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Grath A, Dai G. SOX17/ETV2 improves the direct reprogramming of adult fibroblasts to endothelial cells. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2024; 4:100732. [PMID: 38503291 PMCID: PMC10985233 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2024.100732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
An autologous source of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) is valuable for vascular regeneration and tissue engineering without the concern of immune rejection. The transcription factor ETS variant 2 (ETV2) has been shown to directly convert patient fibroblasts into vascular EC-like cells. However, reprogramming efficiency is low and there are limitations in EC functions, such as eNOS expression. In this study, we directly reprogram adult human dermal fibroblasts into reprogrammed ECs (rECs) by overexpressing SOX17 in conjunction with ETV2. We find several advantages to rEC generation using this approach, including improved reprogramming efficiency, increased enrichment of EC genes, formation of large blood vessels carrying blood from the host, and, most importantly, expression of eNOS in vivo. From these results, we present an improved method to reprogram adult fibroblasts into functional ECs and posit ideas for the future that could potentially further improve the reprogramming process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Grath
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guohao Dai
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
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2
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Jiang J, Wang Y, Sun M, Luo X, Zhang Z, Wang Y, Li S, Hu D, Zhang J, Wu Z, Chen X, Zhang B, Xu X, Wang S, Xu S, Huang W, Xia L. SOX on tumors, a comfort or a constraint? Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:67. [PMID: 38331879 PMCID: PMC10853543 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01834-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The sex-determining region Y (SRY)-related high-mobility group (HMG) box (SOX) family, composed of 20 transcription factors, is a conserved family with a highly homologous HMG domain. Due to their crucial role in determining cell fate, the dysregulation of SOX family members is closely associated with tumorigenesis, including tumor invasion, metastasis, proliferation, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness and drug resistance. Despite considerable research to investigate the mechanisms and functions of the SOX family, confusion remains regarding aspects such as the role of the SOX family in tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and contradictory impacts the SOX family exerts on tumors. This review summarizes the physiological function of the SOX family and their multiple roles in tumors, with a focus on the relationship between the SOX family and TIME, aiming to propose their potential role in cancer and promising methods for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junqing Jiang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Yufei Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Mengyu Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Xiangyuan Luo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Zerui Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Yijun Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Siwen Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Dian Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Jiaqian Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Zhangfan Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
| | - Xiaoping Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases; Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Clinical Medicine Research Center for Hepatic Surgery of Hubei Province; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
| | - Bixiang Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases; Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Clinical Medicine Research Center for Hepatic Surgery of Hubei Province; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Westlake university school of medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, China
| | - Shengjun Xu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, China
| | - Wenjie Huang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases; Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Clinical Medicine Research Center for Hepatic Surgery of Hubei Province; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.
| | - Limin Xia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China.
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Bragança J, Pinto R, Silva B, Marques N, Leitão HS, Fernandes MT. Charting the Path: Navigating Embryonic Development to Potentially Safeguard against Congenital Heart Defects. J Pers Med 2023; 13:1263. [PMID: 37623513 PMCID: PMC10455635 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13081263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are structural or functional defects present at birth due to improper heart development. Current therapeutic approaches to treating severe CHDs are primarily palliative surgical interventions during the peri- or prenatal stages, when the heart has fully developed from faulty embryogenesis. However, earlier interventions during embryonic development have the potential for better outcomes, as demonstrated by fetal cardiac interventions performed in utero, which have shown improved neonatal and prenatal survival rates, as well as reduced lifelong morbidity. Extensive research on heart development has identified key steps, cellular players, and the intricate network of signaling pathways and transcription factors governing cardiogenesis. Additionally, some reports have indicated that certain adverse genetic and environmental conditions leading to heart malformations and embryonic death may be amendable through the activation of alternative mechanisms. This review first highlights key molecular and cellular processes involved in heart development. Subsequently, it explores the potential for future therapeutic strategies, targeting early embryonic stages, to prevent CHDs, through the delivery of biomolecules or exosomes to compensate for faulty cardiogenic mechanisms. Implementing such non-surgical interventions during early gestation may offer a prophylactic approach toward reducing the occurrence and severity of CHDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Bragança
- Algarve Biomedical Center-Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMCB), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Champalimaud Research Program, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rute Pinto
- Algarve Biomedical Center-Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Silva
- Algarve Biomedical Center-Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMCB), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Nuno Marques
- Algarve Biomedical Center-Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Helena S. Leitão
- Algarve Biomedical Center-Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMCB), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Mónica T. Fernandes
- Algarve Biomedical Center-Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- School of Health, University of Algarve Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
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Lee JW, Lee CS, Son H, Lee J, Kang M, Chai J, Cho HJ, Kim HS. SOX17-mediated LPAR4 expression plays a pivotal role in cardiac development and regeneration after myocardial infarction. Exp Mol Med 2023:10.1038/s12276-023-01025-w. [PMID: 37394586 PMCID: PMC10394006 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-023-01025-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 4 (LPAR4) exhibits transient expression at the cardiac progenitor stage during pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived cardiac differentiation. Using RNA sequencing, promoter analyses, and a loss-of-function study in human PSCs, we discovered that SRY-box transcription factor 17 (SOX17) is an essential upstream factor of LPAR4 during cardiac differentiation. We conducted mouse embryo analyses to further verify our human PSC in vitro findings and confirmed the transient and sequential expression of SOX17 and LPAR4 during in vivo cardiac development. In an adult bone marrow transplantation model using LPAR4 promoter-driven GFP cells, we observed two LPAR4+ cell types in the heart following myocardial infarction (MI). Cardiac differentiation potential was shown in heart-resident LPAR4+ cells, which are SOX17+, but not bone marrow-derived infiltrated LPAR4+ cells. Furthermore, we tested various strategies to enhance cardiac repair through the regulation of downstream signals of LPAR4. During the early stages following MI, the downstream inhibition of LPAR4 by a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) blocker improved cardiac function and reduced fibrotic scarring compared to that observed following LPAR4 stimulation. These findings improve our understanding of heart development and suggest novel therapeutic strategies that enhance repair and regeneration after injury by modulating LPAR4 signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Woo Lee
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, and College of Medicine or College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Choon-Soo Lee
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - HyunJu Son
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, and College of Medicine or College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaewon Lee
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Minjun Kang
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, and College of Medicine or College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinho Chai
- Program in Stem Cell Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jai Cho
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyo-Soo Kim
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, and College of Medicine or College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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5
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Aries A, Zanetti C, Hénon P, Drénou B, Lahlil R. Deciphering the Cardiovascular Potential of Human CD34 + Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119551. [PMID: 37298503 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ex vivo monitored human CD34+ stem cells (SCs) injected into myocardium scar tissue have shown real benefits for the recovery of patients with myocardial infarctions. They have been used previously in clinical trials with hopeful results and are expected to be promising for cardiac regenerative medicine following severe acute myocardial infarctions. However, some debates on their potential efficacy in cardiac regenerative therapies remain to be clarified. To elucidate the levels of CD34+ SC implication and contribution in cardiac regeneration, better identification of the main regulators, pathways, and genes involved in their potential cardiovascular differentiation and paracrine secretion needs to be determined. We first developed a protocol thought to commit human CD34+ SCs purified from cord blood toward an early cardiovascular lineage. Then, by using a microarray-based approach, we followed their gene expression during differentiation. We compared the transcriptome of undifferentiated CD34+ cells to those induced at two stages of differentiation (i.e., day three and day fourteen), with human cardiomyocyte progenitor cells (CMPCs), as well as cardiomyocytes as controls. Interestingly, in the treated cells, we observed an increase in the expressions of the main regulators usually present in cardiovascular cells. We identified cell surface markers of the cardiac mesoderm, such as kinase insert domain receptor (KDR) and the cardiogenic surface receptor Frizzled 4 (FZD4), induced in the differentiated cells in comparison to undifferentiated CD34+ cells. The Wnt and TGF-β pathways appeared to be involved in this activation. This study underlined the real capacity of effectively stimulated CD34+ SCs to express cardiac markers and, once induced, allowed the identification of markers that are known to be involved in vascular and early cardiogenesis, demonstrating their potential priming towards cardiovascular cells. These findings could complement their paracrine positive effects known in cell therapy for heart disease and may help improve the efficacy and safety of using ex vivo expanded CD34+ SCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Aries
- Institut de Recherche en Hématologie et Transplantation (IRHT), Hôpital du Hasenrain, 87 Avenue d'Altkirch, 68100 Mulhouse, France
| | - Céline Zanetti
- Institut de Recherche en Hématologie et Transplantation (IRHT), Hôpital du Hasenrain, 87 Avenue d'Altkirch, 68100 Mulhouse, France
| | | | - Bernard Drénou
- Institut de Recherche en Hématologie et Transplantation (IRHT), Hôpital du Hasenrain, 87 Avenue d'Altkirch, 68100 Mulhouse, France
- Groupe Hospitalier de la Région de Mulhouse Sud-Alsace, Hôpital E. Muller, 20 Avenue de Dr Laennec, 68100 Mulhouse, France
| | - Rachid Lahlil
- Institut de Recherche en Hématologie et Transplantation (IRHT), Hôpital du Hasenrain, 87 Avenue d'Altkirch, 68100 Mulhouse, France
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6
