1
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McNamara HM, Jia BZ, Guyer A, Parot VJ, Dobbs C, Schier AF, Cohen AE, Lord ND. Optogenetic control of Nodal signaling patterns. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.11.588875. [PMID: 38645239 PMCID: PMC11030342 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.11.588875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
A crucial step in early embryogenesis is the establishment of spatial patterns of signaling activity. Tools to perturb morphogen signals with high resolution in space and time can help reveal how embryonic cells decode these signals to make appropriate fate decisions. Here, we present new optogenetic reagents and an experimental pipeline for creaHng designer Nodal signaling patterns in live zebrafish embryos. Nodal receptors were fused to the light-sensitive heterodimerizing pair Cry2/CIB1N, and the Type II receptor was sequestered to the cytosol. The improved optoNodal2 reagents eliminate dark activity and improve response kinetics, without sacrificing dynamic range. We adapted an ultra-widefield microscopy platform for parallel light patterning in up to 36 embryos and demonstrated precise spatial control over Nodal signaling activity and downstream gene expression. Patterned Nodal activation drove precisely controlled internalization of endodermal precursors. Further, we used patterned illumination to generate synthetic signaling patterns in Nodal signaling mutants, rescuing several characteristic developmental defects. This study establishes an experimental toolkit for systematic exploration of Nodal signaling patterns in live embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bill Z. Jia
- Department of Systems Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alison Guyer
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Vicente J. Parot
- Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Caleb Dobbs
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Adam E. Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nathan D. Lord
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
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2
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Emig AA, Hansen M, Grimm S, Coarfa C, Lord ND, Williams MK. Temporal dynamics of BMP/Nodal ratio drive tissue-specific gastrulation morphogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.06.579243. [PMID: 38370754 PMCID: PMC10871350 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.06.579243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Anteroposterior (AP) elongation of the vertebrate body plan is driven by convergence and extension (C&E) gastrulation movements in both the mesoderm and neuroectoderm, but how or whether molecular regulation of C&E differs between tissues remains an open question. Using a zebrafish explant model of AP axis extension, we show that C&E of the neuroectoderm and mesoderm can be uncoupled ex vivo, and that morphogenesis of individual tissues results from distinct morphogen signaling dynamics. Using precise temporal manipulation of BMP and Nodal signaling, we identify a critical developmental window during which high or low BMP/Nodal ratios induce neuroectoderm- or mesoderm-driven C&E, respectively. Increased BMP activity similarly enhances C&E specifically in the ectoderm of intact zebrafish gastrulae, highlighting the in vivo relevance of our findings. Together, these results demonstrate that temporal dynamics of BMP and Nodal morphogen signaling activate distinct morphogenetic programs governing C&E gastrulation movements within individual tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa A Emig
- Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Megan Hansen
- Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Sandra Grimm
- Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Cristian Coarfa
- Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Nathan D Lord
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Margot Kossmann Williams
- Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Previous address: Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
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3
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Gonzalez V, Grant MG, Suzuki M, Christophers B, Rowland Williams J, Burdine RD. Cooperation between Nodal and FGF signals regulates zebrafish cardiac cell migration and heart morphogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.05.574380. [PMID: 38260277 PMCID: PMC10802409 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.05.574380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Asymmetric vertebrate heart development is driven by an intricate sequence of morphogenetic cell movements, the coordination of which requires precise interpretation of signaling cues by heart primordia. Here we show that Nodal functions cooperatively with FGF during heart tube formation and asymmetric placement. Both pathways act as migratory stimuli for cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs), but FGF is dispensable for directing heart tube asymmetry, which is governed by Nodal. We further find that Nodal controls CPC migration by inducing left-right asymmetries in the formation of actin-based protrusions in CPCs. Additionally, we define a developmental window in which FGF signals are required for proper heart looping and show cooperativity between FGF and Nodal in this process. We present evidence FGF may promote heart looping through addition of the secondary heart field. Finally, we demonstrate that loss of FGF signaling affects proper development of the atrioventricular canal (AVC), which likely contributes to abnormal chamber morphologies in FGF-deficient hearts. Together, our data shed insight into how the spatiotemporal dynamics of signaling cues regulate the cellular behaviors underlying organ morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Gonzalez
