1
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Feinberg AP, Levchenko A. Epigenetics as a mediator of plasticity in cancer. Science 2023; 379:eaaw3835. [PMID: 36758093 PMCID: PMC10249049 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw3835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
The concept of an epigenetic landscape describing potential cellular fates arising from pluripotent cells, first advanced by Conrad Waddington, has evolved in light of experiments showing nondeterministic outcomes of regulatory processes and mathematical methods for quantifying stochasticity. In this Review, we discuss modern approaches to epigenetic and gene regulation landscapes and the associated ideas of entropy and attractor states, illustrating how their definitions are both more precise and relevant to understanding cancer etiology and the plasticity of cancerous states. We address the interplay between different types of regulatory landscapes and how their changes underlie cancer progression. We also consider the roles of cellular aging and intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli in modulating cellular states and how landscape alterations can be quantitatively mapped onto phenotypic outcomes and thereby used in therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Feinberg
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Andre Levchenko
- Yale Systems Biology Institute and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
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2
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Liu T, Zhao X, Lin Y, Luo Q, Zhang S, Xi Y, Chen Y, Lin L, Fan W, Yang J, Ma Y, Maity AK, Huang Y, Wang J, Chang J, Lin D, Teschendorff AE, Wu C. Computational identification of preneoplastic cells displaying high stemness and risk of cancer progression. Cancer Res 2022; 82:2520-2537. [PMID: 35536873 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-0668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Evidence points towards the differentiation state of cells as a marker of cancer risk and progression. Measuring the differentiation state of single cells in a preneoplastic population could thus enable novel strategies for early detection and risk prediction. Recent maps of somatic mutagenesis in normal tissues from young healthy individuals have revealed cancer driver mutations, indicating that these do not correlate well with differentiation state and that other molecular events also contribute to cancer development. We hypothesized that the differentiation state of single cells can be measured by estimating the regulatory activity of the transcription factors (TFs) that control differentiation within that cell lineage. To this end, we present a novel computational method called CancerStemID that estimates a stemness index of cells from single-cell RNA-Seq data. CancerStemID is validated in two human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cohorts, demonstrating how it can identify undifferentiated preneoplastic cells whose transcriptomic state is overrepresented in invasive cancer. Spatial transcriptomics and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing demonstrated that differentiation activity of tissue-specific TFs was decreased in cancer cells compared to the basal cell-of-origin layer and established that differentiation state correlated with differential DNA methylation at the promoters of these TFs, independently of underlying NOTCH1 and TP53 mutations. The findings were replicated in a mouse model of ESCC development, and the broad applicability of CancerStemID to other cancer-types was demonstrated. In summary, these data support an epigenetic stem-cell model of oncogenesis and highlight a novel computational strategy to identify stem-like preneoplastic cells that undergo positive selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyuan Liu
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xuan Zhao
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Lin
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University (PKU), Beijing, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaosen Zhang
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yiyi Xi
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yamei Chen
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Lin
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Wenyi Fan
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yuling Ma
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Alok K Maity
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanyi Huang
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University (PKU), Beijing, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianbin Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiang Chang
- Department of Health Toxicology, Key Laboratory for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Sciences and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dongxin Lin
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Andrew E Teschendorff
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chen Wu
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- CAMS Oxford Institute (COI), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- CAMS key Laboratory of Cancer Genomic Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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3
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Molecular determinants of WNT9b responsiveness in nephron progenitor cells. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215139. [PMID: 30978219 PMCID: PMC6461349 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Primed nephron progenitor cells (NPCs) appear in metanephric mesenchyme by E11.5 and differentiate in response to the inductive WNT9b signal from the ureteric bud. However, the NPC WNT-receptor complex is unknown. We obtained M15 cells from E10.5 mesonephric mesenchyme and systematically analyzed components required for canonical WNT9b-responsiveness. When M15 cells were transfected with a β-catenin luciferase reporter plasmid, exposure to recombinant WNT9b resulted in minimal luciferase activity. We then analyzed mRNA-expression of WNT-pathway components and identified Fzd1-6 and Lrp6 transcripts but not Rspo1. When M15 cells were treated with recombinant RSPO1 the response to transfected WNT9b was augmented 4.8-fold. Co-transfection of M15 cells with Fzd5 (but no other Fzd family member) further increased the WNT9b signal to 16.8-fold and siRNA knockdown of Fzd5 reduced the signal by 52%. Knockdown of Lrp6 resulted in 60% WNT9b signal reduction. We confirmed Fzd5, Lrp6 and Rspo1 mRNA expression in CITED1(+) NPCs from E15.5 embryonic mouse kidney. Thus, while many WNT signaling-pathway components are present by E10.5, optimum responsiveness of E11.5 cap mesenchyme requires that NPCs acquire RSPO1, FZD5 and LRP6.
