1
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Huang Y, Wang M, Ni H, Zhang J, Li A, Hu B, Junqueira Alves C, Wahane S, Rios de Anda M, Ho L, Li Y, Kang S, Neff R, Kostic A, Buxbaum JD, Crary JF, Brennand KJ, Zhang B, Zou H, Friedel RH. Regulation of cell distancing in peri-plaque glial nets by Plexin-B1 affects glial activation and amyloid compaction in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1489-1504. [PMID: 38802590 PMCID: PMC11346591 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01664-w] [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: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Communication between glial cells has a profound impact on the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We reveal here that reactive astrocytes control cell distancing in peri-plaque glial nets, which restricts microglial access to amyloid deposits. This process is governed by guidance receptor Plexin-B1 (PLXNB1), a network hub gene in individuals with late-onset AD that is upregulated in plaque-associated astrocytes. Plexin-B1 deletion in a mouse AD model led to reduced number of reactive astrocytes and microglia in peri-plaque glial nets, but higher coverage of plaques by glial processes, along with transcriptional changes signifying reduced neuroinflammation. Additionally, a reduced footprint of glial nets was associated with overall lower plaque burden, a shift toward dense-core-type plaques and reduced neuritic dystrophy. Altogether, our study demonstrates that Plexin-B1 regulates peri-plaque glial net activation in AD. Relaxing glial spacing by targeting guidance receptors may present an alternative strategy to increase plaque compaction and reduce neuroinflammation in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Huang
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Minghui Wang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Haofei Ni
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinglong Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Aiqun Li
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bin Hu
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chrystian Junqueira Alves
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shalaka Wahane
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mitzy Rios de Anda
- Seaver Autism Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lap Ho
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yuhuan Li
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Orthopedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'An, China
| | - Sangjo Kang
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ryan Neff
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ana Kostic
- Seaver Autism Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph D Buxbaum
- Seaver Autism Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - John F Crary
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mount Sinai Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kristen J Brennand
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Hongyan Zou
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Roland H Friedel
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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2
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Yang G, Ullah HMA, Parker E, Gorsi B, Libowitz M, Maguire C, King JB, Coon H, Lopez-Larson M, Anderson JS, Yandell M, Shcheglovitov A. Neurite outgrowth deficits caused by rare PLXNB1 mutation in pediatric bipolar disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2525-2539. [PMID: 37032361 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02035-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
Abstract
Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is a severe mood dysregulation condition that affects 0.5-1% of children and teens in the United States. It is associated with recurrent episodes of mania and depression and an increased risk of suicidality. However, the genetics and neuropathology of PBD are largely unknown. Here, we used a combinatorial family-based approach to characterize cellular, molecular, genetic, and network-level deficits associated with PBD. We recruited a PBD patient and three unaffected family members from a family with a history of psychiatric illnesses. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we detected altered resting-state functional connectivity in the patient as compared to an unaffected sibling. Using transcriptomic profiling of patient and control induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived telencephalic organoids, we found aberrant signaling in the molecular pathways related to neurite outgrowth. We corroborated the presence of neurite outgrowth deficits in patient iPSC-derived cortical neurons and identified a rare homozygous loss-of-function PLXNB1 variant (c.1360C>C; p.Ser454Arg) responsible for the deficits in the patient. Expression of wild-type PLXNB1, but not the variant, rescued neurite outgrowth in patient neurons, and expression of the variant caused the neurite outgrowth deficits in cortical neurons from PlxnB1 knockout mice. These results indicate that dysregulated PLXNB1 signaling may contribute to an increased risk of PBD and other mood dysregulation-related disorders by disrupting neurite outgrowth and functional brain connectivity. Overall, this study established and validated a novel family-based combinatorial approach for studying cellular and molecular deficits in psychiatric disorders and identified dysfunctional PLXNB1 signaling and neurite outgrowth as potential risk factors for PBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Yang
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - H M Arif Ullah
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Ethan Parker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Bushra Gorsi
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Utah Center for Genetic Discovery, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Mark Libowitz
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Colin Maguire
- Clinical & Translational Research Core, Utah Clinical & Translational Research Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jace B King
- Department of Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Hilary Coon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Melissa Lopez-Larson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Lopez-Larson and Associates, Park City, UT, USA
| | | | - Mark Yandell
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Alex Shcheglovitov
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Clinical & Translational Research Core, Utah Clinical & Translational Research Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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3
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Sweetat S, Casden N, Behar O. Improved neuron protection following cortical injury in the absence of Semaphorin4B. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:1076281. [DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.1076281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Injury to the central nervous system induces neuronal cell death and astrogliosis, an astrocyte-mediated response that has both a beneficial and detrimental impact on surrounding neuronal cells. The circumstance however, in which astrogliosis improves neuronal survival after an injury is not fully characterized. We have recently shown that Semaphorin4B (Sema4B) in the cortex is mostly expressed by astrocytes, and in its absence, astrocyte activation after an injury is altered. Here we find that in Sema4B knockout mice, neuronal cell death is reduced; as a result, more neurons survive near the injury site. Sema4B protein applied directly to neurons does not affect neuronal survival. In contrast, survival of wild-type neurons is increased when plated on glial culture isolated from the Sema4B knockout mice, as compared to Sema4B heterozygous cultures. Furthermore, this increased survival is also observed with conditioned medium collected from glial cultures of Sema4B knockout mice compared to heterozygous mice. This indicates that the increased survival is glial cell-dependent and mediated by a secreted factor(s). Together, our results imply that following injury, the lack of Sema4B expression in glial cells improves neuronal survival either as a result of reduced toxic factors, or perhaps increased survival factors under these conditions.
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4
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Tsyporin J, Tastad D, Ma X, Nehme A, Finn T, Huebner L, Liu G, Gallardo D, Makhamreh A, Roberts JM, Katzman S, Sestan N, McConnell SK, Yang Z, Qiu S, Chen B. Transcriptional repression by FEZF2 restricts alternative identities of cortical projection neurons. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109269. [PMID: 34161768 PMCID: PMC8327856 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Projection neuron subtype identities in the cerebral cortex are established by expressing pan-cortical and subtype-specific effector genes that execute terminal differentiation programs bestowing neurons with a glutamatergic neuron phenotype and subtype-specific morphology, physiology, and axonal projections. Whether pan-cortical glutamatergic and subtype-specific characteristics are regulated by the same genes or controlled by distinct programs remains largely unknown. Here, we show that FEZF2 functions as a transcriptional repressor, and it regulates subtype-specific identities of both corticothalamic and subcerebral neurons by selectively repressing expression of genes inappropriate for each neuronal subtype. We report that TLE4, specifically expressed in layer 6 corticothalamic neurons, is recruited by FEZF2 to inhibit layer 5 subcerebral neuronal genes. Together with previous studies, our results indicate that a cortical glutamatergic identity is specified by multiple parallel pathways active in progenitor cells, whereas projection neuron subtype-specific identity is achieved through selectively repressing genes associated with alternate identities in differentiating neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah Tsyporin
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - David Tastad
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Xiaokuang Ma
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - Antoine Nehme
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - Thomas Finn
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Liora Huebner
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Guoping Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Daisy Gallardo
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Amr Makhamreh
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Roberts
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Solomon Katzman
- Genomics Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Nenad Sestan
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | | | - Zhengang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shenfeng Qiu
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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5
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Lu H, Liu J, Feng T, Guo Z, Yin Y, Gao F, Cao G, Du X, Wu S. A HIT-trapping strategy for rapid generation of reversible and conditional alleles using a universal donor. Genome Res 2021; 31:900-909. [PMID: 33795333 PMCID: PMC8092013 DOI: 10.1101/gr.271312.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Targeted mutagenesis in model organisms is key for gene functional annotation and biomedical research. Despite technological advances in gene editing by the CRISPR-Cas9 systems, rapid and efficient introduction of site-directed mutations remains a challenge in large animal models. Here, we developed a robust and flexible insertional mutagenesis strategy, homology-independent targeted trapping (HIT-trapping), which is generic and can efficiently target-trap an endogenous gene of interest independent of homology arm and embryonic stem cells. Further optimization and equipping the HIT-trap donor with a site-specific DNA inversion mechanism enabled one-step generation of reversible and conditional alleles in a single experiment. As a proof of concept, we successfully created mutant alleles for 21 disease-related genes in primary porcine fibroblasts with an average knock-in frequency of 53.2%, a great improvement over previous approaches. The versatile HIT-trapping strategy presented here is expected to simplify the targeted generation of mutant alleles and facilitate large-scale mutagenesis in large mammals such as pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengxing Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Tao Feng
- Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610200, China
| | - Zihang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yunjun Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Fei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Gengsheng Cao
- Henan Engineering Laboratory for Mammary Bioreactor, School of Life Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Xuguang Du
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Sen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
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6
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Simonetti M, Paldy E, Njoo C, Bali KK, Worzfeld T, Pitzer C, Kuner T, Offermanns S, Mauceri D, Kuner R. The impact of Semaphorin 4C/Plexin-B2 signaling on fear memory via remodeling of neuronal and synaptic morphology. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:1376-1398. [PMID: 31444474 PMCID: PMC7985029 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0491-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant fear is a cornerstone of several psychiatric disorders. Consequently, there is large interest in elucidation of signaling mechanisms that link extracellular cues to changes in neuronal function and structure in brain pathways that are important in the generation and maintenance of fear memory and its behavioral expression. Members of the Plexin-B family of receptors for class 4 semaphorins play important roles in developmental plasticity of neurons, and their expression persists in some areas of the adult nervous system. Here, we aimed to elucidate the role of Semaphorin 4C (Sema4C) and its cognate receptor, Plexin-B2, in the expression of contextual and cued fear memory, setting a mechanistic focus on structural plasticity and exploration of contributing signaling pathways. We observed that Plexin-B2 and Sema4C are expressed in forebrain areas related to fear memory, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala and the hippocampus, and their expression is regulated by aversive stimuli that induce fear memory. By generating forebrain-specific Plexin-B2 knockout mice and analyzing fear-related behaviors, we demonstrate that Sema4C-PlexinB2 signaling plays a crucial functional role in the recent and remote recall of fear memory. Detailed neuronal morphological analyses revealed that Sema4C-PlexinB2 signaling largely mediates fear-induced structural plasticity by enhancing dendritic ramifications and modulating synaptic density in the adult hippocampus. Analyses on signaling-related mutant mice showed that these functions are mediated by PlexinB2-dependent RhoA activation. These results deliver important insights into the mechanistic understanding of maladaptive plasticity in fear circuits and have implications for novel therapeutic strategies against fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Simonetti
