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Papaioannou VE, Behringer RR. Getting around an Early Lethal Phenotype in Mice with Chimeras. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2024; 2024:107979. [PMID: 37932083 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.over107979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
The same gene can have many different functions in different places in the body and/or at different times in development and adult life. Often only one organ or one developmental stage is of particular interest to an investigator. If, however, lethality or severe detrimental effects of a mutation prevent the study of the organ or stage of interest, there are a number of ways to circumvent an early effect. In this overview, we discuss one way of getting around an early lethal phenotype by using chimeras, a method that is also useful for studying the mutant cells in the context of a wild-type host as part of the phenotypic analysis. The composition of chimeras with respect to embryonic cell lineages can be controlled to some extent to produce lineage-restricted chimeras with, for example, mutant cells restricted to certain lineages. Depending on the site of action of the mutant gene, this could result in chimeric "rescue." Details of how to distinguish mutant cells from wild type, an essential part of any chimera experiment, are discussed as well as methods to genotype the chimeras with respect to both component cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia E Papaioannou
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - Richard R Behringer
- Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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2
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Papaioannou VE, Behringer RR. Uncovering Phenotypes in Mutant Mice by Determining Embryo, Organ, Tissue, and Cell Developmental Potential. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2024; 2024:107974. [PMID: 37932085 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.over107974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
The death of an embryo during gestation does not necessarily preclude the study of the mutant embryo or the developmental potential of its individual cells, tissues, or organs. Whole-embryo in vitro culture prior to the time of death will allow real-time observation of living embryos and direct comparisons with controls. Organ anlage can be removed from embryos and cultured in vitro beyond the time of death of the whole embryo. In both whole embryos and organ anlage culture, fluorescent protein reporters may be used productively to follow cell types or specific gene expression changes. Some cells, such as hematopoietic cells, and organ anlage, may be suitable for transplantation to wild-type hosts for further analysis of their potential. Additionally, cell lines, including embryonic stem (ES) cells, trophoblast stem (TS) cells, extraembryonic endoderm (XEN) stem cells, and epiblast-derived stem cells (EpiSC), can be derived from mutant embryos to reveal the potential of the mutant cells outside the context of the whole organism. Mutant stem cells or even whole mutant embryos can be used to test potential in chimeras or in teratomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia E Papaioannou
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - Richard R Behringer
- Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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Sampath Kumar A, Tian L, Bolondi A, Hernández AA, Stickels R, Kretzmer H, Murray E, Wittler L, Walther M, Barakat G, Haut L, Elkabetz Y, Macosko EZ, Guignard L, Chen F, Meissner A. Spatiotemporal transcriptomic maps of whole mouse embryos at the onset of organogenesis. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1176-1185. [PMID: 37414952 PMCID: PMC10335937 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01435-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Spatiotemporal orchestration of gene expression is required for proper embryonic development. The use of single-cell technologies has begun to provide improved resolution of early regulatory dynamics, including detailed molecular definitions of most cell states during mouse embryogenesis. Here we used Slide-seq to build spatial transcriptomic maps of complete embryonic day (E) 8.5 and E9.0, and partial E9.5 embryos. To support their utility, we developed sc3D, a tool for reconstructing and exploring three-dimensional 'virtual embryos', which enables the quantitative investigation of regionalized gene expression patterns. Our measurements along the main embryonic axes of the developing neural tube revealed several previously unannotated genes with distinct spatial patterns. We also characterized the conflicting transcriptional identity of 'ectopic' neural tubes that emerge in Tbx6 mutant embryos. Taken together, we present an experimental and computational framework for the spatiotemporal investigation of whole embryonic structures and mutant phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Sampath Kumar
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Luyi Tian
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Adriano Bolondi
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amèlia Aragonés Hernández
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Stickels
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Helene Kretzmer
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Evan Murray
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lars Wittler
- Department of Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Walther
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriel Barakat
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leah Haut
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yechiel Elkabetz
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Evan Z Macosko
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Léo Guignard
- Aix Marseille University, Toulon University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire d'Informatique et Systèmes 7020, Turing Centre for Living Systems, Marseille, France
| | - Fei Chen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alexander Meissner
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Schwaiger M, Andrikou C, Dnyansagar R, Murguia PF, Paganos P, Voronov D, Zimmermann B, Lebedeva T, Schmidt HA, Genikhovich G, Benvenuto G, Arnone MI, Technau U. An ancestral Wnt-Brachyury feedback loop in axial patterning and recruitment of mesoderm-determining target genes. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1921-1939. [PMID: 36396969 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01905-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors are crucial drivers of cellular differentiation during animal development and often share ancient evolutionary origins. The T-box transcription factor Brachyury plays a pivotal role as an early mesoderm determinant and neural repressor in vertebrates; yet, the ancestral function and key evolutionary transitions of the role of this transcription factor remain obscure. Here, we present a genome-wide target-gene screen using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, an early branching non-bilaterian, and the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a representative of the sister lineage of chordates. Our analysis reveals an ancestral gene regulatory feedback loop connecting Brachyury, FoxA and canonical Wnt signalling involved in axial patterning that predates the cnidarian-bilaterian split about 700 million years ago. Surprisingly, we also found that part of the gene regulatory network controlling the fate of neuromesodermal progenitors in vertebrates was already present in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians. However, while several endodermal and neuronal Brachyury target genes are ancestrally shared, hardly any of the key mesodermal downstream targets in vertebrates are found in the sea anemone or the sea urchin. Our study suggests that a limited number of target genes involved in mesoderm formation were newly acquired in the vertebrate lineage, leading to a dramatic shift in the function of this ancestral developmental regulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schwaiger
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Andrikou
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rohit Dnyansagar
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Patricio Ferrer Murguia
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Danila Voronov
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
| | - Bob Zimmermann
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tatiana Lebedeva
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heiko A Schmidt
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Grigory Genikhovich
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Ulrich Technau
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Research Platform 'Single Cell Regulation of Stem Cells', University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Differential MicroRNA Expression in Porcine Endometrium Related to Spontaneous Embryo Loss during Early Pregnancy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158157. [PMID: 35897733 PMCID: PMC9331794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Litter size is an important indicator to measure the production capacity of commercial pigs. Spontaneous embryo loss is an essential factor in determining sow litter size. In early pregnancy, spontaneous embryo loss in porcine is as high as 20–30% during embryo implantation. However, the specific molecular mechanism underlying spontaneous embryo loss at the end of embryo implantation remains unknown. Therefore, we comprehensively used small RNA sequencing technology, bioinformatics analysis, and molecular experiments to determine the microRNA (miRNA) expression profile in the healthy and arresting embryo implantation site of porcine endometrium on day of gestation (DG) 28. A total of 464 miRNAs were identified in arresting endometrium (AE) and healthy endometrium (HE), and 139 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were screened. We combined the mRNA sequencing dataset from the SRA database to predict the target genes of these miRNAs. A quantitative real-time PCR assay identified the expression levels of miRNAs and mRNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed on differentially expressed target genes of DEMs, mainly enriched in epithelial development and amino acids metabolism-related pathways. We performed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the dual-luciferase report gene assay to confirm miRNA and predicted target gene binding. miR-205 may inhibit its expression by combining 3′-untranslated regions (3′ UTR) of tubulointerstitial nephritis antigen-like 1 (TINAGL1). The resulting inhibition of angiogenesis in the maternal endometrium ultimately leads to the formation of arresting embryos during the implantation period. This study provides a reference for the effect of miRNA on the successful implantation of pig embryos in early gestation.
