1
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Niehrs C, Zapparoli E, Lee H. 'Three signals - three body axes' as patterning principle in bilaterians. Cells Dev 2024:203944. [PMID: 39121910 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203944] [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: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
In vertebrates, the three orthogonal body axes, anteroposterior (AP), dorsoventral (DV) and left-right (LR) are determined at gastrula and neurula stages by the Spemann-Mangold organizer and its equivalents. A common feature of AP and DV axis formation is that an evolutionary conserved interplay between growth factors (Wnt, BMP) and their extracellular antagonists (e.g. Dkk1, Chordin) creates signaling gradients for axial patterning. Recent work showed that LR patterning in Xenopus follows the same principle, with R-spondin 2 (Rspo2) as an extracellular FGF antagonist, which creates a signaling gradient that determines the LR vector. That a triad of anti-FGF, anti-BMP, and anti-Wnt governs LR, DV, and AP axis formation reveals a unifying principle in animal development. We discuss how cross-talk between these three signals confers integrated AP-DV-LR body axis patterning underlying developmental robustness, size scaling, and harmonious regulation. We propose that Urbilateria featured three orthogonal body axes that were governed by a Cartesian coordinate system of orthogonal Wnt/AP, BMP/DV, and FGF/LR signaling gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof Niehrs
- Division of Molecular Embryology, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), 55128 Mainz, Germany.
| | | | - Hyeyoon Lee
- Division of Molecular Embryology, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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2
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Manser CL, Perez-Carrasco R. A mathematical framework for measuring and tuning tempo in developmental gene regulatory networks. Development 2024; 151:dev202950. [PMID: 38780527 PMCID: PMC11234385 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202950] [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: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Embryo development is a dynamic process governed by the regulation of timing and sequences of gene expression, which control the proper growth of the organism. Although many genetic programmes coordinating these sequences are common across species, the timescales of gene expression can vary significantly among different organisms. Currently, substantial experimental efforts are focused on identifying molecular mechanisms that control these temporal aspects. In contrast, the capacity of established mathematical models to incorporate tempo control while maintaining the same dynamical landscape remains less understood. Here, we address this gap by developing a mathematical framework that links the functionality of developmental programmes to the corresponding gene expression orbits (or landscapes). This unlocks the ability to find tempo differences as perturbations in the dynamical system that preserve its orbits. We demonstrate that this framework allows for the prediction of molecular mechanisms governing tempo, through both numerical and analytical methods. Our exploration includes two case studies: a generic network featuring coupled production and degradation, with a particular application to neural progenitor differentiation; and the repressilator. In the latter, we illustrate how altering the dimerisation rates of transcription factors can decouple the tempo from the shape of the resulting orbits. We conclude by highlighting how the identification of orthogonal molecular mechanisms for tempo control can inform the design of circuits with specific orbits and tempos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte L. Manser
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Ruben Perez-Carrasco
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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3
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Allen RS, Jones WD, Hale M, Warder BN, Shore EM, Mullins MC. Reduced GS Domain Serine/Threonine Requirements of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Mutant Type I BMP Receptor ACVR1 in the Zebrafish. J Bone Miner Res 2023; 38:1364-1385. [PMID: 37329499 DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.4869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare human genetic condition characterized by altered skeletal development and extraskeletal bone formation. All cases of FOP are caused by mutations in the type I bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor gene ACVR1 that result in overactivation of the BMP signaling pathway. Activation of the wild-type ACVR1 kinase requires assembly of a tetrameric type I and II BMP receptor complex followed by phosphorylation of the ACVR1 GS domain by type II BMP receptors. Previous studies showed that the FOP-mutant ACVR1-R206H required type II BMP receptors and presumptive glycine/serine-rich (GS) domain phosphorylation for overactive signaling. Structural modeling of the ACVR1-R206H mutant kinase domain supports the idea that FOP mutations alter the conformation of the GS domain, but it is unclear how this leads to overactive signaling. Here we show, using a developing zebrafish embryo BMP signaling assay, that the FOP-mutant receptors ACVR1-R206H and -G328R have reduced requirements for GS domain phosphorylatable sites to signal compared to wild-type ACVR1. Further, ligand-independent and ligand-dependent signaling through the FOP-mutant ACVR1 receptors have distinct GS domain phosphorylatable site requirements. ACVR1-G328R showed increased GS domain serine/threonine requirements for ligand-independent signaling compared to ACVR1-R206H, whereas it exhibited reduced serine/threonine requirements for ligand-dependent signaling. Remarkably, while ACVR1-R206H does not require the type I BMP receptor partner, Bmpr1, to signal, a ligand-dependent GS domain mutant of ACVR1-R206H could signal independently of Bmpr1 only when Bmp7 ligand was overexpressed. Of note, unlike human ACVR1-R206H, the zebrafish paralog Acvr1l-R203H does not show increased signaling activity. However, in domain-swapping studies, the human kinase domain, but not the human GS domain, was sufficient to confer overactive signaling to the Acvr1l-R203H receptor. Together these results reflect the importance of GS domain activation and kinase domain functions in regulating ACVR1 signaling and identify mechanisms of reduced regulatory constraints conferred by FOP mutations. © 2023 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn S Allen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - William D Jones
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Maya Hale
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Bailey N Warder
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Eileen M Shore
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mary C Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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4
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Clark EG, Petersen CP. BMP suppresses WNT to integrate patterning of orthogonal body axes in adult planarians. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010608. [PMID: 37729232 PMCID: PMC10545109 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010608] [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: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Adult regeneration restores patterning of orthogonal body axes after damage in a post-embryonic context. Planarians regenerate using distinct body-wide signals primarily regulating each axis dimension: anteroposterior Wnts, dorsoventral BMP, and mediolateral Wnt5 and Slit determinants. How regeneration can coordinate perpendicular tissue axes without symmetry-breaking embryonic events is not fully understood. Here, we report that the planarian dorsoventral regulator bmp4 suppresses the posterior determinant wnt1 to provide patterning input to the anteroposterior axis. Double-FISH identified distinct anteroposterior domains within dorsal midline muscle that express either bmp4 or wnt1. Homeostatic inhibition bmp4 and smad1 expanded the wnt1 expression anteriorly, while elevation of BMP signaling through nog1;nog2 RNAi reduced the wnt1 expression domain and elevated bmp4 expression. Homeostatic BMP signal perturbation broadly affected anteroposterior identity as measured by expression of posterior Wnt pathway factors, and caused mislocalization of AP-regionalized pharynx progenitors, without strongly affecting expression domains of anterior regulators. Additionally, wnt1 inhibition elevated bmp4 expression in the tip of the tail. Therefore, dorsal BMP signals and posterior wnt1 mutually antagonize for patterning the tail. Furthermore, homeostatic bmp4 RNAi caused medial expansion of the lateral determinant wnt5 and reduced expression of the medial regulator slit. By contrast, nog1;nog2 RNAi restricted wnt5 expression. Double RNAi of bmp4 and wnt5 resulted in lateral ectopic eye phenotypes, suggesting bmp4 acts upstream of wnt5 to pattern the mediolateral axis. These results indicate bmp4 controls dorsoventral information and also, through suppression of Wnt signals, influences anteroposterior and mediolateral identity. Based on related functions across vertebrates and Cnidarians, Wnt and BMP cross-regulation could form an ancient mechanism for coordinating orthogonal axis patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor G. Clark
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University; Evanston Illinois, United States of America
| | - Christian P. Petersen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University; Evanston Illinois, United States of America
- Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University; Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
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5
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Hettige NC, Fleming P, Semenak A, Zhang X, Peng H, Hagel MD, Théroux JF, Zhang Y, Ni A, Jefri M, Antonyan L, Alsuwaidi S, Schuppert A, Stumpf PS, Ernst C. FOXG1 targets BMP repressors and cell cycle inhibitors in human neural progenitor cells. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:2511-2522. [PMID: 37216650 PMCID: PMC10360395 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad089] [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: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
FOXG1 is a critical transcription factor in human brain where loss-of-function mutations cause a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, while increased FOXG1 expression is frequently observed in glioblastoma. FOXG1 is an inhibitor of cell patterning and an activator of cell proliferation in chordate model organisms but different mechanisms have been proposed as to how this occurs. To identify genomic targets of FOXG1 in human neural progenitor cells (NPCs), we engineered a cleavable reporter construct in endogenous FOXG1 and performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing. We also performed deep RNA sequencing of NPCs from two females with loss-of-function mutations in FOXG1 and their healthy biological mothers. Integrative analyses of RNA and ChIP sequencing data showed that cell cycle regulation and Bone Morphogenic Protein (BMP) repression gene ontology categories were over-represented as FOXG1 targets. Using engineered brain cell lines, we show that FOXG1 specifically activates SMAD7 and represses CDKN1B. Activation of SMAD7 which inhibits BMP signaling may be one way that FOXG1 patterns the forebrain, while repression of cell cycle regulators such as CDKN1B may be one way that FOXG1 expands the NPC pool to ensure proper brain size. Our data reveal novel mechanisms on how FOXG1 may control forebrain patterning and cell proliferation in human brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuwan C Hettige
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Peter Fleming
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Amelia Semenak
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Xin Zhang
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Huashan Peng
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Marc-Daniel Hagel
- Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | | | - Ying Zhang
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Anjie Ni
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Malvin Jefri
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Lilit Antonyan
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Shaima Alsuwaidi