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 366, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eszter Paldy
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 366, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Njoo
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 366, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kiran Kumar Bali
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 366, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Worzfeld
- grid.10253.350000 0004 1936 9756Institute of Pharmacology, Marburg University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 1, 35043 Marburg, Germany ,grid.418032.c0000 0004 0491 220XDepartment of Pharmacology, Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Ludwigstrasse 43, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Claudia Pitzer
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Interdisciplinary Neurobehavioral Core, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 515, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Kuner
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Anatomy and Cell Biology Institute, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 307, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Offermanns
- grid.418032.c0000 0004 0491 220XDepartment of Pharmacology, Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Ludwigstrasse 43, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Daniela Mauceri
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Department of Neurobiology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 366, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rohini Kuner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 366, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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7
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Xia B, Amador G, Viswanatha R, Zirin J, Mohr SE, Perrimon N. CRISPR-based engineering of gene knockout cells by homology-directed insertion in polyploid Drosophila S2R+ cells. Nat Protoc 2020; 15:3478-3498. [PMID: 32958931 PMCID: PMC7961850 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0383-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Precise and efficient genome modifications provide powerful tools for biological studies. Previous CRISPR gene knockout methods in cell lines have relied on frameshifts caused by stochastic insertion/deletion in all alleles. However, this method is inefficient for genes with high copy number due to polyploidy or gene amplification because frameshifts in all alleles can be difficult to generate and detect. Here we describe a homology-directed insertion method to knockout genes in the polyploid Drosophila S2R+ cell line. This protocol allows generation of homozygous mutant cell lines using an insertion cassette which autocatalytically generates insertion mutations in all alleles. Knockout cells generated using this method can be directly identified by PCR without a need for DNA sequencing. This protocol takes 2-3 months and can be applied to other polyploid cell lines or high-copy-number genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolong Xia
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gabriel Amador
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Drosophila RNAi Screening Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
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8
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Abstract
The mouse is one of the most widely used model organisms for genetic study. The tools available to alter the mouse genome have developed over the preceding decades from forward screens to gene targeting in stem cells to the recent influx of CRISPR approaches. In this review, we first consider the history of mice in genetic study, the development of classic approaches to genome modification, and how such approaches have been used and improved in recent years. We then turn to the recent surge of nuclease-mediated techniques and how they are changing the field of mouse genetics. Finally, we survey common classes of alleles used in mice and discuss how they might be engineered using different methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Clark
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Colin J Dinsmore
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Philippe Soriano
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
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9
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Ziak J, Weissova R, Jeřábková K, Janikova M, Maimon R, Petrasek T, Pukajova B, Kleisnerova M, Wang M, Brill MS, Kasparek P, Zhou X, Alvarez-Bolado G, Sedlacek R, Misgeld T, Stuchlik A, Perlson E, Balastik M. CRMP2 mediates Sema3F-dependent axon pruning and dendritic spine remodeling. EMBO Rep 2020; 21:e48512. [PMID: 31919978 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201948512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of axon guidance and pruning of inappropriate synapses by class 3 semaphorins are key to the development of neural circuits. Collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) has been shown to regulate axon guidance by mediating semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) signaling; however, nothing is known about its role in synapse pruning. Here, using newly generated crmp2-/- mice we demonstrate that CRMP2 has a moderate effect on Sema3A-dependent axon guidance in vivo, and its deficiency leads to a mild defect in axon guidance in peripheral nerves and the corpus callosum. Surprisingly, crmp2-/- mice display prominent defects in stereotyped axon pruning in hippocampus and visual cortex and altered dendritic spine remodeling, which is consistent with impaired Sema3F signaling and with models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We demonstrate that CRMP2 mediates Sema3F signaling in primary neurons and that crmp2-/- mice display ASD-related social behavior changes in the early postnatal period as well as in adults. Together, we demonstrate that CRMP2 mediates Sema3F-dependent synapse pruning and its dysfunction shares histological and behavioral features of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Ziak
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Romana Weissova
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Jeřábková
- Department of Transgenic Models of Diseases and Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Janikova
- Department of Neurophysiology of the Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Roy Maimon
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Tomas Petrasek
- Department of Neurophysiology of the Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Barbora Pukajova
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Kleisnerova
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Mengzhe Wang
- Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Monika S Brill
- Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Petr Kasparek
- Department of Transgenic Models of Diseases and Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Xunlei Zhou
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Radislav Sedlacek
- Department of Transgenic Models of Diseases and Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Misgeld
- Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology, Munich, Germany
| | - Ales Stuchlik
- Department of Neurophysiology of the Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eran Perlson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Martin Balastik
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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10
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Tolson KP, Marooki N, Wolfe A, Smith JT, Kauffman AS. Cre/lox generation of a novel whole-body Kiss1r KO mouse line recapitulates a hypogonadal, obese, and metabolically-impaired phenotype. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2019; 498:110559. [PMID: 31442544 PMCID: PMC6814569 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Kisspeptin and its receptor, Kiss1r, act centrally to stimulate reproduction. Recent evidence indicates that kisspeptin is also important for body weight and metabolism, as whole-body Kiss1r KO mice, developed with gene trap technology, display obesity and reduced metabolism. Kiss1r is expressed in brain and multiple peripheral tissues, but it is unknown which is responsible for the metabolic phenotype. Here, we sought to confirm that 1) the metabolic phenotype of the gene trap Kiss1r KOs is due to disruption of kisspeptin signaling and not off-target effects of viral mutagenesis, and 2) the Kiss1r flox line is suitable for creating conditional KOs to study the metabolic phenotype. We used Cre/lox technology (Zp3-Cre/Kiss1r flox) to develop a new global Kiss1r KO ("Kiss1r gKO") to compare with the original gene trap KO phenotype. We confirmed that deleting exon 2 of Kiss1r from the entire body induces hypogonadism in both sexes. Moreover, global deletion of Kiss1r induced obesity in females, but not males, along with increased adiposity and impaired glucose tolerance, similar to the gene trap Kiss1r KOs. Likewise, Kiss1r gKO females had decreased VO2 and VCO2, likely underlying their obesity. These findings support that our previous results in gene trap Kiss1r KOs are due to disrupted kisspeptin signaling, and further highlight a role for Kiss1r signaling in energy expenditure and metabolism besides controlling reproduction. Moreover, given Kiss1r expression in multiple cell-types, our findings indicate that the Kiss1r flox line is viable for future investigations to isolate specific target cells of kisspeptin's metabolic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen P Tolson
- Department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nuha Marooki
- Department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Wolfe
- Department of Pediatrics and Physiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeremy T Smith
- School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Alexander S Kauffman
- Department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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11
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Johnson V, Junge HJ, Chen Z. Temporal regulation of axonal repulsion by alternative splicing of a conserved microexon in mammalian Robo1 and Robo2. eLife 2019; 8:e46042. [PMID: 31392959 PMCID: PMC6687390 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper connectivity of the nervous system requires temporal and spatial control of axon guidance signaling. As commissural axons navigate across the CNS midline, ROBO-mediated repulsion has traditionally been thought to be repressed before crossing, and then to become upregulated after crossing. The regulation of the ROBO receptors involves multiple mechanisms that control protein expression, trafficking, and activity. Here, we report that mammalian ROBO1 and ROBO2 are not uniformly inhibited precrossing and are instead subject to additional temporal control via alternative splicing at a conserved microexon. The NOVA splicing factors regulate the developmental expression of ROBO1 and ROBO2 variants with small sequence differences and distinct guidance activities. As a result, ROBO-mediated axonal repulsion is activated early in development to prevent premature crossing and becomes inhibited later to allow crossing. Postcrossing, the ROBO1 and ROBO2 isoforms are disinhibited to prevent midline reentry and to guide postcrossing commissural axons to distinct mediolateral positions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verity Johnson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - Harald J Junge
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - Zhe Chen
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down SyndromeUniversity of Colorado school of MedicineAuroraUnited States
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12
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McDermott JE, Goldblatt D, Paradis S. Class 4 Semaphorins and Plexin-B receptors regulate GABAergic and glutamatergic synapse development in the mammalian hippocampus. Mol Cell Neurosci 2018; 92:50-66. [PMID: 29981480 PMCID: PMC6191356 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To understand how proper circuit formation and function is established in the mammalian brain, it is necessary to define the genes and signaling pathways that instruct excitatory and inhibitory synapse development. We previously demonstrated that the ligand-receptor pair, Sema4D and Plexin-B1, regulates inhibitory synapse development on an unprecedentedly fast time-scale while having no effect on excitatory synapse development. Here, we report previously undescribed synaptogenic roles for Sema4A and Plexin-B2 and provide new insight into Sema4D and Plexin-B1 regulation of synapse development in rodent hippocampus. First, we show that Sema4a, Sema4d, Plxnb1, and Plxnb2 have distinct and overlapping expression patterns in neurons and glia in the developing hippocampus. Second, we describe a requirement for Plexin-B1 in both the presynaptic axon of inhibitory interneurons as well as the postsynaptic dendrites of excitatory neurons for Sema4D-dependent inhibitory synapse development. Third, we define a new synaptogenic activity for Sema4A in mediating inhibitory and excitatory synapse development. Specifically, we demonstrate that Sema4A signals through the same pathway as Sema4D, via the postsynaptic Plexin-B1 receptor, to promote inhibitory synapse development. However, Sema4A also signals through the Plexin-B2 receptor to promote excitatory synapse development. Our results shed new light on the molecular cues that promote the development of either inhibitory or excitatory synapses in the mammalian hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dena Goldblatt
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, United States
| | - Suzanne Paradis
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, United States; Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, United States; National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, United States.
