Double knock-out of Hmga1 and Hipk2 genes causes perinatal death associated to respiratory distress and thyroid abnormalities in mice

Polymorphism and expression of the HMGA1 gene and association with tail fat deposition in Hu sheep

Hu sheep is an excellent short fat-tailed breed in China. Fat deposition in Hu sheep tail affects carcass quality and consumes a lot of energy, leading to an increase in feed cost. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of HMGA1 polymorphism on tail fat weight in Hu sheep. Partial coding and non-coding sequences of HMGA1 were amplified with PCR and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of HMGA1 in 1163 Hu sheep were detected using DNA sequencing and KASPar technology. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to test HMGA1 expression in different tissues. The results showed that the expression of HMGA1 was higher in the duodenum, liver, spleen, kidney, and lung than in the heart, muscle, rumen, tail fat, and lymph. A mutation, g.5312 C > T, was detected in HMGA1; g.5312 C > T was significantly associated with tail fat weight, relative weight of tail fat (body weight), and relative weight of tail fat (carcass) (p < 0.05). The tail fat weight of the TT genotype was remarkably higher than that of the CC and TC genotypes. Therefore, HMGA1 can be used as a genetic marker for marker-assisted selection of tail fat weight in Hu sheep.

Chronic exposure to l-BMAA cyanotoxin induces cytoplasmic TDP-43 accumulation and glial activation, reproducing an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like phenotype in mice

BACKGROUND

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and often fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of Motor Neurons (MNs) in spinal cord, motor cortex and brainstem. Despite significant efforts in the field, the exact pathogenetic mechanisms underlying both familial and sporadic forms of ALS have not been fully elucidated, and the therapeutic possibilities are still very limited. Here we investigate the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration induced by chronic exposure to the environmental cyanotoxin L-BMAA, which causes a form of ALS/Parkinson's disease (PD) in several populations consuming food and/or water containing high amounts of this compound.

METHODS

In this effort, mice were chronically exposed to L-BMAA and analyzed at different time points to evaluate cellular and molecular alterations and behavioral deficits, performing MTT assay, immunoblot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry analysis, and behavioral tests.

RESULTS

We found that cyanotoxin L-BMAA determines apoptotic cell death and a marked astrogliosis in spinal cord and motor cortex, and induces neurotoxicity by favoring TDP-43 cytoplasmic accumulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our results characterize a new versatile neurotoxic animal model of ALS that may be useful for the identification of new druggable targets to develop innovative therapeutic strategies for this disease.

HIPK2 in the physiology of nervous system and its implications in neurological disorders

HIPK2 is an evolutionary conserved serine/threonine kinase with multifunctional roles in stress response, embryonic development and pathological conditions, such as cancer and fibrosis. The heterogeneity of its interactors and targets makes HIPK2 activity strongly dependent on the cellular context, and allows it to modulate multiple signaling pathways, ultimately regulating cell fate and proliferation. HIPK2 is highly expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems, and its genetic ablation causes neurological defects in mice. Moreover, HIPK2 is involved in processes, such as endoplasmic reticulum stress response and protein aggregate accumulation, and pathways, including TGF-β and BMP signaling, that are crucial in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. Here, we review the data about the role of HIPK2 in neuronal development, survival, and homeostasis, highlighting the implications in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, and pointing out HIPK2 potentiality as therapeutic target and diagnostic or prognostic marker.

HIPK2 in cancer biology and therapy: Recent findings and future perspectives

Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) is a serine-threonine kinase that phosphorylates and regulates a plethora of transcriptional regulators and chromatin modifiers. The heterogeneity of its interactome allows HIPK2 to modulate several cellular processes and signaling pathways, ultimately regulating cell fate and proliferation. Because of its p53-dependent pro-apoptotic activity and its downregulation in many tumor types, HIPK2 is traditionally considered a bone fide tumor suppressor gene. However, recent findings revealed that the role of HIPK2 in the pathogenesis of cancer is much more complex, ranging from tumor suppressive to oncogenic, strongly depending on the cellular context. Here, we review the very recent data emerged in the last years about the involvement of HIPK2 in cancer biology and therapy, highlighting the various alterations of this kinase (downregulation, upregulation, mutations and/or delocalization) in dependence on the cancer types. In addition, we discuss the recent advancement in the understanding the tumor suppressive and oncogenic functions of HIPK2, its role in establishing the response to cancer therapies, and its regulation by cancer-associated microRNAs. All these data strengthen the idea that HIPK2 is a key player in many types of cancer; therefore, it could represent an important prognostic marker, a factor to predict therapy response, and even a therapeutic target itself.

Phenotypic Effects of Homeodomain-Interacting Protein Kinase 2 Deletion in Mice

Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) is a serine-threonine kinase that phosphorylates various transcriptional and chromatin regulators, thus modulating numerous important cellular processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, DNA damage response, and oxidative stress. The role of HIPK2 in the pathogenesis of cancer and fibrosis is well established, and evidence of its involvement in the homeostasis of multiple organs has been recently emerging. We have previously demonstrated that Hipk2-null (Hipk2-KO) mice present cerebellar alterations associated with psychomotor abnormalities and that the double ablation of HIPK2 and its interactor HMGA1 causes perinatal death due to respiratory failure. To identify other alterations caused by the loss of HIPK2, we performed a systematic morphological analysis of Hipk2-KO mice. Post-mortem examinations and histological analysis revealed that Hipk2 ablation causes neuronal loss, neuronal morphological alterations, and satellitosis throughout the whole central nervous system (CNS); a myopathic phenotype characterized by variable fiber size, mitochondrial proliferation, sarcoplasmic inclusions, morphological alterations at neuromuscular junctions; and a cardiac phenotype characterized by fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. These data demonstrate the importance of HIPK2 in the physiology of skeletal and cardiac muscles and of different parts of the CNS, thus suggesting its potential relevance for different new aspects of human pathology.

HMGA Genes and Proteins in Development and Evolution

HMGA (high mobility group A) (HMGA1 and HMGA2) are small non-histone proteins that can bind DNA and modify chromatin state, thus modulating the accessibility of regulatory factors to the DNA and contributing to the overall panorama of gene expression tuning. In general, they are abundantly expressed during embryogenesis, but are downregulated in the adult differentiated tissues. In the present review, we summarize some aspects of their role during development, also dealing with relevant studies that have shed light on their functioning in cell biology and with emerging possible involvement of HMGA1 and HMGA2 in evolutionary biology.