1
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Fritzsch B, Glover JC. Gene networks and the evolution of olfactory organs, eyes, hair cells and motoneurons: a view encompassing lancelets, tunicates and vertebrates. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1340157. [PMID: 38533086 PMCID: PMC10963430 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1340157] [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: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Key developmental pathways and gene networks underlie the formation of sensory cell types and structures involved in chemosensation, vision and mechanosensation, and of the efferents these sensory inputs can activate. We describe similarities and differences in these pathways and gene networks in selected species of the three main chordate groups, lancelets, tunicates, and vertebrates, leading to divergent development of olfactory receptors, eyes, hair cells and motoneurons. The lack of appropriately posited expression of certain transcription factors in lancelets and tunicates prevents them from developing vertebrate-like olfactory receptors and eyes, although they generate alternative structures for chemosensation and vision. Lancelets and tunicates lack mechanosensory cells associated with the sensation of acoustic stimuli, but have gravisensitive organs and ciliated epidermal sensory cells that may (and in some cases clearly do) provide mechanosensation and thus the capacity to respond to movement relative to surrounding water. Although functionally analogous to the vertebrate vestibular apparatus and lateral line, homology is questionable due to differences in the expression of the key transcription factors Neurog and Atoh1/7, on which development of vertebrate hair cells depends. The vertebrate hair cell-bearing inner ear and lateral line thus likely represent major evolutionary advances specific to vertebrates. Motoneurons develop in vertebrates under the control of the ventral signaling molecule hedgehog/sonic hedgehog (Hh,Shh), against an opposing inhibitory effect mediated by dorsal signaling molecules. Many elements of Shh-signaling and downstream genes involved in specifying and differentiating motoneurons are also exhibited by lancelets and tunicates, but the repertoire of MNs in vertebrates is broader, indicating greater diversity in motoneuron differentiation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Joel C. Glover
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Laboratory of Neural Development and Optical Recording (NDEVOR), Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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2
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Ferrández-Roldán A, Fabregà-Torrus M, Sánchez-Serna G, Duran-Bello E, Joaquín-Lluís M, Bujosa P, Plana-Carmona M, Garcia-Fernàndez J, Albalat R, Cañestro C. Cardiopharyngeal deconstruction and ancestral tunicate sessility. Nature 2021; 599:431-435. [PMID: 34789899 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04041-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
A central question in chordate evolution is the origin of sessility in adult ascidians, and whether the appendicularian complete free-living style represents a primitive or derived condition among tunicates1. According to the 'a new heart for a new head' hypothesis, the evolution of the cardiopharyngeal gene regulatory network appears as a pivotal aspect to understand the evolution of the lifestyles of chordates2-4. Here we show that appendicularians experienced massive ancestral losses of cardiopharyngeal genes and subfunctions, leading to the 'deconstruction' of two ancestral modules of the tunicate cardiopharyngeal gene regulatory network. In ascidians, these modules are related to early and late multipotency, which is involved in lineage cell-fate determination towards the first and second heart fields and siphon muscles. Our work shows that the deconstruction of the cardiopharyngeal gene regulatory network involved the regressive loss of the siphon muscle, supporting an evolutionary scenario in which ancestral tunicates had a sessile ascidian-like adult lifestyle. In agreement with this scenario, our findings also suggest that this deconstruction contributed to the acceleration of cardiogenesis and the redesign of the heart into an open-wide laminar structure in appendicularians as evolutionary adaptations during their transition to a complete pelagic free-living style upon the innovation of the food-filtering house5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Ferrández-Roldán
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Fabregà-Torrus
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gaspar Sánchez-Serna
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enya Duran-Bello
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martí Joaquín-Lluís
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paula Bujosa
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marcos Plana-Carmona
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Garcia-Fernàndez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristian Cañestro
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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3
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Martí-Solans J, Godoy-Marín H, Diaz-Gracia M, Onuma TA, Nishida H, Albalat R, Cañestro C. Massive Gene Loss and Function Shuffling in Appendicularians Stretch the Boundaries of Chordate Wnt Family Evolution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:700827. [PMID: 34179025 PMCID: PMC8220140 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.700827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene loss is a pervasive source of genetic variation that influences species evolvability, biodiversity and the innovation of evolutionary adaptations. To better understand the evolutionary patterns and impact of gene loss, here we investigate as a case study the evolution of the wingless (Wnt) family in the appendicularian tunicate Oikopleura dioica, an emergent EvoDevo model characterized by its proneness to lose genes among chordates. Genome survey and phylogenetic analyses reveal that only four of the thirteen Wnt subfamilies have survived in O. dioica—Wnt5, Wnt10, Wnt11, and Wnt16,—representing the minimal Wnt repertoire described in chordates. While the loss of Wnt4 and Wnt8 likely occurred in the last common ancestor of tunicates, representing therefore a synapomorphy of this subphylum, the rest of losses occurred during the evolution of appendicularians. This work provides the first complete Wnt developmental expression atlas in a tunicate and the first insights into the evolution of Wnt developmental functions in appendicularians. Our work highlights three main evolutionary patterns of gene loss: (1) conservation of ancestral Wnt expression domains not affected by gene losses; (2) function shuffling among Wnt paralogs accompanied by gene losses; and (3) extinction of Wnt expression in certain embryonic directly correlated with gene losses. Overall our work reveals that in contrast to “conservative” pattern of evolution of cephalochordates and vertebrates, O. dioica shows an even more radical “liberal” evolutionary pattern than that described ascidian tunicates, stretching the boundaries of the malleability of Wnt family evolution in chordates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep Martí-Solans
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hector Godoy-Marín
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam Diaz-Gracia
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Takeshi A Onuma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroki Nishida
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristian Cañestro
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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4
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Almazán A, Ferrández-Roldán A, Albalat R, Cañestro C. Developmental atlas of appendicularian Oikopleura dioica actins provides new insights into the evolution of the notochord and the cardio-paraxial muscle in chordates. Dev Biol 2019; 448:260-270. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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5
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Ferrández-Roldán A, Martí-Solans J, Cañestro C, Albalat R. Oikopleura dioica: An Emergent Chordate Model to Study the Impact of Gene Loss on the Evolution of the Mechanisms of Development. Results Probl Cell Differ 2019; 68:63-105. [PMID: 31598853 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23459-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The urochordate Oikopleura dioica is emerging as a nonclassical animal model in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (a.k.a. evo-devo) especially attractive for investigating the impact of gene loss on the evolution of mechanisms of development. This is because this organism fulfills the requirements of an animal model (i.e., has a simple and accessible morphology, a short generation time and life span, and affordable culture in the laboratory and amenable experimental manipulation), but also because O. dioica occupies a key phylogenetic position to understand the diversification and origin of our own phylum, the chordates. During its evolution, O. dioica genome has suffered a drastic process of compaction, becoming the smallest known chordate genome, a process that has been accompanied by exacerbating amount of gene losses. Interestingly, however, despite the extensive gene losses, including entire regulatory pathways essential for the embryonic development of other chordates, O. dioica retains the typical chordate body plan. This unexpected situation led to the formulation of the so-called inverse paradox of evo-devo, that is, when a genetic diversity is able to maintain a phenotypic unity. This chapter reviews the biological features of O. dioica as a model animal, along with the current data on the evolution of its genes and genome. We pay special attention to the numerous examples of gene losses that have taken place during the evolution of this unique animal model, which is helping us to understand to which the limits of evo-devo can be pushed off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Ferrández-Roldán
- Facultat de Biologia, Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Josep Martí-Solans
- Facultat de Biologia, Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Cristian Cañestro
- Facultat de Biologia, Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ricard Albalat
- Facultat de Biologia, Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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6
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Mikhaleva Y, Skinnes R, Sumic S, Thompson EM, Chourrout D. Development of the house secreting epithelium, a major innovation of tunicate larvaceans, involves multiple homeodomain transcription factors. Dev Biol 2018; 443:117-126. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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7
