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Chambers BE, Weaver NE, Lara CM, Nguyen TK, Wingert RA. (Zebra)fishing for nephrogenesis genes. Tissue Barriers 2024; 12:2219605. [PMID: 37254823 PMCID: PMC11042071 DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2023.2219605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Kidney disease is a devastating condition affecting millions of people worldwide, where over 100,000 patients in the United States alone remain waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Concomitant with a surge in personalized medicine, single-gene mutations, and polygenic risk alleles have been brought to the forefront as core causes of a spectrum of renal disorders. With the increasing prevalence of kidney disease, it is imperative to make substantial strides in the field of kidney genetics. Nephrons, the core functional units of the kidney, are epithelial tubules that act as gatekeepers of body homeostasis by absorbing and secreting ions, water, and small molecules to filter the blood. Each nephron contains a series of proximal and distal segments with explicit metabolic functions. The embryonic zebrafish provides an ideal platform to systematically dissect the genetic cues governing kidney development. Here, we review the use of zebrafish to discover nephrogenesis genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E. Chambers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Nicole E. Weaver
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Caroline M. Lara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Thanh Khoa Nguyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
| | - Rebecca A. Wingert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (IN), USA
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Xiong L, Liu J, Han SY, Koppitch K, Guo JJ, Rommelfanger M, Miao Z, Gao F, Hallgrimsdottir IB, Pachter L, Kim J, MacLean AL, McMahon AP. Direct androgen receptor control of sexually dimorphic gene expression in the mammalian kidney. Dev Cell 2023; 58:2338-2358.e5. [PMID: 37673062 PMCID: PMC10873092 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian organs exhibit distinct physiology, disease susceptibility, and injury responses between the sexes. In the mouse kidney, sexually dimorphic gene activity maps predominantly to proximal tubule (PT) segments. Bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data demonstrated that sex differences were established from 4 and 8 weeks after birth under gonadal control. Hormone injection studies and genetic removal of androgen and estrogen receptors demonstrated androgen receptor (AR)-mediated regulation of gene activity in PT cells as the regulatory mechanism. Interestingly, caloric restriction feminizes the male kidney. Single-nuclear multiomic analysis identified putative cis-regulatory regions and cooperating factors mediating PT responses to AR activity in the mouse kidney. In the human kidney, a limited set of genes showed conserved sex-linked regulation, whereas analysis of the mouse liver underscored organ-specific differences in the regulation of sexually dimorphic gene expression. These findings raise interesting questions on the evolution, physiological significance, disease, and metabolic linkage of sexually dimorphic gene activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyun Xiong
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Seung Yub Han
- Graduate Program in Genomics and Computational Biology, Biomedical Graduate Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kari Koppitch
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jin-Jin Guo
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Megan Rommelfanger
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Zhen Miao
- Graduate Program in Genomics and Computational Biology, Biomedical Graduate Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Fan Gao
- Caltech Bioinformatics Resource Center at Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Ingileif B Hallgrimsdottir
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Lior Pachter
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Junhyong Kim
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Adam L MacLean
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Andrew P McMahon
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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Cervino AS, Collodel MG, Lopez IA, Roa C, Hochbaum D, Hukriede NA, Cirio MC. Xenopus Ssbp2 is required for embryonic pronephros morphogenesis and terminal differentiation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16671. [PMID: 37794075 PMCID: PMC10551014 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43662-1] [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: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The nephron, functional unit of the vertebrate kidney, is specialized in metabolic wastes excretion and body fluids osmoregulation. Given the high evolutionary conservation of gene expression and segmentation patterning between mammalian and amphibian nephrons, the Xenopus laevis pronephric kidney offers a simplified model for studying nephrogenesis. The Lhx1 transcription factor plays several roles during embryogenesis, regulating target genes expression by forming multiprotein complexes with LIM binding protein 1 (Ldb1). However, few Lhx1-Ldb1 cofactors have been identified for kidney organogenesis. By tandem- affinity purification from kidney-induced Xenopus animal caps, we identified single-stranded DNA binding protein 2 (Ssbp2) interacts with the Ldb1-Lhx1 complex. Ssbp2 is expressed in the Xenopus pronephros, and knockdown prevents normal morphogenesis and differentiation of the glomus and the convoluted renal tubules. We demonstrate a role for a member of the Ssbp family in kidney organogenesis and provide evidence of a fundamental function for the Ldb1-Lhx1-Ssbp transcriptional complexes in embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailen S Cervino
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria Pabellón II, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariano G Collodel
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria Pabellón II, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ivan A Lopez
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria Pabellón II, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carolina Roa
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria Pabellón II, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel Hochbaum
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Neil A Hukriede
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - M Cecilia Cirio
