expressed regulator of early neural crest development. Genesis 2021; 59:e23448. [PMID: 34498354 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23448] [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: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
SETD2 is a histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) tri-methylase that is upregulated in response to neural crest induction. Because the H3K36 di-methylase NSD3 and cytoplasmic non-histone protein methylation are necessary for neural crest development, we investigated the expression and requirement for SETD2 in the neural crest. SetD2 is expressed throughout the chick blastoderm beginning at gastrulation. Subsequently, SetD2 mRNA becomes restricted to the neural plate, where it is strongly and dynamically expressed as neural tissue is regionalized and cell fate decisions are made. This includes expression in premigratory neural crest cells, which is downregulated prior to migration. Likely due to the early onset of its expression, SETD2 morpholino knockdown does not significantly alter premigratory Sox10 expression or neural crest migration; however, both are disrupted by a methyltransferase mutant SETD2 construct. These results suggest that SETD2 activity is essential for early neural crest development, further demonstrating that lysine methylation is an important mechanism regulating the neural crest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julaine Roffers-Agarwal
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Developmental Biology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kevin A Lidberg
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Developmental Biology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Laura S Gammill
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Developmental Biology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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35
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Martik ML, Bronner ME. Riding the crest to get a head: neural crest evolution in vertebrates. Nat Rev Neurosci 2021; 22:616-626. [PMID: 34471282 PMCID: PMC10168595 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-021-00503-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In their seminal 1983 paper, Gans and Northcutt proposed that evolution of the vertebrate 'new head' was made possible by the advent of the neural crest and cranial placodes. The neural crest is a stem cell population that arises adjacent to the forming CNS and contributes to important cell types, including components of the peripheral nervous system and craniofacial skeleton and elements of the cardiovascular system. In the past few years, the new head hypothesis has been challenged by the discovery in invertebrate chordates of cells with some, but not all, characteristics of vertebrate neural crest cells. Here, we discuss recent findings regarding how neural crest cells may have evolved during the course of deuterostome evolution. The results suggest that there was progressive addition of cell types to the repertoire of neural crest derivatives throughout vertebrate evolution. Novel genomic tools have enabled higher resolution insight into neural crest evolution, from both a cellular and a gene regulatory perspective. Together, these data provide clues regarding the ancestral neural crest state and how the neural crest continues to evolve to contribute to the success of vertebrates as efficient predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Martik
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Marianne E Bronner
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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36
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Zebrafish Cdx4 regulates neural crest cell specification and migratory behaviors in the posterior body. Dev Biol 2021; 480:25-38. [PMID: 34389276 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The neural crest (NC) is a transient multipotent cell population that migrates extensively to produce a remarkable array of vertebrate cell types. NC cell specification progresses in an anterior to posterior fashion, resulting in distinct, axial-restricted subpopulations. The anterior-most, cranial, population of NC is specified as gastrulation concludes and neurulation begins, while more posterior populations become specified as the body elongates. The mechanisms that govern development of the more posterior NC cells remain incompletely understood. Here, we report a key role for zebrafish Cdx4, a homeodomain transcription factor, in the development of posterior NC cells. We demonstrate that cdx4 is expressed in trunk NC cell progenitors, directly binds NC cell-specific enhancers in the NC GRN, and regulates expression of the key NC development gene foxd3 in the posterior body. Moreover, cdx4 mutants show disruptions to the segmental pattern of trunk NC cell migration due to loss of normal leader/follower cell dynamics. Finally, using cell transplantation to generate chimeric specimens, we show that Cdx4 does not function in the paraxial mesoderm-the environment adjacent to which crest migrates-to influence migratory behaviors. We conclude that cdx4 plays a critical, and likely tissue autonomous, role in the establishment of trunk NC migratory behaviors. Together, our results indicate that cdx4 functions as an early NC specifier gene in the posterior body of zebrafish embryos.