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Hurtado Del Pozo C, Garreta E, Izpisúa Belmonte JC, Montserrat N. Modeling epigenetic modifications in renal development and disease with organoids and genome editing. Dis Model Mech 2018; 11:dmm035048. [PMID: 30459215 PMCID: PMC6262817 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.035048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding epigenetic mechanisms is crucial to our comprehension of gene regulation in development and disease. In the past decades, different studies have shown the role of epigenetic modifications and modifiers in renal disease, especially during its progression towards chronic and end-stage renal disease. Thus, the identification of genetic variation associated with chronic kidney disease has resulted in better clinical management of patients. Despite the importance of these findings, the translation of genotype-phenotype data into gene-based medicine in chronic kidney disease populations still lacks faithful cellular or animal models that recapitulate the key aspects of the human kidney. The latest advances in the field of stem cells have shown that it is possible to emulate kidney development and function with organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells. These have successfully recapitulated not only kidney differentiation, but also the specific phenotypical traits related to kidney function. The combination of this methodology with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has already helped researchers to model different genetic kidney disorders. Nowadays, CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches also allow epigenetic modifications, and thus represent an unprecedented tool for the screening of genetic variants, epigenetic modifications or even changes in chromatin structure that are altered in renal disease. In this Review, we discuss these technical advances in kidney modeling, and offer an overview of the role of epigenetic regulation in kidney development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Hurtado Del Pozo
- Pluripotency for organ regeneration. Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena Garreta
- Pluripotency for organ regeneration. Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Nuria Montserrat
- Pluripotency for organ regeneration. Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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Baxter RM, Vilain E. Translational genetics for diagnosis of human disorders of sex development. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2013; 14:371-92. [PMID: 23875799 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-091212-153417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Disorders of sex development (DSDs) are congenital conditions with discrepancies between the chromosomal, gonadal, and phenotypic sex of the individual. Such disorders have historically been difficult to diagnose and cause great stress to patients and their families. Genetic analysis of human samples has been instrumental in elucidating the molecules and pathways involved in the development of the bipotential gonad into a functioning testis or ovary. However, many DSD patients still do not receive a genetic diagnosis. New genetic and genomic technologies are expanding our knowledge of the underlying mechanism of DSDs and opening new avenues for clinical diagnosis. We review the genetic technologies that have elucidated the genes that are well established in sex determination in humans, discuss findings from more recent genomic technologies, and propose a new paradigm for clinical diagnosis of DSDs.
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6
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Kim WJ, Rivera MN, Coffman EJ, Haber DA. The WTX tumor suppressor enhances p53 acetylation by CBP/p300. Mol Cell 2012; 45:587-97. [PMID: 22285752 PMCID: PMC3310179 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2011.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2011] [Revised: 10/13/2011] [Accepted: 12/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
WTX encodes a tumor suppressor, frequently inactivated in Wilms tumor, with both plasma membrane and nuclear localization. WTX has been implicated in β-catenin turnover, but its effect on nuclear proteins is unknown. We report an interaction between WTX and p53, derived from the unexpected observation of WTX, p53, and E1B 55K colocalization within the characteristic cytoplasmic body of adenovirus-transformed kidney cells. In other cells without adenovirus expression, the C-terminal domain of WTX binds to the DNA-binding domain of p53, enhances its binding to CBP, and increases CBP/p300-mediated acetylation of p53 at Lys 373/382. WTX knockdown accelerates CBP/p300 protein turnover and attenuates this modification of p53. In p53-reconstitution experiments, cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and p53 target-gene expression are suppressed by depletion of WTX. Together, these results suggest that WTX modulates p53 function, in part through regulation of its activator CBP/p300.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo Jae Kim
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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7
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Quaggin SE, Kreidberg JA. Development of the renal glomerulus: good neighbors and good fences. Development 2008; 135:609-20. [PMID: 18184729 DOI: 10.1242/dev.001081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The glomerulus of the mammalian kidney is an intricate structure that contains an unusual filtration barrier that retains higher molecular weight proteins and blood cells in the circulation. Recent studies have changed our conception of the glomerulus from a relatively static structure to a dynamic one, whose integrity depends on signaling between the three major cell lineages: podocytes, endothelial and mesangial cells. Research into the signaling pathways that control glomerular development and then maintain glomerular integrity and function has recently identified several genes, such as the nephrin and Wilms' tumor 1 genes, that are mutated in human kidney disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Quaggin
- Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada
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8