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13
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Sekhavati MH, Hosseini SM, Tahmoorespur M, Ghaedi K, Jafarpour F, Hajian M, Dormiani K, Nasr-Esfahani MH. PhiC31-based Site-Specific Transgenesis System for Production of Transgenic Bovine Embryos by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. CELL JOURNAL 2018; 20:98-107. [PMID: 29308625 PMCID: PMC5759686 DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2018.4385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The Streptomyces phage phiC31 integrase offers a sequence-specific method of transgenesis with a robust long-term gene expression. PhiC31 has been successfully developed in a variety of tissues and organs for purpose of in vivo gene therapy. The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate PhiC31-based site-specific transgenesis system for production of transgenic bovine embryos by somatic cell nuclear transfer and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this experimental study, the application of phiC31 integrase system was evaluated for generating transgenic bovine embryos by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and sperm mediated gene transfer (SMGT) approaches. RESULTS PhiC31 integrase mRNA and protein was produced in vitro and their functionality was confirmed. Seven phiC31 recognizable bovine pseudo attachment sites of phage (attP) sites were considered for evaluation of site specific recombination. The accuracy of these sites was validated in phic31 targeted bovine fibroblasts using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. The efficiency and site-specificity of phiC31 integrase system was also confirmed in generated transgenic bovine embryo which successfully obtained using SCNT and SMGT technique. CONCLUSIONS The results showed that both SMGT and SCNT-derived embryos were enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) positive and phiC31 integrase could recombine the reporter gene in a site specific manner. These results demonstrate that attP site can be used as a proper location to conduct site directed transgenesis in both mammalian cells and embryos in phiC31 integrase system when even combinaed to SCNT and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) method.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sayed Morteza Hosseini
- Department of Reproductive Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
| | | | - Kamran Ghaedi
- Department of Biology, Facualty of Sciences, Uneversity of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Cellular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Farnoosh Jafarpour
- Department of Reproductive Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mehdi Hajian
- Department of Reproductive Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Kyanoosh Dormiani
- Department of Cellular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hossain Nasr-Esfahani
- Department of Reproductive Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran.
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14
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Fisher CL, Marks H, Cho LTY, Andrews R, Wormald S, Carroll T, Iyer V, Tate P, Rosen B, Stunnenberg HG, Fisher AG, Skarnes WC. An efficient method for generation of bi-allelic null mutant mouse embryonic stem cells and its application for investigating epigenetic modifiers. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:e174. [PMID: 28981838 PMCID: PMC5716182 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells are a popular model system to study biological processes, though uncovering recessive phenotypes requires inactivating both alleles. Building upon resources from the International Knockout Mouse Consortium (IKMC), we developed a targeting vector for second allele inactivation in conditional-ready IKMC 'knockout-first' ES cell lines. We applied our technology to several epigenetic regulators, recovering bi-allelic targeted clones with a high efficiency of 60% and used Flp recombinase to restore expression in two null cell lines to demonstrate how our system confirms causality through mutant phenotype reversion. We designed our strategy to select against re-targeting the 'knockout-first' allele and identify essential genes in ES cells, including the histone methyltransferase Setdb1. For confirmation, we exploited the flexibility of our system, enabling tamoxifen inducible conditional gene ablation while controlling for genetic background and tamoxifen effects. Setdb1 ablated ES cells exhibit severe growth inhibition, which is not rescued by exogenous Nanog expression or culturing in naive pluripotency '2i' media, suggesting that the self-renewal defect is mediated through pluripotency network independent pathways. Our strategy to generate null mutant mouse ES cells is applicable to thousands of genes and repurposes existing IKMC Intermediate Vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia L. Fisher
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Hendrik Marks
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lily Ting-yin Cho
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Robert Andrews
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
- Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Sam Wormald
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Thomas Carroll
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Vivek Iyer
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Peri Tate
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Barry Rosen
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Hendrik G. Stunnenberg
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Amanda G. Fisher
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - William C. Skarnes
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
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15
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Matsumoto Y. Pushing the haystack aside for efficient gene targeting in human cells. FEBS J 2017; 284:2745-2747. [PMID: 28887867 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Gene targeting, i.e., the disruption of a specific gene via homologous recombination, is one of the key techniques to study gene function. However, researchers have faced the difficulty that, in human cells, the frequency of correct targeted integration is quite low compared to non-targeted (or random) integration. Adachi and colleagues investigated the factors that influence the ratio of targeted integration to non-targeted integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihisa Matsumoto
- Laboratory for Advanced Nuclear Energy, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
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16
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Semaphorin 4C Plexin-B2 signaling in peripheral sensory neurons is pronociceptive in a model of inflammatory pain. Nat Commun 2017; 8:176. [PMID: 28765520 PMCID: PMC5539317 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00341-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Semaphorins and their transmembrane receptors, Plexins, are key regulators of axon guidance and development of neuronal connectivity. B-type Plexins respond to Class IV semaphorins and mediate a variety of developmental functions. Here we report that the expression of Plexin-B2 and its high-affinity ligand, Sema4C, persists in peripheral sensory neurons in adult life and is markedly increased in states of persistent pain in mice. Genetic deletion of Sema4C as well as adult-onset loss of Plexin-B2 leads to impairment of the development and duration of inflammatory hypersensitivity. Remarkably, unlike the neurodevelopmental functions of Plexin-B2 that solely rely on Ras signaling, we obtained genetic and pharmacological evidence for a requirement of RhoA-ROCK-dependent mechanisms as well as TRPA1 sensitization in pronociceptive functions of Sema4C-Plexin-B2 signaling in adult life. These results suggest important roles for Plexin-B2 signaling in sensory function that may be of therapeutic relevance in pathological pain. Semaphorins and their receptors are involved in neurodevelopment, but their functions in the adult nervous system are not fully understood. This study finds that semaphorin 4C and its receptor Plexin B are expressed in sensory neurons and are pronociceptive in a mouse model of inflammatory pain.