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Andreas Schuppert
- Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Patrick S Stumpf
- Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Carl Ernst
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
- Psychiatric Genetics Group, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
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6
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Mizoguchi T, Mikami S, Yatou M, Kondo Y, Omaru S, Kuwabara S, Okura W, Noda S, Tenno T, Hiroaki H, Itoh M. Small-Molecule-Mediated Suppression of BMP Signaling by Selective Inhibition of BMP1-Dependent Chordin Cleavage. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:4313. [PMID: 36901744 PMCID: PMC10001940 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054313] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BMP signaling is critical for many biological processes. Therefore, small molecules that modulate BMP signaling are useful for elucidating the function of BMP signaling and treating BMP signaling-related diseases. Here, we performed a phenotypic screening in zebrafish to examine the in vivo effects of N-substituted-2-amino-benzoic acid analogs NPL1010 and NPL3008 and found that they affect BMP signaling-dependent dorsal-ventral (D-V) patterning and bone formation in zebrafish embryos. Furthermore, NPL1010 and NPL3008 suppressed BMP signaling upstream of BMP receptors. BMP1 cleaves Chordin, an antagonist of BMP, and negatively regulates BMP signaling. Docking simulations demonstrated that NPL1010 and NPL3008 bind BMP1. We found that NPL1010 and NPL3008 partially rescued the disruptions in the D-V phenotype caused by bmp1 overexpression and selectively inhibited BMP1-dependent Chordin cleavage. Therefore, NPL1010 and NPL3008 are potentially valuable inhibitors of BMP signaling that act through selective inhibition of Chordin cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takamasa Mizoguchi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
| | - Shohei Mikami
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
| | - Mari Yatou
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
| | - Yui Kondo
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
| | - Shuhei Omaru
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
| | - Shuhei Kuwabara
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
| | - Wataru Okura
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
| | - Syouta Noda
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takeshi Tenno
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Aichi, Japan
- BeCerllBar, LLC., Business Incubation Building, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Hiroaki
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Aichi, Japan
- BeCerllBar, LLC., Business Incubation Building, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Aichi, Japan
| | - Motoyuki Itoh
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
- Research Institute of Disaster Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan
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7
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Clark EG, Petersen CP. BMP suppresses WNT to integrate patterning of orthogonal body axes in adult planarians. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.10.523528. [PMID: 36711474 PMCID: PMC9882038 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.10.523528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Adult regeneration restores patterning of orthogonal body axes after damage in a post-embryonic context. Planarians regenerate using distinct body-wide signals primarily regulating each axis dimension: anteroposterior Wnts, dorsoventral BMP, and mediolateral Wnt5 and Slit determinants. How regeneration can consistently form perpendicular tissue axes without symmetry-breaking embryonic events is unknown, and could either occur using fully independent, or alternatively, integrated signals defining each dimension. Here, we report that the planarian dorsoventral regulator bmp4 suppresses the posterior determinant wnt1 to pattern the anteroposterior axis. Double-FISH identified distinct anteroposterior domains within dorsal midline muscle that express either bmp4 or wnt1 . Homeostatic inhibition bmp4 and smad1 expanded the wnt1 expression anteriorly, while elevation of BMP signaling through nog1;nog2 RNAi reduced the wnt1 expression domain. BMP signal perturbation broadly affected anteroposterior identity as measured by expression of posterior Wnt pathway factors, without affecting head regionalization. Therefore, dorsal BMP signals broadly limit posterior identity. Furthermore, bmp4 RNAi caused medial expansion of the lateral determinant wnt5 and reduced expression of the medial regulator slit . Double RNAi of bmp4 and wnt5 resulted in lateral ectopic eye phenotypes, suggesting bmp4 acts upstream of wnt5 to pattern the mediolateral axis. Therefore, bmp4 acts at the top of a patterning hierarchy both to control dorsoventral information and also, through suppression of Wnt signals, to regulate anteroposterior and mediolateral identity. These results reveal that adult pattern formation involves integration of signals controlling individual orthogonal axes. Author Summary Systems that coordinate long-range communication across axes are likely critical for enabling tissue restoration in regenerative animals. While individual axis pathways have been identified, there is not yet an understanding of how signal integration allows repatterning across 3-dimensions. Here, we report an unanticipated linkage between anteroposterior, dorsoventral, and mediolateral systems in planarians through BMP signaling. We find that dorsally expressed BMP restricts posterior and lateral identity by suppressing distinct Wnt signals in adult planarians. These results demonstrate that orthogonal axis information is not fully independent and suggest a potentially ancient role of integrated axis patterning in generating stable 3-dimensional adult forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor G. Clark
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University; Evanston IL 60208
| | - Christian P. Petersen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University; Evanston IL 60208
- Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University; Evanston IL 60208
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8
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Abas R, Masrudin SS, Harun AM, Omar NS, Omar NS. Gastrulation and Body Axes Formation: A Molecular Concept and Its Clinical Correlates. Malays J Med Sci 2022; 29:6-14. [PMID: 36818899 PMCID: PMC9910376 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.6.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During the third week of human pregnancy, an embryo transforms from two germinal disc layers of hypoblast and epiblast to three germinal layers of endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. Gastrulation is a complex process that includes cellular mobility, morphogenesis and cell signalling, as well as chemical morphogenic gradients, transcription factors and differential gene expression. During gastrulation, many signalling channels coordinate individual cell actions in precise time and location. These channels control cell proliferation, shape, fate and migration to the correct sites. Subsequently, the anteroposterior (AP), dorsoventral (DV) and left-right (LR) body axes are formed before and during gastrulation via these signalling regulation signals. Hence, the anomalies in gastrulation caused by insults to certain molecular pathways manifest as a wide range of body axes-related disorders. This article outlines the formation of body axes during gastrulation and the anomalies as well as the clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Razif Abas
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia,Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Siti Saleha Masrudin
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Noorkardiffa Syawalina Omar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh Campus, Selangor, Malaysia,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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9
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Wu Y, Sun A, Nie C, Gao ZX, Wan SM. Functional differentiation of bmp2a and bmp2b genes in zebrafish. Gene Expr Patterns 2022; 46:119288. [PMID: 36332886 DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2022.119288] [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: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Bone morphogenetic protein 2 plays an important role in the regulation of osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the bmp2 ortholog evolved from the same ancestral gene family in vertebrates and was duplicated in teleost, which were named bmp2a and bmp2b. The results of whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that the expression locations of bmp2a and bmp2b in zebrafish were different in different periods (24 hpf, 48 hpf, 72 hpf), which revealed potential functional differentiation between bmp2a and bmp2b. Phenotypic analysis showed that bmp2a mutations caused partial rib and vertebral deformities in zebrafish, while bmp2b-/- embryos died massively after 12 hpf due to abnormal somite formation. We further explored the expression pattern changes of genes (bmp2a, bmp2b, smad1, fgf4, runx2b, alp) related to skeletal development at different developmental stages (20 dpf, 60 dpf, 90 dpf) in wild-type and bmp2a-/- zebrafish. The results showed that the expression of runx2b in bmp2a-/- was significantly downregulated at three stages and the expression of other genes were significantly downregulated at 90 dpf compared with wild-type zebrafish. The study revealed functional differentiation of bmp2a and bmp2b in zebrafish embryonic and skeletal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaming Wu
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education/Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Aili Sun
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education/Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Chunhong Nie
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education/Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ze-Xia Gao
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education/Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Shi-Ming Wan
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education/Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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10
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Takebayashi-Suzuki K, Uchida M, Suzuki A. Zbtb21 is required for the anterior-posterior patterning of neural tissue in the early Xenopus embryo. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 630:190-197. [PMID: 36166855 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.09.048] [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: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate body is organized along the dorsal-ventral (DV) and anterior-posterior (AP) axes by the BMP and Wnt pathways, respectively. We previously reported that Xenopus Zbtb14 promotes dorsalization (neural induction) of ectoderm by inhibiting BMP signaling and also posteriorizes neural tissue by activating Wnt signaling, thereby coordinating the patterning of the DV and AP axes during early development. Although it has been reported that human ZBTB21 binds to ZBTB14 and is involved in gene expression in cultured mammalian cells, the function of Zbtb21 in early embryonic development remains unknown. Here, we show that Xenopus Zbtb21 plays an essential role in AP axis formation in the early Xenopus embryo. zbtb21 and zbtb14 are co-expressed in the dorsal region of embryos during gastrulation. Simultaneous overexpression of Zbtb21 and Zbtb14 in ectodermal explants enhances the neural-inducing activity of Zbtb14. Moreover, knockdown experiments showed that Zbtb21 is required for the formation of posterior neural tissue and the suppression of anterior neural development. Collectively, these results suggest that in cooperation with Zbtb14, Zbtb21 has a crucial function in AP patterning during early Xenopus embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimiko Takebayashi-Suzuki
- Amphibian Research Center, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan.
| | - Misa Uchida
- Amphibian Research Center, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan
| | - Atsushi Suzuki
- Amphibian Research Center, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan.