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Mfarej MG, Hyland CA, Sanchez AC, Falk MM, Iovine MK, Skibbens RV. Cohesin: an emerging master regulator at the heart of cardiac development. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:rs2. [PMID: 36947206 PMCID: PMC10162415 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-12-0557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Cohesins are ATPase complexes that play central roles in cellular processes such as chromosome division, DNA repair, and gene expression. Cohesinopathies arise from mutations in cohesin proteins or cohesin complex regulators and encompass a family of related developmental disorders that present with a range of severe birth defects, affect many different physiological systems, and often lead to embryonic fatality. Treatments for cohesinopathies are limited, in large part due to the lack of understanding of cohesin biology. Thus, characterizing the signaling networks that lie upstream and downstream of cohesin-dependent pathways remains clinically relevant. Here, we highlight alterations in cohesins and cohesin regulators that result in cohesinopathies, with a focus on cardiac defects. In addition, we suggest a novel and more unifying view regarding the mechanisms through which cohesinopathy-based heart defects may arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G. Mfarej
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
| | - Caitlin A. Hyland
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
| | - Annie C. Sanchez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
| | - Matthias M. Falk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
| | - M. Kathryn Iovine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
| | - Robert V. Skibbens
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
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Kim D, Grath A, Lu YW, Chung K, Winkelman M, Schwarz JJ, Dai G. Sox17 mediates adult arterial endothelial cell adaptation to hemodynamics. Biomaterials 2023; 293:121946. [PMID: 36512862 PMCID: PMC9868097 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Sox17 is a critical regulator of arterial identity during early embryonic vascular development. However, its role in adult endothelial cells (ECs) are not fully understood. Sox17 is highly expressed in arterial ECs but not in venous ECs throughout embryonic development to adulthood suggesting that it may play a functional role in adult arteries. Here, we investigated Sox17 mediated phenotypical changes in adult ECs. To precisely control the temporal expression level of Sox17, we designed a tetracycline-inducible lentiviral gene expression system to express Sox17 selectively in cultured venous ECs. We confirmed that Sox17-induced ECs exhibit a gene profile favoring arterial and tip cell identity. Furthermore, in comparison to control ECs, Sox17-activated ECs under shear leads to greater expression of arterial markers and suppression of venous identity. These data suggest that Sox17 enables greater hemodynamic adaptability of ECs in response to fluid shear stress. Here, we also demonstrate key morphogenic behaviors of Sox17-mediated ECs. In both vasculogenic and angiogenic 3D fibrin gel studies, Sox17-mediated ECs prefer to form cohesive vessels with one another while interfering the vessel formation of the control ECs. Sox17-mediated ECs elicit hyper-sprouting behavior in the presence of pericytes but not fibroblasts, suggesting Sox17 mediated sprouting frequency is dependent on supporting cell type. Using a microfluidic chip, we also show that Sox17-mediated ECs maintain thinner diameter vessels that do not widen under interstitial flow like the control ECs. Taken together, these data showed that Sox17 mediated EC gene expression and phenotypical changes are highly modulated in the context of biomechanical stimuli, suggesting Sox17 plays a role in regulating the arterial ECs adaptability under arterial hemodynamics as well as tip cells behavior during angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. The results from this study may be valuable in improving vein graft adaptation to arterial hemodynamics and bioengineering microvasculature for tissue engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Alexander Grath
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yao Wei Lu
- Vascular Biology Program, Boston's Children Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Karl Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
| | - Max Winkelman
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - John J Schwarz
- Center for Cardiovascular Sciences, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Guohao Dai
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Kim J, Rothová MM, Madan E, Rhee S, Weng G, Palma AM, Liao L, David E, Amit I, Hajkarim MC, Vudatha V, Gutiérrez-García A, Moreno E, Winn R, Trevino J, Fisher PB, Brickman JM, Gogna R, Won KJ. Neighbor-specific gene expression revealed from physically interacting cells during mouse embryonic development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2205371120. [PMID: 36595695 PMCID: PMC9926237 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205371120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Development of multicellular organisms is orchestrated by persistent cell-cell communication between neighboring partners. Direct interaction between different cell types can induce molecular signals that dictate lineage specification and cell fate decisions. Current single-cell RNA-seq technology cannot adequately analyze cell-cell contact-dependent gene expression, mainly due to the loss of spatial information. To overcome this obstacle and resolve cell-cell contact-specific gene expression during embryogenesis, we performed RNA sequencing of physically interacting cells (PIC-seq) and assessed them alongside similar single-cell transcriptomes derived from developing mouse embryos between embryonic day (E) 7.5 and E9.5. Analysis of the PIC-seq data identified gene expression signatures that were dependent on the presence of specific neighboring cell types. Our computational predictions, validated experimentally, demonstrated that neural progenitor (NP) cells upregulate Lhx5 and Nkx2-1 genes, when exclusively interacting with definitive endoderm (DE) cells. Moreover, there was a reciprocal impact on the transcriptome of DE cells, as they tend to upregulate Rax and Gsc when in contact with NP cells. Using individual cell transcriptome data, we formulated a means of computationally predicting the impact of one cell type on the transcriptome of its neighboring cell types. We have further developed a distinctive spatial-t-distributed stochastic neighboring embedding to display the pseudospatial distribution of cells in a 2-dimensional space. In summary, we describe an innovative approach to study contact-specific gene regulation during embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junil Kim
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N2200, Denmark
- School of Systems Biomedical Science, Soongsil University, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul06978, Republic of Korea
| | - Michaela Mrugala Rothová
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen2200, Denmark
| | - Esha Madan
- Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon1400-038, Portugal
| | - Siyeon Rhee
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Guangzheng Weng
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N2200, Denmark
| | | | - Linbu Liao
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N2200, Denmark
| | - Eyal David
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot7610001, Israel
| | - Ido Amit
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot7610001, Israel
| | | | - Vignesh Vudatha
- Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
| | | | - Eduardo Moreno
- Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon1400-038, Portugal
| | - Robert Winn
- School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
| | - Jose Trevino
- Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
| | - Paul B. Fisher
- School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
- School of Medicine, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
| | - Joshua M. Brickman
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen2200, Denmark
| | - Rajan Gogna
- School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
- School of Medicine, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA23298-0033
| | - Kyoung Jae Won
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N2200, Denmark
- Department of Computational Biomedicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA90069
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Dai L, Du L. Genes in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension and the most promising BMPR2 gene therapy. Front Genet 2022; 13:961848. [PMID: 36506323 PMCID: PMC9730536 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.961848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare but progressive and lethal vascular disease of diverse etiologies, mainly caused by proliferation of endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells in the pulmonary artery, and fibroblasts, which ultimately leads to right-heart hypertrophy and cardiac failure. Recent genetic studies of childhood-onset PAH report that there is a greater genetic burden in children than in adults. Since the first-identified pathogenic gene of PAH, BMPR2, which encodes bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2, a receptor in the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, was discovered, novel causal genes have been identified and substantially sharpened our insights into the molecular genetics of childhood-onset PAH. Currently, some newly identified deleterious genetic variants in additional genes implicated in childhood-onset PAH, such as potassium channels (KCNK3) and transcription factors (TBX4 and SOX17), have been reported and have greatly updated our understanding of the disease mechanism. In this review, we summarized and discussed the advances of genetic variants underlying childhood-onset PAH susceptibility and potential mechanism, and the most promising BMPR2 gene therapy and gene delivery approaches to treat childhood-onset PAH in the future.
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Afouda BA. Towards Understanding the Gene-Specific Roles of GATA Factors in Heart Development: Does GATA4 Lead the Way? Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23095255. [PMID: 35563646 PMCID: PMC9099915 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23095255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors play crucial roles in the regulation of heart induction, formation, growth and morphogenesis. Zinc finger GATA transcription factors are among the critical regulators of these processes. GATA4, 5 and 6 genes are expressed in a partially overlapping manner in developing hearts, and GATA4 and 6 continue their expression in adult cardiac myocytes. Using different experimental models, GATA4, 5 and 6 were shown to work together not only to ensure specification of cardiac cells but also during subsequent heart development. The complex involvement of these related gene family members in those processes is demonstrated through the redundancy among them and crossregulation of each other. Our recent identification at the genome-wide level of genes specifically regulated by each of the three family members and our earlier discovery that gata4 and gata6 function upstream, while gata5 functions downstream of noncanonical Wnt signalling during cardiac differentiation, clearly demonstrate the functional differences among the cardiogenic GATA factors. Such suspected functional differences are worth exploring more widely. It appears that in the past few years, significant advances have indeed been made in providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which each of these molecules function during heart development. In this review, I will therefore discuss current evidence of the role of individual cardiogenic GATA factors in the process of heart development and emphasize the emerging central role of GATA4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boni A Afouda
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill Health Campus, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, Scotland, UK
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11
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Feulner L, van Vliet PP, Puceat M, Andelfinger G. Endocardial Regulation of Cardiac Development. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022; 9:jcdd9050122. [PMID: 35621833 PMCID: PMC9144171 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd9050122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The endocardium is a specialized form of endothelium that lines the inner side of the heart chambers and plays a crucial role in cardiac development. While comparatively less studied than other cardiac cell types, much progress has been made in understanding the regulation of and by the endocardium over the past two decades. In this review, we will summarize what is currently known regarding endocardial origin and development, the relationship between endocardium and other cardiac cell types, and the various lineages that endocardial cells derive from and contribute to. These processes are driven by key molecular mechanisms such as Notch and BMP signaling. These pathways in particular have been well studied, but other signaling pathways and mechanical cues also play important roles. Finally, we will touch on the contribution of stem cell modeling in combination with single cell sequencing and its potential translational impact for congenital heart defects such as bicuspid aortic valves and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The detailed understanding of cellular and molecular processes in the endocardium will be vital to further develop representative stem cell-derived models for disease modeling and regenerative medicine in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Feulner
- Cardiovascular Genetics, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (L.F.); (P.P.v.V.)
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Patrick Piet van Vliet
- Cardiovascular Genetics, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (L.F.); (P.P.v.V.)