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Rabban JT, Zaloudek CJ. Minimal uterine serous carcinoma: current concepts in diagnosis and prognosis. Pathology 2007; 39:125-33. [PMID: 17365828 DOI: 10.1080/00313020601146814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive type of endometrial cancer with a propensity to have extra-uterine spread at diagnosis, in some cases despite limited involvement of the uterus. Serous endometrial intra-epithelial carcinoma (EIC) is a recently recognised entity with the same cytological features and p53 mutations as USC, but it does not demonstrate stromal or myometrial invasion. In addition to representing the putative precursor to USC, the pure form of serous EIC may also be associated with extra-uterine tumour at the time of diagnosis and with risk for recurrence, spread, and eventual death from tumour. Current evidence indicates that serous EIC is a form of minimal USC with behaviour that is stage dependent, thereby necessitating complete surgical staging despite limited disease in the uterus. We review the diagnostic criteria for minimal USC, pitfalls in the differential diagnosis, and discuss a practical approach to evaluating biopsies, polypectomies, or hysterectomies containing minimal USC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph T Rabban
- University of California San Francisco, Department of Anatomic Pathology, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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9
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Perry BN, Arbiser JL. The duality of angiogenesis: implications for therapy of human disease. J Invest Dermatol 2006; 126:2160-6. [PMID: 16983325 DOI: 10.1038/sj.jid.5700462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Angiogenesis, the development of a microvasculature to a neoplastic, inflammatory, or infectious disease process, is a promising therapeutic target for disease therapy that has not been fully exploited. To further understand angiogenesis and its potential for therapy of dermatologic disorders, one must understand the many dualities of pathologic angiogenesis. These dualities are direct versus indirect angiogenesis inhibition, the differing origins of endothelial cells, which may arise either locally or through bone marrow stem cells, and regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by hypoxia-dependent and/or independent pathways. The future development of therapy directed at pathologic angiogenesis is dependent upon an understanding of the factors that regulate angiogenesis. The presence of both direct and indirect inhibition of angiogenesis, the multiple sources of endothelial cells, and the regulation of VEGF by hypoxia-independent and/or-dependent pathways must taken into consideration if the promise of effective therapy of human disease is to be realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betsy N Perry
- Department of Dermatology, Emory University School of Medicine and Veterans Administration Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
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10
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Differential Expression of WT-1 in Serous Carcinomas in the Peritoneum With or Without Associated Serous Carcinoma in Endometrial Polyps. Am J Surg Pathol 2005. [DOI: 10.1097/01.pas.0000168174.25664.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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11
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Abstract
Disorders in human sex determination cause defects in gonadal function and can result in a spectrum of abnormalities in the internal and external genitalia, ranging from relatively mild sexual ambiguities to complete sex reversal. Several genes involved in sex determination have been validated in humans, and activities of their gene products are being elucidated, particularly in mouse models. However, how these genes interact in an overall process remains far from clear, and it is probable that many additional genes are involved. Management of patients with pathologies in sex determination and subsequent differentiation is currently under debate, but will require not only an understanding of the multiple definitions of an individual's sex but also an increased knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in sex determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Fleming
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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12
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Brennan J, Capel B. One tissue, two fates: molecular genetic events that underlie testis versus ovary development. Nat Rev Genet 2004; 5:509-21. [PMID: 15211353 DOI: 10.1038/nrg1381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 405] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Brennan
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
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Abstract
Development of the coronary vascular system is an interesting model in developmental biology with major implications for the clinical setting. Although coronary vessel development is a form of vasculogenesis followed by angiogenesis, this system uses several unique developmental processes not observed in the formation of other blood vessels. This review summarizes the literature that describes the development of the coronary system, highlighting the unique aspects of coronary vessel development. It should be noted that many of the basic mechanisms that govern vasculogenesis in other systems have not been analyzed in coronary vessel development. In addition, we present recent advances in the field that uncover the basic mechanisms regulating the generation of these blood vessels and identify areas in need of additional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya M Wada
- Stahlman Cardiovascular Laboratories, Program for Developmental Biology, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn, USA
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14
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Abstract
DAX1 encoded by NR0B1, when mutated, is responsible for X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC). AHC is due to failure of the adrenal cortex to develop normally and is fatal if untreated. When duplicated, this gene is associated with an XY sex-reversed phenotype. DAX1 expression is present during development of the steroidogenic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-gonadal (HPAG) axis and persists into adult life. Despite recognition of the crucial role for DAX1, its function remains largely undefined. The phenotypes of patients and animal models are complex and not always in agreement. Investigations using cell lines have proved difficult to interpret, possibly reflecting cell line choices and their limited characterization. We will review the efforts of our group and others to identify appropriate cell lines for optimizing ex vivo analysis of NR0B1 function throughout development. We will examine the role of DAX1 and its network partners in development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/gonadal axis (HPAG) using a variety of different types of investigations, including those in model organisms. This network analysis will help us to understand normal and abnormal development of the HPAG. In addition, these studies permit identification of candidate genes for human inborn errors of HPAG development.