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11
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Bolkhovitinov L, Weselman BT, Shaw GA, Dong C, Giribhattanavar J, Saha MS. Tissue Rotation of the Xenopus Anterior-Posterior Neural Axis Reveals Profound but Transient Plasticity at the Mid-Gastrula Stage. J Dev Biol 2022; 10:38. [PMID: 36135371 PMCID: PMC9503425 DOI: 10.3390/jdb10030038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The establishment of anterior-posterior (AP) regional identity is an essential step in the appropriate development of the vertebrate central nervous system. An important aspect of AP neural axis formation is the inherent plasticity that allows developing cells to respond to and recover from the various perturbations that embryos continually face during the course of development. While the mechanisms governing the regionalization of the nervous system have been extensively studied, relatively less is known about the nature and limits of early neural plasticity of the anterior-posterior neural axis. This study aims to characterize the degree of neural axis plasticity in Xenopus laevis by investigating the response of embryos to a 180-degree rotation of their AP neural axis during gastrula stages by assessing the expression of regional marker genes using in situ hybridization. Our results reveal the presence of a narrow window of time between the mid- and late gastrula stage, during which embryos are able undergo significant recovery following a 180-degree rotation of their neural axis and eventually express appropriate regional marker genes including Otx, Engrailed, and Krox. By the late gastrula stage, embryos show misregulation of regional marker genes following neural axis rotation, suggesting that this profound axial plasticity is a transient phenomenon that is lost by late gastrula stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyuba Bolkhovitinov
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Bryan T. Weselman
- School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Gladys A. Shaw
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Chen Dong
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | | | - Margaret S. Saha
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
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12
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Bricker RL, Bhaskar U, Titone R, Carless MA, Barberi T. A Molecular Analysis of Neural Olfactory Placode Differentiation in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cells Dev 2022; 31:507-520. [PMID: 35592997 PMCID: PMC9641992 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2021.0257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During embryonic development, the olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and the gonadotropic-releasing hormone neurons (GNRHNs) migrate from the early nasal cavity, known as the olfactory placode, to the brain. Defects in the development of OSNs and GNRHNs result in neurodevelopmental disorders such as anosmia and congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, respectively. Treatments do not restore the defective neurons in these disorders, and as a result, patients have a diminished sense of smell or a gonadotropin hormone deficiency. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can produce any cell type in the body; therefore, they are an invaluable tool for cell replacement therapies. Transplantation of olfactory placode progenitors, derived from hPSCs, is a promising therapeutic to replace OSNs and GNRHNs and restore tissue function. Protocols to generate olfactory placode progenitors are limited, and thus, we describe, in this study, a novel in vitro model for olfactory placode differentiation in hPSCs, which is capable of producing both OSNs and GNRHNs. Our study investigates the major developmental signaling factors that recapitulate the embryonic development of the olfactory tissue. We demonstrate that induction of olfactory placode in hPSCs requires bone morphogenetic protein inhibition, wingless/integrated protein inhibition, retinoic acid inhibition, transforming growth factor alpha activation, and fibroblast growth factor 8 activation. We further show that the protocol transitions hPSCs through the anterior pan-placode ectoderm and neural ectoderm regions in early development while preventing neural crest and non-neural ectoderm regions. Finally, we demonstrate production of OSNs and GNRHNs by day 30 of differentiation. Our study is the first to report on OSN differentiation in hPSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L. Bricker
- Population Health Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Uchit Bhaskar
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Rossella Titone
- Population Health Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Melanie A. Carless
- Population Health Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Tiziano Barberi
- Population Health Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Lab Farm Foods, Inc., New York City, New York, USA
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13
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Arias AM, Marikawa Y, Moris N. Gastruloids: Pluripotent stem cell models of mammalian gastrulation and embryo engineering. Dev Biol 2022; 488:35-46. [PMID: 35537519 PMCID: PMC9477185 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Gastrulation is a fundamental and critical process of animal development whereby the mass of cells that results from the proliferation of the zygote transforms itself into a recognizable outline of an organism. The last few years have seen the emergence of a number of experimental models of early mammalian embryogenesis based on Embryonic Stem (ES) cells. One of this is the Gastruloid model. Gastruloids are aggregates of defined numbers of ES cells that, under defined culture conditions, undergo controlled proliferation, symmetry breaking, and the specification of all three germ layers characteristic of vertebrate embryos, and their derivatives. However, they lack brain structures and, surprisingly, reveal a disconnect between cell type specific gene expression and tissue morphogenesis, for example during somitogenesis. Gastruloids have been derived from mouse and human ES cells and several variations of the original model have emerged that reveal a hereto unknown modularity of mammalian embryos. We discuss the organization and development of gastruloids in the context of the embryonic stages that they represent, pointing out similarities and differences between the two. We also point out their potential as a reproducible, scalable and searchable experimental system and highlight some questions posed by the current menagerie of gastruloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Martinez Arias
- Systems Bioengineering, MELIS, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader, 88, ICREA, Pag Lluis Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Yusuke Marikawa
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Naomi Moris
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
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14
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Humphreys PA, Mancini FE, Ferreira MJS, Woods S, Ogene L, Kimber SJ. Developmental principles informing human pluripotent stem cell differentiation to cartilage and bone. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 127:17-36. [PMID: 34949507 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into any cell type given appropriate signals and hence have been used to research early human development of many tissues and diseases. Here, we review the major biological factors that regulate cartilage and bone development through the three main routes of neural crest, lateral plate mesoderm and paraxial mesoderm. We examine how these routes have been used in differentiation protocols that replicate skeletal development using human pluripotent stem cells and how these methods have been refined and improved over time. Finally, we discuss how pluripotent stem cells can be employed to understand human skeletal genetic diseases with a developmental origin and phenotype, and how developmental protocols have been applied to gain a better understanding of these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Humphreys
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK; Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering & Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Fabrizio E Mancini
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Miguel J S Ferreira
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK; Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering & Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Steven Woods
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Leona Ogene
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Susan J Kimber
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK
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15
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Meister L, Escriva H, Bertrand S. Functions of the FGF signalling pathway in cephalochordates provide insight into the evolution of the prechordal plate. Development 2022; 149:275365. [PMID: 35575387 PMCID: PMC9188755 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling pathway plays various roles during vertebrate embryogenesis, from mesoderm formation to brain patterning. This diversity of functions relies on the fact that vertebrates possess the largest FGF gene complement among metazoans. In the cephalochordate amphioxus, which belongs to the chordate clade together with vertebrates and tunicates, we have previously shown that the main role of FGF during early development is the control of rostral somite formation. Inhibition of this signalling pathway induces the loss of these structures, resulting in an embryo without anterior segmented mesoderm, as in the vertebrate head. Here, by combining several approaches, we show that the anterior presumptive paraxial mesoderm cells acquire an anterior axial fate when FGF signal is inhibited and that they are later incorporated in the anterior notochord. Our analysis of notochord formation in wild type and in embryos in which FGF signalling is inhibited also reveals that amphioxus anterior notochord presents transient prechordal plate features. Altogether, our results give insight into how changes in FGF functions during chordate evolution might have participated to the emergence of the complex vertebrate head. Summary: FGF signalling inhibition in cephalochordates induces a loss of anteriormost somites. After FGFR inhibition, the presomitic anterior region cells are incorporated in the anterior notochord which transiently present prechordal plate features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydvina Meister
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Hector Escriva
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Stéphanie Bertrand
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
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16
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Pang S, Gao Y, Wang Y, Yao X, Cao M, Liang Y, Song M, Jiang G. Tetrabromobisphenol A perturbs cell fate decisions via BMP signaling in the early embryonic development of zebrafish. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 430:128512. [PMID: 35739651 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) readily accumulates in the egg yolk of aquatic oviparous animals and is transferred to their embryos. Early embryogenesis is vital for organ formation and subsequent development. The developmental toxicity of TBBPA in aquatic animals has been extensively reported. However, few studies have assessed the toxic effects of TBBPA in the early embryonic development. In this work, we found that TBBPA perturbed cell fate decisions along the dorsal-ventral (DV) axis during gastrulation, further disrupting early organogenesis in the entire embryo. TBBPA exposure increased the number of embryonic cells that acquired a ventral cell fate, which formed epidermis, blood and heart tissues. In return, the number of embryonic cells that acquired a dorsal cell fate was greatly decreased, causing the TBBPA-exposed embryos to develop a small brain and small eyes. We revealed that TBBPA elevated the activity gradient of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling which is responsible for cell fate specification along the DV axis, with up-regulation of BMP ligands (bmp4, bmp7a) and target genes (szl) and promotion signal transduction through phosphorylation of Smad1/5. As the function of BMP signaling in embryogenesis is highly conserved among many vertebrates, these findings highlight the ecological and health risks of TBBPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaochen Pang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health Effects, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yue Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yanwu Wang
- School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xinglei Yao
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health Effects, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Mengxi Cao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
| | - Yong Liang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
| | - Maoyong Song
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health Effects, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Guibin Jiang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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17
