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Navarro T, Iannini A, Neto M, Campoy-Lopez A, Muñoz-García J, Pereira PS, Ares S, Casares F. Feedback control of organ size precision is mediated by BMP2-regulated apoptosis in the Drosophila eye. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002450. [PMID: 38289899 PMCID: PMC10826937 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Biological processes are intrinsically noisy, and yet, the result of development-like the species-specific size and shape of organs-is usually remarkably precise. This precision suggests the existence of mechanisms of feedback control that ensure that deviations from a target size are minimized. Still, we have very limited understanding of how these mechanisms operate. Here, we investigate the problem of organ size precision using the Drosophila eye. The size of the adult eye depends on the rates at which eye progenitor cells grow and differentiate. We first find that the progenitor net growth rate results from the balance between their proliferation and apoptosis, with this latter contributing to determining both final eye size and its variability. In turn, apoptosis of progenitor cells is hampered by Dpp, a BMP2/4 signaling molecule transiently produced by early differentiating retinal cells. Our genetic and computational experiments show how the status of retinal differentiation is communicated to progenitors through the differentiation-dependent production of Dpp, which, by adjusting the rate of apoptosis, exerts a feedback control over the net growth of progenitors to reduce final eye size variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Navarro
- CABD, CSIC/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Marta Neto
- CABD, CSIC/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Alejandro Campoy-Lopez
- CABD, CSIC/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
- ALMIA, CABD, CSIC/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Javier Muñoz-García
- Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos (GISC) and Departamento de Matematicas, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganes, Spain
| | - Paulo S. Pereira
- I3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saude, Universidade do Porto; IBMC- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Saúl Ares
- Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos (GISC) and Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (CNB), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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2
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Rader AE, Bayarmagnai B, Frolov MV. Combined inactivation of RB and Hippo converts differentiating Drosophila photoreceptors into eye progenitor cells through derepression of homothorax. Dev Cell 2023; 58:2261-2274.e6. [PMID: 37848027 PMCID: PMC10842633 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.09.003] [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: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
The retinoblastoma (RB) and Hippo pathways interact to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the mechanism of interaction is not fully understood. Drosophila photoreceptors with inactivated RB and Hippo pathways specify normally but fail to maintain their neuronal identity and dedifferentiate. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing to elucidate the cause of dedifferentiation and to determine the fate of these cells. We find that dedifferentiated cells adopt a progenitor-like fate due to inappropriate activation of the retinal differentiation suppressor homothorax (hth) by Yki/Sd. This results in the activation of a distinct Yki/Hth transcriptional program, driving photoreceptor dedifferentiation. We show that Rbf physically interacts with Yki and, together with the GAGA factor, inhibits the hth expression. Thus, RB and Hippo pathways cooperate to maintain photoreceptor differentiation by preventing inappropriate expression of hth in differentiating photoreceptors. Our work highlights the importance of both RB and Hippo pathway activities for maintaining the state of terminal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Rader
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Battuya Bayarmagnai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Maxim V Frolov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
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3
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Rader AE, Bayarmagnai B, Frolov MV. Combined inactivation of RB and Hippo pathways converts differentiating photoreceptors into eye progenitor cells through derepression of homothorax. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.23.537991. [PMID: 37163078 PMCID: PMC10168227 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.23.537991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The RB and Hippo pathways interact to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. However, their mechanism of interaction is not fully understood. Drosophila photoreceptors with inactivated RB and Hippo pathways specify normally but fail to maintain neuronal identity and dedifferentiate. We performed single-cell RNA-sequencing to elucidate the cause of dedifferentiation and the fate of these cells. We find that dedifferentiated cells adopt a progenitor-like fate due to inappropriate activation of the retinal differentiation suppressor homothorax (hth) by Yki/Sd. This results in activation of the Yki/Hth transcriptional program, driving photoreceptor dedifferentiation. We show that Rbf physically interacts with Yki which, together with the GAGA factor, inhibits hth expression. Thus, RB and Hippo pathways cooperate to maintain photoreceptor differentiation by preventing inappropriate expression of hth in differentiating photoreceptors. Our work accentuates the importance of both RB and Hippo pathway activity for maintaining the state of terminal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Rader
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago IL 60607
| | - Battuya Bayarmagnai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago IL 60607
| | - Maxim V Frolov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago IL 60607
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4