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17
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Saito S, Kurosawa A, Adachi N. Mechanistic basis for increased human gene targeting by promoterless vectors-roles of homology arms and Rad54 paralogs. FEBS J 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.14137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shinta Saito
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience; Yokohama City University; Japan
| | - Aya Kurosawa
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience; Yokohama City University; Japan
| | - Noritaka Adachi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience; Yokohama City University; Japan
- Advanced Medical Research Center; Yokohama City University; Japan
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18
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Wilcox SM, Arora H, Munro L, Xin J, Fenninger F, Johnson LA, Pfeifer CG, Choi KB, Hou J, Hoodless PA, Jefferies WA. The role of the innate immune response regulatory gene ABCF1 in mammalian embryogenesis and development. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175918. [PMID: 28542262 PMCID: PMC5438103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
ABCF1 is an ABC transporter family protein that has been shown to regulate innate immune response and is a risk gene for autoimmune pancreatitis and arthritis. Unlike other members of ABC transporter family, ABCF1 lacks trans-membrane domains and is thought to function in translation initiation through an interaction with eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2). To study ABCF1 expression and function in development and disease, we used a single gene trap insertion in the Abcf1 gene in murine embryonic stem cells (ES cells) that allowed lineage tracing of the endogenous Abcf1 promoter by following the expression of a β-galactosidase reporter gene. From the ES cells, heterozygous mice (Abcf1+/-) were produced. No live born Abcf1-/- progeny were ever generated, and the lethality was not mouse strain-specific. Thus, we have determined that Abcf1 is an essential gene in development. Abcf1-/- mice were found to be embryonic lethal at 3.5 days post coitum (dpc), while Abcf1+/- mice appeared developmentally normal. Abcf1+/- mice were fertile and showed no significant differences in their anatomy when compared with their wild type littermates. The Abcf1 promoter was found to be active in all organs in adult mice, but varies in levels of expression in specific cell types within tissues. Furthermore, we observed high promoter activity in the blastocysts and embryos. Overall, Abcf1 expression in embryos is required for development and its expression in adults was highly correlated with actively proliferating and differentiating cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M. Wilcox
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hitesh Arora
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lonna Munro
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jian Xin
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Franz Fenninger
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Laura A. Johnson
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Cheryl G. Pfeifer
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kyung Bok Choi
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Juan Hou
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Pamela A. Hoodless
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Wilfred A. Jefferies
- The Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Blood Research, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
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19
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Strassman A, Schnütgen F, Dai Q, Jones JC, Gomez AC, Pitstick L, Holton NE, Moskal R, Leslie ER, von Melchner H, Beier DR, Bjork BC. Generation of a multipurpose Prdm16 mouse allele by targeted gene trapping. Dis Model Mech 2017; 10:909-922. [PMID: 28424158 PMCID: PMC5536910 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.029561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene trap mutagenesis is a powerful tool to create loss-of-function mutations in mice and other model organisms. Modifications of traditional gene trap cassettes, including addition of conditional features in the form of Flip-excision (FlEx) arrays to enable directional gene trap cassette inversions by Cre and Flpe site-specific recombinases, greatly enhanced their experimental potential. By taking advantage of these conditional gene trap cassettes, we developed a generic strategy for generating conditional mutations and validated this strategy in mice carrying a multipurpose allele of the Prdm16 transcription factor gene. We demonstrate that the gene trap insertion creates a null mutation replicating the Pierre Robin sequence-type cleft palate phenotype of other Prdm16 mutant mice. Consecutive breeding to Flpe and Emx1IREScre deleter mice spatially restricted Prdm16 loss to regions of the forebrain expressing the homeobox gene Emx1, demonstrating the utility of the technology for the analysis of tissue-specific gene functions. Summary: Described is the first targeting of an invertible gene trap to generate a conditional Prdm16 mouse allele and its use to assess phenotypic consequences of Prdm16 loss during craniofacial and brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Strassman
- Department of Biochemistry, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
| | - Frank Schnütgen
- Department for Molecular Hematology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Qi Dai
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, The University of Stockholm, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jennifer C Jones
- Department of Biochemistry, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
| | - Angela C Gomez
- Department of Biochemistry, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
| | - Lenore Pitstick
- Department of Biochemistry, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
| | - Nathan E Holton
- Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Russell Moskal
- Department of Anatomy, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
| | - Erin R Leslie
- Department of Anatomy, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
| | - Harald von Melchner
- Department for Molecular Hematology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - David R Beier
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.,Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Bryan C Bjork
- Department of Biochemistry, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
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20
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Mesocortical Dopamine Phenotypes in Mice Lacking the Sonic Hedgehog Receptor Cdon. eNeuro 2016; 3:eN-NWR-0009-16. [PMID: 27419218 PMCID: PMC4942720 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0009-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Revised: 06/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Motivated behaviors and many psychopathologies typically involve changes in dopamine release from the projections of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and/or the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The morphogen Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) specifies fates of midbrain dopamine neurons, but VTA-specific effects of Shh signaling are also being uncovered. In this study, we assessed the role of the Shh receptor Cdon in the development of VTA and SNc dopamine neurons. We find that Cdon is expressed in the proliferating progenitor zone of the embryonic ventral midbrain and that the number of proliferating cells in this region is increased in mouse Cdon(-/-) embryos. Consistent with a role of Shh in the regulation of neuronal proliferation in this region, we find that the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons is increased in the VTA of Cdon(-/-) mice at birth and that this effect endures into adulthood. In contrast, the number of TH-positive neurons in the SNc is not altered in Cdon(-/-) mice at either age. Moreover, adult Cdon(-/-) mice have a greater number of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dopamine presynaptic sites, and increased baseline concentrations of dopamine and dopamine metabolites selectively in this region. Finally, consistent with increased dopamine function in the mPFC, we find that adult Cdon(-/-) mice fail to exhibit behavioral plasticity upon repeated amphetamine treatment. Based on these data, we suggest that Cdon plays an important role encoding the diversity of dopamine neurons in the midbrain, influencing both the development of the mesocortical dopamine pathway and behavioral outputs that involve this neural circuitry.
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21
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Li L, Liu P, Sun L, Bin Zhou, Fei J. PiggyBac transposon-based polyadenylation-signal trap for genome-wide mutagenesis in mice. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27788. [PMID: 27292714 PMCID: PMC4904408 DOI: 10.1038/srep27788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We designed a new type of polyadenylation-signal (PAS) trap vector system in living mice, the piggyBac (PB) (PAS-trapping (EGFP)) gene trapping vector, which takes advantage of the efficient transposition ability of PB and efficient gene trap and insertional mutagenesis of PAS-trapping. The reporter gene of PB(PAS-trapping (EGFP)) is an EGFP gene with its own promoter, but lacking a poly(A) signal. Transgenic mouse lines carrying PB(PAS-trapping (EGFP)) and protamine 1 (Prm1) promoter-driven PB transposase transgenes (Prm1-PBase) were generated by microinjection. Male mice doubly positive for PB(PAS-trapping (EGFP)) and Prm1-PBase were crossed with WT females, generating offspring with various insertion mutations. We found that 44.8% (26/58) of pups were transposon-positive progenies. New transposon integrations comprised 26.9% (7/26) of the transposon-positive progenies. We found that 100% (5/5) of the EGFP fluorescence-positive mice had new trap insertions mediated by a PB transposon in transcriptional units. The direction of the EGFP gene in the vector was consistent with the direction of the endogenous gene reading frame. Furthermore, mice that were EGFP-PCR positive, but EGFP fluorescent negative, did not show successful gene trapping. Thus, the novel PB(PAS-trapping (EGFP)) system is an efficient genome-wide gene-trap mutagenesis in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limei Li
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
- Department of vascular surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
- Key Laboratory of Arrhythmias of the Ministry of Education of China, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Liu
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Liangliang Sun
- Department of Endocrinology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, PR China
| | - Bin Zhou
- Department of vascular surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
| | - Jian Fei
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
- Metastasis research institute, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Research Center for Model Organisms, Shanghai, 201203, China
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Lines KE, Stevenson M, Thakker RV. Animal models of pituitary neoplasia. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 421:68-81. [PMID: 26320859 PMCID: PMC4721536 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Revised: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Pituitary neoplasias can occur as part of a complex inherited disorder, or more commonly as sporadic (non-familial) disease. Studies of the molecular and genetic mechanisms causing such pituitary tumours have identified dysregulation of >35 genes, with many revealed by studies in mice, rats and zebrafish. Strategies used to generate these animal models have included gene knockout, gene knockin and transgenic over-expression, as well as chemical mutagenesis and drug induction. These animal models provide an important resource for investigation of tissue-specific tumourigenic mechanisms, and evaluations of novel therapies, illustrated by studies into multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), a hereditary syndrome in which ∼ 30% of patients develop pituitary adenomas. This review describes animal models of pituitary neoplasia that have been generated, together with some recent advances in gene editing technologies, and an illustration of the use of the Men1 mouse as a pre clinical model for evaluating novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Lines
- Academic Endocrine Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK
| | - M Stevenson
- Academic Endocrine Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK
| | - R V Thakker
- Academic Endocrine Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK.
