1
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Kingsley EP, Hager ER, Lassance JM, Turner KM, Harringmeyer OS, Kirby C, Neugeboren BI, Hoekstra HE. Adaptive tail-length evolution in deer mice is associated with differential Hoxd13 expression in early development. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:791-805. [PMID: 38378804 PMCID: PMC11009118 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02346-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Variation in the size and number of axial segments underlies much of the diversity in animal body plans. Here we investigate the evolutionary, genetic and developmental mechanisms driving tail-length differences between forest and prairie ecotypes of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We first show that long-tailed forest mice perform better in an arboreal locomotion assay, consistent with tails being important for balance during climbing. We then identify six genomic regions that contribute to differences in tail length, three of which associate with caudal vertebra length and the other three with vertebra number. For all six loci, the forest allele increases tail length, indicative of the cumulative effect of natural selection. Two of the genomic regions associated with variation in vertebra number contain Hox gene clusters. Of those, we find an allele-specific decrease in Hoxd13 expression in the embryonic tail bud of long-tailed forest mice, consistent with its role in axial elongation. Additionally, we find that forest embryos have more presomitic mesoderm than prairie embryos and that this correlates with an increase in the number of neuromesodermal progenitors, which are modulated by Hox13 paralogues. Together, these results suggest a role for Hoxd13 in the development of natural variation in adaptive morphology on a microevolutionary timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan P Kingsley
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Emily R Hager
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jean-Marc Lassance
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- GIGA Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Kyle M Turner
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Olivia S Harringmeyer
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christopher Kirby
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Beverly I Neugeboren
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Environmental Health and Safety, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hopi E Hoekstra
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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2
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Hintermann A, Bolt CC, Hawkins MB, Valentin G, Lopez-Delisle L, Gitto S, Gómez PB, Mascrez B, Mansour TA, Nakamura T, Harris MP, Shubin NH, Duboule D. EVOLUTIONARY CO-OPTION OF AN ANCESTRAL CLOACAL REGULATORY LANDSCAPE DURING THE EMERGENCE OF DIGITS AND GENITALS. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.24.586442. [PMID: 38585989 PMCID: PMC10996561 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.24.586442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The transition from fins to limbs has been a rich source of discussion for more than a century. One open and important issue is understanding how the mechanisms that pattern digits arose during vertebrate evolution. In this context, the analysis of Hox gene expression and functions to infer evolutionary scenarios has been a productive approach to explain the changes in organ formation, particularly in limbs. In tetrapods, the transcription of Hoxd genes in developing digits depends on a well-characterized set of enhancers forming a large regulatory landscape1,2. This control system has a syntenic counterpart in zebrafish, even though they lack bona fide digits, suggestive of deep homology3 between distal fin and limb developmental mechanisms. We tested the global function of this landscape to assess ancestry and source of limb and fin variation. In contrast to results in mice, we show here that the deletion of the homologous control region in zebrafish has a limited effect on the transcription of hoxd genes during fin development. However, it fully abrogates hoxd expression within the developing cloaca, an ancestral structure related to the mammalian urogenital sinus. We show that similar to the limb, Hoxd gene function in the urogenital sinus of the mouse also depends on enhancers located in this same genomic domain. Thus, we conclude that the current regulation underlying Hoxd gene expression in distal limbs was co-opted in tetrapods from a preexisting cloacal program. The orthologous chromatin domain in fishes may illustrate a rudimentary or partial step in this evolutionary co-option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Hintermann
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 30 quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christopher Chase Bolt
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - M. Brent Hawkins
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Department of Orthopedic Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Guillaume Valentin
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 30 quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Paula Barrera Gómez
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 30 quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Tetsuya Nakamura
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Matthew P. Harris
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Department of Orthopedic Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Neil H. Shubin
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 30 quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology CIRB, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
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3
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Wei M, Qin Z, Kong D, Liu D, Zheng Q, Bai S, Zhang Z, Ma Y. Echiuran Hox genes provide new insights into the correspondence between Hox subcluster organization and collinearity pattern. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220705. [PMID: 36264643 PMCID: PMC9449475 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In many bilaterians, Hox genes are generally clustered along the chromosomes and expressed in spatial and temporal order. In vertebrates, the expression of Hox genes follows a whole-cluster spatio-temporal collinearity (WSTC) pattern, whereas in some invertebrates the expression of Hox genes exhibits a subcluster-level spatio-temporal collinearity pattern. In bilaterians, the diversity of collinearity patterns and the cause of collinearity differences in Hox gene expression remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate genomic organization and expression pattern of Hox genes in the echiuran worm Urechis unicinctus (Annelida, Echiura). Urechis unicinctus has a split cluster with four subclusters divided by non-Hox genes: first subcluster (Hox1 and Hox2), second subcluster (Hox3), third subcluster (Hox4, Hox5, Lox5, Antp and Lox4), fourth subcluster (Lox2 and Post2). The expression of U. unicinctus Hox genes shows a subcluster-based whole-cluster spatio-temporal collinearity (S-WSTC) pattern: the anterior-most genes in each subcluster are activated in a spatially and temporally colinear manner (reminiscent of WSTC), with the subsequent genes in each subcluster then being very similar to their respective anterior-most subcluster gene. Combining genomic organization and expression profiles of Hox genes in different invertebrate lineages, we propose that the spatio-temporal collinearity of invertebrate Hox is subcluster-based.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maokai Wei
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenkui Qin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Dexu Kong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Danwen Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiaojun Zheng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Shumiao Bai
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhifeng Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya 572000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yubin Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, People's Republic of China
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4
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Bolt CC, Lopez-Delisle L, Mascrez B, Duboule D. Mesomelic dysplasias associated with the HOXD locus are caused by regulatory reallocations. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5013. [PMID: 34408147 PMCID: PMC8373931 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25330-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human families with chromosomal rearrangements at 2q31, where the human HOXD locus maps, display mesomelic dysplasia, a severe shortening and bending of the limb. In mice, the dominant Ulnaless inversion of the HoxD cluster produces a similar phenotype suggesting the same origin for these malformations in humans and mice. Here we engineer 1 Mb inversion including the HoxD gene cluster, which positioned Hoxd13 close to proximal limb enhancers. Using this model, we show that these enhancers contact and activate Hoxd13 in proximal cells, inducing the formation of mesomelic dysplasia. We show that a secondary Hoxd13 null mutation in-cis with the inversion completely rescues the alterations, demonstrating that ectopic HOXD13 is directly responsible for this bone anomaly. Single-cell expression analysis and evaluation of HOXD13 binding sites suggests that the phenotype arises primarily by acting through genes normally controlled by HOXD13 in distal limb cells. Altogether, these results provide a conceptual and mechanistic framework to understand and unify the molecular origins of human mesomelic dysplasia associated with 2q31.
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MESH Headings
- Abnormalities, Multiple/embryology
- Abnormalities, Multiple/genetics
- Abnormalities, Multiple/metabolism
- Animals
- Bone Diseases, Developmental/embryology
- Bone Diseases, Developmental/genetics
- Bone Diseases, Developmental/metabolism
- Disease Models, Animal
- Female
- Gene Deletion
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism
- Humans
- Limb Deformities, Congenital/embryology
- Limb Deformities, Congenital/genetics
- Limb Deformities, Congenital/metabolism
- Loss of Function Mutation
- Male
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Multigene Family
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Chase Bolt
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Collège de France, Paris, France.