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37
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Keeping your options open: insights from Dppa2/4 into how epigenetic priming factors promote cell plasticity. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 48:2891-2902. [PMID: 33336687 PMCID: PMC7752079 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The concept of cellular plasticity is particularly apt in early embryonic development, where there is a tug-of-war between the stability and flexibility of cell identity. This balance is controlled in part through epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic plasticity dictates how malleable cells are to change by adjusting the potential to initiate new transcriptional programmes. The higher the plasticity of a cell, the more readily it can adapt and change its identity in response to external stimuli such as differentiation cues. Epigenetic plasticity is regulated in part through the action of epigenetic priming factors which establish this permissive epigenetic landscape at genomic regulatory elements to enable future transcriptional changes. Recent studies on the DNA binding proteins Developmental Pluripotency Associated 2 and 4 (Dppa2/4) support their roles as epigenetic priming factors in facilitating cell fate transitions. Here, using Dppa2/4 as a case study, the concept of epigenetic plasticity and molecular mechanism of epigenetic priming factors will be explored. Understanding how epigenetic priming factors function is key not only to improve our understanding of the tight control of development, but also to give insights into how this goes awry in diseases of cell identity, such as cancer.
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38
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Adane B, Alexe G, Seong BKA, Lu D, Hwang EE, Hnisz D, Lareau CA, Ross L, Lin S, Dela Cruz FS, Richardson M, Weintraub AS, Wang S, Iniguez AB, Dharia NV, Conway AS, Robichaud AL, Tanenbaum B, Krill-Burger JM, Vazquez F, Schenone M, Berman JN, Kung AL, Carr SA, Aryee MJ, Young RA, Crompton BD, Stegmaier K. STAG2 loss rewires oncogenic and developmental programs to promote metastasis in Ewing sarcoma. Cancer Cell 2021; 39:827-844.e10. [PMID: 34129824 PMCID: PMC8378827 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2021.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The core cohesin subunit STAG2 is recurrently mutated in Ewing sarcoma but its biological role is less clear. Here, we demonstrate that cohesin complexes containing STAG2 occupy enhancer and polycomb repressive complex (PRC2)-marked regulatory regions. Genetic suppression of STAG2 leads to a compensatory increase in cohesin-STAG1 complexes, but not in enhancer-rich regions, and results in reprogramming of cis-chromatin interactions. Strikingly, in STAG2 knockout cells the oncogenic genetic program driven by the fusion transcription factor EWS/FLI1 was highly perturbed, in part due to altered enhancer-promoter contacts. Moreover, loss of STAG2 also disrupted PRC2-mediated regulation of gene expression. Combined, these transcriptional changes converged to modulate EWS/FLI1, migratory, and neurodevelopmental programs. Finally, consistent with clinical observations, functional studies revealed that loss of STAG2 enhances the metastatic potential of Ewing sarcoma xenografts. Our findings demonstrate that STAG2 mutations can alter chromatin architecture and transcriptional programs to promote an aggressive cancer phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biniam Adane
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gabriela Alexe
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Bioinformatics Graduate Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bo Kyung A Seong
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Diana Lu
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Hwang
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Denes Hnisz
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Caleb A Lareau
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Linda Ross
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shan Lin
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Filemon S Dela Cruz
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Abraham S Weintraub
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sarah Wang
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Neekesh V Dharia
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Amy Saur Conway
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda L Robichaud
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Jason N Berman
- Department of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew L Kung
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Steven A Carr
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Martin J Aryee
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brian D Crompton
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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39
