1
|
Shen S, Zhu L, Yang Y, Bi Y, Li J, Wang Y, Pan C, Wang S, Lan X. Exploration of the Polymorphism Distribution of Bovine HMGA2 Gene in Worldwide Breeds and Its Associations with Ovarian Traits. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:796. [PMID: 38473181 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050796] [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: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The high-mobility group AT-hook 2(HMGA2) gene has been widely studied in the context of cancer and animal growth. However, recently, several studies have uncovered its critical role in cell proliferation. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) further suggests that the HMGA2 gene is a candidate gene in fertility, indicating its connection not only to growth traits but also to reproduction, specifically ovarian traits. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the distribution of the HMGA2 gene in 54 bovine breeds worldwide, identify important short fragment variants (indels), and investigate the relationship between HMGA2 and ovarian development. The dataset included genotypic information from a bovine population of 634 individuals (n = 634). After genotyping and analyzing four selected loci, we found that one out of four loci, rs133750033 (P4-D22-bp), was polymorphic. Our results also reveal that this indel of HMGA2 is significantly associated with certain ovarian traits (p < 0.05). Specifically, it has connection with ovarian length (p = 0.004) and ovarian height (p = 0.026) during diestrus. Additionally, we discovered a higher expression of the HMGA2 gene in Asian cattle breeds. In summary, this study suggests that HMGA2 has the potential to serve as an animal fertility testing marker gene. Moreover, these findings contribute to a more promising outlook for the bovine industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Shen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Leijing Zhu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yuanzhe Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yi Bi
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Jie Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yongsheng Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Chuanying Pan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Shuilian Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410125, China
| | - Xianyong Lan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Colleluori V, Khokha MK. Mink1 regulates spemann organizer cell fate in the xenopus gastrula via Hmga2. Dev Biol 2023; 495:42-53. [PMID: 36572140 PMCID: PMC10116378 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.11.010] [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: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and leading cause of infant mortality, yet molecular mechanisms explaining CHD remain mostly unknown. Sequencing studies are identifying CHD candidate genes at a brisk rate including MINK1, a serine/threonine kinase. However, a plausible molecular mechanism connecting CHD and MINK1 is unknown. Here, we reveal that mink1 is required for proper heart development due to its role in left-right patterning. Mink1 regulates canonical Wnt signaling to define the cell fates of the Spemann Organizer and the Left-Right Organizer, a ciliated structure that breaks bilateral symmetry in the vertebrate embryo. To identify Mink1 targets, we applied an unbiased proteomics approach and identified the high mobility group architectural transcription factor, Hmga2. We report that Hmga2 is necessary and sufficient for regulating Spemann's Organizer. Indeed, we demonstrate that Hmga2 can induce Spemann Organizer cell fates even when β-catenin, a critical effector of the Wnt signaling pathway, is depleted. In summary, we discover a transcription factor, Hmga2, downstream of Mink1 that is critical for the regulation of Spemann's Organizer, as well as the LRO, defining a plausible mechanism for CHD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vaughn Colleluori
- Pediatric Genomics Discovery Program, Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
| | - Mustafa K Khokha
- Pediatric Genomics Discovery Program, Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Unachukwu U, Shiomi T, Goldklang M, Chada K, D'Armiento J. Renal neoplasms in tuberous sclerosis mice are neurocristopathies. iScience 2021; 24:102684. [PMID: 34222844 PMCID: PMC8243016 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is a rare disorder exhibiting multi-systemic benign neoplasms. We hypothesized the origin of TS neoplastic cells derived from the neural crest given the heterogeneous ecto-mesenchymal phenotype of the most common TS neoplasms. To test this hypothesis, we employed Cre-loxP lineage tracing of myelin protein zero (Mpz)-expressing neural crest cells (NCCs) in spontaneously developing renal tumors of Tsc2 +/- /Mpz(Cre)/TdT fl/fl reporter mice. In these mice, ectopic renal tumor onset was detected at 4 months of age increasing in volume by 16 months of age with concomitant increase in the subpopulation of tdTomato+ NCCs from 0% to 6.45% of the total number of renal tumor cells. Our results suggest that Tsc2 +/- mouse renal tumors arise from domiciled proliferative progenitor cell populations of neural crest origin that co-opt tumorigenesis due to mutations in Tsc2 loci. Targeting neural crest antigenic determinants will provide a potential alternative therapeutic approach for TS pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Uchenna Unachukwu