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5
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Beccari L, Jaquier G, Lopez-Delisle L, Rodriguez-Carballo E, Mascrez B, Gitto S, Woltering J, Duboule D. Dbx2 regulation in limbs suggests interTAD sharing of enhancers. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1280-1299. [PMID: 33497014 PMCID: PMC8451760 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During tetrapod limb development, the HOXA13 and HOXD13 transcription factors are critical for the emergence and organization of the autopod, the most distal aspect where digits will develop. Since previous work had suggested that the Dbx2 gene is a target of these factors, we set up to analyze in detail this potential regulatory interaction. RESULTS We show that HOX13 proteins bind to mammalian-specific sequences at the vicinity of the Dbx2 locus that have enhancer activity in developing digits. However, the functional inactivation of the DBX2 protein did not elicit any particular phenotype related to Hox genes inactivation in digits, suggesting either redundant or compensatory mechanisms. We report that the neighboring Nell2 and Ano6 genes are also expressed in distal limb buds and are in part controlled by the same Dbx2 enhancers despite being localized into two different topologically associating domains (TADs) flanking the Dbx2 locus. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that Hoxa13 and Hoxd genes cooperatively activate Dbx2 expression in developing digits through binding to mammalian specific regulatory sequences in the Dbx2 neighborhood. Furthermore, these enhancers can overcome TAD boundaries in either direction to co-regulate a set of genes located in distinct chromatin domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institut NeuroMyoGène, CNRS UMR 5310, INSERM U1217, University Claude Bernard Lyon1, Lyon, France
| | - Gabriel Jaquier
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Eddie Rodriguez-Carballo
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Joost Woltering
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Life Sciences, Federal School of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Collège de France, Paris, France
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6
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Lewis EMA, Sankar S, Tong C, Patterson ES, Waller LE, Gontarz P, Zhang B, Ornitz DM, Kroll KL. Geminin is required for Hox gene regulation to pattern the developing limb. Dev Biol 2020; 464:11-23. [PMID: 32450229 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Development of the complex structure of the vertebrate limb requires carefully orchestrated interactions between multiple regulatory pathways and proteins. Among these, precise regulation of 5' Hox transcription factor expression is essential for proper limb bud patterning and elaboration of distinct limb skeletal elements. Here, we identified Geminin (Gmnn) as a novel regulator of this process. A conditional model of Gmnn deficiency resulted in loss or severe reduction of forelimb skeletal elements, while both the forelimb autopod and hindlimb were unaffected. 5' Hox gene expression expanded into more proximal and anterior regions of the embryonic forelimb buds in this Gmnn-deficient model. A second conditional model of Gmnn deficiency instead caused a similar but less severe reduction of hindlimb skeletal elements and hindlimb polydactyly, while not affecting the forelimb. An ectopic posterior SHH signaling center was evident in the anterior hindlimb bud of Gmnn-deficient embryos in this model. This center ectopically expressed Hoxd13, the HOXD13 target Shh, and the SHH target Ptch1, while these mutant hindlimb buds also had reduced levels of the cleaved, repressor form of GLI3, a SHH pathway antagonist. Together, this work delineates a new role for Gmnn in modulating Hox expression to pattern the vertebrate limb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M A Lewis
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Savita Sankar
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Caili Tong
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ethan S Patterson
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Laura E Waller
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Paul Gontarz
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - David M Ornitz
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Kristen L Kroll
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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7
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Amândio AR, Lopez-Delisle L, Bolt CC, Mascrez B, Duboule D. A complex regulatory landscape involved in the development of mammalian external genitals. eLife 2020; 9:e52962. [PMID: 32301703 PMCID: PMC7185996 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental genes are often controlled by large regulatory landscapes matching topologically associating domains (TADs). In various contexts, the associated chromatin backbone is modified by specific enhancer-enhancer and enhancer-promoter interactions. We used a TAD flanking the mouse HoxD cluster to study how these regulatory architectures are formed and deconstructed once their function achieved. We describe this TAD as a functional unit, with several regulatory sequences acting together to elicit a transcriptional response. With one exception, deletion of these sequences didn't modify the transcriptional outcome, a result at odds with a conventional view of enhancer function. The deletion and inversion of a CTCF site located near these regulatory sequences did not affect transcription of the target gene. Slight modifications were nevertheless observed, in agreement with the loop extrusion model. We discuss these unexpected results considering both conventional and alternative explanations relying on the accumulation of poorly specific factors within the TAD backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Amândio
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Christopher Chase Bolt
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
- Collège de FranceParisFrance
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8
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Yang Z, Zhang L, Hu J, Wang J, Bao Z, Wang S. The evo-devo of molluscs: Insights from a genomic perspective. Evol Dev 2020; 22:409-424. [PMID: 32291964 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Molluscs represent one of ancient and evolutionarily most successful groups of marine invertebrates, with a tremendous diversity of morphology, behavior, and lifestyle. Molluscs are excellent subjects for evo-devo studies; however, understanding of the evo-devo of molluscs has been largely hampered by incomplete fossil records and limited molecular data. Recent advancement of genomics and other technologies has greatly fueled the molluscan "evo-devo" field, and decoding of several molluscan genomes provides unprecedented insights into molluscan biology and evolution. Here, we review the recent progress of molluscan genome sequencing as well as novel insights gained from their genomes, by emphasizing how molluscan genomics enhances our understanding of the evo-devo of molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Jingjie Hu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Jing Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhenmin Bao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Shi Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,The Sars-Fang Centre, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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9
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Grall E, Tschopp P. A sense of place, many times over ‐ pattern formation and evolution of repetitive morphological structures. Dev Dyn 2019; 249:313-327. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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10
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Wang D, Horton JR, Zheng Y, Blumenthal RM, Zhang X, Cheng X. Role for first zinc finger of WT1 in DNA sequence specificity: Denys-Drash syndrome-associated WT1 mutant in ZF1 enhances affinity for a subset of WT1 binding sites. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:3864-3877. [PMID: 29294058 PMCID: PMC5934627 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx1274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Wilms tumor protein (WT1) is a Cys2-His2 zinc-finger transcription factor vital for embryonic development of the genitourinary system. The protein contains a C-terminal DNA binding domain with four tandem zinc-fingers (ZF1-4). An alternative splicing of Wt1 can add three additional amino acids-lysine (K), threonine (T) and serine (S)-between ZF3 and ZF4. In the -KTS isoform, ZF2-4 determine the sequence-specificity of DNA binding, whereas the function of ZF1 remains elusive. Three X-ray structures are described here for wild-type -KTS isoform ZF1-4 in complex with its cognate DNA sequence. We observed four unique ZF1 conformations. First, like ZF2-4, ZF1 can be positioned continuously in the DNA major groove forming a 'near-cognate' complex. Second, while ZF2-4 make base-specific interactions with one DNA molecule, ZF1 can interact with a second DNA molecule (or, presumably, two regions of the same DNA molecule). Third, ZF1 can intercalate at the joint of two tail-to-head DNA molecules. If such intercalation occurs on a continuous DNA molecule, it would kink the DNA at the ZF1 binding site. Fourth, two ZF1 units can dimerize. Furthermore, we examined a Denys-Drash syndrome-associated ZF1 mutation (methionine at position 342 is replaced by arginine). This mutation enhances WT1 affinity for a guanine base. X-ray crystallography of the mutant in complex with its preferred sequence revealed the interactions responsible for this affinity change. These results provide insight into the mechanisms of action of WT1, and clarify the fact that ZF1 plays a role in determining sequence specificity of this critical transcription factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxue Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - John R Horton
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yu Zheng
- RGENE, Inc., 953 Indiana Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA
| | - Robert M Blumenthal
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, and Program in Bioinformatics, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Xing Zhang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xiaodong Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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11
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Rodríguez-Carballo E, Lopez-Delisle L, Yakushiji-Kaminatsui N, Ullate-Agote A, Duboule D. Impact of genome architecture on the functional activation and repression of Hox regulatory landscapes. BMC Biol 2019; 17:55. [PMID: 31299961 PMCID: PMC6626364 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-019-0677-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The spatial organization of the mammalian genome relies upon the formation of chromatin domains of various scales. At the level of gene regulation in cis, collections of enhancer sequences define large regulatory landscapes that usually match with the presence of topologically associating domains (TADs). These domains often contain ranges of enhancers displaying similar or related tissue specificity, suggesting that in some cases, such domains may act as coherent regulatory units, with a global on or off state. By using the HoxD gene cluster, which specifies the topology of the developing limbs via highly orchestrated regulation of gene expression, as a paradigm, we investigated how the arrangement of regulatory domains determines their activity and function. RESULTS Proximal and distal cells in the developing limb express different levels of Hoxd genes, regulated by flanking 3' and 5' TADs, respectively. We characterized the effect of large genomic rearrangements affecting these two TADs, including their fusion into a single chromatin domain. We show that, within a single hybrid TAD, the activation of both proximal and distal limb enhancers globally occurred as when both TADs are intact. However, the activity of the 3' TAD in distal cells is generally increased in the fused TAD, when compared to wild type where it is silenced. Also, target gene activity in distal cells depends on whether or not these genes had previously responded to proximal enhancers, which determines the presence or absence of H3K27me3 marks. We also show that the polycomb repressive complex 2 is mainly recruited at the Hox gene cluster and can extend its coverage to far-cis regulatory sequences as long as confined to the neighboring TAD structure. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that antagonistic limb proximal and distal enhancers can exert their specific effects when positioned into the same TAD and in the absence of their genuine target genes. We also conclude that removing these target genes reduced the coverage of a regulatory landscape by chromatin marks associated with silencing, which correlates with its prolonged activity in time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eddie Rodríguez-Carballo
- Laboratory of Developmental Genomics, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nayuta Yakushiji-Kaminatsui
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Present Address: Laboratory for Developmental Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohoma, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Asier Ullate-Agote
- Laboratory of Artificial and Natural Evolution, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- Laboratory of Developmental Genomics, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland.
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Collège de France, 75005, Paris, France.
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12
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Abstract
Vertebrate Hox genes are clustered. This organization has a functional relevance, as the transcription of each gene in time and space depends upon its relative position within the gene cluster. Hox clusters display a high organization, and all genes are transcribed from the same DNA strand. Here, we investigate the importance of this uniform transcriptional polarity by engineering alleles where one or several transcription units are inverted, with or without a CTCF site. We observe that inversions are likely detrimental to the proper implementation of this genetic system. We propose that the enhanced organization of Hox clusters in vertebrates evolved in conjunction with the emergence of global gene regulation to optimize a coordinated response of selected subsets of target genes. In many animal species with a bilateral symmetry, Hox genes are clustered either at one or at several genomic loci. This organization has a functional relevance, as the transcriptional control applied to each gene depends upon its relative position within the gene cluster. It was previously noted that vertebrate Hox clusters display a much higher level of genomic organization than their invertebrate counterparts. The former are always more compact than the latter, they are generally devoid of repeats and of interspersed genes, and all genes are transcribed by the same DNA strand, suggesting that particular factors constrained these clusters toward a tighter structure during the evolution of the vertebrate lineage. Here, we investigate the importance of uniform transcriptional orientation by engineering several alleles within the HoxD cluster, such as to invert one or several transcription units, with or without a neighboring CTCF site. We observe that the association between the tight structure of mammalian Hox clusters and their regulation makes inversions likely detrimental to the proper implementation of this complex genetic system. We propose that the consolidation of Hox clusters in vertebrates, including transcriptional polarity, evolved in conjunction with the emergence of global gene regulation via the flanking regulatory landscapes, to optimize a coordinated response of selected subsets of target genes in cis.