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada;
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) INSERM, 13885 Marseille, France
| | - Michel Puceat
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada;
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) INSERM, 13885 Marseille, France
- INSERM U-1251, Marseille Medical Genetics, Aix-Marseille University, 13885 Marseille, France
| | - Gregor Andelfinger
- Cardiovascular Genetics, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (L.F.); (P.P.v.V.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Correspondence:
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12
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Jin G, Floy ME, Simmons AD, Arthur MM, Palecek SP. Spatial Stem Cell Fate Engineering via Facile Morphogen Localization. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2100995. [PMID: 34459150 PMCID: PMC8568665 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202100995] [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: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Spatiotemporally controlled presentation of morphogens and elaborate modulation of signaling pathways elicit pattern formation during development. Though this process is critical for proper organogenesis, unraveling the mechanisms of developmental biology have been restricted by challenges associated with studying human embryos. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been used to model development in vitro, however difficulties in precise spatiotemporal control of the cellular microenvironment have limited the utility of this model in exploring mechanisms of pattern formation. Here, a simple and versatile method is presented to spatially pattern hPSC differentiation in 2-dimensional culture via localized morphogen adsorption on substrates. Morphogens including bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), activin A, and WNT3a are patterned to induce localized mesendoderm, endoderm, cardiomyocyte (CM), and epicardial cell (EpiC) differentiation from hPSCs and hPSC-derived progenitors. Patterned CM and EpiC co-differentiation allows investigation of intercellular interactions in a spatially controlled manner and demonstrate improved alignment of CMs in proximity to EpiCs. This approach provides a platform for the controlled and systematic study of early pattern formation. Moreover, this study provides a facile approach to generate 2D patterned hPSC-derived tissue structures for modeling disease and drug interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gyuhyung Jin
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Martha E Floy
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Aaron D Simmons
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Madeline M Arthur
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Sean P Palecek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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13
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Dolmatov IY, Kalacheva NV, Tkacheva ES, Shulga AP, Zavalnaya EG, Shamshurina EV, Girich AS, Boyko AV, Eliseikina MG. Expression of Piwi, MMP, TIMP, and Sox during Gut Regeneration in Holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix (Holothuroidea, Dendrochirotida). Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1292. [PMID: 34440466 PMCID: PMC8391186 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesodermal cells of holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix can transdifferentiate into enterocytes during the regeneration of the digestive system. In this study, we investigated the expression of several genes involved in gut regeneration in E. fraudatrix. Moreover, the localization of progenitor cells of coelomocytes, juvenile cells, and their participation in the formation of the luminal epithelium of the digestive tube were studied. It was shown that Piwi-positive cells were not involved in the formation of the luminal epithelium of the digestive tube. Ef-72 kDa type IV collagenase and Ef-MMP16 had an individual expression profile and possibly different functions. The Ef-tensilin3 gene exhibited the highest expression and indicates its potential role in regeneration. Ef-Sox9/10 and Ef-Sox17 in E. fraudatrix may participate in the mechanism of transdifferentiation of coelomic epithelial cells. Their transcripts mark the cells that plunge into the connective tissue of the gut anlage and give rise to enterocytes. Ef-Sox9/10 probably controls the switching of mesodermal cells to the enterocyte phenotype, while Ef-Sox17 may be involved in the regulation of the initial stages of transdifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Yu. Dolmatov
- A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Palchevsky 17, 690041 Vladivostok, Russia; (N.V.K.); (E.S.T.); (A.P.S.); (E.G.Z.); (E.V.S.); (A.S.G.); (A.V.B.); (M.G.E.)
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14
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Wu Y, Wharton J, Walters R, Vasilaki E, Aman J, Zhao L, Wilkins MR, Rhodes CJ. The pathophysiological role of novel pulmonary arterial hypertension gene SOX17. Eur Respir J 2021; 58:13993003.04172-2020. [PMID: 33632800 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.04172-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease predominantly targeting pre-capillary blood vessels. Adverse structural remodelling and increased pulmonary vascular resistance result in cardiac hypertrophy and ultimately failure of the right ventricle. Recent whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing studies have identified SOX17 as a novel risk gene in PAH, with a dominant mode of inheritance and incomplete penetrance. Rare deleterious variants in the gene and more common variants in upstream enhancer sites have both been associated with the disease, and a deficiency of SOX17 expression may predispose to PAH. This review aims to consolidate the evidence linking genetic variants in SOX17 to PAH, and explores the numerous targets and effects of the transcription factor, focusing on the pulmonary vasculature and the pathobiology of PAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukyee Wu
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - John Wharton
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel Walters
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Eleni Vasilaki
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jurjan Aman
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.,VUmc, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lan Zhao
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Martin R Wilkins
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
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15
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Lin L, Xu W, Li Y, Zhu P, Yuan W, Liu M, Shi Y, Chen Y, Liang J, Chen J, Yang B, Cai W, Wen Y, Zhu X, Peng X, Zhou Z, Mo X, Wan Y, Yuan H, Li F, Ye X, Jiang Z, Wang Y, Zhuang J, Fan X, Wu X. Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy via a β-catenin-dependent mechanism. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2021; 320:H1634-H1645. [PMID: 33635162 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00538.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a key role in pathological cardiac remodeling in adults. The identification of a tissue-specific Wnt/β-catenin interaction factor may provide a tissue-specific clinical targeting strategy. Drosophila Pygo encodes the core interaction factor of Wnt/β-catenin. Two Pygo homologs (Pygo1 and Pygo2) have been identified in mammals. Different from the ubiquitous expression profile of Pygo2, Pygo1 is enriched in cardiac tissue. However, the role of Pygo1 in mammalian cardiac disease is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we found that Pygo1 was upregulated in human cardiac tissues with pathological hypertrophy. Cardiac-specific overexpression of Pygo1 in mice spontaneously led to cardiac hypertrophy accompanied by declined cardiac function, increased heart weight/body weight and heart weight/tibial length ratios, and increased cell size. The canonical β-catenin/T-cell transcription factor 4 (TCF4) complex was abundant in Pygo1-overexpressing transgenic (Pygo1-TG) cardiac tissue, and the downstream genes of Wnt signaling, that is, Axin2, Ephb3, and c-Myc, were upregulated. A tail vein injection of β-catenin inhibitor effectively rescued the phenotype of cardiac failure and pathological myocardial remodeling in Pygo1-TG mice. Furthermore, in vivo downregulated pygo1 during cardiac hypertrophic condition antagonized agonist-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Therefore, our study is the first to present in vivo evidence demonstrating that Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy in a canonical Wnt/β-catenin-dependent manner, which may provide new clues for tissue-specific clinical treatment via targeting this pathway.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, we found that Pygo1 is associated with human pathological hypertrophy. Cardiac-specific overexpression of Pygo1 in mice spontaneously led to cardiac hypertrophy. Meanwhile, cardiac function was improved when expression of Pygo1 was interfered in hypertrophy-model mice. Our study is the first to present in vivo evidence demonstrating that Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy in a canonical Wnt/β-catenin-dependent manner, which may provide new clues for a tissue-specific clinical treatment targeting this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Lin
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yongqing Li
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Ping Zhu
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wuzhou Yuan
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Ming Liu
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Chen
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Jifeng Liang
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Jimei Chen
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Boyu Yang
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Wanwan Cai
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yao Wen
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiaolan Zhu
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiyang Peng
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Zuoqiong Zhou
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyang Mo
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yongqi Wan
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Haiyun Yuan
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fang Li
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiangli Ye
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhigang Jiang
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yuequn Wang
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Jian Zhuang
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiongwei Fan
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiushan Wu
- The Center for Heart Development, State Key Laboratory of Development Biology of Freshwater Fish, Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Fish of Ministry of Education, The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
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16
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Brastrom LK, Scott CA, Wang K, Slusarski DC. Functional Role of the RNA-Binding Protein Rbm24a and Its Target sox2 in Microphthalmia. Biomedicines 2021; 9:100. [PMID: 33494192 PMCID: PMC7909789 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9020100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital eye defects represent a large class of disorders affecting roughly 21 million children worldwide. Microphthalmia and anophthalmia are relatively common congenital defects, with approximately 20% of human cases caused by mutations in SOX2. Recently, we identified the RNA-binding motif protein 24a (Rbm24a) which binds to and regulates sox2 in zebrafish and mice. Here we show that morpholino knockdown of rbm24a leads to microphthalmia and visual impairment. By utilizing sequential injections, we demonstrate that addition of exogenous sox2 RNA to rbm24a-deplete embryos is sufficient to suppress morphological and visual defects. This research demonstrates a critical role for understanding the post-transcriptional regulation of genes needed for development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindy K. Brastrom
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA;
| | | | - Kai Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA;
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17
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Anani M, Nobuhisa I, Taga T. Sry-related High Mobility Group Box 17 Functions as a Tumor Suppressor by Antagonizing the Wingless-related Integration Site Pathway. J Cancer Prev 2020; 25:204-212. [PMID: 33409253 PMCID: PMC7783240 DOI: 10.15430/jcp.2020.25.4.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A transcription factor Sry-related high mobility group box (Sox) 17 is involved in developmental processes including spermatogenesis, cardiovascular system, endoderm formation, and so on. In this article, we firstly review the studies on the relation between the Sox17 expression and tumor malignancy. Although Sox17 positively promotes various tissue development, most of the cancers associated with Sox17 show decreased expression levels of Sox17, and an inverse correlation between Sox17 expression and malignancy is revealed. We briefly discuss the mechanism of such Sox17 down-regulation by focusing on DNA methylation of CpG sites located in the Sox17 gene promoter. Next, we overview the function of Sox17 in the fetal hematopoiesis, particularly in the dorsal aorta in midgestation mouse embryos. The Sox17 expression in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-containing intra-aortic hematopoietic cell cluster (IAHCs) is important for the cluster formation with the hematopoietic ability. The sustained expression of Sox17 in adult bone marrow HSCs and the cells in IAHCs of the dorsal aorta indicate abnormalities that are low lymphocyte chimerism and the aberrant proliferation of common myeloid progenitors in transplantation experiments. We then summarize the perspectives of Sox17 research in cancer control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha Anani
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Ikuo Nobuhisa
- Department of Stem Cell Regulation, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Taga
- Department of Stem Cell Regulation, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
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18