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Naval-Sanchez M, Deshpande N, Tran M, Zhang J, Alhomrani M, Alsanie W, Nguyen Q, Nefzger CM. Benchmarking of ATAC Sequencing Data From BGI’s Low-Cost DNBSEQ-G400 Instrument for Identification of Open and Occupied Chromatin Regions. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:900323. [PMID: 35874611 PMCID: PMC9302965 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.900323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Chromatin falls into one of two major subtypes: closed heterochromatin and euchromatin which is accessible, transcriptionally active, and occupied by transcription factors (TFs). The most widely used approach to interrogate differences in the chromatin state landscape is the Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq). While library generation is relatively inexpensive, sequencing depth requirements can make this assay cost-prohibitive for some laboratories. Findings: Here, we benchmark data from Beijing Genomics Institute’s (BGI) DNBSEQ-G400 low-cost sequencer against data from a standard Illumina instrument (HiSeqX10). For comparisons, the same bulk ATAC-seq libraries generated from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and fibroblasts were sequenced on both platforms. Both instruments generate sequencing reads with comparable mapping rates and genomic context. However, DNBSEQ-G400 data contained a significantly higher number of small, sub-nucleosomal reads (>30% increase) and a reduced number of bi-nucleosomal reads (>75% decrease), which resulted in narrower peak bases and improved peak calling, enabling the identification of 4% more differentially accessible regions between PSCs and fibroblasts. The ability to identify master TFs that underpin the PSC state relative to fibroblasts (via HOMER, HINT-ATAC, TOBIAS), namely, foot-printing capacity, were highly similar between data generated on both platforms. Integrative analysis with transcriptional data equally enabled direct recovery of three published 3-factor combinations that have been shown to induce pluripotency. Conclusion: Other than a small increase in peak calling sensitivity for DNBSEQ-G400 data (BGI), both platforms enable comparable levels of open chromatin identification for ATAC-seq library sequencing, yielding similar analytical outcomes, albeit at low-data generation costs in the case of the BGI instrument.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Naval-Sanchez
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- *Correspondence: Marina Naval-Sanchez, ; Christian M. Nefzger,
| | - Nikita Deshpande
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Minh Tran
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Majid Alhomrani
- Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
- Centre of Biomedical Sciences Research (CBSR), Deanship of Scientific Research, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Walaa Alsanie
- Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
- Centre of Biomedical Sciences Research (CBSR), Deanship of Scientific Research, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Quan Nguyen
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Christian M. Nefzger
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- *Correspondence: Marina Naval-Sanchez, ; Christian M. Nefzger,
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5
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Ma Y, Zeng W, Ba Y, Luo Q, Ou Y, Liu R, Ma J, Tang Y, Hu J, Wang H, Tang X, Mu Y, Li Q, Chen Y, Ran Y, Xiang Z, Xu H. A single-cell transcriptomic atlas characterizes the silk-producing organ in the silkworm. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3316. [PMID: 35680954 PMCID: PMC9184679 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31003-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The silk gland of the domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori, is a remarkable organ that produces vast amounts of silk with exceptional properties. Little is known about which silk gland cells execute silk protein synthesis and its precise spatiotemporal control. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to build a comprehensive cell atlas of the silkworm silk gland, consisting of 14,972 high-quality cells representing 10 distinct cell types, in three early developmental stages. We annotate all 10 cell types and determine their distributions in each region of the silk gland. Additionally, we decode the developmental trajectory and gene expression status of silk gland cells. Finally, we discover marker genes involved in the regulation of silk gland development and silk protein synthesis. Altogether, this work reveals the heterogeneity of silkworm silk gland cells and their gene expression dynamics, affording a deeper understanding of silk-producing organs at the single-cell level. The molecular underpinning of silk-producing organs is not well characterized. Here the authors use single-cell RNA sequencing to build an atlas of the silkworm silk gland and reveal the heterogeneity of silk gland cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Wenhui Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yongbing Ba
- Shanghai OE Biotech. Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 201212, China
| | - Qin Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yao Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Rongpeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jingwen Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yiyun Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jie Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Haomiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Xuan Tang
- Shanghai OE Biotech. Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 201212, China
| | - Yuanyuan Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Qingjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yuqin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yiting Ran
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhonghuai Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Hanfu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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6
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Pichaud F, Casares F. Shaping an optical dome: The size and shape of the insect compound eye. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 130:37-44. [PMID: 34810110 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The insect compound eye is the most abundant eye architecture on earth. It comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, which are exquisitely adapted to specific ecosystems. Here, we explore the organisational principles and pathways, from molecular to tissular, that underpin the building of this organ and highlight why it is an excellent model system to investigate the relationship between genes and tissue form. The compound eye offers wide fields of view, high sensitivity in motion detection and infinite depth of field. It is made of an array of visual units called ommatidia, which are precisely tiled in 3D to shape the retinal tissue as a dome-like structure. The eye starts off as a 2D epithelium, and it acquires its 3D organisation as ommatidia get into shape. Each ommatidium is made of a complement of retinal cells, including light-detecting photoreceptors and lens-secreting cells. The lens cells generate the typical hexagonal facet lens that lies atop the photoreceptors so that the eye surface consists of a quasi-crystalline array of these hexagonal facet-lenses. This array is curved to various degree, depending on the size and shape of the eye, and on the region of the retina. This curvature sets the resolution and visual field of the eye and is determined by i) the number and size of the facet lens - large ommatidial lenses can be used to generate flat, higher resolution areas, while smaller facets allow for stronger curvature of the eye, and ii) precise control of the inter facet-lens angle, which determines the optical axis of the each ommatidium. In this review we discuss how combinatorial variation in eye primordium shape, ommatidial number, facet lens size and inter facet-lens angle underpins the wide variety of insect eye shapes, and we explore what is known about the mechanisms that might control these parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Pichaud
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology (LMCB), University College London, WC1E 6BT London, United Kingdom.