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13
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Yakushiji-Kaminatsui N, Lopez-Delisle L, Bolt CC, Andrey G, Beccari L, Duboule D. Similarities and differences in the regulation of HoxD genes during chick and mouse limb development. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e3000004. [PMID: 30475793 PMCID: PMC6283595 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In all tetrapods examined thus far, the development and patterning of limbs require the activation of gene members of the HoxD cluster. In mammals, they are regulated by a complex bimodal process that controls first the proximal patterning and then the distal structure. During the shift from the former to the latter regulation, this bimodal regulatory mechanism allows the production of a domain with low Hoxd gene expression, at which both telomeric (T-DOM) and centromeric regulatory domains (C-DOM) are silent. These cells generate the future wrist and ankle articulations. We analyzed the implementation of this regulatory mechanism in chicken, i.e., in an animal for which large morphological differences exist between fore- and hindlimbs. We report that although this bimodal regulation is globally conserved between the mouse and the chick, some important modifications evolved at least between these two model systems, in particular regarding the activity of specific enhancers, the width of the TAD boundary separating the two regulations, and the comparison between the forelimb versus hindlimb regulatory controls. At least one aspect of these regulations seems to be more conserved between chick and bats than with mouse, which may relate to the extent to which forelimbs and hindlimbs of these various animals differ in their morphologies. A comparison of Hox gene regulation during the development of limbs in birds and mammals reveals that whereas the characteristic bimodal regulatory system, based on large chromatin domains, is largely conserved between these morphologically distinct structures, some differences are revealed in the way this is implemented in various vertebrates. The shapes of limbs vary greatly among tetrapod species, even between the forelimbs and hindlimbs of the same animal. Hox genes regulate the proper growth and patterning of tetrapod limbs. In order to evaluate whether variations in the complex regulation of a cluster of Hox genes—the Hoxd genes—during limb development contribute to the differences in limb shape, we compared their transcriptional control during limb bud development in the forelimbs and hindlimbs of mouse and chicken embryos. We found that the regulatory mechanism underlying Hoxd gene expression is highly conserved, but some clear differences exist. For instance, we observed a variation in the topologically associating domain (TAD; a self-interacting genomic region) boundary interval between the mouse and the chick, as well as differences in the activity of a conserved enhancer element situated within the telomeric regulatory domain. In contrast to the mouse, the chicken enhancer has a stronger activity in the forelimb buds than in the hindlimb buds, which is correlated with the striking differences in the mRNA levels of the genes. We conclude that differences in both the timing and duration of TAD activities and in the width of their boundary may parallel the important decrease in Hoxd gene transcription in chick hindlimb buds versus forelimb buds. These differences may also account for the slightly distinct regulatory strategies implemented by mammals and birds at this locus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christopher Chase Bolt
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Andrey
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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14
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Li Y, Wang R, Xun X, Wang J, Bao L, Thimmappa R, Ding J, Jiang J, Zhang L, Li T, Lv J, Mu C, Hu X, Zhang L, Liu J, Li Y, Yao L, Jiao W, Wang Y, Lian S, Zhao Z, Zhan Y, Huang X, Liao H, Wang J, Sun H, Mi X, Xia Y, Xing Q, Lu W, Osbourn A, Zhou Z, Chang Y, Bao Z, Wang S. Sea cucumber genome provides insights into saponin biosynthesis and aestivation regulation. Cell Discov 2018; 4:29. [PMID: 29951224 PMCID: PMC6018497 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-018-0030-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Revised: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Echinoderms exhibit several fascinating evolutionary innovations that are rarely seen in the animal kingdom, but how these animals attained such features is not well understood. Here we report the sequencing and analysis of the genome and extensive transcriptomes of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus, a species from a special echinoderm group with extraordinary potential for saponin synthesis, aestivation and organ regeneration. The sea cucumber does not possess a reorganized Hox cluster as previously assumed for all echinoderms, and the spatial expression of Hox7 and Hox11/13b potentially guides the embryo-to-larva axial transformation. Contrary to the typical production of lanosterol in animal cholesterol synthesis, the oxidosqualene cyclase of sea cucumber produces parkeol for saponin synthesis and has "plant-like" motifs suggestive of convergent evolution. The transcriptional factors Klf2 and Egr1 are identified as key regulators of aestivation, probably exerting their effects through a clock gene-controlled process. Intestinal hypometabolism during aestivation is driven by the DNA hypermethylation of various metabolic gene pathways, whereas the transcriptional network of intestine regeneration involves diverse signaling pathways, including Wnt, Hippo and FGF. Decoding the sea cucumber genome provides a new avenue for an in-depth understanding of the extraordinary features of sea cucumbers and other echinoderms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuli Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Ruijia Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Xiaogang Xun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Jing Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Lisui Bao
- The Ben May Department for Cancer Research, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 USA
| | - Ramesha Thimmappa
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH United Kingdom
| | - Jun Ding
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Jingwei Jiang
- Liaoning Key Lab of Marine Fishery Molecular Biology, Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Liheng Zhang
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Tianqi Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Jia Lv
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Chuang Mu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Xiaoli Hu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Jing Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yuqiang Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Lijie Yao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Wenqian Jiao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yangfan Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Shanshan Lian
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Zelong Zhao
- Liaoning Key Lab of Marine Fishery Molecular Biology, Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Yaoyao Zhan
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Xiaoting Huang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Huan Liao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Jia Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Hongzhen Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Xue Mi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yu Xia
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Qiang Xing
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Wei Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Anne Osbourn
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH United Kingdom
| | - Zunchun Zhou
- Liaoning Key Lab of Marine Fishery Molecular Biology, Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Yaqing Chang
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Zhenmin Bao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Shi Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
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15
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Cartier J, Smith T, Thomson JP, Rose CM, Khulan B, Heger A, Meehan RR, Drake AJ. Investigation into the role of the germline epigenome in the transmission of glucocorticoid-programmed effects across generations. Genome Biol 2018; 19:50. [PMID: 29636086 PMCID: PMC5891941 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1422-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Early life exposure to adverse environments affects cardiovascular and metabolic systems in the offspring. These programmed effects are transmissible to a second generation through both male and female lines, suggesting germline transmission. We have previously shown that prenatal overexposure to the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) in rats reduces birth weight in the first generation (F1), a phenotype which is transmitted to a second generation (F2), particularly through the male line. We hypothesize that Dex exposure affects developing germ cells, resulting in transmissible alterations in DNA methylation, histone marks and/or small RNA in the male germline. Results We profile epigenetic marks in sperm from F1 Sprague Dawley rats expressing a germ cell-specific GFP transgene following Dex or vehicle treatment of the mothers, using methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing, small RNA sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing for H3K4me3, H3K4me1, H3K27me3 and H3K9me3. Although effects on birth weight are transmitted to the F2 generation through the male line, no differences in DNA methylation, histone modifications or small RNA were detected between germ cells and sperm from Dex-exposed animals and controls. Conclusions Although the phenotype is transmitted to a second generation, we are unable to detect specific changes in DNA methylation, common histone modifications or small RNA profiles in sperm. Dex exposure is associated with more variable 5mC levels, particularly at non-promoter loci. Although this could be one mechanism contributing to the observed phenotype, other germline epigenetic modifications or non-epigenetic mechanisms may be responsible for the transmission of programmed effects across generations in this model. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13059-018-1422-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessy Cartier
- University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Thomas Smith
- MRC Computational Genomics Analysis and Training Programme, University of Oxford, MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - John P Thomson
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Catherine M Rose
- University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Batbayar Khulan
- University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Andreas Heger
- MRC Computational Genomics Analysis and Training Programme, University of Oxford, MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Richard R Meehan
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Amanda J Drake
- University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
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16
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Man J, Barnett P, Christoffels VM. Structure and function of the Nppa-Nppb cluster locus during heart development and disease. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:1435-1444. [PMID: 29302701 PMCID: PMC5852170 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-017-2737-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Atrial natriuretic factor and brain natriuretic peptide are two important biomarkers in clinical cardiology. These two natriuretic peptide hormones are encoded by the paralogous genes Nppa and Nppb, which are evolutionary conserved. Both genes are predominantly expressed by the heart muscle during the embryonic and fetal stages, and in particular Nppa expression is strongly reduced in the ventricles after birth. Upon cardiac stress, Nppa and Nppb are strongly upregulated in the ventricular myocardium. Much is known about the molecular and physiological ques inducing Nppa and Nppb expression; however, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of the Nppa-Nppb cluster in vivo has proven to be quite complex and is not well understood. In this review, we will provide recent insights into the dynamic and complex regulation of Nppa and Nppb during heart development and hypertrophy, and the association of this gene cluster with the cardiomyocyte-intrinsic program of heart regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce Man
- Department of Medical Biology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Phil Barnett