- Center for LAM and Rare Lung Disease, Department of Anesthesiology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Takayuki Shiomi
- Department of Pathology, International University of Health and Welfare, School of Medicine, 4-3 Kouzunomori, Narita-shi, Chiba 286-8686, Japan
| | - Monica Goldklang
- Center for LAM and Rare Lung Disease, Department of Anesthesiology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kiran Chada
- Department of Biochemistry, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Jeanine D'Armiento
- Center for LAM and Rare Lung Disease, Department of Anesthesiology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
HMGA Genes and Proteins in Development and Evolution. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21020654. [PMID: 31963852 PMCID: PMC7013770 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21020654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
HMGA (high mobility group A) (HMGA1 and HMGA2) are small non-histone proteins that can bind DNA and modify chromatin state, thus modulating the accessibility of regulatory factors to the DNA and contributing to the overall panorama of gene expression tuning. In general, they are abundantly expressed during embryogenesis, but are downregulated in the adult differentiated tissues. In the present review, we summarize some aspects of their role during development, also dealing with relevant studies that have shed light on their functioning in cell biology and with emerging possible involvement of HMGA1 and HMGA2 in evolutionary biology.
Collapse
|
5
|
The HMGA gene family in chordates: evolutionary perspectives from amphioxus. Dev Genes Evol 2017; 227:201-211. [DOI: 10.1007/s00427-017-0581-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
6
|
Macrì S, Simula L, Pellarin I, Pegoraro S, Onorati M, Sgarra R, Manfioletti G, Vignali R. Hmga2 is required for neural crest cell specification in Xenopus laevis. Dev Biol 2016; 411:25-37. [PMID: 26806704 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Revised: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
HMGA proteins are small nuclear proteins that bind DNA by conserved AT-hook motifs, modify chromatin architecture and assist in gene expression. Two HMGAs (HMGA1 and HMGA2), encoded by distinct genes, exist in mammals and are highly expressed during embryogenesis or reactivated in tumour progression. We here addressed the in vivo role of Xenopus hmga2 in the neural crest cells (NCCs). We show that hmga2 is required for normal NCC specification and development. hmga2 knockdown leads to severe disruption of major skeletal derivatives of anterior NCCs. We show that, within the NCC genetic network, hmga2 acts downstream of msx1, and is required for msx1, pax3 and snail2 activities, thus participating at different levels of the network. Because of hmga2 early effects in NCC specification, the subsequent epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration of NCCs towards the branchial pouches are also compromised. Strictly paralleling results on embryos, interfering with Hmga2 in a breast cancer cell model for EMT leads to molecular effects largely consistent with those observed on NCCs. These data indicate that Hmga2 is recruited in key molecular events that are shared by both NCCs and tumour cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Macrì
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Unità di Biologia Cellulare e dello Sviluppo, Università degli Studi di Pisa, SS12 Abetone e Brennero 4, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Simula
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Unità di Biologia Cellulare e dello Sviluppo, Università degli Studi di Pisa, SS12 Abetone e Brennero 4, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilenia Pellarin
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi di Trieste, via Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvia Pegoraro
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi di Trieste, via Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Marco Onorati
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Unità di Biologia Cellulare e dello Sviluppo, Università degli Studi di Pisa, SS12 Abetone e Brennero 4, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Riccardo Sgarra
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi di Trieste, via Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Guidalberto Manfioletti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi di Trieste, via Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Robert Vignali
