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Li L, Lai F, Liu L, Lu X, Hu X, Liu B, Lin Z, Fan Q, Kong F, Xu Q, Xie W. Lineage regulators TFAP2C and NR5A2 function as bipotency activators in totipotent embryos. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:950-963. [PMID: 38243114 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01199-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
During the first lineage segregation, a mammalian totipotent embryo differentiates into the inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE). However, how transcription factors (TFs) regulate this earliest cell-fate decision in vivo remains elusive, with their regulomes primarily inferred from cultured cells. Here, we investigated the TF regulomes during the first lineage specification in early mouse embryos, spanning the pre-initiation, initiation, commitment, and maintenance phases. Unexpectedly, we found that TFAP2C, a trophoblast regulator, bound and activated both early TE and inner cell mass (ICM) genes at the totipotent (two- to eight-cell) stages ('bipotency activation'). Tfap2c deficiency caused downregulation of early ICM genes, including Nanog, Nr5a2, and Tdgf1, and early TE genes, including Tfeb and Itgb5, in eight-cell embryos. Transcription defects in both ICM and TE lineages were also found in blastocysts, accompanied by increased apoptosis and reduced cell numbers in ICMs. Upon trophoblast commitment, TFAP2C left early ICM genes but acquired binding to late TE genes in blastocysts, where it co-bound with CDX2, and later to extra-embryonic ectoderm (ExE) genes, where it cooperatively co-occupied with the former ICM regulator SOX2. Finally, 'bipotency activation' in totipotent embryos also applied to a pluripotency regulator NR5A2, which similarly bound and activated both ICM and TE lineage genes at the eight-cell stage. These data reveal a unique transcription circuity of totipotency underpinned by highly adaptable lineage regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijia Li
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fangnong Lai
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Liu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xukun Lu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyu Hu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bofeng Liu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zili Lin
- College of Animal Science and Technology College, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Fan
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Kong
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qianhua Xu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Xie
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Driscoll CS, Kim J, Ashry M, Knott JG. Does TFAP2C govern conflicting cell fates in mouse preimplantation embryos? Reproduction 2024; 167:e230440. [PMID: 38165360 PMCID: PMC10967010 DOI: 10.1530/rep-23-0440] [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: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Transcription factor AP2 gamma (TFAP2C) is a well-established regulator of the trophoblast lineage in mice and humans, but a handful of studies indicate that TFAP2C may play an important role in pluripotency. Here, we hypothesize and provide new evidence that TFAP2C functions as an activator of trophoblast and pluripotency genes during preimplantation embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mohamed Ashry
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Jason G. Knott
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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Li L, Lai F, Hu X, Liu B, Lu X, Lin Z, Liu L, Xiang Y, Frum T, Halbisen MA, Chen F, Fan Q, Ralston A, Xie W. Multifaceted SOX2-chromatin interaction underpins pluripotency progression in early embryos. Science 2023; 382:eadi5516. [PMID: 38096290 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi5516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Pioneer transcription factors (TFs), such as OCT4 and SOX2, play crucial roles in pluripotency regulation. However, the master TF-governed pluripotency regulatory circuitry was largely inferred from cultured cells. In this work, we investigated SOX2 binding from embryonic day 3.5 (E3.5) to E7.5 in the mouse. In E3.5 inner cell mass (ICM), SOX2 regulates the ICM-trophectoderm program but is dispensable for opening global enhancers. Instead, SOX2 occupies preaccessible enhancers in part opened by early-stage expressing TFs TFAP2C and NR5A2. SOX2 then widely redistributes when cells adopt naive and formative pluripotency by opening enhancers or poising them for rapid future activation. Hence, multifaceted pioneer TF-enhancer interaction underpins pluripotency progression in embryos, including a distinctive state in E3.5 ICM that bridges totipotency and pluripotency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijia Li
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Fangnong Lai
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiaoyu Hu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Bofeng Liu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xukun Lu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zili Lin
- College of Animal Science and Technology College, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Ling Liu
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yunlong Xiang
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Tristan Frum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Michael A Halbisen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Fengling Chen
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Qiang Fan
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Amy Ralston
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Wei Xie
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
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Vu HTH, Scott RL, Iqbal K, Soares MJ, Tuteja G. Core conserved transcriptional regulatory networks define the invasive trophoblast cell lineage. Development 2023; 150:dev201826. [PMID: 37417811 PMCID: PMC10445752 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
The invasive trophoblast cell lineages in rat and human share crucial responsibilities in establishing the uterine-placental interface of the hemochorial placenta. These observations have led to the rat becoming an especially useful animal model for studying hemochorial placentation. However, our understanding of similarities or differences between regulatory mechanisms governing rat and human invasive trophoblast cell populations is limited. In this study, we generated single-nucleus ATAC-seq data from gestation day 15.5 and 19.5 rat uterine-placental interface tissues, and integrated the data with single-cell RNA-seq data generated at the same stages. We determined the chromatin accessibility profiles of invasive trophoblast, natural killer, macrophage, endothelial and smooth muscle cells, and compared invasive trophoblast chromatin accessibility with extravillous trophoblast cell accessibility. In comparing chromatin accessibility profiles between species, we found similarities in patterns of gene regulation and groups of motifs enriched in accessible regions. Finally, we identified a conserved gene regulatory network in invasive trophoblast cells. Our data, findings and analysis will facilitate future studies investigating regulatory mechanisms essential for the invasive trophoblast cell lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha T. H. Vu
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Regan L. Scott
- Institute for Reproductive and Developmental Sciences and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Khursheed Iqbal
- Institute for Reproductive and Developmental Sciences and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Michael J. Soares
- Institute for Reproductive and Developmental Sciences and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
- Center for Perinatal Research, Children's Mercy Research Institute, Children's Mercy, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
| | - Geetu Tuteja
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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Hu S, Chen S, Zeng H, Ruan X, Lin X, Vlashi R, Zhou C, Wang H, Chen G. Ap-2β regulates cranial osteogenic potential via the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Dev Biol 2023; 501:S0012-1606(23)00114-8. [PMID: 37355029 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.06.015] [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: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
The skull is a fundamental bone that protects the development of brain and consists of several bony elements, such as the frontal and parietal bones. Frontal bone exhibited superior in osteogenic potential and regeneration of cranial defects compared to parietal bone. However, how this regional difference is regulated remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified an Ap-2β transcriptional factor with a higher expression in frontal bone, but its molecular function in osteoblasts needs to be elucidated. We found that Ap-2β knockdown in preosteoblasts leads to reduced proliferation, increased cell death and impaired differentiation. Through RNA-seq analysis, we found that Ap-2β influences multiple signaling pathways including the Wnt pathway, and overexpression of Ap-2β showed increased nuclear β-catenin and its target genes expressions in osteoblasts. Pharmacological activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling using LiCl treatment cannot rescue the reduced luciferase activities of the β-catenin/TCF/LEF reporter in Ap-2β knockdown preosteoblasts. Besides, transient expression of Ap-2β via the lentivirus system could sufficiently rescue the inferior osteogenic potential in parietal osteoblasts, while Ap-2β knockdown in frontal osteoblasts resulted in reduced osteoblast activity, reduced active β-catenin and target genes expressions. Taken together, our data demonstrated that Ap-2β modulates osteoblast proliferation and differentiation through the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and plays an important role in regulating regional osteogenic potential in frontal and parietal bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujie Hu
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Sisi Chen
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Haozu Zeng
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Xinyi Ruan
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Xinyi Lin
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Rexhina Vlashi
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Chenhe Zhou
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, PR China
| | - Haidong Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaxing, 314001, China.
| | - Guiqian Chen
- Department of Biopharmacy, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
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Vu HTH, Scott RL, Iqbal K, Soares MJ, Tuteja G. CORE CONSERVED TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATORY NETWORKS DEFINE THE INVASIVE TROPHOBLAST CELL LINEAGE. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.30.534962. [PMID: 37066272 PMCID: PMC10103937 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.30.534962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The invasive trophoblast cell lineage in rat and human share crucial responsibilities in establishing the uterine-placental interface of the hemochorial placenta. These observations have led to the rat becoming an especially useful animal model to study hemochorial placentation. However, our understanding of similarities or differences between regulatory mechanisms governing rat and human invasive trophoblast cell populations is limited. In this study, we generated single-nucleus (sn) ATAC-seq data from gestation day (gd) 15.5 and 19.5 rat uterine-placental interface tissues and integrated the data with single-cell RNA-seq data generated at the same stages. We determined the chromatin accessibility profiles of invasive trophoblast, natural killer, macrophage, endothelial, and smooth muscle cells, and compared invasive trophoblast chromatin accessibility to extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell accessibility. In comparing chromatin accessibility profiles between species, we found similarities in patterns of gene regulation and groups of motifs enriched in accessible regions. Finally, we identified a conserved gene regulatory network in invasive trophoblast cells. Our data, findings and analysis will facilitate future studies investigating regulatory mechanisms essential for the invasive trophoblast cell lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha T. H. Vu
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
| | - Regan L. Scott
- Institute for Reproductive and Developmental Sciences and Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160
| | - Khursheed Iqbal
- Institute for Reproductive and Developmental Sciences and Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160
| | - Michael J. Soares
- Institute for Reproductive and Developmental Sciences and Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160
- Center for Perinatal Research, Children’s Mercy Research Institute, Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, MO, 64108
| | - Geetu Tuteja
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
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Abstract
Establishment of the hemochorial uterine-placental interface requires exodus of trophoblast cells from the placenta and their transformative actions on the uterus, which represent processes critical for a successful pregnancy, but are poorly understood. We examined the involvement of CBP/p300-interacting transactivator with glutamic acid/aspartic acid-rich carboxyl-terminal domain 2 (CITED2) in rat and human trophoblast cell development. The rat and human exhibit deep hemochorial placentation. CITED2 was distinctively expressed in the junctional zone (JZ) and invasive trophoblast cells of the rat. Homozygous Cited2 gene deletion resulted in placental and fetal growth restriction. Small Cited2 null placentas were characterized by disruptions in the JZ, delays in intrauterine trophoblast cell invasion, and compromised plasticity. In the human placentation site, CITED2 was uniquely expressed in the extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell column and importantly contributed to the development of the EVT cell lineage. We conclude that CITED2 is a conserved regulator of deep hemochorial placentation.