- Department of Medical Biology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent M Christoffels
- Department of Medical Biology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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17
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Rodríguez-Carballo E, Lopez-Delisle L, Zhan Y, Fabre PJ, Beccari L, El-Idrissi I, Huynh THN, Ozadam H, Dekker J, Duboule D. The HoxD cluster is a dynamic and resilient TAD boundary controlling the segregation of antagonistic regulatory landscapes. Genes Dev 2017; 31:2264-2281. [PMID: 29273679 PMCID: PMC5769770 DOI: 10.1101/gad.307769.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian HoxD cluster lies between two topologically associating domains (TADs) matching distinct enhancer-rich regulatory landscapes. During limb development, the telomeric TAD controls the early transcription of Hoxd genes in forearm cells, whereas the centromeric TAD subsequently regulates more posterior Hoxd genes in digit cells. Therefore, the TAD boundary prevents the terminal Hoxd13 gene from responding to forearm enhancers, thereby allowing proper limb patterning. To assess the nature and function of this CTCF-rich DNA region in embryos, we compared chromatin interaction profiles between proximal and distal limb bud cells isolated from mutant stocks where various parts of this boundary region were removed. The resulting progressive release in boundary effect triggered inter-TAD contacts, favored by the activity of the newly accessed enhancers. However, the boundary was highly resilient, and only a 400-kb deletion, including the whole-gene cluster, was eventually able to merge the neighboring TADs into a single structure. In this unified TAD, both proximal and distal limb enhancers nevertheless continued to work independently over a targeted transgenic reporter construct. We propose that the whole HoxD cluster is a dynamic TAD border and that the exact boundary position varies depending on both the transcriptional status and the developmental context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ye Zhan
- Program in Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA
| | - Pierre J Fabre
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Imane El-Idrissi
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thi Hanh Nguyen Huynh
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hakan Ozadam
- Program in Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA
| | - Job Dekker
- Program in Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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18
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Wang S, Zhang J, Jiao W, Li J, Xun X, Sun Y, Guo X, Huan P, Dong B, Zhang L, Hu X, Sun X, Wang J, Zhao C, Wang Y, Wang D, Huang X, Wang R, Lv J, Li Y, Zhang Z, Liu B, Lu W, Hui Y, Liang J, Zhou Z, Hou R, Li X, Liu Y, Li H, Ning X, Lin Y, Zhao L, Xing Q, Dou J, Li Y, Mao J, Guo H, Dou H, Li T, Mu C, Jiang W, Fu Q, Fu X, Miao Y, Liu J, Yu Q, Li R, Liao H, Li X, Kong Y, Jiang Z, Chourrout D, Li R, Bao Z. Scallop genome provides insights into evolution of bilaterian karyotype and development. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:120. [PMID: 28812685 PMCID: PMC10970998 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 254] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructing the genomes of bilaterian ancestors is central to our understanding of animal evolution, where knowledge from ancient and/or slow-evolving bilaterian lineages is critical. Here we report a high-quality, chromosome-anchored reference genome for the scallop Patinopecten yessoensis, a bivalve mollusc that has a slow-evolving genome with many ancestral features. Chromosome-based macrosynteny analysis reveals a striking correspondence between the 19 scallop chromosomes and the 17 presumed ancestral bilaterian linkage groups at a level of conservation previously unseen, suggesting that the scallop may have a karyotype close to that of the bilaterian ancestor. Scallop Hox gene expression follows a new mode of subcluster temporal co-linearity that is possibly ancestral and may provide great potential in supporting diverse bilaterian body plans. Transcriptome analysis of scallop mantle eyes finds unexpected diversity in phototransduction cascades and a potentially ancient Pax2/5/8-dependent pathway for noncephalic eyes. The outstanding preservation of ancestral karyotype and developmental control makes the scallop genome a valuable resource for understanding early bilaterian evolution and biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Jinbo Zhang
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Wenqian Jiao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Ji Li
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Xiaogang Xun
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Ximing Guo
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, Rutgers University, Port Norris, 08349 New Jersey USA
| | - Pin Huan
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071 China
| | - Bo Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Xiaoli Hu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Xiaoqing Sun
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Chengtian Zhao
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yangfan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Dawei Wang
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Xiaoting Huang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Ruijia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Jia Lv
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yuli Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Zhifeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Baozhong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071 China
| | - Wei Lu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yuanyuan Hui
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Jun Liang
- Dalian Zhangzidao Group Co. Ltd, Dalian, 116001 China
| | - Zunchun Zhou
- Liaoning Key Lab of Marine Fishery Molecular Biology, Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, Dalian, 116023 China
| | - Rui Hou
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Xue Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yunchao Liu
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Hengde Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China
| | - Xianhui Ning
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yu Lin
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Liang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Qiang Xing
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Jinzhuang Dou
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yangping Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Junxia Mao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Haobing Guo
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Huaiqian Dou
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Tianqi Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Chuang Mu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Wenkai Jiang
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Qiang Fu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Xiaoteng Fu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yan Miao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Jian Liu
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Qian Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Ruojiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Huan Liao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Xuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Yifan Kong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Zhi Jiang
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Daniel Chourrout
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, N-5008 Norway
| | - Ruiqiang Li
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, 100083 China
| | - Zhenmin Bao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
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19
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Saxena A, Towers M, Cooper KL. The origins, scaling and loss of tetrapod digits. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2015.0482. [PMID: 27994123 PMCID: PMC5182414 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many of the great morphologists of the nineteenth century marvelled at similarities between the limbs of diverse species, and Charles Darwin noted these homologies as significant supporting evidence for descent with modification from a common ancestor. Sir Richard Owen also took great care to highlight each of the elements of the forelimb and hindlimb in a multitude of species with focused attention on the homology between the hoof of the horse and the middle digit of man. The ensuing decades brought about a convergence of palaeontology, experimental embryology and molecular biology to lend further support to the homologies of tetrapod limbs and their developmental origins. However, for all that we now understand about the conserved mechanisms of limb development and the development of gross morphological disturbances, little of what is presented in the experimental or medical literature reflects the remarkable diversity resulting from the 450 million year experiment of natural selection. An understanding of conserved and divergent limb morphologies in this new age of genomics and genome engineering promises to reveal more of the developmental potential residing in all limbs and to unravel the mechanisms of evolutionary variation in limb size and shape. In this review, we present the current state of our rapidly advancing understanding of the evolutionary origin of hands and feet and highlight what is known about the mechanisms that shape diverse limbs.This article is part of the themed issue 'Evo-devo in the genomics era, and the origins of morphological diversity'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Saxena
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Matthew Towers
- Bateson Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Kimberly L. Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA,e-mail:
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20
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Guerreiro I, Gitto S, Novoa A, Codourey J, Nguyen Huynh TH, Gonzalez F, Milinkovitch MC, Mallo M, Duboule D. Reorganisation of Hoxd regulatory landscapes during the evolution of a snake-like body plan. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27476854 PMCID: PMC4969037 DOI: 10.7554/elife.16087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Within land vertebrate species, snakes display extreme variations in their body plan, characterized by the absence of limbs and an elongated morphology. Such a particular interpretation of the basic vertebrate body architecture has often been associated with changes in the function or regulation of Hox genes. Here, we use an interspecies comparative approach to investigate different regulatory aspects at the snake HoxD locus. We report that, unlike in other vertebrates, snake mesoderm-specific enhancers are mostly located within the HoxD cluster itself rather than outside. In addition, despite both the absence of limbs and an altered Hoxd gene regulation in external genitalia, the limb-associated bimodal HoxD chromatin structure is maintained at the snake locus. Finally, we show that snake and mouse orthologous enhancer sequences can display distinct expression specificities. These results show that vertebrate morphological evolution likely involved extensive reorganisation at Hox loci, yet within a generally conserved regulatory framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Guerreiro
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ana Novoa
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Julien Codourey
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Federico Gonzalez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Moises Mallo
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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21
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Beccari L, Yakushiji-Kaminatsui N, Woltering JM, Necsulea A, Lonfat N, Rodríguez-Carballo E, Mascrez B, Yamamoto S, Kuroiwa A, Duboule D. A role for HOX13 proteins in the regulatory switch between TADs at the HoxD locus. Genes Dev 2016; 30:1172-86. [PMID: 27198226 PMCID: PMC4888838 DOI: 10.1101/gad.281055.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