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Xiong X, Xu W, Gong J, Wang L, Dai M, Chen G, Yuan L. miR-937-5p targets SOX17 to modulate breast cancer cell cycle and cell proliferation through the Wnt signaling pathway. Cell Signal 2020; 77:109818. [PMID: 33144185 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2020.109818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in women and the globally leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Bioinformatics and experimental analyses found that miR-937-5p may play a proto-oncogenic role in breast cancer; however, the specific effects and the molecular mechanism need further investigation. GSEA-KEGG and GSEA-GO suggested that miR-937-5p might be related to cell cycle and DNA replication. The experimental data indicated that miR-937-5p inhibition significantly repressed the proliferation of breast carcinoma cells and elicited S-phase cell cycle arrest. Meanwhile, the protein levels of proliferating marker ki-67 and cell cycle regulators Cyclin A2, Cyclin B1, CDK1, and Cyclin D1 were also decreased by miR-937-5p inhibition. miR-937-5p could directly bind to and negatively regulate SOX17. SOX17 overexpression also significantly repressed the proliferation of breast carcinoma cells and elicited S-phase cell cycle arrest and decreased ki-67, β-catenin, c-Myc, Cyclin A2, Cyclin B1, Cyclin D1, and CDK1 protein contents. More importantly, the effects of miR-937-5p were reversed by SOX17.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Xiong
- Department of burn and plastic surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Wendi Xu
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Jia Gong
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Liwen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Mei Dai
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Gannong Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Liqin Yuan
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
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19
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Pappas MP, Peifer LN, Chan SSK. Dual TGFβ and Wnt inhibition promotes Mesp1-mediated mouse pluripotent stem cell differentiation into functional cardiomyocytes. Dev Growth Differ 2020; 62:487-494. [PMID: 33048365 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Efficient derivation of cardiomyocytes from mouse pluripotent stem cells has proven challenging, and existing approaches rely on expensive supplementation or extensive manipulation. Mesp1 is a transcription factor that regulates cardiovascular specification during embryo development, and its overexpression has been shown to promote cardiogenesis. Here, we utilize a doxycycline-inducible Mesp1-expressing mouse embryonic stem cell system to develop an efficient differentiation protocol to generate functional cardiomyocytes. Our cardiac differentiation method involves transient Mesp1 induction following by subsequent dual inhibition of TGFβ and Wnt signaling pathways using small molecules. We discovered that whereas TGFβ inhibition promoted Mesp1-induced cardiac differentiation, Wnt inhibition was ineffective. Nevertheless, a combined inhibition of both pathways was superior to either inhibition alone in generating cardiomyocytes. These observations suggested a potential interaction between TGFβ and Wnt signaling pathways in the context of Mesp1-induced cardiac differentiation. Using a step-by-step approach, we have further optimized the windows of Mesp1 induction, TGFβ inhibition and Wnt inhibition to yield a maximal cardiomyocyte output - Mesp1 was induced first, followed by dual inhibition of TGFβ and Wnt signaling. Our protocol is capable of producing approximately 50% of cardiomyocytes in 12 days, which is comparable to existing methods, and have the advantages of being technically simple and inexpensive. Moreover, cardiomyocytes thus derived are functional, displaying intrinsic contractile capacity and contraction in response to electric stimulus. Derivation of mouse cardiomyocytes without the use of growth factors or other costly supplementation provides an accessible cell source for future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P Pappas
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Lindsay N Peifer
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sunny S K Chan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,Paul and Shelia Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center, Stem Cell Institute, Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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20
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Liu X, Yang Y, Wang X, Guo X, Lu C, Kang J, Wang G. MiR-184 directly targets Wnt3 in cardiac mesoderm differentiation of embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells 2020; 38:1568-1577. [PMID: 32997855 DOI: 10.1002/stem.3282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the property of self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation, and provide an ideal model for studying early embryo development in vitro. Wnt3, as Wnt family member 3, plays a vital role during ES cell differentiation. However, the exact regulatory mechanism of Wnt3 remains to be elucidated. MicroRNAs can directly regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play critical function in cell fate determination. Here, we found the expression level of miR-184 decreased when ES cells differentiated into cardiac mesoderm then increased during the process as differentiated into cardiomyocytes, which negatively correlated with the expression of Wnt3. Overexpression of miR-184 during the process of ES cell differentiation into cardiac mesoderm repressed cardiac mesoderm differentiation and cardiomyocyte formation. Bioinformatics prediction and mechanism studies showed that miR-184 directly bound to the 3'UTR region of Wnt3 and inhibited the expression level of Wnt3. Consistently, knockdown of Wnt3 mimicked the effects of miR-184-overexpression on ES cell differentiation into cardiac mesoderm, whereas overexpression of Wnt3 rescued the inhibition effects of miR-184 overexpression on ES cell differentiation. These findings demonstrated that miR-184 is a direct regulator of Wnt3 during the differentiation process of ES cells, further enriched the epigenetic regulatory network of ES cell differentiation into cardiac mesoderm and cardiomyocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqin Liu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiwei Yang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing Wang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xudong Guo
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chenqi Lu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiuhong Kang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Guiying Wang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Yan J, Li J, Cheng Y, Zhang Y, Zhou Z, Zhang L, Jiang H. Dusp4 Contributes to Anesthesia Neurotoxicity via Mediated Neural Differentiation in Primates. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:786. [PMID: 32974341 PMCID: PMC7466444 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Children who are exposed to anesthesia multiple times may undergo cognitive impairment during development. The underlying mechanism has been revealed as anesthesia-induced cognitive deficiency in young rodents and monkeys. However, the molecular mechanism of sevoflurane-induced neural development toxicity is unclear. Methods By combining RNA sequencing analysis of macaques’ prefrontal cortex and human neural differentiation, this study investigates the mechanism of sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity in primates. Results The level of dual specificity protein phosphatase 4 (Dusp4) was significantly downregulated in non-human primates after sevoflurane treatment. We further uncovered the dynamical expression of Dusp4 during the human neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells and found that knockdown of Dusp4 could significantly inhibit human neural differentiation. Conclusion This study indicated that Dusp4 is critically involved in the sevoflurane-induced inhibition of neural differentiation in non-human primate and the regulation of human neural differentiation. It also suggested that Dusp4 is a potential therapeutic target for preventing the sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Yan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingjie Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanyong Cheng
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenning Zhou
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Jiang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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22
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Swedlund B, Lescroart F. Cardiopharyngeal Progenitor Specification: Multiple Roads to the Heart and Head Muscles. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2020; 12:a036731. [PMID: 31818856 PMCID: PMC7397823 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a036731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During embryonic development, the heart arises from various sources of undifferentiated mesodermal progenitors, with an additional contribution from ectodermal neural crest cells. Mesodermal cardiac progenitors are plastic and multipotent, but are nevertheless specified to a precise heart region and cell type very early during development. Recent findings have defined both this lineage plasticity and early commitment of cardiac progenitors, using a combination of single-cell and population analyses. In this review, we discuss several aspects of cardiac progenitor specification. We discuss their markers, fate potential in vitro and in vivo, early segregation and commitment, and also intrinsic and extrinsic cues regulating lineage restriction from multipotency to a specific cell type of the heart. Finally, we also discuss the subdivisions of the cardiopharyngeal field, and the shared origins of the heart with other mesodermal derivatives, including head and neck muscles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Swedlund
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Cancer, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
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23
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Chang S, Finklea F, Williams B, Hammons H, Hodge A, Scott S, Lipke E. Emulsion-based encapsulation of pluripotent stem cells in hydrogel microspheres for cardiac differentiation. Biotechnol Prog 2020; 36:e2986. [PMID: 32108999 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and current treatments are ineffective or unavailable to majority of patients. Engineered cardiac tissue (ECT) is a promising treatment to restore function to the damaged myocardium; however, for these treatments to become a reality, tissue fabrication must be amenable to scalable production and be used in suspension culture. Here, we have developed a low-cost and scalable emulsion-based method for producing ECT microspheres from poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-fibrinogen encapsulated mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Cell-laden microspheres were formed via water-in-oil emulsification; encapsulation occurred by suspending the cells in hydrogel precursor solution at cell densities from 5 to 60 million cells/ml, adding to mineral oil and vortexing. Microsphere diameters ranged from 30 to 570 μm; size variability was decreased by the addition of 2% poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. Initial cell encapsulation density impacted the ability for mESCs to grow and differentiate, with the greatest success occurring at higher cell densities. Microspheres differentiated into dense spheroidal ECTs with spontaneous contractions occurring as early as Day 10 of cardiac differentiation; furthermore, these ECT microspheres exhibited appropriate temporal changes in gene expression and response to pharmacological stimuli. These results demonstrate the ability to use an emulsion approach to encapsulate pluripotent stem cells for use in microsphere-based cardiac differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Chang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Ferdous Finklea
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Bianca Williams
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Hanna Hammons
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Alexander Hodge
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Samantha Scott
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Elizabeth Lipke
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 212 Ross Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
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Higashijima Y, Kanki Y. Molecular mechanistic insights: The emerging role of SOXF transcription factors in tumorigenesis and development. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 67:39-48. [PMID: 31536760 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decade, the development and progress of next-generation sequencers incorporated with classical biochemical analyses have drastically produced novel insights into transcription factors, including Sry-like high-mobility group box (SOX) factors. In addition to their primary functions in binding to and activating specific downstream genes, transcription factors also participate in the dedifferentiation or direct reprogramming of somatic cells to undifferentiated cells or specific lineage cells. Since the discovery of SOX factors, members of the SOXF (SOX7, SOX17, and SOX18) family have been identified to play broad roles, especially with regard to cardiovascular development. More recently, SOXF factors have been recognized as crucial players in determining the cell fate and in the regulation of cancer cells. Here, we provide an overview of research on the mechanism by which SOXF factors regulate development and cancer, and discuss their potential as new targets for cancer drugs while offering insight into novel mechanistic transcriptional regulation during cell lineage commitment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiki Higashijima
- Department of Bioinformational Pharmacology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan; Isotope Science Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Yasuharu Kanki
- Isotope Science Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
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25
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Endocardium differentiation through Sox17 expression in endocardium precursor cells regulates heart development in mice. Sci Rep 2019; 9:11953. [PMID: 31420575 PMCID: PMC6697751 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48321-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The endocardium is the endothelial component of the vertebrate heart and plays a key role in heart development. Where, when, and how the endocardium segregates during embryogenesis have remained largely unknown, however. We now show that Nkx2-5+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) that express the Sry-type HMG box gene Sox17 from embryonic day (E) 7.5 to E8.5 specifically differentiate into the endocardium in mouse embryos. Although Sox17 is not essential or sufficient for endocardium fate, it can bias the fate of CPCs toward the endocardium. On the other hand, Sox17 expression in the endocardium is required for heart development. Deletion of Sox17 specifically in the mesoderm markedly impaired endocardium development with regard to cell proliferation and behavior. The proliferation of cardiomyocytes, ventricular trabeculation, and myocardium thickening were also impaired in a non-cell-autonomous manner in the Sox17 mutant, likely as a consequence of down-regulation of NOTCH signaling. An unknown signal, regulated by Sox17 and required for nurturing of the myocardium, is responsible for the reduction in NOTCH-related genes in the mutant embryos. Our results thus provide insight into differentiation of the endocardium and its role in heart development.