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Stamatiadis P, Cosemans G, Boel A, Menten B, De Sutter P, Stoop D, Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM, Lluis F, Coucke P, Heindryckx B. TEAD4 regulates trophectoderm differentiation upstream of CDX2 in a GATA3-independent manner in the human preimplantation embryo. Hum Reprod 2022; 37:1760-1773. [PMID: 35700449 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deac138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION What is the role of transcriptional-enhanced associate (TEA) domain family member 4 (TEAD4) in trophectoderm (TE) differentiation during human embryo preimplantation development in comparison to mouse? SUMMARY ANSWER TEAD4 regulates TE lineage differentiation in the human preimplantation embryo acting upstream of caudal-type homeobox protein 2 (CDX2), but in contrast to the mouse in a GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3)-independent manner. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Tead4 is one of the earliest transcription factors expressed during mouse embryo preimplantation development and is required for the expression of TE-associated genes. Functional knock-out studies in mouse, inactivating Tead4 by site-specific recombination, have shown that Tead4-targeted embryos have compromised development and expression of the TE-specific Cdx2 and Gata3 is downregulated. Cdx2 and Gata3 act in parallel pathways downstream of Tead4 to induce successful TE differentiation. Downstream loss of Cdx2 expression, compromises TE differentiation and subsequent blastocoel formation and leads to the ectopic expression of inner cell mass (ICM) genes, including POU Class 5 homeobox 1 (Pou5f1) and SRY-box transcription factor (Sox2). Cdx2 is a more potent regulator of TE fate in mouse as loss of Cdx2 expression induces more severe phenotypes compared with loss of Gata3 expression. The role of TEAD4 and its downstream effectors during human preimplantation embryo development has not been investigated yet. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated genes (CRISPR-Cas9) system was first introduced in pronuclei (PN)-stage mouse zygotes aiming to identify a guide RNA (gRNA), yielding high editing efficiency and effective disruption of the Tead4 locus. Three guides were tested (gRNA1-3), each time targeting a distinct region of Exon 2 of Tead4. The effects of targeting on developmental capacity were studied in Tead4-targeted embryos (n = 164-summarized data from gRNA1-3) and were compared with two control groups; sham-injected embryos (n = 26) and non-injected media-control embryos (n = 51). The editing efficiency was determined by next-generation sequencing (NGS). In total, n = 55 (summarized data from gRNA1-3) targeted mouse embryos were analysed by NGS. Immunofluorescence analysis to confirm successful targeting by gRNA1 was performed in Tead4-targeted embryos, and non-injected media-control embryos. The downregulation of secondary TE-associated markers Cdx2 and Gata3 was used as an indirect confirmation of successful Tead4-targeting (previously shown to be expressed downstream of Tead4). Additional groups of gRNA1 Tead4-targeted (n = 45) and media control (n = 36) embryos were cultured for an extended period of 8.5 days, to further assess the developmental capacity of the Tead4-targeted group to develop beyond implantation stages. Following the mouse investigation, human metaphase-II (MII) oocytes obtained by IVM were microinjected with gRNA-Cas9 during ICSI (n = 74) to target TEAD4 or used as media-control (n = 33). The editing efficiency was successfully assessed in n = 25 TEAD4-targeted human embryos. Finally, immunofluorescence analysis for TEAD4, CDX2, GATA3 and the ICM marker SOX2 was performed in TEAD4-targeted (n = 10) and non-injected media-control embryos (n = 29). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS A ribonucleoprotein complex consisting of a gRNA-Cas9 mixture, designed to target Exon 2 of Tead4/TEAD4, was microinjected in mouse PN stage zygotes or human IVM MII oocytes along with sperm. Generated embryos were cultured in vitro for 4 days in mouse or 6.5 days in human. In mouse, an additional group of Tead4-targeted and media-control embryos was cultured in vitro for an extended period of 8.5 days. Embryonic development and morphology were assessed daily, during culture in vitro of mouse and human embryos and was followed by a detailed scoring at late blastocyst stage. Targeting efficiency following gRNA-Cas9 introduction was assessed via immunostaining and NGS analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE NGS analysis of the Tead4-targeted locus revealed very high editing efficiencies for all three guides, with 100% of the mouse embryos (55 out of 55) carrying genetic modifications resulting from CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. More specifically, 65.22% (15 out 23) of the PN zygotes microinjected with gRNA1-Cas9, which exhibited the highest efficiency, carried exclusively mutated alleles. The developmental capacity of targeted embryos was significantly reduced (data from gRNA1), as 44.17% of the embryos arrested at the morula stage (2.5 days post coitum), coincident with the initiation of TE lineage differentiation, compared with 8.51% in control and 12.50% in sham control groups. High-quality blastocyst formation rates (Grade 3) were 8.97% in the gRNA1-targeted group, compared with 87.23% in the media-control and 87.50% in the sham group. Immunofluorescence analysis in targeted embryos confirmed downregulation of Tead4, Cdx2, and Gata3 expression, which resulted from successful targeting of the Tead4 locus. Tead4-targeted mouse embryos stained positive for the ICM markers Pou5f1 and Sox2, indicating that expression of ICM lineage markers is not affected. Tead4-targeted embryos were able to cavitate and form a blastocoel without being able to hatch. Extended embryo culture following zona pellucida removal, revealed that the targeted embryos can attach and form egg-cylinder-like structures in the absence of trophoblast giant cells. In human embryos, Exon 2 of TEAD4 was successfully targeted by CRISPR-Cas9 (n = 74). In total, 25 embryos from various developmental stages were analysed by NGS and 96.00% (24 out of 25) of the embryos carried genetic modifications because of gRNA-Cas9 editing. In the subgroup of the 24 edited embryos, 17 (70.83%) carried only mutant alleles and 11 out of these 17 (64.70%) carried exclusively frameshift mutations. Six out of 11 embryos reached the blastocyst stage. In contrast to mice, human-targeted embryos formed blastocysts at a rate (25.00%) that did not differ significantly from the control group (23.81%). However, blastocyst morphology and TE quality were significantly compromised following TEAD4-targeting, showing grade C TE scores, with TE containing very few cells. Immunofluorescence analysis of TEAD4-targeted embryos (n = 10) confirmed successful editing by the complete absence of TEAD4 and its downstream TE marker CDX2, but the embryos generated retained expression of GATA3, which is in contrast to what we have observed and has previously been reported in mouse. In this regard, our results indicate that GATA3 acts in parallel with TEAD4/CDX2 towards TE differentiation in human. LARGE SCALE DATA N/A. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION CRISPR-Cas9 germline genome editing, in some cases, induces mosaic genotypes. These genotypes are a result of inefficient and delayed editing, and complicate the phenotypic analysis and developmental assessment of the injected embryos. We cannot exclude the possibility that the observed differences between mouse and human are the result of variable effects triggered by the culture conditions, which were however similar for both mouse and human embryos in this study. Furthermore, this study utilized human oocytes obtained by IVM, which may not fully recapitulate the developmental behaviour of in vivo matured oocytes. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Elucidation of the evolutionary conservation of molecular mechanisms that regulate the differentiation and formation of the trophoblast lineage can give us fundamental insights into early implantation failure, which accounts for ∼15% of human conceptions. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The research was funded by the FWO-Vlaanderen (Flemish fund for scientific research, Grant no. G051516N), and Hercules funding (FWO.HMZ.2016.00.02.01) and Ghent University (BOF.BAS.2018.0018.01). G.C. is supported by FWO-Vlaanderen (Flemish fund for scientific research, Grant no. 11L8822N). A.B. is supported by FWO-Vlaanderen (Flemish fund for scientific research, Grant no. 1298722 N). We further thank Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Aalst, Belgium) for their unrestricted educational grant. The authors declare no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Stamatiadis
- Ghent-Fertility And Stem cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - G Cosemans
- Ghent-Fertility And Stem cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - A Boel
- Ghent-Fertility And Stem cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - B Menten
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - P De Sutter
- Ghent-Fertility And Stem cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - D Stoop
- Ghent-Fertility And Stem cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - S M Chuva de Sousa Lopes
- Ghent-Fertility And Stem cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZA, The Netherlands
| | - F Lluis
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 300, Belgium
| | - P Coucke
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZA, The Netherlands
| | - B Heindryckx
- Ghent-Fertility And Stem cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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9
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Rau A, Passet B, Castille J, Daniel-Carlier N, Asset A, Lecardonnel J, Moroldo M, Jaffrézic F, Laloë D, Moazami-Goudarzi K, Vilotte JL. Potential genetic robustness of Prnp and Sprn double knockout mouse embryos towards ShRNA-lentiviral inoculation. Vet Res 2022; 53:54. [PMID: 35799279 PMCID: PMC9264527 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-022-01075-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The Shadoo and PrP prion protein family members are thought to be functionally related, but previous knockdown/knockout experiments in early mouse embryogenesis have provided seemingly contradictory results. In particular, Shadoo was found to be indispensable in the absence of PrP in knockdown analyses, but a double-knockout of the two had little phenotypic impact. We investigated this apparent discrepancy by comparing transcriptomes of WT, Prnp0/0 and Prnp0/0Sprn0/0 E6.5 mouse embryos following inoculation by Sprn- or Prnp-ShRNA lentiviral vectors. Our results suggest the possibility of genetic adaptation in Prnp0/0Sprn0/0 mice, thus providing a potential explanation for their previously observed resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Rau
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France. .,BioEcoAgro Joint Research Unit, INRAE, Université de Liège, Université de Lille, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80203, Péronne, France.