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Unità di Biologia Cellulare e dello Sviluppo, Università degli Studi di Pisa, SS12 Abetone e Brennero 4, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Macrì S, Sgarra R, Ros G, Maurizio E, Zammitti S, Milani O, Onorati M, Vignali R, Manfioletti G. Expression and functional characterization of Xhmg-at-hook genes in Xenopus laevis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69866. [PMID: 23936116 PMCID: PMC3723657 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
High Mobility Group A proteins (HMGA1 and HMGA2) are architectural nuclear factors involved in development, cell differentiation, and cancer formation and progression. Here we report the cloning, developmental expression and functional analysis of a new multi-AT-hook factor in Xenopus laevis (XHMG-AT-hook) that exists in three different isoforms. Xhmg-at-hook1 and 3 isoforms, but not isoform 2, are expressed throughout the entire development of Xenopus, both in the maternal and zygotic phase. Localized transcripts are present in the animal pole in the early maternal phase; during the zygotic phase, mRNA can be detected in the developing central nervous system (CNS), including the eye, and in the neural crest. We show evidence that XHMG-AT-hook proteins differ from typical HMGA proteins in terms of their properties in DNA binding and in protein/protein interaction. Finally, we provide evidence that they are involved in early CNS development and in neural crest differentiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Macrì
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Riccardo Sgarra
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Gloria Ros
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Elisa Maurizio
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Salvina Zammitti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Marco Onorati
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Robert Vignali
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- * E-mail: (GM); (RV)
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Öberg C, Izzo A, Schneider R, Wrange Ö, Belikov S. Linker Histone Subtypes Differ in Their Effect on Nucleosomal Spacing In Vivo. J Mol Biol 2012; 419:183-97. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2012.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2011] [Revised: 02/17/2012] [Accepted: 03/12/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
9
|
Visualizing protein interactions involved in the formation of the 42S RNP storage particle of Xenopus oocytes. Biol Cell 2012; 102:469-78. [DOI: 10.1042/bc20100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
10
|
Tilgner K, Atkinson SP, Yung S, Golebiewska A, Stojkovic M, Moreno R, Lako M, Armstrong L. Expression of GFP under the control of the RNA helicase VASA permits fluorescence-activated cell sorting isolation of human primordial germ cells. Stem Cells 2010; 28:84-92. [PMID: 19937754 DOI: 10.1002/stem.263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The isolation of significant numbers of human primordial germ cells at several developmental stages is important for investigations of the mechanisms by which they are able to undergo epigenetic reprogramming. Only small numbers of these cells can be obtained from embryos of appropriate developmental stages, so the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells is essential to obtain sufficient numbers of primordial germ cells to permit epigenetic examination. Despite progress in the enrichment of human primordial germ cells using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), there is still no definitive marker of the germ cell phenotype. Expression of the widely conserved RNA helicase VASA is restricted to germline cells, but in contrast to species such as Mus musculus in which reporter constructs expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of a Vasa promoter have been developed, such reporter systems are lacking in human in vitro models. We report here the generation and characterization of human embryonic stem cell lines stably carrying a VASA-pEGFP-1 reporter construct that expresses GFP in a population of differentiating human embryonic stem cells that show expression of characteristic markers of primordial germ cells. This population shows a different pattern of chromatin modifications to those obtained by FACS enrichment of Stage Specific Antigen one expressing cells in our previous publication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Tilgner