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Torres-Águila NP, Martí-Solans J, Ferrández-Roldán A, Almazán A, Roncalli V, D'Aniello S, Romano G, Palumbo A, Albalat R, Cañestro C. Diatom bloom-derived biotoxins cause aberrant development and gene expression in the appendicularian chordate Oikopleura dioica. Commun Biol 2018; 1:121. [PMID: 30272001 PMCID: PMC6123688 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0127-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigating environmental hazards than could affect appendicularians is of prime ecological interest because they are among the most abundant components of the mesozooplankton. This work shows that embryo development of the appendicularian Oikopleura dioica is compromised by diatom bloom-derived biotoxins, even at concentrations in the same range as those measured after blooms. Developmental gene expression analysis of biotoxin-treated embryos uncovers an aberrant golf ball-like phenotype affecting morphogenesis, midline convergence, and tail elongation. Biotoxins induce a rapid upregulation of defensome genes, and considerable delay and silencing of zygotic transcription of developmental genes. Upon a possible future intensification of blooms associated with ocean warming and acidification, our work puts an alert on the potential impact that an increase of biotoxins may have on marine food webs, and points to defensome genes as molecular biosensors that marine ecologists could use to monitor the genetic stress of natural populations exposed to microalgal blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria P Torres-Águila
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Josep Martí-Solans
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alfonso Ferrández-Roldán
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alba Almazán
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Vittoria Roncalli
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Salvatore D'Aniello
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Giovanna Romano
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Anna Palumbo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Cristian Cañestro
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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8
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Reporter Analyses Reveal Redundant Enhancers that Confer Robustness on Cis-Regulatory Mechanisms. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018. [PMID: 29542081 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-7545-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Reporter analyses of Hox1 and Brachyury (Bra) genes have revealed examples of redundant enhancers that provide regulatory robustness. Retinoic acid (RA) activates through an RA-response element the transcription of Hox1 in the nerve cord of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. We also found a weak RA-independent neural enhancer within the second intron of Hox1. The Hox1 gene in the larvacean Oikopleura dioica is also expressed in the nerve cord. The O. dioica genome, however, does not contain the RA receptor-encoding gene, and the expression of Hox1 has become independent of RA. We have found that the upstream sequence of the O. dioica Hox1 was able to activate reporter gene expression in the nerve cord of the C. intestinalis embryo, suggesting that an RA-independent regulatory system in the nerve cord might be common in larvaceans and ascidians. This RA-independent redundant regulatory system may have facilitated the Oikopleura ancestor losing RA signaling without an apparent impact on Hox1 expression domains. On the other hand, vertebrate Bra is expressed in the ventral mesoderm and notochord, whereas its ascidian ortholog is exclusively expressed in the notochord. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) induces Bra in the ventral mesoderm in vertebrates, whereas it induces Bra in the notochord in ascidians. Disruption of the FGF signal does not completely silence Bra expression in ascidians, suggesting that FGF-dependent and independent enhancers might comprise a redundant regulatory system in ascidians. The existence of redundant enhancers, therefore, provides regulatory robustness that may facilitate the acquisition of new expression domains.
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9
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Parker HJ, Krumlauf R. Segmental arithmetic: summing up the Hox gene regulatory network for hindbrain development in chordates. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2017; 6. [PMID: 28771970 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Organization and development of the early vertebrate hindbrain are controlled by a cascade of regulatory interactions that govern the process of segmentation and patterning along the anterior-posterior axis via Hox genes. These interactions can be assembled into a gene regulatory network that provides a framework to interpret experimental data, generate hypotheses, and identify gaps in our understanding of the progressive process of hindbrain segmentation. The network can be broadly separated into a series of interconnected programs that govern early signaling, segmental subdivision, secondary signaling, segmentation, and ultimately specification of segmental identity. Hox genes play crucial roles in multiple programs within this network. Furthermore, the network reveals properties and principles that are likely to be general to other complex developmental systems. Data from vertebrate and invertebrate chordate models are shedding light on the origin and diversification of the network. Comprehensive cis-regulatory analyses of vertebrate Hox gene regulation have enabled powerful cross-species gene regulatory comparisons. Such an approach in the sea lamprey has revealed that the network mediating segmental Hox expression was present in ancestral vertebrates and has been maintained across diverse vertebrate lineages. Invertebrate chordates lack hindbrain segmentation but exhibit conservation of some aspects of the network, such as a role for retinoic acid in establishing nested Hox expression domains. These comparisons lead to a model in which early vertebrates underwent an elaboration of the network between anterior-posterior patterning and Hox gene expression, leading to the gene-regulatory programs for segmental subdivision and rhombomeric segmentation. WIREs Dev Biol 2017, 6:e286. doi: 10.1002/wdev.286 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo J Parker
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Robb Krumlauf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA
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10
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Navratilova P, Danks GB, Long A, Butcher S, Manak JR, Thompson EM. Sex-specific chromatin landscapes in an ultra-compact chordate genome. Epigenetics Chromatin 2017; 10:3. [PMID: 28115992 PMCID: PMC5240408 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-016-0110-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In multicellular organisms, epigenome dynamics are associated with transitions in the cell cycle, development, germline specification, gametogenesis and inheritance. Evolutionarily, regulatory space has increased in complex metazoans to accommodate these functions. In tunicates, the sister lineage to vertebrates, we examine epigenome adaptations to strong secondary genome compaction, sex chromosome evolution and cell cycle modes. Results Across the 70 MB Oikopleura dioica genome, we profiled 19 histone modifications, and RNA polymerase II, CTCF and p300 occupancies, to define chromatin states within two homogeneous tissues with distinct cell cycle modes: ovarian endocycling nurse nuclei and mitotically proliferating germ nuclei in testes. Nurse nuclei had active chromatin states similar to other metazoan epigenomes, with large domains of operon-associated transcription, a general lack of heterochromatin, and a possible role of Polycomb PRC2 in dosage compensation. Testis chromatin states reflected transcriptional activity linked to spermatogenesis and epigenetic marks that have been associated with establishment of transgenerational inheritance in other organisms. We also uncovered an unusual chromatin state specific to the Y-chromosome, which combined active and heterochromatic histone modifications on specific transposable elements classes, perhaps involved in regulating their activity. Conclusions Compacted regulatory space in this tunicate genome is accompanied by reduced heterochromatin and chromatin state domain widths. Enhancers, promoters and protein-coding genes have conserved epigenomic features, with adaptations to the organization of a proportion of genes in operon units. We further identified features specific to sex chromosomes, cell cycle modes, germline identity and dosage compensation, and unusual combinations of histone PTMs with opposing consensus functions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13072-016-0110-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Navratilova
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Gemma Barbara Danks
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Abby Long
- Departments of Biology and Pediatrics and the Roy J. Carver Center for Genomics, 459 Biology Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
| | - Stephen Butcher
- Departments of Biology and Pediatrics and the Roy J. Carver Center for Genomics, 459 Biology Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
| | - John Robert Manak
- Departments of Biology and Pediatrics and the Roy J. Carver Center for Genomics, 459 Biology Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
| | - Eric M Thompson
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5008 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Biology, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
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11
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Martí-Solans J, Belyaeva OV, Torres-Aguila NP, Kedishvili NY, Albalat R, Cañestro C. Coelimination and Survival in Gene Network Evolution: Dismantling the RA-Signaling in a Chordate. Mol Biol Evol 2016; 33:2401-16. [PMID: 27406791 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msw118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The bloom of genomics is revealing gene loss as a pervasive evolutionary force generating genetic diversity that shapes the evolution of species. Outside bacteria and yeast, however, the understanding of the process of gene loss remains elusive, especially in the evolution of animal species. Here, using the dismantling of the retinoic acid metabolic gene network (RA-MGN) in the chordate Oikopleura dioica as a case study, we combine approaches of comparative genomics, phylogenetics, biochemistry, and developmental biology to investigate the mutational robustness associated to biased patterns of gene loss. We demonstrate the absence of alternative pathways for RA-synthesis in O. dioica, which suggests that gene losses of RA-MGN were not compensated by mutational robustness, but occurred in a scenario of regressive evolution. In addition, the lack of drastic phenotypic changes associated to the loss of RA-signaling provides an example of the inverse paradox of Evo-Devo. This work illustrates how the identification of patterns of gene coelimination-in our case five losses (Rdh10, Rdh16, Bco1, Aldh1a, and Cyp26)-is a useful strategy to recognize gene network modules associated to distinct functions. Our work also illustrates how the identification of survival genes helps to recognize neofunctionalization events and ancestral functions. Thus, the survival and extensive duplication of Cco and RdhE2 in O. dioica correlated with the acquisition of complex compartmentalization of expression domains in the digestive system and a process of enzymatic neofunctionalization of the Cco, while the surviving Aldh8 could be related to its ancestral housekeeping role against toxic aldehydes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep Martí-Solans