| | - Bruno Passet
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Johan Castille
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Alexandre Asset
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jérome Lecardonnel
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Marco Moroldo
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Florence Jaffrézic
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Denis Laloë
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
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10
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Seong J, Frias-Aldeguer J, Holzmann V, Kagawa H, Sestini G, Heidari Khoei H, Scholte Op Reimer Y, Kip M, Pradhan SJ, Verwegen L, Vivié J, Li L, Alemany A, Korving J, Darmis F, van Oudenaarden A, Ten Berge D, Geijsen N, Rivron NC. Epiblast inducers capture mouse trophectoderm stem cells in vitro and pattern blastoids for implantation in utero. Cell Stem Cell 2022; 29:1102-1118.e8. [PMID: 35803228 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The embryo instructs the allocation of cell states to spatially regulate functions. In the blastocyst, patterning of trophoblast (TR) cells ensures successful implantation and placental development. Here, we defined an optimal set of molecules secreted by the epiblast (inducers) that captures in vitro stable, highly self-renewing mouse trophectoderm stem cells (TESCs) resembling the blastocyst stage. When exposed to suboptimal inducers, these stem cells fluctuate to form interconvertible subpopulations with reduced self-renewal and facilitated differentiation, resembling peri-implantation cells, known as TR stem cells (TSCs). TESCs have enhanced capacity to form blastoids that implant more efficiently in utero due to inducers maintaining not only local TR proliferation and self-renewal, but also WNT6/7B secretion that stimulates uterine decidualization. Overall, the epiblast maintains sustained growth and decidualization potential of abutting TR cells, while, as known, distancing imposed by the blastocyst cavity differentiates TR cells for uterus adhesion, thus patterning the essential functions of implantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwoo Seong
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Javier Frias-Aldeguer
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Viktoria Holzmann
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Harunobu Kagawa
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Giovanni Sestini
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heidar Heidari Khoei
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria; Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yvonne Scholte Op Reimer
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maarten Kip
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Saurabh J Pradhan
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lucas Verwegen
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Judith Vivié
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Linfeng Li
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Anna Alemany
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Korving
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Frank Darmis
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Derk Ten Berge
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Niels Geijsen
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Anatomy and Embryology, LUMC, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Nicolas C Rivron
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria; Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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11
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Dong C, Fu S, Karvas RM, Chew B, Fischer LA, Xing X, Harrison JK, Popli P, Kommagani R, Wang T, Zhang B, Theunissen TW. A genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen identifies essential and growth-restricting genes in human trophoblast stem cells. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2548. [PMID: 35538076 PMCID: PMC9090837 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30207-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent derivation of human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs) provides a scalable in vitro model system of human placental development, but the molecular regulators of hTSC identity have not been systematically explored thus far. Here, we utilize a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen to comprehensively identify essential and growth-restricting genes in hTSCs. By cross-referencing our data to those from similar genetic screens performed in other cell types, as well as gene expression data from early human embryos, we define hTSC-specific and -enriched regulators. These include both well-established and previously uncharacterized trophoblast regulators, such as ARID3A, GATA2, and TEAD1 (essential), and GCM1, PTPN14, and TET2 (growth-restricting). Integrated analysis of chromatin accessibility, gene expression, and genome-wide location data reveals that the transcription factor TEAD1 regulates the expression of many trophoblast regulators in hTSCs. In the absence of TEAD1, hTSCs fail to complete faithful differentiation into extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells and instead show a bias towards syncytiotrophoblast (STB) differentiation, thus indicating that this transcription factor safeguards the bipotent lineage potential of hTSCs. Overall, our study provides a valuable resource for dissecting the molecular regulation of human placental development and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Dong
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Shuhua Fu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Rowan M Karvas
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Brian Chew
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Laura A Fischer
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Xiaoyun Xing
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Genetics, Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Jessica K Harrison
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Genetics, Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Pooja Popli
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ramakrishna Kommagani
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Genetics, Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Thorold W Theunissen
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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12
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Induction of Rosette-to-Lumen stage embryoids using reprogramming paradigms in ESCs. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7322. [PMID: 34916498 PMCID: PMC8677818 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27586-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Blastocyst-derived stem cell lines were shown to self-organize into embryo-like structures in 3D cell culture environments. Here, we provide evidence that embryo-like structures can be generated solely based on transcription factor-mediated reprogramming of embryonic stem cells in a simple 3D co-culture system. Embryonic stem cells in these cultures self-organize into elongated, compartmentalized embryo-like structures reflecting aspects of the inner regions of the early post-implantation embryo. Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals transcriptional profiles resembling epiblast, primitive-/visceral endoderm, and extraembryonic ectoderm of early murine embryos around E4.5-E5.5. In this stem cell-based embryo model, progression from rosette formation to lumenogenesis accompanied by progression from naïve- to primed pluripotency was observed within Epi-like cells. Additionally, lineage specification of primordial germ cells and distal/anterior visceral endoderm-like cells was observed in epiblast- or visceral endoderm-like compartments, respectively. The system presented in this study allows for fast and reproducible generation of embryo-like structures, providing an additional tool to study aspects of early embryogenesis.
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13
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Loureiro-Campos E, Mateus-Pinheiro A, Patrício P, Soares-Cunha C, Silva J, Sardinha VM, Mendes-Pinheiro B, Silveira-Rosa T, Domingues AV, Rodrigues AJ, Oliveira J, Sousa N, Alves ND, Pinto L. Constitutive deficiency of the neurogenic hippocampal modulator AP2γ promotes anxiety-like behavior and cumulative memory deficits in mice from juvenile to adult periods. eLife 2021; 10:70685. [PMID: 34859784 PMCID: PMC8709574 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor activating protein two gamma (AP2γ) is an important regulator of neurogenesis both during embryonic development as well as in the postnatal brain, but its role for neurophysiology and behavior at distinct postnatal periods is still unclear. In this work, we explored the neurogenic, behavioral, and functional impact of a constitutive and heterozygous AP2γ deletion in mice from early postnatal development until adulthood. AP2γ deficiency promotes downregulation of hippocampal glutamatergic neurogenesis, altering the ontogeny of emotional and memory behaviors associated with hippocampus formation. The impairments induced by AP2γ constitutive deletion since early development leads to an anxious-like phenotype and memory impairments as early as the juvenile phase. These behavioral impairments either persist from the juvenile phase to adulthood or emerge in adult mice with deficits in behavioral flexibility and object location recognition. Collectively, we observed a progressive and cumulative impact of constitutive AP2γ deficiency on the hippocampal glutamatergic neurogenic process, as well as alterations on limbic-cortical connectivity, together with functional behavioral impairments. The results herein presented demonstrate the modulatory role exerted by the AP2γ transcription factor and the relevance of hippocampal neurogenesis in the development of emotional states and memory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Loureiro-Campos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António Mateus-Pinheiro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Patrício
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Vanessa Morais Sardinha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Mendes-Pinheiro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Tiago Silveira-Rosa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - João Oliveira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal.,IPCA-EST-2Ai, Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Applied Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Campus of IPCA, Barcelos, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Dinis Alves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
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14
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Kettler L, Sid H, Schaub C, Lischka K, Klinger R, Moser M, Schusser B, Luksch H. AP-2δ Expression Kinetics in Multimodal Networks in the Developing Chicken Midbrain. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:756184. [PMID: 34744640 PMCID: PMC8568317 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.756184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AP-2 is a family of transcription factors involved in many aspects of development, cell differentiation, and regulation of cell growth and death. AP-2δ is a member of this group and specific gene expression patterns are required in the adult mouse brain for the development of parts of the inferior colliculus (IC), as well as the cortex, dorsal thalamus, and superior colliculus. The midbrain is one of the central areas in the brain where multimodal integration, i.e., integration of information from different senses, occurs. Previous data showed that AP-2δ-deficient mice are viable but due to increased apoptosis at the end of embryogenesis, lack part of the posterior midbrain. Despite the absence of the IC in AP-2δ-deficient mice, these animals retain at least some higher auditory functions. Neuronal responses to tones in the neocortex suggest an alternative auditory pathway that bypasses the IC. While sufficient data are available in mammals, little is known about AP-2δ in chickens, an avian model for the localization of sounds and the development of auditory circuits in the brain. Here, we identified and localized AP-2δ expression in the chicken midbrain during embryogenesis. Our data confirmed the presence of AP-2δ in the inferior colliculus and optic tectum (TeO), specifically in shepherd's crook neurons, which are an essential component of the midbrain isthmic network and involved in multimodal integration. AP-2δ expression in the chicken midbrain may be related to the integration of both auditory and visual afferents in these neurons. In the future, these insights may allow for a more detailed study of circuitry and computational rules of auditory and multimodal networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lutz Kettler
- Chair of Zoology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Hicham Sid
- Reproductive Biotechnology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Carina Schaub
- Chair of Zoology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Katharina Lischka
- Institute for Biology I, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Romina Klinger
- Reproductive Biotechnology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Markus Moser
- TranslaTUM, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schusser
- Reproductive Biotechnology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Harald Luksch
- Chair of Zoology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
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15
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Karasek C, Ashry M, Driscoll CS, Knott JG. A tale of two cell-fates: role of the Hippo signaling pathway and transcription factors in early lineage formation in mouse preimplantation embryos. Mol Hum Reprod 2021; 26:653-664. [PMID: 32647873 PMCID: PMC7473788 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaaa052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammals, the first cell-fate decision occurs during preimplantation embryo development when the inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) lineages are established. The ICM develops into the embryo proper, while the TE lineage forms the placenta. The underlying molecular mechanisms that govern lineage formation involve cell-to-cell interactions, cell polarization, cell signaling and transcriptional regulation. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding regarding the cellular and molecular events that regulate lineage formation in mouse preimplantation embryos with an emphasis on cell polarity and the Hippo signaling pathway. Moreover, we will provide an overview on some of the molecular tools that are used to manipulate the Hippo pathway and study cell-fate decisions in early embryos. Lastly, we will provide exciting future perspectives on transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that modulate the activity of the Hippo pathway in preimplantation embryos to ensure robust lineage segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Challis Karasek
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Mohamed Ashry
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Chad S Driscoll
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Jason G Knott
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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16
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Raap M, Gierendt L, Kreipe HH, Christgen M. Transcription factor AP-2beta in development, differentiation and tumorigenesis. Int J Cancer 2021; 149:1221-1227. [PMID: 33720400 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
To date, the AP-2 family of transcription factors comprises five members. Transcription factor AP-2beta (TFAP2B)/AP-2β was first described in 1995. Several studies indicate a critical role of AP-2β in the development of tissues and organs of ectodermal, neuroectodermal and also mesodermal origin. Germline mutation of TFAP2B is known to cause the Char syndrome, an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by facial dysmorphism, patent ductus arteriosus and anatomical abnormalities of the fifth digit. Furthermore, single-nucleotide polymorphisms in TFAP2B were linked to obesity and specific personality traits. In neoplasias, AP-2β was first described in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Immunohistochemical staining of AP-2β is a recommended ancillary test for the histopathological diagnosis of this uncommon childhood malignancy. In neuroblastoma, AP-2β supports noradrenergic differentiation. Recently, the function of AP-2β in breast cancer (BC) has gained interest. AP-2β is associated with the lobular BC subtype. Moreover, AP-2β controls BC cell proliferation and has a prognostic impact in patients with BC. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge about AP-2β and its function in organ development, differentiation and tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke Raap
- Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Lisa Gierendt
- Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Hans H Kreipe
- Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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17
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Histone demethylase JMJD2B/KDM4B regulates transcriptional program via distinctive epigenetic targets and protein interactors for the maintenance of trophoblast stem cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:884. [PMID: 33441614 PMCID: PMC7806742 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79601-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Trophoblast stem cell (TSC) is crucial to the formation of placenta in mammals. Histone demethylase JMJD2 (also known as KDM4) family proteins have been previously shown to support self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells. However, their roles in the context of the trophoblast lineage remain unclear. Here, we find that knockdown of Jmjd2b resulted in differentiation of TSCs, suggesting an indispensable role of JMJD2B/KDM4B in maintaining the stemness. Through the integration of transcriptome and ChIP-seq profiling data, we show that JMJD2B is associated with a loss of H3K36me3 in a subset of embryonic lineage genes which are marked by H3K9me3 for stable repression. By characterizing the JMJD2B binding motifs and other transcription factor binding datasets, we discover that JMJD2B forms a protein complex with AP-2 family transcription factor TFAP2C and histone demethylase LSD1. The JMJD2B-TFAP2C-LSD1 complex predominantly occupies active gene promoters, whereas the TFAP2C-LSD1 complex is located at putative enhancers, suggesting that these proteins mediate enhancer-promoter interaction for gene regulation. We conclude that JMJD2B is vital to the TSC transcriptional program and safeguards the trophoblast cell fate via distinctive protein interactors and epigenetic targets.