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 08544
| | - Meagan G. Grant
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 08544
| | - Makoto Suzuki
- Amphibian Research Center, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan, 739-8526
| | - Briana Christophers
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 08544
| | - Jessica Rowland Williams
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 08544
- Current affiliation: National Institute for Student Success, at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303
| | - Rebecca D. Burdine
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 08544
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4
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Richardson L, Wilcockson SG, Guglielmi L, Hill CS. Context-dependent TGFβ family signalling in cell fate regulation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:876-894. [PMID: 37596501 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00638-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
The transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) family are a large group of evolutionarily conserved cytokines whose signalling modulates cell fate decision-making across varying cellular contexts at different stages of life. Here we discuss new findings in early embryos that reveal how, in contrast to our original understanding of morphogen interpretation, robust cell fate specification can originate from a noisy combination of signalling inputs and a broad range of signalling levels. We compare this evidence with novel findings on the roles of TGFβ family signalling in tissue maintenance and homeostasis during juvenile and adult life, spanning the skeletal, haemopoietic and immune systems. From these comparisons, it emerges that in contrast to robust developing systems, relatively small perturbations in TGFβ family signalling have detrimental effects at later stages in life, leading to aberrant cell fate specification and disease, for example in cancer or congenital disorders. Finally, we highlight novel strategies to target and amend dysfunction in signalling and discuss how gleaning knowledge from different fields of biology can help in the development of therapeutics for aberrant TGFβ family signalling in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Richardson
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Scott G Wilcockson
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Luca Guglielmi
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Division of Cell Biology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
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5
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Čapek D, Safroshkin M, Morales-Navarrete H, Toulany N, Arutyunov G, Kurzbach A, Bihler J, Hagauer J, Kick S, Jones F, Jordan B, Müller P. EmbryoNet: using deep learning to link embryonic phenotypes to signaling pathways. Nat Methods 2023:10.1038/s41592-023-01873-4. [PMID: 37156842 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01873-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways are essential for early embryogenesis, and reducing or abolishing their activity leads to characteristic developmental defects. Classification of phenotypic defects can identify the underlying signaling mechanisms, but this requires expert knowledge and the classification schemes have not been standardized. Here we use a machine learning approach for automated phenotyping to train a deep convolutional neural network, EmbryoNet, to accurately identify zebrafish signaling mutants in an unbiased manner. Combined with a model of time-dependent developmental trajectories, this approach identifies and classifies with high precision phenotypic defects caused by loss of function of the seven major signaling pathways relevant for vertebrate development. Our classification algorithms have wide applications in developmental biology and robustly identify signaling defects in evolutionarily distant species. Furthermore, using automated phenotyping in high-throughput drug screens, we show that EmbryoNet can resolve the mechanism of action of pharmaceutical substances. As part of this work, we freely provide more than 2 million images that were used to train and test EmbryoNet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Čapek
- Systems Biology of Development, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Hernán Morales-Navarrete
- Systems Biology of Development, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Nikan Toulany
- Systems Biology of Development, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Anica Kurzbach
- Systems Biology of Development, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Johanna Bihler
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julia Hagauer
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kick
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Felicity Jones
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ben Jordan
- Systems Biology of Development, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Patrick Müller
- Systems Biology of Development, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany.