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Wehn AK, Farkas DR, Sedlock CE, Subedi D, Chapman DL. Functionally distinct roles for T and Tbx6 during mouse development. Biol Open 2020; 9:9/8/bio054692. [PMID: 32855167 PMCID: PMC7473639 DOI: 10.1242/bio.054692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The mouse T-box transcription factors T and Tbx6 are co-expressed in the primitive streak and have unique domains of expression; T is expressed in the notochord, while Tbx6 is expressed in the presomitic mesoderm. T-box factors are related through a shared DNA binding domain, the T-domain, and can therefore bind to similar DNA sequences at least in vitro. We investigated the functional similarities and differences of T and Tbx6 DNA binding and transcriptional activity in vitro and their interaction genetically in vivo. We show that at one target, Dll1, the T-domains of T and Tbx6 have different affinities for the binding sites present in the mesoderm enhancer. We further show using in vitro assays that T and Tbx6 differentially affect transcription with Tbx6 activating expression tenfold higher than T, that T and Tbx6 can compete at target gene enhancers, and that this competition requires a functional DNA binding domain. Next, we addressed whether T and Tbx6 can compete in vivo. First, we generated embryos that express Tbx6 at greater than wild-type levels embryos and show that these embryos have short tails, resembling the T heterozygous phenotype. Next, using the dominant-negative TWis allele, we show that Tbx6+/− TWis/+ embryos share similarities with embryos homozygous for the Tbx6 hypomorphic allele rib-vertebrae, specifically fusions of several ribs and malformation of some vertebrae. Finally, we tested whether Tbx6 can functionally replace T using a knockin approach, which resulted in severe T null-like phenotypes in chimeric embryos generated with ES cells heterozygous for a Tbx6 knockin at the T locus. Altogether, our results of differences in affinity for DNA binding sites and transcriptional activity for T and Tbx6 provide a potential mechanism for the failure of Tbx6 to functionally replace T and possible competition phenotypes in vivo. Summary: Mouse Tbx6 fails to compensate for heterozygous loss of T; instead ectopic Tbx6 in the T expression-domain in knockin embryos generates T null-like phenotypes suggestive of competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy K Wehn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Deborah R Farkas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Carly E Sedlock
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Dibya Subedi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Deborah L Chapman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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Garriock RJ, Chalamalasetty RB, Zhu J, Kennedy MW, Kumar A, Mackem S, Yamaguchi TP. A dorsal-ventral gradient of Wnt3a/β-catenin signals controls mouse hindgut extension and colon formation. Development 2020; 147:dev.185108. [PMID: 32156757 DOI: 10.1242/dev.185108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Despite the importance of Wnt signaling for adult intestinal stem cell homeostasis and colorectal cancer, relatively little is known about its role in colon formation during embryogenesis. The development of the colon starts with the formation and extension of the hindgut. We show that Wnt3a is expressed in the caudal embryo in a dorsal-ventral (DV) gradient across all three germ layers, including the hindgut. Using genetic and lineage-tracing approaches, we describe novel dorsal and ventral hindgut domains, and show that ventrolateral hindgut cells populate the majority of the colonic epithelium. A Wnt3a-β-catenin-Sp5/8 pathway, which is active in the dorsal hindgut endoderm, is required for hindgut extension and colon formation. Interestingly, the absence of Wnt activity in the ventral hindgut is crucial for proper hindgut morphogenesis, as ectopic stabilization of β-catenin in the ventral hindgut via gain- or loss-of-function mutations in Ctnnb1 or Apc, respectively, leads to severe colonic hyperplasia. Thus, the DV Wnt gradient is required to coordinate growth between dorsal and ventral hindgut domains to regulate the extension of the hindgut that leads to colon formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Garriock
- Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section, NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ravindra B Chalamalasetty
- Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section, NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - JianJian Zhu
- Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section, NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Mark W Kennedy
- Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section, NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Amit Kumar
- Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section, NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Susan Mackem
- Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section, NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Terry P Yamaguchi
- Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Development Section, NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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8
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Skuplik I, Cobb J. Animal Models for Understanding Human Skeletal Defects. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1236:157-188. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-2389-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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9
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Chu C, Li L, Lu D, Duan AH, Luo LJ, Li S, Yin C. Whole-Exome Sequencing Identified a TBX6 Loss of Function Mutation in a Patient with Distal Vaginal Atresia. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2019; 32:550-554. [PMID: 31233831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2019.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine if there are any genetic changes with whole-exome sequencing associated with distal vaginal atresia. DESIGN This was a retrospective genetics study of 5 patients who presented with distal vaginal atresia who were recruited between 2017 and 2018. Whole-exome sequencing was performed in each subject with distal vaginal atresia. Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the potential causative genetic mutation. SETTING Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. PARTICIPANTS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The main outcome measure was the rare mutations potentially associated with distal vaginal atresia in 5 patients. RESULTS A truncating mutation c.266delC (p.P89Rfs*5) in the T-box transcription factor 6 (TBX6) gene, which is highly expressed in the human vagina, was identified in 1 patient using whole-exome sequencing. The deletion of the 16p11.2 region containing the TBX6 locus has also been reported previously to have the clinical feature of Müllerian agenesis. This mutation was paternally inherited by the patient. This truncating mutation was absent from all of the databases we checked, suggesting that the variant is rare and pathogenic. CONCLUSION We showed, to our knowledge, for the first time, that the mutation in TBX6 might be associated with human distal vaginal atresia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunfang Chu
- Department of Gynecology, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Li
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang, Beijing, China
| | - Dan Lu
- Department of Gynecology, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang, Beijing, China
| | - Ai-Hong Duan
- Department of Gynecology, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang, Beijing, China
| | - Li-Jing Luo
- Department of Gynecology, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang, Beijing, China
| | - Shenghui Li
- Department of Gynecology, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang, Beijing, China.
| | - Chenghong Yin
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang, Beijing, China.
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Deduction of Novel Genes Potentially Involved in the Effects of Very Low Dose Atropine (0.003%) Treatment on Corneal Epithelial Cells Using Next-Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics Approaches. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 55:medicina55090589. [PMID: 31540331 PMCID: PMC6780702 DOI: 10.3390/medicina55090589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Atropine is a nonselective muscarinic antagonist which has been used to prevent worsening of myopia in children. Different concentrations of atropine were used for myopia, ranging from 0.01% to 1.0%. However, there are still potential toxicity of different doses of atropine to the cornea. Here, we present a study of investigating novel genes potentially involved in the effects of very low dose atropine treatment (0.003%) on corneal epithelial cells using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics approaches. Materials and Methods: Human corneal epithelial cells were treated with 0.003% atropine, cultured until confluence, and RNA extracted for differential expression profiling of mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) between control and atropine-treated corneal epithelial cells. The functional enrichment analysis for differentially expressed genes was performed using two bioinformatics databases, including Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and Ingenuity® Pathway Analysis (IPA). In addition, potential miRNA-mRNA interactions involved in atropine-treated corneal epithelial cells were predicted and validated using different miRNA target prediction databases. Results: Our results showed 0.003% atropine might suppress the apoptosis of corneal epithelial cells, potentially through Ras and protein kinase A signaling pathways. We also validated the possible miRNA regulations by using TargetScan and miRDB databases. Hsa-miR-651-3p-EPHA7, hsa-miR-3148-TMEM108 and hsa-miR-874-5p-TBX6 were validated as possible miRNA regulations involved in corneal epithelial cells treated with 0.003% atropine. Conclusions: These findings may contribute novel insights into therapeutic strategies for treating cornea with 0.003% atropine.