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18
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Hu Y, Korovaichuk A, Astiz M, Schroeder H, Islam R, Barrenetxea J, Fischer A, Oster H, Bringmann H. Functional Divergence of Mammalian TFAP2a and TFAP2b Transcription Factors for Bidirectional Sleep Control. Genetics 2020; 216:735-752. [PMID: 32769099 PMCID: PMC7648577 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep is a conserved behavioral state. Invertebrates typically show quiet sleep, whereas in mammals, sleep consists of periods of nonrapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) and REM sleep (REMS). We previously found that the transcription factor AP-2 promotes sleep in Caenorhabditiselegans and Drosophila In mammals, several paralogous AP-2 transcription factors exist. Sleep-controlling genes are often conserved. However, little is known about how sleep genes evolved from controlling simpler types of sleep to govern complex mammalian sleep. Here, we studied the roles of Tfap2a and Tfap2b in sleep control in mice. Consistent with our results from C. elegans and Drosophila, the AP-2 transcription factors Tfap2a and Tfap2b also control sleep in mice. Surprisingly, however, the two AP-2 paralogs play contrary roles in sleep control. Tfap2a reduction of function causes stronger delta and theta power in both baseline and homeostasis analysis, thus indicating increased sleep quality, but did not affect sleep quantity. By contrast, Tfap2b reduction of function decreased NREM sleep time specifically during the dark phase, reduced NREMS and REMS power, and caused a weaker response to sleep deprivation. Consistent with the observed signatures of decreased sleep quality, stress resistance and memory were impaired in Tfap2b mutant animals. Also, the circadian period was slightly shortened. Taken together, AP-2 transcription factors control sleep behavior also in mice, but the role of the AP-2 genes functionally diversified to allow for a bidirectional control of sleep quality. Divergence of AP-2 transcription factors might perhaps have supported the evolution of more complex types of sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Hu
- Max Planck Research Group "Sleep and Waking", Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Alejandra Korovaichuk
- Max Planck Research Group "Sleep and Waking", Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Mariana Astiz
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Lübeck, 23562, Germany
| | - Henning Schroeder
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | - Rezaul Islam
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | - Jon Barrenetxea
- Max Planck Research Group "Sleep and Waking", Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Andre Fischer
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Göttingen 37075, Germany
- Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Göttingen 37075, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen, 37073, Germany
| | - Henrik Oster
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Lübeck, 23562, Germany
| | - Henrik Bringmann
- Max Planck Research Group "Sleep and Waking", Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen 37077, Germany
- Department of Animal Physiology/Neurophysiology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg 35043, Germany
- BIOTEC of the Technical University Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
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19
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Gao H, Gao R, Zhang L, Xiu W, Zang R, Wang H, Zhang Y, Chen J, Gao Y, Gao S. Esrrb plays important roles in maintaining self-renewal of trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) and reprogramming somatic cells to induced TSCs. J Mol Cell Biol 2020; 11:463-473. [PMID: 30299501 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjy054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), which can be derived from the trophoectoderm of a blastocyst, have the ability to sustain self-renewal and differentiate into various placental trophoblast cell types. Meanwhile, essential insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling the placental development can be gained by using TSCs as the cell model. Esrrb is a transcription factor that has been shown to play pivotal roles in both embryonic stem cell (ESC) and TSC, but the precise mechanism whereby Esrrb regulates TSC-specific transcriptome during differentiation and reprogramming is still largely unknown. In the present study, we elucidate the function of Esrrb in self-renewal and differentiation of TSCs, as well as during the induced TSC (iTSC) reprogramming. We demonstrate that the precise level of Esrrb is critical for stem state maintenance and further trophoblast differentiation of TSCs, as ectopically expressed Esrrb can partially block the rapid differentiation of TSCs in the absence of fibroblast growth factor 4. However, Esrrb depletion results in downregulation of certain key TSC-specific transcription factors, consequently causing a rapid differentiation of TSCs and these Esrrb-deficient TSCs lose the ability of hemorrhagic lesion formation in vivo. This function of Esrrb is exerted by directly binding and activating a core set of TSC-specific target genes including Cdx2, Eomes, Sox2, Fgfr4, and Bmp4. Furthermore, we show that Esrrb overexpression can facilitate the MEF-to-iTSC conversion. Moreover, Esrrb can substitute for Eomes to generate GEsTM-iTSCs. Thus, our findings provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of Esrrb in maintaining TSC self-renewal and during iTSC reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haibo Gao
- Peking University-Tsinghua University-National Institute of Biological Sciences Joint Graduate Program, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Gao
- 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, China
| | - Linfeng Zhang
- 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, China
| | - Wenchao Xiu
- 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, China
| | - Ruge Zang
- 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, China
| | - Hong 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, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- 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, China
| | - Jiayu Chen
- 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, China
| | - Yawei Gao
- 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, China
| | - Shaorong Gao
- 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, China
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20
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Fraune C, Harms L, Büscheck F, Höflmayer D, Tsourlakis MC, Clauditz TS, Simon R, Möller K, Luebke AM, Möller-Koop C, Steurer S, Hube-Magg C, Sauter G, Weidemann S, Lebok P, Dum D, Kind S, Minner S, Izbicki JR, Schlomm T, Huland H, Heinzer H, Burandt E, Haese A, Graefen M, Schroeder C. Upregulation of the transcription factor TFAP2D is associated with aggressive tumor phenotype in prostate cancer lacking the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion. Mol Med 2020; 26:24. [PMID: 32143573 PMCID: PMC7060561 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-020-00148-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background TFAP2D is a transcription factor important for modulating gene expression in embryogenesis. Its expression and prognostic role in prostate cancer has not been evaluated. Methods Therefore, a tissue microarray containing 17,747 prostate cancer specimens with associated pathological, clinical, and molecular data was analyzed by immunohistochemistry to assess the role of TFAP2D. Results TFAP2D expression was typically increased in prostate cancer as compared to adjacent non-neoplastic glands. TFAP2D staining was considered negative in 24.3% and positive in 75.7% of 13,545 interpretable cancers. TFAP2D staining was significantly linked to advanced tumor stage, high classical and quantitative Gleason grade, lymph node metastasis, and a positive surgical margin (p ≤ 0.0045). TFAP2D positivity was more common in ERG fusion positive (88.7%) than in ERG negative cancers (66.8%; p < 0.0001). Subset analyses in 3776 cancers with and 4722 cancers without TMPRSS2:ERG fusion revealed that associations with tumor phenotype and patient outcome were largely driven by the subset of ERG negative tumors. Multivariate analysis did not identify TFAP2D protein expression levels as a robust independent prognostic parameter. Positive TFAP2D immunostaining was significantly associated with 10 of 11 previously analyzed chromosomal deletions in ERG negative cancers (p ≤ 0.0244 each) indicating that elevated TFAP2D expression parallels genomic instability in prostate cancer. Conclusion These data demonstrate that TFAP2D protein overexpression is linked to prostate cancer progression and genomic instability in ERG negative prostate cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Fraune
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Luisa Harms
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Büscheck
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Doris Höflmayer
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Christina Tsourlakis
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Till S Clauditz
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ronald Simon
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Katharina Möller
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas M Luebke
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christina Möller-Koop
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Steurer
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Hube-Magg
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Guido Sauter
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sören Weidemann
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Lebok
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - David Dum
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simon Kind
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Minner
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jakob R Izbicki
- General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery Department and Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Schlomm
- Department of Urology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hartwig Huland
- Martini-Clinic, Prostate Cancer Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hans Heinzer
- Martini-Clinic, Prostate Cancer Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eike Burandt
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Haese
- Martini-Clinic, Prostate Cancer Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Graefen
- Martini-Clinic, Prostate Cancer Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cornelia Schroeder
- General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery Department and Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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21
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Dong C, Fischer LA, Theunissen TW. Recent insights into the naïve state of human pluripotency and its applications. Exp Cell Res 2019; 385:111645. [PMID: 31585117 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2019.111645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The past decade has seen significant interest in the isolation of pluripotent stem cells corresponding to various stages of mammalian embryonic development. Two distinct and well-defined pluripotent states can be derived from mouse embryos: "naïve" pluripotent cells with properties of pre-implantation epiblast, and "primed" pluripotent cells, resembling post-implantation epiblast. Prompted by the successful interconversion between these two stem cell states in the mouse system, several groups have devised strategies for inducing a naïve state of pluripotency in human pluripotent stem cells. Here, we review recent insights into the naïve state of human pluripotency, focusing on two methods that confer defining transcriptomic and epigenomic signatures of the pre-implantation embryo. The isolation of naïve human pluripotent stem cells offers a window into early developmental mechanisms that cannot be adequately modeled in primed cells, such as X chromosome reactivation, metabolic reprogramming, and the regulation of hominid-specific transposable elements. We outline key unresolved questions regarding naïve human pluripotency, including its extrinsic and intrinsic control mechanisms, potential for embryonic and extraembryonic differentiation, and general utility as a model system for human development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Dong