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6
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Soomro A, Khajehei M, Li R, O’Neil K, Zhang D, Gao B, MacDonald M, Kakoki M, Krepinsky JC. A therapeutic target for CKD: activin A facilitates TGFβ1 profibrotic signaling. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2023; 28:10. [PMID: 36717814 PMCID: PMC9885651 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-023-00424-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND TGFβ1 is a major profibrotic mediator in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Its direct inhibition, however, is limited by adverse effects. Inhibition of activins, also members of the TGFβ superfamily, blocks TGFβ1 profibrotic effects, but the mechanism underlying this and the specific activin(s) involved are unknown. METHODS Cells were treated with TGFβ1 or activins A/B. Activins were inhibited generally with follistatin, or specifically with neutralizing antibodies or type I receptor downregulation. Cytokine levels, signaling and profibrotic responses were assessed with ELISA, immunofluorescence, immunoblotting and promoter luciferase reporters. Wild-type or TGFβ1-overexpressing mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) were treated with an activin A neutralizing antibody. RESULTS In primary mesangial cells, TGFβ1 induces secretion primarily of activin A, which enables longer-term profibrotic effects by enhancing Smad3 phosphorylation and transcriptional activity. This results from lack of cell refractoriness to activin A, unlike that for TGFβ1, and promotion of TGFβ type II receptor expression. Activin A also supports transcription through regulating non-canonical MRTF-A activation. TGFβ1 additionally induces secretion of activin A, but not B, from tubular cells, and activin A neutralization prevents the TGFβ1 profibrotic response in renal fibroblasts. Fibrosis induced by UUO is inhibited by activin A neutralization in wild-type mice. Worsened fibrosis in TGFβ1-overexpressing mice is associated with increased renal activin A expression and is inhibited to wild-type levels with activin A neutralization. CONCLUSIONS Activin A facilitates TGFβ1 profibrotic effects through regulation of both canonical (Smad3) and non-canonical (MRTF-A) signaling, suggesting it may be a novel therapeutic target for preventing fibrosis in CKD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asfia Soomro
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Mohammad Khajehei
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Renzhong Li
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Kian O’Neil
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Dan Zhang
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Bo Gao
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Melissa MacDonald
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Masao Kakoki
- grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Joan C. Krepinsky
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada ,grid.416721.70000 0001 0742 7355St. Joseph’s Hospital, 50 Charlton Ave East, Rm T3311, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6 Canada
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7
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Morales-Navarrete H, Müller P. Gastrulation: Nodal signaling controls ordered collective cell migration. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R1354-R1356. [PMID: 36538889 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
By combining classical embryological experiments, advanced imaging, and active-particle simulations, a new study reveals how the coupling of signaling and active mechanical forces triggers the collective ordered internalization of mesendoderm cells during gastrulation in zebrafish embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hernan Morales-Navarrete
- University of Konstanz, Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Patrick Müller
- University of Konstanz, Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany.
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8
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Economou AD, Guglielmi L, East P, Hill CS. Nodal signaling establishes a competency window for stochastic cell fate switching. Dev Cell 2022; 57:2604-2622.e5. [PMID: 36473458 PMCID: PMC7615190 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Specification of the germ layers by Nodal signaling has long been regarded as an archetype of how graded morphogens induce different cell fates. However, this deterministic model cannot explain why only a subset of cells at the early zebrafish embryo margin adopt the endodermal fate, whereas their immediate neighbours, experiencing a similar signaling environment, become mesoderm. Combining pharmacology, quantitative imaging and single cell transcriptomics, we demonstrate that sustained Nodal signaling establishes a bipotential progenitor state from which cells can switch to an endodermal fate or differentiate into mesoderm. Switching is a random event, the likelihood of which is modulated by Fgf signaling. This inherently imprecise mechanism nevertheless leads to robust endoderm formation because of buffering at later stages. Thus, in contrast to previous deterministic models of morphogen action, Nodal signaling establishes a temporal window when cells are competent to undergo a stochastic cell fate switch, rather than determining fate itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Economou
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Luca Guglielmi
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Philip East
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
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9
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Machacova S, Kozmik Z, Kozmikova I. Identification of Nodal-dependent enhancer of amphioxus Chordin sufficient to drive gene expression into the chordate dorsal organizer. Dev Genes Evol 2022; 232:137-145. [PMID: 36372862 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-022-00698-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The core molecular mechanisms of dorsal organizer formation during gastrulation are highly conserved within the chordate lineage. One of the key characteristics is that Nodal signaling is required for the organizer-specific gene expression. This feature appears to be ancestral, as evidenced by the presence in the most basally divergent chordate amphioxus. To provide a better understanding of the evolution of organizer-specific gene regulation in chordates, we analyzed the cis-regulatory sequence of amphioxus Chordin in the context of the vertebrate embryo. First, we generated stable zebrafish transgenic lines, and by using light-sheet fluorescent microscopy, characterized in detail the expression pattern of GFP driven by the cis-regulatory sequences of amphioxus Chordin. Next, we performed a 5'deletion analysis and identified an enhancer sufficient to drive the expression of the reporter gene into a chordate dorsal organizer. Finally, we found that the identified enhancer element strongly depends on Nodal signaling, which is consistent with the well-established role of this pathway in the regulation of the expression of dorsal organizer-specific genes across chordates. The enhancer identified in our study may represent a suitable simple system to study the interplay of the evolutionarily conserved regulatory mechanisms operating during early chordate development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Machacova
- Laboratory of Transcriptional Regulation, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 4, Videnska, 1083, Czech Republic
| | - Zbynek Kozmik
- Laboratory of Transcriptional Regulation, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 4, Videnska, 1083, Czech Republic
| | - Iryna Kozmikova
- Laboratory of Transcriptional Regulation, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 4, Videnska, 1083, Czech Republic.
