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Napoli FR, Li X, Hurtado AA, Levine EM. Microphthalmia and disrupted retinal development due to a LacZ knock-in/knock-out allele at the Vsx2 locus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.08.597937. [PMID: 38895315 PMCID: PMC11185793 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.08.597937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Visual System Homeobox 2 (Vsx2) is a transcription factor expressed in the developing retina that regulates tissue identity, growth, and fate determination. Several mutations in the Vsx2 gene exist in mice, including a spontaneous nonsense mutation and two targeted missense mutations originally identified in humans. Here, we expand the genetic repertoire to include a LacZ reporter allele (Vsx2 LacZ ) designed to express beta-Galactosidase (b-GAL) and simultaneously disrupt Vsx2 function (knock-in/knock-out). The retinal expression pattern of b-GAL is concordant with VSX2, and the mutant allele is recessive. Vsx2 LacZ homozygous mice have congenital bilateral microphthalmia accompanied by defects in retinal development including ectopic expression of non-retinal genes, reduced proliferation, delayed neurogenesis, aberrant tissue morphology, and an absence of bipolar interneurons - all hallmarks of Vsx2 loss-of-function. Unexpectedly, the mutant VSX2 protein is stably expressed, and there are subtle differences in eye size and early retinal neurogenesis when compared to the null mutant, ocular retardation J. We propose that b-GAL expression from the Vsx2 LacZ allele is a reliable reporter of VSX2 expression and that the allele exhibits loss-of-function characteristics. However, the perdurance of the mutant VSX2 protein combined with subtle deviations from the null phenotype leaves open the possibility that Vsx2 LacZ allele is not a complete knock-out. The Vsx2 LacZ allele adds to the genetic toolkit for understanding Vsx2 function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca R. Napoli
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN 37232
| | - Xiaodong Li
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN 37232
| | - Alan A. Hurtado
- Program in Chemical and Physical Biology Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN 37232
| | - Edward M. Levine
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN 37232
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN 37232
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2
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Dubaic M, Peskova L, Hampl M, Weissova K, Celiker C, Shylo NA, Hruba E, Kavkova M, Zikmund T, Weatherbee SD, Kaiser J, Barta T, Buchtova M. Role of ciliopathy protein TMEM107 in eye development: insights from a mouse model and retinal organoid. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202302073. [PMID: 37863656 PMCID: PMC10589122 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary cilia are cellular surface projections enriched in receptors and signaling molecules, acting as signaling hubs that respond to stimuli. Malfunctions in primary cilia have been linked to human diseases, including retinopathies and ocular defects. Here, we focus on TMEM107, a protein localized to the transition zone of primary cilia. TMEM107 mutations were found in patients with Joubert and Meckel-Gruber syndromes. A mouse model lacking Tmem107 exhibited eye defects such as anophthalmia and microphthalmia, affecting retina differentiation. Tmem107 expression during prenatal mouse development correlated with phenotype occurrence, with enhanced expression in differentiating retina and optic stalk. TMEM107 deficiency in retinal organoids resulted in the loss of primary cilia, down-regulation of retina-specific genes, and cyst formation. Knocking out TMEM107 in human ARPE-19 cells prevented primary cilia formation and impaired response to Smoothened agonist treatment because of ectopic activation of the SHH pathway. Our data suggest TMEM107 plays a crucial role in early vertebrate eye development and ciliogenesis in the differentiating retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Dubaic
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- https://ror.org/02j46qs45 Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Peskova
- https://ror.org/02j46qs45 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Hampl
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- https://ror.org/02j46qs45 Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kamila Weissova
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- https://ror.org/02j46qs45 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Canan Celiker
- https://ror.org/02j46qs45 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Natalia A Shylo
- Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Eva Hruba
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Kavkova
- https://ror.org/03613d656 CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Zikmund
- https://ror.org/03613d656 CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Scott D Weatherbee
- Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Biology Department, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT, USA
| | - Jozef Kaiser
- https://ror.org/03613d656 CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Barta
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- https://ror.org/02j46qs45 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marcela Buchtova
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- https://ror.org/02j46qs45 Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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Shekhar S, Wert KJ, Krämer H. Visual impairment cell non-autonomously dysregulates brain-wide proteostasis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.19.563166. [PMID: 37961457 PMCID: PMC10634672 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.19.563166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Loss of hearing or vision has been identified as a significant risk factor for dementia but underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. In different Drosophila models of blindness, we observe non-autonomous induction of stress granules in the brain and their reversal upon restoration of vision. Stress granules include cytosolic condensates of p62, ATF4 and XRP1. This cytosolic restraint of the ATF4 and XRP1 transcription factors dampens expression of their downstream targets during cellular stress. Cytosolic condensates of p62 and ATF4 were also evident in the thalamus and hippocampus of mouse models of congenital or degenerative blindness. These data indicate conservation of the link between loss of sensory input and dysregulation of stress responses critical for protein quality control in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashank Shekhar
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX
| | - Katherine J Wert
- Department of Ophthalmology, Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX
- O’Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX
| | - Helmut Krämer
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX
- O’Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX
- Department of Cell Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX
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Honnell V, Sweeney S, Norrie J, Ramirez C, Xu B, Teubner B, Lee AY, Bell C, Dyer MA. Identification of Evolutionarily Conserved VSX2 Enhancers in Retinal Development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.17.562742. [PMID: 37905144 PMCID: PMC10614883 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.17.562742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) are expansive regions of genomic DNA that regulate the expression of genes involved in cell identity and cell fate. Recently, we found that distinct modules within a murine SE regulate gene expression of master regulatory transcription factor Vsx2 in a developmental stage- and cell-type specific manner. Vsx2 is expressed in retinal progenitor cells as well as differentiated bipolar neurons and Müller glia. Mutations in VSX2 in humans and mice lead to microphthalmia due to a defect in retinal progenitor cell proliferation. Deletion of a single module within the Vsx2 SE leads to microphthalmia. Deletion of a separate module within the SE leads to a complete loss of bipolar neurons, yet the remainder of the retina develops normally. Furthermore, the Vsx2 SE is evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates, suggesting that these modules are important for retinal development across species. In the present study, we examine the ability of these modules to drive retinal development between species. By inserting the human build of one Vsx2 SE module into a mouse with microphthalmia, eye size was rescued. To understand the implications of these SE modules in a model of human development, we generated human retinal organoids. Deleting one module results in small organoids, recapitulating the small-eyed phenotype of mice with microphthalmia, while deletion of the other module leads to a complete loss of ON cone bipolar neurons. This prototypical SE serves as a model for uncoupling developmental stage- and cell-type specific effects of neurogenic transcription factors with complex expression patterns. Moreover, by elucidating the gene regulatory mechanisms, we can begin to examine how dysregulation of these mechanisms contributes to phenotypic diversity and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Honnell
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Shannon Sweeney
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Jackie Norrie
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Cody Ramirez
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Beisi Xu
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Brett Teubner
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Ah Young Lee
- Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| | - Claire Bell
- Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| | - Michael A. Dyer
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
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Whitney IE, Butrus S, Dyer MA, Rieke F, Sanes JR, Shekhar K. Vision-Dependent and -Independent Molecular Maturation of Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells. Neuroscience 2023; 508:153-173. [PMID: 35870562 PMCID: PMC10809145 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.013] [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: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The development and connectivity of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the retina's sole output neurons, are patterned by activity-independent transcriptional programs and activity-dependent remodeling. To inventory the molecular correlates of these influences, we applied high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to mouse RGCs at six embryonic and postnatal ages. We identified temporally regulated modules of genes that correlate with, and likely regulate, multiple phases of RGC development, ranging from differentiation and axon guidance to synaptic recognition and refinement. Some of these genes are expressed broadly while others, including key transcription factors and recognition molecules, are selectively expressed by one or a few of the 45 transcriptomically distinct types defined previously in adult mice. Next, we used these results as a foundation to analyze the transcriptomes of RGCs in mice lacking visual experience due to dark rearing from birth or to mutations that ablate either bipolar or photoreceptor cells. 98.5% of visually deprived (VD) RGCs could be unequivocally assigned to a single RGC type based on their transcriptional profiles, demonstrating that visual activity is dispensable for acquisition and maintenance of RGC type identity. However, visual deprivation significantly reduced the transcriptomic distinctions among RGC types, implying that activity is required for complete RGC maturation or maintenance. Consistent with this notion, transcriptomic alternations in VD RGCs significantly overlapped with gene modules found in developing RGCs. Our results provide a resource for mechanistic analyses of RGC differentiation and maturation, and for investigating the role of activity in these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene E Whitney
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Salwan Butrus
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Michael A Dyer
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Fred Rieke
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Joshua R Sanes
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Karthik Shekhar
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Biological Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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6
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Smirnov VM, Robert MP, Condroyer C, Navarro J, Antonio A, Rozet JM, Sahel JA, Perrault I, Audo I, Zeitz C. Association of Missense Variants in VSX2 With a Peculiar Form of Congenital Stationary Night Blindness Affecting All Bipolar Cells. JAMA Ophthalmol 2022; 140:1163-1173. [PMID: 36264558 PMCID: PMC9585472 DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.4146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Importance Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is an inherited stationary retinal disorder that is clinically and genetically heterogeneous. To date, the genetic association between some cases with CSNB and an unusual complex clinical picture is unclear. Objective To describe an unreported CSNB phenotype and the associated gene defect in 3 patients from 2 unrelated families. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective case series was conducted in 2021 and 2022 at a national referral center for rare ocular diseases. Data for 3 patients from a cohort of 140 genetically unsolved CSNB cases were analyzed clinically and genetically. Exposures Complete ocular examination including full-field electroretinography and multimodal fundus imaging (spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, color, infrared reflectance, and short-wavelength autofluorescence photographs) were performed. The gene defect was identified by exome sequencing and confirmed by Sanger sequencing and co-segregation analysis in 1 family. Screening was performed for genetically unsolved CSNB cases for VSX2 variants by direct Sanger sequencing. Main Outcomes and Measures Ocular and molecular biology findings. Results The series included 3 patients whose clinical investigations occurred at ages in the early 30s, younger than 12 years, and in the mid 40s. They had nystagmus, low stable visual acuity, and myopia from birth and experienced night blindness. Two older patients had bilateral lens luxation and underwent lens extraction. Full-field electroretinography revealed an electronegative Schubert-Bornschein appearance, combining characteristics of incomplete and complete CSNB, affecting the function of rod and cone ON- and OFF-bipolar cells. Exome sequencing and co-segregation analysis in a consanguineous family with 2 affected members identified a homozygous variant in VSX2. Subsequently, screening of the CSNB cohort identified another unrelated patient harboring a distinct VSX2 variant. Conclusions and Relevance This case series revealed a peculiar pan-bipolar cell retinopathy with lens luxation associated with variants in VSX2. Clinicians should be aware of this association and VSX2 added to CSNB diagnostic gene panels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasily M. Smirnov