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Hill A, Waller KA, Cui Y, Allen JM, Smits P, Zhang LX, Ayturk UM, Hann S, Lessard SG, Zurakowski D, Warman ML, Jay GD. Lubricin restoration in a mouse model of congenital deficiency. Arthritis Rheumatol 2016. [PMID: 26216721 DOI: 10.1002/art.39276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Congenital deficiency of the principal boundary lubricant in cartilage (i.e., lubricin, encoded by the gene PRG4) increases joint friction and causes progressive joint failure. This study was undertaken to determine whether restoring lubricin expression in a mouse model would prevent, delay, or reverse the disease process caused by congenital deficiency. METHODS Using genetically engineered lubricin-deficient mice, we restored gene function before conception or at ages 3 weeks, 2 months, or 6 months after birth. The effect of restoring gene function (i.e., expression of lubricin) on the tibiofemoral patellar joints of mice was evaluated histologically and by ex vivo biomechanical testing. RESULTS Restoring gene function in mice prior to conception prevented joint disease. In 3-week-old mice, restoring gene function improved, but did not normalize, histologic features of the articular cartilage and whole-joint friction. In addition, cyclic loading of the joints produced fewer activated caspase 3-containing chondrocytes when lubricin expression was restored, as compared to that in littermate mice whose gene function was not restored (nonrestored controls). Restoration of lubricin expression in 2-month-old or 6-month-old mice had no beneficial effect on histopathologic cartilage damage, extent of whole-joint friction, or activation of caspase 3 when compared to nonrestored controls. CONCLUSION When boundary lubrication is congenitally deficient and cartilage becomes damaged, the window of opportunity for restoring lubrication and slowing disease progression is limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adele Hill
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kimberly A Waller
- Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence
| | - Yajun Cui
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Justin M Allen
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Ling X Zhang
- Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence
| | - Ugur M Ayturk
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Steven Hann
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Matthew L Warman
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gregory D Jay
- Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Brown University School of Engineering, Providence, Rhode Island
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Saito S, Adachi N. Advances in the Development of Gene-Targeting Vectors to Increase the Efficiency of Genetic Modification. Biol Pharm Bull 2016; 39:25-32. [DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b15-00701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shinta Saito
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University
| | - Noritaka Adachi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University
- Advanced Medical Research Center, Yokohama City University
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25
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Daviaud N, Chen K, Huang Y, Friedel RH, Zou H. Impaired cortical neurogenesis in plexin-B1 and -B2 double deletion mutant. Dev Neurobiol 2015; 76:882-99. [PMID: 26579598 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian cortical expansion is tightly controlled by fine-tuning of proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitors in a region-specific manner. How extrinsic cues interface with cell-intrinsic programs to balance proliferative versus neurogenic decisions remains an unsolved question. We examined the function of Semaphorin receptors Plexin-B1 and -B2 in corticogenesis by generating double mutants, whereby Plexin-B2 was conditionally ablated in the developing brain in a Plexin-B1 null mutant background. Absence of both Plexin-Bs resulted in cortical thinning, particularly in the caudomedial cortex. Plexin-B1/B2 double, but not single, mutants exhibited a reduced neural progenitor pool, attributable to decreased proliferation and an altered division mode favoring cell cycle exit. This resulted in deficient production of neurons throughout the neurogenic period, proportionally affecting all cortical laminae. Consistent with the in vivo data, cultured neural progenitors lacking both Plexin-B1 and -B2 displayed decreased proliferative capacity and increased spontaneous differentiation. Our study therefore defines a novel function of Plexin-B1 and -B2 in transmitting extrinsic signals to maintain proliferative and undifferentiated states of neural progenitors. As single mutants displayed no apparent cortical defects, we conclude that Plexin-B1 and -B2 play redundant or compensatory roles during forebrain development to ensure proper neuronal production and neocortical expansion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 882-899, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Daviaud
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, New York, New York 10029
| | - Karen Chen
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, New York, New York 10029
| | - Yong Huang
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, New York, New York 10029
| | - Roland H Friedel
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, New York, New York 10029.,Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Hongyan Zou
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, New York, New York 10029.,Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
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Saito S, Ura K, Kodama M, Adachi N. Construction and applications of exon-trapping gene-targeting vectors with a novel strategy for negative selection. BMC Res Notes 2015; 8:278. [PMID: 26123730 PMCID: PMC4486125 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-015-1241-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Targeted gene modification by homologous recombination provides a powerful tool for studying gene function in cells and animals. In higher eukaryotes, non-homologous integration of targeting vectors occurs several orders of magnitude more frequently than does targeted integration, making the gene-targeting technology highly inefficient. For this reason, negative-selection strategies have been employed to reduce the number of drug-resistant clones associated with non-homologous vector integration, particularly when artificial nucleases to introduce a DNA break at the target site are unavailable or undesirable. As such, an exon-trap strategy using a promoterless drug-resistance marker gene provides an effective way to counterselect non-homologous integrants. However, constructing exon-trapping targeting vectors has been a time-consuming and complicated process. Results By virtue of highly efficient att-mediated recombination, we successfully developed a simple and rapid method to construct plasmid-based vectors that allow for exon-trapping gene targeting. These exon-trap vectors were useful in obtaining correctly targeted clones in mouse embryonic stem cells and human HT1080 cells. Most importantly, with the use of a conditionally cytotoxic gene, we further developed a novel strategy for negative selection, thereby enhancing the efficiency of counterselection for non-homologous integration of exon-trap vectors. Conclusions Our methods will greatly facilitate exon-trapping gene-targeting technologies in mammalian cells, particularly when combined with the novel negative selection strategy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1241-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinta Saito
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, 236-0027, Japan.
| | - Kiyoe Ura
- Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan.
| | - Miho Kodama
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, 236-0027, Japan.
| | - Noritaka Adachi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, 236-0027, Japan. .,Advanced Medical Research Center, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
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Astrogliosis Induced by Brain Injury Is Regulated by Sema4B Phosphorylation. eNeuro 2015; 2:eN-NWR-0078-14. [PMID: 26464987 PMCID: PMC4586933 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0078-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2014] [Revised: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Injury to the CNS induces astrogliosis, an astrocyte-mediated response that has both beneficial and detrimental impacts on surrounding neural and non-neural cells. The precise signaling events underlying astrogliosis are not fully characterized. Here, we show that astrocyte activation was altered and proliferation was reduced in Semaphorin 4B (Sema4B)-deficient mice following injury. Proliferation of cultured Sema4B(-/-) astrocytes was also significantly reduced. In contrast to its expected role as a ligand, the Sema4B ectodomain was not able to rescue Sema4B(-/-) astrocyte proliferation but instead acted as an antagonist against Sema4B(+/-) astrocytes. Furthermore, the effects of Sema4B on astrocyte proliferation were dependent on phosphorylation of the intracellular domain at Ser825. Our results suggest that Sema4B functions as an astrocyte receptor, defining a novel signaling pathway that regulates astrogliosis after CNS injury.
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28
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New Transgenic Technologies. Mov Disord 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-405195-9.00003-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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29
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Gro/TLE enables embryonic stem cell differentiation by repressing pluripotent gene expression. Dev Biol 2015; 397:56-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Revised: 09/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Portnoff AD, Stephens EA, Varner JD, DeLisa MP. Ubiquibodies, synthetic E3 ubiquitin ligases endowed with unnatural substrate specificity for targeted protein silencing. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:7844-55. [PMID: 24474696 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.544825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) is the main route of protein degradation in eukaryotic cells and is a common mechanism through which numerous cellular pathways are regulated. To date, several reverse genetics techniques have been reported that harness the power of the UPP for selectively reducing the levels of otherwise stable proteins. However, each of these approaches has been narrowly developed for a single substrate and cannot be easily extended to other protein substrates of interest. To address this shortcoming, we created a generalizable protein knock-out method by engineering protein chimeras called "ubiquibodies" that combine the activity of E3 ubiquitin ligases with designer binding proteins to steer virtually any protein to the UPP for degradation. Specifically, we reprogrammed the substrate specificity of a modular human E3 ubiquitin ligase called CHIP (carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein) by replacing its natural substrate-binding domain with a single-chain Fv (scFv) intrabody or a fibronectin type III domain monobody that target their respective antigens with high specificity and affinity. Engineered ubiquibodies reliably transferred ubiquitin to surface exposed lysines on target proteins and even catalyzed the formation of biologically relevant polyubiquitin chains. Following ectopic expression of ubiquibodies in mammalian cells, specific and systematic depletion of desired target proteins was achieved, whereas the levels of a natural substrate of CHIP were unaffected. Taken together, engineered ubiquibodies offer a simple, reproducible, and customizable means for directly removing specific cellular proteins through accelerated proteolysis.
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31
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Bi Y, Liu X, Zhang L, Shao C, Ma Z, Hua Z, Zhang L, Li L, Hua W, Xiao H, Wei Q, Zheng X. Pseudo attP sites in favor of transgene integration and expression in cultured porcine cells identified by Streptomyces phage phiC31 integrase. BMC Mol Biol 2013; 14:20. [PMID: 24010979 PMCID: PMC3844521 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2199-14-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Phage PhiC31 integrase integrates attB-containing plasmid into pseudo attP site in eukaryotic genomes in a unidirectional site-specific manner and maintains robust transgene expression. Few studies, however, explore its potential in livestock. This study aims to discover the molecular basis of PhiC31 integrase-mediated site-specific recombination in pig cells. We show that PhiC31 integrase can mediate site-specific transgene integration into the genome of pig kidney PK15 cells. Intramolecular recombination in pig PK15 cell line occurred at maximum frequency of 82% with transiently transfected attB- and attP-containing plasmids. An optimal molar ratio of pCMV-Int to pEGFP-N1-attB at 5:1 was observed for maximum number of cell clones under drug selection. Four candidate pseudo attP sites were identified by TAIL-PCR from those cell clones with single-copy transgene integration. Two of them gave rise to higher integration frequency occurred at 33%. 5′ and 3′ junction PCR showed that transgene integration mediated by PhiC31 integrase was mono-allelic. Micro- deletion and insertion were observed by sequencing the integration border, indicating that double strand break was induced by the recombination. We then constructed rescue reporter plasmids by ABI-REC cloning of the four pseudo attP sites into pBCPB + plasmid. Transfection of these rescue plasmids and pCMV-Int resulted in expected intramolecular recombination between attB and pseudo attP sites. This proved that the endogenous pseudo attP sites were functional substrates for PhiC31 integrase-mediated site-specific recombination. Two pseudo attP sites maintained robust extracellular and intracellular EGFP expression. Alamar blue assay showed that transgene integration into these specific sites had little effect on cell proliferation. This is the first report to document the potential use of PhiC31 integrase to mediate site-specific recombination in pig cells. Our work established an ideal model to study the position effect of identical transgene located in diverse chromosomal contexts. These findings also form the basis for targeted pig genome engineering and may be used to produce genetically modified pigs for agricultural and biomedical uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanzhen Bi
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering and Molecular Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Science, Wuhan 430064, China.