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Laura A Fischer
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Thorold W Theunissen
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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22
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Mammalian germ cells are determined after PGC colonization of the nascent gonad. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:25677-25687. [PMID: 31754036 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1910733116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian primordial germ cells (PGCs) are induced in the embryonic epiblast, before migrating to the nascent gonads. In fish, frogs, and birds, the germline segregates even earlier, through the action of maternally inherited germ plasm. Across vertebrates, migrating PGCs retain a broad developmental potential, regardless of whether they were induced or maternally segregated. In mammals, this potential is indicated by expression of pluripotency factors, and the ability to generate teratomas and pluripotent cell lines. How the germline loses this developmental potential remains unknown. Our genome-wide analyses of embryonic human and mouse germlines reveal a conserved transcriptional program, initiated in PGCs after gonadal colonization, that differentiates germ cells from their germline precursors and from somatic lineages. Through genetic studies in mice and pigs, we demonstrate that one such gonad-induced factor, the RNA-binding protein DAZL, is necessary in vivo to restrict the developmental potential of the germline; DAZL's absence prolongs expression of a Nanog pluripotency reporter, facilitates derivation of pluripotent cell lines, and causes spontaneous gonadal teratomas. Based on these observations in humans, mice, and pigs, we propose that germ cells are determined after gonadal colonization in mammals. We suggest that germ cell determination was induced late in embryogenesis-after organogenesis has begun-in the common ancestor of all vertebrates, as in modern mammals, where this transition is induced by somatic cells of the gonad. We suggest that failure of this process of germ cell determination likely accounts for the origin of human testis cancer.
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23
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Soares MJ, Varberg KM, Iqbal K. Hemochorial placentation: development, function, and adaptations. Biol Reprod 2019; 99:196-211. [PMID: 29481584 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioy049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Placentation is a reproductive adaptation that permits fetal growth and development within the protected confines of the female reproductive tract. Through this important role, the placenta also determines postnatal health and susceptibility to disease. The hemochorial placenta is a prominent feature in primate and rodent development. This manuscript provides an overview of the basics of hemochorial placental development and function, provides perspectives on major discoveries that have shaped placental research, and thoughts on strategies for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Soares
- Institute for Reproduction and Perinatal Research and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA and the Center for Perinatal Research, Children΄s Research Institute, Children΄s Mercy, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Kaela M Varberg
- Institute for Reproduction and Perinatal Research and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
| | - Khursheed Iqbal
- Institute for Reproduction and Perinatal Research and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
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24
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Sybirna A, Wong FCK, Surani MA. Genetic basis for primordial germ cells specification in mouse and human: Conserved and divergent roles of PRDM and SOX transcription factors. Curr Top Dev Biol 2019; 135:35-89. [PMID: 31155363 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2019.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are embryonic precursors of sperm and egg that pass on genetic and epigenetic information from one generation to the next. In mammals, they are induced from a subset of cells in peri-implantation epiblast by BMP signaling from the surrounding tissues. PGCs then initiate a unique developmental program that involves comprehensive epigenetic resetting and repression of somatic genes. This is orchestrated by a set of signaling molecules and transcription factors that promote germ cell identity. Here we review significant findings on mammalian PGC biology, in particular, the genetic basis for PGC specification in mice and human, which has revealed an evolutionary divergence between the two species. We discuss the importance and potential basis for these differences and focus on several examples to illustrate the conserved and divergent roles of critical transcription factors in mouse and human germline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiya Sybirna
- Wellcome Trust Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Physiology, Development and Neuroscience Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Frederick C K Wong
- Wellcome Trust Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Physiology, Development and Neuroscience Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - M Azim Surani
- Wellcome Trust Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Physiology, Development and Neuroscience Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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25
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TFAP2C regulates transcription in human naive pluripotency by opening enhancers. Nat Cell Biol 2018; 20:553-564. [PMID: 29695788 PMCID: PMC5926822 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-018-0089-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Naïve and primed pluripotent hESCs bear transcriptional similarity to pre- and post-implantation epiblast and thus constitute a developmental model for understanding the earliest pluripotent stages in human embryo development. To identify new transcription factors that differentially regulate the unique pluripotent stages, we mapped open chromatin using ATAC-Seq and found enrichment of the AP2 transcription factor binding motif at naïve-specific open chromatin. We determined that the AP2 family member TFAP2C is upregulated during primed to naïve reversion and becomes widespread at naïve-specific enhancers. TFAP2C functions to maintain pluripotency and repress neuroectodermal differentiation during the transition from primed to naïve by facilitating the opening of enhancers proximal to pluripotency factors. Additionally, we identify a previously undiscovered naïve-specific POU5F1 (OCT4) enhancer enriched for TFAP2C binding. Taken together, TFAP2C establishes and maintains naïve human pluripotency and regulates OCT4 expression by mechanisms that are distinct from mouse.
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26
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AP-2ε Expression in Developing Retina: Contributing to the Molecular Diversity of Amacrine Cells. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3386. [PMID: 29467543 PMCID: PMC5821864 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21822-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
AP-2 transcription factors play important roles in the regulation of gene expression during development. Four of the five members of the AP-2 family (AP-2α, AP-2β, AP-2γ and AP-2δ) have previously been shown to be expressed in developing retina. Mouse knockouts have revealed roles for AP-2α, AP-2β and AP-2δ in retinal cell specification and function. Here, we show that the fifth member of the AP-2 family, AP-2ε, is also expressed in amacrine cells in developing mammalian and chicken retina. Our data indicate that there are considerably fewer AP-2ε-positive cells in the developing mouse retina compared to AP-2α, AP-2β and AP-2γ-positive cells, suggesting a specialized role for AP-2ε in a subset of amacrine cells. AP-2ε, which is restricted to the GABAergic amacrine lineage, is most commonly co-expressed with AP-2α and AP-2β, especially at early stages of retinal development. Co-expression of AP-2ε and AP-2γ increases with differentiation. Analysis of previously published Drop-seq data from single retinal cells supports co-expression of multiple AP-2s in the same cell. Since AP-2s bind to their target sequences as either homodimers or heterodimers, our work suggests spatially- and temporally-coordinated roles for combinations of AP-2 transcription factors in amacrine cells during retinal development.
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27
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Transcriptional Regulation and Genes Involved in First Lineage Specification During Preimplantation Development. ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2018; 229:31-46. [PMID: 29177763 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-63187-5_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The successful development from a single-cell zygote into a complex multicellular organism requires precise coordination of multiple cell-fate decisions. The very first of these is lineage specification into the inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) during mammalian preimplantation development. In mouse embryos, transcription factors (TFs) such as Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog are enriched in cells of ICM, which gives rise to the fetus and yolk sac. Conversely, TFs such as Cdx2 and Eomes become highly upregulated in TE, which contribute to the placenta. Here, we review the current understanding of key transcriptional control mechanisms and genes responsible for these distinct differences during the first cell lineage specification. In particular, we highlight recent insights gained through advances in genome manipulation, live imaging, single-cell transcriptomics, and loss-of-function studies.
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28
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GATA2/3-TFAP2A/C transcription factor network couples human pluripotent stem cell differentiation to trophectoderm with repression of pluripotency. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E9579-E9588. [PMID: 29078328 PMCID: PMC5692555 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1708341114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To elucidate the molecular basis of BMP4-induced differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) toward progeny with trophectoderm characteristics, we produced transcriptome, epigenome H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and CpG methylation maps of trophoblast progenitors, purified using the surface marker APA. We combined them with the temporally resolved transcriptome of the preprogenitor phase and of single APA+ cells. This revealed a circuit of bivalent TFAP2A, TFAP2C, GATA2, and GATA3 transcription factors, coined collectively the "trophectoderm four" (TEtra), which are also present in human trophectoderm in vivo. At the onset of differentiation, the TEtra factors occupy multiple sites in epigenetically inactive placental genes and in OCT4 Functional manipulation of GATA3 and TFAP2A indicated that they directly couple trophoblast-specific gene induction with suppression of pluripotency. In accordance, knocking down GATA3 in primate embryos resulted in a failure to form trophectoderm. The discovery of the TEtra circuit indicates how trophectoderm commitment is regulated in human embryogenesis.