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Cunningham RL, Kramer ET, DeGeorgia SK, Godoy PM, Zarov AP, Seneviratne S, Grigura V, Kaufman CK. Functional in vivo characterization of sox10 enhancers in neural crest and melanoma development. Commun Biol 2021; 4:695. [PMID: 34099848 PMCID: PMC8184803 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02211-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of a neural crest developmental transcriptional program, which critically involves Sox10 upregulation, is a key conserved aspect of melanoma initiation in both humans and zebrafish, yet transcriptional regulation of sox10 expression is incompletely understood. Here we used ATAC-Seq analysis of multiple zebrafish melanoma tumors to identify recurrently open chromatin domains as putative melanoma-specific sox10 enhancers. Screening in vivo with EGFP reporter constructs revealed 9 of 11 putative sox10 enhancers with embryonic activity in zebrafish. Focusing on the most active enhancer region in melanoma, we identified a region 23 kilobases upstream of sox10, termed peak5, that drives EGFP reporter expression in a subset of neural crest cells, Kolmer-Agduhr neurons, and early melanoma patches and tumors with high specificity. A ~200 base pair region, conserved in Cyprinidae, within peak5 is required for transgenic reporter activity in neural crest and melanoma. This region contains dimeric SoxE/Sox10 dimeric binding sites essential for peak5 neural crest and melanoma activity. We show that deletion of the endogenous peak5 conserved genomic locus decreases embryonic sox10 expression and disrupts adult stripe patterning in our melanoma model background. Our work demonstrates the power of linking developmental and cancer models to better understand neural crest identity in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Cunningham
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Eva T Kramer
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sophia K DeGeorgia
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Paula M Godoy
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Anna P Zarov
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Shayana Seneviratne
- School of Arts and Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Vadim Grigura
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Charles K Kaufman
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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40
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Cahill T, da Silveira WA, Renaud L, Williamson T, Wang H, Chung D, Overton I, Chan SSL, Hardiman G. Induced Torpor as a Countermeasure for Low Dose Radiation Exposure in a Zebrafish Model. Cells 2021; 10:906. [PMID: 33920039 PMCID: PMC8071006 DOI: 10.3390/cells10040906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of the Artemis programme with the goal of returning to the moon is spurring technology advances that will eventually take humans to Mars and herald a new era of interplanetary space travel. However, long-term space travel poses unique challenges including exposure to ionising radiation from galactic cosmic rays and potential solar particle events, exposure to microgravity and specific nutritional challenges arising from earth independent exploration. Ionising radiation is one of the major obstacles facing future space travel as it can generate oxidative stress and directly damage cellular structures such as DNA, in turn causing genomic instability, telomere shortening, extracellular-matrix remodelling and persistent inflammation. In the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) this can lead to leaky gut syndrome, perforations and motility issues, which impact GIT functionality and affect nutritional status. While current countermeasures such as shielding from the spacecraft can attenuate harmful biological effects, they produce harmful secondary particles that contribute to radiation exposure. We hypothesised that induction of a torpor-like state would confer a radioprotective effect given the evidence that hibernation extends survival times in irradiated squirrels compared to active controls. To test this hypothesis, a torpor-like state was induced in zebrafish using melatonin treatment and reduced temperature, and radiation exposure was administered twice over the course of 10 days. The protective effects of induced-torpor were assessed via RNA sequencing and qPCR of mRNA extracted from the GIT. Pathway and network analysis were performed on the transcriptomic data to characterise the genomic signatures in radiation, torpor and torpor + radiation groups. Phenotypic analyses revealed that melatonin and reduced temperature successfully induced a torpor-like state in zebrafish as shown by decreased metabolism and activity levels. Genomic analyses indicated that low dose radiation caused DNA damage and oxidative stress triggering a stress response, including steroidal signalling and changes to metabolism, and cell cycle arrest. Torpor attenuated the stress response through an increase in pro-survival signals, reduced oxidative stress via the oxygen effect and detection and removal of misfolded proteins. This proof-of-concept model provides compelling initial evidence for utilizing an induced torpor-like state as a potential countermeasure for radiation exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Cahill
- School of Biological Sciences & Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (T.C.); (W.A.d.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Willian Abraham da Silveira
- School of Biological Sciences & Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (T.C.); (W.A.d.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Ludivine Renaud
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
| | - Tucker Williamson
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; (T.W.); (S.S.L.C.)
| | - Hao Wang
- School of Biological Sciences & Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (T.C.); (W.A.d.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Dongjun Chung
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Ian Overton
- Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7AE, UK;
| | - Sherine S. L. Chan
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; (T.W.); (S.S.L.C.)
| | - Gary Hardiman
- School of Biological Sciences & Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (T.C.); (W.A.d.S.); (H.W.)