| | - Fernando Casares
- CABD-Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CSIC-Universidad Pablo de Olavide, ES-41013 Seville, Spain.
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7
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Buchberger E, Bilen A, Ayaz S, Salamanca D, Matas de las Heras C, Niksic A, Almudi I, Torres-Oliva M, Casares F, Posnien N. Variation in Pleiotropic Hub Gene Expression Is Associated with Interspecific Differences in Head Shape and Eye Size in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1924-1942. [PMID: 33386848 PMCID: PMC8097299 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Revealing the mechanisms underlying the breathtaking morphological diversity observed in nature is a major challenge in Biology. It has been established that recurrent mutations in hotspot genes cause the repeated evolution of morphological traits, such as body pigmentation or the gain and loss of structures. To date, however, it remains elusive whether hotspot genes contribute to natural variation in the size and shape of organs. As natural variation in head morphology is pervasive in Drosophila, we studied the molecular and developmental basis of differences in compound eye size and head shape in two closely related Drosophila species. We show differences in the progression of retinal differentiation between species and we applied comparative transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility data to identify the GATA transcription factor Pannier (Pnr) as central factor associated with these differences. Although the genetic manipulation of Pnr affected multiple aspects of dorsal head development, the effect of natural variation is restricted to a subset of the phenotypic space. We present data suggesting that this developmental constraint is caused by the coevolution of expression of pnr and its cofactor u-shaped (ush). We propose that natural variation in expression or function of highly connected developmental regulators with pleiotropic functions is a major driver for morphological evolution and we discuss implications on gene regulatory network evolution. In comparison to previous findings, our data strongly suggest that evolutionary hotspots are not the only contributors to the repeated evolution of eye size and head shape in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Buchberger
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anıl Bilen
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sanem Ayaz
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - David Salamanca
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Present address: Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Armin Niksic
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Isabel Almudi
- CABD (CSIC/UPO/JA), DMC2 Unit, Pablo de Olavide University Campus, Seville, Spain
| | - Montserrat Torres-Oliva
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Present address: Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Fernando Casares
- CABD (CSIC/UPO/JA), DMC2 Unit, Pablo de Olavide University Campus, Seville, Spain
| | - Nico Posnien
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Corresponding author: E-mail:
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8
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Quiquand M, Rimesso G, Qiao N, Suo S, Zhao C, Slattery M, White KP, Han JJ, Baker NE. New regulators of Drosophila eye development identified from temporal transcriptome changes. Genetics 2021; 217:6117222. [PMID: 33681970 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last larval instar, uncommitted progenitor cells in the Drosophila eye primordium start to adopt individual retinal cell fates, arrest their growth and proliferation, and initiate terminal differentiation into photoreceptor neurons and other retinal cell types. To explore the regulation of these processes, we have performed mRNA-Seq studies of the larval eye and antennal primordial at multiple developmental stages. A total of 10,893 fly genes were expressed during these stages and could be adaptively clustered into gene groups, some of whose expression increases or decreases in parallel with the cessation of proliferation and onset of differentiation. Using in situ hybridization of a sample of 98 genes to verify spatial and temporal expression patterns, we estimate that 534 genes or more are transcriptionally upregulated during retinal differentiation, and 1367 or more downregulated as progenitor cells differentiate. Each group of co-expressed genes is enriched for regulatory motifs recognized by co-expressed transcription factors, suggesting that they represent coherent transcriptional regulatory programs. Using available mutant strains, we describe novel roles for the transcription factors SoxNeuro (SoxN), H6-like homeobox (Hmx), CG10253, without children (woc), Structure specific recognition protein (Ssrp), and multisex combs (mxc).