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Tiffin N, Williams RD, Robertson D, Hill S, Shipley J, Pritchard-Jones K. WT1 expression does not disrupt myogenic differentiation in C2C12 murine myoblasts or in human rhabdomyosarcoma. Exp Cell Res 2003; 287:155-65. [PMID: 12799191 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-4827(03)00131-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
WT1 encodes a tissue-specific transcription factor important in early mesenchymal differentiation. Altered expression or mutation of WT1 occurs in malignancies derived from such tissues. These include Wilms tumour, a paediatric kidney cancer that may show heterologous differentiation into primitive skeletal muscle, especially in tumours with WT1 mutation. A putative role for WT1 in inhibiting myogenesis has been suggested by transient transfection of C(2)C(12) myoblasts. However, using a more robust model of stable transfectants of C(2)C(12) expressing inducible WT1 isoforms, we found no inhibition of myogenic differentiation. We also investigated a possible role for WT1 in the disrupted myogenesis seen in rhabdomyosarcoma, a paediatric cancer resembling foetal skeletal muscle. WT1 expression levels measured by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were low or absent in those tumours with a PAX-FKHR fusion gene characteristic of the alveolar subtype, and were higher in cases lacking these fusion genes. Overall, there was a weak positive correlation between expression of myogenic differentiation marker genes and WT1 levels. We conclude that expression of WT1 in C(2)C(12) cells and in rhabdomyosarcoma does not inhibit myogenic differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicki Tiffin
- Section of Paediatric Oncology, Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Belmont, Sutton, SM2 5NG, Surrey, UK
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Clipsham R, Zhang YH, Huang BL, McCabe ERB. Genetic network identification by high density, multiplexed reversed transcriptional (HD-MRT) analysis in steroidogenic axis model cell lines. Mol Genet Metab 2002; 77:159-78. [PMID: 12359144 DOI: 10.1016/s1096-7192(02)00119-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional network analysis in steroidogenic axis cell lines requires an understanding of cellular network composition and complexity. Previous studies have shown that absence of transcriptional network components in a cell line compromises that cell line's functional capacity for transcriptional regulation. Our goal was to analyze qualitatively steroidogenic axis-derived cell lines' expression of a putative transcriptional network involved in human and mouse development. To pursue this analysis we used Northern blots and a high density-multiplexed reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (HD-MRT-PCR) approach. Our results revealed that, while some members of this putative network were universally expressed, only a minority of the non-constitutive targeted transcripts were present in any single line. Based on our data and previously published results for contextual expression of these transcription factors, a model was constructed possessing the topology suggestive of a scale-free network: certain network members were highly connected nodes and would represent critical sites of vulnerability. The importance of these highly connected nodes for network function is supported by the severe phenotypes exhibited by human patients and animal models when these genes are mutated. We conclude that knowledge of network composition in specific cell lines is essential for their use as models to investigate functional interactions within selected subnetworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Clipsham
- UCLA Molecular Biology Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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17
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Heinig J, Beckmann V, Bialas T, Diallo R. Lymphangioma of the ovary after radiation due to Wilms' tumor in the childhood. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2002; 103:191-4. [PMID: 12069748 DOI: 10.1016/s0301-2115(02)00044-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To report a case of lymphangioma of the ovary after radiation due to Wilms' tumor in the childhood. PATIENT A 19-year-old nulliparous female. INTERVENTIONS The vaginal ultrasound showed the left ovary enlarged to 4.4 cm x 2.9 cm x 4.5 cm in size including a 3.5 cm x 2.6 cm x 3.2 cm measuring cystic solid tumor without hypervascularity. For exclusion of a malignant tumor, a laparoscopy for excision of the tumor and deep incision of the left ovary with a bipolar needle was performed to exclude deeper tumor of stromal origin. The histological examination of the tissue showed a lymphangioma beside normal ovarian tissue. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first report of lymphangioma of the ovary after radiation due to Wilms' tumor in the childhood. The impact of this finding on the patient's fertility remains unclear. As in other organs exposed to radiation, lymphangioma can also occur in the ovary. Careful follow up should be considered to this patients, because malignant transformation can not be excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joerg Heinig
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Strasse 33, 48149, Muenster, Germany.