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The class 4 semaphorin Sema4D promotes the rapid assembly of GABAergic synapses in rodent hippocampus. J Neurosci 2013; 33:8961-73. [PMID: 23699507 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0989-13.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper circuit function in the mammalian nervous system depends on the precise assembly and development of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections between neurons. Through a loss-of-function genetic screen in cultured hippocampal neurons, we previously identified the class 4 Semaphorin Sema4D as being required for proper GABAergic synapse development. Here we demonstrate that Sema4D is sufficient to promote GABAergic synapse formation in rodent hippocampus and investigate the kinetics of this activity. We find that Sema4D treatment of rat hippocampal neurons increases the density of GABAergic synapses as detected by immunocytochemistry within 30 min, much more rapidly than has been previously described for a prosynaptogenic molecule, and show that this effect is dependent on the Sema4D receptor PlexinB1 using PlxnB1(-/-) mice. Live imaging studies reveal that Sema4D elicits a rapid enhancement (within 10 min) in the rate of addition of synaptic proteins. Therefore, we demonstrate that Sema4D, via PlexinB1, acts to initiate synapse formation by recruiting molecules to both the presynaptic and the postsynaptic terminals; these nascent synapses subsequently become fully functional by 2 h after Sema4D treatment. In addition, acute treatment of an organotypic hippocampal slice epilepsy model with Sema4D reveals that Sema4D rapidly and dramatically alters epileptiform activity, which is consistent with a Sema4D-mediated shift in the balance of excitation and inhibition within the circuit. These data demonstrate an ability to quickly assemble GABAergic synapses in response to an appropriate signal and suggest a potential area of exploration for the development of novel antiepileptic drugs.
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Varshney GK, Lu J, Gildea DE, Huang H, Pei W, Yang Z, Huang SC, Schoenfeld D, Pho NH, Casero D, Hirase T, Mosbrook-Davis D, Zhang S, Jao LE, Zhang B, Woods IG, Zimmerman S, Schier AF, Wolfsberg TG, Pellegrini M, Burgess SM, Lin S. A large-scale zebrafish gene knockout resource for the genome-wide study of gene function. Genome Res 2013; 23:727-35. [PMID: 23382537 PMCID: PMC3613589 DOI: 10.1101/gr.151464.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
With the completion of the zebrafish genome sequencing project, it becomes possible to analyze the function of zebrafish genes in a systematic way. The first step in such an analysis is to inactivate each protein-coding gene by targeted or random mutation. Here we describe a streamlined pipeline using proviral insertions coupled with high-throughput sequencing and mapping technologies to widely mutagenize genes in the zebrafish genome. We also report the first 6144 mutagenized and archived F1's predicted to carry up to 3776 mutations in annotated genes. Using in vitro fertilization, we have rescued and characterized ∼0.5% of the predicted mutations, showing mutation efficacy and a variety of phenotypes relevant to both developmental processes and human genetic diseases. Mutagenized fish lines are being made freely available to the public through the Zebrafish International Resource Center. These fish lines establish an important milestone for zebrafish genetics research and should greatly facilitate systematic functional studies of the vertebrate genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav K Varshney
- Developmental Genomics Section, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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Chaiyachati BH, Kaundal RK, Zhao J, Wu J, Flavell R, Chi T. LoxP-FRT Trap (LOFT): a simple and flexible system for conventional and reversible gene targeting. BMC Biol 2012. [PMID: 23198860 PMCID: PMC3529186 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-10-96] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Conditional gene knockout (cKO) mediated by the Cre/LoxP system is indispensable for exploring gene functions in mice. However, a major limitation of this method is that gene KO is not reversible. A number of methods have been developed to overcome this, but each method has its own limitations. Results We describe a simple method we have named LOFT [LoxP-flippase (FLP) recognition target (FRT) Trap], which is capable of reversible cKO and free of the limitations associated with existing techniques. This method involves two alleles of a target gene: a standard floxed allele, and a multi-functional allele bearing an FRT-flanked gene-trap cassette, which inactivates the target gene while reporting its expression with green fluorescent protein (GFP); the trapped allele is thus a null and GFP reporter by default, but is convertible into a wild-type allele. The floxed and trapped alleles can typically be generated using a single construct bearing a gene-trap cassette doubly flanked by LoxP and FRT sites, and can be used independently to achieve conditional and constitutive gene KO, respectively. More importantly, in mice bearing both alleles and also expressing the Cre and FLP recombinases, sequential function of the two enzymes should lead to deletion of the target gene, followed by restoration of its expression, thus achieving reversible cKO. LOFT should be generally applicable to mouse genes, including the growing numbers of genes already floxed; in the latter case, only the trapped alleles need to be generated to confer reversibility to the pre-existing cKO models. LOFT has other applications, including the creation and reversal of hypomorphic mutations. In this study we proved the principle of LOFT in the context of T-cell development, at a hypomorphic allele of Baf57/Smarce1 encoding a subunit of the chromatin-remodeling Brg/Brahma-associated factor (BAF) complex. Interestingly, the FLP used in the current work caused efficient reversal in peripheral T cells but not thymocytes, which is advantageous for studying developmental epigenetic programming of T-cell functions, a fundamental issue in immunology. Conclusions LOFT combines well-established basic genetic methods into a simple and reliable method for reversible gene targeting, with the flexibility of achieving traditional constitutive and conditional KO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara H Chaiyachati
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University Medical School, 300 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Smith S, Witkowski A, Moghul A, Yoshinaga Y, Nefedov M, de Jong P, Feng D, Fong L, Tu Y, Hu Y, Young SG, Pham T, Cheung C, Katzman SM, Brand MD, Quinlan CL, Fens M, Kuypers F, Misquitta S, Griffey SM, Tran S, Gharib A, Knudsen J, Hannibal-Bach HK, Wang G, Larkin S, Thweatt J, Pasta S. Compromised mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis in transgenic mice results in defective protein lipoylation and energy disequilibrium. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47196. [PMID: 23077570 PMCID: PMC3471957 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 09/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A mouse model with compromised mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis has been engineered in order to assess the role of this pathway in mitochondrial function and overall health. Reduction in the expression of mitochondrial malonyl CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase, a key enzyme in the pathway encoded by the nuclear Mcat gene, was achieved to varying extents in all examined tissues employing tamoxifen-inducible Cre-lox technology. Although affected mice consumed more food than control animals, they failed to gain weight, were less physically active, suffered from loss of white adipose tissue, reduced muscle strength, kyphosis, alopecia, hypothermia and shortened lifespan. The Mcat-deficient phenotype is attributed primarily to reduced synthesis, in several tissues, of the octanoyl precursors required for the posttranslational lipoylation of pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes, resulting in diminished capacity of the citric acid cycle and disruption of energy metabolism. The presence of an alternative lipoylation pathway that utilizes exogenous free lipoate appears restricted to liver and alone is insufficient for preservation of normal energy metabolism. Thus, de novo synthesis of precursors for the protein lipoylation pathway plays a vital role in maintenance of mitochondrial function and overall vigor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart Smith
- Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, USA.
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Mouse lipin-1 and lipin-2 cooperate to maintain glycerolipid homeostasis in liver and aging cerebellum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:E2486-95. [PMID: 22908270 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1205221109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The three lipin phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP) enzymes catalyze a step in glycerolipid biosynthesis, the conversion of phosphatidate to diacylglycerol. Lipin-1 is critical for lipid synthesis and homeostasis in adipose tissue, liver, muscle, and peripheral nerves. Little is known about the physiological role of lipin-2, the predominant lipin protein present in liver and the deficient gene product in the rare disorder Majeed syndrome. By using lipin-2-deficient mice, we uncovered a functional relationship between lipin-1 and lipin-2 that operates in a tissue-specific and age-dependent manner. In liver, lipin-2 deficiency led to a compensatory increase in hepatic lipin-1 protein and elevated PAP activity, which maintained lipid homeostasis under basal conditions, but led to diet-induced hepatic triglyceride accumulation. As lipin-2-deficient mice aged, they developed ataxia and impaired balance. This was associated with the combination of lipin-2 deficiency and an age-dependent reduction in cerebellar lipin-1 levels, resulting in altered cerebellar phospholipid composition. Similar to patients with Majeed syndrome, lipin-2-deficient mice developed anemia, but did not show evidence of osteomyelitis, suggesting that additional environmental or genetic components contribute to the bone abnormalities observed in patients. Combined lipin-1 and lipin-2 deficiency caused embryonic lethality. Our results reveal functional interactions between members of the lipin family in vivo, and a unique role for lipin-2 in central nervous system biology that may be particularly important with advancing age. Additionally, as has been observed in mice and humans with lipin-1 deficiency, the pathophysiology in lipin-2 deficiency is associated with dysregulation of lipid intermediates.