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
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41
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Artinger KB, Monsoro-Burq AH. Neural crest multipotency and specification: power and limits of single cell transcriptomic approaches. Fac Rev 2021; 10:38. [PMID: 34046642 PMCID: PMC8130411 DOI: 10.12703/r/10-38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural crest is a unique population of multipotent cells forming in vertebrate embryos. Their vast cell fate potential enables the generation of a diverse array of differentiated cell types in vivo. These include, among others, connective tissue, cartilage and bone of the face and skull, neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system (including enteric nervous system), and melanocytes. Following migration, these derivatives extensively populate multiple germ layers. Within the competent neural border ectoderm, an area located at the junction between the neural and non-neural ectoderm during embryonic development, neural crest cells form in response to a series of inductive secreted cues including BMP, Wnt, and FGF signals. As cells become progressively specified, they express transcriptional modules conducive with their stage of fate determination or cell state. Those sequential states include the neural border state, the premigratory neural crest state, the epithelium-to-mesenchyme transitional state, and the migratory state to end with post-migratory and differentiation states. However, despite the extensive knowledge accumulated over 150 years of neural crest biology, many key questions remain open, in particular the timing of neural crest lineage determination, the control of potency during early developmental stages, and the lineage relationships between different subpopulations of neural crest cells. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in understanding early neural crest formation using cutting-edge high-throughput single cell sequencing approaches. We will discuss how this new transcriptomic data, from 2017 to 2021, has advanced our knowledge of the steps in neural crest cell lineage commitment and specification, the mechanisms driving multipotency, and diversification. We will then discuss the questions that remain to be resolved and how these approaches may continue to unveil the biology of these fascinating cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin B Artinger
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Anne H Monsoro-Burq
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté des Sciences d'Orsay, France
- Institut Curie, INSERM U1021, CNRS UMR3347, Orsay, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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42
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Dissociation of chick embryonic tissue for FACS and preparation of isolated cells for genome-wide downstream assays. STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100414. [PMID: 33870222 PMCID: PMC8039852 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to process samples by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), it is essential to obtain a single-cell suspension of dissociated cells. Numerous protocols and commercial reagents are available; however, each requires optimization for specific tissue types. Here, we describe an optimized protocol for dissociating dissected chick embryos across a broad span of developmental stages. We also provide protocols for processing targeted cell populations isolated using FACS for ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ling and Sauka-Spengler (2019) and Williams et al. (2019). Combined enzymatic digestion and physical homogenization for tissue dissociation Dissociate single-tissue dissections as well as large tissue collections Preparation of FACS-isolated cells for numerous downstream experiments
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43
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Profiling NSD3-dependent neural crest gene expression reveals known and novel candidate regulatory factors. Dev Biol 2021; 475:118-130. [PMID: 33705737 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The lysine methyltransferase NSD3 is required for the expression of key neural crest transcription factors and the migration of neural crest cells. Nevertheless, a complete view of the genes dependent upon NSD3 for expression and the developmental processes impacted by NSD3 in the neural crest was lacking. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to profile transcripts differentially expressed after NSD3 knockdown in chick premigratory neural crest cells, identifying 674 genes. Gene Ontology and gene set enrichment analyses further support a requirement for NSD3 during neural crest development and show that NSD3 knockdown also upregulates ribosome biogenesis. To validate our results, we selected three genes not previously associated with neural crest development, Astrotactin 1 (Astn1), Dispatched 3 (Disp3), and Tropomyosin 1 (Tpm1). Using whole mount in situ hybridization, we show that premigratory neural crest cells express these genes and that NSD3 knockdown downregulates (Astn1 and Disp3) and upregulates (Tpm1) their expression, consistent with RNA-seq results. Altogether, this study identifies novel putative regulators of neural crest development and provides insight into the transcriptional consequences of NSD3 in the neural crest, with implications for cancer.
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Guo S, Meng L, Liu H, Yuan L, Zhao N, Ni J, Zhang Y, Ben J, Li YP, Ma J. Trio cooperates with Myh9 to regulate neural crest-derived craniofacial development. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:4316-4334. [PMID: 33754063 PMCID: PMC7977452 DOI: 10.7150/thno.51745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Trio is a unique member of the Rho-GEF family that has three catalytic domains and is vital for various cellular processes in both physiological and developmental settings. TRIO mutations in humans are involved in craniofacial abnormalities, in which patients present with mandibular retrusion. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of Trio in neural crest cell (NCC)-derived craniofacial development, and there is still a lack of direct evidence to assign a functional role to Trio in NCC-induced craniofacial abnormalities. Methods: In vivo, we used zebrafish and NCC-specific knockout mouse models to investigate the phenotype and dynamics of NCC development in Trio morphants. In vitro, iTRAQ, GST pull-down assays, and proximity ligation assay (PLA) were used to explore the role of Trio and its potential downstream mediators in NCC migration and differentiation. Results: In zebrafish and mouse models, disruption of Trio elicited a migration deficit and impaired the differentiation of NCC derivatives, leading to craniofacial growth deficiency and mandibular retrusion. Moreover, Trio positively regulated Myh9 expression and directly interacted with Myh9 to coregulate downstream cellular signaling in NCCs. We further demonstrated that disruption of Trio or Myh9 inhibited Rac1 and Cdc42 activity, specifically affecting the nuclear export of β-catenin and NCC polarization. Remarkably, craniofacial abnormalities caused by trio deficiency in zebrafish could be partially rescued by the injection of mRNA encoding myh9, ca-Rac1, or ca-Cdc42. Conclusions: Here, we identified that Trio, interacting mostly with Myh9, acts as a key regulator of NCC migration and differentiation during craniofacial development. Our results indicate that trio morphant zebrafish and Wnt1-cre;Triofl/fl mice offer potential model systems to facilitate the study of the pathogenic mechanisms of Trio mutations causing craniofacial abnormalities.