During vertebrate limb development, Hoxd genes are regulated following a bimodal strategy involving two topologically associating domains (TADs) located on either side of the gene cluster. These regulatory landscapes alternatively control different subsets of Hoxd targets, first into the arm and subsequently into the digits. We studied the transition between these two global regulations, a switch that correlates with the positioning of the wrist, which articulates these two main limb segments. We show that the HOX13 proteins themselves help switch off the telomeric TAD, likely through a global repressive mechanism. At the same time, they directly interact with distal enhancers to sustain the activity of the centromeric TAD, thus explaining both the sequential and exclusive operating processes of these two regulatory domains. We propose a model in which the activation of Hox13 gene expression in distal limb cells both interrupts the proximal Hox gene regulation and re-enforces the distal regulation. In the absence of HOX13 proteins, a proximal limb structure grows without any sign of wrist articulation, likely related to an ancestral fish-like condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | | | - Joost M Woltering
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Anamaria Necsulea
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Lonfat
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Benedicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Shiori Yamamoto
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kuroiwa
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland; School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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22
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Stachowiak MK, Stachowiak EK. Evidence-Based Theory for Integrated Genome Regulation of Ontogeny--An Unprecedented Role of Nuclear FGFR1 Signaling. J Cell Physiol 2016; 231:1199-218. [PMID: 26729628 PMCID: PMC5067692 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.25298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Genetic experiments have positioned the fgfr1 gene at the top of the gene hierarchy that governs gastrulation, as well as the subsequent development of the major body axes, nervous system, muscles, and bones, by affecting downstream genes that control the cell cycle, pluripotency, and differentiation, as well as microRNAs. Studies show that this regulation is executed by a single protein, the nuclear isoform of FGFR1 (nFGFR1), which integrates signals from development‐initiating factors, such as retinoic acid (RA), and operates at the interface of genomic and epigenomic information. nFGFR1 cooperates with a multitude of transcriptional factors (TFs), and targets thousands of genes encoding for mRNAs, as well as miRNAs in top ontogenic networks. nFGFR1 binds to the promoters of ancient proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, in addition to binding to metazoan morphogens that delineate body axes, and construct the nervous system, as well as mesodermal and endodermal tissues. The discovery of pan‐ontogenic gene programming by integrative nuclear FGFR1 signaling (INFS) impacts our understanding of ontogeny, as well as developmental pathologies, and holds new promise for reconstructive medicine, and cancer therapy. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 1199–1218, 2016. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cellular Physiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal K Stachowiak
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Western New York Stem Cells Culture and Analysis Center, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York
| | - Ewa K Stachowiak
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Western New York Stem Cells Culture and Analysis Center, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York
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23
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Nanoscale spatial organization of the HoxD gene cluster in distinct transcriptional states. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:13964-9. [PMID: 26504220 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1517972112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin condensation plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Recently, it was shown that the transcriptional activation of Hoxd genes during vertebrate digit development involves modifications in 3D interactions within and around the HoxD gene cluster. This reorganization follows a global transition from one set of regulatory contacts to another, between two topologically associating domains (TADs) located on either side of the HoxD locus. Here, we use 3D DNA FISH to assess the spatial organization of chromatin at and around the HoxD gene cluster and report that although the two TADs are tightly associated, they appear as spatially distinct units. We measured the relative position of genes within the cluster and found that they segregate over long distances, suggesting that a physical elongation of the HoxD cluster can occur. We analyzed this possibility by super-resolution imaging (STORM) and found that tissues with distinct transcriptional activity exhibit differing degrees of elongation. We also observed that the morphological change of the HoxD cluster in developing digits is associated with its position at the boundary between the two TADs. Such variations in the fine-scale architecture of the gene cluster suggest causal links among its spatial configuration, transcriptional activation, and the flanking chromatin context.
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24
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Srivastava S, Dhawan J, Mishra RK. Epigenetic mechanisms and boundaries in the regulation of mammalian Hox clusters. Mech Dev 2015; 138 Pt 2:160-169. [PMID: 26254900 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2015.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Hox gene expression imparts segment identity to body structures along the anterior-posterior axis and is tightly governed by higher order chromatin mechanisms. Chromatin regulatory features of the homeotic complex are best defined in Drosophila melanogaster, where multiple cis-regulatory elements have been identified that ensure collinear Hox gene expression patterns in accordance with their genomic organization. Recent studies focused on delineating the epigenetic features of the vertebrate Hox clusters have helped reveal their dynamic chromatin organization and its impact on gene expression. Enrichment for the 'activating' H3K4me3 and 'repressive' H3K27me3 histone modifications is a particularly strong read-out for transcriptional status and correlates well with the evidence for chromatin loop domain structures and stage specific topological changes at these loci. However, it is not clear how such distinct domains are imposed and regulated independent of each other. Comparative analysis of the chromatin structure and organization of the homeotic gene clusters in fly and mammals is increasingly revealing the functional conservation of chromatin mediated mechanisms. Here we discuss the case for interspersed boundary elements existing within mammalian Hox clusters along with their possible roles and mechanisms of action. Recent studies suggest a role for factors other than the well characterized vertebrate boundary factor CTCF, such as the GAGA binding factor (GAF), in maintaining chromatin domains at the Hox loci. We also present data demonstrating how such regulatory elements may be involved in organizing higher order structure and demarcating active domains of gene expression at the mammalian Hox clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surabhi Srivastava
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500007, India.
| | - Jyotsna Dhawan
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500007, India
| | - Rakesh K Mishra
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500007, India
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25
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Svoboda LK, Harris A, Bailey NJ, Schwentner R, Tomazou E, von Levetzow C, Magnuson B, Ljungman M, Kovar H, Lawlor ER. Overexpression of HOX genes is prevalent in Ewing sarcoma and is associated with altered epigenetic regulation of developmental transcription programs. Epigenetics 2015; 9:1613-25. [PMID: 25625846 DOI: 10.4161/15592294.2014.988048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The polycomb proteins BMI-1 and EZH2 are highly overexpressed by Ewing sarcoma (ES), a tumor of stem cell origin that is driven by EWS-ETS fusion oncogenes, most commonly EWS-FLI1. In the current study we analyzed expression of transcription programs that are controlled by polycomb proteins during embryonic development to determine if they are abnormal in ES. Our results show that polycomb target gene expression in ES deviates from normal tissues and stem cells and that, as expected, most targets are relatively repressed. However, we also discovered a paradoxical up regulation of numerous polycomb targets and these were highly enriched for homeobox (HOX) genes. Comparison of HOX profiles between malignant and non-malignant tissues revealed a distinctive HOX profile in ES, which was characterized by overexpression of posterior HOXD genes. In addition, ectopic expression of EWS-FLI1 during stem cell differentiation led to aberrant up regulation of posterior HOXD genes. Mechanistically, this up regulation was associated with altered epigenetic regulation. Specifically, ES and EWS-FLI1+ stem cells displayed a relative loss of polycomb-dependent H3K27me3 and gain of trithorax-dependent H3K4me3 at the promoters of posterior HOXD genes and also at the HOXD11.12 polycomb response element. In addition, a striking correlation was evident between HOXD13 and other genes whose regulation is coordinately regulated during embryonic development by distal enhancer elements. Together, these studies demonstrate that epigenetic regulation of polycomb target genes, in particular HOXD genes, is altered in ES and that these changes are mediated downstream of EWS-FLI1.
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Key Words
- ARMS, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
- BM-MSC, adult bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells
- ChIP, chromatin immunoprecipitation
- ChIP-seq, chromatin immunoprecipitation/high throughput sequencing
- ERMS, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma
- ES, Ewing sarcoma
- Ewing sarcoma
- GCR, global control region
- HOX
- HOX, homeobox
- MSC, mesenchymal stem cells
- NC-MSC, neural crest stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells
- NCSC, neural crest stem cells
- OS, osteosarcoma
- PCA, principal components analysis
- PRE, polycomb response element
- RT-PCR, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
- epigenetic
- hESC, human embryonic stem cells
- polycomb
- qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie K Svoboda
- a Translational Oncology Program and the Departments of Pediatric and Communicable Diseases; University of Michigan ; Ann Arbor , MI USA
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26
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Fantini S, Salsi V, Vitobello A, Rijli FM, Zappavigna V. MicroRNA-196b is transcribed from an autonomous promoter and is directly regulated by Cdx2 and by posterior Hox proteins during embryogenesis. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2015; 1849:1066-80. [PMID: 26141604 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2015.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The miR-196 miRNA gene family located within the Hox gene clusters has been shown to function during embryogenesis and to be aberrantly expressed in various malignancies, including leukaemia, melanoma, and colorectal cancer. Despite its involvement in numerous biological processes, the control of miR-196 expression is still poorly defined. We identified the miR-196b promoter and found that the mature miR-196b originates from a large, non-coding primary transcript, which starts within an autonomous TATA box promoter and is not in physical continuity with either the Hoxa10 or Hoxa9 main primary transcripts. A ~680bp genomic fragment, spanning the pri-miR-196b transcription start site, is sufficient to recapitulate the neural tube expression pattern of miR-196 during embryogenesis. This region contains potential binding sites for Cdx and 5'Hox transcription factors. Two of these sites revealed to be necessary for neural tube expression and were bound in vivo by Cdx2 and Hoxd13. We show that Cdx2 is required for miR-196 expression and that both Cdx2 and 5'Hox, but not 3'Hox, are able to activate the miR-196b promoter. The possible role of Cdx2- and 5'Hox-mediated regulation of miR-196 expression in vertebrate anterior-posterior (AP) axis formation during embryogenesis is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Fantini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 213/d, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Valentina Salsi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 213/d, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Antonio Vitobello
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Filippo M Rijli
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Vincenzo Zappavigna
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 213/d, Modena 41125, Italy.