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10
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Nguyen NM, Merle T, Broders-Bondon F, Brunet AC, Battistella A, Land EBL, Sarron F, Jha A, Gennisson JL, Röttinger E, Fernández-Sánchez ME, Farge E. Mechano-biochemical marine stimulation of inversion, gastrulation, and endomesoderm specification in multicellular Eukaryota. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:992371. [PMID: 36531949 PMCID: PMC9754125 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.992371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary emergence of the primitive gut in Metazoa is one of the decisive events that conditioned the major evolutionary transition, leading to the origin of animal development. It is thought to have been induced by the specification of the endomesoderm (EM) into the multicellular tissue and its invagination (i.e., gastrulation). However, the biochemical signals underlying the evolutionary emergence of EM specification and gastrulation remain unknown. Herein, we find that hydrodynamic mechanical strains, reminiscent of soft marine flow, trigger active tissue invagination/gastrulation or curvature reversal via a Myo-II-dependent mechanotransductive process in both the metazoan Nematostella vectensis (cnidaria) and the multicellular choanoflagellate Choanoeca flexa. In the latter, our data suggest that the curvature reversal is associated with a sensory-behavioral feeding response. Additionally, like in bilaterian animals, gastrulation in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis is shown to participate in the biochemical specification of the EM through mechanical activation of the β-catenin pathway via the phosphorylation of Y654-βcatenin. Choanoflagellates are considered the closest living relative to metazoans, and the common ancestor of choanoflagellates and metazoans dates back at least 700 million years. Therefore, the present findings using these evolutionarily distant species suggest that the primitive emergence of the gut in Metazoa may have been initiated in response to marine mechanical stress already in multicellular pre-Metazoa. Then, the evolutionary transition may have been achieved by specifying the EM via a mechanosensitive Y654-βcatenin dependent mechanism, which appeared during early Metazoa evolution and is specifically conserved in all animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc Minh Nguyen
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic Development Group, Institut Curie, Centre OCAV PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Tatiana Merle
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic Development Group, Institut Curie, Centre OCAV PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Florence Broders-Bondon
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic Development Group, Institut Curie, Centre OCAV PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Anne-Christine Brunet
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic Development Group, Institut Curie, Centre OCAV PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Aude Battistella
- Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cells Platform, Institut Curie, CNRS, UMR 168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Emelie Britt Linnea Land
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic Development Group, Institut Curie, Centre OCAV PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Florian Sarron
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Aditya Jha
- Laboratoire Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (PMMH), CNRS, ESPCI ParisTech, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Luc Gennisson
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, Orsay, France
| | - Eric Röttinger
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, INSERM, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging (IRCAN), Nice, France
- Université Côte d’Azur, Institut Fédératif de Recherche Ressources Marines (IFR MARRES), Nice, France
| | - María Elena Fernández-Sánchez
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic Development Group, Institut Curie, Centre OCAV PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Farge
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic Development Group, Institut Curie, Centre OCAV PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
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11
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Xing C, Shen W, Gong B, Li Y, Yan L, Meng A. Maternal Factors and Nodal Autoregulation Orchestrate Nodal Gene Expression for Embryonic Mesendoderm Induction in the Zebrafish. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:887987. [PMID: 35693948 PMCID: PMC9178097 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.887987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nodal proteins provide crucial signals for mesoderm and endoderm induction. In zebrafish embryos, the nodal genes ndr1/squint and ndr2/cyclops are implicated in mesendoderm induction. It remains elusive how ndr1 and ndr2 expression is regulated spatiotemporally. Here we investigated regulation of ndr1 and ndr2 expression using Mhwa mutants that lack the maternal dorsal determinant Hwa with deficiency in β-catenin signaling, Meomesa mutants that lack maternal Eomesodermin A (Eomesa), Meomesa;Mhwa double mutants, and the Nodal signaling inhibitor SB431542. We show that ndr1 and ndr2 expression is completely abolished in Meomesa;Mhwa mutant embryos, indicating an essential role of maternal eomesa and hwa. Hwa-activated β-catenin signaling plays a major role in activation of ndr1 expression in the dorsal blastodermal margin, while eomesa is mostly responsible for ndr1 expression in the lateroventral margin and Nodal signaling contributes to ventral expansion of the ndr1 expression domain. However, ndr2 expression mainly depends on maternal eomesa with minor or negligible contribution of maternal hwa and Nodal autoregulation. These mechanisms may help understand regulation of Nodal expression in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cencan Xing