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29
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Latos PA, Hemberger M. From the stem of the placental tree: trophoblast stem cells and their progeny. Development 2017; 143:3650-3660. [PMID: 27802134 DOI: 10.1242/dev.133462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) retain the capacity to self-renew indefinitely and harbour the potential to differentiate into all trophoblast subtypes of the placenta. Recent studies have shown how signalling cascades integrate with transcription factor circuits to govern the fine balance between TSC self-renewal and differentiation. In addition, breakthroughs in reprogramming strategies have enabled the generation of TSCs from fibroblasts, opening up exciting new avenues that may allow the isolation of this stem cell type from other species, notably humans. Here, we review these recent advances in light of their importance for understanding placental pathologies and developing personalised medicine approaches for pregnancy complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Anna Latos
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.,Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Myriam Hemberger
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK .,Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
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30
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Nelson AC, Mould AW, Bikoff EK, Robertson EJ. Mapping the chromatin landscape and Blimp1 transcriptional targets that regulate trophoblast differentiation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6793. [PMID: 28754907 PMCID: PMC5533796 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06859-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) give rise to specialized cell types within the placenta. However, the regulatory mechanisms that guide trophoblast cell fate decisions during placenta development remain ill defined. Here we exploited ATAC-seq and transcriptional profiling strategies to describe dynamic changes in gene expression and chromatin accessibility during TSC differentiation. We detect significantly increased chromatin accessibility at key genes upregulated as TSCs exit from the stem cell state. However, downregulated gene expression is not simply due to the loss of chromatin accessibility in proximal regions. Additionally, transcriptional targets recognized by the zinc finger transcriptional repressor Prdm1/Blimp1, an essential regulator of placenta development, were identified in ChIP-seq experiments. Comparisons with previously reported ChIP-seq datasets for primordial germ cell-like cells and E18.5 small intestine, combined with functional annotation analysis revealed that Blimp1 has broadly shared as well as cell type-specific functional activities unique to the trophoblast lineage. Importantly, Blimp1 not only silences TSC gene expression but also prevents aberrant activation of divergent developmental programmes. Overall the present study provides new insights into the chromatin landscape and Blimp1-dependent regulatory networks governing trophoblast gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Nelson
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK.,School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Arne W Mould
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Elizabeth K Bikoff
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Elizabeth J Robertson
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK.
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AP-2α and AP-2β regulate dorsal interneuron specification in the spinal cord. Neuroscience 2017; 340:232-242. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Tang WWC, Kobayashi T, Irie N, Dietmann S, Surani MA. Specification and epigenetic programming of the human germ line. Nat Rev Genet 2016; 17:585-600. [DOI: 10.1038/nrg.2016.88] [Citation(s) in RCA: 274] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Li X, Gaillard F, Monckton EA, Glubrecht DD, Persad ARL, Moser M, Sauvé Y, Godbout R. Loss of AP-2delta reduces retinal ganglion cell numbers and axonal projections to the superior colliculus. Mol Brain 2016; 9:62. [PMID: 27259519 PMCID: PMC4893287 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-016-0244-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background AP-2δ is the most divergent member of the Activating Protein-2 (TFAP2) family of transcription factors. AP-2δ is restricted to specific regions of the CNS, including a subset of ganglion cells in the retina. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the only output neurons of the retina, are responsible for transmitting the visual signal to the brain. Results AP-2δ knockout results in loss of Brn3c (Pou4f3) expression in AP-2δ -positive RGCs. While AP-2δ-/- mice have morphologically normal retinas at birth, there is a significant reduction in retinal ganglion cell numbers by P21, after eye opening. Chromatin immunoprecipitation indicates that Brn3c is a target of AP-2δ in the retina. Using fluorochrome-conjugated cholera toxin subunit B to trace ganglion cell axons from the eye to the major visual pathways in the brain, we found 87 % and 32 % decreases in ipsilateral and contralateral projections, respectively, to the superior colliculus in AP-2δ-/- mice. In agreement with anatomical data, visually evoked responses recorded from the brain confirmed that retinal outputs to the brain are compromised. Conclusions AP-2δ is important for the maintenance of ganglion cell numbers in the retina. Loss of AP-2δ alters retinal axonal projections to visual centers of the brain, with ipsilaterial projections to the superior colliculus being the most dramatically affected. Our results have important implications for integration of the visual signal at the superior colliculus. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13041-016-0244-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Li
- Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Frédéric Gaillard
- Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Elizabeth A Monckton
- Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Darryl D Glubrecht
- Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Amit R L Persad
- Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Markus Moser
- Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Yves Sauvé
- Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Roseline Godbout
- Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, Canada.
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ZHOU XY, LIU LL, JIA WC, PAN CY. Methylation profile of bovine Oct4 gene coding region in relation to three germ layers. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE AGRICULTURE : JIA 2016; 15:618-628. [PMID: 32288951 PMCID: PMC7128269 DOI: 10.1016/s2095-3119(15)61100-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) plays a significant role in early embryonic development of mammalian animals, and different Oct4 expression levels induce multi-lineage differentiation which are regulated by DNA methylation. To explore the relationship between the methylation pattern of Oct4 gene exon 1 and embryonic development, in this work, five different tissues (heart, liver, lung, cerebrum and cerebellum) from three germ layers were chosen from low age (50-60 d) and advanced age (60-70 d) of fetal cattle and the differences between tissues or ages were analyzed, respectively. The result showed that the DNA methylation level of Oct4 gene exon 1 was significant different (P<0.01) between any two of three germ layers in low age (<60 d), but kept steady of advanced age (P>0.05) (>60 d), suggesting that 60-d post coital was an important boundary for embryonic development. In addition, in ectoderm (cerebrum and cerebellum), there was no significant methylation difference of Oct4 gene exon 1 between low age and advanced age (P>0.05), but the result of endoderm (liver and lung) and mesoderm (heart) were on the contrary (P<0.01), which indicated the development of ectoderm was earlier than endoderm and mesoderm. The methylation differences from the 3rd, 5th and 9th CpG-dinucleotide loci of Oct4 gene exon 1 were significantly different between each two of three germ layers (P<0.05), indicating that these three loci may have important influence on bovine embryonic development. This study showed that bovine germ layers differentiation was significantly related to the DNA methylation status of Oct4 gene exon 1. This work firstly identified the DNA methylation profile of bovine Oct4 gene exon 1 and its association with germ layers development in fetus and adult of cattle. Moreover, the work also provided epigenetic information for further studying bovine embryonic development and cellular reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-yu ZHOU
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P.R. China
| | - Liang-liang LIU
- School of Computer Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, P.R. China
| | - Wen-chao JIA
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling 712100, P.R. China
| | - Chuan-ying PAN
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P.R. China
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling 712100, P.R. China
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Abstract
During mammalian embryonic development, the trophectoderm and primitive endoderm give rise to extraembryonic tissues, while the epiblast differentiates into all somatic lineages and the germline. Remarkably, only a few classes of signaling pathways induce the differentiation of these progenitor cells into diverse lineages. Accordingly, the functional outcome of a particular signal depends on the developmental competence of the target cells. Thus, developmental competence can be defined as the ability of a cell to integrate intrinsic and extrinsic cues to execute a specific developmental program toward a specific cell fate. Downstream of signaling, there is the combinatorial activity of transcription factors and their cofactors, which is modulated by the chromatin state of the target cells. Here, we discuss the concept of developmental competence, and the factors that regulate this state with reference to the specification of mammalian primordial germ cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ufuk Günesdogan
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - M Azim Surani
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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Dynamics of the Transcriptome during Human Spermatogenesis: Predicting the Potential Key Genes Regulating Male Gametes Generation. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19069. [PMID: 26753906 PMCID: PMC4750114 DOI: 10.1038/srep19069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Many infertile men are the victims of spermatogenesis disorder. However, conventional clinical test could not provide efficient information on the causes of spermatogenesis disorder and guide the doctor how to treat it. More effective diagnosis and treating methods could be developed if the key genes that regulate spermatogenesis were determined. Many works have been done on animal models, while there are few works on human beings due to the limited sample resources. In current work, testis tissues were obtained from 27 patients with obstructive azoospermia via surgery. The combination of Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting and Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting was chosen as the efficient method to sort typical germ cells during spermatogenesis. RNA Sequencing was carried out to screen the change of transcriptomic profile of the germ cells during spermatogenesis. Differential expressed genes were clustered according to their expression patterns. Gene Ontology annotation, pathway analysis, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were carried out on genes with specific expression patterns and the potential key genes such as HOXs, JUN, SP1, and TCF3 which were involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis, with the potential value serve as molecular tools for clinical purpose, were predicted.