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Xie H, Hong N, Zhang E, Li F, Sun K, Yu Y. Identification of Rare Copy Number Variants Associated With Pulmonary Atresia With Ventricular Septal Defect. Front Genet 2019; 10:15. [PMID: 30745907 PMCID: PMC6360179 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs) are major variations contributing to the gene heterogeneity of congenital heart diseases (CHD). pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) is a rare form of cyanotic CHD characterized by complex manifestations and the genetic determinants underlying PA-VSD are still largely unknown. We investigated rare CNVs in a recruited cohort of 100 unrelated patients with PA-VSD, PA-IVS, or TOF and a population-matched control cohort of 100 healthy children using whole-exome sequencing. Comparing rare CNVs in PA-VSD cases and that in PA-IVS or TOF positive controls, we observed twenty-two rare CNVs only in PA-VSD, five rare CNVs only in PA-VSD and TOF as well as thirteen rare CNVs only in PA-VSD and PA-IVS. Six of these CNVs were considered pathogenic or potentially pathogenic to PA-VSD: 16p11.2 del (PPP4C and TBX6), 5q35.3 del (FLT4), 5p13.1 del (RICTOR), 6p21.33 dup (TNXB), 7p15.2 del (HNRNPA2B1), and 19p13.3 dup (FGF22). The gene networks showed that four putative candidate genes for PA-VSD, PPP4C, FLT4, RICTOR, and FGF22 had strong interaction with well-known cardiac genes relevant to heart or blood vessel development. Meanwhile, the analysis of transcriptome array revealed that PPP4C and RICTOR were also significantly expressed in human embryonic heart. In conclusion, three rare novel CNVs were identified only in PA-VSD: 16p11.2 del (PPP4C), 5q35.3 del (FLT4) and 5p13.1 del (RICTOR), implicating novel candidate genes of interest for PA-VSD. Our study provided new insights into understanding for the pathogenesis of PA-VSD and helped elucidate critical genes for PA-VSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huilin Xie
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nanchao Hong
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Erge Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fen Li
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Sun
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Yu
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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12
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Chapman DL. Impaired intermediate formation in mouse embryos expressing reduced levels of Tbx6. Genesis 2019; 57:e23270. [PMID: 30548789 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Intermediate mesoderm (IM) is the strip of tissue lying between the paraxial mesoderm (PAM) and the lateral plate mesoderm that gives rise to the kidneys and gonads. Chick fate mapping studies suggest that IM is specified shortly after cells leave the primitive streak and that these cells do not require external signals to express IM-specific genes. Surgical manipulations of the chick embryo, however, revealed that PAM-specific signals are required for IM differentiation into pronephros-the first kidney. Here, we use a genetic approach in mice to examine the dependency of IM on proper PAM formation. In Tbx6 null mutant embryos, which form 7-9 improperly patterned anterior somites, IM formation is severely compromised, while in Tbx6 hypomorphic embryos, where somites form but are improperly patterned along the axis, the impact to IM formation is lessened. These results suggest that IM and its derivatives, the kidneys and the gonads, are directly or indirectly dependent on proper PAM formation. This has implications for humans harboring Tbx6 mutations which are known to have somite-derived defects including congenital scoliosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah L Chapman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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13
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Sadahiro T, Isomi M, Muraoka N, Kojima H, Haginiwa S, Kurotsu S, Tamura F, Tani H, Tohyama S, Fujita J, Miyoshi H, Kawamura Y, Goshima N, Iwasaki YW, Murano K, Saito K, Oda M, Andersen P, Kwon C, Uosaki H, Nishizono H, Fukuda K, Ieda M. Tbx6 Induces Nascent Mesoderm from Pluripotent Stem Cells and Temporally Controls Cardiac versus Somite Lineage Diversification. Cell Stem Cell 2018; 23:382-395.e5. [PMID: 30100166 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The mesoderm arises from pluripotent epiblasts and differentiates into multiple lineages; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. Tbx6 is enriched in the paraxial mesoderm and is implicated in somite formation, but its function in other mesoderms remains elusive. Here, using direct reprogramming-based screening, single-cell RNA-seq in mouse embryos, and directed cardiac differentiation in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), we demonstrated that Tbx6 induces nascent mesoderm from PSCs and determines cardiovascular and somite lineage specification via its temporal expression. Tbx6 knockout in mouse PSCs using CRISPR/Cas9 technology inhibited mesoderm and cardiovascular differentiation, whereas transient Tbx6 expression induced mesoderm and cardiovascular specification from mouse and human PSCs via direct upregulation of Mesp1, repression of Sox2, and activation of BMP/Nodal/Wnt signaling. Notably, prolonged Tbx6 expression suppressed cardiac differentiation and induced somite lineages, including skeletal muscle and chondrocytes. Thus, Tbx6 is critical for mesoderm induction and subsequent lineage diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taketaro Sadahiro
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Mari Isomi
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Naoto Muraoka
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hidenori Kojima
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Sho Haginiwa
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Shota Kurotsu
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Fumiya Tamura
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hidenori Tani
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Shugo Tohyama
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Jun Fujita
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Miyoshi
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Kawamura
- Japan Biological Informatics Consortium (JBiC), Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8073, Japan
| | - Naoki Goshima
- Molecular Profiling Research Center for Drug Discovery, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
| | - Yuka W Iwasaki
- Department of Molecular Biology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kensaku Murano
- Department of Molecular Biology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kuniaki Saito
- Department of Molecular Biology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Invertebrate Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS), Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan; Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
| | - Mayumi Oda
- Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Peter Andersen
- Division of Cardiology, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Chulan Kwon
- Division of Cardiology, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Hideki Uosaki
- Division of Cardiology, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Division of Regenerative Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Nishizono
- Life Science Research Center, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Keiichi Fukuda
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Masaki Ieda
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.