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria Pabellón II, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Xiong L, Liu J, Han SY, Koppitch K, Guo JJ, Rommelfanger M, Gao F, Hallgrimsdottir IB, Pachter L, Kim J, MacLean AL, McMahon AP. Direct androgen receptor regulation of sexually dimorphic gene expression in the mammalian kidney. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.06.539585. [PMID: 37205355 PMCID: PMC10187285 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.06.539585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian organs exhibit distinct physiology, disease susceptibility and injury responses between the sexes. In the mouse kidney, sexually dimorphic gene activity maps predominantly to proximal tubule (PT) segments. Bulk RNA-seq data demonstrated sex differences were established from 4 and 8 weeks after birth under gonadal control. Hormone injection studies and genetic removal of androgen and estrogen receptors demonstrated androgen receptor (AR) mediated regulation of gene activity in PT cells as the regulatory mechanism. Interestingly, caloric restriction feminizes the male kidney. Single-nuclear multiomic analysis identified putative cis-regulatory regions and cooperating factors mediating PT responses to AR activity in the mouse kidney. In the human kidney, a limited set of genes showed conserved sex-linked regulation while analysis of the mouse liver underscored organ-specific differences in the regulation of sexually dimorphic gene expression. These findings raise interesting questions on the evolution, physiological significance, and disease and metabolic linkage, of sexually dimorphic gene activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyun Xiong
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Seung Yub Han
- Graduate Program in Genomics and Computational Biology, Biomedical Graduate Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kari Koppitch
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jin-Jin Guo
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Megan Rommelfanger
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Fan Gao
- Caltech Bioinformatics Resource Center at Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | | | - Lior Pachter
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Junhyong Kim
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Adam L. MacLean
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Andrew P. McMahon
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Lead Contact
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Cervino AS, Collodel MG, Lopez IA, Hochbaum D, Hukriede NA, Cirio MC. Xenopus Ssbp2 is required for embryonic pronephros morphogenesis and terminal differentiation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.15.537039. [PMID: 37090653 PMCID: PMC10120741 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.15.537039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
The nephron, functional unit of the vertebrate kidney, is specialized in metabolic wastes excretion and body fluids osmoregulation. Given the high evolutionary conservation of gene expression and segmentation patterning between mammalian and amphibian nephrons, the Xenopus laevis pronephric kidney offers a simplified model for studying nephrogenesis. The Lhx1 transcription factor plays several roles during embryogenesis, regulating target genes expression by forming multiprotein complexes with LIM binding protein 1 (Ldb1). However, few Lhx1-Ldb1 cofactors have been identified for kidney organogenesis. By tandem-affinity purification from kidney-induced Xenopus animal caps, we identified s ingle- s tranded DNA b inding p rotein 2 (Ssbp2) interacts with the Ldb1-Lhx1 complex. Ssbp2 is expressed in the Xenopus pronephros, and knockdown prevents normal morphogenesis and differentiation of the glomus and the convoluted renal tubules. We demonstrate a role for a member of the Ssbp family in kidney organogenesis and provide evidence of a fundamental function for the Ldb1-Lhx1-Ssbp transcriptional complexes in embryonic development.
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Nguyen TK, Petrikas M, Chambers BE, Wingert RA. Principles of Zebrafish Nephron Segment Development. J Dev Biol 2023; 11:jdb11010014. [PMID: 36976103 PMCID: PMC10052950 DOI: 10.3390/jdb11010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Nephrons are the functional units which comprise the kidney. Each nephron contains a number of physiologically unique populations of specialized epithelial cells that are organized into discrete domains known as segments. The principles of nephron segment development have been the subject of many studies in recent years. Understanding the mechanisms of nephrogenesis has enormous potential to expand our knowledge about the basis of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), and to contribute to ongoing regenerative medicine efforts aimed at identifying renal repair mechanisms and generating replacement kidney tissue. The study of the zebrafish embryonic kidney, or pronephros, provides many opportunities to identify the genes and signaling pathways that control nephron segment development. Here, we describe recent advances of nephron segment patterning and differentiation in the zebrafish, with a focus on distal segment formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh Khoa Nguyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Madeline Petrikas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Brooke E Chambers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Rebecca A Wingert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Center for Zebrafish Research, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Warren Center for Drug Discovery, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
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A beautiful, complex simplicity: the origins of nephron segmentation uncovered by single-cell sequencing of the pronephros. Kidney Int 2023; 103:23-25. [PMID: 36603975 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Pronephric kidneys have a single large nephron that provides essential osmoregulation in amphibians and fish until the adult kidney forms. As mammalian kidneys evolved from the simple pronephric kidneys of the early vertebrates, understanding the structure and function of pronephroi gives insight into the blueprints underlying all nephrons. The article in this issue by Corkins et al. uses single-cell sequencing to demonstrate an extraordinary segmental complexity and the organizational roadmap that mammalian nephrons are based upon.
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