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Sharma N, Kubaczka C, Kaiser S, Nettersheim D, Mughal SS, Riesenberg S, Hölzel M, Winterhager E, Schorle H. Tpbpa mediated deletion of Tfap2c leads to deregulation of MAPK, P21, AKT and subsequent placental growth arrest. Development 2016; 143:787-98. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.128553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Loss of Tfap2c leads to developmental defects in the extra-embryonic compartment with embryonic lethality at E7.5. To investigate requirement of Tfap2c in later placental development, deletion of Tfap2c was induced throughout extra-embryonic ectoderm at E6.5 leading to severe placental abnormalities caused by reduced trophoblast population resulting in embryonic retardation by E8.5. Deletion of Tfap2c in Tpbpa+ progenitors at E8.5 results in growth arrest of junctional zone. TFAP2C regulates its target genes p21/Cdkn1a and Dusp6, involved in repression of MAPK signaling. Loss of TFAP2C reduces activation of ERK1/2 in the placenta. Downregulation of Akt and reduced activation of pAKT in the mutant placenta are accompanied by impaired glycogen synthesis. Loss of Tfap2c led to upregulation of imprinted gene H19 and downregulation of Tex19.1 and Ascl2. The placental insufficiency post E16.5 causes fetal growth restriction with 19% lighter mutant pups. TFAP2C knockdown in human trophoblast choriocarcinoma JAr cells inhibited MAPK and AKT signaling. Thus, we present a model where Tfap2c in trophoblasts controls proliferation by repressing P21 and activating MAPK pathway and further supporting differentiation of glycogen cells via activating Akt pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Sharma
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Caroline Kubaczka
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Stephanie Kaiser
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen Medical School, Essen, Germany
| | - Daniel Nettersheim
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Sadaf S. Mughal
- Div. Applied Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Riesenberg
- Unit of RNA Biology, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Hölzel
- Unit of RNA Biology, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Elke Winterhager
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen Medical School, Essen, Germany
| | - Hubert Schorle
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University of Bonn, Germany
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Virant-Klun I. Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells: A Potential Developmental Link Between Germinal Lineage and Hematopoiesis in Humans. Stem Cells Dev 2015; 25:101-13. [PMID: 26494182 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2015.0275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) could become specified from a population of migrating primordial germ cells (PGCs), precursors of gametes, during embryogenesis. Some recent experimental data demonstrated that the cell population that is usually considered to be PGCs, moving toward the gonadal ridges of an embryo, contains a subset of cells coexpressing several germ cell and hematopoietic markers and possessing hematopoietic activity. Experimental data showed that bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) generates PGCs from mouse bone marrow-derived pluripotent stem cells. Interestingly, functional reproductive hormone receptors have been identified in HSPCs, thus indicating their potential role in reproductive function. Several reports have demonstrated fertility restoration and germ cell generation after bone marrow transplantation in both animal models and humans. A potential link between HSPCs and germinal lineage might be represented by very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs), which have been found in adult human bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood, express a specific pattern of pluripotency, germinal lineage, and hematopoiesis, and are proposed to persist in adult tissues and organs from the embryonic period of life. Stem cell populations, similar to VSELs, expressing several genes related to pluripotency and germinal lineage, especially to PGCs, have been discovered in adult human reproductive organs, ovaries and testicles, and were related to primitive germ cell-like cell development in vitro, thus supporting the idea of VSELs as a potential link between germinal lineage and hematopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma Virant-Klun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center Ljubljana , Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Latos PA, Sienerth AR, Murray A, Senner CE, Muto M, Ikawa M, Oxley D, Burge S, Cox BJ, Hemberger M. Elf5-centered transcription factor hub controls trophoblast stem cell self-renewal and differentiation through stoichiometry-sensitive shifts in target gene networks. Genes Dev 2015; 29:2435-48. [PMID: 26584622 PMCID: PMC4691948 DOI: 10.1101/gad.268821.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Latos et al. demonstrate that precise levels of Elf5 are critical for normal expansion of the trophoblast stem cell (TSC) compartment and embryonic survival. Their data place Elf5 at the center of a stoichiometry-sensitive transcriptional network, where it acts as a molecular switch governing the balance between TSC proliferation and differentiation. Elf5 is a transcription factor with pivotal roles in the trophoblast compartment, where it reinforces a trophoblast stem cell (TSC)-specific transcriptional circuit. However, Elf5 is also present in differentiating trophoblast cells that have ceased to express other TSC genes such as Cdx2 and Eomes. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the context-dependent role of Elf5 at the interface between TSC self-renewal and the onset of differentiation. We demonstrate that precise levels of Elf5 are critical for normal expansion of the TSC compartment and embryonic survival, as Elf5 overexpression triggers precocious trophoblast differentiation. Through integration of protein interactome, transcriptome, and genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation data, we reveal that this abundance-dependent function is mediated through a shift in preferred Elf5-binding partners; in TSCs, Elf5 interaction with Eomes recruits Tfap2c to triply occupied sites at TSC-specific genes, driving their expression. In contrast, the Elf5 and Tfap2c interaction becomes predominant as their protein levels increase. This triggers binding to double- and single-occupancy sites that harbor the cognate Tfap2c motif, causing activation of the associated differentiation-promoting genes. These data place Elf5 at the center of a stoichiometry-sensitive transcriptional network, where it acts as a molecular switch governing the balance between TSC proliferation and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina A Latos
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
| | - Arnold R Sienerth
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Murray
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
| | - Claire E Senner
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
| | - Masanaga Muto
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Animal Resource Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masahito Ikawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Animal Resource Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - David Oxley
- Proteomics Group, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Burge
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Brian J Cox
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1E2, Canada
| | - Myriam Hemberger
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
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Tuteja G, Chung T, Bejerano G. Changes in the enhancer landscape during early placental development uncover a trophoblast invasion gene-enhancer network. Placenta 2015; 37:45-55. [PMID: 26604129 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Trophoblast invasion establishes adequate blood flow between mother and fetus in early placental development. However, little is known about the cis-regulatory mechanisms underlying this important process. We aimed to identify enhancer elements that are active during trophoblast invasion, and build a trophoblast invasion gene-enhancer network. METHODS We carried out ChIP-Seq for an enhancer-associated mark (H3k27Ac) at two time points during early placental development in mouse. One time point when invasion is at its peak (e7.5) and another time point shortly afterwards (e9.5). We use computational analysis to identify putative enhancers, as well as the transcription factor binding sites within them, that are specific to the time point of trophoblast invasion. RESULTS We compared read profiles at e7.5 and e9.5 to identify 1,977 e7.5-specific enhancers. Within a subset of e7.5-specific enhancers, we discovered a cell migration associated regulatory code, consisting of three transcription factor motifs: AP1, Ets, and Tcfap2. To validate differential expression of the transcription factors that bind these motifs, we performed RNA-Seq in the same context. Finally, we integrated these data with publicly available protein-protein interaction data and constructed a trophoblast invasion gene-enhancer network. DISCUSSION The data we generated and analysis we carried out improves our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of trophoblast invasion, by suggesting a transcriptional code exists in the enhancers of cell migration genes. Furthermore, the network we constructed highlights novel candidate genes that may be critical for trophoblast invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geetu Tuteja
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Tisha Chung
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gill Bejerano
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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A Positive Feedback Loop between Glial Cells Missing 1 and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) Regulates Placental hCGβ Expression and Cell Differentiation. Mol Cell Biol 2015; 36:197-209. [PMID: 26503785 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00655-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is composed of a common α subunit and a placenta-specific β subunit. Importantly, hCG is highly expressed in the differentiated and multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast, which is formed via trophoblast cell fusion and stimulated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). Although the ubiquitous activating protein 2 (AP2) transcription factors TFAP2A and TFAP2C may regulate hCGβ expression, it remains unclear how cAMP stimulates placenta-specific hCGβ gene expression and trophoblastic differentiation. Here we demonstrated that the placental transcription factor glial cells missing 1 (GCM1) binds to a highly conserved promoter region in all six hCGβ paralogues by chromatin immunoprecipitation-on-chip (ChIP-chip) analyses. We further showed that cAMP stimulates GCM1 and the CBP coactivator to activate the hCGβ promoter through a GCM1-binding site (GBS1), which also constitutes a previously identified AP2 site. Given that TFAP2C may compete with GCM1 for GBS1, cAMP enhances the association between the hCGβ promoter and GCM1 but not TFAP2C. Indeed, the hCG-cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway also stimulates Ser269 and Ser275 phosphorylation of GCM1, which recruits CBP to mediate GCM1 acetylation and stabilization. Consequently, hCG stimulates the expression of GCM1 target genes, including the fusogenic protein syncytin-1, to promote placental cell fusion. Our study reveals a positive feedback loop between GCM1 and hCG regulating placental hCGβ expression and cell differentiation.
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Abstract
The placenta sits at the interface between the maternal and fetal vascular beds where it mediates nutrient and waste exchange to enable in utero existence. Placental cells (trophoblasts) accomplish this via invading and remodeling the uterine vasculature. Amazingly, despite being of fetal origin, trophoblasts do not trigger a significant maternal immune response. Additionally, they maintain a highly reliable hemostasis in this extremely vascular interface. Decades of research into how the placenta differentiates itself from embryonic tissues to accomplish these and other feats have revealed a previously unappreciated level of complexity with respect to the placenta's cellular composition. Additionally, novel insights with respect to roles played by the placenta in guiding fetal development and metabolism have sparked a renewed interest in understanding the interrelationship between fetal and placental well-being. Here, we present an overview of emerging research in placental biology that highlights these themes and the importance of the placenta to fetal and adult health.