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Sears KE, Gullapalli K, Trivedi D, Mihas A, Bukys MA, Jensen J. Controlling neural territory patterning from pluripotency using a systems developmental biology approach. iScience 2022; 25:104133. [PMID: 35434550 PMCID: PMC9010746 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful manufacture of specialized human cells requires process understanding of directed differentiation. Here, we apply high-dimensional Design of Experiments (HD-DoE) methodology to identify critical process parameters (CPPs) that govern neural territory patterning from pluripotency—the first stage toward specification of central nervous system (CNS) cell fates. Using computerized experimental design, 7 developmental signaling pathways were simultaneously perturbed in human pluripotent stem cell culture. Regionally specific genes spanning the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes of the developing embryo were measured after 3 days and mathematical models describing pathway control were developed using regression analysis. High-dimensional models revealed particular combinations of signaling inputs that induce expression profiles consistent with emerging CNS territories and defined CPPs for anterior and posterior neuroectoderm patterning. The results demonstrate the importance of combinatorial control during neural induction and challenge the use of generic neural induction strategies such as dual-SMAD inhibition, when seeking to specify particular lineages from pluripotency. Mathematical models describe pathway control of neuroectoderm marker expression Stage 1 media conditions optimized for regionally specific neuroectoderm in 3 days Optimized conditions are more consistent than dual-SMADi across hiPSC lines
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18
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Gil-Gálvez A, Jiménez-Gancedo S, Pérez-Posada A, Franke M, Acemel RD, Lin CY, Chou C, Su YH, Yu JK, Bertrand S, Schubert M, Escrivá H, Tena JJ, Gómez-Skarmeta JL. Gain of gene regulatory network interconnectivity at the origin of vertebrates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2114802119. [PMID: 35263228 PMCID: PMC8931241 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114802119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
SignificanceIn this manuscript, we address an essential question in developmental and evolutionary biology: How have changes in gene regulatory networks contributed to the invertebrate-to-vertebrate transition? To address this issue, we perturbed four signaling pathways critical for body plan formation in the cephalochordate amphioxus and in zebrafish and compared the effects of such perturbations on gene expression and gene regulation in both species. Our data reveal that many developmental genes have gained response to these signaling pathways in the vertebrate lineage. Moreover, we show that the interconnectivity between these pathways is much higher in zebrafish than in amphioxus. We conclude that this increased signaling pathway complexity likely contributed to vertebrate morphological novelties during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Gil-Gálvez
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Sandra Jiménez-Gancedo
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Alberto Pérez-Posada
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Martin Franke
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Rafael D. Acemel
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Che-Yi Lin
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cindy Chou
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsien Su
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jr-Kai Yu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan
- Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, 26242 Yilan, Taiwan
| | - Stephanie Bertrand
- Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, Observatoire Océanologique, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Michael Schubert
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Héctor Escrivá
- Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, Observatoire Océanologique, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Juan J. Tena
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - José Luis Gómez-Skarmeta
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, 41013 Seville, Spain
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19
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Hill CS. Establishment and interpretation of NODAL and BMP signaling gradients in early vertebrate development. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 149:311-340. [PMID: 35606059 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family ligands play crucial roles in orchestrating early embryonic development. Most significantly, two family members, NODAL and BMP form signaling gradients and indeed in fish, frogs and sea urchins these two opposing gradients are sufficient to organize a complete embryonic axis. This review focuses on how these gradients are established and interpreted during early vertebrate development. The review highlights key principles that are emerging, in particular the importance of signaling duration as well as ligand concentration in both gradient generation and their interpretation. Feedforward and feedback loops involving other signaling pathways are also essential for providing spatial and temporal information downstream of the NODAL and BMP signaling pathways. Finally, new data suggest the existence of buffering mechanisms, whereby early signaling defects can be readily corrected downstream later in development, suggesting that signaling gradients do not have to be as precise as previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
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20
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Muñoz-Montecinos C, Romero A, Sepúlveda V, Vira MÁ, Fehrmann-Cartes K, Marcellini S, Aguilera F, Caprile T, Fuentes R. Turning the Curve Into Straight: Phenogenetics of the Spine Morphology and Coordinate Maintenance in the Zebrafish. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:801652. [PMID: 35155449 PMCID: PMC8826430 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.801652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebral column, or spine, provides mechanical support and determines body axis posture and motion. The most common malformation altering spine morphology and function is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), a three-dimensional spinal deformity that affects approximately 4% of the population worldwide. Due to AIS genetic heterogenicity and the lack of suitable animal models for its study, the etiology of this condition remains unclear, thus limiting treatment options. We here review current advances in zebrafish phenogenetics concerning AIS-like models and highlight the recently discovered biological processes leading to spine malformations. First, we focus on gene functions and phenotypes controlling critical aspects of postembryonic aspects that prime in spine architecture development and straightening. Second, we summarize how primary cilia assembly and biomechanical stimulus transduction, cerebrospinal fluid components and flow driven by motile cilia have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AIS-like phenotypes. Third, we highlight the inflammatory responses associated with scoliosis. We finally discuss recent innovations and methodologies for morphometrically characterize and analyze the zebrafish spine. Ongoing phenotyping projects are expected to identify novel and unprecedented postembryonic gene functions controlling spine morphology and mutant models of AIS. Importantly, imaging and gene editing technologies are allowing deep phenotyping studies in the zebrafish, opening new experimental paradigms in the morphometric and three-dimensional assessment of spinal malformations. In the future, fully elucidating the phenogenetic underpinnings of AIS etiology in zebrafish and humans will undoubtedly lead to innovative pharmacological treatments against spinal deformities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Muñoz-Montecinos
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Adrián Romero
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Vania Sepúlveda
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - María Ángela Vira
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Karen Fehrmann-Cartes
- Núcleo de Investigaciones Aplicadas en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas, Universidad de las Américas, Concepción, Chile
| | - Sylvain Marcellini
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Felipe Aguilera
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Teresa Caprile
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Ricardo Fuentes
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Grupo de Procesos en Biología del Desarrollo (GDeP), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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21
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Jones WD, Mullins MC. Cell signaling pathways controlling an axis organizing center in the zebrafish. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 150:149-209. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2022.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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22
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Martin BL. Mesoderm induction and patterning: Insights from neuromesodermal progenitors. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 127:37-45. [PMID: 34840081 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of mesoderm inducing signals helped usher in the era of molecular developmental biology, and today the mechanisms of mesoderm induction and patterning are still intensely studied. Mesoderm induction begins during gastrulation, but recent evidence in vertebrates shows that this process continues after gastrulation in a group of posteriorly localized cells called neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs). NMPs reside within the post-gastrulation embryonic structure called the tailbud, where they make a lineage decision between ectoderm (spinal cord) and mesoderm. The majority of NMP-derived mesoderm generates somites, but also contributes to lateral mesoderm fates such as endothelium. The discovery of NMPs provides a new paradigm in which to study vertebrate mesoderm induction. This review will discuss mechanisms of mesoderm induction within NMPs, and how they have informed our understanding of mesoderm induction more broadly within vertebrates as well as animal species outside of the vertebrate lineage. Special focus will be given to the signaling networks underlying NMP-derived mesoderm induction and patterning, as well as emerging work on the significance of partial epithelial-mesenchymal states in coordinating cell fate and morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L Martin
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, USA.
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23
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Guglielmi L, Heliot C, Kumar S, Alexandrov Y, Gori I, Papaleonidopoulou F, Barrington C, East P, Economou AD, French PMW, McGinty J, Hill CS. Smad4 controls signaling robustness and morphogenesis by differentially contributing to the Nodal and BMP pathways. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6374. [PMID: 34737283 PMCID: PMC8569018 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26486-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcriptional effector SMAD4 is a core component of the TGF-β family signaling pathways. However, its role in vertebrate embryo development remains unresolved. To address this, we deleted Smad4 in zebrafish and investigated the consequences of this on signaling by the TGF-β family morphogens, BMPs and Nodal. We demonstrate that in the absence of Smad4, dorsal/ventral embryo patterning is disrupted due to the loss of BMP signaling. However, unexpectedly, Nodal signaling is maintained, but lacks robustness. This Smad4-independent Nodal signaling is sufficient for mesoderm specification, but not for optimal endoderm specification. Furthermore, using Optical Projection Tomography in combination with 3D embryo morphometry, we have generated a BMP morphospace and demonstrate that Smad4 mutants are morphologically indistinguishable from embryos in which BMP signaling has been genetically/pharmacologically perturbed. Smad4 is thus differentially required for signaling by different TGF-β family ligands, which has implications for diseases where Smad4 is mutated or deleted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Guglielmi
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Claire Heliot
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Sunil Kumar
- Advanced Light Microscopy, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Yuriy Alexandrov
- Advanced Light Microscopy, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ilaria Gori
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | | | - Christopher Barrington
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Philip East
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Andrew D Economou
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Paul M W French
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
| | - James McGinty
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
| | - Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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Itoh K, Ossipova O, Sokol SY. Pinhead antagonizes Admp to promote notochord formation. iScience 2021; 24:102520. [PMID: 34142034 PMCID: PMC8188501 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Dorsoventral patterning of a vertebrate embryo critically depends on the activity of Smad1 that mediates signaling by BMP proteins, anti-dorsalizing morphogenetic protein (Admp), and their antagonists. Pinhead (Pnhd), a cystine-knot-containing secreted protein, is expressed in the ventrolateral mesoderm during Xenopus gastrulation; however, its molecular targets and signaling mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Our mass spectrometry-based screen of the gastrula secretome identified Admp as Pnhd-associated protein. We show that Pnhd binds Admp and inhibits its ventralizing activity by reducing Smad1 phosphorylation and its transcriptional targets. Importantly, Pnhd depletion further increased phospho-Smad1 levels in the presence of Admp. Furthermore, Pnhd synergized with Chordin and a truncated BMP4 receptor in the induction of notochord markers in ectoderm cells, and Pnhd-depleted embryos displayed notochord defects. Our findings suggest that Pnhd binds and inactivates Admp to promote notochord development. We propose that the interaction between Admp and Pnhd refines Smad1 activity gradients during vertebrate gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiji Itoh