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- Université de Lille, Faculté de Médecine, Lille, France
- Exploration de la Vision et Neuro-Ophtalmologie, CHU de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Matthieu P. Robert
- Ophthalmology Department, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
- Borelli Centre, UMR 9010, CNRS-SSA-ENS Paris Saclay-Paris University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | | | - Julien Navarro
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Aline Antonio
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Michel Rozet
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR 1163, Institute of Genetic Diseases, Imagine Institute, and Paris University, Paris, France
| | - José-Alain Sahel
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- Centre Hospitalier National d’Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Centre de Référence Maladies Rares REFERET and INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, France
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Isabelle Perrault
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR 1163, Institute of Genetic Diseases, Imagine Institute, and Paris University, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Audo
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- Centre Hospitalier National d’Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Centre de Référence Maladies Rares REFERET and INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, France
| | - Christina Zeitz
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
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Kandoi S, Martinez C, Merriman DK, Lamba DA. Characterization of Retinal Development in 13-Lined Ground Squirrels. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2022; 11:17. [DOI: 10.1167/tvst.11.11.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sangeetha Kandoi
- Department of Ophthalmology, UCSF Medical Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Cassandra Martinez
- Department of Ophthalmology, UCSF Medical Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dana K. Merriman
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, USA
| | - Deepak A. Lamba
- Department of Ophthalmology, UCSF Medical Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Age- and cell cycle-related expression patterns of transcription factors and cell cycle regulators in Müller glia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19584. [PMID: 36379991 PMCID: PMC9666513 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23855-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian Müller glia express transcription factors and cell cycle regulators essential for the function of retinal progenitors, indicating the latent neurogenic capacity; however, the role of these regulators remains unclear. To gain insights into the role of these regulators in Müller glia, we analyzed expression of transcription factors (Pax6, Vsx2 and Nfia) and cell cycle regulators (cyclin D1 and D3) in rodent Müller glia, focusing on their age- and cell cycle-related expression patterns. Expression of Pax6, Vsx2, Nfia and cyclin D3, but not cyclin D1, increased in Müller glia during development. Photoreceptor injury induced cell cycle-associated increase of Vsx2 and cyclin D1, but not Pax6, Nfia, and cyclin D3. In dissociated cultures, cell cycle-associated increase of Pax6 and Vsx2 was observed in Müller glia from P10 mice but not from P21 mice. Nfia levels were highly correlated with EdU incorporation suggesting their activation during S phase progression. Cyclin D1 and D3 were transiently upregulated in G1 phase but downregulated after S phase entry. Our findings revealed previously unknown links between cell cycle progression and regulator protein expression, which likely affect the cell fate decision of proliferating Müller glia.
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Luo Z, Chang KC, Wu S, Sun C, Xia X, Nahmou M, Bian M, Wen RR, Zhu Y, Shah S, Tanasa B, Wernig M, Goldberg JL. Directly induced human retinal ganglion cells mimic fetal RGCs and are neuroprotective after transplantation in vivo. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:2690-2703. [PMID: 36368332 PMCID: PMC9768574 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) replacement therapy could restore vision in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies. We developed a rapid protocol for directly induced RGC (iRGC) differentiation from human stem cells, leveraging overexpression of NGN2. Neuronal morphology and neurite growth were observed within 1 week of induction; characteristic RGC-specific gene expression confirmed identity. Calcium imaging demonstrated γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced excitation characteristic of immature RGCs. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed more similarities between iRGCs and early-stage fetal human RGCs than retinal organoid-derived RGCs. Intravitreally transplanted iRGCs survived and migrated into host retinas independent of prior optic nerve trauma, but iRGCs protected host RGCs from neurodegeneration. These data demonstrate rapid iRGC generation in vitro into an immature cell with high similarity to human fetal RGCs and capacity for retinal integration after transplantation and neuroprotective function after optic nerve injury. The simplicity of this system may benefit translational studies on human RGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziming Luo
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Kun-Che Chang
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA,Department of Ophthalmology and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA,Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Suqian Wu
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Catalina Sun
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Xin Xia
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Minjuan Bian
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Rain R. Wen
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Ying Zhu
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Sahil Shah
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Bogdan Tanasa
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Marius Wernig
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Goldberg
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA,Corresponding author
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Fuhrmann S, Ramirez S, Mina Abouda M, Campbell CD. Porcn is essential for growth and invagination of the mammalian optic cup. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1016182. [PMID: 36393832 PMCID: PMC9661423 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1016182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microphthalmia, anophthalmia, and coloboma (MAC) are congenital ocular malformations causing 25% of childhood blindness. The X-linked disorder Focal Dermal Hypoplasia (FDH) is frequently associated with MAC and results from mutations in Porcn, a membrane bound O-acyl transferase required for palmitoylation of Wnts to activate multiple Wnt-dependent pathways. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is suppressed in the anterior neural plate for initiation of eye formation and is subsequently required during differentiation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Non-canonical Wnts are critical for early eye formation in frog and zebrafish. However, it is unclear whether this also applies to mammals. We performed ubiquitous conditional inactivation of Porcn in mouse around the eye field stage. In Porcn CKO , optic vesicles (OV) arrest in growth and fail to form an optic cup. Ventral proliferation is significantly decreased in the mutant OV, with a concomitant increase in apoptotic cell death. While pan-ocular transcription factors such as PAX6, SIX3, LHX2, and PAX2 are present, indicative of maintenance of OV identity, regional expression of VSX2, MITF, OTX2, and NR2F2 is downregulated. Failure of RPE differentiation in Porcn CKO is consistent with downregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin effector LEF1, starting around 2.5 days after inactivation. This suggests that Porcn inactivation affects signaling later than a potential requirement for Wnts to promote eye field formation. Altogether, our data shows a novel requirement for Porcn in regulating growth and morphogenesis of the OV, likely by controlling proliferation and survival. In FDH patients with ocular manifestations, growth deficiency during early ocular morphogenesis may be the underlying cause for microphthalmia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Fuhrmann
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Sara Ramirez
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Mirna Mina Abouda
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Clorissa D. Campbell
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
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11
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Jones MK, Agarwal D, Mazo KW, Chopra M, Jurlina SL, Dash N, Xu Q, Ogata AR, Chow M, Hill AD, Kambli NK, Xu G, Sasik R, Birmingham A, Fisch KM, Weinreb RN, Enke RA, Skowronska-Krawczyk D, Wahlin KJ. Chromatin Accessibility and Transcriptional Differences in Human Stem Cell-Derived Early-Stage Retinal Organoids. Cells 2022; 11:3412. [PMID: 36359808 PMCID: PMC9657268 DOI: 10.3390/cells11213412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinogenesis involves the specification of retinal cell types during early vertebrate development. While model organisms have been critical for determining the role of dynamic chromatin and cell-type specific transcriptional networks during this process, an enhanced understanding of the developing human retina has been more elusive due to the requirement for human fetal tissue. Pluripotent stem cell (PSC) derived retinal organoids offer an experimentally accessible solution for investigating the developing human retina. To investigate cellular and molecular changes in developing early retinal organoids, we developed SIX6-GFP and VSX2-tdTomato (or VSX2-h2b-mRuby3) dual fluorescent reporters. When differentiated as 3D organoids these expressed GFP at day 15 and tdTomato (or mRuby3) at day 25, respectively. This enabled us to explore transcriptional and chromatin related changes using RNA-seq and ATAC-seq from pluripotency through early retina specification. Pathway analysis of developing organoids revealed a stepwise loss of pluripotency, while optic vesicle and retina pathways became progressively more prevalent. Correlating gene transcription with chromatin accessibility in early eye field development showed that retinal cells underwent a clear change in chromatin landscape, as well as gene expression profiles. While each dataset alone provided valuable information, considering both in parallel provided an informative glimpse into the molecular nature eye development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa K. Jones
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Devansh Agarwal
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kevin W. Mazo
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Manan Chopra
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Shawna L. Jurlina
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nicholas Dash
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Qianlan Xu
- Center for Translational Vision Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Anna R. Ogata
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Melissa Chow
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Alex D. Hill
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Netra K. Kambli
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Biotechnology, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA
| | - Guorong Xu
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Roman Sasik
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Amanda Birmingham
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kathleen M. Fisch
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Robert N. Weinreb
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ray A. Enke
- Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
| | | | - Karl J. Wahlin
- Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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12
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Petridou E, Godinho L. Cellular and Molecular Determinants of Retinal Cell Fate. Annu Rev Vis Sci 2022; 8:79-99. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-vision-100820-103154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate retina is regarded as a simple part of the central nervous system (CNS) and thus amenable to investigations of the determinants of cell fate. Its five neuronal cell classes and one glial cell class all derive from a common pool of progenitors. Here we review how each cell class is generated. Retinal progenitors progress through different competence states, in each of which they generate only a small repertoire of cell classes. The intrinsic state of the progenitor is determined by the complement of transcription factors it expresses. Thus, although progenitors are multipotent, there is a bias in the types of fates they generate during any particular time window. Overlying these competence states are stochastic mechanisms that influence fate decisions. These mechanisms are determined by a weighted set of probabilities based on the abundance of a cell class in the retina. Deterministic mechanisms also operate, especially late in development, when preprogrammed progenitors solely generate specific fates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Petridou
- Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany;,
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Leanne Godinho
- Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany;,
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13
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Krueger LA, Morris AC. Eyes on CHARGE syndrome: Roles of CHD7 in ocular development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:994412. [PMID: 36172288 PMCID: PMC9512043 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.994412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of the vertebrate visual system involves complex morphogenetic interactions of cells derived from multiple embryonic lineages. Disruptions in this process are associated with structural birth defects such as microphthalmia, anophthalmia, and coloboma (collectively referred to as MAC), and inherited retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and allied dystrophies. MAC and retinal degeneration are also observed in systemic congenital malformation syndromes. One important example is CHARGE syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by coloboma, heart defects, choanal atresia, growth retardation, genital abnormalities, and ear abnormalities. Mutations in the gene encoding Chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 7 (CHD7) cause the majority of CHARGE syndrome cases. However, the pathogenetic mechanisms that connect loss of CHD7 to the ocular complications observed in CHARGE syndrome have not been identified. In this review, we provide a general overview of ocular development and congenital disorders affecting the eye. This is followed by a comprehensive description of CHARGE syndrome, including discussion of the spectrum of ocular defects that have been described in this disorder. In addition, we discuss the current knowledge of CHD7 function and focus on its contributions to the development of ocular structures. Finally, we discuss outstanding gaps in our knowledge of the role of CHD7 in eye formation, and propose avenues of investigation to further our understanding of how CHD7 activity regulates ocular and retinal development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ann C. Morris
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
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14
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Bian F, Daghsni M, Lu F, Liu S, Gross JM, Aldiri I. Functional analysis of the Vsx2 super-enhancer uncovers distinct cis-regulatory circuits controlling Vsx2 expression during retinogenesis. Development 2022; 149:dev200642. [PMID: 35831950 PMCID: PMC9440754 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Vsx2 is a transcription factor essential for retinal proliferation and bipolar cell differentiation, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its developmental roles are unclear. Here, we have profiled VSX2 genomic occupancy during mouse retinogenesis, revealing extensive retinal genetic programs associated with VSX2 during development. VSX2 binds and transactivates its enhancer in association with the transcription factor PAX6. Mice harboring deletions in the Vsx2 regulatory landscape exhibit specific abnormalities in retinal proliferation and in bipolar cell differentiation. In one of those deletions, a complete loss of bipolar cells is associated with a bias towards photoreceptor production. VSX2 occupies cis-regulatory elements nearby genes associated with photoreceptor differentiation and homeostasis in the adult mouse and human retina, including a conserved region nearby Prdm1, a factor implicated in the specification of rod photoreceptors and suppression of bipolar cell fate. VSX2 interacts with the transcription factor OTX2 and can act to suppress OTX2-dependent enhancer transactivation of the Prdm1 enhancer. Taken together, our analyses indicate that Vsx2 expression can be temporally and spatially uncoupled at the enhancer level, and they illuminate important mechanistic insights into how VSX2 is engaged with gene regulatory networks that are essential for retinal proliferation and cell fate acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyun Bian
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Marwa Daghsni
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Fangfang Lu
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Silvia Liu
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Gross
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Issam Aldiri
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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15
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Kuwata C, Maejima T, Hakamata S, Yahagi S, Matsuoka T, Tsuchiya Y. Disruption of Fetal Eye Development Caused by Insulin-induced Maternal Hypoglycemia in Rats. Reprod Toxicol 2022; 112:68-76. [PMID: 35738499 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2022.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
We previously revealed that insulin-induced severe and long-lasting maternal hypoglycemia in rats caused anophthalmia and microphthalmia in fetuses; however, it remained unclear whether hypoglycemia-induced eye anomalies were developmental retardation or disruption, and when and how they developed. Hence, we induced hypoglycemia in pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats by injecting insulin from Days 6 to 11 of pregnancy and performed periodical histopathological examination of fetal eyes from embryonic days (E)10 to 20. On E10, optic vesicle had developed normally both in the control and insulin-treated group; however, on E11, optic cup (OC) had developed in the control group but not in the insulin-treated group. On E12, neural retina (NR), retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), lens, and presumptive cornea had been observed in the control group. In contrast, lens pit and OC with remaining space between RPE and NR had developed in the insulin-treated group. From E13 to E15, developmental disruption characterized by defects, hypoplasia, and degeneration in the retina, lens, and cornea was observed in the insulin-treated group, resulting in anophthalmia or microphthalmia on E20. Moreover, the expression of MITF and chx10, which are essential for early eye development by expressing in the presumptive retina and lens and regulating each other's expression level, was ectopic and suppressed on E11. In conclusion, insulin-induced maternal hypoglycemia caused developmental disruption, but not simple developmental retardation of fetal eyes, and its trigger might be a failure of presumptive retina and lens to interact on E11.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiharu Kuwata
- Medicinal Safety Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-16-13 Kita-Kasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Takanori Maejima
- Translational Science, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinobu Hakamata
- Medicinal Safety Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-16-13 Kita-Kasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoko Yahagi
- Medicinal Safety Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-16-13 Kita-Kasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshiki Matsuoka
- Translational Science, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Tsuchiya
- Medicinal Safety Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-16-13 Kita-Kasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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16
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Ramšak Ž, Modic V, Li RA, vom Berg C, Zupanic A. From Causal Networks to Adverse Outcome Pathways: A Developmental Neurotoxicity Case Study. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2022; 4:815754. [PMID: 35295214 PMCID: PMC8915909 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.815754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The last decade has seen the adverse outcome pathways (AOP) framework become one of the most powerful tools in chemical risk assessment, but the development of new AOPs remains a slow and manually intensive process. Here, we present a faster approach for AOP generation, based on manually curated causal toxicological networks. As a case study, we took a recently published zebrafish developmental neurotoxicity network, which contains causally connected molecular events leading to neuropathologies, and developed two new adverse outcome pathways: Inhibition of Fyna (Src family tyrosine kinase A) leading to increased mortality via decreased eye size (AOP 399 on AOP-Wiki) and GSK3beta (Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta) inactivation leading to increased mortality via defects in developing inner ear (AOP 410). The approach consists of an automatic separation of the toxicological network into candidate AOPs, filtering the AOPs according to available evidence and length as well as manual development of new AOPs and weight-of-evidence evaluation. The semiautomatic approach described here provides a new opportunity for fast and straightforward AOP development based on large network resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Živa Ramšak
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vid Modic
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Roman A. Li
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, Eawag—Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Duebendorf, Switzerland
| | - Colette vom Berg
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, Eawag—Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Duebendorf, Switzerland
| | - Anze Zupanic
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Anze Zupanic,
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17
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Sun C, Zhang X, Ruzycki PA, Chen S. Essential Functions of MLL1 and MLL2 in Retinal Development and Cone Cell Maintenance. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:829536. [PMID: 35223853 PMCID: PMC8864151 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.829536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
MLL1 (KMT2A) and MLL2 (KMT2B) are homologous members of the mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) family of histone methyltransferases involved in epigenomic transcriptional regulation. Their sequence variants have been associated with neurological and psychological disorders, but little is known about their roles and mechanism of action in CNS development. Using mouse retina as a model, we previously reported MLL1’s role in retinal neurogenesis and horizontal cell maintenance. Here we determine roles of MLL2 and MLL1/MLL2 together in retinal development using conditional knockout (CKO) mice. Deleting Mll2 from Chx10+ retinal progenitors resulted in a similar phenotype as Mll1 CKO, but removal of both alleles produced much more severe deficits than each single CKO: 1-month double CKO mutants displayed null light responses in electroretinogram; thin retinal layers, including shorter photoreceptor outer segments with impaired phototransduction gene expression; and reduced numbers of M-cones, horizontal and amacrine neurons, followed by fast retinal degeneration. Despite moderately reduced progenitor cell proliferation at P0, the neurogenic capacity was largely maintained in double CKO mutants. However, upregulated apoptosis and reactive gliosis were detected during postnatal retinal development. Finally, the removal of both MLLs in fated rods produced a normal phenotype, but the CKO in M-cones impaired M-cone function and survival, indicating both cell non-autonomous and autonomous mechanisms. Altogether, our results suggest that MLL1/MLL2 play redundant roles in maintaining specific retinal neurons after cell fate specification and are essential for establishing functional neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Philip A. Ruzycki
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Shiming Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States
- *Correspondence: Shiming Chen,
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18
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Bery A, Bagchi U, Bergen AA, Felder-Schmittbuhl MP. Circadian clocks, retinogenesis and ocular health in vertebrates: new molecular insights. Dev Biol 2022; 484:40-56. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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19
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Honnell V, Norrie JL, Patel AG, Ramirez C, Zhang J, Lai YH, Wan S, Dyer MA. Identification of a modular super-enhancer in murine retinal development. Nat Commun 2022; 13:253. [PMID: 35017532 PMCID: PMC8752785 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27924-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers are expansive regions of genomic DNA comprised of multiple putative enhancers that contribute to the dynamic gene expression patterns during development. This is particularly important in neurogenesis because many essential transcription factors have complex developmental stage- and cell-type specific expression patterns across the central nervous system. In the developing retina, Vsx2 is expressed in retinal progenitor cells and is maintained in differentiated bipolar neurons and Müller glia. A single super-enhancer controls this complex and dynamic pattern of expression. Here we show that deletion of one region disrupts retinal progenitor cell proliferation but does not affect cell fate specification. The deletion of another region has no effect on retinal progenitor cell proliferation but instead leads to a complete loss of bipolar neurons. This prototypical super-enhancer may serve as a model for dissecting the complex gene expression patterns for neurogenic transcription factors during development. Moreover, it provides a unique opportunity to alter expression of individual transcription factors in particular cell types at specific stages of development. This provides a deeper understanding of function that cannot be achieved with traditional knockout mouse approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Honnell
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Jackie L Norrie
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Anand G Patel
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Cody Ramirez
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Jiakun Zhang
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Yu-Hsuan Lai
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Shibiao Wan
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Michael A Dyer
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.