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14
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Zhou J, Plagge A, Murray P. Functional comparison of distinct Brachyury+ states in a renal differentiation assay. Biol Open 2018; 7:bio.031799. [PMID: 29666052 PMCID: PMC5992531 DOI: 10.1242/bio.031799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesodermal populations can be generated in vitro from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) using three-dimensional (3-D) aggregates called embryoid bodies or two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer culture systems. Here, we investigated whether Brachyury-expressing mesodermal cells generated using 3-D or 2-D culture systems are equivalent or, instead, have different properties. Using a Brachyury-GFP/E2-Crimson reporter mESC line, we isolated Brachyury-GFP + mesoderm cells using flow-activated cell sorting and compared their gene expression profiles and ex vivo differentiation patterns. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed significant up-regulation of Cdx2, Foxf1 and Hoxb1 in the Brachyury-GFP+ cells isolated from the 3-D system compared with those isolated from the 2-D system. Furthermore, using an ex vivo mouse kidney rudiment assay, we found that, irrespective of their source, Brachyury-GFP+ cells failed to integrate into developing nephrons, which are derived from the intermediate mesoderm. However, Brachyury-GFP+ cells isolated under 3-D conditions appeared to differentiate into endothelial-like cells within the kidney rudiments, whereas the Brachyury-GFP+ isolated from the 2-D conditions only did so to a limited degree. The high expression of Foxf1 in the 3-D Brachyury-GFP+ cells combined with their tendency to differentiate into endothelial-like cells suggests that these mesodermal cells may represent lateral plate mesoderm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
| | - Antonius Plagge
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
| | - Patricia Murray
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
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15
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Concepcion D, Washkowitz AJ, DeSantis A, Ogea P, Yang JI, Douglas NC, Papaioannou VE. Cell lineage of timed cohorts of Tbx6-expressing cells in wild-type and Tbx6 mutant embryos. Biol Open 2017; 6:1065-1073. [PMID: 28606934 PMCID: PMC5550921 DOI: 10.1242/bio.026203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Tbx6 is a T-box transcription factor with multiple roles in embryonic development as evidenced by dramatic effects on mesoderm cell fate determination, left/right axis determination, and somite segmentation in mutant mice. The expression of Tbx6 is restricted to the primitive streak and presomitic mesoderm, but some of the phenotypic features of mutants are not easily explained by this expression pattern. We have used genetically-inducible fate mapping to trace the fate of Tbx6-expressing cells in wild-type and mutant embryos to explain some of the puzzling features of the mutant phenotype. We created an inducible Tbx6-creERT2 transgenic mouse in which cre expression closely recapitulates endogenous Tbx6 expression both temporally and spatially. Using a lacZ-based Cre reporter and timed tamoxifen injections, we followed temporally overlapping cohorts of cells that had expressed Tbx6 and found contributions to virtually all mesodermally-derived embryonic structures as well as the extraembryonic allantois. Contribution to the endothelium of major blood vessels may account for the embryonic death of homozygous mutant embryos. In mutant embryos, Tbx6-creERT2-traced cells contributed to the abnormally segmented anterior somites and formed the characteristic ectopic neural tubes. Retention of cells in the mutant tail bud indicates a deficiency in migratory behavior of the mutant cells and the presence of Tbx6-creERT2-traced cells in the notochord, a node derivative provides a possible explanation for the heterotaxia seen in mutant embryos. Summary: Embryonic cells that transiently express the transcription factor, Tbx6, during the process of gastrulation have been tracked in later development in wild-type and Tbx6 homozygous mutant embryos, where they give rise to the ectopic neural tubes characteristic of the mutant phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Concepcion
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Andrew J Washkowitz
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Akiko DeSantis
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Phillip Ogea
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jason I Yang
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nataki C Douglas
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Divisions of Reproductive Sciences and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Virginia E Papaioannou
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
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16
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Lange L, Marks M, Liu J, Wittler L, Bauer H, Piehl S, Bläß G, Timmermann B, Herrmann BG. Patterning and gastrulation defects caused by the tw18 lethal are due to loss of Ppp2r1a. Biol Open 2017; 6:752-764. [PMID: 28619992 PMCID: PMC5483016 DOI: 10.1242/bio.023200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The mouse t haplotype, a variant 20 cM genomic region on Chromosome 17, harbors 16 embryonic control genes identified by recessive lethal mutations isolated from wild mouse populations. Due to technical constraints so far only one of these, the tw5 lethal, has been cloned and molecularly characterized. Here we report the molecular isolation of the tw18 lethal. Embryos carrying the tw18 lethal die from major gastrulation defects commencing with primitive streak formation at E6.5. We have used transcriptome and marker gene analyses to describe the molecular etiology of the tw18 phenotype. We show that both WNT and Nodal signal transduction are impaired in the mutant epiblast, causing embryonic patterning defects and failure of primitive streak and mesoderm formation. By using a candidate gene approach, gene knockout by homologous recombination and genetic rescue, we have identified the gene causing the tw18 phenotype as Ppp2r1a, encoding the PP2A scaffolding subunit PR65alpha. Our work highlights the importance of phosphatase 2A in embryonic patterning, primitive streak formation, gastrulation, and mesoderm formation downstream of WNT and Nodal signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisette Lange
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Free University Berlin, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Takustrasse 3, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Matthias Marks
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Jinhua Liu
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Lars Wittler
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Hermann Bauer
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Sandra Piehl
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bläß
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Bernd Timmermann
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Sequencing Core Facility, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Bernhard G Herrmann
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department Developmental Genetics, Ihnestraße 63-73, Berlin 14195, Germany .,Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Institute for Medical Genetics, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany
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17
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Gouti M, Delile J, Stamataki D, Wymeersch FJ, Huang Y, Kleinjung J, Wilson V, Briscoe J. A Gene Regulatory Network Balances Neural and Mesoderm Specification during Vertebrate Trunk Development. Dev Cell 2017; 41:243-261.e7. [PMID: 28457792 PMCID: PMC5425255 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Revised: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional networks, regulated by extracellular signals, control cell fate decisions and determine the size and composition of developing tissues. One example is the network controlling bipotent neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) that fuel embryo elongation by generating spinal cord and trunk mesoderm tissue. Here, we use single-cell transcriptomics to identify the molecular signature of NMPs and reverse engineer the mechanism that regulates their differentiation. Together with genetic perturbations, this reveals a transcriptional network that integrates opposing retinoic acid (RA) and Wnt signals to determine the rate at which cells enter and exit the NMP state. RA, produced by newly generated mesodermal cells, provides feedback that initiates NMP generation and induces neural differentiation, thereby coordinating the production of neural and mesodermal tissue. Together, the data define a regulatory network architecture that balances the generation of different cell types from bipotential progenitors in order to facilitate orderly axis elongation. Single-cell RNA-seq reveals a signature of neuromesodermal progenitors In vitro NMPs resemble and differentiate similar to their in vivo counterparts Dual role for retinoic acid signaling in NMP induction and neural differentiation A transcriptional network regulates neural versus mesodermal allocation
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Gouti
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK; Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Julien Delile
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | | | - Filip J Wymeersch
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Yali Huang
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Jens Kleinjung
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Valerie Wilson
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - James Briscoe
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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18
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Cooperation Between T-Box Factors Regulates the Continuous Segregation of Germ Layers During Vertebrate Embryogenesis. Curr Top Dev Biol 2017; 122:117-159. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2016.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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19
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Berti F, Nogueira JM, Wöhrle S, Sobreira DR, Hawrot K, Dietrich S. Time course and side-by-side analysis of mesodermal, pre-myogenic, myogenic and differentiated cell markers in the chicken model for skeletal muscle formation. J Anat 2016; 227:361-82. [PMID: 26278933 PMCID: PMC4560570 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The chicken is a well-established model for amniote (including human) skeletal muscle formation because the developmental anatomy of chicken skeletal muscle matches that of mammals. The accessibility of the chicken in the egg as well as the sequencing of its genome and novel molecular techniques have raised the profile of this model. Over the years, a number of regulatory and marker genes have been identified that are suited to monitor the progress of skeletal myogenesis both in wildtype and in experimental embryos. However, in the various studies, differing markers at different stages of development have been used. Moreover, contradictory results on the hierarchy of regulatory factors are now emerging, and clearly, factors need to be able to cooperate. Thus, a reference paper describing in detail and side-by-side the time course of marker gene expression during avian myogenesis is needed. We comparatively analysed onset and expression patterns of the key markers for the chicken immature paraxial mesoderm, for muscle-competent cells, for cells committed to myogenesis and for cells entering terminal differentiation. We performed this analysis from stages when the first paraxial mesoderm is being laid down to the stage when mesoderm formation comes to a conclusion. Our data show that, although the sequence of marker gene expression is the same at the various stages of development, the timing of the expression onset is quite different. Moreover, marker gene expression in myogenic cells being deployed from the dorsomedial and ventrolateral lips of the dermomyotome is different from those being deployed from the rostrocaudal lips, suggesting different molecular programs. Furthermore, expression of Myosin Heavy Chain genes is overlapping but different along the length of a myotube. Finally, Mef2c is the most likely partner of Mrf proteins, and, in contrast to the mouse and more alike frog and zebrafish fish, chicken Mrf4 is co-expressed with MyoG as cells enter terminal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Berti