- North East Stem Cell Institute, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, NE1 3BZ, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Pfannkuche K, Summer H, Li O, Hescheler J, Dröge P. The high mobility group protein HMGA2: a co-regulator of chromatin structure and pluripotency in stem cells? Stem Cell Rev Rep 2009; 5:224-30. [PMID: 19551524 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-009-9078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2009] [Accepted: 06/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The small, chromatin-associated HMGA proteins contain three separate DNA binding domains, so-called AT hooks, which bind preferentially to short AT-rich sequences. These proteins are abundant in pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells and most malignant human tumors, but are not detectable in normal somatic cells. They act both as activator and repressor of gene expression, and most likely facilitate DNA architectural changes during formation of specialized nucleoprotein structures at selected promoter regions. For example, HMGA2 is involved in transcriptional activation of certain cell proliferation genes, which likely contributes to its well-established oncogenic potential during tumor formation. However, surprisingly little is known about how HMGA proteins bind DNA packaged in chromatin and how this affects the chromatin structure at a larger scale. Experimental evidence suggests that HMGA2 competes with binding of histone H1 in the chromatin fiber. This could substantially alter chromatin domain structures in ES cells and contribute to the activation of certain transcription networks. HMGA2 also seems capable of recruiting enzymes directly involved in histone modifications to trigger gene expression. Furthermore, it was shown that multiple HMGA2 molecules bind stably to a single nucleosome core particle whose structure is known. How these features of HMGA2 impinge on chromatin organization inside a living cell is unknown. In this commentary, we propose that HMGA2, through the action of three independent DNA binding domains, substantially contributes to the plasticity of ES cell chromatin and is involved in the maintenance of a un-differentiated cell state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Pfannkuche
- Institute for Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Robert Koch Str. 39, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Li O, Vasudevan D, Davey CA, Dröge P. High-level expression of DNA architectural factor HMGA2 and its association with nucleosomes in human embryonic stem cells. Genesis 2007; 44:523-9. [PMID: 17078040 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The state of chromatin in human embryonic stem (hES) cells is a key factor determining stem cell identity. The non-histone chromatin-associated factor HMGA2 has been studied mostly in the mouse where its function seems critical for embryonic cell growth and adipocytic cell differentiation. Here we show that HMGA2 is highly expressed in two undifferentiated human embryonic stem cell lines at a level of at least 10(5) copies per individual stem cell. Interestingly, expression is further upregulated by a factor of three at day 7 of embryoid body formation, before it quickly drops to or below the level found in undifferentiated cells. We also show that HMGA2 is stably associated with inter- and metaphase hES cell chromatin, and that up to 12 HMGA2 protomers stably associate in vitro with a single nucleosome core particle of known atomic structure. Our data lend support to the possibility that HMGA2 interacts with nucleosomes in a way that imposes a global effect on the state of ES cell chromatin, which may contribute to the establishment of both ES cell identity and the initiation of specific differentiation programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ou Li
- Division of Genomics and Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Benini F, Onorati M, Altamura S, Manfioletti G, Vignali R. Identification and developmental expression of Xenopus hmga2β. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2006; 351:392-7. [PMID: 17070502 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.10.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2006] [Accepted: 10/08/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
HMGA proteins are "architectural modifiers" of the chromatin, characterized by three conserved "AT-hook" motifs, with which they bind AT-rich regions of the DNA, to assist in gene transcription. We report the identification and developmental expression of Xenopus laevis hmga2beta (Xlhmga2beta). We provide evidence of two forms of hmga2 (Xlhmga2alpha and Xlhmga2beta) and of a splicing variant for Xlhmga2beta with an additional AT-hook. By comparing X. laevis and X. tropicalis hmga2 DNA sequences to those of other organisms we show a high conservation of the Xlhmga2beta variant. By RT-PCR, Xlhmga2beta transcripts are first detected before the midblastula transition (MBT), and then become more abundant. By in situ hybridization, localized transcripts are first detected at neurula stages, in the presumptive central nervous system (CNS). At tailbud and tadpole stages, Xlhmga2beta mRNA is detected in the CNS, in the otic vesicles, in neural crest cell derivatives, in the notochord, and in the medio-lateral mesoderm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Benini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Laboratori di Biologia Cellulare e dello Sviluppo, Università di Pisa, via Carducci 13, 56010 Ghezzano (Pisa), Italy
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|