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Mayasari NI, Mukougawa K, Shigeoka T, Kawakami K, Kawaichi M, Ishida Y. Mixture of differentially tagged Tol2 transposons accelerates conditional disruption of a broad spectrum of genes in mouse embryonic stem cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:e97. [PMID: 22447447 PMCID: PMC3401447 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the insertional mutagenesis techniques used in the current international knockout mouse project (KOMP) on the inactivation of all mouse genes in embryonic stem (ES) cells, random gene trapping has been playing a major role. Gene-targeting experiments have also been performed to individually and conditionally knockout the remaining ‘difficult-to-trap’ genes. Here, we show that transcriptionally silent genes in ES cells are severely underrepresented among the randomly trapped genes in KOMP. Our conditional poly(A)-trapping vector with a common retroviral backbone also has a strong bias to be integrated into constitutively transcribed genome loci. Most importantly, conditional gene disruption could not be successfully accomplished by using the retrovirus vector because of the frequent development of intra-vector deletions/rearrangements. We found that one of the cut and paste-type DNA transposons, Tol2, can serve as an ideal platform for gene-trap vectors that ensures identification and conditional disruption of a broad spectrum of genes in ES cells. We also solved a long-standing problem associated with multiple vector integration into the genome of a single cell by incorporating a mixture of differentially tagged Tol2 transposons. We believe our strategy indicates a straightforward approach to mass-production of conditionally disrupted alleles for genes in the target cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Ika Mayasari
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma-shi, Nara 630-0192, Japan
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Harwell CC, Parker PRL, Gee SM, Okada A, McConnell SK, Kreitzer AC, Kriegstein AR. Sonic hedgehog expression in corticofugal projection neurons directs cortical microcircuit formation. Neuron 2012; 73:1116-26. [PMID: 22445340 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
VIDEO ABSTRACT The precise connectivity of inputs and outputs is critical for cerebral cortex function; however, the cellular mechanisms that establish these connections are poorly understood. Here, we show that the secreted molecule Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is involved in synapse formation of a specific cortical circuit. Shh is expressed in layer V corticofugal projection neurons and the Shh receptor, Brother of CDO (Boc), is expressed in local and callosal projection neurons of layer II/III that synapse onto the subcortical projection neurons. Layer V neurons of mice lacking functional Shh exhibit decreased synapses. Conversely, the loss of functional Boc leads to a reduction in the strength of synaptic connections onto layer Vb, but not layer II/III, pyramidal neurons. These results demonstrate that Shh is expressed in postsynaptic target cells while Boc is expressed in a complementary population of presynaptic input neurons, and they function to guide the formation of cortical microcircuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey C Harwell
- Eli and Edythe Broad Institute of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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Abstract
In vivo models represent important resources for investigating the physiological mechanisms underlying endocrine and metabolic disorders, and for pre-clinical translational studies that may include the assessments of new treatments. In the study of endocrine diseases, which affect multiple organs, in vivo models provide specific advantages over in vitro models, which are limited to investigation of isolated systems. In recent years, the mouse has become the popular choice for developing such in vivo mammalian models, as it has a genome that shares ∼85% identity to that of man, and has many physiological systems that are similar to those in man. Moreover, methods have been developed to alter the expression of genes in the mouse, thereby generating models for human diseases, which may be due to loss- or gain-of-function mutations. The methods used to generate mutations in the mouse genome include: chemical mutagenesis; conventional, conditional and inducible knockout models; knockin models and transgenic models, and these strategies are often complementary. This review describes some of the different strategies that are utilised for generating mouse models. In addition, some mouse models that have been successfully generated by these methods for some human hereditary endocrine and metabolic disorders are reviewed. In particular, the mouse models generated for parathyroid disorders, which include: the multiple endocrine neoplasias; hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumour syndrome; disorders of the calcium-sensing receptor and forms of inherited hypoparathyroidism are discussed. The advances that have been made in our understanding of the mechanisms of these human diseases by investigations of these mouse models are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siân E Piret
- Academic Endocrine Unit, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK
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Suppression of bone formation by osteoclastic expression of semaphorin 4D. Nat Med 2011; 17:1473-80. [PMID: 22019888 DOI: 10.1038/nm.2489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 353] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2011] [Accepted: 08/22/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Most of the currently available drugs for osteoporosis inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption; only a few drugs promote osteoblastic bone formation. It is thus becoming increasingly necessary to identify the factors that regulate bone formation. We found that osteoclasts express semaphorin 4D (Sema4D), previously shown to be an axon guidance molecule, which potently inhibits bone formation. The binding of Sema4D to its receptor Plexin-B1 on osteoblasts resulted in the activation of the small GTPase RhoA, which inhibits bone formation by suppressing insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling and by modulating osteoblast motility. Sema4d-/- mice, Plxnb1-/- mice and mice expressing a dominant-negative RhoA specifically in osteoblasts showed an osteosclerotic phenotype due to augmented bone formation. Notably, Sema4D-specific antibody treatment markedly prevented bone loss in a model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Thus, Sema4D has emerged as a new therapeutic target for the discovery and development of bone-increasing drugs.
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A conditional knockout resource for the genome-wide study of mouse gene function. Nature 2011; 474:337-42. [PMID: 21677750 DOI: 10.1038/nature10163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1268] [Impact Index Per Article: 97.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2009] [Accepted: 04/27/2011] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gene targeting in embryonic stem cells has become the principal technology for manipulation of the mouse genome, offering unrivalled accuracy in allele design and access to conditional mutagenesis. To bring these advantages to the wider research community, large-scale mouse knockout programmes are producing a permanent resource of targeted mutations in all protein-coding genes. Here we report the establishment of a high-throughput gene-targeting pipeline for the generation of reporter-tagged, conditional alleles. Computational allele design, 96-well modular vector construction and high-efficiency gene-targeting strategies have been combined to mutate genes on an unprecedented scale. So far, more than 12,000 vectors and 9,000 conditional targeted alleles have been produced in highly germline-competent C57BL/6N embryonic stem cells. High-throughput genome engineering highlighted by this study is broadly applicable to rat and human stem cells and provides a foundation for future genome-wide efforts aimed at deciphering the function of all genes encoded by the mammalian genome.
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An ENU-induced point mutation in the mouse Btaf1 gene causes post-gastrulation embryonic lethality and protein instability. Mech Dev 2011; 128:279-88. [PMID: 21419221 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2011.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2010] [Revised: 01/21/2011] [Accepted: 03/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The mouse Btaf1 gene, an ortholog of yeast MOT1, encodes a highly conserved general transcription factor. The function of this SNF2-like ATPase has been studied mainly in yeast and human cells, which has revealed that it binds directly to TBP, forming the B-TFIID complex. This complex binds to core promoters of RNA polymerase II-transcribed genes and, of crucial importance, BTAF1-TBP interactions have been shown to affect the kinetics of TBP-promoter interactions. Here we report the isolation of a mouse line carrying a Btaf1 allele containing an ENU-induced point mutation that causes a substitution mutation in the BTAF1 ATPase domain. Embryos homozygous for this loss-of-function mutation appear to be morphologically normal until early somite stages, but die between embryonic days 9 and 10.5 displaying growth arrest and edema. Analyses in vitro suggest that the altered protein is less stable and, independent from this, functionally impaired in releasing of TBP from chromatin, but not in binding to TBP.