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Olga Ossipova
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Sergei Y. Sokol
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
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25
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Busby L, Steventon B. Tissue tectonics and the multi-scale regulation of developmental timing. Interface Focus 2021; 11:20200057. [PMID: 34055304 PMCID: PMC8086930 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2020.0057] [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] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Development encompasses processes that occur at multiple length scales, including gene-regulatory interactions, cell movements and reorganization, cell signalling and growth. It is essential that the timing of events in all of these different processes is coordinated to generate well-patterned tissues and organs. However, how the timing of intrinsic cell state changes is coordinated with events occurring at the multi-tissue and whole-organism level is unknown. Here, we argue that an important mechanism that accounts for the integration of timing across levels of organization is provided by tissue tectonics, i.e. how morphogenetic events driving tissue shape changes result in the relative displacement of signalling and responding tissues and coordinate developmental timing across scales. In doing so, tissue tectonics provides a mechanism by which the cell specification events intrinsic to cells can be modulated by the temporal exposure to extracellular signals. This exposure is in turn regulated by higher-order properties of the embryo, such as their physical properties, rates of growth and the combination of dynamic cell behaviours, impacting tissue morphogenesis. Tissue tectonics creates a downward flow of information from higher to lower levels of biological organization, providing an instance of downward causation in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Busby
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
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26
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Ye Z, Braden CR, Wills A, Kimelman D. Identification of in vivo Hox13-binding sites reveals an essential locus controlling zebrafish brachyury expression. Development 2021; 148:268973. [PMID: 34061173 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
During early embryogenesis, the vertebrate embryo extends from anterior to posterior because of the progressive addition of cells from a posteriorly localized neuromesodermal progenitor (NMp) population. An autoregulatory loop between Wnt and Brachyury/Tbxt is required for NMps to retain mesodermal potential and, hence, normal axis development. We recently showed that Hox13 genes help to support body axis formation and to maintain the autoregulatory loop, although the direct Hox13 target genes were unknown. Here, using a new method for identifying in vivo transcription factor-binding sites, we identified more than 500 potential Hox13 target genes in zebrafish. Importantly, we found two highly conserved Hox13-binding elements far from the tbxta transcription start site that also contain a conserved Tcf7/Lef1 (Wnt response) site. We show that the proximal of the two elements is sufficient to confer somitogenesis-stage expression to a tbxta promoter that, on its own, only drives NMp expression during gastrulation. Importantly, elimination of this proximal element produces shortened embryos due to aberrant formation of the most posterior somites. Our study provides a potential direct connection between Hox13 and regulation of the Wnt/Brachyury loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Ye
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
| | - Christopher R Braden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
| | - Andrea Wills
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
| | - David Kimelman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
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27
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Tuazon FB, Wang X, Andrade JL, Umulis D, Mullins MC. Proteolytic Restriction of Chordin Range Underlies BMP Gradient Formation. Cell Rep 2021; 32:108039. [PMID: 32814043 PMCID: PMC7731995 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental question in developmental biology is how morphogens, such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), form precise signaling gradients to impart positional and functional identity to the cells of the early embryo. We combine rigorous mutant analyses with quantitative immunofluorescence to determine that the proteases Bmp1a and Tolloid spatially restrict the BMP antagonist Chordin in dorsoventral (DV) axial patterning of the early zebrafish gastrula. We show that maternally deposited Bmp1a plays an unexpected and non-redundant role in establishing the BMP signaling gradient, while the Bmp1a/Tolloid antagonist Sizzled is surprisingly dispensable. Combining computational modeling and in vivo analyses with an immobile Chordin construct, we demonstrate that long-range Chordin diffusion is not necessary for BMP gradient formation and DV patterning. Our data do not support a counter-gradient of Chordin and instead favor a Chordin sink, established by Bmp1a and Tolloid, as the primary mechanism that drives BMP gradient formation. The BMP morphogen generates a precise signaling gradient during axial patterning. In the zebrafish embryo, Tuazon et al. find that proteases Bmp1a/Tolloid are key to this process, preventing the long-range diffusion of the BMP antagonist, Chordin. By regionally restricting Chordin, Bmp1a/Tolloid establish the signaling sink that drives BMP gradient formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca B Tuazon
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Xu Wang
- Department of Agriculture and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Jonathan Lee Andrade
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David Umulis
- Department of Agriculture and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
| | - Mary C Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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The cytokine FAM3B/PANDER is an FGFR ligand that promotes posterior development in Xenopus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2100342118. [PMID: 33975953 PMCID: PMC8158011 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2100342118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
How distinct body regions form along the anterior–posterior axis in vertebrate embryos is a fascinating and incompletely understood developmental process. FAM3B/PANDER is a secreted protein involved in glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes pathogenesis in mammals, but its receptor has been unknown. Here, we report that FAM3B binds to transmembrane fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) and activates their downstream signaling pathway. In frog embryos, gain-of-function of FAM3B impairs head development and induces ectopic tail-like structures, whereas loss-of-function of FAM3B promotes head development. FGFR is required downstream of FAM3B for head-to-tail patterning. Our results reveal that FAM3B functions by activating the FGFR pathway in frog embryos and mammalian cells and shed light on its possible role in human diseases. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling plays a crucial role in anterior–posterior (A–P) axial patterning of vertebrate embryos by promoting posterior development. In our screens for novel developmental regulators in Xenopus embryos, we identified Fam3b as a secreted factor regulated in ectodermal explants. Family with sequence similarity 3 member B (FAM3B)/PANDER (pancreatic-derived factor) is a cytokine involved in glucose metabolism, type 2 diabetes, and cancer in mammals. However, the molecular mechanism of FAM3B action in these processes remains poorly understood, largely because its receptor is still unidentified. Here we uncover an unexpected role of FAM3B acting as a FGF receptor (FGFR) ligand in Xenopus embryos. fam3b messenger RNA (mRNA) is initially expressed maternally and uniformly in the early Xenopus embryo and then in the epidermis at neurula stages. Overexpression of Xenopus fam3b mRNA inhibited cephalic structures and induced ectopic tail-like structures. Recombinant human FAM3B protein was purified readily from transfected tissue culture cells and, when injected into the blastocoele cavity, also caused outgrowth of tail-like structures at the expense of anterior structures, indicating FGF-like activity. Depletion of fam3b by specific antisense morpholino oligonucleotides in Xenopus resulted in macrocephaly in tailbud tadpoles, rescuable by FAM3B protein. Mechanistically, FAM3B protein bound to FGFR and activated the downstream ERK signaling in an FGFR-dependent manner. In Xenopus embryos, FGFR activity was required epistatically downstream of Fam3b to mediate its promotion of posterior cell fates. Our findings define a FAM3B/FGFR/ERK-signaling pathway that is required for axial patterning in Xenopus embryos and may provide molecular insights into FAM3B-associated human diseases.
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29
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Ivanovitch K, Soro-Barrio P, Chakravarty P, Jones RA, Bell DM, Mousavy Gharavy SN, Stamataki D, Delile J, Smith JC, Briscoe J. Ventricular, atrial, and outflow tract heart progenitors arise from spatially and molecularly distinct regions of the primitive streak. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001200. [PMID: 33999917 PMCID: PMC8158918 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The heart develops from 2 sources of mesoderm progenitors, the first and second heart field (FHF and SHF). Using a single-cell transcriptomic assay combined with genetic lineage tracing and live imaging, we find the FHF and SHF are subdivided into distinct pools of progenitors in gastrulating mouse embryos at earlier stages than previously thought. Each subpopulation has a distinct origin in the primitive streak. The first progenitors to leave the primitive streak contribute to the left ventricle, shortly after right ventricle progenitor emigrate, followed by the outflow tract and atrial progenitors. Moreover, a subset of atrial progenitors are gradually incorporated in posterior locations of the FHF. Although cells allocated to the outflow tract and atrium leave the primitive streak at a similar stage, they arise from different regions. Outflow tract cells originate from distal locations in the primitive streak while atrial progenitors are positioned more proximally. Moreover, single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrates that the primitive streak cells contributing to the ventricles have a distinct molecular signature from those forming the outflow tract and atrium. We conclude that cardiac progenitors are prepatterned within the primitive streak and this prefigures their allocation to distinct anatomical structures of the heart. Together, our data provide a new molecular and spatial map of mammalian cardiac progenitors that will support future studies of heart development, function, and disease.
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30
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Abstract
TGF-β family heterodimeric ligands show increased or exclusive signaling compared to homodimeric ligands in both vertebrate and insect development as well as in therapeutically relevant processes, like osteogenesis. However, the mechanisms that differentiate heterodimer and homodimer signaling remain uncharacterized. We show that BMP antagonists do not account for the exclusive signaling of Bmp2/7 heterodimers in zebrafish development. We found that overexpressed homodimers can signal but surprisingly require two distinct type I receptors, like heterodimers, indicating a required activity of the heteromeric type I receptor complex. We further demonstrate that a canonical type I receptor function has been delegated to only one of these receptors, Acvr1. Our findings should inform both basic and translational research in multiple TGF-β family signaling contexts. Heterodimeric TGF-β ligands outperform homodimers in a variety of developmental, cell culture, and therapeutic contexts; however, the mechanisms underlying this increased potency remain uncharacterized. Here, we use dorsal–ventral axial patterning of the zebrafish embryo to interrogate the BMP2/7 heterodimer signaling mechanism. We demonstrate that differential interactions with BMP antagonists do not account for the reduced signaling ability of homodimers. Instead, we find that while overexpressed BMP2 homodimers can signal, they require two nonredundant type I receptors, one from the Acvr1 subfamily and one from the Bmpr1 subfamily. This implies that all BMP signaling within the zebrafish gastrula, even BMP2 homodimer signaling, requires Acvr1. This is particularly surprising as BMP2 homodimers do not bind Acvr1 in vitro. Furthermore, we find that the roles of the two type I receptors are subfunctionalized within the heterodimer signaling complex, with the kinase activity of Acvr1 being essential, while that of Bmpr1 is not. These results suggest that the potency of the Bmp2/7 heterodimer arises from the ability to recruit both Acvr1 and Bmpr1 into the same signaling complex.