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27
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Structure, function and evolution of topologically associating domains (TADs) at HOX loci. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:2869-76. [PMID: 25913784 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Revised: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Hox genes encode transcription factors necessary for patterning the major developing anterior to posterior embryonic axis. In addition, during vertebrate evolution, various subsets of this gene family were co-opted along with the emergence of novel body structures, such as the limbs or the external genitalia. The morphogenesis of these axial structures thus relies in part upon the precisely controlled transcription of specific Hox genes, a mechanism involving multiple long-range enhancers. Recently, it was reported that such regulatory mechanisms were largely shared between different developing tissues, though with some specificities, suggesting the recruitment of ancestral regulatory modalities from one tissue to another. The analysis of chromatin architectures at HoxD and HoxA loci revealed the existence of two flanking topologically associating domains (TADs), precisely encompassing the adjacent regulatory landscapes. Here, we discuss the function of these TADs in the control of Hox gene regulation and we speculate about their capacity to serve as structural frameworks for the emergence of novel enhancers. In this view, TADs may have been used as genomic niches to evolve pleiotropic regulations found at many developmental loci.
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28
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Hox gene regulation and timing in embryogenesis. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2014; 34:76-84. [PMID: 24930771 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2014.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Revised: 05/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Hox genes are critical regulators of embryonic development in bilaterian animals. They exhibit a unique mode of transcriptional regulation where the position of the genes along the chromosome corresponds to the time and place of their expression during development. The sequential temporal activation of these genes in the primitive streak helps determining their subsequent pattern of expression along the anterior-posterior axis of the embryo, yet the precise correspondence between these two collinear processes is not fully understood. In addition, vertebrate Hox genes evolved similar modes of regulation along secondary body axes, such as the developing limbs. We review the current understanding of the mechanisms operating during activation, maintenance and silencing of Hox gene expression in these various contexts, and discuss the evolutionary significance of their genomic organization.
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29
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Noordermeer D, Leleu M, Schorderet P, Joye E, Chabaud F, Duboule D. Temporal dynamics and developmental memory of 3D chromatin architecture at Hox gene loci. eLife 2014; 3:e02557. [PMID: 24843030 PMCID: PMC4017647 DOI: 10.7554/elife.02557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hox genes are essential regulators of embryonic development. Their step-wise transcriptional activation follows their genomic topology and the various states of activation are subsequently memorized into domains of progressively overlapping gene products. We have analyzed the 3D chromatin organization of Hox clusters during their early activation in vivo, using high-resolution circular chromosome conformation capture. Initially, Hox clusters are organized as single chromatin compartments containing all genes and bivalent chromatin marks. Transcriptional activation is associated with a dynamic bi-modal 3D organization, whereby the genes switch autonomously from an inactive to an active compartment. These local 3D dynamics occur within a framework of constitutive interactions within the surrounding Topological Associated Domains, indicating that this regulation process is mostly cluster intrinsic. The step-wise progression in time is fixed at various body levels and thus can account for the chromatin architectures previously described at a later stage for different anterior to posterior levels.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02557.001.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daan Noordermeer
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marion Leleu
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Schorderet
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Department of Molecular Biology, Harvard University, Boston, United States
| | - Elisabeth Joye
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fabienne Chabaud
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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30
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Tschopp P, Duboule D. The genetics of murine Hox loci: TAMERE, STRING, and PANTHERE to engineer chromosome variants. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1196:89-102. [PMID: 25151159 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1242-1_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Following their duplications at the base of the vertebrate clade, Hox gene clusters underwent remarkable sub- and neo-functionalization events. Many of these evolutionary innovations can be associated with changes in the transcriptional regulation of their genes, where an intricate relationship between the structure of the gene cluster and the architecture of the surrounding genomic landscape is at play. Here, we report on a portfolio of in vivo genome engineering strategies in mice, which have been used to probe and decipher the genetic and molecular underpinnings of the complex regulatory mechanisms implemented at these loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Tschopp
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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31
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Marzese DM, Scolyer RA, Huynh JL, Huang SK, Hirose H, Chong KK, Kiyohara E, Wang J, Kawas NP, Donovan NC, Hata K, Wilmott JS, Murali R, Buckland ME, Shivalingam B, Thompson JF, Morton DL, Kelly DF, Hoon DS. Epigenome-wide DNA methylation landscape of melanoma progression to brain metastasis reveals aberrations on homeobox D cluster associated with prognosis. Hum Mol Genet 2014; 23:226-38. [PMID: 24014427 PMCID: PMC3857956 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2013] [Revised: 07/29/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) represents a frequent complication of cutaneous melanoma. Despite aggressive multi-modality therapy, patients with MBM often have a survival rate of <1 year. Alteration in DNA methylation is a major hallmark of tumor progression and metastasis; however, it remains largely unexplored in MBM. In this study, we generated a comprehensive DNA methylation landscape through the use of genome-wide copy number, DNA methylation and gene expression data integrative analysis of melanoma progression to MBM. A progressive genome-wide demethylation in low CpG density and an increase in methylation level of CpG islands according to melanoma progression were observed. MBM-specific partially methylated domains (PMDs) affecting key brain developmental processes were identified. Differentially methylated CpG sites between MBM and lymph node metastasis (LNM) from patients with good prognosis were identified. Among the most significantly affected genes were the HOX family members. DNA methylation of HOXD9 gene promoter affected transcript and protein expression and was significantly higher in MBM than that in early stages. A MBM-specific PMD was identified in this region. Low methylation level of this region was associated with active HOXD9 expression, open chromatin and histone modifications associated with active transcription. Demethylating agent induced HOXD9 expression in melanoma cell lines. The clinical relevance of this finding was verified in an independent large cohort of melanomas (n = 145). Patients with HOXD9 hypermethylation in LNM had poorer disease-free and overall survival. This epigenome-wide study identified novel methylated genes with functional and clinical implications for MBM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard A. Scolyer
- Departments of Tissue Oncology and Diagnostic Pathology and Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rajmohan Murali
- Department of Pathology
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065USA
| | | | | | - John F. Thompson
- Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Donald L. Morton
- Division of Surgical Oncology, John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI), 2200 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
| | - Daniel F. Kelly
- Division of Surgical Oncology, John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI), 2200 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
- Brain Tumor Center, Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
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Almirantis Y, Provata A, Papageorgiou S. Evolutionary constraints favor a biophysical model explaining hox gene collinearity. Curr Genomics 2013; 14:279-88. [PMID: 24294108 PMCID: PMC3731818 DOI: 10.2174/13892029113149990003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2013] [Revised: 05/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hox gene collinearity enigma has often been approached using models based on biomolecular mechanisms. The biophysical model is an alternative approach based on the hypothesis that collinearity is caused by physical forces pulling the Hox genes from a territory where they are inactive to a distinct spatial domain where they are activated in a step by step manner. Such Hox gene translocations have recently been observed in support of the biophysical model. Genetic engineering experiments, performed on embryonic mice, gave rise to several unexpected mutant expressions that the biomolecular models cannot predict. On the contrary, the biophysical model offers convincing explanation. Evolutionary constraints consolidate the Hox clusters and as a result, denser and well organized clusters may create more efficient physical forces and a more emphatic manifestation of gene collinearity. This is demonstrated by stochastic modeling with white noise perturbing the expression of Hox genes. As study cases the genomes of mouse and amphioxus are used. The results support the working hypothesis that vertebrates have adopted their comparably more compact Hox clustering as a tool needed to develop more complex body structures. Several experiments are proposed in order to test further the physical forces hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannis Almirantis
- National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Institute of Biosciences and Applications, 153 10 Athens, Greece
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Schorderet P, Lonfat N, Darbellay F, Tschopp P, Gitto S, Soshnikova N, Duboule D. A genetic approach to the recruitment of PRC2 at the HoxD locus. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003951. [PMID: 24244202 PMCID: PMC3820793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are essential for the repression of key factors during early development. In Drosophila, the polycomb repressive complexes (PRC) associate with defined polycomb response DNA elements (PREs). In mammals, however, the mechanisms underlying polycomb recruitment at targeted loci are poorly understood. We have used an in vivo approach to identify DNA sequences of importance for the proper recruitment of polycomb proteins at the HoxD locus. We report that various genomic re-arrangements of the gene cluster do not strongly affect PRC2 recruitment and that relatively small polycomb interacting sequences appear necessary and sufficient to confer polycomb recognition and targeting to ectopic loci. In addition, a high GC content, while not sufficient to recruit PRC2, may help its local spreading. We discuss the importance of PRC2 recruitment over Hox gene clusters in embryonic stem cells, for their subsequent coordinated transcriptional activation during development. Hox genes are essential for the proper organization of structures along the developing vertebrate body axis. These genes must be activated at a precise time and their premature transcription is deleterious to the organism. Early on, Hox gene clusters are covered by Polycomb Repressive protein Complexes (PRCs), which help keep these genes silent. However, the mechanism(s) that selectively recruit PRCs to these particular genomic loci remains elusive. We have used a collection of mutant mice carrying a set of deletions inside and outside the HoxD cluster to try and detect the presence of any DNA sequence of particular importance in this mechanism. We conclude that a range of low affinity sequences synergize to recruit PRCs over the gene cluster, which makes this process very robust and resistant to genetic perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Schorderet
- National Research Center ‘Frontiers in Genetics’, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Lonfat
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice Darbellay
- National Research Center ‘Frontiers in Genetics’, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Tschopp
- National Research Center ‘Frontiers in Genetics’, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Sciences III, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- National Research Center ‘Frontiers in Genetics’, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Sciences III, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Soshnikova
- National Research Center ‘Frontiers in Genetics’, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- National Research Center ‘Frontiers in Genetics’, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Sciences III, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail: ,
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Sheth R, Bastida MF, Kmita M, Ros M. "Self-regulation," a new facet of Hox genes' function. Dev Dyn 2013; 243:182-91. [PMID: 23913823 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2013] [Revised: 07/13/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Precise temporal and spatial expression of the clustered Hox genes is essential for patterning the developing embryo. Temporal activation of Hox genes was shown to be cluster-autonomous. However, gene clustering appears dispensable for spatial colinear expression. Generally, a set of Hox genes expressed in a group of cells instructs these cells about their fate such that the differential expression of Hox genes results in morphological diversity. The spatial colinearity is considered to rely both on local and long-range cis regulation. RESULTS Here, we report on the global deregulation of HoxA and HoxD expression patterns upon inactivation of a subset of HOXA and HOXD proteins. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest the existence of a "self-regulation" mechanism, a process by which HOX proteins establish and/or maintain the spatial domains of the Hox gene family and we propose that the functionally dominant HOX proteins could contribute to generating the spatial parameters of Hox expression in a given tissue, i.e., HOX controlling the establishment of the ultimate HOX code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rushikesh Sheth
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnologéa de Cantabria, . CSIC-SODERCAN-Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain; Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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35
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Transgene- and locus-dependent imprinting reveals allele-specific chromosome conformations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:11946-51. [PMID: 23818637 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1310704110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
When positioned into the integrin α-6 gene, an Hoxd9lacZ reporter transgene displayed parental imprinting in mouse embryos. While the expression from the paternal allele was comparable with patterns seen for the same transgene when present at the neighboring HoxD locus, almost no signal was scored at this integration site when the transgene was inherited from the mother, although the Itga6 locus itself is not imprinted. The transgene exhibited maternal allele-specific DNA hypermethylation acquired during oogenesis, and its expression silencing was reversible on passage through the male germ line. Histone modifications also corresponded to profiles described at known imprinted loci. Chromosome conformation analyses revealed distinct chromatin microarchitectures, with a more compact structure characterizing the maternally inherited repressed allele. Such genetic analyses of well-characterized transgene insertions associated with a de novo-induced parental imprint may help us understand the molecular determinants of imprinting.