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Blakeley P, Fogarty NME, del Valle I, Wamaitha SE, Hu TX, Elder K, Snell P, Christie L, Robson P, Niakan KK. Defining the three cell lineages of the human blastocyst by single-cell RNA-seq. Development 2015; 142:3151-65. [PMID: 26293300 PMCID: PMC4582176 DOI: 10.1242/dev.123547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Here, we provide fundamental insights into early human development by single-cell RNA-sequencing of human and mouse preimplantation embryos. We elucidate conserved transcriptional programs along with those that are human specific. Importantly, we validate our RNA-sequencing findings at the protein level, which further reveals differences in human and mouse embryo gene expression. For example, we identify several genes exclusively expressed in the human pluripotent epiblast, including the transcription factor KLF17. Key components of the TGF-β signalling pathway, including NODAL, GDF3, TGFBR1/ALK5, LEFTY1, SMAD2, SMAD4 and TDGF1, are also enriched in the human epiblast. Intriguingly, inhibition of TGF-β signalling abrogates NANOG expression in human epiblast cells, consistent with a requirement for this pathway in pluripotency. Although the key trophectoderm factors Id2, Elf5 and Eomes are exclusively localized to this lineage in the mouse, the human orthologues are either absent or expressed in alternative lineages. Importantly, we also identify genes with conserved expression dynamics, including Foxa2/FOXA2, which we show is restricted to the primitive endoderm in both human and mouse embryos. Comparison of the human epiblast to existing embryonic stem cells (hESCs) reveals conservation of pluripotency but also additional pathways more enriched in hESCs. Our analysis highlights significant differences in human preimplantation development compared with mouse and provides a molecular blueprint to understand human embryogenesis and its relationship to stem cells. Summary: Single-cell RNA-sequencing of human and mouse embryos reveals conserved and human-specific transcriptional programmes as well as a functional requirement for TGFβ signalling in human embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Blakeley
- Human Embryology and Stem Cell Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, UK
| | - Norah M E Fogarty
- Human Embryology and Stem Cell Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, UK
| | - Ignacio del Valle
- Human Embryology and Stem Cell Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, UK
| | - Sissy E Wamaitha
- Human Embryology and Stem Cell Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, UK
| | - Tim Xiaoming Hu
- Genome Institute of Singapore, A-STAR, Singapore 138672, Singapore MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Kay Elder
- Bourn Hall Clinic, Bourn, Cambridge CB23 2TN, UK
| | - Philip Snell
- Bourn Hall Clinic, Bourn, Cambridge CB23 2TN, UK
| | | | - Paul Robson
- Genome Institute of Singapore, A-STAR, Singapore 138672, Singapore The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Kathy K Niakan
- Human Embryology and Stem Cell Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, UK
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Parfitt DE, Shen MM. From blastocyst to gastrula: gene regulatory networks of embryonic stem cells and early mouse embryogenesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2015; 369:rstb.2013.0542. [PMID: 25349451 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, many regulatory genes and signalling events coordinating mammalian development from blastocyst to gastrulation stages have been identified by mutational analyses and reverse-genetic approaches, typically on a gene-by-gene basis. More recent studies have applied bioinformatic approaches to generate regulatory network models of gene interactions on a genome-wide scale. Such models have provided insights into the gene networks regulating pluripotency in embryonic and epiblast stem cells, as well as cell-lineage determination in vivo. Here, we review how regulatory networks constructed for different stem cell types relate to corresponding networks in vivo and provide insights into understanding the molecular regulation of the blastocyst-gastrula transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- David-Emlyn Parfitt
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Urology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Systems Biology, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Michael M Shen
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Urology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Systems Biology, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Kaiser S, Koch Y, Kühnel E, Sharma N, Gellhaus A, Kuckenberg P, Schorle H, Winterhager E. Reduced Gene Dosage of Tfap2c Impairs Trophoblast Lineage Differentiation and Alters Maternal Blood Spaces in the Mouse Placenta. Biol Reprod 2015; 93:31. [PMID: 26063869 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.114.126474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tfap2c is required for placental development and trophoblast stem cell maintenance. Deletion of Tfap2c results in early embryonic loss because of failure in placental development. We evaluated the effect of reduced Tfap2c expression on fetal outcome and placental development. Sixty percent of the heterozygous mice were lost directly after birth. Labyrinthine differentiation was impaired, as indicated by enhanced proliferation and inclusions of cobblestone-shaped cell clusters characterized by expression of Tfap2c and glycogen stores. Moreover, expression of marker genes such as Cdx2, Eomes, Gata3, and Ascl2 are decreased in the spongiotrophoblast and indicate a lowered stem cell potential. On Day 18.5 postcoitum, the labyrinth layer of Tfap2c(+/-) placentas exhibited massive hemorrhages in the maternal blood spaces; these hemorrhages might have contributed to the significantly reduced number of live-born pups. These morphological alterations were accompanied by a shift toward sinusoidal trophoblast giant cells as the cell subpopulation lining the maternal sinusoids and toward reduction in expression of the prolactin gene family member Prl2c2, a finding characteristic of the spiral arteries lining trophoblast cells. The trophoblast stem cells heterozygous for Tfap2c exhibited a reduction in the expression level of stem cell markers and in their proliferation and differentiation capacity but did not exhibit changes in marker genes of the trophoblast giant cell lineage. Taken together, these findings indicate that a reduction in the gene dosage of placental Tfap2c leads to morphological changes in the labyrinth at midgestation and in the maternal blood spaces during late pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Kaiser
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Yvonne Koch
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kühnel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Neha Sharma
- Department of Developmental Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexandra Gellhaus
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Peter Kuckenberg
- Department of Developmental Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hubert Schorle
- Department of Developmental Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Elke Winterhager
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Cao Z, Carey TS, Ganguly A, Wilson CA, Paul S, Knott JG. Transcription factor AP-2γ induces early Cdx2 expression and represses HIPPO signaling to specify the trophectoderm lineage. Development 2015; 142:1606-15. [PMID: 25858457 DOI: 10.1242/dev.120238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Cell fate decisions are fundamental to the development of multicellular organisms. In mammals the first cell fate decision involves segregation of the pluripotent inner cell mass and the trophectoderm, a process regulated by cell polarity proteins, HIPPO signaling and lineage-specific transcription factors such as CDX2. However, the regulatory mechanisms that operate upstream to specify the trophectoderm lineage have not been established. Here we report that transcription factor AP-2γ (TFAP2C) functions as a novel upstream regulator of Cdx2 expression and position-dependent HIPPO signaling in mice. Loss- and gain-of-function studies and promoter analysis revealed that TFAP2C binding to an intronic enhancer is required for activation of Cdx2 expression during early development. During the 8-cell to morula transition TFAP2C potentiates cell polarity to suppress HIPPO signaling in the outside blastomeres. TFAP2C depletion triggered downregulation of PARD6B, loss of apical cell polarity, disorganization of F-actin, and activation of HIPPO signaling in the outside blastomeres. Rescue experiments using Pard6b mRNA restored cell polarity but only partially corrected position-dependent HIPPO signaling, suggesting that TFAP2C negatively regulates HIPPO signaling via multiple pathways. Several genes involved in regulation of the actin cytoskeleton (including Rock1, Rock2) were downregulated in TFAP2C-depleted embryos. Inhibition of ROCK1 and ROCK2 activity during the 8-cell to morula transition phenocopied TFAP2C knockdown, triggering a loss of position-dependent HIPPO signaling and decrease in Cdx2 expression. Altogether, these results demonstrate that TFAP2C facilitates trophectoderm lineage specification by functioning as a key regulator of Cdx2 transcription, cell polarity and position-dependent HIPPO signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zubing Cao
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Timothy S Carey
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Avishek Ganguly
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Reproductive Health and Regenerative Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Catherine A Wilson
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Soumen Paul
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Reproductive Health and Regenerative Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Jason G Knott
- Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Schneider HA, Gembruch U, Fimmers R, Schmitz J, Müller AM. Expression of AP-2γ in placentas of patients with preeclampsia and of smokers. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2014; 291:1015-21. [PMID: 25315380 DOI: 10.1007/s00404-014-3473-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2013] [Accepted: 09/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There is evidence of a probable key role of the activator protein-2 γ (AP-2γ) in placental development. It is still an open question whether AP-2γ expression may be influenced by preeclampsia, which is a serious pregnancy complication, or by smoking, which has deleterious effects on trophoblastic development. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thus, the expression of AP-2γ was studied in trophoblastic epithelium and endothelium of placentas from patients with preeclampsia (n = 43) and smokers (n = 45) as well as placentas of healthy pregnant women (control group, n = 26) between gestational ages 23 and 43 weeks. To allow differential expression in primary, secondary and tertiary villi, AP-2γ expression (arbitrary units) was determined immunohistologically. RESULTS In preeclamptic placentas trophoblastic as well as endothelial cells AP-2γ expression was significantly higher compared to that in control placentas. Endothelial AP-2γ expression in placentas from smokers was similar to that of healthy women while trophoblastic AP-2γ expression in smokers' placenta was insignificantly higher compared to that of control placentas. In all three groups expression rates of AP-2γ did not differ between primary, secondary and tertiary villi. CONCLUSION A correlation between increased trophoblastic and endothelial AP-2γ expression in patients with preeclampsia and reduced trophoblastic invasion and migration in preeclampsia has to be discussed. Furthermore, increased AP-2γ expression may play a protective role in preeclampsia, protecting from raised blood pressure. The tendency of an enhanced trophoblastic AP-2γ expression in smokers may indicate a compensatory response to the disturbed balance between proliferation and differentiation of villi induced by smoking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A Schneider
- Department of Pediatric Pathology, University Clinic Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
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Tai CI, Schulze EN, Ying QL. Stat3 signaling regulates embryonic stem cell fate in a dose-dependent manner. Biol Open 2014; 3:958-65. [PMID: 25238758 PMCID: PMC4197444 DOI: 10.1242/bio.20149514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Stat3 is essential for mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) self-renewal mediated by LIF/gp130 receptor signaling. Current understanding of Stat3-mediated ESC self-renewal mechanisms is very limited, and has heretofore been dominated by the view that Stat3 signaling functions in a binary "on/off" manner. Here, in contrast to this binary viewpoint, we demonstrate a contextual, rheostat-like mechanism for Stat3's function in mESCs. Activation and expression levels determine whether Stat3 functions in a self-renewal or a differentiation role in mESCs. We also show that Stat3 induces rapid differentiation of mESCs toward the trophectoderm (TE) lineage when its activation level exceeds certain thresholds. Stat3 induces this differentiation phenotype via induction of Tfap2c and its downstream target Cdx2. Our findings provide a novel concept in the realm of Stat3, self-renewal signaling, and pluripotent stem cell biology. Ultimately, this finding may facilitate the development of conditions for the establishment of authentic non-rodent ESCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-I Tai
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA Present address: Animal Biotechnology Interdisciplinary Group, Center for Veterinary Medicine, United States Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855, USA
| | - Eric N Schulze
- Present address: Animal Biotechnology Interdisciplinary Group, Center for Veterinary Medicine, United States Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855, USA
| | - Qi-Long Ying
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA Present address: Animal Biotechnology Interdisciplinary Group, Center for Veterinary Medicine, United States Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855, USA.
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Latos P, Hemberger M. Review: The transcriptional and signalling networks of mouse trophoblast stem cells. Placenta 2014; 35 Suppl:S81-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2013.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Revised: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 10/23/2013] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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