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Olga V Belyaeva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama-Birmingham
| | - Nuria P Torres-Aguila
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Natalia Y Kedishvili
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama-Birmingham
| | - Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristian Cañestro
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract
The Genetics Society of America’s George W. Beadle Award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers and who exemplify the qualities of its namesake as a respected academic, administrator, and public servant. The 2015 recipient is John Postlethwait. He has made groundbreaking contributions in developing the zebrafish as a molecular genetic model and in understanding the evolution of new gene functions in vertebrates. He built the first zebrafish genetic map and showed that its genome, along with that of distantly related teleost fish, had been duplicated. Postlethwait played an integral role in the zebrafish genome-sequencing project and elucidated the genomic organization of several fish species. Postlethwait is also honored for his active involvement with the zebrafish community, advocacy for zebrafish as a model system, and commitment to driving the field forward.
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13
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Abstract
The recent increase in genomic data is revealing an unexpected perspective of gene loss as a pervasive source of genetic variation that can cause adaptive phenotypic diversity. This novel perspective of gene loss is raising new fundamental questions. How relevant has gene loss been in the divergence of phyla? How do genes change from being essential to dispensable and finally to being lost? Is gene loss mostly neutral, or can it be an effective way of adaptation? These questions are addressed, and insights are discussed from genomic studies of gene loss in populations and their relevance in evolutionary biology and biomedicine.
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Garstang MG, Osborne PW, Ferrier DEK. TCF/Lef regulates the Gsx ParaHox gene in central nervous system development in chordates. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:57. [PMID: 26940763 PMCID: PMC4776371 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0614-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ParaHox genes play an integral role in the anterior-posterior (A-P) patterning of the nervous system and gut of most animals. The ParaHox cluster is an ideal system in which to study the evolution and regulation of developmental genes and gene clusters, as it displays similar regulatory phenomena to its sister cluster, the Hox cluster, but offers a much simpler system with only three genes. RESULTS Using Ciona intestinalis transgenics, we isolated a regulatory element upstream of Branchiostoma floridae Gsx that drives expression within the central nervous system of Ciona embryos. The minimal amphioxus enhancer region required to drive CNS expression has been identified, along with surrounding sequence that increases the efficiency of reporter expression throughout the Ciona CNS. TCF/Lef binding sites were identified and mutagenized and found to be required to drive the CNS expression. Also, individual contributions of TCF/Lef sites varied across the regulatory region, revealing a partial division of function across the Bf-Gsx-Up regulatory element. Finally, when all TCF/Lef binding sites are mutated CNS expression is not only abolished, but a latent repressive function is also unmasked. CONCLUSIONS We have identified a B. floridae Gsx upstream regulatory element that drives CNS expression within transgenic Ciona intestinalis, and have shown that this CNS expression is dependent upon TCF/Lef binding sites. We examine the evolutionary and developmental implications of these results, and discuss the possibility of TCF/Lef not only as a regulator of chordate Gsx, but as a deeply conserved regulatory factor controlling all three ParaHox genes across the Metazoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myles G Garstang
- The Scottish Oceans Institute, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK.
| | - Peter W Osborne
- The Scottish Oceans Institute, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK.
| | - David E K Ferrier
- The Scottish Oceans Institute, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK.
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15
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Bertrand S, Aldea D, Oulion S, Subirana L, de Lera AR, Somorjai I, Escriva H. Evolution of the Role of RA and FGF Signals in the Control of Somitogenesis in Chordates. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136587. [PMID: 26371756 PMCID: PMC4570818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During vertebrate development, the paraxial mesoderm becomes segmented, forming somites that will give rise to dermis, axial skeleton and skeletal muscles. Although recently challenged, the "clock and wavefront" model for somitogenesis explains how interactions between several cell-cell communication pathways, including the FGF, RA, Wnt and Notch signals, control the formation of these bilateral symmetric blocks. In the cephalochordate amphioxus, which belongs to the chordate phylum together with tunicates and vertebrates, the dorsal paraxial mesendoderm also periodically forms somites, although this process is asymmetric and extends along the whole body. It has been previously shown that the formation of the most anterior somites in amphioxus is dependent upon FGF signalling. However, the signals controlling somitogenesis during posterior elongation in amphioxus are still unknown. Here we show that, contrary to vertebrates, RA and FGF signals act independently during posterior elongation and that they are not mandatory for posterior somites to form. Moreover, we show that RA is not able to buffer the left/right asymmetry machinery that is controlled through the asymmetric expression of Nodal pathway actors. Our results give new insights into the evolution of the somitogenesis process in chordates. They suggest that RA and FGF pathways have acquired specific functions in the control of somitogenesis in vertebrates. We propose that the "clock and wavefront" system was selected specifically in vertebrates in parallel to the development of more complex somite-derived structures but that it was not required for somitogenesis in the ancestor of chordates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Bertrand
- UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer, F-66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
- * E-mail: (SB); (HE)
| | - Daniel Aldea
- UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer, F-66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Silvan Oulion
- UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer, F-66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Lucie Subirana
- UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer, F-66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Angel R. de Lera
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultade de Química, CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, and Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Vigo (IBIV), Vigo, Spain
| | - Ildiko Somorjai
- UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer, F-66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Hector Escriva
- UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer, F-66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
- * E-mail: (SB); (HE)
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16
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17
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Schlosser G. Vertebrate cranial placodes as evolutionary innovations--the ancestor's tale. Curr Top Dev Biol 2015; 111:235-300. [PMID: 25662263 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2014.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary innovations often arise by tinkering with preexisting components building new regulatory networks by the rewiring of old parts. The cranial placodes of vertebrates, ectodermal thickenings that give rise to many of the cranial sense organs (ear, nose, lateral line) and ganglia, originated as such novel structures, when vertebrate ancestors elaborated their head in support of a more active and exploratory life style. This review addresses the question of how cranial placodes evolved by tinkering with ectodermal patterning mechanisms and sensory and neurosecretory cell types that have their own evolutionary history. With phylogenetic relationships among the major branches of metazoans now relatively well established, a comparative approach is used to infer, which structures evolved in which lineages and allows us to trace the origin of placodes and their components back from ancestor to ancestor. Some of the core networks of ectodermal patterning and sensory and neurosecretory differentiation were already established in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians and were greatly elaborated in the bilaterian ancestor (with BMP- and Wnt-dependent patterning of dorsoventral and anteroposterior ectoderm and multiple neurosecretory and sensory cell types). Rostral and caudal protoplacodal domains, giving rise to some neurosecretory and sensory cells, were then established in the ectoderm of the chordate and tunicate-vertebrate ancestor, respectively. However, proper cranial placodes as clusters of proliferating progenitors producing high-density arrays of neurosecretory and sensory cells only evolved and diversified in the ancestors of vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Schlosser
- School of Natural Sciences & Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
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18
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Vassalli QA, Anishchenko E, Caputi L, Sordino P, D'Aniello S, Locascio A. Regulatory elements retained during chordate evolution: Coming across tunicates. Genesis 2014; 53:66-81. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Quirino Attilio Vassalli
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Evgeniya Anishchenko
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Luigi Caputi
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Paolo Sordino
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
- CNR ISAFOM, Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in the Mediterranean, Unitá organizzativa di supporto; Catania Italy
| | - Salvatore D'Aniello
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Annamaria Locascio
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
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19