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36
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Andrey G, Montavon T, Mascrez B, Gonzalez F, Noordermeer D, Leleu M, Trono D, Spitz F, Duboule D. A switch between topological domains underlies HoxD genes collinearity in mouse limbs. Science 2013; 340:1234167. [PMID: 23744951 DOI: 10.1126/science.1234167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 312] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Hox genes are major determinants of the animal body plan, where they organize structures along both the trunk and appendicular axes. During mouse limb development, Hoxd genes are transcribed in two waves: early on, when the arm and forearm are specified, and later, when digits form. The transition between early and late regulations involves a functional switch between two opposite topological domains. This switch is reflected by a subset of Hoxd genes mapping centrally into the cluster, which initially interact with the telomeric domain and subsequently swing toward the centromeric domain, where they establish new contacts. This transition between independent regulatory landscapes illustrates both the modularity of the limbs and the distinct evolutionary histories of its various pieces. It also allows the formation of an intermediate area of low HOX proteins content, which develops into the wrist, the transition between our arms and our hands. This regulatory strategy accounts for collinear Hox gene regulation in land vertebrate appendages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Andrey
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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37
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Montavon T, Duboule D. Chromatin organization and global regulation of Hox gene clusters. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120367. [PMID: 23650639 PMCID: PMC3682730 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, a properly coordinated expression of Hox genes, within their different genomic clusters is critical for patterning the body plans of many animals with a bilateral symmetry. The fascinating correspondence between the topological organization of Hox clusters and their transcriptional activation in space and time has served as a paradigm for understanding the relationships between genome structure and function. Here, we review some recent observations, which revealed highly dynamic changes in the structure of chromatin at Hox clusters, in parallel with their activation during embryonic development. We discuss the relevance of these findings for our understanding of large-scale gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Montavon
- National Research Centre 'Frontiers in Genetics', School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, Switzerland
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38
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Schneider I, Shubin NH. The origin of the tetrapod limb: from expeditions to enhancers. Trends Genet 2013; 29:419-26. [PMID: 23434323 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2013.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2012] [Revised: 12/22/2012] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
More than three centuries ago natural philosophers, and later anatomists, recognized a fundamental organization to the skeleton of tetrapod limbs. Composed of three segments, stylopod, zeugopod, and autopod, this pattern has served as the basis for a remarkably broad adaptive radiation from wings and flippers to hands and digging organs. A central area of inquiry has been tracing the origins of the elements of this Bauplan in the fins of diverse fish. Can equivalents of the three segments, and the developmental processes that pattern them, be seen in fish fins? In addition, if so, how do these data inform theories of the transformation of fins into limbs? Answers to these questions come from linking discoveries in paleontology with those of developmental biology and genetics. Burgeoning discoveries in the regulatory biology of developmental genes and in the genomics of diverse species offer novel data to investigate these classical questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Schneider
- Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal do Para, 66075, Belem, Brazil.
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39
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Wertheim B, Beukeboom L, van de Zande L. Polyploidy in Animals: Effects of Gene Expression on Sex Determination, Evolution and Ecology. Cytogenet Genome Res 2013; 140:256-69. [DOI: 10.1159/000351998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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40
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41
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Impact of copy number variations (CNVs) on long-range gene regulation at the HoxD locus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:20204-11. [PMID: 23134724 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1217659109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Copy number variations are genomic structural variants that are frequently associated with human diseases. Among these copy number variations, duplications of DNA segments are often assumed to lead to dosage effects by increasing the copy number of either genes or their regulatory elements. We produced a series of large targeted duplications within a conserved gene desert upstream of the murine HoxD locus. This DNA region, syntenic to human 2q31-32, contains a range of regulatory elements required for Hoxd gene transcription, and it is often disrupted and/or reorganized in human genetic conditions collectively known as the 2q31 syndrome. Unexpectedly, one such duplication led to a transcriptional down-regulation in developing digits by impairing physical interactions between the target genes and their upstream regulatory elements, thus phenocopying the effect obtained when these enhancer sequences are deleted. These results illustrate the detrimental consequences of interrupting highly conserved regulatory landscapes and reveal a mechanism where genomic duplications lead to partial loss of function of nearby located genes.
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42
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Papageorgiou S. Comparison of models for the collinearity of hox genes in the developmental axes of vertebrates. Curr Genomics 2012; 13:245-51. [PMID: 23115525 PMCID: PMC3382278 DOI: 10.2174/138920212800543093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2011] [Revised: 12/03/2011] [Accepted: 12/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hox gene clusters are very frequent in many animal genomes and their role in development is pivotal. Particularly in vertebrates, intensive efforts have established several properties of Hox clusters. The collinearity of Hox gene expressions (spatial, temporal and quantitative) is a common feature of the vertebrates. During the last decade, genetic engineering experiments have revealed some important facets of collinearity during limb and trunk development in mice. Two models have been proposed to explain all these properties. On one hand the ‘two-phases model’ makes use of the molecular regulatory mechanisms acting on the Hox genes. On the other hand, the’biophysical model’ is based on the signals transduced inside the cell nucleus and the generation of forces which apply on the cluster and lead to a coordinated activation of Hox genes. The two models differ fundamentally and a critical and detailed comparison is presented. Furthermore, experiments are proposed for which the two models provide divergent predictions. The outcome of these experiments will help to decide which of the two models is valid (if any).
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43
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Williamson I, Eskeland R, Lettice LA, Hill AE, Boyle S, Grimes GR, Hill RE, Bickmore WA. Anterior-posterior differences in HoxD chromatin topology in limb development. Development 2012; 139:3157-67. [PMID: 22872084 DOI: 10.1242/dev.081174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A late phase of HoxD activation is crucial for the patterning and growth of distal structures across the anterior-posterior (A-P) limb axis of mammals. Polycomb complexes and chromatin compaction have been shown to regulate Hox loci along the main body axis in embryonic development, but the extent to which they have a role in limb-specific HoxD expression, an evolutionary adaptation defined by the activity of distal enhancer elements that drive expression of 5' Hoxd genes, has yet to be fully elucidated. We reveal two levels of chromatin topology that differentiate distal limb A-P HoxD activity. Using both immortalised cell lines derived from posterior and anterior regions of distal E10.5 mouse limb buds, and analysis in E10.5 dissected limb buds themselves, we show that there is a loss of polycomb-catalysed H3K27me3 histone modification and a chromatin decompaction over HoxD in the distal posterior limb compared with anterior. Moreover, we show that the global control region (GCR) long-range enhancer spatially colocalises with the 5' HoxD genomic region specifically in the distal posterior limb. This is consistent with the formation of a chromatin loop between 5' HoxD and the GCR regulatory module at the time and place of distal limb bud development when the GCR participates in initiating Hoxd gene quantitative collinearity and Hoxd13 expression. This is the first example of A-P differences in chromatin compaction and chromatin looping in the development of the mammalian secondary body axis (limb).