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45
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Xu P, Yu HV, Tseng KC, Flath M, Fabian P, Segil N, Crump JG. Foxc1 establishes enhancer accessibility for craniofacial cartilage differentiation. eLife 2021; 10:63595. [PMID: 33501917 PMCID: PMC7891931 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The specification of cartilage requires Sox9, a transcription factor with broad roles for organogenesis outside the skeletal system. How Sox9 and other factors gain access to cartilage-specific cis-regulatory regions during skeletal development was unknown. By analyzing chromatin accessibility during the differentiation of neural crest cells into chondrocytes of the zebrafish head, we find that cartilage-associated chromatin accessibility is dynamically established. Cartilage-associated regions that become accessible after neural crest migration are co-enriched for Sox9 and Fox transcription factor binding motifs. In zebrafish lacking Foxc1 paralogs, we find a global decrease in chromatin accessibility in chondrocytes, consistent with a later loss of dorsal facial cartilages. Zebrafish transgenesis assays confirm that many of these Foxc1-dependent elements function as enhancers with region- and stage-specific activity in facial cartilages. These results show that Foxc1 promotes chondrogenesis in the face by establishing chromatin accessibility at a number of cartilage-associated gene enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Xu
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Haoze V Yu
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Kuo-Chang Tseng
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Mackenzie Flath
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Peter Fabian
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Neil Segil
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - J Gage Crump
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
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46
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Azambuja AP, Simoes-Costa M. A regulatory sub-circuit downstream of Wnt signaling controls developmental transitions in neural crest formation. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009296. [PMID: 33465092 PMCID: PMC7846109 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of cell fate commitment involves sequential changes in the gene expression profiles of embryonic progenitors. This is exemplified in the development of the neural crest, a migratory stem cell population derived from the ectoderm of vertebrate embryos. During neural crest formation, cells transition through distinct transcriptional states in a stepwise manner. The mechanisms underpinning these shifts in cell identity are still poorly understood. Here we employ enhancer analysis to identify a genetic sub-circuit that controls developmental transitions in the nascent neural crest. This sub-circuit links Wnt target genes in an incoherent feedforward loop that controls the sequential activation of genes in the neural crest lineage. By examining the cis-regulatory apparatus of Wnt effector gene AXUD1, we found that multipotency factor SP5 directly promotes neural plate border identity, while inhibiting premature expression of specification genes. Our results highlight the importance of repressive interactions in the neural crest gene regulatory network and illustrate how genes activated by the same upstream signal become temporally segregated during progressive fate restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Azambuja
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Marcos Simoes-Costa
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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47
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Holt E, Stanton-Turcotte D, Iulianella A. Development of the Vertebrate Trunk Sensory System: Origins, Specification, Axon Guidance, and Central Connectivity. Neuroscience 2021; 458:229-243. [PMID: 33460728 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Crucial to an animal's movement through their environment and to the maintenance of their homeostatic physiology is the integration of sensory information. This is achieved by axons communicating from organs, muscle spindles and skin that connect to the sensory ganglia composing the peripheral nervous system (PNS), enabling organisms to collect an ever-constant flow of sensations and relay it to the spinal cord. The sensory system carries a wide spectrum of sensory modalities - from sharp pain to cool refreshing touch - traveling from the periphery to the spinal cord via the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). This review covers the origins and development of the DRG and the cells that populate it, and focuses on how sensory connectivity to the spinal cord is achieved by the diverse developmental and molecular processes that control axon guidance in the trunk sensory system. We also describe convergences and differences in sensory neuron formation among different vertebrate species to gain insight into underlying developmental mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Holt
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, and Brain Repair Centre, Life Science Research Institute, 1348 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H-4R2, Canada
| | - Danielle Stanton-Turcotte
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, and Brain Repair Centre, Life Science Research Institute, 1348 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H-4R2, Canada
| | - Angelo Iulianella
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, and Brain Repair Centre, Life Science Research Institute, 1348 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H-4R2, Canada.