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26
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Hu D, Huang J, Hu S, Zhang Y, Li S, Sun Y, Li C, Cui G, Wang DW. A common variant of RIP3 promoter region is associated with poor prognosis in heart failure patients by influencing SOX17 binding. J Cell Mol Med 2019; 23:5317-5328. [PMID: 31148336 PMCID: PMC6652837 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.14408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Receptor‐interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3) is a key determinant of necroptosis and participates in ischaemia—and oxidative stress‐induced necroptosis, myocardial remodelling and heart failure (HF). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that common variants in RIP3 gene were associated with the risk and prognosis of HF in the Chinese Han population. By re‐sequencing and luciferase assays, we identified a common functional variant in the RIP3 promoter region. The rs3212247‐T allele suppressed RIP3 promoter activity by facilitating transcription factor SOX17 binding, but not the C allele. We further recruited 2961 control participants and 3194 HF patients who underwent a mean follow‐up of 19 months (6‐31 months) for this study. Rs3212247 and another missense variant rs3212254 were genotyped. Although rs3212247 did not significantly associate with increased risk of HF (odds ratio = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.92‐1.08, P = 0.91), it raised the risk for cardiovascular death and cardiac transplantation (hazard ratio = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.13‐1.91, P = 0.004). Moreover, participants carrying the rs3212247 CC genotype had higher plasma levels of RIP3 than those carrying the TT or TC genotype (p for trend = 0.02) in New York Heart Association class III HF group. No association was found between the RIP3 missense variant rs3212254 and risk or prognosis of HF after adjustment for traditional risk factors. In conclusion, genetic variant in RIP3 promoter region is associated with increased RIP3 transcription, thus contributed to the poor prognosis of HF patients. Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03461107?term=03461107&cond=Heart+Failure&cntry=CN&rank=1. Unique identifier: NCT03461107.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Hu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Jin Huang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Senlin Hu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China.,Division of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Shiyang Li
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Yang Sun
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Chenze Li
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Guanglin Cui
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Dao Wen Wang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China
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27
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Langer LF, Ward JM, Archer TK. Tumor suppressor SMARCB1 suppresses super-enhancers to govern hESC lineage determination. eLife 2019; 8:45672. [PMID: 31033435 PMCID: PMC6538374 DOI: 10.7554/elife.45672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The SWI/SNF complex is a critical regulator of pluripotency in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and individual subunits have varied and specific roles during development and in diseases. The core subunit SMARCB1 is required for early embryonic survival, and mutations can give rise to atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RTs) in the pediatric central nervous system. We report that in contrast to other studied systems, SMARCB1 represses bivalent genes in hESCs and antagonizes chromatin accessibility at super-enhancers. Moreover, and consistent with its established role as a CNS tumor suppressor, we find that SMARCB1 is essential for neural induction but dispensable for mesodermal or endodermal differentiation. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that SMARCB1 is essential for hESC super-enhancer silencing in neural differentiation conditions. This genomic assessment of hESC chromatin regulation by SMARCB1 reveals a novel positive regulatory function at super-enhancers and a unique lineage-specific role in regulating hESC differentiation. Our bodies contain trillions of cells that play a wide variety of roles. Despite looking and behaving very differently to one another, all of these ‘mature’ cells somehow descend from a single fertilized egg that contains just one set of genes. This process is partially controlled by how ‘accessible’ genetic material is to the cell machinery that switches genes on or off. For example, in immature brain cells, genes required for memory are accessible, but genes needed to produce bone are not. The developing embryo needs to control gene accessibility carefully to ensure that the right genes become available at the right time, and that crucial genes are not incorrectly ‘hidden’. In humans, the protein SMARCB1 plays an important role in this process: if damaged or deleted, development will be severely disrupted, sometimes causing brain cancer early in life. However, it remains unclear how exactly SMARCB1 regulates the accessibility of its ‘target’ genes. Now, Langer et al. set out to answer this question, and also to determine which parts of the body need SMARCB1 to develop properly. Human stem cells can develop into multiple mature cell types if given the right signals. Langer et al. found reducing levels of SMARCB1 prevented stem cells from maturing into brain cells, but not other kinds of cells. This suggests that SMARCB1 has a specific role in brain development, which is consistent with its devastating effect on brain health when damaged. A detailed analysis of genetic activity and DNA accessibility showed that SMARCB1 was doing this by switching off specific regions of DNA, called stem cell super-enhancers. These regions normally enhance the activity of genes that maintain stem cells in their immature state: when certain super-enhancers are turned off by SMARCB1, this allows stem cells to progress towards a brain cell fate. These results help us understand why damage to SMARCB1 during development causes brain cancer more often than other kinds of cancer. In the future, they could also help explain how certain types of cancer form, which would be the first step towards knowing how to treat them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee F Langer
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, United States.,Postdoctoral Research Associate Program, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - James M Ward
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, United States.,Integrative Bioinformatics, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, United States
| | - Trevor K Archer
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, United States
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Kim YH, Kim BJ, Kim SM, Kim SU, Ryu BY. Induction of cardiomyocyte‑like cells from hair follicle cells in mice. Int J Mol Med 2019; 43:2230-2240. [PMID: 30864673 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2019.4133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Hair follicles (HFs) are a well‑characterized niche for adult stem cells (SCs), and include epithelial and melanocytic SCs. HF cells are an accessible source of multipotent adult SCs for the generation of the interfollicular epidermis, HF structures and sebaceous glands in addition to the reconstitution of novel HFs in vivo. In the present study, it was demonstrated that HF cells are able to be induced to differentiate into cardiomyocyte‑like cells in vitro under specific conditions. It was determined that HF cells cultured on OP9 feeder cells in KnockOut‑Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium/B27 in the presence of vascular endothelial growth factors differentiated into cardiomyocyte‑like cells that express markers specific to cardiac lineage, but do not express non‑cardiac lineage markers including neural stem/progenitor cell, HF bulge cells or undifferentiated spermatogonia markers. These cardiomyocyte‑like cells exhibited a spindle‑ and filament‑shaped morphology similar to that presented by cardiac muscles and exhibited spontaneous beating that persisted for over 3 months. These results demonstrate that SC reprogramming and differentiation may be induced without resulting in any genetic modification, which is important for the clinical applications of SCs including tissue and organ regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Hee Kim
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology and Natural Resources, Chung‑Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi‑do 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Bang-Jin Kim
- Department of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Seok-Man Kim
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology and Natural Resources, Chung‑Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi‑do 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Uk Kim
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk‑do 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Buom-Yong Ryu
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology and Natural Resources, Chung‑Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi‑do 17546, Republic of Korea
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Haworth K, Samuel L, Black S, Kirilenko P, Latinkic B. Liver Specification in the Absence of Cardiac Differentiation Revealed by Differential Sensitivity to Wnt/β Catenin Pathway Activation. Front Physiol 2019; 10:155. [PMID: 30890948 PMCID: PMC6411699 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic precursors of liver and heart, whilst not sharing cellular origin, develop in close proximity through a dynamic series of inductive signaling events. During gastrulation anterior endoderm (AE) provides cardiogenic signals that act on adjacent mesoderm, resulting in induction of cardiac precursors. Subsequently cardiogenic mesoderm generates a FGF signal that acts on adjacent AE to induce foregut organ specification. Additional signals such as BMP and Wnt provide further information required for liver specification. Most findings on liver specification were derived from mouse explant studies as well as experiments with Xenopus and zebrafish embryos. To address some of the limitations of these models, here we used two complementary ex vivo models based on Xenopus embryos: pluripotent animal cap explants expressing Gata4 transcription factor and conjugates of gastrula-stage AE with animal caps (AC). We show that in these models liver specification is not sensitive to Wnt signaling manipulation, in contrast to the requirement for Wnt antagonism shown in vivo. FGF pathway is not necessary for Gata4-induced liver specification in animal cap explants but is required for prolonged period in sandwiches of AE and AC. In contrast, BMP signaling is shown to be essential for Gata4-induced liver specification. Our findings may have implications for research on liver differentiation from embryonic stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Haworth
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Lee Samuel
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Black
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Pavel Kirilenko
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Branko Latinkic
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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30
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Genetic determinants of risk in pulmonary arterial hypertension: international genome-wide association studies and meta-analysis. THE LANCET. RESPIRATORY MEDICINE 2019; 7:227-238. [PMID: 30527956 PMCID: PMC6391516 DOI: 10.1016/s2213-2600(18)30409-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rare genetic variants cause pulmonary arterial hypertension, but the contribution of common genetic variation to disease risk and natural history is poorly characterised. We tested for genome-wide association for pulmonary arterial hypertension in large international cohorts and assessed the contribution of associated regions to outcomes. METHODS We did two separate genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a meta-analysis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. These GWAS used data from four international case-control studies across 11 744 individuals with European ancestry (including 2085 patients). One GWAS used genotypes from 5895 whole-genome sequences and the other GWAS used genotyping array data from an additional 5849 individuals. Cross-validation of loci reaching genome-wide significance was sought by meta-analysis. Conditional analysis corrected for the most significant variants at each locus was used to resolve signals for multiple associations. We functionally annotated associated variants and tested associations with duration of survival. All-cause mortality was the primary endpoint in survival analyses. FINDINGS A locus near SOX17 (rs10103692, odds ratio 1·80 [95% CI 1·55-2·08], p=5·13 × 10-15) and a second locus in HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1 (collectively referred to as HLA-DPA1/DPB1 here; rs2856830, 1·56 [1·42-1·71], p=7·65 × 10-20) within the class II MHC region were associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The SOX17 locus had two independent signals associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (rs13266183, 1·36 [1·25-1·48], p=1·69 × 10-12; and rs10103692). Functional and epigenomic data indicate that the risk variants near SOX17 alter gene regulation via an enhancer active in endothelial cells. Pulmonary arterial hypertension risk variants determined haplotype-specific enhancer activity, and CRISPR-mediated inhibition of the enhancer reduced SOX17 expression. The HLA-DPA1/DPB1 rs2856830 genotype was strongly associated with survival. Median survival from diagnosis in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension with the C/C homozygous genotype was double (13·50 years [95% CI 12·07 to >13·50]) that of those with the T/T genotype (6·97 years [6·02-8·05]), despite similar baseline disease severity. INTERPRETATION This is the first study to report that common genetic variation at loci in an enhancer near SOX17 and in HLA-DPA1/DPB1 is associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Impairment of SOX17 function might be more common in pulmonary arterial hypertension than suggested by rare mutations in SOX17. Further studies are needed to confirm the association between HLA typing or rs2856830 genotyping and survival, and to determine whether HLA typing or rs2856830 genotyping improves risk stratification in clinical practice or trials. FUNDING UK NIHR, BHF, UK MRC, Dinosaur Trust, NIH/NHLBI, ERS, EMBO, Wellcome Trust, EU, AHA, ACClinPharm, Netherlands CVRI, Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Federation of UMC, Netherlands OHRD and RNAS, German DFG, German BMBF, APH Paris, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, and French ANR.