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20
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Fan J, Liu J, Liu J, Chen C, Koutalos Y, Crosson CE. Evidence for ceramide induced cytotoxicity in retinal ganglion cells. Exp Eye Res 2021; 211:108762. [PMID: 34499916 PMCID: PMC8511283 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Ceramides are bioactive compounds that play important roles in regulating cellular responses to extracellular stimuli and stress. Previous studies have shown that ceramides contribute to retinal degeneration associated with ischemic and ocular hypertensive stress. Acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) is one of the major enzymes responsible for the stress-induced generation of ceramides. The goals of this study are to investigate the effects of ceramides on retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and of ASMase inhibition in ocular hypertensive mice. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived RGCs and primary cultures of human optic nerve head astrocytes were used to characterize the response to C2-ceramide. Microbead-induced ocular hypertension in the ASMase heterozygote mouse model was used to confirm the physiological relevance of in vitro studies. In mice, RGC function and morphology were assessed with pattern ERG (pERG) and immunofluorescence. The addition of C2-ceramide to iPSC-derived RGCs produced a significant concentration- and time-dependent reduction in cell numbers when compared to control cultures. While the addition of C2-ceramide to astrocytes did not affect viability, it resulted in a 2.6-fold increase in TNF-α secretion. The addition of TNF-α or conditioned media from C2-ceramide-treated astrocytes to RGC cultures significantly reduced cell numbers by 56.1 ± 8.4% and 24.7 ± 4.8%, respectively. This cytotoxic response to astrocyte-conditioned media was blocked by TNF-α antibody. In ASMase heterozygote mice, functional and morphological analyses of ocular hypertensive eyes reveal significantly less RGC degeneration when compared with hypertensive eyes from wild-type mice. These results provide evidence that ceramides can induce RGC cell death by acting directly, as well as indirectly via the secretion of TNF-α from optic nerve head astrocytes. In vivo studies in mice provide evidence that ceramides derived through the activity of ASMase contribute to ocular hypertensive injury. Together these results support the importance of ceramides in the pathogenesis of ocular hypertensive injury to the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Fan
- Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Ophthalmology, 167 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
| | - Jiali Liu
- Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, 274 Middle Zhijiang Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200071, China
| | - Jian Liu
- Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Ophthalmology, 167 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Chunhe Chen
- Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Ophthalmology, 167 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Yiannis Koutalos
- Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Ophthalmology, 167 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Craig E Crosson
- Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Ophthalmology, 167 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
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21
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West ER, Cepko CL. Development and diversification of bipolar interneurons in the mammalian retina. Dev Biol 2021; 481:30-42. [PMID: 34534525 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The bipolar interneurons of the mammalian retina have evolved as a diverse set of cells with distinct subtype characteristics, which reflect specialized contributions to visual circuitry. Fifteen subtypes of bipolar interneurons have been identified in the mouse retina, each with characteristic gene expression, morphology, and light responses. This review provides an overview of the developmental events that underlie the generation of the diverse bipolar cell class, summarizing the current knowledge of genetic programs that establish and maintain bipolar subtype fates, as well as the events that shape the final distribution of bipolar subtypes. With much left to be discovered, bipolar interneurons present an ideal model system for studying the interplay between cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms that influence neuronal subtype development within the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R West
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Constance L Cepko
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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22
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Adherent but Not Suspension-Cultured Embryoid Bodies Develop into Laminated Retinal Organoids. J Dev Biol 2021; 9:jdb9030038. [PMID: 34564087 PMCID: PMC8482155 DOI: 10.3390/jdb9030038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are differentiated into three-dimensional (3D) retinal organoids to study retinogenesis and diseases that would otherwise be impossible. The complexity and low yield in current protocols remain a technical challenge, particularly for inexperienced personnel. Differentiation protocols require labor-intensive and time-consuming dissection of optic vesicles (OVs). Here we compare this method with a suspension method of developing retinal organoids. iPSCs were differentiated with standard protocols but the suspension-grown method omitted the re-plating of embryoid bodies and dissection of OVs. All other media and treatments were identical between developmental methods. Developmental maturation was evaluated with RT-qPCR and immunocytochemistry. Dissection- and suspension-derived retinal organoids displayed temporal biogenesis of retinal cell types. Differences in retinal organoids generated by the two methods of differentiation included temporal developmental and the organization of neural retina layers. Retinal organoids grown in suspension showed delayed development and disorganized retinal layers compared to the dissected retinal organoids. We found that omitting the re-plating of EBs to form OVs resulted in numerous OVs that were easy to identify and matured along a retinal lineage. While more efficient, the suspension method led to retinal organoids with disorganized retinal layers compared to those obtained using conventional dissection protocols.
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Kumar S, Ramakrishnan H, Viswanathan S, Akopian A, Bloomfield SA. Neuroprotection of the Inner Retina Also Prevents Secondary Outer Retinal Pathology in a Mouse Model of Glaucoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2021; 62:35. [PMID: 34297802 PMCID: PMC8300060 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.62.9.35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose We examined structural and functional changes in the outer retina of a mouse model of glaucoma. We examined whether these changes are a secondary consequence of damage in the inner retina and whether neuroprotection of the inner retina also prevents outer retinal changes. Methods We used an established microbead occlusion model of glaucoma whereby intraocular pressure (IOP) was elevated. Specific antibodies were used to label rod and cone bipolar cells (BCs), horizontal cells (HCs), and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), as well as synaptic components in control and glaucomatous eyes, to assess structural damage and cell loss. ERG recordings were made to assess outer retina function. Results We found structural and functional damage of BCs, including significant cell loss and dendritic/axonal remodeling of HCs, following IOP elevation. The first significant loss of both BCs occurred at 4 to 5 weeks after microbead injection. However, early changes in the dendritic structure of RGCs were observed at 3 weeks, but significant changes in the rod BC axon terminal structure were not seen until 4 weeks. We found that protection of inner retinal neurons in glaucomatous eyes by pharmacological blockade of gap junctions or genetic ablation of connexin 36 largely prevented outer retinal damage. Conclusions Together, our results indicate that outer retinal impairments in glaucoma are a secondary sequalae of primary damage in the inner retina. The finding that neuroprotection of the inner retina can also prevent outer retinal damage has important implications with regard to the targets for effective neuroprotective therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Kumar
- Department of Biological and Vision Sciences, State University of New York College of Optometry, New York, New York, United States
| | - Hariharasubramanian Ramakrishnan
- Department of Biological and Vision Sciences, State University of New York College of Optometry, New York, New York, United States
| | - Suresh Viswanathan
- Department of Biological and Vision Sciences, State University of New York College of Optometry, New York, New York, United States
| | - Abram Akopian
- Department of Biological and Vision Sciences, State University of New York College of Optometry, New York, New York, United States
| | - Stewart A. Bloomfield
- Department of Biological and Vision Sciences, State University of New York College of Optometry, New York, New York, United States
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24
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Development of the vertebrate retinal direction-selective circuit. Dev Biol 2021; 477:273-283. [PMID: 34118273 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The vertebrate retina contains an array of neural circuits that detect distinct features in visual space. Direction-selective (DS) circuits are an evolutionarily conserved retinal circuit motif - from zebrafish to rodents to primates - specialized for motion detection. During retinal development, neuronal subtypes that wire DS circuits form exquisitely precise connections with each other to shape the output of retinal ganglion cells tuned for specific speeds and directions of motion. In this review, we follow the chronology of DS circuit development in the vertebrate retina, including the cellular, molecular, and activity-dependent mechanisms that regulate the formation of DS circuits, from cell birth and migration to synapse formation and refinement. We highlight recent findings that identify genetic programs critical for specifying neuronal subtypes within DS circuits and molecular interactions essential for responses along the cardinal axes of motion. Finally, we discuss the roles of DS circuits in visual behavior and in certain human visual disease conditions. As one of the best-characterized circuits in the vertebrate retina, DS circuits represent an ideal model system for studying the development of neural connectivity at the level of individual genes, cells, and behavior.