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André A, Ruivo R, Gesto M, Castro LFC, Santos MM. Retinoid metabolism in invertebrates: when evolution meets endocrine disruption. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 208:134-45. [PMID: 25132059 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2014] [Revised: 07/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent genomic and biochemical evidence in invertebrate species pushes back the origin of the retinoid metabolic and signaling modules to the last common ancestor of all bilaterians. However, the evolution of retinoid pathways are far from fully understood. In the majority of non-chordate invertebrate lineages, the ongoing functional characterization of retinoid-related genes (metabolism and signaling pathways), as well as the characterization of the endogenous retinoid content (precursors and active retinoids), is still incomplete. Despite limited, the available data supports the presence of biologically active retinoid pathways in invertebrates. Yet, the mechanisms controlling the spatial and temporal distribution of retinoids as well as their physiological significance share similarities and differences with vertebrates. For instance, retinol storage in the form of retinyl esters, a key feature for the maintenance of retinoid homeostatic balance in vertebrates, was only recently demonstrated in some mollusk species, suggesting that such ability is older than previously anticipated. In contrast, the enzymatic repertoire involved in this process is probably unlike that of vertebrates. The suggested ancestry of active retinoid pathways implies that many more metazoan species might be potential targets for endocrine disrupting chemicals. Here, we review the current knowledge about the occurrence and functionality of retinoid metabolic and signaling pathways in invertebrate lineages, paying special attention to the evolutionary origin of retinoid storage mechanisms. Additionally, we summarize existing information on the endocrine disruption of invertebrate retinoid modules by environmental chemicals. Research priorities in the field are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- A André
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal; ICBAS - Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - R Ruivo
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
| | - M Gesto
- Laboratorio de Fisioloxía Animal, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
| | - L Filipe C Castro
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal; FCUP - Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
| | - M M Santos
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal; FCUP - Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
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20
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Belyaeva OV, Chang C, Berlett MC, Kedishvili NY. Evolutionary origins of retinoid active short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases of SDR16C family. Chem Biol Interact 2014; 234:135-43. [PMID: 25451586 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2014.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2014] [Revised: 10/09/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Vertebrate enzymes that belong to the 16C family of short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDR16C) were shown to play an essential role in the control of retinoic acid (RA) levels during development. To trace the evolution of enzymatic function of SDR16C family, and to examine the origins of the pathway for RA biosynthesis from vitamin A, we identified putative SDR16C enzymes through the extensive search of available genome sequencing data in a subset of species representing major metazoan phyla. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that enzymes from protostome, non-chordate deuterostome and invertebrate chordate species are found in three clades of SDR16C family containing retinoid active enzymes, which are retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10), retinol dehydrogenases E2 (RDHE2) and RDHE2-similar, and dehydrogenase reductase (SDR family) member 3 (DHRS3). For the initial functional analysis, we cloned RDH10- and RDHE2-related enzymes from the early developmental stages of a non-chordate deuterostome, green sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus, and an invertebrate chordate, sea squirt Ciona intestinalis. In situ hybridization revealed that these proteins are expressed in a pattern relevant to development, while assays performed on proteins expressed in mammalian cell culture showed that they possess retinol-oxidizing activity as their vertebrate homologs. The existence of invertebrate homologs of DHRS3 was inferred from the analysis of phylogeny and cofactor-binding residues characteristic of preference for NADP(H). The presence of invertebrate homologs in the DHRS3 group of SDR16C is interesting in light of the complex mutually activating interaction, which we have recently described for human RDH10 and DHRS3 enzymes. Further functional analysis of these homologs will establish whether this interaction evolved to control retinoid homeostasis only in vertebrates, or is also conserved in pre-vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga V Belyaeva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Chenbei Chang
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Michael C Berlett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Natalia Y Kedishvili
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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21
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Martí-Solans J, Ferrández-Roldán A, Godoy-Marín H, Badia-Ramentol J, Torres-Aguila NP, Rodríguez-Marí A, Bouquet JM, Chourrout D, Thompson EM, Albalat R, Cañestro C. Oikopleura dioicaculturing made easy: A Low-Cost facility for an emerging animal model in EvoDevo. Genesis 2014; 53:183-93. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2014] [Revised: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Josep Martí-Solans
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Alfonso Ferrández-Roldán
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Hector Godoy-Marín
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Jordi Badia-Ramentol
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Nuria P. Torres-Aguila
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Adriana Rodríguez-Marí
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Jean Marie Bouquet
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology; University of Bergen; N-5008 Bergen Bergen Norway
- Department of Biology; University of Bergen; Postbox 7803 N-5020 Bergen Norway
| | - Daniel Chourrout
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology; University of Bergen; N-5008 Bergen Bergen Norway
| | - Eric M. Thompson
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology; University of Bergen; N-5008 Bergen Bergen Norway
- Department of Biology; University of Bergen; Postbox 7803 N-5020 Bergen Norway
| | - Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Cristian Cañestro
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio); Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona 08028 Spain
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22
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Schlosser G, Patthey C, Shimeld SM. The evolutionary history of vertebrate cranial placodes II. Evolution of ectodermal patterning. Dev Biol 2014; 389:98-119. [PMID: 24491817 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cranial placodes are evolutionary innovations of vertebrates. However, they most likely evolved by redeployment, rewiring and diversification of preexisting cell types and patterning mechanisms. In the second part of this review we compare vertebrates with other animal groups to elucidate the evolutionary history of ectodermal patterning. We show that several transcription factors have ancient bilaterian roles in dorsoventral and anteroposterior regionalisation of the ectoderm. Evidence from amphioxus suggests that ancestral chordates then concentrated neurosecretory cells in the anteriormost non-neural ectoderm. This anterior proto-placodal domain subsequently gave rise to the oral siphon primordia in tunicates (with neurosecretory cells being lost) and anterior (adenohypophyseal, olfactory, and lens) placodes of vertebrates. Likewise, tunicate atrial siphon primordia and posterior (otic, lateral line, and epibranchial) placodes of vertebrates probably evolved from a posterior proto-placodal region in the tunicate-vertebrate ancestor. Since both siphon primordia in tunicates give rise to sparse populations of sensory cells, both proto-placodal domains probably also gave rise to some sensory receptors in the tunicate-vertebrate ancestor. However, proper cranial placodes, which give rise to high density arrays of specialised sensory receptors and neurons, evolved from these domains only in the vertebrate lineage. We propose that this may have involved rewiring of the regulatory network upstream and downstream of Six1/2 and Six4/5 transcription factors and their Eya family cofactors. These proteins, which play ancient roles in neuronal differentiation were first recruited to the dorsal non-neural ectoderm in the tunicate-vertebrate ancestor but subsequently probably acquired new target genes in the vertebrate lineage, allowing them to adopt new functions in regulating proliferation and patterning of neuronal progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Schlosser
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences & Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), National University of Ireland, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Cedric Patthey
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Sebastian M Shimeld
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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23
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Kawamura K, Shiohara M, Kanda M, Fujiwara S. Retinoid X receptor-mediated transdifferentiation cascade in budding tunicates. Dev Biol 2013; 384:343-55. [PMID: 24120377 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Revised: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In the budding tunicate, Polyandrocarpa misakiensis, retinoic acid (RA) applied to buds promotes transdifferentiation of somatic cells to form the secondary body axis. This study investigated the gene cascade regulating such RA-triggered transdifferentiation in tunicates. Genes encoding retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) were induced during transdifferentiation, and they responded to all-trans RA or 13-cis RA in vivo, whereas 9-cis RA had the least effects, demonstrating differences in the ligand preference between budding tunicates and vertebrates. In contrast to RAR mRNA, RXR mRNA could induce transdifferentiation-related genes such as RXR itself, ERK, and MYC in an RA-dependent manner and also induced β-catenin (β-CTN) RA-independently when it was introduced in vitro into tunicate cell lines that do not express endogenous RAR or RXR. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) of RXR dramatically attenuated not only RXR but also ERK and β-CTN gene activities. An ERK inhibitor severely blocked wound healing and dedifferentiation. β-CTN siRNA suppressed morphogenesis and redifferentiation, similar to RXR siRNA. These results indicate that in P. misakiensis, the main function of RA is to trigger positive feedback regulation of RXR rather than to activate RAR for unlocking downstream pathways for transdifferentiation. Our results may reflect an ancient mode of RA signaling in chordates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaz Kawamura
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Kochi University, 2-5-1 Akebono-Cho, Kochi 780-8520, Japan.