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31
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Zhang S, Chen X, Wang M, Zhang W, Pan J, Qin Q, Zhong L, Shao J, Sun M, Jiang H, Bian W. Genome-wide identification, phylogeny and expressional profile of the Sox gene family in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2018; 28:17-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Specifying the Anterior Primitive Streak by Modulating YAP1 Levels in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports 2018; 11:1357-1364. [PMID: 30449705 PMCID: PMC6294113 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Specifying the primitive streak (PS) guides stem cell differentiation in vitro; however, much remains to be learned about the transcription networks that direct anterior and posterior PS cells (APS and PPS, respectively) to differentiate to distinct mesendodermal subpopulations. Here, we show that APS genes are predominantly induced in YAP1−/− human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in response to ACTIVIN. This finding establishes the Hippo effector YAP1 as a master regulator of PS specification, functioning to repress ACTIVIN-regulated APS genes in hESCs. Moreover, transient exposure of wild-type hESCs to dasatinib, a potent C-SRC/YAP1 inhibitor, enables differentiation to APS-derived endoderm and cardiac mesoderm in response to ACTIVIN. Importantly, these cells can differentiate efficiently to normal beating cardiomyocytes without the cytoskeletal defect seen in YAP1−/− hESC-derived cardiomyocytes. Overall, we uncovered an induction mechanism to generate APS cells using a cocktail of ACTIVIN and YAP1i molecules that holds practical implications for hESC and induced pluripotent stem cell differentiation into distinct mesendodermal lineages. YAP represses the anterior primitive streak (APS) fate in hPSCs YAP-null-derived APS cells progress into cardiac mesoderm and endoderm The PS cells are not fully committed and can be reprogrammed to alternate cell fates Co-treatment of Activin + YAP1 inhibitor in hPSCs induces cardiomyocyte differentiation
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Directed Evolution of Reprogramming Factors by Cell Selection and Sequencing. Stem Cell Reports 2018; 11:593-606. [PMID: 30078555 PMCID: PMC6092915 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Directed biomolecular evolution is widely used to tailor and enhance enzymes, fluorescent proteins, and antibodies but has hitherto not been applied in the reprogramming of mammalian cells. Here, we describe a method termed directed evolution of reprogramming factors by cell selection and sequencing (DERBY-seq) to identify artificially enhanced and evolved reprogramming transcription factors. DERBY-seq entails pooled screens with libraries of positionally randomised genes, cell selection based on phenotypic readouts, and genotyping by amplicon sequencing for candidate identification. We benchmark this approach using pluripotency reprogramming with libraries based on the reprogramming factor SOX2 and the reprogramming incompetent endodermal factor SOX17. We identified several SOX2 variants outperforming the wild-type protein in three- and four-factor cocktails. The most effective variants were discovered from the SOX17 library, demonstrating that this factor can be converted into a highly potent inducer of pluripotency with a range of diverse modifications. We propose DERBY-seq as a broad-based approach to discover reprogramming factors for any donor/target cell combination applicable to direct lineage reprogramming in vitro and in vivo.
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Kim BJ, Kim YH, Lee YA, Jung SE, Hong YH, Lee EJ, Kim BG, Hwang S, Do JT, Pang MG, Ryu BY. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha positive cardiac progenitor cells derived from multipotent germline stem cells are capable of cardiomyogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Oncotarget 2018; 8:29643-29656. [PMID: 28410244 PMCID: PMC5444692 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac cell therapy has the potential to revolutionize treatment of heart diseases, but its success hinders on the development of a stem cell therapy capable of efficiently producing functionally differentiated cardiomyocytes. A key to unlocking the therapeutic application of stem cells lies in understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern the differentiation process. Here we report that a population of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) cells derived from mouse multipotent germline stem cells (mGSCs) were capable of undergoing cardiomyogenesis in vitro. Cells derived in vitro from PDGFRA positive mGSCs express significantly higher levels of cardiac marker proteins compared to PDGFRA negative mGSCs. Using Pdgfra shRNAs to investigate the dependence of Pdgfra on cardiomyocyte differentiation, we observed that Pdgfra silencing inhibited cardiac differentiation. In a rat myocardial infarction (MI) model, transplantation of a PDGFRAenriched cell population into the rat heart readily underwent functional differentiation into cardiomyocytes and reduced areas of fibrosis associated with MI injury. Together, these results suggest that mGSCs may provide a unique source of cardiac stem/progenitor cells for future regenerative therapy of damaged heart tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bang-Jin Kim
- Department of Animal Science & Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea.,Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Yong-Hee Kim
- Department of Animal Science & Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-An Lee
- Laboratory of Bioimaging Probe Development, Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
| | - Sang-Eun Jung
- Department of Animal Science & Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeong Ho Hong
- Department of Animal Science & Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Ju Lee
- Department of Internal medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Gak Kim
- Bio Environment Technology Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongsoo Hwang
- Animal Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Tae Do
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Bioscience and Technology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Myung-Geol Pang
- Department of Animal Science & Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
| | - Buom-Yong Ryu
- Department of Animal Science & Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
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Co-regulation of microRNAs and transcription factors in cardiomyocyte specific differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells: An aspect from transcriptome analysis. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2017; 1860:983-1001. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Kugler J, Huhse B, Tralau T, Luch A. Embryonic stem cells and the next generation of developmental toxicity testing. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2017; 13:833-841. [PMID: 28675072 DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2017.1351548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The advent of stem cell technology has seen the establishment of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as molecular model systems and screening tools. Although ESCs are nowadays widely used in research, regulatory implementation for developmental toxicity testing is pending. Areas Covered: This review evaluates the performance of current ESC, including human (h)ESC testing systems, trying to elucidate their potential for developmental toxicity testing. It shall discuss defining parameters and mechanisms, their relevance and contemplate what can realistically be expected. Crucially this includes the question of how to ascertain the quality of currently employed cell lines and tests based thereon. Finally, the use of hESCs will raise ethical concerns which should be addressed early on. Expert Opinion: While the suitability of (h)ESCs as tools for research and development goes undisputed, any routine use for developmental toxicity testing currently still seems premature. The reasons for this comprise inherent biological deficiencies as well as cell line quality and system validation. Overcoming these issues will require collaboration of scientists, test developers and regulators. Also, validation needs to be made worthwhile for academia. Finally we have to continuously rethink existing strategies, making room for improved testing and innovative approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Kugler
- a Department of Chemical & Product Safety , German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) , Berlin , Germany
| | - Bettina Huhse
- a Department of Chemical & Product Safety , German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) , Berlin , Germany
| | - Tewes Tralau
- a Department of Chemical & Product Safety , German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) , Berlin , Germany
| | - Andreas Luch
- a Department of Chemical & Product Safety , German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) , Berlin , Germany
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Korostylev A, Mahaddalkar PU, Keminer O, Hadian K, Schorpp K, Gribbon P, Lickert H. A high-content small molecule screen identifies novel inducers of definitive endoderm. Mol Metab 2017; 6:640-650. [PMID: 28702321 PMCID: PMC5485240 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2017.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can generate any given cell type in the human body. One challenge for cell-replacement therapy is the efficient differentiation and expansion of large quantities of progenitor cells from pluripotent stem cells produced under good manufacturing practice (GMP). FOXA2 and SOX17 double positive definitive endoderm (DE) progenitor cells can give rise to all endoderm-derived cell types in the thymus, thyroid, lung, pancreas, liver, and gastrointestinal tract. FOXA2 is a pioneer transcription factor in DE differentiation that is also expressed and functionally required during pancreas development and islet cell homeostasis. Current differentiation protocols can successfully generate endoderm; however, generation of mature glucose-sensitive and insulin-secreting β-cells is still a challenge. As a result, it is of utmost importance to screen for small molecules that can improve DE and islet cell differentiation for cell-replacement therapy for diabetic patients. Methods The aim of this study was to identify and validate small molecules that can induce DE differentiation and further enhance pancreatic progenitor differentiation. Therefore, we developed a large scale, high-content screen for testing a chemical library of 23,406 small molecules to identify compounds that induce FoxA2 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Results Based on our high-content screen algorithm, we selected 84 compounds that directed differentiation of mESCs towards the FoxA2 lineage. Strikingly, we identified ROCK inhibition (ROCKi) as a novel mechanism of endoderm induction in mESCs and hESCs. DE induced by the ROCK inhibitor Fasudil efficiently gives rise to PDX1+ pancreatic progenitors from hESCs. Conclusion Taken together, DE induction by ROCKi can simplify and improve current endoderm and pancreatic differentiation protocols towards a GMP-grade cell product for β-cell replacement. High content screen of 23,406 small molecules identifies novel definitive endoderm inducers Fasudil and RKI-1447 in mESCs. Fasudil and RKI-1447 induce anterior definitive endoderm differentiation in mESCs and hESCs through ROCK inhibition. Fasudil and RKI-1447 further differentiates the ADE cells into PDX1+ pancreatic progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Korostylev
- Institute for Diabetes and Regeneration, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany.,Institute for Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany
| | | | - Oliver Keminer
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Molekularbiologie und Angewandte Ökologie IME, ScreeningPort, 22525, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kamyar Hadian
- Assay Development and Screening Platform, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany
| | - Kenji Schorpp
- Assay Development and Screening Platform, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany
| | - Philip Gribbon
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Molekularbiologie und Angewandte Ökologie IME, ScreeningPort, 22525, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heiko Lickert
- Institute for Diabetes and Regeneration, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany.,Institute for Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany
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Lilly AJ, Lacaud G, Kouskoff V. SOXF transcription factors in cardiovascular development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 63:50-57. [PMID: 27470491 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular development during embryogenesis involves complex changes in gene regulatory networks regulated by a variety of transcription factors. In this review we discuss the various reported roles of the SOXF factors: SOX7, SOX17 and SOX18 in cardiac, vascular and lymphatic development. SOXF factors have pleiotropic roles during these processes, and there is significant redundancy and functional compensation between SOXF family members. Despite this, evidence suggests that there is some specificity in the transcriptional programs they regulate which is necessary to control the differentiation and behaviour of endothelial subpopulations. Furthermore, SOXF factors appear to have an indirect role in regulating cardiac mesoderm specification and differentiation. Understanding how SOXF factors are regulated, as well as their downstream transcriptional target genes, will be important for unravelling their roles in cardiovascular development and related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Lilly
- Cancer Research UK, Stem Cell Hematopoiesis, The University of Manchester, Wilmslow road, M20 4BX, UK
| | - Georges Lacaud
- Cancer Research UK, Stem Cell Biology group Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Wilmslow road, M20 4BX, UK.