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Quiquand
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Gerard Rimesso
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Nan Qiao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Shengbao Suo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Chunyu Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Matthew Slattery
- Institute for Genomics & Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Kevin P White
- Institute for Genomics & Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jackie J Han
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Nicholas E Baker
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.,Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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9
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Casares F, McGregor AP. The evolution and development of eye size in flies. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2020; 10:e380. [PMID: 32400100 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The compound eyes of flies exhibit striking variation in size, which has contributed to the adaptation of these animals to different habitats and their evolution of specialist behaviors. These differences in size are caused by differences in the number and/or size of ommatidia, which are specified during the development of the retinal field in the eye imaginal disc. While the genes and developmental mechanisms that regulate the formation of compound eyes are understood in great detail in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, we know very little about the genetic changes and mechanistic alterations that lead to natural variation in ommatidia number and/or size, and thus overall eye size, within and between fly species. Understanding the genetic and developmental bases for this natural variation in eye size not only has great potential to help us understand adaptations in fly vision but also determine how eye size and organ size more generally are regulated. Here we explore the genetic and developmental mechanisms that could underlie natural differences in compound eye size within and among fly species based on our knowledge of eye development in D. melanogaster and the few cases where the causative genes and mechanisms have already been identified. We suggest that the fly eye provides an evolutionary and developmental framework to better understand the regulation and diversification of this crucial sensory organ globally at a systems level as well as the gene regulatory networks and mechanisms acting at the tissue, cellular and molecular levels. This article is categorized under: Establishment of Spatial and Temporal Patterns > Regulation of Size, Proportion, and Timing Invertebrate Organogenesis > Flies Comparative Development and Evolution > Regulation of Organ Diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alistair P McGregor
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
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10
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Schulte D, Geerts D. MEIS transcription factors in development and disease. Development 2019; 146:146/16/dev174706. [PMID: 31416930 DOI: 10.1242/dev.174706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
MEIS transcription factors are key regulators of embryonic development and cancer. Research on MEIS genes in the embryo and in stem cell systems has revealed novel and surprising mechanisms by which these proteins control gene expression. This Primer summarizes recent findings about MEIS protein activity and regulation in development, and discusses new insights into the role of MEIS genes in disease, focusing on the pathogenesis of solid cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Schulte
- Institute of Neurology (Edinger Institute), University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Dirk Geerts
- Department of Medical Biology L2-109, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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11
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Sitaram P, Lu S, Harsh S, Herrera SC, Bach EA. Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals Increased Anti-oxidant Response and Ecdysone Signaling in STAT Supercompetitors in Drosophila. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2019; 9:2609-2622. [PMID: 31227525 PMCID: PMC6686945 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Cell competition is the elimination of one viable population of cells (the losers) by a neighboring fitter population (the winners) and was discovered by studies in the Drosophila melanogaster wing imaginal disc. Supercompetition is a process in which cells with elevated JAK/STAT signaling or increased Myc become winners and outcompete wild-type neighbors. To identify the genes that are differentially regulated in STAT supercompetitors, we purified these cells from Drosophila wing imaginal discs and performed next-generation sequencing. Their transcriptome was compared to those of control wing disc cells and Myc supercompetitors. Bioinformatics revealed that STAT and Myc supercompetitors have distinct transcriptomes with only 41 common differentially regulated genes. Furthermore, STAT supercompetitors have elevated reactive oxygen species, an anti-oxidant response and increased ecdysone signaling. Using a combination of methods, we validated 13 differentially expressed genes. These data sets will be useful resources to the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poojitha Sitaram
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, NY
| | - Sean Lu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, NY
| | - Sneh Harsh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, NY
| | - Salvador C Herrera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, NY
| | - Erika A Bach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, NY
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12
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Abstract
Wnt/Wingless (Wg) signaling controls many aspects of animal development and is deregulated in different human cancers. The transcription factor dTcf/Pangolin (Pan) is the final effector of the Wg pathway in Drosophila and has a dual role in regulating the expression of Wg target genes. In the presence of Wg, dTcf/Pan interacts with β-catenin/Armadillo (Arm) and induces the transcription of Wg targets. In absence of Wg, dTcf/Pan partners with the transcriptional corepressor TLE/Groucho (Gro) and inhibits gene expression. Here, we use the wing imaginal disk of Drosophila as a model to examine the functions that dTcf/Pan plays in a proliferating epithelium. We report a function of dTcf/Pan in growth control and tumorigenesis. Our results show that dTcf/Pan can limit tissue growth in normal development and suppresses tumorigenesis in the context of oncogene up-regulation. We identify the conserved transcription factors Sox box protein 15 (Sox15) and Ftz transcription factor 1 (Ftz-f1) as genes controlled by dTcf/Pan involved in tumor development. In conclusion, this study reports a role for dTcf/Pan as a repressor of normal and oncogenic growth and identifies the genes inducing tumorigenesis downstream of dTcf/Pan.
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Sánchez-Aragón M, Cantisán-Gómez J, Luque CM, Brás-Pereira C, Lopes CS, Lemos MC, Casares F. A Toggle-Switch and a Feed-Forward Loop Engage in the Control of the Drosophila Retinal Determination Gene Network. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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