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24
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Blum N, Begemann G. The roles of endogenous retinoid signaling in organ and appendage regeneration. Cell Mol Life Sci 2013; 70:3907-27. [PMID: 23479131 PMCID: PMC11113817 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1303-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2012] [Revised: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to regenerate injured or lost body parts has been an age-old ambition of medical science. In contrast to humans, teleost fish and urodele amphibians can regrow almost any part of the body with seeming effortlessness. Retinoic acid is a molecule that has long been associated with these impressive regenerative capacities. The discovery 30 years ago that addition of retinoic acid to regenerating amphibian limbs causes "super-regeneration" initiated investigations into the presumptive roles of retinoic acid in regeneration of appendages and other organs. However, the evidence favoring or dismissing a role for endogenous retinoids in regeneration processes remained sparse and ambiguous. Now, the availability of genetic tools to manipulate and visualize the retinoic acid signaling pathway has opened up new routes to dissect its roles in regeneration. Here, we review the current understanding on endogenous functions of retinoic acid in regeneration and discuss key questions to be addressed in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Blum
- Developmental Biology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Gerrit Begemann
- Developmental Biology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
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25
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Garstang M, Ferrier DEK. Time is of the essence for ParaHox homeobox gene clustering. BMC Biol 2013; 11:72. [PMID: 23803337 PMCID: PMC3694477 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-11-72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
ParaHox genes, and their evolutionary sisters the Hox genes, are integral to patterning the anterior-posterior axis of most animals. Like the Hox genes, ParaHox genes can be clustered and exhibit the phenomenon of colinearity - gene order within the cluster matching gene activation. Two new instances of ParaHox clustering provide the first examples of intact clusters outside chordates, with gene expression lending weight to the argument that temporal colinearity is the key to understanding clustering. See research articles:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/11/68 and
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/13/129
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Affiliation(s)
- Myles Garstang
- The Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK
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26
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Cañestro C, Albalat R, Irimia M, Garcia-Fernàndez J. Impact of gene gains, losses and duplication modes on the origin and diversification of vertebrates. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2013; 24:83-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2012.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2012] [Accepted: 12/25/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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27
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Kanda M, Ikeda T, Fujiwara S. Identification of a retinoic acid-responsive neural enhancer in the Ciona intestinalis Hox1 gene. Dev Growth Differ 2013; 55:260-9. [PMID: 23302037 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2012] [Revised: 12/06/2012] [Accepted: 12/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The Hox1 gene in the urochordate ascidian Ciona intestinalis (Ci-Hox1) is expressed in the nerve cord and epidermis. We identified a nerve cord enhancer in the second intron of Ci-Hox1, and demonstrated that retinoic acid (RA) plays a major role in activating this enhancer. The enhancer contained a putative retinoic acid-response element (RARE). Mutation of the RARE in the Ci-Hox1 nerve cord enhancer only partially abolished the enhancer activity. Genes encoding RA synthase and the RA receptor were knocked down using specific antisense morpholino oligos (MOs), and injection of embryos with these MOs resulted in the complete disappearance of epidermal expression of Ci-Hox1 and reduction of neural expression. However, nerve cord expression was not completely repressed. These results suggest that the nerve cord enhancer is activated by two partially redundant pathways; one RA-dependent and one RA-independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miyuki Kanda
- Department of Applied Science, Kochi University, 2-5-1 Akebono-cho, Kochi, 780-8520, Japan.
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28
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Lecroisey C, Laudet V, Schubert M. The cephalochordate amphioxus: a key to reveal the secrets of nuclear receptor evolution. Brief Funct Genomics 2012; 11:156-66. [PMID: 22441553 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/els008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily are transcription factors characterized by a particular mode of function, which is related to the conserved nature of their molecular structure. NR proteins usually contain a DNA-binding domain (DBD) and a ligand-binding domain (LBD) allowing them to directly bind to DNA and regulate target gene expression in a ligand-dependent manner. In this review, we are summarizing our current understanding of the NR diversity in the cephalochordate amphioxus, which represents the best available proxy for the last common chordate ancestor both in terms of morphology and genome organization. The amphioxus genome encodes 33 NRs, which is more than expected based on its phylogenetic position, with at least one representative of all major NR groups, excepting NR1E and NR1I/J. This elevated number of receptor genes shows that the amphioxus NR complement has experienced some secondary modifications that are most evident in the NR1H group, which is characterized by three members in humans and ten representatives in amphioxus. By highlighting specific examples of the NR repertoire, including the receptors for retinoic acid, thyroid hormone, estrogen and steroids as well as the bile acid and oxysterol receptors of the NR1H group, we are illustrating the functional diversity of these receptors in amphioxus. We conclude that the amphioxus NRs are valuable models for assessing the evolutionary interplay between receptors and their ligands and that more integrative and comparative approaches are required for assessment of the evolutionary plasticity of receptor-ligand interactions revealed by the studies of amphioxus NRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Lecroisey
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, UCBL, CNRS UMR, ENSL, INRA, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
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Pasini A, Manenti R, Rothbächer U, Lemaire P. Antagonizing retinoic acid and FGF/MAPK pathways control posterior body patterning in the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis. PLoS One 2012; 7:e46193. [PMID: 23049976 PMCID: PMC3458022 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2012] [Accepted: 08/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate embryos exploit the mutual inhibition between the RA and FGF signalling pathways to coordinate the proliferative elongation of the main body axis with the progressive patterning and differentiation of its neuroectodermal and paraxial mesodermal structures. The evolutionary history of this patterning system is still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the role played by the RA and FGF/MAPK signals during the development of the tail structures in the tunicate Ciona intestinalis, an invertebrate chordate belonging to the sister clade of vertebrates, in which the prototypical chordate body plan is established through very derived morphogenetic processes. Ciona embryos are constituted of few cells and develop according to a fixed lineage; elongation of the tail occurs largely by rearrangement of postmitotic cells; mesoderm segmentation and somitogenesis are absent. We show that in the Ciona embryo, the antagonism of the RA and FGF/MAPK signals is required to control the anteroposterior patterning of the tail epidermis. We also demonstrate that the RA, FGF/MAPK and canonical Wnt pathways control the anteroposterior patterning of the tail peripheral nervous system, and reveal the existence of distinct subpopulations of caudal epidermal neurons with different responsiveness to the RA, FGF/MAPK and canonical Wnt signals. Our data provide the first demonstration that the use of the antagonism between the RA and FGF signals to pattern the main body axis predates the emergence of vertebrates and highlight the evolutionary plasticity of this patterning strategy, showing that in different chordates it can be used to pattern different tissues within the same homologous body region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pasini
- Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille-Luminy (IBDML), UMR7288, CNRS/Université Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France.