| | - Valerie Kouskoff
- Cancer Research UK, Stem Cell Hematopoiesis, The University of Manchester, Wilmslow road, M20 4BX, UK.
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Cell population structure prior to bifurcation predicts efficiency of directed differentiation in human induced pluripotent cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:2271-2276. [PMID: 28167799 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1621412114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Steering the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) toward specific cell types is crucial for patient-specific disease modeling and drug testing. This effort requires the capacity to predict and control when and how multipotent progenitor cells commit to the desired cell fate. Cell fate commitment represents a critical state transition or "tipping point" at which complex systems undergo a sudden qualitative shift. To characterize such transitions during iPSC to cardiomyocyte differentiation, we analyzed the gene expression patterns of 96 developmental genes at single-cell resolution. We identified a bifurcation event early in the trajectory when a primitive streak-like cell population segregated into the mesodermal and endodermal lineages. Before this branching point, we could detect the signature of an imminent critical transition: increase in cell heterogeneity and coordination of gene expression. Correlation analysis of gene expression profiles at the tipping point indicates transcription factors that drive the state transition toward each alternative cell fate and their relationships with specific phenotypic readouts. The latter helps us to facilitate small molecule screening for differentiation efficiency. To this end, we set up an analysis of cell population structure at the tipping point after systematic variation of the protocol to bias the differentiation toward mesodermal or endodermal cell lineage. We were able to predict the proportion of cardiomyocytes many days before cells manifest the differentiated phenotype. The analysis of cell populations undergoing a critical state transition thus affords a tool to forecast cell fate outcomes and can be used to optimize differentiation protocols to obtain desired cell populations.
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40
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Activin A Modulates CRIPTO-1/HNF4 α+ Cells to Guide Cardiac Differentiation from Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells Int 2017; 2017:4651238. [PMID: 28163723 PMCID: PMC5253508 DOI: 10.1155/2017/4651238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Revised: 10/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of human pluripotent stem cells in basic and translational cardiac research requires efficient differentiation protocols towards cardiomyocytes. In vitro differentiation yields heterogeneous populations of ventricular-, atrial-, and nodal-like cells hindering their potential applications in regenerative therapies. We described the effect of the growth factor Activin A during early human embryonic stem cell fate determination in cardiac differentiation. Addition of high levels of Activin A during embryoid body cardiac differentiation augmented the generation of endoderm derivatives, which in turn promoted cardiomyocyte differentiation. Moreover, a dose-dependent increase in the coreceptor expression of the TGF-β superfamily member CRIPTO-1 was observed in response to Activin A. We hypothesized that interactions between cells derived from meso- and endodermal lineages in embryoid bodies contributed to improved cell maturation in early stages of cardiac differentiation, improving the beating frequency and the percentage of contracting embryoid bodies. Activin A did not seem to affect the properties of cardiomyocytes at later stages of differentiation, measuring action potentials, and intracellular Ca2+ dynamics. These findings are relevant for improving our understanding on human heart development, and the proposed protocol could be further explored to obtain cardiomyocytes with functional phenotypes, similar to those observed in adult cardiac myocytes.
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41
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Virant-Klun I, Stimpfel M. Novel population of small tumour-initiating stem cells in the ovaries of women with borderline ovarian cancer. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34730. [PMID: 27703207 PMCID: PMC5050448 DOI: 10.1038/srep34730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Small stem cells with diameters of up to 5 μm previously isolated from adult human ovaries indicated pluripotency and germinal lineage, especially primordial germ cells, and developed into primitive oocyte-like cells in vitro. Here, we show that a comparable population of small stem cells can be found in the ovarian tissue of women with borderline ovarian cancer, which, in contrast to small stem cells in "healthy" ovaries, formed spontaneous tumour-like structures and expressed some markers related to pluripotency and germinal lineage. The gene expression profile of these small putative cancer stem cells differed from similar cells sorted from "healthy" ovaries by 132 upregulated and 97 downregulated genes, including some important forkhead box and homeobox genes related to transcription regulation, developmental processes, embryogenesis, and ovarian cancer. These putative cancer stem cells are suggested to be a novel population of ovarian tumour-initiating cells in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma Virant-Klun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin Stimpfel
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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42
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Liu Y, Chen L, Diaz AD, Benham A, Xu X, Wijaya CS, Fa'ak F, Luo W, Soibam B, Azares A, Yu W, Lyu Q, Stewart MD, Gunaratne P, Cooney A, McConnell BK, Schwartz RJ. Mesp1 Marked Cardiac Progenitor Cells Repair Infarcted Mouse Hearts. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31457. [PMID: 27538477 PMCID: PMC4990963 DOI: 10.1038/srep31457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesp1 directs multipotential cardiovascular cell fates, even though it's transiently induced prior to the appearance of the cardiac progenitor program. Tracing Mesp1-expressing cells and their progeny allows isolation and characterization of the earliest cardiovascular progenitor cells. Studying the biology of Mesp1-CPCs in cell culture and ischemic disease models is an important initial step toward using them for heart disease treatment. Because of Mesp1's transitory nature, Mesp1-CPC lineages were traced by following EYFP expression in murine Mesp1(Cre/+); Rosa26(EYFP/+) ES cells. We captured EYFP+ cells that strongly expressed cardiac mesoderm markers and cardiac transcription factors, but not pluripotent or nascent mesoderm markers. BMP2/4 treatment led to the expansion of EYFP+ cells, while Wnt3a and Activin were marginally effective. BMP2/4 exposure readily led EYFP+ cells to endothelial and smooth muscle cells, but inhibition of the canonical Wnt signaling was required to enter the cardiomyocyte fate. Injected mouse pre-contractile Mesp1-EYFP+ CPCs improved the survivability of injured mice and restored the functional performance of infarcted hearts for at least 3 months. Mesp1-EYFP+ cells are bona fide CPCs and they integrated well in infarcted hearts and emerged de novo into terminally differentiated cardiac myocytes, smooth muscle and vascular endothelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Li Chen
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Andrea Diaz Diaz
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Ashley Benham
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Xueping Xu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Cori S Wijaya
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Faisal Fa'ak
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Weijia Luo
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Benjamin Soibam
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering Technology, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, 77002, USA
| | - Alon Azares
- Stem Cell Engineering, Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Wei Yu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Qiongying Lyu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - M David Stewart
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA.,Stem Cell Engineering, Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Preethi Gunaratne
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Austin Cooney
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Bradley K McConnell
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Robert J Schwartz
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA.,Stem Cell Engineering, Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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miR-322/-503 cluster is expressed in the earliest cardiac progenitor cells and drives cardiomyocyte specification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:9551-6. [PMID: 27512039 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1608256113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of early cardiac fate determination may lead to better approaches in promoting heart regeneration. We used a mesoderm posterior 1 (Mesp1)-Cre/Rosa26-EYFP reporter system to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) enriched in early cardiac progenitor cells. Most of these miRNA genes bear MESP1-binding sites and active histone signatures. In a calcium transient-based screening assay, we identified miRNAs that may promote the cardiomyocyte program. An X-chromosome miRNA cluster, miR-322/-503, is the most enriched in the Mesp1 lineage and is the most potent in the screening assay. It is specifically expressed in the looping heart. Ectopic miR-322/-503 mimicking the endogenous temporal patterns specifically drives a cardiomyocyte program while inhibiting neural lineages, likely by targeting the RNA-binding protein CUG-binding protein Elav-like family member 1 (Celf1). Thus, early miRNAs in lineage-committed cells may play powerful roles in cell-fate determination by cross-suppressing other lineages. miRNAs identified in this study, especially miR-322/-503, are potent regulators of early cardiac fate.