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Dong X, Yang H, Zhou X, Xie X, Yu D, Guo L, Xu M, Zhang W, Liang G, Gan L. LIM-Homeodomain Transcription Factor LHX4 Is Required for the Differentiation of Retinal Rod Bipolar Cells and OFF-Cone Bipolar Subtypes. Cell Rep 2021; 32:108144. [PMID: 32937137 PMCID: PMC9245082 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal bipolar cells (BCs) connect with photoreceptors and relay visual information to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Retina-specific deletion of Lhx4 in mice results in a visual defect resembling human congenital stationary night blindness. This visual dysfunction results from the absence of rod bipolar cells (RBCs) and the loss of selective rod-connecting cone bipolar cell (CBC) subtypes and AII amacrine cells (ACs). Inactivation of Lhx4 causes the apoptosis of BCs and cell fate switch from some BCs to ACs, whereas Lhx4 overexpression promotes BC genesis. Moreover, Lhx4 positively regulates Lhx3 expression to drive the fate choice of type 2 BCs over the GABAergic ACs. Lhx4 inactivation ablates Bhlhe23 expression, whereas overexpression of Bhlhe23 partially rescues RBC development in the absence of Lhx4. Thus, by acting upstream of Bhlhe23, Prdm8, Fezf2, Lhx3, and other BC genes, Lhx4, together with Isl1, could play essential roles in regulating the subtype-specific development of RBCs and CBCs. Dong et al. show that the loss of Lhx4 in mice results in the loss of rod bipolar cells and rod-connecting bipolar cells and in a visual defect resembling human congenital stationary night blindness. Lhx4, together with Isl1, acts upstream of Bhlhe23, Prdm8, Fezf2, and Lhx3 to regulate bipolar cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuhui Dong
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Hua Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangtian Zhou
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Xiaoling Xie
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Dongliang Yu
- College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Luming Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Department of Ophthalmology and Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Mei Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Department of Ophthalmology and Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Institute of Life Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310036, China
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Department of Plastic Surgery, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai 20003, China
| | - Guoqing Liang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310036, China.
| | - Lin Gan
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
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Goel M, Dhingra NK. bFGF and insulin lead to migration of Müller glia to photoreceptor layer in rd1 mouse retina. Neurosci Lett 2021; 755:135936. [PMID: 33910061 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Müller glia can act as endogenous stem cells and regenerate the missing neurons in the injured or degenerating retina in lower vertebrates. However, mammalian Müller glia, although can sometimes express stem cell markers and specific neuronal proteins in response to injury or degeneration, do not differentiate into functional neurons. We asked whether bFGF and insulin would stimulate the Müller glia to migrate, proliferate and differentiate into photoreceptors in rd1 mouse. We administered single or repeated (two or three) intravitreal injections of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF;200 μg) and insulin (2 μg) in 2-week-old rd1 mice. Müller glia were checked for proliferation, migration and differentiation using immunostaining. A single injection resulted within 5 days in a decrease in the numbers of Müller glia in the inner nuclear layer (INL) and a corresponding increase in the outer nuclear layer (ONL). The total number of Müller glia in the INL and ONL was unaltered, suggesting that they did not proliferate, but migrated from INL to ONL. However, maintaining the Müller cells in the ONL for two weeks or longer required repeated injections of bFGF and insulin. Interestingly, all Müller cells in the ONL expressed chx10, a stem cell marker. We did not find any immunolabeling for rhodopsin, m-opsin or s-opsin in the Müller glia in the ONL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manvi Goel
- National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana 122051, India.
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27
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Abstract
The vertebrate eye is derived from the neuroepithelium, surface ectoderm, and extracellular mesenchyme. The neuroepithelium forms an optic cup in which the spatial separation of three domains is established, namely, the region of multipotent retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), the ciliary margin zone (CMZ)-which possesses both a neurogenic and nonneurogenic potential-and the optic disk (OD), the interface between the optic stalk and the neuroretina. Here, we show by genetic ablation in the developing optic cup that Meis1 and Meis2 homeobox genes function redundantly to maintain the retinal progenitor pool while they simultaneously suppress the expression of genes characteristic of CMZ and OD fates. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Meis transcription factors bind regulatory regions of RPC-, CMZ-, and OD-specific genes, thus providing a mechanistic insight into the Meis-dependent gene regulatory network. Our work uncovers the essential role of Meis1 and Meis2 as regulators of cell fate competence, which organize spatial territories in the vertebrate eye.
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Yamamoto H, Kon T, Omori Y, Furukawa T. Functional and Evolutionary Diversification of Otx2 and Crx in Vertebrate Retinal Photoreceptor and Bipolar Cell Development. Cell Rep 2021; 30:658-671.e5. [PMID: 31968244 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Otx family homeoproteins Otx2 and Crx are expressed in photoreceptor precursor cells and bind to the common DNA-binding consensus sequence, but these two proteins have distinct functions in retinal development. To examine the functional substitutability of Otx2 and Crx, we generate knockin mouse lines in which Crx is replaced by Otx2 and vice versa. We find that Otx2 and Crx cannot be substituted in photoreceptor development. Subsequently, we investigate the function of Otx2 in photoreceptor and bipolar cell development. High Otx2 levels induce photoreceptor cell fate but not bipolar cell fate, whereas reduced Otx2 expression impairs bipolar cell maturation and survival. Furthermore, we identify Otx2 and Crx in the lamprey genome by using synteny analysis, suggesting that the last common ancestor of vertebrates possesses both Otx2 and Crx. We find that the retinal Otx2 expression pattern is different between lampreys and mice, suggesting that neofunctionalization of Otx2 occurred in the jawed vertebrate lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Yamamoto
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kon
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Omori
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takahisa Furukawa
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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29
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Murenu E, Pavlou M, Richter L, Rapti K, Just S, Cehajic-Kapetanovic J, Tafrishi N, Hayes A, Scholey R, Lucas R, Büning H, Grimm D, Michalakis S. A universal protocol for isolating retinal ON bipolar cells across species via fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2021; 20:587-600. [PMID: 33665228 PMCID: PMC7895692 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are characterized by progressive degeneration and loss of light-sensing photoreceptors. The most promising therapeutic approach for IRDs is gene supplementation therapy using viral vectors, which requires the presence of viable photoreceptors at the time of intervention. At later disease stages, photoreceptors are lost and can no longer be rescued with this approach. For these patients, conferring light-sensing abilities to the remaining interneurons of the ON circuit (i.e., ON bipolar cells) using optogenetic tools poses an alternative treatment strategy. Such treatments, however, are hampered by the lack of efficient gene delivery tools targeting ON bipolar cells, which in turn rely on the effective isolation of these cells to facilitate tool development. Herein, we describe a method to selectively isolate ON bipolar cells via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), based on the expression of two intracellular markers. We show that the method is compatible with highly sensitive downstream analyses and suitable for the isolation of ON bipolar cells from healthy as well as degenerated mouse retinas. Moreover, we demonstrate that this approach works effectively using non-human primate (NHP) retinal tissue, thereby offering a reliable pipeline for universal screening strategies that do not require inter-species adaptations or transgenic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Murenu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Marina Pavlou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa Richter
- Core Facility Flow Cytometry, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Kleopatra Rapti
- Department of Infectious Diseases/Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- BioQuant Center, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sabrina Just
- Laboratory for Infection Biology and Gene Transfer, Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- REBIRTH Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jasmina Cehajic-Kapetanovic
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University and Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Neda Tafrishi
- Core Facility Flow Cytometry, Gene Center, BioSysM, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Andrew Hayes
- Center for Biological Timing & School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Rachel Scholey
- Center for Biological Timing & School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Robert Lucas
- Center for Biological Timing & School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Hildegard Büning
- Laboratory for Infection Biology and Gene Transfer, Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- REBIRTH Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dirk Grimm
- Department of Infectious Diseases/Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- BioQuant Center, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stylianos Michalakis
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
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30
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Lahne M, Brecker M, Jones SE, Hyde DR. The Regenerating Adult Zebrafish Retina Recapitulates Developmental Fate Specification Programs. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 8:617923. [PMID: 33598455 PMCID: PMC7882614 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.617923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult zebrafish possess the remarkable capacity to regenerate neurons. In the damaged zebrafish retina, Müller glia reprogram and divide to produce neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) that proliferate and differentiate into both lost neuronal cell types and those unaffected by the damage stimulus, which suggests that developmental specification/differentiation programs might be recapitulated during regeneration. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that developmental competence factors are expressed following photoreceptor damage induced by intense light or in a genetic rod photoreceptor cell ablation model. In both light- and N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA)-damaged adult zebrafish retinas, NPCs, but not proliferating Müller glia, expressed fluorescent reporters controlled by promoters of ganglion (atoh7), amacrine (ptf1a), bipolar (vsx1), or red cone photoreceptor cell competence factors (thrb) in a temporal expression sequence. In both damage paradigms, atoh7:GFP was expressed first, followed by ptf1a:EGFP and lastly, vsx1:GFP, whereas thrb:Tomato was observed in NPCs at the same time as ptf1a:GFP following light damage but shifted alongside vsx1:GFP in the NMDA-damaged retina. Moreover, HuC/D, indicative of ganglion and amacrine cell differentiation, colocalized with atoh7:GFP prior to ptf1a:GFP expression in the ganglion cell layer, which was followed by Zpr-1 expression (red/green cone photoreceptors) in thrb:Tomato-positive cells in the outer nuclear layer in both damage paradigms, mimicking the developmental differentiation sequence. However, comparing NMDA- to light-damaged retinas, the fraction of PCNA-positive cells expressing atoh7:GFP increased, that of thrb:Tomato and vsx1:GFP decreased, and that of ptf1a:GFP remained similar. To summarize, developmental cell specification programs were recapitulated during retinal regeneration, which adapted to account for the cell type lost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Lahne
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States.,Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States.,Center for Zebrafish Research, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Margaret Brecker
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States.,Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States.,Center for Zebrafish Research, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Stuart E Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - David R Hyde
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States.,Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States.,Center for Zebrafish Research, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
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31
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Kadkhodaeian HA. Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Signaling Pathways in Transdifferentiation Into Retinal Progenitor Cells. Basic Clin Neurosci 2021; 12:29-42. [PMID: 33995925 PMCID: PMC8114861 DOI: 10.32598/bcn.9.10.510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 08/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Several signaling pathways and transcription factors control the cell fate in its in vitro development and differentiation. The orchestrated use of these factors results in cell specification. In coculture methods, many of these factors secrete from host cells but control the process. Today, transcription factors required for retinal progenitor cells are well known, but the generation of these cells from mesenchymal stem cells is an ideal goal. The purpose of the paper is to review novel methods for retinal progenitor cell production and selecting a set of signaling molecules in the presence of adult retinal pigment epithelium and extraocular mesenchyme acting as inducers of retinal cell differentiation.