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18
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Cuckow PM, Nyirady P, Winyard PJ. Normal and abnormal development of the urogenital tract. Prenat Diagn 2001; 21:908-16. [PMID: 11746143 DOI: 10.1002/pd.214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
An understanding of the normal development of the urogenital tract, at both the structural and molecular level, gives an insight into the mechanisms involved in renal pathology. In this review we will outline embryology of normal and abnormal renal development and discuss the function of some of the key regulatory molecules which have been described recently.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Cuckow
- Institute of Child Health/The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, UCLMS, London, UK
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- K L Parker
- Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390-8857, USA
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20
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Abstract
Genetic studies in familial cases of sex reversal and in human embryos have contributed to the understanding of human sex determination and its disorders. For some heritable disorders of sex reversal, the gonadal phenotype was frequently overlooked until sex reversal was discovered fortuitously by chromosome analysis, often resulting in preventable complications. Within families, the phenotypes are variable and, in some instances, these can be explained by known genetic mechanisms. When a novel molecular marker is shared by family members affected with sex reversal, the level of confidence is higher that this marker may play a role in the development of the phenotype. The identification of pedigrees with sufficient power to generate significant linkage of disorder (lod) scores from genomewide screens can now lead to the identification of novel sex-determining genes. Studies of the gonads of 46,XY human embryos have shown that SOX9 expression follows a pattern similar to that of SRY and, in both instances, stands in contrast to the expression observed in the mouse. Differences between human and mouse embryonic gonads have also been observed for the temporal expression of DAX1, suggesting that the mechanisms of action of SRY, SOX9, and DAX1 may vary between these and other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Ostrer
- Human Genetics Program, Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Hedin KE, Kaczynski JA, Gibson MR, Urrutia R. Transcription factors in cell biology, surgery, and transplantation. Surgery 2000; 128:1-5. [PMID: 10876177 DOI: 10.1067/msy.2000.106426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K E Hedin
- Transplantation Biology and the Departments of Surgery and Immunology, Gastroenterology Research Unit, Mayo Graduate and Medical Schools, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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Dechsukhum C, Ware JL, Ferreira-Gonzalez A, Wilkinson DS, Garrett CT. Detection of a novel truncated WT1 transcript in human neoplasia. MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS : A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN DISEASE THROUGH THE CLINICAL APPLICATION OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2000; 5:117-28. [PMID: 11066013 DOI: 10.1007/bf03262030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) gene encodes a transcription factor critical in urogenital development. Using a new model of prostate cancer progression that permits comparison of the cellular and molecular properties of increasingly aggressive sublines of simian virus 40 large T-antigen-immortalized human prostate epithelial cells within the same lineage, the role of WT1 in tumorigenesis was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS Using RT-PCR and northern blotting, we identified a novel truncated WT1 transcript in these prostate cancer cell lines. This 2.1-kb transcript consisted of the coding region of the zinc-finger domain of WT1, together with a portion of intron 5 at the 5' end of the transcript. Furthermore, two peptides were detected by western blotting using antibodies to epitopes of the COOH terminus of WT1. Using RT-PCR, the 2.1-kb transcript was also detected in leukemia cell line K562, breast cancer cell line MCF7, and blood samples from patients with acute leukemia. CONCLUSION These novel findings in both cell lines and patient-derived specimens suggest this new WT1 gene alteration has a potential role in the development of new diagnostic assays for some human malignancies.
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MESH Headings
- Blotting, Northern
- Blotting, Western
- Cloning, Molecular
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Genes, Wilms Tumor/genetics
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics
- RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- RNA, Neoplasm/genetics
- RNA, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
- WT1 Proteins
- Wilms Tumor/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- C Dechsukhum
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0662, USA
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Abstract
The sex determining gene, Sry, determines the sex of the organism by initiating development of a testis rather than an ovary from the cells of the bipotential gonad. In the 10 years since the discovery of Sry, new genes and cellular pathways that operate in the establishment of the gonadal primordium and the initiation of testis development have been discovered. Experiments defining mechanisms downstream of Sry are providing clear examples of how a regulatory transcription factor initiates cellular processes including proliferation and cell migration, which in turn influence architectural patterning, fate commitment, and differentiation of cells within an organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Capel
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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