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Natale A, Sims C, Chiusano ML, Amoroso A, D'Aniello E, Fucci L, Krumlauf R, Branno M, Locascio A. Evolution of anterior Hox regulatory elements among chordates. BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:330. [PMID: 22085760 PMCID: PMC3227721 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2011] [Accepted: 11/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Hox family of transcription factors has a fundamental role in segmentation pathways and axial patterning of embryonic development and their clustered organization is linked with the regulatory mechanisms governing their coordinated expression along embryonic axes. Among chordates, of particular interest are the Hox paralogous genes in groups 1-4 since their expression is coupled to the control of regional identity in the anterior nervous system, where the highest structural diversity is observed. Results To investigate the degree of conservation in cis-regulatory components that form the basis of Hox expression in the anterior nervous system, we have used assays for transcriptional activity in ascidians and vertebrates to compare and contrast regulatory potential. We identified four regulatory sequences located near the CiHox1, CiHox2 and CiHox4 genes of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis which direct neural specific domains of expression. Using functional assays in Ciona and vertebrate embryos in combination with sequence analyses of enhancer fragments located in similar positions adjacent to Hox paralogy group genes, we compared the activity of these four Ciona cis-elements with a series of neural specific enhancers from the amphioxus Hox1-3 genes and from mouse Hox paralogous groups 1-4. Conclusions This analysis revealed that Kreisler and Krox20 dependent enhancers critical in segmental regulation of the hindbrain appear to be specific for the vertebrate lineage. In contrast, neural enhancers that function as Hox response elements through the action of Hox/Pbx binding motifs have been conserved during chordate evolution. The functional assays reveal that these Hox response cis-elements are recognized by the regulatory components of different and extant species. Together, our results indicate that during chordate evolution, cis-elements dependent upon Hox/Pbx regulatory complexes, are responsible for key aspects of segmental Hox expression in neural tissue and appeared with urochordates after cephalochordate divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Natale
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
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Chavali S, Morais DADL, Gough J, Babu MM. Evolution of eukaryotic genome architecture: Insights from the study of a rapidly evolving metazoan, Oikopleura dioica. Bioessays 2011; 33:592-601. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Waxman JS, Yelon D. Zebrafish retinoic acid receptors function as context-dependent transcriptional activators. Dev Biol 2011; 352:128-40. [PMID: 21276787 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2009] [Revised: 01/18/2011] [Accepted: 01/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
RA receptors (RARs) have been thought to function through a binary repressor-activator mechanism: in the absence of ligand, they function as transcriptional repressors, and, in the presence of ligand, they function as transcriptional activators. This prevailing model of RAR mechanism has been derived mostly from in vitro studies and has not been widely tested in developmental contexts. Here, we investigate whether zebrafish RARs function as transcriptional activators or repressors during early embryonic anterior-posterior patterning. Ectopic expression of wild-type zebrafish RARs does not disrupt embryonic patterning and does not sensitize embryos to RA treatment, indicating that RAR availability is not limiting in the embryo. In contrast, ectopic expression of hyperactive zebrafish RARs induces expression of a RA-responsive reporter transgene as well as ectopic expression of endogenous RA-responsive target genes. However, ectopic expression of dominant negative zebrafish RARs fails to induce embryonic phenotypes that are consistent with loss of RA signaling, despite their ability to function as transcriptional repressors in heterologous cell culture assays. Together, our studies suggest that zebrafish RAR function is context-dependent and that, during early patterning, zebrafish RARs function primarily as transcriptional activators and may only have minimal ability to act as transcriptional repressors. Thus, it seems that the binary model for RAR function does not apply to all in vivo scenarios. Taking into account studies of RA signaling in tunicates and tetrapods, we propose a parsimonious model of the evolution of RAR function during chordate anterior-posterior patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S Waxman
- Developmental Genetics Program and Department of Cell Biology, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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Kugler JE, Kerner P, Bouquet JM, Jiang D, Di Gregorio A. Evolutionary changes in the notochord genetic toolkit: a comparative analysis of notochord genes in the ascidian Ciona and the larvacean Oikopleura. BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:21. [PMID: 21251251 PMCID: PMC3034685 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2010] [Accepted: 01/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The notochord is a defining feature of the chordate clade, and invertebrate chordates, such as tunicates, are uniquely suited for studies of this structure. Here we used a well-characterized set of 50 notochord genes known to be targets of the notochord-specific Brachyury transcription factor in one tunicate, Ciona intestinalis (Class Ascidiacea), to begin determining whether the same genetic toolkit is employed to build the notochord in another tunicate, Oikopleura dioica (Class Larvacea). We identified Oikopleura orthologs of the Ciona notochord genes, as well as lineage-specific duplicates for which we determined the phylogenetic relationships with related genes from other chordates, and we analyzed their expression patterns in Oikopleura embryos. Results Of the 50 Ciona notochord genes that were used as a reference, only 26 had clearly identifiable orthologs in Oikopleura. Two of these conserved genes appeared to have undergone Oikopleura- and/or tunicate-specific duplications, and one was present in three copies in Oikopleura, thus bringing the number of genes to test to 30. We were able to clone and test 28 of these genes. Thirteen of the 28 Oikopleura orthologs of Ciona notochord genes showed clear expression in all or in part of the Oikopleura notochord, seven were diffusely expressed throughout the tail, six were expressed in tissues other than the notochord, while two probes did not provide a detectable signal at any of the stages analyzed. One of the notochord genes identified, Oikopleura netrin, was found to be unevenly expressed in notochord cells, in a pattern reminiscent of that previously observed for one of the Oikopleura Hox genes. Conclusions A surprisingly high number of Ciona notochord genes do not have apparent counterparts in Oikopleura, and only a fraction of the evolutionarily conserved genes show clear notochord expression. This suggests that Ciona and Oikopleura, despite the morphological similarities of their notochords, have developed rather divergent sets of notochord genes after their split from a common tunicate ancestor. This study demonstrates that comparisons between divergent tunicates can lead to insights into the basic complement of genes sufficient for notochord development, and elucidate the constraints that control its composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie E Kugler
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Solmesky L, Lefler S, Jacob-Hirsch J, Bulvik S, Rechavi G, Weil M. Serum free cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells as a platform to characterize the effects of specific molecules. PLoS One 2010; 5. [PMID: 20844755 PMCID: PMC2937025 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2010] [Accepted: 08/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) are easily isolated from the bone marrow by adherence to plastic surfaces. These cells show self-renewal capacity and multipotency. A unique feature of hMSC is their capacity to survive without serum. Under this condition hMSC neither proliferate nor differentiate but maintain their biological properties unaffected. Therefore, this should be a perfect platform to study the biological effects of defined molecules on these human stem cells. We show that hMSC treated for five days with retinoic acid (RA) in the absence of serum undergo several transcriptional changes causing an inhibition of ERK related pathways. We found that RA induces the loss of hMSC properties such as differentiation potential to either osteoblasts or adipocytes. We also found that RA inhibits cell cycle progression in the presence of proliferating signals such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) combined with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). In the same manner, RA showed to cause a reduction in cell adhesion and cell migration. In contrast to these results, the addition of EGF+bFGF to serum free cultures was enough to upregulate ERK activity and induce hMSC proliferation and cell migration. Furthermore, the addition of these factors to differentiation specific media instead of serum was enough to induce either osteogenesis or adipogenesis. Altogether, our results show that hMSC's ability to survive without serum enables the identification of signaling factors and pathways that are involved in their stem cell biological characteristics without possible serum interferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Solmesky