- Institute for Biomedical and Biomolecular Science (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Júlia Meireles Nogueira
- Institute for Biomedical and Biomolecular Science (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.,Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Svenja Wöhrle
- Institute for Biomedical and Biomolecular Science (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Débora Rodrigues Sobreira
- Institute for Biomedical and Biomolecular Science (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Katarzyna Hawrot
- Institute for Biomedical and Biomolecular Science (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Susanne Dietrich
- Institute for Biomedical and Biomolecular Science (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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20
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Kimelman D. Tales of Tails (and Trunks): Forming the Posterior Body in Vertebrate Embryos. Curr Top Dev Biol 2016; 116:517-36. [PMID: 26970638 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2015.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
A major question in developmental biology is how the early embryonic axes are established. Recent studies using different model organisms and mammalian in vitro systems have revealed the surprising result that most of the early posterior embryonic body forms from a Wnt-regulated bipotential neuromesodermal progenitor population that escapes early germ layer patterning. Part of the regulatory network that drives the maintenance and differentiation of these progenitors has recently been determined, but much remains to be discovered. This review discusses some of the common features present in all vertebrates, as well as unique aspects that different species utilize to establish their anterior-posterior (A-P) axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kimelman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
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21
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Manning AJ, Kimelman D. Tbx16 and Msgn1 are required to establish directional cell migration of zebrafish mesodermal progenitors. Dev Biol 2015; 406:172-85. [PMID: 26368502 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an essential process that occurs repeatedly during embryogenesis whereby stably adherent cells convert to an actively migrating state. While much is known about the factors and events that initiate the EMT, the steps that cells undergo to become directionally migratory are far less well understood. Zebrafish embryos lacking the transcription factors Tbx16/Spadetail and Mesogenin1 (Msgn1) are a valuable system for investigating the EMT. Mesodermal cells in these embryos are unable to perform the EMT necessary to leave the most posterior end of the body (the tailbud) and join the pre-somitic mesoderm, a process that is conserved in all vertebrates. It has previously been very difficult to study this EMT in vertebrates because of the multiple cell types in the tailbud and the morphogenetic changes the whole embryo undergoes. Here, we describe a novel tissue explant system for imaging the mesodermal cell EMT in vivo that allows us to investigate the requirements for cells to acquire migratory properties during the EMT with high spatio-temporal resolution. This method revealed that, despite the inability of tbx16;msgn1-deficient cells to leave the tailbud, actin-based protrusions form surprisingly normally in these cells and they become highly motile. However, tbx16;msgn1-deficient cells have specific cell-autonomous defects in the persistence and anterior direction of migration because the lamellipodia they form are not productive in driving anteriorward migration. Additionally, we show that mesoderm morphogenesis and differentiation are separable and that there is a migratory cue that directs mesodermal cell migration that is independent of Tbx16 and Msgn1. This work defines changes that cells undergo as they complete the EMT and provides new insight into the mechanisms required in vivo for cells to become mesenchymal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa J Manning
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David Kimelman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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22
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Abstract
STUDY DESIGN A hypothesis-driven study was conducted in a familial cohort to determine the potential association between variants within the TBX6 gene and Familial Idiopathic Scoliosis (FIS). OBJECTIVE To determine if variants within exons of the TBX6 gene segregate with the FIS phenotype within a sample of families with FIS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Idiopathic Scoliosis (IS) is a structural curvature of the spine whose underlying genetic etiology has not been established. IS has been reported to occur at a higher rate than expected in family members of individuals with congenital scoliosis (CS), suggesting that the two diseases might have a shared etiology. The TBX6 gene on chromosome 16p, essential to somite development, has been associated with CS in a Chinese population. Previous studies have identified linkage to this locus in families with FIS, and specifically with rs8060511, located in an intron of the TBX6 gene. METHODS Parent-offspring trios from 11 families (13 trios, 42 individuals) with FIS were selected for Sanger sequencing of the TBX6 gene. Trios were selected from a large population of families with FIS in which a genome-wide scan had resulted in linkage to 16p. RESULTS Sequencing analyses of the subset of families resulted in the identification of five coding variants. Three of the five variants were novel; the remaining two variants were previously characterized and account for 90% of the observed variants in these trios. In all cases, there was no correlation between transmission of the TBX6 variant allele and FIS phenotype. However, an analysis of regulatory markers in osteoblasts showed that rs8060511 is in a putative enhancer element. CONCLUSIONS Although this study did not identify any TBX6 coding variants that segregate with FIS, we identified a variant that is located in a potential TBX6 enhancer element. Therefore, further investigation of the region is needed.
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23
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Bouldin CM, Manning AJ, Peng YH, Farr GH, Hung KL, Dong A, Kimelman D. Wnt signaling and tbx16 form a bistable switch to commit bipotential progenitors to mesoderm. Development 2015; 142:2499-507. [PMID: 26062939 DOI: 10.1242/dev.124024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Anterior to posterior growth of the vertebrate body is fueled by a posteriorly located population of bipotential neuro-mesodermal progenitor cells. These progenitors have a limited rate of proliferation and their maintenance is crucial for completion of the anterior-posterior axis. How they leave the progenitor state and commit to differentiation is largely unknown, in part because widespread modulation of factors essential for this process causes organism-wide effects. Using a novel assay, we show that zebrafish Tbx16 (Spadetail) is capable of advancing mesodermal differentiation cell-autonomously. Tbx16 locks cells into the mesodermal state by not only activating downstream mesodermal genes, but also by repressing bipotential progenitor genes, in part through a direct repression of sox2. We demonstrate that tbx16 is activated as cells move from an intermediate Wnt environment to a high Wnt environment, and show that Wnt signaling activates the tbx16 promoter. Importantly, high-level Wnt signaling is able to accelerate mesodermal differentiation cell-autonomously, just as we observe with Tbx16. Finally, because our assay for mesodermal commitment is quantitative we are able to show that the acceleration of mesodermal differentiation is surprisingly incomplete, implicating a potential separation of cell movement and differentiation during this process. Together, our data suggest a model in which high levels of Wnt signaling induce a transition to mesoderm by directly activating tbx16, which in turn acts to irreversibly flip a bistable switch, leading to maintenance of the mesodermal fate and repression of the bipotential progenitor state, even as cells leave the initial high-Wnt environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cortney M Bouldin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alyssa J Manning
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Yu-Hsuan Peng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Gist H Farr
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - King L Hung
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alice Dong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David Kimelman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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24
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Papaioannou VE. The T-box gene family: emerging roles in development, stem cells and cancer. Development 2014; 141:3819-33. [PMID: 25294936 DOI: 10.1242/dev.104471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The T-box family of transcription factors exhibits widespread involvement throughout development in all metazoans. T-box proteins are characterized by a DNA-binding motif known as the T-domain that binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner. In humans, mutations in many of the genes within the T-box family result in developmental syndromes, and there is increasing evidence to support a role for these factors in certain cancers. In addition, although early studies focused on the role of T-box factors in early embryogenesis, recent studies in mice have uncovered additional roles in unsuspected places, for example in adult stem cell populations. Here, I provide an overview of the key features of T-box transcription factors and highlight their roles and mechanisms of action during various stages of development and in stem/progenitor cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia E Papaioannou
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Compartment-dependent activities of Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling during vertebrate axial extension. Dev Biol 2014; 394:253-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Revised: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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A functional genome-wide in vivo screen identifies new regulators of signalling pathways during early Xenopus embryogenesis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e79469. [PMID: 24244509 PMCID: PMC3828355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development requires exquisite regulation of several essential processes, such as patterning of tissues and organs, cell fate decisions, and morphogenesis. Intriguingly, these diverse processes are controlled by only a handful of signalling pathways, and mis-regulation in one or more of these pathways may result in a variety of congenital defects and diseases. Consequently, investigating how these signalling pathways are regulated at the molecular level is essential to understanding the mechanisms underlying vertebrate embryogenesis, as well as developing treatments for human diseases. Here, we designed and performed a large-scale gain-of-function screen in Xenopus embryos aimed at identifying new regulators of MAPK/Erk, PI3K/Akt, BMP, and TGF-β/Nodal signalling pathways. Our gain-of-function screen is based on the identification of gene products that alter the phosphorylation state of key signalling molecules, which report the activation state of the pathways. In total, we have identified 20 new molecules that regulate the activity of one or more signalling pathways during early Xenopus development. This is the first time that such a functional screen has been performed, and the findings pave the way toward a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the activity of important signalling pathways under normal and pathological conditions.