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain Williamson
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
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Iimura T, Nakane A, Sugiyama M, Sato H, Makino Y, Watanabe T, Takagi Y, Numano R, Yamaguchi A. A fluorescence spotlight on the clockwork development and metabolism of bone. J Bone Miner Metab 2012; 30:254-69. [PMID: 21766187 DOI: 10.1007/s00774-011-0295-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/10/2011] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Biological phenomena that exhibit periodic activity are often referred as biorhythms or biological clocks. Among these, circadian rhythms, cyclic patterns reflecting a 24-h cycle, are the most obvious in many physiological activities including bone growth and metabolism. In the late 1990s, several clock genes were isolated and their primary structures and functions were identified. The feedback loop model of transcriptional factors was proposed to work as a circadian core oscillator not only in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus, which is recognized as the mammalian central clock, but also in various peripheral tissues including cartilage and bone. Looking back to embryonic development, the fundamental architecture of skeletal patterning is regulated by ultradian clocks that are defined as biorhythms that cycle more than once every 24 h. As post-genomic approaches, transcriptome analysis by micro-array and bioimaging assays to detect luminescent and fluorescent signals have been exploited to uncover a more comprehensive set of genes and spatio-temporal regulation of the clockwork machinery in animal models. In this review paper, we provide an overview of topics related to these molecular clocks in skeletal biology and medicine, and discuss how fluorescence imaging approaches can contribute to widening our views of this realm of biomedical science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadahiro Iimura
- Global Center of Excellence (GCOE) Program, International Research Center for Molecular Science in Tooth and Bone Diseases, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
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45
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Tschopp P, Duboule D. A genetic approach to the transcriptional regulation of Hox gene clusters. Annu Rev Genet 2012; 45:145-66. [PMID: 22060042 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-102209-163429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of vertebrate genomes was accompanied by an astounding increase in the complexity of their regulatory modalities. Genetic redundancy resulting from large-scale genome duplications at the base of the chordate tree was repeatedly exploited by the functional redeployment of paralogous genes via innovations in their regulatory circuits. As a paradigm of such regulatory evolution, we have extensively studied those control mechanisms at work in-cis over vertebrate Hox gene clusters. Here, we review the portfolio of genetic strategies that have been developed to tackle the intricate relationship between genomic topography and the transcriptional activities in this gene family, and we describe some of the mechanistic insights we gained by using the HoxD cluster as an example. We discuss the high heuristic value of this system in our general understanding of how changes in transcriptional regulation can diversify gene function and thereby fuel morphological evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Tschopp
- National Center of Competence in Research, Frontiers in Genetics, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
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46
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Schiavo G, D'Antò V, Cantile M, Procino A, Di Giovanni S, Valletta R, Terracciano L, Baumhoer D, Jundt G, Cillo C. Deregulated HOX genes in ameloblastomas are located in physical contiguity to keratin genes. J Cell Biochem 2012; 112:3206-15. [PMID: 21732412 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.23248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The expression of the HOX gene network in mid-stage human tooth development mostly concerns the epithelial tooth germ compartment and involves the C and D HOX loci. To further dissect the HOX gene implication with tooth epithelium differentiation we compared the expression of the whole HOX network in human ameloblastomas, as paradigm of epithelial odontogenic tumors, with tooth germs. We identified two ameloblastoma molecular types with respectively low and high number of active HOX C genes. The highly expressing HOX C gene ameloblastomas were characterized by a strong keratinized phenotype. Locus C HOX genes are located on chromosome 12q13-15 in physical contiguity with one of the two keratin gene clusters included in the human genome. The most posterior HOX C gene, HOX C13, is capable to interact with hair keratin genes located on the other keratin gene cluster in physical contiguity with the HOX B locus on chromosome 17q21-22. Inside the HOX C locus, a 2.2 kb ncRNA (HOTAIR) able to repress transcription, in cis, along the entire HOX C locus and, in trans, at the posterior region of the HOX D locus has recently been identified. Interestingly both loci are deregulated in ameloblastomas. Our finding support an important role of the HOX network in characterizing the epithelial tooth compartment. Furthermore, the physical contiguity between locus C HOX and keratin genes in normal tooth epithelium and their deregulation in the neoplastic counterparts suggest they may act on the same mechanism potentially involved with epithelial tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Schiavo
- Institute of Pathology-Molecular Pathology Division, University of Basel, Schonbeinstrasse 40, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
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47
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A regulatory archipelago controls Hox genes transcription in digits. Cell 2012; 147:1132-45. [PMID: 22118467 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 374] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Revised: 06/11/2011] [Accepted: 10/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of digits was an essential step in the success of tetrapods. Among the key players, Hoxd genes are coordinately regulated in developing digits, where they help organize growth and patterns. We identified the distal regulatory sites associated with these genes by probing the three-dimensional architecture of this regulatory unit in developing limbs. This approach, combined with in vivo deletions of distinct regulatory regions, revealed that the active part of the gene cluster contacts several enhancer-like sequences. These elements are dispersed throughout the nearby gene desert, and each contributes either quantitatively or qualitatively to Hox gene transcription in presumptive digits. We propose that this genetic system, which we call a "regulatory archipelago," provides an inherent flexibility that may partly underlie the diversity in number and morphology of digits across tetrapods, as well as their resilience to drastic variations.
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48
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van de Ven C, Bialecka M, Neijts R, Young T, Rowland JE, Stringer EJ, Van Rooijen C, Meijlink F, Nóvoa A, Freund JN, Mallo M, Beck F, Deschamps J. Concerted involvement of Cdx/Hox genes and Wnt signaling in morphogenesis of the caudal neural tube and cloacal derivatives from the posterior growth zone. Development 2011; 138:3451-62. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.066118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Decrease in Cdx dosage in an allelic series of mouse Cdx mutants leads to progressively more severe posterior vertebral defects. These defects are corrected by posterior gain of function of the Wnt effector Lef1. Precocious expression of Hox paralogous 13 genes also induces vertebral axis truncation by antagonizing Cdx function. We report here that the phenotypic similarity also applies to patterning of the caudal neural tube and uro-rectal tracts in Cdx and Wnt3a mutants, and in embryos precociously expressing Hox13 genes. Cdx2 inactivation after placentation leads to posterior defects, including incomplete uro-rectal septation. Compound mutants carrying one active Cdx2 allele in the Cdx4-null background (Cdx2/4), transgenic embryos precociously expressing Hox13 genes and a novel Wnt3a hypomorph mutant all manifest a comparable phenotype with similar uro-rectal defects. Phenotype and transcriptome analysis in early Cdx mutants, genetic rescue experiments and gene expression studies lead us to propose that Cdx transcription factors act via Wnt signaling during the laying down of uro-rectal mesoderm, and that they are operative in an early phase of these events, at the site of tissue progenitors in the posterior growth zone of the embryo. Cdx and Wnt mutations and premature Hox13 expression also cause similar neural dysmorphology, including ectopic neural structures that sometimes lead to neural tube splitting at caudal axial levels. These findings involve the Cdx genes, canonical Wnt signaling and the temporal control of posterior Hox gene expression in posterior morphogenesis in the different embryonic germ layers. They shed a new light on the etiology of the caudal dysplasia or caudal regression range of human congenital defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesca van de Ven
- Hubrecht Institute, Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Monika Bialecka
- Hubrecht Institute, Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Roel Neijts
- Hubrecht Institute, Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Teddy Young
- Hubrecht Institute, Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Emma J. Stringer
- Biochemistry Department, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN, UK
| | - Carina Van Rooijen
- Hubrecht Institute, Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Frits Meijlink
- Hubrecht Institute, Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ana Nóvoa
- Insituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Jean-Noel Freund
- INSERM, U682, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Médecine, Strasbourg, F-67200, France
| | - Moises Mallo
- Insituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1600 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Felix Beck
- Biochemistry Department, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN, UK
| | - Jacqueline Deschamps
- Hubrecht Institute, Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Reshuffling genomic landscapes to study the regulatory evolution of Hox gene clusters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:10632-7. [PMID: 21670281 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1102985108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Vertebrata was accompanied by two rounds of whole-genome duplications. This enabled paralogous genes to acquire novel functions with high evolutionary potential, a process suggested to occur mostly by changes in gene regulation, rather than in protein sequences. In the case of Hox gene clusters, such duplications favored the appearance of distinct global regulations. To assess the impact of such "regulatory evolution" upon neo-functionalization, we developed PANTHERE (PAN-genomic Translocation for Heterologous Enhancer RE-shuffling) to bring the entire megabase-scale HoxD regulatory landscape in front of the HoxC gene cluster via a targeted translocation in vivo. At this chimeric locus, Hoxc genes could both interpret this foreign regulation and functionally substitute for their Hoxd counterparts. Our results emphasize the importance of evolving regulatory modules rather than their target genes in the process of neo-functionalization and offer a genetic tool to study the complexity of the vertebrate regulatory genome.
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