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32
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O'Hara-Wright M, Gonzalez-Cordero A. Retinal organoids: a window into human retinal development. Development 2020; 147:147/24/dev189746. [PMID: 33361444 PMCID: PMC7774906 DOI: 10.1242/dev.189746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Retinal development and maturation are orchestrated by a series of interacting signalling networks that drive the morphogenetic transformation of the anterior developing brain. Studies in model organisms continue to elucidate these complex series of events. However, the human retina shows many differences from that of other organisms and the investigation of human eye development now benefits from stem cell-derived organoids. Retinal differentiation methods have progressed from simple 2D adherent cultures to self-organising micro-physiological systems. As models of development, these have collectively offered new insights into the previously unexplored early development of the human retina and informed our knowledge of the key cell fate decisions that govern the specification of light-sensitive photoreceptors. Although the developmental trajectories of other retinal cell types remain more elusive, the collation of omics datasets, combined with advanced culture methodology, will enable modelling of the intricate process of human retinogenesis and retinal disease in vitro. Summary: Retinal organoid systems derived from human pluripotent stem cells are micro-physiological systems that offer new insights into previously unexplored human retina development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle O'Hara-Wright
- Stem Cell Medicine Group, Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Sydney, Westmead, 2145, NSW, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, 2145, NSW, Australia
| | - Anai Gonzalez-Cordero
- Stem Cell Medicine Group, Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Sydney, Westmead, 2145, NSW, Australia .,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, 2145, NSW, Australia
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33
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Oliveira-Valença VM, Bosco A, Vetter ML, Silveira MS. On the Generation and Regeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:581136. [PMID: 33043015 PMCID: PMC7527462 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.581136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinal development follows a conserved neurogenic program in vertebrates to orchestrate the generation of specific cell types from multipotent progenitors in sequential but overlapping waves. In this program, retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the first cell type generated. RGCs are the final output neurons of the retina and are essential for vision and circadian rhythm. Key molecular steps have been defined in multiple vertebrate species to regulate competence, specification, and terminal differentiation of this cell type. This involves neuronal-specific transcription factor networks, regulators of chromatin dynamics and miRNAs. In mammals, RGCs and their optic nerve axons undergo neurodegeneration and loss in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies, resulting in irreversible vision loss. The incapacity of RGCs and axons to regenerate reinforces the need for the design of efficient RGC replacement strategies. Here we describe the essential molecular pathways for the differentiation of RGCs in vertebrates, as well as experimental manipulations that extend the competence window for generation of this early cell type from late progenitors. We discuss recent advances in regeneration of retinal neurons in vivo in both mouse and zebrafish and discuss possible strategies and barriers to achieving RGC regeneration as a therapeutic approach for vision restoration in blinding diseases such as glaucoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane M Oliveira-Valença
- Laboratory of Neurogenesis, Neurobiology Program, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alejandra Bosco
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Monica L Vetter
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Mariana S Silveira
- Laboratory of Neurogenesis, Neurobiology Program, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Glial Cell Biology Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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34
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Debrulle S, Baudouin C, Hidalgo-Figueroa M, Pelosi B, Francius C, Rucchin V, Ronellenfitch K, Chow RL, Tissir F, Lee SK, Clotman F. Vsx1 and Chx10 paralogs sequentially secure V2 interneuron identity during spinal cord development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:4117-4131. [PMID: 31822965 PMCID: PMC11104857 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03408-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Paralog factors are usually described as consolidating biological systems by displaying redundant functionality in the same cells. Here, we report that paralogs can also cooperate in distinct cell populations at successive stages of differentiation. In mouse embryonic spinal cord, motor neurons and V2 interneurons differentiate from adjacent progenitor domains that share identical developmental determinants. Therefore, additional strategies secure respective cell fate. In particular, Hb9 promotes motor neuron identity while inhibiting V2 differentiation, whereas Chx10 stimulates V2a differentiation while repressing motor neuron fate. However, Chx10 is not present at the onset of V2 differentiation and in other V2 populations. In the present study, we show that Vsx1, the single paralog of Chx10, which is produced earlier than Chx10 in V2 precursors, can inhibit motor neuron differentiation and promote V2 interneuron production. However, the single absence of Vsx1 does not impact on V2 fate consolidation, suggesting that lack of Vsx1 may be compensated by other factors. Nevertheless, Vsx1 cooperates with Chx10 to prevent motor neuron differentiation in early V2 precursors although these two paralog factors are not produced in the same cells. Hence, this study uncovers an original situation, namely labor division, wherein paralog genes cooperate at successive steps of neuronal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Debrulle
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Baudouin
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maria Hidalgo-Figueroa
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Area of Psychobiology, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Investigación E Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz (INiBICA), University of Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain
| | - Barbara Pelosi
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cédric Francius
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
- PAREXEL International, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Rucchin
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Robert L Chow
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Fadel Tissir
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Soo-Kyung Lee
- Oregon Health and Science University, Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute and Vollum Institute, Portland, USA
| | - Frédéric Clotman
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium.
