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Barham K, Spencer R, Baker NC, Knudsen TB. Engineering a computable epiblast for in silico modeling of developmental toxicity. Reprod Toxicol 2024; 128:108625. [PMID: 38857815 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2024.108625] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Developmental hazard evaluation is an important part of assessing chemical risks during pregnancy. Toxicological outcomes from prenatal testing in pregnant animals result from complex chemical-biological interactions, and while New Approach Methods (NAMs) based on in vitro bioactivity profiles of human cells offer promising alternatives to animal testing, most of these assays lack cellular positional information, physical constraints, and regional organization of the intact embryo. Here, we engineered a fully computable model of the embryonic disc in the CompuCell3D.org modeling environment to simulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of epiblast cells and self-organization of mesodermal domains (chordamesoderm, paraxial, lateral plate, posterior/extraembryonic). Mesodermal fate is modeled by synthetic activity of the BMP4-NODAL-WNT signaling axis. Cell position in the epiblast determines timing with respect to EMT for 988 computational cells in the computer model. An autonomous homeobox (Hox) clock hidden in the epiblast is driven by WNT-FGF4-CDX signaling. Executing the model renders a quantitative cell-level computation of mesodermal fate and consequences of perturbation based on known biology. For example, synthetic perturbation of the control network rendered altered phenotypes (cybermorphs) mirroring some aspects of experimental mouse embryology, with electronic knockouts, under-activation (hypermorphs) or over-activation (hypermorphs) particularly affecting the size and specification of the posterior mesoderm. This foundational model is trained on embryology but capable of performing a wide variety of toxicological tasks conversing through anatomical simulation to integrate in vitro chemical bioactivity data with known embryology. It is amenable to quantitative simulation for probabilistic prediction of early developmental toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn Barham
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities, USA; USEPA, Center for Compuational Toxicology and Exposure.
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2
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Frank S, Gabassi E, Käseberg S, Bertin M, Zografidou L, Pfeiffer D, Brennenstuhl H, Falk S, Karow M, Schweiger S. Absence of the RING domain in MID1 results in patterning defects in the developing human brain. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302288. [PMID: 38238086 PMCID: PMC10796562 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The X-linked form of Opitz BBB/G syndrome (OS) is a monogenic disorder in which symptoms are established early during embryonic development. OS is caused by pathogenic variants in the X-linked gene MID1 Disease-associated variants are distributed across the entire gene locus, except for the N-terminal really interesting new gene (RING) domain that encompasses the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. By using genome-edited human induced pluripotent stem cell lines, we here show that absence of isoforms containing the RING domain of MID1 causes severe patterning defects in human brain organoids. We observed a prominent neurogenic deficit with a reduction in neural tissue and a concomitant increase in choroid plexus-like structures. Transcriptome analyses revealed a deregulation of patterning pathways very early on, even preceding neural induction. Notably, the observed phenotypes starkly contrast with those observed in MID1 full-knockout organoids, indicating the presence of a distinct mechanism that underlies the patterning defects. The severity and early onset of these phenotypes could potentially account for the absence of patients carrying pathogenic variants in exon 1 of the MID1 gene coding for the N-terminal RING domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Frank
- Institute of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Elisa Gabassi
- Institute of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stephan Käseberg
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marco Bertin
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Lea Zografidou
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniela Pfeiffer
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Sven Falk
- Institute of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Marisa Karow
- Institute of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Susann Schweiger
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Saito S, Kanazawa U, Tatsumi A, Iida A, Takemoto T, Suzuki T. Functional analysis of a first hindlimb positioning enhancer via Gdf11 expression. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1302141. [PMID: 38559809 PMCID: PMC10978735 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1302141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
During the early development of tetrapods, including humans, the embryonic body elongates caudally once the anterior-posterior axis is established. During this process, region-specific vertebral morphogenesis occurs, with the determination of limb positioning along the anterior-posterior axis. We previously reported that Gdf11 functions as an anatomical integration system that determines the positioning of hindlimbs and sacral vertebrae where Gdf11 is expressed. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying induction of Gdf11 expression remain unclear. In this study, we searched for non-coding regions near the Gdf11 locus that were conserved across species to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of Gdf11 expression. We identified an enhancer of the Gdf11 gene in intron 1 and named it highly conserved region (HCR). In HCR knockout mice, the expression level of endogenous Gdf11 was decreased, and the position of the sacral-hindlimb unit was shifted posteriorly. We also searched for factors upstream of Gdf11 based on the predicted transcription factor binding sites within the HCR. We found that inhibition of FGF signaling increased endogenous Gdf11 expression, suggesting that FGF signaling negatively regulates Gdf11 expression. However, FGF signaling does not regulate HCR activity. Our results suggest that there are species-specific Gdf11 enhancers other than HCR and that FGF signaling regulates Gdf11 expression independent of HCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiji Saito
- Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Utsugi Kanazawa
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Ayana Tatsumi
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Atsuo Iida
- Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Takemoto
- Institute for Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Takayuki Suzuki
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
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Masak G, Davidson LA. Constructing the pharyngula: Connecting the primary axial tissues of the head with the posterior axial tissues of the tail. Cells Dev 2023; 176:203866. [PMID: 37394035 PMCID: PMC10756936 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2023.203866] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