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27
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Gallicano GI. Modeling to optimize terminal stem cell differentiation. SCIENTIFICA 2013; 2013:574354. [PMID: 24278782 PMCID: PMC3820305 DOI: 10.1155/2013/574354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Accepted: 12/18/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic stem cell (ESC), iPCs, and adult stem cells (ASCs) all are among the most promising potential treatments for heart failure, spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. However, considerable uncertainty in the production of ESC-derived terminally differentiated cell types has limited the efficiency of their development. To address this uncertainty, we and other investigators have begun to employ a comprehensive statistical model of ESC differentiation for determining the role of intracellular pathways (e.g., STAT3) in ESC differentiation and determination of germ layer fate. The approach discussed here applies the Baysian statistical model to cell/developmental biology combining traditional flow cytometry methodology and specific morphological observations with advanced statistical and probabilistic modeling and experimental design. The final result of this study is a unique tool and model that enhances the understanding of how and when specific cell fates are determined during differentiation. This model provides a guideline for increasing the production efficiency of therapeutically viable ESCs/iPSCs/ASC derived neurons or any other cell type and will eventually lead to advances in stem cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Ian Gallicano
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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28
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Maguire RJ, Isaacs HV, Pownall ME. Early transcriptional targets of MyoD link myogenesis and somitogenesis. Dev Biol 2012; 371:256-68. [PMID: 22954963 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2012] [Revised: 07/10/2012] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In order to identify early transcriptional targets of MyoD prior to skeletal muscle differentiation, we have undertaken a transcriptomic analysis on gastrula stage Xenopus embryos in which MyoD has been knocked-down. Our validated list of genes transcriptionally regulated by MyoD includes Esr1 and Esr2, which are known targets of Notch signalling, and Tbx6, mesogenin, and FoxC1; these genes are all are known to be essential for normal somitogenesis but are expressed surprisingly early in the mesoderm. In addition we found that MyoD is required for the expression of myf5 in the early mesoderm, in contrast to the reverse relationship of these two regulators in amniote somites. These data highlight a role for MyoD in the early mesoderm in regulating a set of genes that are essential for both myogenesis and somitogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Maguire
- Biology Department, University of York, Heslington, York, North Yorkshire YO10 5YW, UK
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29
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Ahn D, You KH, Kim CH. Evolution of the tbx6/16 subfamily genes in vertebrates: insights from zebrafish. Mol Biol Evol 2012; 29:3959-83. [PMID: 22915831 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mss199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In any comparative studies striving to understand the similarities and differences of the living organisms at the molecular genetic level, the crucial first step is to establish the homology (orthology and paralogy) of genes between different organisms. Determination of the homology of genes becomes complicated when the genes have undergone a rapid divergence in sequence or when the involved genes are members of a gene family that has experienced a differential gain or loss of its constituents in different taxonomic groups. Organisms with duplicated genomes such as teleost fishes might have been especially prone to these problems because the functional redundancies provided by the duplicate copies of genes would have allowed a rapid divergence or loss of genes during evolution. In this study, we will demonstrate that much of the ambiguities in the determination of the homology between fish and tetrapod genes resulting from the problems like these can be eliminated by complementing the sequence-based phylogenies with nonsequence information, such as the exon-intron structure of a gene or the composition of a gene's genomic neighbors. We will use the Tbx6/16 subfamily genes of zebrafish (tbx6, tbx16, tbx24, and mga genes), which have been well known for the ambiguity of their evolutionary relationships to the Tbx6/16 subfamily genes of tetrapods, as an illustrative example. We will show that, despite the similarity of sequence and expression to the tetrapod Tbx6 genes, zebrafish tbx6 gene is actually a novel T-box gene more closely related to the tetrapod Tbx16 genes, whereas the zebrafish tbx24 gene, hitherto considered to be a novel gene due to the high level of sequence divergence, is actually an ortholog of tetrapod Tbx6 genes. We will also show that, after their initial appearance by the multiplication of a common ancestral gene at the beginning of vertebrate evolution, the Tbx6/16 subfamily of vertebrate T-box genes might have experienced differential losses of member genes in different vertebrate groups and gradual pooling of member gene's functions in surviving members, which might have prevented the revelation of the true identity of member genes by way of the comparison of sequence and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daegwon Ahn
- Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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30
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Nowotschin S, Ferrer-Vaquer A, Concepcion D, Papaioannou VE, Hadjantonakis AK. Interaction of Wnt3a, Msgn1 and Tbx6 in neural versus paraxial mesoderm lineage commitment and paraxial mesoderm differentiation in the mouse embryo. Dev Biol 2012; 367:1-14. [PMID: 22546692 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2011] [Revised: 03/27/2012] [Accepted: 04/03/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Paraxial mesoderm is the tissue which gives rise to the skeletal muscles and vertebral column of the body. A gene regulatory network operating in the formation of paraxial mesoderm has been described. This network hinges on three key factors, Wnt3a, Msgn1 and Tbx6, each of which is critical for paraxial mesoderm formation, since absence of any one of these factors results in complete absence of posterior somites. In this study we determined and compared the spatial and temporal patterns of expression of Wnt3a, Msgn1 and Tbx6 at a time when paraxial mesoderm is being formed. Then, we performed a comparative characterization of mutants in Wnt3a, Msgn1 and Tbx6. To determine the epistatic relationship between these three genes, and begin to decipher the complex interplay between them, we analyzed double mutant embryos and compared their phenotypes to the single mutants. Through the analysis of molecular markers in mutants, our data support the bipotential nature of the progenitor cells for paraxial mesoderm and establish regulatory relationships between genes involved in the choice between neural and mesoderm fates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Nowotschin
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10065, USA
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31
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Peter Lopez T, Fan CM. A transgenic Tbx6;CreERT2 line for inducible gene manipulation in the presomitic mesoderm. Genesis 2011; 50:490-5. [PMID: 22121035 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2011] [Revised: 11/15/2011] [Accepted: 11/16/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The rhythmic segmentation process of the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) orchestrates the formation of somites, the fundamental units for the vertebrate axial body plan. To aid the investigation of molecular components governing the conversion from PSM into somites, we generated a transgenic mouse line that expresses a tamoxifen (tmx) inducible CreER(T2) under the control of a 2.5 kb enhancer element of Tbx6, a gene essential for PSM formation and somite patterning. Combined with Cre reporters, this Tbx6;CreER(T2) line displays robust tmx-inducible Cre activity in the PSM at various embryonic stages. This tool should be useful for studying gene function during somitogenesis by either conditional inactivation or mis-expression, and potentially coupled with cell marking.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Peter Lopez
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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32
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Howard S, Deroo T, Fujita Y, Itasaki N. A positive role of cadherin in Wnt/β-catenin signalling during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23899. [PMID: 21909376 PMCID: PMC3166074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 07/27/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway shares a key component, β-catenin, with the cadherin-based adhesion system. The signalling function of β-catenin is conferred by a soluble cytoplasmic pool that is unstable in the absence of a Wnt signal, whilst the adhesion function is based on a cadherin-bound, stable pool at the membrane. The cadherin complex is dynamic, allowing for cell-cell rearrangements such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), where the complex turns over through internalisation. Potential interplay between the two pools remains poorly understood, but cadherins are generally considered negative regulators of Wnt signalling because they sequester cytoplasmic β-catenin. Here we explore how cellular changes at EMT affect the signalling capacity of β-catenin using two models of EMT: hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) treatment of MDCK cells, and gastrulation in embryonic development. We show that EMT not only provides a pool of signalling-competent β-catenin following internalisation of cadherin, but also significantly facilitates activation of the Wnt pathway in response to both Wnt signals and exogenous β-catenin. We further demonstrate that availability of β-catenin in the cytoplasm does not necessarily correlate with Wnt/β-catenin pathway activity, since blocking endocytosis or depleting endogenous cadherin abolishes pathway activation despite the presence of β-catenin in the cytoplasm. Lastly we present data suggesting that cadherins are required for augmented activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in vivo. This suggests that cadherins play a crucial role in β-catenin-dependent transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Howard
- MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Deroo
- MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yasuyuki Fujita
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Nobue Itasaki
- MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Ferrer-vaquer A, Viotti M, Hadjantonakis AK. Transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal states and the morphogenesis of the early mouse embryo. Cell Adh Migr 2010; 4:447-57. [PMID: 20200481 PMCID: PMC2958623 DOI: 10.4161/cam.4.3.10771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2009] [Accepted: 11/30/2009] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellular organisms arise from the generation of different cell types and the organization of cells into tissues and organs. Cells of metazoa display two main phenotypes, the ancestral epithelial state and the recent mesenchymal derivative. Epithelial cells are usually stationary and reside in two-dimensional sheets. By contrast mesenchymal cells are loosely packed and can move to new positions, thereby providing a vehicle for cell rearrangement, dispersal and novel cell-cell interactions. Transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal states drive key morphogenetic events in the early vertebrate embryo, including gastrulation, germ layer formation and somitogenesis. The cell behaviors and molecular mechanisms promoting transitions between these two states in the early mouse embryo are discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ferrer-vaquer
- Developmental Biology program; Sloan-Kettering institute; New York, NY USA
| | - Manuel Viotti
- Developmental Biology program; Sloan-Kettering institute; New York, NY USA
- Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology program, weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell university, New York, NY USA
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34
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Callery EM, Thomsen GH, Smith JC. A divergent Tbx6-related gene and Tbx6 are both required for neural crest and intermediate mesoderm development in Xenopus. Dev Biol 2010; 340:75-87. [PMID: 20083100 PMCID: PMC2877776 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2008] [Revised: 12/23/2009] [Accepted: 01/08/2010] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
T-box family transcription factors play many roles in Metazoan development. Here we characterise Tbx6r, a unique Tbx6 paralogue isolated from the amphibian Xenopus. The evolution and developmental integration of this divergent T-box gene within the vertebrates reveals an unexpected level of plasticity within this conserved family of developmental regulators. We show that despite their co-expression, Tbx6 and Tbx6r have dissimilar transcriptional responses to ligand treatment, and their ability to activate ligand expression is also very different. The two paralogues have distinct inductive properties: Tbx6 induces mesoderm whereas Tbx6r induces anterior neural markers. We use hybrid proteins in an effort to understand this difference, and implicate the C-terminal regions of the proteins in their inductive specificities. Through loss-of-function analyses using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides we show that both Tbx6 paralogues perform essential functions in the development of the paraxial and intermediate mesoderm and the neural crest in Xenopus. We demonstrate that Tbx6 and Tbx6r both induce FGF8 expression as well as that of pre-placodal markers, and that Tbx6 can also induce neural crest markers via a ligand-dependent mechanism involving FGF8 and Wnt8. Our data thus identify an important new function for this key developmental regulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Callery
- The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Zoology, The Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK.
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35
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Alexander T, Nolte C, Krumlauf R. Hox genes and segmentation of the hindbrain and axial skeleton. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 2010; 25:431-56. [PMID: 19575673 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.042308.113423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Segmentation is an important process that is frequently used during development to segregate groups of cells with distinct features. Segmental compartments provide a mechanism for generating and organizing regional properties along an embryonic axis and within tissues. In vertebrates the development of two major systems, the hindbrain and the paraxial mesoderm, displays overt signs of compartmentalization and depends on the process of segmentation for their functional organization. The hindbrain plays a key role in regulating head development, and it is a complex coordination center for motor activity, breathing rhythms, and many unconscious functions. The paraxial mesoderm generates somites, which give rise to the axial skeleton. The cellular processes of segmentation in these two systems depend on ordered patterns of Hox gene expression as a mechanism for generating a combinatorial code that specifies unique identities of the segments and their derivatives. In this review, we compare and contrast the signaling inputs and transcriptional mechanisms by which Hox gene regulatory networks are established during segmentation in these two different systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Alexander
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.
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36
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Chen YL, Liu B, Zhou ZN, Hu RY, Fei C, Xie ZH, Ding X. Smad6 inhibits the transcriptional activity of Tbx6 by mediating its degradation. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:23481-90. [PMID: 19561075 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.007864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and T-box gene families play several critical roles in the early embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. Although BMP proteins are the upstream regulators of T-box genes, few studies have investigated the molecular mechanisms between these two protein families. Here, we report that Tbx6 interacts directly with Smad6, an inhibitory Smad that antagonizes the BMP signal. This interaction is mediated through the Mad homology 2 (MH2) domain of Smad6 and residues 90-180 of Tbx6. We demonstrate that Smad6 facilitates the degradation of Tbx6 protein through recruitment of Smurf1, a ubiquitin E3 ligase. Consequently, Smad6 reduces Tbx6-mediated Myf-5 gene activation. Furthermore, specific knockdown of endogenous Smad6 and Smurf1 by small interfering RNA increases the protein levels of Tbx6 and enhance the expression of Tbx6 target genes. Collectively, these findings reveal that Smad6 serves as a critical mediator of BMP signal via a functional interaction with Tbx6, thus regulating the activation of Tbx6 downstream genes during cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue-Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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37
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Wardle FC, Papaioannou VE. Teasing out T-box targets in early mesoderm. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2008; 18:418-25. [PMID: 18778771 PMCID: PMC2700021 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2008.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2008] [Accepted: 07/31/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
T-box transcription factor genes are widely conserved in metazoan development and widely involved in developmental processes. With the phase of T-box gene discovery winding down, the phase of transcriptional target discovery for T-box transcription factors is finally taking off and yielding rich rewards. Mutant phenotypes in mouse and zebrafish as well as morpholino studies in zebrafish have helped to link the T-box genes to a variety of signaling pathways through diverse target genes and feedback loops. Particularly in early mesoderm development, it is emerging that a network of T-box genes interacts with Wnt/beta-catenin and Notch/Delta signaling pathways, among others, to control the important processes of mesoderm specification, somite segmentation, and left/right body axis determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona C. Wardle
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK,
| | - Virginia E. Papaioannou
- Department of Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, 701 W 168 St., New York, NY 10032, USA,
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38
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Hadjantonakis AK, Pisano E, Papaioannou VE. Tbx6 regulates left/right patterning in mouse embryos through effects on nodal cilia and perinodal signaling. PLoS One 2008; 3:e2511. [PMID: 18575602 PMCID: PMC2427182 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2008] [Accepted: 05/24/2008] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The determination of left/right body axis during early embryogenesis sets up a developmental cascade that coordinates the development of the viscera and is essential to the correct placement and alignment of organ systems and vasculature. Defective left-right patterning can lead to congenital cardiac malformations, vascular anomalies and other serious health problems. Here we describe a novel role for the T-box transcription factor gene Tbx6 in left/right body axis determination in the mouse. Results Embryos lacking Tbx6 show randomized embryo turning and heart looping. Our results point to multiple mechanisms for this effect. First, Dll1, a direct target of Tbx6, is down regulated around the node in Tbx6 mutants and there is a subsequent decrease in nodal signaling, which is required for laterality determination. Secondly, in spite of a lack of expression of Tbx6 in the node, we document a profound effect of the Tbx6 mutation on the morphology and motility of nodal cilia. This results in the loss of asymmetric calcium signaling at the periphery of the node, suggesting that unidirectional nodal flow is disrupted. To carry out these studies, we devised a novel method for direct labeling and live imaging cilia in vivo using a genetically-encoded fluorescent protein fusion that labels tubulin, combined with laser point scanning confocal microscopy for direct visualization of cilia movement. Conclusions We conclude that the transcription factor gene Tbx6 is essential for correct left/right axis determination in the mouse and acts through effects on notch signaling around the node as well as through an effect on the morphology and motility of the nodal cilia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elinor Pisano