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44
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Kugler J, Luch A, Oelgeschläger M. Transgenic Mouse Models Transferred into the Test Tube: New Perspectives for Developmental Toxicity Testing In Vitro? Trends Pharmacol Sci 2016; 37:822-830. [PMID: 27450043 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2016.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite our increasing understanding of molecular mechanisms controlling embryogenesis, the identification and characterization of teratogenic substances still heavily relies on animal testing. Embryonic development depends on cell-autonomous and non-autonomous processes including spatiotemporally regulated extracellular signaling activities. These have been elucidated in transgenic mouse models harboring easily detectable reporter genes under the control of evolutionarily conserved signaling cascades. We propose combining these transgenic mouse models and cells derived thereof with existing alternative toxicological testing strategies. This would enable the plausibility of in vitro data to be verified in light of in vivo data and, ultimately, facilitate regulatory acceptance of in vitro test methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Kugler
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Luch
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Chemical and Product Safety, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Michael Oelgeschläger
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Department of Experimental Toxicology and ZEBET, Bf3R, Max-Dohrn-Strasse 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany
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45
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Burke MA, Chang S, Wakimoto H, Gorham JM, Conner DA, Christodoulou DC, Parfenov MG, DePalma SR, Eminaga S, Konno T, Seidman JG, Seidman CE. Molecular profiling of dilated cardiomyopathy that progresses to heart failure. JCI Insight 2016; 1. [PMID: 27239561 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.86898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is defined by progressive functional and structural changes. We performed RNA-seq at different stages of disease to define molecular signaling in the progression from pre-DCM hearts to DCM and overt heart failure (HF) using a genetic model of DCM (phospholamban missense mutation, PLNR9C/+). Pre-DCM hearts were phenotypically normal yet displayed proliferation of nonmyocytes (59% relative increase vs. WT, P = 8 × 10-4) and activation of proinflammatory signaling with notable cardiomyocyte-specific induction of a subset of profibrotic cytokines including TGFβ2 and TGFβ3. These changes progressed through DCM and HF, resulting in substantial fibrosis (17.6% of left ventricle [LV] vs. WT, P = 6 × 10-33). Cardiomyocytes displayed a marked shift in metabolic gene transcription: downregulation of aerobic respiration and subsequent upregulation of glucose utilization, changes coincident with attenuated expression of PPARα and PPARγ coactivators -1α (PGC1α) and -1β, and increased expression of the metabolic regulator T-box transcription factor 15 (Tbx15). Comparing DCM transcriptional profiles with those in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) revealed similar and distinct molecular mechanisms. Our data suggest that cardiomyocyte-specific cytokine expression, early fibroblast activation, and the shift in metabolic gene expression are hallmarks of cardiomyopathy progression. Notably, key components of these profibrotic and metabolic networks were disease specific and distinguish DCM from HCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Burke
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stephen Chang
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hiroko Wakimoto
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joshua M Gorham
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David A Conner
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Michael G Parfenov
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Steve R DePalma
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Seda Eminaga
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tetsuo Konno
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan G Seidman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christine E Seidman
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Guimarães-Young A, Neff T, Dupuy AJ, Goodheart MJ. Conditional deletion of Sox17 reveals complex effects on uterine adenogenesis and function. Dev Biol 2016; 414:219-27. [PMID: 27102016 PMCID: PMC5521196 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The importance of canonical Wnt signaling to murine uterine development is well established. Mouse models in which uterine-specific Wnt ligands, β-catenin, or Lef1 are disrupted result in failure of postnatal endometrial gland development. Sox17 is a transcription factor characterized in numerous tissues as an antagonist of Wnt signaling. Thus, we hypothesized that conditional ablation of Sox17 would lead to hyperproliferation of endometrial glands in mice. Contrary to our prediction, disruption of Sox17 in epithelial and stromal compartments led to inhibition of endometrial adenogenesis and a loss of reproductive capacity. Epithelium-specific Sox17 disruption resulted in normal adenogenesis although reproductive capacity remained impaired. These findings suggest that non-epithelial, Sox17-positive cells are necessary for adenogenesis and that glands require Sox17 to properly function. To our knowledge, these findings are the first to implicate Sox17 in endometrial gland formation and reproductive success. The data presented herein underscore the importance of studying Sox17 in uterine homeostasis and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Guimarães-Young
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Traci Neff
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Adam J Dupuy
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Michael J Goodheart
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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47
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Gaston K, Tsitsilianos MA, Wadey K, Jayaraman PS. Misregulation of the proline rich homeodomain (PRH/HHEX) protein in cancer cells and its consequences for tumour growth and invasion. Cell Biosci 2016; 6:12. [PMID: 26877867 PMCID: PMC4752775 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-016-0077-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The proline rich homeodomain protein (PRH), also known as haematopoietically expressed homeobox (HHEX), is an essential transcription factor in embryonic development and in the adult. The PRH protein forms oligomeric complexes that bind to tandemly repeated PRH recognition sequences within or at a distance from PRH-target genes and recruit a variety of PRH-interacting proteins. PRH can also bind to other transcription factors and co-regulate specific target genes either directly through DNA binding, or indirectly through effects on the activity of its partner proteins. In addition, like some other homeodomain proteins, PRH can regulate the translation of specific mRNAs. Altered PRH expression and altered PRH intracellular localisation, are associated with breast cancer, liver cancer and thyroid cancer and some subtypes of leukaemia. This is consistent with the involvement of multiple PRH-interacting proteins, including the oncoprotein c-Myc, translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), and the promyelocytic leukaemia protein (PML), in the control of cell proliferation and cell survival. Similarly, multiple PRH target genes, including the genes encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptors, Endoglin, and Goosecoid, are known to be important in the control of cell proliferation and cell survival and/or the regulation of cell migration and invasion. In this review, we summarise the evidence that implicates PRH in tumourigenesis and we review the data that suggests PRH levels could be useful in cancer prognosis and in the choice of treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Gaston
- School of Biochemistry, University Walk, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD UK
| | | | - Kerry Wadey
- School of Biochemistry, University Walk, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD UK
| | - Padma-Sheela Jayaraman
- Division of Immunity and Infection, School of Medicine, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK
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Helm A, Arrizabalaga O, Pignalosa D, Schroeder IS, Durante M, Ritter S. Ionizing Radiation Impacts on Cardiac Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells Dev 2016; 25:178-88. [PMID: 26506910 PMCID: PMC4733326 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2015.0260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the effects of ionizing radiation on the earliest stages of embryonic development although it is well recognized that ionizing radiation is a natural part of our environment and further exposure may occur due to medical applications. The current study addresses this issue using D3 mouse embryonic stem cells as a model system. Cells were irradiated with either X-rays or carbon ions representing sparsely and densely ionizing radiation and their effect on the differentiation of D3 cells into spontaneously contracting cardiomyocytes through embryoid body (EB) formation was measured. This study is the first to demonstrate that ionizing radiation impairs the formation of beating cardiomyocytes with carbon ions being more detrimental than X-rays. However, after prolonged culture time, the number of beating EBs derived from carbon ion irradiated cells almost reached control levels indicating that the surviving cells are still capable of developing along the cardiac lineage although with considerable delay. Reduced EB size, failure to downregulate pluripotency markers, and impaired expression of cardiac markers were identified as the cause of compromised cardiomyocyte formation. Dysregulation of cardiac differentiation was accompanied by alterations in the expression of endodermal and ectodermal markers that were more severe after carbon ion irradiation than after exposure to X-rays. In conclusion, our data show that carbon ion irradiation profoundly affects differentiation and thus may pose a higher risk to the early embryo than X-rays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Helm
- Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Onetsine Arrizabalaga
- Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Diana Pignalosa
- Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Insa S. Schroeder
- Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Marco Durante
- Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany
- Physics Department, Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Sylvia Ritter
- Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany
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Beketaev I, Zhang Y, Weng KC, Rhee S, Yu W, Liu Y, Mager J, Wang J. cis-regulatory control of Mesp1 expression by YY1 and SP1 during mouse embryogenesis. Dev Dyn 2015; 245:379-87. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ilimbek Beketaev
- Center for Stem Cell Engineering, Department of Basic Research Laboratories; Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital; Houston Texas USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- In Vitro Fertilization Center; Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University; Haikou Hainan People's Republic of China
| | - Kuo-Chan Weng
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry; University of Houston; Houston Texas USA
| | - Siyeon Rhee
- Department of Veterinary & Animal Sciences; University of Massachusetts; Amherst Massachusetts USA
| | - Wei Yu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry; University of Houston; Houston Texas USA
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry; University of Houston; Houston Texas USA
| | - Jesse Mager
- Department of Veterinary & Animal Sciences; University of Massachusetts; Amherst Massachusetts USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Center for Stem Cell Engineering, Department of Basic Research Laboratories; Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital; Houston Texas USA
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50
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Soibam B, Benham A, Kim J, Weng KC, Yang L, Xu X, Robertson M, Azares A, Cooney AJ, Schwartz RJ, Liu Y. Genome-Wide Identification of MESP1 Targets Demonstrates Primary Regulation Over Mesendoderm Gene Activity. Stem Cells 2015. [PMID: 26205879 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
MESP1 is considered the first sign of the nascent cardiac mesoderm and plays a critical role in the appearance of cardiac progenitors, while exhibiting a transient expression in the developing embryo. We profiled the transcriptome of a pure population of differentiating MESP1-marked cells and found that they chiefly contribute to the mesendoderm lineage. High-throughput sequencing of endogenous MESP1-bound DNA revealed that MESP1 preferentially binds to two variants of E-box sequences and activates critical mesendoderm modulators, including Eomes, Gata4, Wnt5a, Wnt5b, Mixl1, T, Gsc, and Wnt3. These mesendoderm markers were enriched in the MESP1 marked population before the appearance of cardiac progenitors and myocytes. Further, MESP1-binding is globally associated with H(3)K(27) acetylation, supporting a novel pivotal role of it in regulating target gene epigenetics. Therefore, MESP1, the pioneer cardiac factor, primarily directs the appearance of mesendoderm, the intermediary of the earliest progenitors of mesoderm and endoderm organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Soibam
- Texas Heart Institute, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ashley Benham
- Texas Heart Institute, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jong Kim
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kuo-Chan Weng
- The Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A & M University Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Litao Yang
- Texas Heart Institute, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Xueping Xu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Alon Azares
- Texas Heart Institute, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Austin J Cooney
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Robert J Schwartz
- Texas Heart Institute, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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