The pharyngula stage of vertebrate development is characterized by stereotypical arrangement of ectoderm, mesoderm, and neural tissues from the anterior spinal cord to the posterior, yet unformed tail. While early embryologists over-emphasized the similarity between vertebrate embryos at the pharyngula stage, there is clearly a common architecture upon which subsequent developmental programs generate diverse cranial structures and epithelial appendages such as fins, limbs, gills, and tails. The pharyngula stage is preceded by two morphogenetic events: gastrulation and neurulation, which establish common shared structures despite the occurrence of cellular processes that are distinct to each of the species. Even along the body axis of a singular organism, structures with seemingly uniform phenotypic characteristics at the pharyngula stage have been established by different processes. We focus our review on the processes underlying integration of posterior axial tissue formation with the primary axial tissues that creates the structures laid out in the pharyngula. Single cell sequencing and novel gene targeting technologies have provided us with new insights into the differences between the processes that form the anterior and posterior axis, but it is still unclear how these processes are integrated to create a seamless body. We suggest that the primary and posterior axial tissues in vertebrates form through distinct mechanisms and that the transition between these mechanisms occur at different locations along the anterior-posterior axis. Filling gaps that remain in our understanding of this transition could resolve ongoing problems in organoid culture and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneva Masak
- Integrative Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Lance A Davidson
- Integrative Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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Parast SM, Yu D, Chen C, Dickinson AJ, Chang C, Wang H. Recognition of H2AK119ub plays an important role in RSF1-regulated early Xenopus development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1168643. [PMID: 37529237 PMCID: PMC10389277 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1168643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are key regulators of gene expression and developmental programs via covalent modification of histones, but the factors that interpret histone modification marks to regulate embryogenesis are less studied. We previously identified Remodeling and Spacing Factor 1 (RSF1) as a reader of histone H2A lysine 119 ubiquitination (H2AK119ub), the histone mark deposited by Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1). In the current study, we used Xenopus laevis as a model to investigate how RSF1 affects early embryonic development and whether recognition of H2AK119ub is important for the function of RSF1. We showed that knockdown of Xenopus RSF1, rsf1, not only induced gastrulation defects as reported previously, but specific targeted knockdown in prospective neural precursors induced neural and neural crest defects, with reductions of marker genes. In addition, similar to knockdown of PRC1 components in Xenopus, the anterior-posterior neural patterning was affected in rsf1 knockdown embryos. Binding of H2AK119ub appeared to be crucial for rsf1 function, as a construct with deletion of the UAB domain, which is required for RSF1 to recognize the H2AK119ub nucleosomes, failed to rescue rsf1 morphant embryos and was less effective in interfering with early Xenopus development when ectopically expressed. Furthermore, ectopic deposition of H2AK119ub on the Smad2 target gene gsc using a ring1a-smad2 fusion protein led to ectopic recruitment of RSF1. The fusion protein was inefficient in inducing mesodermal markers in the animal region or a secondary axis when expressed in the ventral tissues. Taken together, our results reveal that rsf1 modulates similar developmental processes in early Xenopus embryos as components of PRC1 do, and that RSF1 acts at least partially through binding to the H2AK119ub mark via the UAB domain during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeid Mohammad Parast
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Deli Yu
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Chunxu Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Amanda J. Dickinson
- Department of Biology, College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Chenbei Chang
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Hengbin Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
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Qin Y, Huang X, Cai Z, Cai B, He J, Yao Y, Zhou C, Kuang J, Yang Y, Chen H, Chen Y, Ou S, Chen L, Wu F, Guo N, Yuan Y, Zhang X, Pang W, Feng Z, Yu S, Liu J, Cao S, Pei D. Regeneration of the human segmentation clock in somitoids in vitro. EMBO J 2022; 41:e110928. [PMID: 36245268 PMCID: PMC9713707 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022110928] [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: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Each vertebrate species appears to have a unique timing mechanism for forming somites along the vertebral column, and the process in human remains poorly understood at the molecular level due to technical and ethical limitations. Here, we report the reconstitution of human segmentation clock by direct reprogramming. We first reprogrammed human urine epithelial cells to a presomitic mesoderm (PSM) state capable of long-term self-renewal and formation of somitoids with an anterior-to-posterior axis. By inserting the RNA reporter Pepper into HES7 and MESP2 loci of these iPSM cells, we show that both transcripts oscillate in the resulting somitoids at ~5 h/cycle. GFP-tagged endogenous HES7 protein moves along the anterior-to-posterior axis during somitoid formation. The geo-sequencing analysis further confirmed anterior-to-posterior polarity and revealed the localized expression of WNT, BMP, FGF, and RA signaling molecules and HOXA-D family members. Our study demonstrates the direct reconstitution of human segmentation clock from somatic cells, which may allow future dissection of the mechanism and components of such a clock and aid regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Qin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Xingnan Huang
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Zepo Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Baomei Cai
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Jiangping He
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Yuxiang Yao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Chunhua Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Junqi Kuang
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yihang Yang
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Huan Chen
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Yating Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Sihua Ou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Lijun Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Fang Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Ning Guo
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yapei Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Xiangyu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Wei Pang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Ziyu Feng
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Shengyong Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jing Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Shangtao Cao
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
- Guangzhou LaboratoryGuangzhouChina
| | - Duanqing Pei
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
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Suzuki T, Koshikawa S. Enhancer functions underlying morphological diversity. Dev Growth Differ 2020; 62:263-264. [PMID: 32479642 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Suzuki
- Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Shigeyuki Koshikawa
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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