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48
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Petratou K, Spencer SA, Kelsh RN, Lister JA. The MITF paralog tfec is required in neural crest development for fate specification of the iridophore lineage from a multipotent pigment cell progenitor. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244794. [PMID: 33439865 PMCID: PMC7806166 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how fate specification of distinct cell-types from multipotent progenitors occurs is a fundamental question in embryology. Neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) generate extraordinarily diverse derivatives, including multiple neural, skeletogenic and pigment cell fates. Key transcription factors and extracellular signals specifying NCSC lineages remain to be identified, and we have only a little idea of how and when they function together to control fate. Zebrafish have three neural crest-derived pigment cell types, black melanocytes, light-reflecting iridophores and yellow xanthophores, which offer a powerful model for studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms of fate segregation. Mitfa has been identified as the master regulator of melanocyte fate. Here, we show that an Mitf-related transcription factor, Tfec, functions as master regulator of the iridophore fate. Surprisingly, our phenotypic analysis of tfec mutants demonstrates that Tfec also functions in the initial specification of all three pigment cell-types, although the melanocyte and xanthophore lineages recover later. We show that Mitfa represses tfec expression, revealing a likely mechanism contributing to the decision between melanocyte and iridophore fate. Our data are consistent with the long-standing proposal of a tripotent progenitor restricted to pigment cell fates. Moreover, we investigate activation, maintenance and function of tfec in multipotent NCSCs, demonstrating for the first time its role in the gene regulatory network forming and maintaining early neural crest cells. In summary, we build on our previous work to characterise the gene regulatory network governing iridophore development, establishing Tfec as the master regulator driving iridophore specification from multipotent progenitors, while shedding light on possible cellular mechanisms of progressive fate restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kleio Petratou
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Samantha A. Spencer
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Robert N. Kelsh
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - James A. Lister
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
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49
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Chong-Morrison V, Sauka-Spengler T. The Cranial Neural Crest in a Multiomics Era. Front Physiol 2021; 12:634440. [PMID: 33732166 PMCID: PMC7956944 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.634440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural crest ontogeny plays a prominent role in craniofacial development. In this Perspective article, we discuss recent advances to the understanding of mechanisms underlying the cranial neural crest gene regulatory network (cNC-GRN) stemming from omics-based studies. We briefly summarize how parallel considerations of transcriptome, interactome, and epigenome data significantly elaborated the roles of key players derived from pre-omics era studies. Furthermore, the growing cohort of cNC multiomics data revealed contribution of the non-coding genomic landscape. As technological improvements are constantly being developed, we reflect on key questions we are poised to address by taking advantage of the unique perspective a multiomics approach has to offer.
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50
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Thawani A, Groves AK. Building the Border: Development of the Chordate Neural Plate Border Region and Its Derivatives. Front Physiol 2020; 11:608880. [PMID: 33364980 PMCID: PMC7750469 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.608880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The paired cranial sensory organs and peripheral nervous system of vertebrates arise from a thin strip of cells immediately adjacent to the developing neural plate. The neural plate border region comprises progenitors for four key populations of cells: neural plate cells, neural crest cells, the cranial placodes, and epidermis. Putative homologues of these neural plate border derivatives can be found in protochordates such as amphioxus and tunicates. In this review, we summarize key signaling pathways and transcription factors that regulate the inductive and patterning events at the neural plate border region that give rise to the neural crest and placodal lineages. Gene regulatory networks driven by signals from WNT, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling primarily dictate the formation of the crest and placodal lineages. We review these studies and discuss the potential of recent advances in spatio-temporal transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses that would allow a mechanistic understanding of how these signaling pathways and their downstream transcriptional cascades regulate the formation of the neural plate border region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Thawani
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Andrew K Groves
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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