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35
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Tao Y, Cao J, Li M, Hoffmann B, Xu K, Chen J, Lu X, Guo F, Li X, Phillips MJ, Gamm DM, Chen H, Zhang SC. PAX6D instructs neural retinal specification from human embryonic stem cell-derived neuroectoderm. EMBO Rep 2020; 21:e50000. [PMID: 32700445 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202050000] [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: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PAX6 is essential for neural retina (NR) and forebrain development but how PAX6 instructs NR versus forebrain specification remains unknown. We found that the paired-less PAX6, PAX6D, is expressed in NR cells during human eye development and along human embryonic stem cell (hESC) specification to retinal cells. hESCs deficient for PAX6D failed to enter NR specification. Induced expression of PAX6D but not PAX6A in a PAX6-null background restored the NR specification capacity. ChIP-Seq, confirmed by functional assays, revealed a set of retinal genes and non-retinal neural genes that are potential targets of PAX6D, including WNT8B. Inhibition of WNTs or knocking down of WNT8B restored the NR specification capacity of neuroepithelia with PAX6D knockout, whereas activation of WNTs blocked NR specification even when PAX6D was induced. Thus, PAX6D specifies neuroepithelia to NR cells via the regulation of WNT8B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Tao
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jingyuan Cao
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mingxing Li
- Department of Rehabilitation of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Brianna Hoffmann
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ke Xu
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Lu
- Wuhan No. 1 Hospital, Wuhan, China
| | - Fangliang Guo
- Neurological Department of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - M Joseph Phillips
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David M Gamm
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Su-Chun Zhang
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Program in Neuroscience & Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore City, Singapore
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Goodson NB, Kaufman MA, Park KU, Brzezinski JA. Simultaneous deletion of Prdm1 and Vsx2 enhancers in the retina alters photoreceptor and bipolar cell fate specification, yet differs from deleting both genes. Development 2020; 147:dev190272. [PMID: 32541005 PMCID: PMC10666920 DOI: 10.1242/dev.190272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor OTX2 is required for photoreceptor and bipolar cell formation in the retina. It directly activates the transcription factors Prdm1 and Vsx2 through cell type-specific enhancers. PRDM1 and VSX2 work in opposition, such that PRDM1 promotes photoreceptor fate and VSX2 bipolar cell fate. To determine how OTX2+ cell fates are regulated in mice, we deleted Prdm1 and Vsx2 or their cell type-specific enhancers simultaneously using a CRISPR/Cas9 in vivo retina electroporation strategy. Double gene or enhancer targeting effectively removed PRDM1 and VSX2 protein expression. However, double enhancer targeting favored bipolar fate outcomes, whereas double gene targeting favored photoreceptor fate. Both conditions generated excess amacrine cells. Combined, these fate changes suggest that photoreceptors are a default fate outcome in OTX2+ cells and that VSX2 must be present in a narrow temporal window to drive bipolar cell formation. Prdm1 and Vsx2 also appear to redundantly restrict the competence of OTX2+ cells, preventing amacrine cell formation. By taking a combinatorial deletion approach of both coding sequences and enhancers, our work provides new insights into the complex regulatory mechanisms that control cell fate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah B Goodson
- Sue Anschutz Rodgers Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Michael A Kaufman
- Sue Anschutz Rodgers Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development Graduate Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Ko U Park
- Sue Anschutz Rodgers Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Joseph A Brzezinski
- Sue Anschutz Rodgers Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Prdm1 overexpression causes a photoreceptor fate-shift in nascent, but not mature, bipolar cells. Dev Biol 2020; 464:111-123. [PMID: 32562755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factors Prdm1 (Blimp1) and Vsx2 (Chx10) work downstream of Otx2 to regulate photoreceptor and bipolar cell fates in the developing retina. Mice that lack Vsx2 fail to form bipolar cells while Prdm1 mutants form excess bipolars at the direct expense of photoreceptors. Excess bipolars in Prdm1 mutants appear to derive from rods, suggesting that photoreceptor fate remains mutable for some time after cells become specified. Here we tested whether bipolar cell fate is also plastic during development. To do this, we created a system to conditionally misexpress Prdm1 at different stages of bipolar cell development. We found that Prdm1 blocks bipolar cell formation if expressed before the fate choice decision occurred. When we misexpressed Prdm1 just after the decision to become a bipolar cell was made, some cells were reprogrammed into photoreceptors. In contrast, Prdm1 misexpression in mature bipolar cells did not affect cell fate. We also provide evidence that sustained misexpression of Prdm1 was selectively toxic to photoreceptors. Our data show that bipolar fate is malleable, but only for a short temporal window following fate specification. Prdm1 and Vsx2 act by stabilizing photoreceptor and bipolar fates in developing OTX2+ cells of the retina.
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Markitantova Y, Simirskii V. Inherited Eye Diseases with Retinal Manifestations through the Eyes of Homeobox Genes. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E1602. [PMID: 32111086 PMCID: PMC7084737 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21051602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal development is under the coordinated control of overlapping networks of signaling pathways and transcription factors. The paper was conceived as a review of the data and ideas that have been formed to date on homeobox genes mutations that lead to the disruption of eye organogenesis and result in inherited eye/retinal diseases. Many of these diseases are part of the same clinical spectrum and have high genetic heterogeneity with already identified associated genes. We summarize the known key regulators of eye development, with a focus on the homeobox genes associated with monogenic eye diseases showing retinal manifestations. Recent advances in the field of genetics and high-throughput next-generation sequencing technologies, including single-cell transcriptome analysis have allowed for deepening of knowledge of the genetic basis of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), as well as improve their diagnostics. We highlight some promising avenues of research involving molecular-genetic and cell-technology approaches that can be effective for IRDs therapy. The most promising neuroprotective strategies are aimed at mobilizing the endogenous cellular reserve of the retina.
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Nguyen-Ba-Charvet KT, Rebsam A. Neurogenesis and Specification of Retinal Ganglion Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21020451. [PMID: 31936811 PMCID: PMC7014133 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21020451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Across all species, retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the first retinal neurons generated during development, followed by the other retinal cell types. How are retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) able to produce these cell types in a specific and timely order? Here, we will review the different models of retinal neurogenesis proposed over the last decades as well as the extrinsic and intrinsic factors controlling it. We will then focus on the molecular mechanisms, especially the cascade of transcription factors that regulate, more specifically, RGC fate. We will also comment on the recent discovery that the ciliary marginal zone is a new stem cell niche in mice contributing to retinal neurogenesis, especially to the generation of ipsilateral RGCs. Furthermore, RGCs are composed of many different subtypes that are anatomically, physiologically, functionally, and molecularly defined. We will summarize the different classifications of RGC subtypes and will recapitulate the specification of some of them and describe how a genetic disease such as albinism affects neurogenesis, resulting in profound visual deficits.
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Islet1 and Brn3 Expression Pattern Study in Human Retina and hiPSC-Derived Retinal Organoid. Stem Cells Int 2019; 2019:8786396. [PMID: 31885629 PMCID: PMC6925930 DOI: 10.1155/2019/8786396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the dynamic Islet1 and Brn3 (POU4F) expression pattern in the human fetal retina and human-induced pluripotent stem cell- (hiPSC-) derived retinal organoid. Human fetal eyes from 8 to 27 fetal weeks (Fwks), human adult retina, hiPSC-derived retinal organoid from 7 to 31 differentiation weeks (Dwks), and rhesus adult retina were collected for cyrosectioning. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that Islet1 was expressed in retinal ganglion cells in the fetal retina, human adult retina, and retinal organoids. Unexpectedly, after Fwk 20, Brn3 expression gradually decreased in the fetal retina. In the midstage of development, Islet1 was detected in bipolar and developing horizontal cells. As the photoreceptor developed, the Islet1-positive cone precursors gradually became Islet1-negative/S-opsin-positive cones. This study highlights the distinguishing characteristics of Islet1 dynamic expression in human fetal retina development and proposes more concerns which should be taken regarding Brn3 as a cell-identifying marker in mature primate retina.
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Retinogenesis of the Human Fetal Retina: An Apical Polarity Perspective. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10120987. [PMID: 31795518 PMCID: PMC6947654 DOI: 10.3390/genes10120987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Crumbs complex has prominent roles in the control of apical cell polarity, in the coupling of cell density sensing to downstream cell signaling pathways, and in regulating junctional structures and cell adhesion. The Crumbs complex acts as a conductor orchestrating multiple downstream signaling pathways in epithelial and neuronal tissue development. These pathways lead to the regulation of cell size, cell fate, cell self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation, migration, mitosis, and apoptosis. In retinogenesis, these are all pivotal processes with important roles for the Crumbs complex to maintain proper spatiotemporal cell processes. Loss of Crumbs function in the retina results in loss of the stratified appearance resulting in retinal degeneration and loss of visual function. In this review, we begin by discussing the physiology of vision. We continue by outlining the processes of retinogenesis and how well this is recapitulated between the human fetal retina and human embryonic stem cell (ESC) or induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived retinal organoids. Additionally, we discuss the functionality of in utero and preterm human fetal retina and the current level of functionality as detected in human stem cell-derived organoids. We discuss the roles of apical-basal cell polarity in retinogenesis with a focus on Leber congenital amaurosis which leads to blindness shortly after birth. Finally, we discuss Crumbs homolog (CRB)-based gene augmentation.
