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Nakajima T, Imai A, Ishii C, Tsuruyama K, Yamanaka R, Tomooka Y, Saito S, Adachi N, Kohno S, Sato T. SMAD2/3 signaling regulates initiation of mouse Wolffian ducts and proximal differentiation in Müllerian ducts. FEBS Open Bio 2024; 14:37-50. [PMID: 37953493 PMCID: PMC10761927 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13729] [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: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Male and female reproductive tracts develop from anterior intermediate mesoderm with similar differentiation processes. The anterior intermediate mesoderm develops into the mesonephros, and the Wolffian duct initiates by epithelialization in the mesonephros. The Müllerian duct invaginates from the coelomic epithelium of the cranial mesonephros for ductal formation and is then regionalized into proximal to caudal female reproductive tracts. In this study, we focused on the epithelialization of the Wolffian duct, initiation of the Müllerian duct, and the regionalization step of the Müllerian ducts as a continuous process. By using intermediate mesodermal cells from mouse pluripotent stem cells, we identified that inhibition of SMAD2/3 signaling might be involved in the differentiation into mesenchymal cells, after which mesonephric cells might be then epithelialized during differentiation of the Wolffian duct. Aggregation of coelomic epithelial cells might be related to initiation of the Müllerian duct. Transcriptomic analysis predicted that consensus sequences of SMAD3/4 were enriched among highly expressed genes in the proximal Müllerian duct. SMAD2/3 signaling to regulate differentiation of the Wolffian duct was continuously activated in the proximal Müllerian duct and was involved in proximal and oviductal regionalization. Therefore, SMAD2/3 signaling may be finely tuned to regulate differentiation from initiation to regionalization steps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadaaki Nakajima
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science and TechnologyTokyo University of ScienceJapan
- Department of ScienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
- Graduate School of NanobioscienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
| | - Akihiro Imai
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science and TechnologyTokyo University of ScienceJapan
| | - Chihiro Ishii
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science and TechnologyTokyo University of ScienceJapan
| | - Kota Tsuruyama
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science and TechnologyTokyo University of ScienceJapan
| | - Risa Yamanaka
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science and TechnologyTokyo University of ScienceJapan
| | - Yasuhiro Tomooka
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science and TechnologyTokyo University of ScienceJapan
| | - Shinta Saito
- Department of ScienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
- Graduate School of NanobioscienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
| | - Noritaka Adachi
- Department of ScienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
- Graduate School of NanobioscienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
| | - Satomi Kohno
- Department of Biological SciencesSt. Cloud State UniversityMNUSA
| | - Tomomi Sato
- Department of ScienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
- Graduate School of NanobioscienceYokohama City UniversityJapan
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Hu L, Liu M, Tang B, Li Q, Pan BS, Xu C, Lin HK. Posttranslational regulation of liver kinase B1 (LKB1) in human cancer. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104570. [PMID: 36870679 PMCID: PMC10068580 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a serine-threonine kinase that participates in multiple cellular and biological processes, including energy metabolism, cell polarity, cell proliferation, cell migration, and many others. LKB1 is initially identified as a germline-mutated causative gene in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) and is commonly regarded as a tumor suppressor due to frequent inactivation in a variety of cancers. LKB1 directly binds and activates its downstream kinases including the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and AMPK-related kinases by phosphorylation, which has been intensively investigated for the past decades. An increasing number of studies has uncovered the posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of LKB1 and consequent changes in its localization, activity, and interaction with substrates. The alteration in LKB1 function as a consequence of genetic mutations and aberrant upstream signaling regulation leads to tumor development and progression. Here, we review current knowledge about the mechanism of LKB1 in cancer and the contributions of PTMs, such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation, acetylation, prenylation, and others, to the regulation of LKB1 function, offering new insights into the therapeutic strategies in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanlin Hu
- Department of Oncology & Cancer Institute, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Mingxin Liu
- Department of Oncology & Cancer Institute, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo Tang
- Department of Oncology & Cancer Institute, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo-Syong Pan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chuan Xu
- Department of Oncology & Cancer Institute, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
| | - Hui-Kuan Lin
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
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Male Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction: An Underrepresented Endpoint in Toxicology Research. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10020089. [PMID: 35202275 PMCID: PMC8880407 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10020089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is nearly ubiquitous in men of advancing age and exerts substantial physical, mental, social, and financial costs to society. While a large body of research is focused on the molecular, genetic, and epigenetic underpinnings of the disease, little research has been dedicated to the influence of environmental chemicals on disease initiation, progression, or severity. Despite a few recent studies indicating a potential developmental origin of male LUTD linked to chemical exposures in the womb, it remains a grossly understudied endpoint in toxicology research. Therefore, we direct this review to toxicologists who are considering male LUTD as a new aspect of chemical toxicity studies. We focus on the LUTD disease process in men, as well as in the male mouse as a leading research model. To introduce the disease process, we describe the physiology of the male lower urinary tract and the cellular composition of lower urinary tract tissues. We discuss known and suspected mechanisms of male LUTD and examples of environmental chemicals acting through these mechanisms to contribute to LUTD. We also describe mouse models of LUTD and endpoints to diagnose, characterize, and quantify LUTD in men and mice.
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Zhao F, Yao HHC. A tale of two tracts: history, current advances, and future directions of research on sexual differentiation of reproductive tracts†. Biol Reprod 2019; 101:602-616. [PMID: 31058957 PMCID: PMC6791057 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioz079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alfred Jost's work in the 1940s laid the foundation of the current paradigm of sexual differentiation of reproductive tracts, which contends that testicular hormones drive the male patterning of reproductive tract system whereas the female phenotype arises by default. Once established, the sex-specific reproductive tracts undergo morphogenesis, giving rise to anatomically and functionally distinct tubular organs along the rostral-caudal axis. Impairment of sexual differentiation of reproductive tracts by genetic alteration and environmental exposure are the main causes of disorders of sex development, and infertility at adulthood. This review covers past and present work on sexual differentiation and morphogenesis of reproductive tracts, associated human disorders, and emerging technologies that have made impacts or could radically expand our knowledge in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Zhao
- Reproductive Developmental Biology Group, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Humphrey Hung-Chang Yao
- Reproductive Developmental Biology Group, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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