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31
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Abstract
The transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling family is evolutionarily conserved in metazoans. The signal transduction mechanisms of TGFβ family members have been expansively investigated and are well understood. During development and homeostasis, numerous TGFβ family members are expressed in various cell types with temporally changing levels, playing diverse roles in embryonic development, adult tissue homeostasis and human diseases by regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, migration and apoptosis. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying signal transduction and regulation of the TGFβ subfamily pathways, and then highlight their key functions in mesendoderm induction, dorsoventral patterning and laterality development, as well as in the formation of several representative tissues/organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunji Jia
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Anming Meng
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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32
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Vandernoot I, Haerlingen B, Gillotay P, Trubiroha A, Janssens V, Opitz R, Costagliola S. Enhanced Canonical Wnt Signaling During Early Zebrafish Development Perturbs the Interaction of Cardiac Mesoderm and Pharyngeal Endoderm and Causes Thyroid Specification Defects. Thyroid 2021; 31:420-438. [PMID: 32777984 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2019.0828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Background: Congenital hypothyroidism due to thyroid dysgenesis is a frequent congenital endocrine disorder for which the molecular mechanisms remain unresolved in the majority of cases. This situation reflects, in part, our still limited knowledge about the mechanisms involved in the early steps of thyroid specification from the endoderm, in particular the extrinsic signaling cues that regulate foregut endoderm patterning. In this study, we used small molecules and genetic zebrafish models to characterize the role of various signaling pathways in thyroid specification. Methods: We treated zebrafish embryos during different developmental periods with small-molecule compounds known to manipulate the activity of Wnt signaling pathway and observed effects in thyroid, endoderm, and cardiovascular development using whole-mount in situ hybridization and transgenic fluorescent reporter models. We used the antisense morpholino (MO) technique to create a zebrafish acardiac model. For thyroid rescue experiments, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway induction in zebrafish embryos was obtained by manipulation of heat-shock inducible transgenic lines. Results: Combined analyses of thyroid and cardiovascular development revealed that overactivation of Wnt signaling during early development leads to impaired thyroid specification concurrent with severe defects in the cardiac specification. When using a model of MO-induced blockage of cardiomyocyte differentiation, a similar correlation was observed, suggesting that defective signaling between cardiac mesoderm and endodermal thyroid precursors contributes to thyroid specification impairment. Rescue experiments through transient overactivation of BMP signaling could partially restore thyroid specification in models with defective cardiac development. Conclusion: Collectively, our results indicate that BMP signaling is critically required for thyroid cell specification and identify cardiac mesoderm as a likely source of BMP signals.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2/genetics
- Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2/metabolism
- Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4/genetics
- Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4/metabolism
- Congenital Hypothyroidism/genetics
- Congenital Hypothyroidism/metabolism
- Congenital Hypothyroidism/pathology
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/genetics
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism
- Disease Models, Animal
- Embryonic Development
- Endoderm/abnormalities
- Endoderm/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Heart Defects, Congenital/genetics
- Heart Defects, Congenital/metabolism
- Heart Defects, Congenital/pathology
- Mesoderm/abnormalities
- Mesoderm/metabolism
- Morpholinos/genetics
- Morpholinos/metabolism
- Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism
- Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology
- Oligonucleotides, Antisense/genetics
- Oligonucleotides, Antisense/metabolism
- Thyroid Dysgenesis/genetics
- Thyroid Dysgenesis/metabolism
- Thyroid Dysgenesis/pathology
- Thyroid Gland/abnormalities
- Thyroid Gland/metabolism
- Wnt Proteins/genetics
- Wnt Proteins/metabolism
- Wnt Signaling Pathway
- Zebrafish/embryology
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Vandernoot
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benoît Haerlingen
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre Gillotay
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Achim Trubiroha
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Department Chemicals and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Véronique Janssens
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert Opitz
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Institute of Experimental Pediatric Endocrinology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabine Costagliola
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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33
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Ismagulov G, Hamidi S, Sheng G. Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Drives Three-Dimensional Morphogenesis in Mammalian Early Development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:639244. [PMID: 33644076 PMCID: PMC7905045 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.639244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
From fertilization to onset of gastrulation, a mammalian embryo goes through several rounds of cellular morphogenesis resembling phenomena of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), collectively referred to as EMTs. How these EMT events play a role in shaping the three-dimensional (3-D) architecture of the developing embryo is not well-understood. In this review, we present a model in which cellular morphogenesis, represented primarily by dynamic changes in its epithelialization status, is the driving force of embryonic 3-D organization. This is achieved through the integration of three key components of mammalian early development, the pluripotency regulation, morphogenetic signaling, and biomechanical force anisotropy. Although cells in an early embryo do not exhibit full mesenchymal characteristics, our model underscores the importance of investigating molecular regulation of epithelial cell polarity and partial EMT/MET in understanding mammalian early development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Guojun Sheng
- International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS), Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
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34
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Greenfeld H, Lin J, Mullins MC. The BMP signaling gradient is interpreted through concentration thresholds in dorsal-ventral axial patterning. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001059. [PMID: 33481775 PMCID: PMC7857602 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) patterns the dorsal–ventral (DV) embryonic axis in all vertebrates, but it is unknown how cells along the DV axis interpret and translate the gradient of BMP signaling into differential gene activation that will give rise to distinct cell fates. To determine the mechanism of BMP morphogen interpretation in the zebrafish gastrula, we identified 57 genes that are directly activated by BMP signaling. By using Seurat analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, we found that these genes are expressed in at least 3 distinct DV domains of the embryo. We distinguished between 3 models of BMP signal interpretation in which cells activate distinct gene expression through interpretation of thresholds of (1) the BMP signaling gradient slope; (2) the BMP signal duration; or (3) the level of BMP signal activation. We tested these 3 models using quantitative measurements of phosphorylated Smad5 (pSmad5) and by examining the spatial relationship between BMP signaling and activation of different target genes at single-cell resolution across the embryo. We found that BMP signaling gradient slope or BMP exposure duration did not account for the differential target gene expression domains. Instead, we show that cells respond to 3 distinct levels of BMP signaling activity to activate and position target gene expression. Together, we demonstrate that distinct pSmad5 threshold levels activate spatially distinct target genes to pattern the DV axis. This study tested three models of how a BMP morphogen gradient is translated into differential gene activation that specifies distinct cell fates, finding that BMP signal concentration thresholds, not gradient shape or signal duration, position three distinct gene activation domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Greenfeld
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Jerome Lin
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Mary C. Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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35
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Rogers KW, ElGamacy M, Jordan BM, Müller P. Optogenetic investigation of BMP target gene expression diversity. eLife 2020; 9:58641. [PMID: 33174840 PMCID: PMC7728441 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling molecules activate distinct patterns of gene expression to coordinate embryogenesis, but how spatiotemporal expression diversity is generated is an open question. In zebrafish, a BMP signaling gradient patterns the dorsal-ventral axis. We systematically identified target genes responding to BMP and found that they have diverse spatiotemporal expression patterns. Transcriptional responses to optogenetically delivered high- and low-amplitude BMP signaling pulses indicate that spatiotemporal expression is not fully defined by different BMP signaling activation thresholds. Additionally, we observed negligible correlations between spatiotemporal expression and transcription kinetics for the majority of analyzed genes in response to BMP signaling pulses. In contrast, spatial differences between BMP target genes largely collapsed when FGF and Nodal signaling were inhibited. Our results suggest that, similar to other patterning systems, combinatorial signaling is likely to be a major driver of spatial diversity in BMP-dependent gene expression in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine W Rogers
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mohammad ElGamacy
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.,Modeling Tumorigenesis Group, Translational Oncology Division, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Heliopolis Biotechnology Ltd, London, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin M Jordan
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Patrick Müller
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.,Modeling Tumorigenesis Group, Translational Oncology Division, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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36