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42
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Zhao L, Li Y, Wang Y, Qiao Z, Miao Z, Yang J, Huang L, Tian C, Li L, Chen D, Yang S. Discovery of 4H-Chromen-4-one Derivatives as a New Class of Selective Rho Kinase (ROCK) Inhibitors, which Showed Potent Activity in ex Vivo Diabetic Retinopathy Models. J Med Chem 2019; 62:10691-10710. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Ma X, Li H, Chen Y, Yang J, Chen H, Arnheiter H, Hou L. The transcription factor MITF in RPE function and dysfunction. Prog Retin Eye Res 2019; 73:100766. [DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2019.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Gamm DM, Clark E, Capowski EE, Singh R. The Role of FGF9 in the Production of Neural Retina and RPE in a Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Early Human Retinal Development. Am J Ophthalmol 2019; 206:113-131. [PMID: 31078532 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2019.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the role of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) in the production of neural retina (NR) and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) in a human pluripotent stem cell model of early retinal development. METHODS Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines from an individual with microphthalmia caused by a functional null mutation (R200Q) in visual system homeobox 2 (VSX2), a transcription factor involved in early NR progenitor cell (NRPC) production, and a normal sibling were differentiated along the retinal and forebrain lineages using an established protocol. Quantitative and global gene expression analyses (microarray and RNAseq) were used to investigate endogenous FGF expression profiles in these cultures over time. Based on these results, mutant and control hiPSC cultures were treated exogenously with selected FGFs and subjected to gene and protein expression analyses to determine their effects on RPE and NR production. RESULTS We found that FGF9 and FGF19 were selectively increased in early hiPSC-derived optic vesicles (OVs) when compared to isogenic cultures of hiPSC-derived forebrain neurospheres. Furthermore, these same FGFs were downregulated over time in (R200Q)VSX2 hiPSC-OVs relative to sibling control hiPSC-OVs. Interestingly, long-term supplementation with FGF9, but not FGF19, partially rescued the mutant retinal phenotype of the (R200Q)VSX2 hiPSC-OV model. However, antagonizing FGF9 in wild-type control hiPSCs did not alter OV development. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that FGF9 acts in concert with VSX2 to promote NR differentiation in hiPSC-OVs and has potential to be used to manipulate early retinogenesis and mitigate ocular defects caused by functional loss of VSX2 activity. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Gamm
- McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
| | - Eric Clark
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, & Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Ruchira Singh
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rochester Medical Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
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45
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Harding P, Moosajee M. The Molecular Basis of Human Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia. J Dev Biol 2019; 7:jdb7030016. [PMID: 31416264 PMCID: PMC6787759 DOI: 10.3390/jdb7030016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human eye development is coordinated through an extensive network of genetic signalling pathways. Disruption of key regulatory genes in the early stages of eye development can result in aborted eye formation, resulting in an absent eye (anophthalmia) or a small underdeveloped eye (microphthalmia) phenotype. Anophthalmia and microphthalmia (AM) are part of the same clinical spectrum and have high genetic heterogeneity, with >90 identified associated genes. By understanding the roles of these genes in development, including their temporal expression, the phenotypic variation associated with AM can be better understood, improving diagnosis and management. This review describes the genetic and structural basis of eye development, focusing on the function of key genes known to be associated with AM. In addition, we highlight some promising avenues of research involving multiomic approaches and disease modelling with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, which will aid in developing novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London EC1V 2PD, UK.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
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46
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Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of the early developmental origins of six ocular tissues: the cornea, lens, ciliary body, iris, neural retina, and retina pigment epithelium. Many of these tissue types are concurrently specified and undergo a complex set of morphogenetic movements that facilitate their structural interconnection. Within the context of vertebrate eye organogenesis, we also discuss the genetic hierarchies of transcription factors and signaling pathways that regulate growth, patterning, cell type specification and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel B Miesfeld
- Department of Cell Biology & Human Anatomy, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Nadean L Brown
- Department of Cell Biology & Human Anatomy, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, United States.
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47
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Kowalchuk AM, Maurer KA, Shoja-Taheri F, Brown NL. Requirements for Neurogenin2 during mouse postnatal retinal neurogenesis. Dev Biol 2018; 442:220-235. [PMID: 30048641 PMCID: PMC6143394 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
During embryonic retinal development, the bHLH factor Neurog2 regulates the temporal progression of neurogenesis, but no role has been assigned for this gene in the postnatal retina. Using Neurog2 conditional mutants, we found that Neurog2 is necessary for the development of an early, embryonic cohort of rod photoreceptors, but also required by both a subset of cone bipolar subtypes, and rod bipolars. Using transcriptomics, we identified a subset of downregulated genes in P2 Neurog2 mutants, which act during rod differentiation, outer segment morphogenesis or visual processing. We also uncovered defects in neuronal cell culling, which suggests that the rod and bipolar cell phenotypes may arise via more complex mechanisms rather than a simple cell fate shift. However, given an overall phenotypic resemblance between Neurog2 and Blimp1 mutants, we explored the relationship between these two factors. We found that Blimp1 is downregulated between E12-birth in Neurog2 mutants, which probably reflects a dependence on Neurog2 in embryonic progenitor cells. Overall, we conclude that the Neurog2 gene is expressed and active prior to birth, but also exerts an influence on postnatal retinal neuron differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica M Kowalchuk
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kate A Maurer
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Farnaz Shoja-Taheri
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Nadean L Brown
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
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48
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Loukovitis E, Sfakianakis K, Syrmakesi P, Tsotridou E, Orfanidou M, Bakaloudi DR, Stoila M, Kozei A, Koronis S, Zachariadis Z, Tranos P, Kozeis N, Balidis M, Gatzioufas Z, Fiska A, Anogeianakis G. Genetic Aspects of Keratoconus: A Literature Review Exploring Potential Genetic Contributions and Possible Genetic Relationships with Comorbidities. Ophthalmol Ther 2018; 7:263-292. [PMID: 30191404 PMCID: PMC6258591 DOI: 10.1007/s40123-018-0144-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Keratoconus (KC) is a complex, genetically heterogeneous, multifactorial degenerative disorder that is accompanied by corneal ectasia which usually progresses asymmetrically. With an incidence of approximately 1 per 2000 and 2 cases per 100,000 population presenting annually, KC follows an autosomal recessive or dominant pattern of inheritance and is, apparently, associated with genes that interact with environmental, genetic, and/or other factors. This is an important consideration in refractive surgery in the case of familial KC, given the association of KC with other genetic disorders and the imbalance between dizygotic twins. The present review attempts to identify the genetic loci contributing to the different KC clinical presentations and relate them to the common genetically determined comorbidities associated with KC. Methods The PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and GeneCards databases were screened for KC-related articles published in English between January 2006 and November 2017. Keyword combinations of “keratoconus,” “risk factor(s),” “genetics,” “genes,” “genetic association(s),” and “cornea” were used. In total, 217 articles were retrieved and analyzed, with greater weight placed on the more recent literature. Further bibliographic research based on the 217 articles revealed another 124 relevant articles that were included in this review. Using the reviewed literature, an attempt was made to correlate genes and genetic risk factors with KC characteristics and genetically related comorbidities associated with KC based on genome-wide association studies, family-based linkage analysis, and candidate-gene approaches. Results An association matrix between known KC-related genes and KC symptoms and/or clinical signs together with an association matrix between identified KC genes and genetically related KC comorbidities/syndromes were constructed. Conclusion Twenty-four genes were identified as potential contributors to KC and 49 KC-related comorbidities/syndromes were found. More than 85% of the known KC-related genes are involved in glaucoma, Down syndrome, connective tissue disorders, endothelial dystrophy, posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy, and cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Konstantinos Sfakianakis
- Division of Surgical Anatomy, Laboratory of Anatomy, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, University Campus, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Panagiota Syrmakesi
- AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloníki, Greece.,Ophthalmica Eye Institute, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Eleni Tsotridou
- Ophthalmica Eye Institute, Thessaloníki, Greece.,Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Myrsini Orfanidou
- Ophthalmica Eye Institute, Thessaloníki, Greece.,Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Dimitra Rafailia Bakaloudi
- Ophthalmica Eye Institute, Thessaloníki, Greece.,Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Maria Stoila
- Ophthalmica Eye Institute, Thessaloníki, Greece.,Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Athina Kozei
- Ophthalmica Eye Institute, Thessaloníki, Greece.,School of Pharmacology, University of Nicosia, Makedonitissis, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Zisis Gatzioufas
- Department of Ophthalmology, Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Aliki Fiska
- Laboratory of Anatomy, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, University Campus, Alexandroupolis, Greece
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Buenaventura DF, Ghinia-Tegla MG, Emerson MM. Fate-restricted retinal progenitor cells adopt a molecular profile and spatial position distinct from multipotent progenitor cells. Dev Biol 2018; 443:35-49. [PMID: 30145104 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
During development, multipotent retinal progenitor cells generate a large number of unique cell types. Recent evidence suggests that there are fate-restricted progenitor cell states in addition to multipotent ones. Here we report a transcriptomic analysis of fate- restricted progenitor cells biased to produce cone photoreceptors and horizontal cells, marked by the THRB cis-regulatory element ThrbCRM1. Comparison to a control population enriched in multipotent progenitor cells identified several genes considered to be pan-progenitor, such as VSX2, LHX2, and PAX6, as downregulated in these fate- restricted retinal progenitor cells. This differential regulation occurs in chick and in a different restricted progenitor population in mouse suggesting that this is a conserved feature of progenitor dynamics during retinal development. S-phase labeling also revealed that nuclear positions of restricted progenitor populations occupy distinct spatial niches within the developing chick retina. Using a conserved regulatory element proximal to the VSX2 gene, a potential negative feedback mechanism from specific transcription factors enriched in cone/horizontal cell progenitor cells was identified. This study identifies conserved molecular and cellular changes that occur during the generation of fate restricted retinal progenitor cells from multipotent retinal progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego F Buenaventura
- Department of Biology, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, United States; Biology Ph.D. Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, United States
| | - Miruna G Ghinia-Tegla
- Department of Biology, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, United States
| | - Mark M Emerson
- Department of Biology, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, United States; Biology Ph.D. Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, United States.
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50
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MLL1 is essential for retinal neurogenesis and horizontal inner neuron integrity. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11902. [PMID: 30093671 PMCID: PMC6085291 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30355-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of retinal structure and function is controlled by cell type-specific transcription factors and widely expressed co-regulators. The latter includes the mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) family of histone methyltransferases that catalyze histone H3 lysine 4 di- and tri-methylation associated with gene activation. One such member, MLL1, is widely expressed in the central nervous system including the retina. However, its role in retinal development is unknown. To address this question, we knocked out Mll1 in mouse retinal progenitors, and discovered that MLL1 plays multiple roles in retinal development by regulating progenitor cell proliferation, cell type composition and neuron-glia balance, maintenance of horizontal neurons, and formation of functional synapses between neuronal layers required for visual signal transmission and processing. Altogether, our results suggest that MLL1 is indispensable for retinal neurogenesis and function development, providing a new paradigm for cell type-specific roles of known histone modifying enzymes during CNS tissue development.
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