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Daxing Research Institute, University of Science and Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Weimin Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Gong
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yaqi Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Yan
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Anming Meng
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Anming Meng,
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12
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Coda DM, Patel H, Gori I, Gaarenstroom TE, Song OR, Howell M, Hill CS. A network of transcription factors governs the dynamics of NODAL/Activin transcriptional responses. J Cell Sci 2022; 135:jcs259972. [PMID: 35302162 PMCID: PMC9080556 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.259972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
SMAD2, an effector of the NODAL/Activin signalling pathway, regulates developmental processes by sensing distinct chromatin states and interacting with different transcriptional partners. However, the network of factors that controls SMAD2 chromatin binding and shapes its transcriptional programme over time is poorly characterised. Here, we combine ATAC-seq with computational footprinting to identify temporal changes in chromatin accessibility and transcription factor activity upon NODAL/Activin signalling. We show that SMAD2 binding induces chromatin opening genome wide. We discover footprints for FOXI3, FOXO3 and ZIC3 at the SMAD2-bound enhancers of the early response genes, Pmepa1 and Wnt3, respectively, and demonstrate their functionality. Finally, we determine a mechanism by which NODAL/Activin signalling induces delayed gene expression, by uncovering a self-enabling transcriptional cascade whereby activated SMADs, together with ZIC3, induce the expression of Wnt3. The resultant activated WNT pathway then acts together with the NODAL/Activin pathway to regulate expression of delayed target genes in prolonged NODAL/Activin signalling conditions. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide M. Coda
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Harshil Patel
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ilaria Gori
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Tessa E. Gaarenstroom
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ok-Ryul Song
- High Throughput Screening Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Michael Howell
- High Throughput Screening Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Caroline S. Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
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13
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Hill CS. Establishment and interpretation of NODAL and BMP signaling gradients in early vertebrate development. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 149:311-340. [PMID: 35606059 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family ligands play crucial roles in orchestrating early embryonic development. Most significantly, two family members, NODAL and BMP form signaling gradients and indeed in fish, frogs and sea urchins these two opposing gradients are sufficient to organize a complete embryonic axis. This review focuses on how these gradients are established and interpreted during early vertebrate development. The review highlights key principles that are emerging, in particular the importance of signaling duration as well as ligand concentration in both gradient generation and their interpretation. Feedforward and feedback loops involving other signaling pathways are also essential for providing spatial and temporal information downstream of the NODAL and BMP signaling pathways. Finally, new data suggest the existence of buffering mechanisms, whereby early signaling defects can be readily corrected downstream later in development, suggesting that signaling gradients do not have to be as precise as previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
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14
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Jones WD, Mullins MC. Cell signaling pathways controlling an axis organizing center in the zebrafish. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 150:149-209. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2022.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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15
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Martin BL. Mesoderm induction and patterning: Insights from neuromesodermal progenitors. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 127:37-45. [PMID: 34840081 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of mesoderm inducing signals helped usher in the era of molecular developmental biology, and today the mechanisms of mesoderm induction and patterning are still intensely studied. Mesoderm induction begins during gastrulation, but recent evidence in vertebrates shows that this process continues after gastrulation in a group of posteriorly localized cells called neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs). NMPs reside within the post-gastrulation embryonic structure called the tailbud, where they make a lineage decision between ectoderm (spinal cord) and mesoderm. The majority of NMP-derived mesoderm generates somites, but also contributes to lateral mesoderm fates such as endothelium. The discovery of NMPs provides a new paradigm in which to study vertebrate mesoderm induction. This review will discuss mechanisms of mesoderm induction within NMPs, and how they have informed our understanding of mesoderm induction more broadly within vertebrates as well as animal species outside of the vertebrate lineage. Special focus will be given to the signaling networks underlying NMP-derived mesoderm induction and patterning, as well as emerging work on the significance of partial epithelial-mesenchymal states in coordinating cell fate and morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L Martin
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, USA.