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Pujades C. The multiple functions of hindbrain boundary cells: Tinkering boundaries? Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 107:179-189. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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Heusinkveld HJ, Staal YCM, Baker NC, Daston G, Knudsen TB, Piersma A. An ontology for developmental processes and toxicities of neural tube closure. Reprod Toxicol 2020; 99:160-167. [PMID: 32926990 PMCID: PMC10083840 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the development and implementation of animal-free approaches to chemical and pharmaceutical hazard and risk assessment has taken off. Alternative approaches are being developed starting from the perspective of human biology and physiology. Neural tube closure is a vital step that occurs early in human development. Correct closure of the neural tube depends on a complex interplay between proteins along a number of protein concentration gradients. The sensitivity of neural tube closure to chemical disturbance of signalling pathways such as the retinoid pathway, is well known. To map the pathways underlying neural tube closure, literature data on the molecular regulation of neural tube closure were collected. As the process of neural tube closure is highly conserved in vertebrates, the extensive literature available for the mouse was used whilst considering its relevance for humans. Thus, important cell compartments, regulatory pathways, and protein interactions essential for neural tube closure under physiological circumstances were identified and mapped. An understanding of aberrant processes leading to neural tube defects (NTDs) requires detailed maps of neural tube embryology, including the complex genetic signals and responses underlying critical cellular dynamical and biomechanical processes. The retinoid signaling pathway serves as a case study for this ontology because of well-defined crosstalk with the genetic control of neural tube patterning and morphogenesis. It is a known target for mechanistically-diverse chemical structures that disrupt neural tube closure The data presented in this manuscript will set the stage for constructing mathematical models and computer simulation of neural tube closure for human-relevant AOPs and predictive toxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harm J Heusinkveld
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Yvonne C M Staal
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | | | - George Daston
- Global Product Stewardship, The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Thomas B Knudsen
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park NC 27711, USA
| | - Aldert Piersma
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
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38
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Wang Y, Minarsky A, Penner R, Soulé C, Morozova N. Model of Morphogenesis. J Comput Biol 2020; 27:1373-1383. [DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2019.0414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS), Bures-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Andrey Minarsky
- St-Petersburg Academic University, National Research Academic University, St-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Robert Penner
- Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS), Bures-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Christophe Soulé
- Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS), Bures-sur-Yvette, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris, France
| | - Nadya Morozova
- Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS), Bures-sur-Yvette, France
- UMR9198, I2BC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris, France
- Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (BIN RAS), St. Petersburg, Russia
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39
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Axis Specification in Zebrafish Is Robust to Cell Mixing and Reveals a Regulation of Pattern Formation by Morphogenesis. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2984-2994.e3. [PMID: 32559447 PMCID: PMC7416079 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental question in developmental biology is how the early embryo establishes the spatial coordinate system that is later important for the organization of the embryonic body plan. Although we know a lot about the signaling and gene-regulatory networks required for this process, much less is understood about how these can operate to pattern tissues in the context of the extensive cell movements that drive gastrulation. In zebrafish, germ layer specification depends on the inheritance of maternal mRNAs [1, 2, 3], cortical rotation to generate a dorsal pole of β-catenin activity [4, 5, 6, 7, 8], and the release of Nodal signals from the yolk syncytial layer (YSL) [9, 10, 11, 12]. To determine whether germ layer specification is robust to altered cell-to-cell positioning, we separated embryonic cells from the yolk and allowed them to develop as spherical aggregates. These aggregates break symmetry autonomously to form elongated structures with an anterior-posterior pattern. Both forced reaggregation and endogenous cell mixing reveals how robust early axis specification is to spatial disruption of maternal pre-patterning. During these movements, a pole of Nodal signaling emerges that is required for explant elongation via the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. Blocking of PCP-dependent elongation disrupts the shaping of opposing poles of BMP and Wnt/TCF activity and the anterior-posterior patterning of neural tissue. These results lead us to suggest that embryo elongation plays a causal role in timing the exposure of cells to changes in BMP and Wnt signal activity during zebrafish gastrulation. Video Abstract
Whole-zebrafish 256-cell stage embryo explants elongate Patterned germ layers are established Mesoderm formation is robust to extensive cell mixing Inhibition of morphogenesis blocks formation of signaling gradients
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40
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Fuentes R, Tajer B, Kobayashi M, Pelliccia JL, Langdon Y, Abrams EW, Mullins MC. The maternal coordinate system: Molecular-genetics of embryonic axis formation and patterning in the zebrafish. Curr Top Dev Biol 2020; 140:341-389. [PMID: 32591080 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Axis specification of the zebrafish embryo begins during oogenesis and relies on proper formation of well-defined cytoplasmic domains within the oocyte. Upon fertilization, maternally-regulated cytoplasmic flow and repositioning of dorsal determinants establish the coordinate system that will build the structure and developmental body plan of the embryo. Failure of specific genes that regulate the embryonic coordinate system leads to catastrophic loss of body structures. Here, we review the genetic principles of axis formation and discuss how maternal factors orchestrate axis patterning during zebrafish early embryogenesis. We focus on the molecular identity and functional contribution of genes controlling critical aspects of oogenesis, egg activation, blastula, and gastrula stages. We examine how polarized cytoplasmic domains form in the oocyte, which set off downstream events such as animal-vegetal polarity and germ line development. After gametes interact and form the zygote, cytoplasmic segregation drives the animal-directed reorganization of maternal determinants through calcium- and cell cycle-dependent signals. We also summarize how maternal genes control dorsoventral, anterior-posterior, mesendodermal, and left-right cell fate specification and how signaling pathways pattern these axes and tissues during early development to instruct the three-dimensional body plan. Advances in reverse genetics and phenotyping approaches in the zebrafish model are revealing positional patterning signatures at the single-cell level, thus enhancing our understanding of genotype-phenotype interactions in axis formation. Our emphasis is on the genetic interrogation of novel and specific maternal regulatory mechanisms of axis specification in the zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Fuentes
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
| | - Benjamin Tajer
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Manami Kobayashi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jose L Pelliccia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Elliott W Abrams
- Department of Biology, Purchase College, State University of New York, Harrison, NY, United States
| | - Mary C Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
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Abe K, Shimada A, Tayama S, Nishikawa H, Kaneko T, Tsuda S, Karaiwa A, Matsui T, Ishitani T, Takeda H. Horizontal Boundary Cells, a Special Group of Somitic Cells, Play Crucial Roles in the Formation of Dorsoventral Compartments in Teleost Somite. Cell Rep 2020; 27:928-939.e4. [PMID: 30995487 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.03.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishment of robust gene expression boundary is crucial for creating elaborate morphology during development. However, mechanisms underlying boundary formation have been extensively studied only in a few model systems. We examined the establishment of zic1/zic4-expression boundary demarcating dorsoventral boundary of the entire trunk of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) and identified a subgroup of dermomyotomal cells called horizontal boundary cells (HBCs) as crucial players for the boundary formation. Embryological and genetic analyses demonstrated that HBCs play crucial roles in the two major events of the process, i.e., refinement and maintenance. In the refinement, HBCs could serve as a chemical barrier against Wnts from the neural tube by expressing Hhip. At later stages, HBCs participate in the maintenance of the boundary by differentiating into the horizontal myoseptum physically inhibiting cell mixing across the boundary. These findings reveal the mechanisms underlying the dorsoventral boundary in the teleost trunk by specialized boundary cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kota Abe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi 371-8512, Japan
| | - Atsuko Shimada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Sayaka Tayama
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hotaka Nishikawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takuya Kaneko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Sachiko Tsuda
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan; Saitama University Brain Science Institute, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan; Research and Development Bureau, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Akari Karaiwa
- Gene Regulation Research, Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Takaaki Matsui
- Gene Regulation Research, Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Tohru Ishitani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi 371-8512, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Takeda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
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Abstract
Gastrulation is a critical early morphogenetic process of animal development, during which the three germ layers; mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm, are rearranged by internalization movements. Concurrent epiboly movements spread and thin the germ layers while convergence and extension movements shape them into an anteroposteriorly elongated body with head, trunk, tail and organ rudiments. In zebrafish, gastrulation follows the proliferative and inductive events that establish the embryonic and extraembryonic tissues and the embryonic axis. Specification of these tissues and embryonic axes are controlled by the maternal gene products deposited in the egg. These early maternally controlled processes need to generate sufficient cell numbers and establish the embryonic polarity to ensure normal gastrulation. Subsequently, after activation of the zygotic genome, the zygotic gene products govern mesoderm and endoderm induction and germ layer patterning. Gastrulation is initiated during the maternal-to-zygotic transition, a process that entails both activation of the zygotic genome and downregulation of the maternal transcripts. Genomic studies indicate that gastrulation is largely controlled by the zygotic genome. Nonetheless, genetic studies that investigate the relative contributions of maternal and zygotic gene function by comparing zygotic, maternal and maternal zygotic mutant phenotypes, reveal significant contribution of maternal gene products, transcripts and/or proteins, that persist through gastrulation, to the control of gastrulation movements. Therefore, in zebrafish, the maternally expressed gene products not only set the stage for, but they also actively participate in gastrulation morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilianna Solnica-Krezel
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States.