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sharon Lefler
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Shlomo Bulvik
- Hematology Department, Laniado Hospital, Netanya, Israel
| | - Gideon Rechavi
- Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Miguel Weil
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail:
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Tsagkogeorga G, Turon X, Galtier N, Douzery EJP, Delsuc F. Accelerated evolutionary rate of housekeeping genes in tunicates. J Mol Evol 2010; 71:153-67. [PMID: 20697701 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-010-9372-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2010] [Accepted: 07/16/2010] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Phylogenomics has recently revealed that tunicates represent the sister-group of vertebrates in the newly defined clade Olfactores. However, phylogenomic and comparative genomic studies have also suggested that tunicates are characterized by an elevated rate of molecular evolution and a high degree of genomic divergence. Despite the recurrent interest in the group, the picture of tunicate peculiar evolutionary dynamics is still fragmentary, as it mainly lies in studies focusing on only a few model species. In order to expand the available genomic data for the group, we used the high-throughput 454 technology to sequence the partial transcriptome of a previously unsampled tunicate, Microcosmus squamiger. This allowed us to get further insights into tunicate-accelerated evolution through a comparative analysis based on pertinent phylogenetic markers, i.e., a core of 35 housekeeping genes conserved across bilaterians. Our results showed that tunicates evolved on average about two times faster than the other chordates, yet the degree of this acceleration varied extensively upon genes and upon lineages. Appendicularia and Aplousobranchia were detected as the most divergent groups which were also characterized by highly heterogeneous substitution rates across genes. Finally, an estimation of the d (N)/d (S) ratio in three pairs of closely related taxa within Olfactores did not reveal strong differences between the tunicate and vertebrate lineages suggesting that for this set of housekeeping genes, the accelerated evolution of tunicates is plausibly due to an elevated mutation rate rather than to particular selective effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Tsagkogeorga
- Université Montpellier 2 and CNRS, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554), CC064, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier Cedex 05, France
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36
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Cañestro C, Albalat R, Postlethwait JH. Oikopleura dioica alcohol dehydrogenase class 3 provides new insights into the evolution of retinoic acid synthesis in chordates. Zoolog Sci 2010; 27:128-33. [PMID: 20141418 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.27.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Enzymes that synthesize retinoic acid (RA) constitute the first level of regulation of RA action. In vertebrates, enzymes of the medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase (MDR-Adh) family catalyze the first step of the RA synthetic pathway by oxidizing retinol. Among MDR-Adh enzymes, Adh3 is the only member present in non-vertebrates, and whether Adh3 is actually involved in RA biosynthesis remains uncertain. Here, we investigate the MDR-Adh family in Oikopleura dioica, a urochordate representing the sister group to vertebrates. Oikopleura is of special interest because it has lost the classical RA role in development, which relaxed evolutionary constraints to preserve the RA-genetic machinery, leading to the loss of RA-system components. The hypothesis that Adh3 plays a role in RA synthesis predicts that the relaxation of selection in Oikopleura should have led to the loss of Adh3, or changes in residues related to retinol oxidation. The hypothesis also predicts changes in the expression pattern of Oikopleura Adh3 compared to other chordates that preserved RA-signaling. Our results, however, revealed the presence of a highly conserved Adh3 gene in Oikopleura, with no significant changes in functional residues. Our results also revealed that the Oikopleura Adh3 expression remains unchanged in comparison to other non-vertebrate chordates, restricted to specific compartments of the digestive system. Because Adh3 has been highly conserved in an animal that has dismantled the RA system, we conclude that Adh3 preservation is not due to a conserved role in RA synthesis. Thereby, if Adh3 plays a role in RA synthesis in vertebrates, it might be a lineage-specific neofunctionalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Cañestro
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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37
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Retinoic acid signaling targets Hox genes during the amphioxus gastrula stage: Insights into early anterior–posterior patterning of the chordate body plan. Dev Biol 2010; 338:98-106. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2009] [Revised: 11/06/2009] [Accepted: 11/06/2009] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Kanda M, Wada H, Fujiwara S. Epidermal expression of Hox1 is directly activated by retinoic acid in the Ciona intestinalis embryo. Dev Biol 2009; 335:454-63. [PMID: 19782671 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2009] [Revised: 09/01/2009] [Accepted: 09/18/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Hox genes play important roles in the specification of spatial identity during development of vertebrate embryos. Retinoic acid regulates the transcription of Hox genes in vertebrates. We identified an epidermal enhancer in the 5' flanking region of an ortholog of Hox1 (Ci-Hox1) in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. This enhancer element drives the transcription of a lacZ reporter gene in the epidermis in the posterior trunk and the anterior tail region of tailbud-stage embryos. Inhibition of retinoic acid synthesis resulted in inactivation of the expression of the reporter gene. The enhancer contains a putative retinoic acid response element. When this element was mutagenized, the expression of the reporter gene disappeared from the epidermis. This sequence was also required for the response to exogenously administered retinoic acid. A heterodimeric nuclear receptor, consisting of the retinoic acid receptor and retinoid X receptor, bound to this sequence. These results indicate that retinoic acid directly activates the epidermal enhancer of Ci-Hox1. This is the first demonstration that retinoic acid is necessary for endogenous gene expression in ascidian embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miyuki Kanda
- Department of Applied Science, Kochi University, Akebono-cho, Kochi-shi, Japan.
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Consequences of lineage-specific gene loss on functional evolution of surviving paralogs: ALDH1A and retinoic acid signaling in vertebrate genomes. PLoS Genet 2009; 5:e1000496. [PMID: 19478994 PMCID: PMC2682703 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2009] [Accepted: 04/27/2009] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome duplications increase genetic diversity and may facilitate the evolution of gene subfunctions. Little attention, however, has focused on the evolutionary impact of lineage-specific gene loss. Here, we show that identifying lineage-specific gene loss after genome duplication is important for understanding the evolution of gene subfunctions in surviving paralogs and for improving functional connectivity among human and model organism genomes. We examine the general principles of gene loss following duplication, coupled with expression analysis of the retinaldehyde dehydrogenase Aldh1a gene family during retinoic acid signaling in eye development as a case study. Humans have three ALDH1A genes, but teleosts have just one or two. We used comparative genomics and conserved syntenies to identify loss of ohnologs (paralogs derived from genome duplication) and to clarify uncertain phylogenies. Analysis showed that Aldh1a1 and Aldh1a2 form a clade that is sister to Aldh1a3-related genes. Genome comparisons showed secondarily loss of aldh1a1 in teleosts, revealing that Aldh1a1 is not a tetrapod innovation and that aldh1a3 was recently lost in medaka, making it the first known vertebrate with a single aldh1a gene. Interestingly, results revealed asymmetric distribution of surviving ohnologs between co-orthologous teleost chromosome segments, suggesting that local genome architecture can influence ohnolog survival. We propose a model that reconstructs the chromosomal history of the Aldh1a family in the ancestral vertebrate genome, coupled with the evolution of gene functions in surviving Aldh1a ohnologs after R1, R2, and R3 genome duplications. Results provide evidence for early subfunctionalization and late subfunction-partitioning and suggest a mechanistic model based on altered regulation leading to heterochronic gene expression to explain the acquisition or modification of subfunctions by surviving ohnologs that preserve unaltered ancestral developmental programs in the face of gene loss.