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Maier V, Jolicoeur C, Rayburn H, Takegahara N, Kumanogoh A, Kikutani H, Tessier-Lavigne M, Wurst W, Friedel RH. Semaphorin 4C and 4G are ligands of Plexin-B2 required in cerebellar development. Mol Cell Neurosci 2011; 46:419-31. [PMID: 21122816 PMCID: PMC3030677 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2010.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2010] [Revised: 10/27/2010] [Accepted: 11/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Semaphorins and Plexins are cognate ligand-receptor families that regulate important steps during nervous system development. The Plexin-B2 receptor is critically involved in neural tube closure and cerebellar granule cell development, however, its specific ligands have only been suggested by in vitro studies. Here, we show by in vivo and in vitro analyses that the two Semaphorin-4 family members Sema4C and Sema4G are likely to be in vivo ligands of Plexin-B2. The Sema4C and Sema4G genes are expressed in the developing cerebellar cortex, and Sema4C and Sema4G proteins specifically bind to Plexin-B2 expressing cerebellar granule cells. To further elucidate their in vivo function, we have generated and analyzed Sema4C and Sema4G knockout mouse mutants. Like Plexin-B2-/- mutants, Sema4C-/- mutants reveal exencephaly and subsequent neonatal lethality with partial penetrance. Sema4C-/- mutants that bypass exencephaly are viable and fertile, but display distinctive defects of the cerebellar granule cell layer, including gaps in rostral lobules, fusions of caudal lobules, and ectopic granule cells in the molecular layer. In addition to neuronal defects, we observed in Sema4C-/- mutants also ventral skin pigmentation defects that are similar to those found in Plexin-B2-/- mutants. The Sema4G gene deletion causes no overt phenotype by itself, but combined deletion of Sema4C and Sema4G revealed an enhanced cerebellar phenotype. However, Sema4C/Sema4G double mutants showed overall less severe cerebellar phenotypes than Plexin-B2-/- mutants, indicating that further ligands of Plexin-B2 exist. In explant cultures of the developing cerebellar cortex, Sema4C promoted migration of cerebellar granule cell precursors in a Plexin-B2-dependent manner, supporting the model that a reduced migration rate of granule cell precursors is the basis for the cerebellar defects of Sema4C-/- and Sema4C/Sema4G mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viola Maier
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Center Munich, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Christine Jolicoeur
- Department of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Helen Rayburn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Noriko Takegahara
- Department of Immunopathology, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kumanogoh
- Department of Immunopathology, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Kikutani
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Marc Tessier-Lavigne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Division of Research, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080, USA
| | - Wolfgang Wurst
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Center Munich, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Roland H. Friedel
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Center Munich, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
- Corresponding author: Roland H. Friedel, , Phone: +1 (212) 241 0937, Fax: +1 (212) 860 9279, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Developmental & Regenerative Biology, 1468 Madison Avenue, Annenberg Building, room 25-70, New York, NY 10029
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Gene Targeting Vector Design for Embryonic Stem Cell Modifications. SPRINGER PROTOCOLS HANDBOOKS 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-45763-4_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Landeira D, Sauer S, Poot R, Dvorkina M, Mazzarella L, Jørgensen HF, Pereira CF, Leleu M, Piccolo FM, Spivakov M, Brookes E, Pombo A, Fisher C, Skarnes WC, Snoek T, Bezstarosti K, Demmers J, Klose RJ, Casanova M, Tavares L, Brockdorff N, Merkenschlager M, Fisher AG. Jarid2 is a PRC2 component in embryonic stem cells required for multi-lineage differentiation and recruitment of PRC1 and RNA Polymerase II to developmental regulators. Nat Cell Biol 2010; 12:618-24. [PMID: 20473294 PMCID: PMC3572404 DOI: 10.1038/ncb2065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2009] [Accepted: 04/16/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Polycomb Repressor Complexes (PRCs) are important regulators of embryogenesis. In embryonic stem (ES) cells many genes that regulate subsequent stages in development are enriched at their promoters for PRC1, PRC2 and Ser 5-phosphorylated RNA Polymerase II (RNAP), and contain domains of 'bivalent' chromatin (enriched for H3K4me3; histone H3 di- or trimethylated at Lys 4 and H3K27me3; histone H3 trimethylated at Lys 27). Loss of individual PRC components in ES cells can lead to gene de-repression and to unscheduled differentiation. Here we show that Jarid2 is a novel subunit of PRC2 that is required for the co-recruitment of PRC1 and RNAP to genes that regulate development in ES cells. Jarid2-deficient ES cells showed reduced H3K4me2/me3 and H3K27me3 marking and PRC1/PRC2 recruitment, and did not efficiently establish Ser 5-phosporylated RNAP at target genes. ES cells lacking Jarid2, in contrast to previously characterized PRC1 and PRC2 mutants, did not inappropriately express PRC2 target genes. Instead, they show a severely compromised capacity for successful differentiation towards neural or mesodermal fates and failed to correctly initiate lineage-specific gene expression in vitro. Collectively, these data indicate that transcriptional priming of bivalent genes in pluripotent ES cells is Jarid2-dependent, and suggests that priming is critical for subsequent multi-lineage differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Landeira
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Stephan Sauer
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Raymond Poot
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015GE, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Maria Dvorkina
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Luca Mazzarella
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Helle F. Jørgensen
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - C. Filipe Pereira
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Marion Leleu
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Francesco M. Piccolo
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Mikhail Spivakov
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Emily Brookes
- Genome Function Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Ana Pombo
- Genome Function Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Cynthia Fisher
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
- Mouse Developmental Genetics Group, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA UK
| | - William C. Skarnes
- Mouse Developmental Genetics Group, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Tim Snoek
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015GE, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Karel Bezstarosti
- Proteomics Center, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015GE, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Demmers
- Proteomics Center, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, 3015GE, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Robert J. Klose
- Epigenetic Regulation of Chromatin Function Group Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU UK
| | - Miguel Casanova
- Developmental Epigenetics Group, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU UK
| | - Ligia Tavares
- Developmental Epigenetics Group, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU UK
| | - Neil Brockdorff
- Developmental Epigenetics Group, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU UK
| | - Matthias Merkenschlager
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Amanda G. Fisher
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
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Zielonka M, Xia J, Friedel RH, Offermanns S, Worzfeld T. A systematic expression analysis implicates Plexin-B2 and its ligand Sema4C in the regulation of the vascular and endocrine system. Exp Cell Res 2010; 316:2477-86. [PMID: 20478304 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2010.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2010] [Revised: 05/04/2010] [Accepted: 05/06/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Plexins serve as receptors for semaphorins and play important roles in the developing nervous system. Plexin-B2 controls decisive developmental programs in the neural tube and cerebellum. However, whether Plexin-B2 also regulates biological functions in adult nonneuronal tissues is unknown. Here we show by two methodologically independent approaches that Plexin-B2 is expressed in discrete cell types of several nonneuronal tissues in the adult mouse. In the vasculature, Plexin-B2 is selectively expressed in functionally specialized endothelial cells. In endocrine organs, Plexin-B2 localizes to the pancreatic islets of Langerhans and to both cortex and medulla of the adrenal gland. Plexin-B2 expression is also detected in certain types of immune and epithelial cells. In addition, we report on a systematic comparison of the expression patterns of Plexin-B2 and its ligand Sema4C, which show complementarity or overlap in some but not all tissues. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Plexin-B2 and its family member Plexin-B1 display largely nonredundant expression patterns. This work establishes Plexin-B2 and Sema4C as potential regulators of the vascular and endocrine system and provides an anatomical basis to understand the biological functions of this ligand-receptor pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Zielonka
- Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Pharmacology, Ludwigstr. 43, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
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Guan C, Ye C, Yang X, Gao J. A review of current large-scale mouse knockout efforts. Genesis 2010; 48:73-85. [PMID: 20095055 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
After the successful completion of the human genome project (HGP), biological research in the postgenome era urgently needs an efficient approach for functional analysis of genes. Utilization of knockout mouse models has been powerful for elucidating the function of genes as well as finding new therapeutic interventions for human diseases. Gene trapping and gene targeting are two independent techniques for making knockout mice from embryonic stem (ES) cells. Gene trapping is high-throughput, random, and sequence-tagged while gene targeting enables the knockout of specific genes. It has been about 20 years since the first gene targeting and gene trapping mice were generated. In recent years, new tools have emerged for both gene targeting and gene trapping, and organizations have been formed to knock out genes in the mouse genome using either of the two methods. The knockout mouse project (KOMP) and the international gene trap consortium (IGTC) were initiated to create convenient resources for scientific research worldwide and knock out all the mouse genes. Organizers of KOMP regard it as important as the HGP. Gene targeting methods have changed from conventional gene targeting to high-throughput conditional gene targeting. The combined advantages of trapping and targeting elements are improving the gene trapping spectrum and gene targeting efficiency. As a newly-developed insertional mutation system, transposons have some advantages over retrovirus in trapping genes. Emergence of the international knockout mouse consortium (IKMP) is the beginning of a global collaboration to systematically knock out all the genes in the mouse genome for functional genomic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunmei Guan
- College of Life Science, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, Shandong, People's Republic of China
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Bu L, Gao X, Jiang X, Chien KR, Wang Z. Targeted conditional gene knockout in human embryonic stem cells. Cell Res 2010; 20:379-82. [PMID: 20142843 DOI: 10.1038/cr.2010.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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50
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Murine embryonic stem cell-derived pyramidal neurons integrate into the cerebral cortex and appropriately project axons to subcortical targets. J Neurosci 2010; 30:894-904. [PMID: 20089898 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4318-09.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Although embryonic stem (ES) cells have been induced to differentiate into diverse neuronal cell types, the production of cortical projection neurons with the correct morphology and axonal connectivity has not been demonstrated. Here, we show that in vitro patterning is critical for generating neural precursor cells (ES-NPCs) competent to form cortical pyramidal neurons. During the first week of neural induction, these ES-NPCs begin to express genes that are specific for forebrain progenitors; an additional week of differentiation produces mature neurons with many features of cortical pyramidal neurons. After transplantation into the murine cerebral cortex, these specified ES-NPCs manifest the correct dendritic and axonal connectivity for their areal location. ES-NPCs transplanted into the deep layers of the motor cortex differentiate into layer 5 pyramidal neurons and extend axons to distant subcortical targets such as the pons and as far caudal as the pyramidal decussation and descending spinal tract and, importantly, do not extend axons to inappropriate targets such as the superior colliculus (SC). ES-NPCs transplanted into the visual cortex extend axons to the dorsal aspect of the SC and pons but avoid ventral SC and the pyramidal tract, whereas cells transplanted deep into the somatosensory cortex project axons to the ventral SC, avoiding the dorsal SC. Thus, these data establish that ES-derived cortical projection neurons can integrate into anatomically relevant circuits.
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