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43
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Takebayashi-Suzuki K, Suzuki A. Intracellular Communication among Morphogen Signaling Pathways during Vertebrate Body Plan Formation. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E341. [PMID: 32213808 PMCID: PMC7141137 DOI: 10.3390/genes11030341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During embryonic development in vertebrates, morphogens play an important role in cell fate determination and morphogenesis. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) belonging to the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family control the dorsal-ventral (DV) patterning of embryos, whereas other morphogens such as fibroblast growth factor (FGF), Wnt family members, and retinoic acid (RA) regulate the formation of the anterior-posterior (AP) axis. Activation of morphogen signaling results in changes in the expression of target genes including transcription factors that direct cell fate along the body axes. To ensure the correct establishment of the body plan, the processes of DV and AP axis formation must be linked and coordinately regulated by a fine-tuning of morphogen signaling. In this review, we focus on the interplay of various intracellular regulatory mechanisms and discuss how communication among morphogen signaling pathways modulates body axis formation in vertebrate embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimiko Takebayashi-Suzuki
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Atsushi Suzuki
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan
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Li L, Wang X, Mullins MC, Umulis DM. Evaluation of BMP-mediated patterning in a 3D mathematical model of the zebrafish blastula embryo. J Math Biol 2020; 80:505-520. [PMID: 31773243 PMCID: PMC7203969 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-019-01449-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) play an important role in dorsal-ventral (DV) patterning of the early zebrafish embryo. BMP signaling is regulated by a network of extracellular and intracellular factors that impact the range and signaling of BMP ligands. Recent advances in understanding the mechanism of pattern formation support a source-sink mechanism, however it is not clear how the source-sink mechanism shapes patterns in 3D, nor how sensitive the pattern is to biophysical rates and boundary conditions along both the anteroposterior (AP) and DV axes of the embryo. We propose a new three-dimensional growing Partial Differential Equation (PDE)-based model to simulate the BMP patterning process during the blastula stage. This model provides a starting point to elucidate how different mechanisms and components work together in 3D to create and maintain the BMP gradient in the embryo. We also show how the 3D model fits the BMP signaling gradient data at multiple time points along both axes. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis of the model suggests that the spatiotemporal patterns of Chordin and BMP ligand gene expression are dominant drivers of shape in 3D and more work is needed to quantify the spatiotemporal profiles of gene and protein expression to further refine the models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Li
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA
| | - Xu Wang
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA
| | - Mary C Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - David M Umulis
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
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45
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Rogers KW, Müller P. Optogenetic approaches to investigate spatiotemporal signaling during development. Curr Top Dev Biol 2019; 137:37-77. [PMID: 32143750 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2019.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Embryogenesis is coordinated by signaling pathways that pattern the developing organism. Many aspects of this process are not fully understood, including how signaling molecules spread through embryonic tissues, how signaling amplitude and dynamics are decoded, and how multiple signaling pathways cooperate to pattern the body plan. Optogenetic approaches can be used to address these questions by providing precise experimental control over a variety of biological processes. Here, we review how these strategies have provided new insights into developmental signaling and discuss how they could contribute to future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine W Rogers
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Müller
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany; Modeling Tumorigenesis Group, Translational Oncology Division, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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46
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Fang Z, Liu X, Wen J, Tang F, Zhou Y, Jing N, Jin Y. SOX21 Ensures Rostral Forebrain Identity by Suppression of WNT8B during Neural Regionalization of Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports 2019; 13:1038-1052. [PMID: 31761677 PMCID: PMC6915843 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2019.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of brain region-specific progenitors from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is critical for their application. However, transcriptional regulation of neural regionalization in humans is poorly understood. Here, we applied a rostrocaudal patterning system from hESCs to dissect global transcriptional networks controlling early neural regionalization. We found that SOX21 is required for rostral forebrain fate specification. SOX21 knockout led to activation of Wnt signaling, resulting in caudalization of regional identity of rostral forebrain neural progenitor cells. Moreover, we identified WNT8B as a SOX21 direct target. Deletion of WNT8B or inhibition of Wnt signaling in SOX21 knockout neural progenitor cells restored rostral forebrain identity. Furthermore, SOX21 interacted with β-catenin, interfering with the binding of TCF4/β-catenin complex to the WNT8B enhancer. Collectively, these results unveil the unknown role of SOX21 and shed light on how a transcriptional factor modulates early neural regionalization through crosstalk with a key component of Wnt signaling. The transcriptomic analysis of rostrocaudal patterning of hESC-derived NPCs SOX21 KO leads to caudalized regional identity in rostral forebrain progenitors SOX21 represses Wnt signaling to ensure the rostral forebrain identity WNT8B is a major downstream target of SOX21
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoqing Fang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xinyuan Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jing Wen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Fan Tang
- Basic Clinical Research Center, Renji Hospital, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 225 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Naihe Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Ying Jin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China; Basic Clinical Research Center, Renji Hospital, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 225 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, Shanghai 201210, China.
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47
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Bessonov N, Butuzova O, Minarsky A, Penner R, Soulé C, Tosenberger A, Morozova N. Morphogenesis software based on epigenetic code concept. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2019; 17:1203-1216. [PMID: 31666938 PMCID: PMC6806383 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2019.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The process of morphogenesis is an evolution of shape of an organism together with the differentiation of its parts. This process encompasses numerous biological processes ranging from embryogenesis to regeneration following crisis such as amputation or transplantation. A fundamental theoretical question is where exactly do these instructions for (re-)construction reside and how are they implemented? We have recently proposed a set of concepts, aiming to respond to these questions and to provide an appropriate mathematical formalization of the geometry of morphogenesis [1]. First, we consider a possibility that the evolution of shape is determined by epigenetic information, responsible for realization of different types of cell events. Second, we suggest a set of rules for converting this epigenetic information into instructive signals for cell event for each cell, as well as for transforming it after each cell event. Next we give notions of cell state, determined by its epigenetic array, and cell event, which is a change of cell state, and formalize development as a graph (tree) of cell states connected by 5 types of cell events, corresponding to the processes of cell division, cell growth, cell death, cell movement and cell differentiation. Here we present a Morphogenesis software capable to simulate an evolution of a 3D embryo starting from zygote, following a set of rules, based on our theoretical assumptions, and thus to provide a proof-of-concept of the hypothesis of epigenetic code regulation. The software creates a developing embryo and a corresponding graph of cell events according to the zygotic epigenetic spectrum and chosen parameters of the developmental rules. Variation of rules influencing the resulting shape of an embryo may help elucidating the principal laws underlying pattern formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Nadya Morozova
- BIN RAS, St-Petersburg, Russia.,IHES, France.,UMR9198, I2BC, CNRS, France
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48
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Cardeña-Núñez S, Sánchez-Guardado LÓ, Hidalgo-Sánchez M. Cyp1B1 expression patterns in the developing chick inner ear. Dev Dyn 2019; 249:410-424. [PMID: 31400045 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.99] [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: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Retinoic acid (RA) plays an important role in organogenesis as a paracrine signal through transcriptional regulation of an increasing number of known downstream target genes, regulating cell proliferation, and differentiation. During the development of the inner ear, RA directly governs the morphogenesis and specification processes mainly by means of RA-synthesizing retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH) enzymes. Interestingly, CYP1B1, a cytochrome P450 enzyme, is able to mediate the oxidative metabolisms also leading to RA generation, its expression patterns being associated with many known sites of RA activity. RESULTS This study describes for the first time the presence of CYP1B1 in the developing chick inner ear as a RALDH-independent RA-signaling mechanism. In our in situ hybridization analysis, Cyp1B1 expression was first observed in a domain located in the ventromedial wall of the otic anlagen, being included within the rostralmost aspect of an Fgf10-positive pan-sensory domain. As development proceeds, all identified Fgf10-positive areas were Cyp1B1 stained, with all sensory patches being Cyp1B1 positive at stage HH34, except the macula neglecta. CONCLUSIONS Cyp1B1 expression suggested a possible contribution of CYP1B1 action in the specification of the lateral-to-medial and dorsal-to-ventral axes of the developing chick inner ear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila Cardeña-Núñez
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Science, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Luis Ó Sánchez-Guardado
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Matías Hidalgo-Sánchez
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Science, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
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49
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Polevoy H, Gutkovich YE, Michaelov A, Volovik Y, Elkouby YM, Frank D. New roles for Wnt and BMP signaling in neural anteroposterior patterning. EMBO Rep 2019; 20:embr.201845842. [PMID: 30936121 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201845842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
During amphibian development, neural patterning occurs via a two-step process. Spemann's organizer secretes BMP antagonists that induce anterior neural tissue. A subsequent caudalizing step re-specifies anterior fated cells to posterior fates such as hindbrain and spinal cord. The neural patterning paradigm suggests that a canonical Wnt-signaling gradient acts along the anteroposterior axis to pattern the nervous system. Wnt activity is highest in the posterior, inducing spinal cord, at intermediate levels in the trunk, inducing hindbrain, and is lowest in anterior fated forebrain, while BMP-antagonist levels are constant along the axis. Our results in Xenopus laevis challenge this paradigm. We find that inhibition of canonical Wnt signaling or its downstream transcription factors eliminates hindbrain, but not spinal cord fates, an observation not compatible with a simple high-to-low Wnt gradient specifying all fates along the neural anteroposterior axis. Additionally, we find that BMP activity promotes posterior spinal cord cell fate formation in an FGF-dependent manner, while inhibiting hindbrain fates. These results suggest a need to re-evaluate the paradigms of neural anteroposterior pattern formation during vertebrate development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Polevoy
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoni E Gutkovich
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ariel Michaelov
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yael Volovik
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yaniv M Elkouby
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Dale Frank
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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50
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Transcriptome profiling of zebrafish optic fissure fusion. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1541. [PMID: 30733552 PMCID: PMC6367446 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38379-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Incomplete fusion of the optic fissure leads to ocular coloboma, a congenital eye defect that affects up to 7.5 per 10,000 births and accounts for up to 10 percent of childhood blindness. The molecular and cellular mechanisms that facilitate optic fissure fusion remain elusive. We have profiled global gene expression during optic fissure morphogenesis by transcriptome analysis of tissue dissected from the margins of the zebrafish optic fissure and the opposing dorsal retina before (32 hours post fertilisation, hpf), during (48 hpf) and after (56 hpf) optic fissure fusion. Differential expression analysis between optic fissure and dorsal retinal tissue resulted in the detection of several known and novel developmental genes. The expression of selected genes was validated by qRT-PCR analysis and localisation investigated using in situ hybridisation. We discuss significantly overrepresented functional ontology categories in the context of optic fissure morphogenesis and highlight interesting transcripts from hierarchical clustering for subsequent analysis. We have identified netrin1a (ntn1a) as highly differentially expressed across optic fissure fusion, with a resultant ocular coloboma phenotype following morpholino antisense translation-blocking knockdown and downstream disruption of atoh7 expression. To support the identification of candidate genes in human studies, we have generated an online open-access resource for fast and simple quantitative querying of the gene expression data. Our study represents the first comprehensive analysis of the zebrafish optic fissure transcriptome and provides a valuable resource to facilitate our understanding of the complex aetiology of ocular coloboma.
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