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Delsuc F, Tsagkogeorga G, Lartillot N, Philippe H. Additional molecular support for the new chordate phylogeny. Genesis 2008; 46:592-604. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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42
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Campo-Paysaa F, Marlétaz F, Laudet V, Schubert M. Retinoic acid signaling in development: Tissue-specific functions and evolutionary origins. Genesis 2008; 46:640-56. [PMID: 19003929 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Florent Campo-Paysaa
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, CNRS UMR5242-INRA 1288-ENS-UCBL, IFR128 BioSciences Lyon-Gerland, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France
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44
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Hall BK. Evolutionary Origins of the Neural Crest and Neural Crest Cells. Evol Biol 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-008-9033-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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45
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Albalat R, Cañestro C. Identification of Aldh1a, Cyp26 and RAR orthologs in protostomes pushes back the retinoic acid genetic machinery in evolutionary time to the bilaterian ancestor. Chem Biol Interact 2008; 178:188-96. [PMID: 18926806 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2008.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2008] [Revised: 09/05/2008] [Accepted: 09/09/2008] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, retinoic acid (RA) is an important morphogenetic signal that controls embryonic development, as well as organ homeostasis in adults. RA action depends on the function of the RA-genetic machinery, which includes a metabolic module and a signaling module. The metabolic module regulates the spatiotemporal distribution of RA by the combined action of the RA-synthesizing Aldh1a enzymes, and the RA-degrading Cyp26 enzymes. The signaling module includes members of the nuclear hormone receptors family RAR and RXR, and controls the transcriptional state of RA-target genes. RA-signaling has been described primarily in chordates, but the recent finding of elements of the RA-genetic machinery in non-chordate deuterostomes has changed our perspective on the evolutionary origin of this morphogenetic signal, challenging previous assumptions that related the invention of the RA-genetic machinery with the origin of the chordate body plan. To illuminate the evolutionary origin of the RA machinery we have conducted an extensive survey of Aldh1a, Cyp26 and RAR orthologs in genomic databases of 13 non-deuterostome metazoans. Our results show for the first time the presence of Aldh1a, Cyp26 and RAR in protostomes, which implies that the components of the RA machinery may be ancient elements of animal genomes, already present in the last common ancestor of bilaterians. Interestingly, our data also reveal that independent losses of the RA toolkit have occurred multiple times during animal evolution, which may have been relevant for the evolution and developmental diversity of the current metazoan lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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Koop D, Holland LZ. The basal chordate amphioxus as a simple model for elucidating developmental mechanisms in vertebrates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 84:175-87. [DOI: 10.1002/bdrc.20128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Bassham S, Cañestro C, Postlethwait JH. Evolution of developmental roles of Pax2/5/8 paralogs after independent duplication in urochordate and vertebrate lineages. BMC Biol 2008; 6:35. [PMID: 18721460 PMCID: PMC2532684 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-6-35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2008] [Accepted: 08/22/2008] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Gene duplication provides opportunities for lineage diversification and evolution of developmental novelties. Duplicated genes generally either disappear by accumulation of mutations (nonfunctionalization), or are preserved either by the origin of positively selected functions in one or both duplicates (neofunctionalization), or by the partitioning of original gene subfunctions between the duplicates (subfunctionalization). The Pax2/5/8 family of important developmental regulators has undergone parallel expansion among chordate groups. After the divergence of urochordate and vertebrate lineages, two rounds of independent gene duplications resulted in the Pax2, Pax5, and Pax8 genes of most vertebrates (the sister group of the urochordates), and an additional duplication provided the pax2a and pax2b duplicates in teleost fish. Separate from the vertebrate genome expansions, a duplication also created two Pax2/5/8 genes in the common ancestor of ascidian and larvacean urochordates. Results To better understand mechanisms underlying the evolution of duplicated genes, we investigated, in the larvacean urochordate Oikopleura dioica, the embryonic gene expression patterns of Pax2/5/8 paralogs. We compared the larvacean and ascidian expression patterns to infer modular subfunctions present in the single pre-duplication Pax2/5/8 gene of stem urochordates, and we compared vertebrate and urochordate expression to infer the suite of Pax2/5/8 gene subfunctions in the common ancestor of olfactores (vertebrates + urochordates). Expression pattern differences of larvacean and ascidian Pax2/5/8 orthologs in the endostyle, pharynx and hindgut suggest that some ancestral gene functions have been partitioned differently to the duplicates in the two urochordate lineages. Novel expression in the larvacean heart may have resulted from the neofunctionalization of a Pax2/5/8 gene in the urochordates. Expression of larvacean Pax2/5/8 in the endostyle, in sites of epithelial remodeling, and in sensory tissues evokes like functions of Pax2, Pax5 and Pax8 in vertebrate embryos, and may indicate ancient origins for these functions in the chordate common ancestor. Conclusion Comparative analysis of expression patterns of chordate Pax2/5/8 duplicates, rooted on the single-copy Pax2/5/8 gene of amphioxus, whose lineage diverged basally among chordates, provides new insights into the evolution and development of the heart, thyroid, pharynx, stomodeum and placodes in chordates; supports the controversial conclusion that the atrial siphon of ascidians and the otic placode in vertebrates are homologous; and backs the notion that Pax2/5/8 functioned in ancestral chordates to engineer epithelial fusions and perforations, including gill slit openings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Bassham
- Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
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Shan ZY, Shen JL, Li QM, Wang Y, Huang XY, Guo TY, Liu HW, Lei L, Jin LH. pCREB is involved in neural induction of mouse embryonic stem cells by RA. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2008; 291:519-26. [PMID: 18383274 DOI: 10.1002/ar.20686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells can be induced by various chemicals to differentiate into a variety of cell types in vitro. In our study, retinoic acid (RA), one of the most important inducers, used at a concentration of 5 microM, was found to induce the differentiation of ES cells into neural progenitor cells (NPCs). During embryoid body (EB) differentiation, the level of active cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) was relatively high when 5 microM RA treatment was performed. Inhibition of CREB activity committed EBs to becoming other germ layers, whereas increased expression of CREB enhanced NPC differentiation. Moreover, RA increased the expression of active CREB by enhancing the activity of JNK. Our research suggests that CREB plays a role in RA-induced NPC differentiation by increasing the expression of active JNK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Yan Shan
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Harbin Medical University, China
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Nishida H. Development of the appendicularian Oikopleura dioica: Culture, genome, and cell lineages. Dev Growth Differ 2008; 50 Suppl 1:S239-56. [PMID: 18494706 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-169x.2008.01035.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Nishida
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan.
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Sardet C, Swalla BJ, Satoh N, Sasakura Y, Branno M, Thompson EM, Levine M, Nishida H. Euro chordates: Ascidian community swims ahead. The 4th International Tunicate meeting in Villefranche sur Mer. Dev Dyn 2008; 237:1207-13. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.21487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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