- Department of Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Virginia E. Papaioannou
- Department of Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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39
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Lou X, Fang P, Li S, Hu RY, Kuerner KM, Steinbeisser H, Ding X. Xenopus Tbx6 mediates posterior patterning via activation of Wnt and FGF signalling. Cell Res 2008; 16:771-9. [PMID: 16953215 DOI: 10.1038/sj.cr.7310093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In vertebrates, the patterning of anterior-posterior (AP) axis is a fundamental process during embryogenesis. Wnt and FGF signalling pathways play important roles in regulating the patterning of embryo AP axis. Mouse Tbx6 encodes a transcription factor that has been demonstrated to be involved in the specification of the posterior tissue in mouse embryonic body. Here, we prove that morpholino-induced knockdown of XTbx6 impairs posterior development, indicating the requirement of XTbx6 in this process. Meanwhile, gain of XTbx6 function is sufficient to induce ectopic posterior structures in Xenopus embryos. Furthermore, XTbx6 activates the expression of Xwnt8 and FGF8, which are two mediators of posterior development, suggesting a mechanism by which XTbx6 modulates posterior patterning via Wnt and FGF signalling pathway activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Lou
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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40
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Abstract
Proper cell-cell communication is necessary to orchestrate the cell fate determination, proliferation, movement, and differentiation that occurs during the development of a complex, multicellular organism. Members of the Wnt family of secreted signaling molecules regulate these processes in virtually every embryonic tissue and during the homeostatic maintenance of adult tissues. Mammalian genetic studies have been particularly useful in illustrating the specific roles that Wnt signaling pathways play in embryonic development, and in the etiology of diseases such as cancer. This chapter will largely focus on the functional roles that Wnts, signaling through the Wnt/-catenin pathway, play during early mammalian development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terry P Yamaguchi
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, the National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, USA
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41
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Poustka AJ, Kühn A, Groth D, Weise V, Yaguchi S, Burke RD, Herwig R, Lehrach H, Panopoulou G. A global view of gene expression in lithium and zinc treated sea urchin embryos: new components of gene regulatory networks. Genome Biol 2007; 8:R85. [PMID: 17506889 PMCID: PMC1929154 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2007-8-5-r85] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2007] [Revised: 04/12/2007] [Accepted: 05/16/2007] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus has recently been sequenced because it is a major model system for the study of gene regulatory networks. Embryonic expression patterns for most genes are unknown, however. RESULTS Using large-scale screens on arrays carrying 50% to 70% of all genes, we identified novel territory-specific markers. Our strategy was based on computational selection of genes that are differentially expressed in lithium-treated embryos, which form excess endomesoderm, and in zinc-treated embryos, in which endomesoderm specification is blocked. Whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) analysis of 700 genes indicates that the apical organ region is eliminated in lithium-treated embryos. Conversely, apical and specifically neural markers are expressed more broadly in zinc-treated embryos, whereas endomesoderm signaling is severely reduced. Strikingly, the number of serotonergic neurons is amplified by at least tenfold in zinc-treated embryos. WISH analysis further indicates that there is crosstalk between the Wnt (wingless int), Notch, and fibroblast growth factor signaling pathways in secondary mesoderm cell specification and differentiation, similar to signaling cascades that function during development of presomitic mesoderm in mouse embryogenesis. We provide differential expression data for more than 4,000 genes and WISH patterns of more than 250 genes, and more than 2,400 annotated WISH images. CONCLUSION Our work provides tissue-specific expression patterns for a large fraction of the sea urchin genes that have not yet been included in existing regulatory networks and await functional integration. Furthermore, we noted neuron-inducing activity of zinc on embryonic development; this is the first observation of such activity in any organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert J Poustka
- Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Evolution and Development Group, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Kühn
- Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Evolution and Development Group, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Detlef Groth
- Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Evolution and Development Group, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Vesna Weise
- Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Evolution and Development Group, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Shunsuke Yaguchi
- University of Victoria, Departments of Biology and Biochemistry/Microbiology, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8P 5C5
- US National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 30 Convent Drive, MSC 4326, Bethesda. Maryland 20815, USA
| | - Robert D Burke
- University of Victoria, Departments of Biology and Biochemistry/Microbiology, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8P 5C5
| | - Ralf Herwig
- Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Evolution and Development Group, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hans Lehrach
- Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Evolution and Development Group, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Georgia Panopoulou
- Max-Planck Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Evolution and Development Group, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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42
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Abstract
The myriad developmental roles served by the T-box family of transcription factor genes defy easy categorization. Present in all metazoans, the T-box genes are involved in early embryonic cell fate decisions, regulation of the development of extraembryonic structures, embryonic patterning, and many aspects of organogenesis. They are unusual in displaying dosage sensitivity in most instances. In humans, mutations in T-box genes are responsible for developmental dysmorphic syndromes, and several T-box genes have been implicated in neoplastic processes. T-box transcription factors function in many different signaling pathways, notably bone morphogenetic protein and fibroblast growth factor pathways. The few downstream target genes that have been identified indicate a wide range of downstream effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A Naiche
- Department of Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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Qian L, Liu J, Bodmer R. Neuromancer Tbx20-related genes (H15/midline) promote cell fate specification and morphogenesis of the Drosophila heart. Dev Biol 2005; 279:509-24. [PMID: 15733676 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2005.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2005] [Accepted: 01/11/2005] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The Tbx family of transcription factors are prominently expressed in the early cardiac primordium throughout the animal kingdom. Mutations in Tbx genes result invariably in defective formation and function of the heart, including congenital heart disease in humans. Similar to their vertebrate counterpart, the Drosophila Tbx20 gene pair, neuromancer1 (nmr1, FlyBase:H15) and neuromancer2 (nmr2, Flybase:mid), exhibits a dynamic expression pattern, including in all contractile myocardial cells. Deletion mutants of nmr1 combined with mesoderm-specific knock-down of nmr2 exhibit phenotypes that suggest nmr is critical for correct specification of the cardiac progenitor populations as well as for morphogenesis and assembly of the contractile heart tube. Loss-of-nmr-function causes a switch in cell fates in the cardiogenic region, in that the progenitors expressing the homeobox gene even skipped (eve) are expanded accompanied by a corresponding reduction of the progenitors expressing the homeobox gene ladybird (lbe). As a result, the number of differentiating myocardial cells is severely reduced whereas pericardial cell populations are expanded. Conversely, pan-mesodermal expression of nmr represses eve, while causing an expansion of cardiac lbe expression, as well as ectopic mesodermal expression of the homeobox gene tinman. In addition, nmr mutants with less severe penetrance exhibit cell alignment defects of the myocardium at the dorsal midline, suggesting nmr is also required for cell polarity acquisition of the heart tube. In exploring the regulation of nmr, we find that the GATA factor Pannier is essential for cardiac expression, and acts synergistically with Tinman in promoting nmr expression. Moreover, reducing nmr function in the absence of pannier further aggravates the deficit in cardiac mesoderm specification. Taken together, the data suggest that nmr acts both in concert with and subsequent to pannier and tinman in cardiac specification and differentiation. We propose that nmr is another determinant of cardiogenesis, along with tinman and pannier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Qian
- The Burnham Institute, Center for Neuroscienes and Aging, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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