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16
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Hasanpour S, Eagderi S, Poorbagher H, Angrand PO, Hasanpour M, Lashkarbolok M. The effect of Activin pathway modulation on the expression of both pluripotency and differentiation markers during early zebrafish development compared with other vertebrates. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2021; 336:562-575. [PMID: 34254429 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Activin-like factors control many developmental processes, including pluripotency maintenance and differentiation. Although Activin-like factors' action in mesendoderm induction has been demonstrated in zebrafish, their involvement in preserving the stemness remains unknown. To investigate the role of maternal Activin-like factors, their effects were promoted or blocked using synthetic human Activin A or SB-431542 treatments respectively until the maternal to zygotic transition. To study the role of zygotic Activin-like factors, SB-431542 treatment was also applied after the maternal to zygotic transition. The effect of the pharmacological modulations of the Activin/Smad pathway was then studied on the mRNA expressions of the ndr1, ndr2, tbxta (no tail/ntl) as the differentiation index, mych, nanog, and oct4 (pou5f3) as the pluripotency markers of the zebrafish embryonic cells as well as sox17 as a definitive endoderm marker. Expression of the target genes was measured at the 16-cell, 256-cell, 1K-cell, oblong, dome, and shield stages using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Activation of the maternal Activin signaling pathway led to an increase in zygotic expression of the tbxta, particularly marked at the oblong stage. In other words, promotion of the maternal Activin/Smad pathway induced differentiation by advancing the major peaks of ndr1 and nanog, thereby eliciting tbxta expression. Whereas suppression of the maternal or zygotic Activin/Smad pathway sustained the pluripotency by preventing the major peaks of ndr1 and nanog as well as tbxta encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaghayegh Hasanpour
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.,Development and Biosystematic Lab., Department of Fisheries and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Soheil Eagderi
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Hadi Poorbagher
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Pierre-Olivier Angrand
- Univ Lille, CNRS UMR 9020, Inserm UMR-S 1277, CHU Lille, Centre Oscar Lambret, UMR Canther-Cancer Heterogeneity, Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, Lille, France
| | - Mohammad Hasanpour
- Department of Neurosurgery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Lashkarbolok
- Department of Radiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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17
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Marelli F, Rurale G, Persani L. From Endoderm to Progenitors: An Update on the Early Steps of Thyroid Morphogenesis in the Zebrafish. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:664557. [PMID: 34149617 PMCID: PMC8213386 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.664557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying thyroid gland development have a central interest in biology and this review is aimed to provide an update on the recent advancements on the early steps of thyroid differentiation that were obtained in the zebrafish, because this teleost fish revealed to be a suitable organism to study the early developmental stages. Physiologically, the thyroid precursors fate is delineated by the appearance among the endoderm cells of the foregut of a restricted cell population expressing specific transcription factors, including pax2a, nkx2.4b, and hhex. The committed thyroid primordium first appears as a thickening of the pharyngeal floor of the anterior endoderm, that subsequently detaches from the floor and migrates to its final location where it gives rise to the thyroid hormone-producing follicles. At variance with mammalian models, thyroid precursor differentiation in zebrafish occurs early during the developmental process before the dislocation to the eutopic positioning of thyroid follicles. Several pathways have been implicated in these early events and nowadays there is evidence of a complex crosstalk between intrinsic (coming from the endoderm and thyroid precursors) and extrinsic factors (coming from surrounding tissues, as the cardiac mesoderm) whose organization in time and space is probably required for the proper thyroid development. In particular, Notch, Shh, Fgf, Bmp, and Wnt signaling seems to be required for the commitment of endodermal cells to a thyroid fate at specific developmental windows of zebrafish embryo. Here, we summarize the recent findings produced in the various zebrafish experimental models with the aim to define a comprehensive picture of such complicated puzzle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Marelli
- Dipartimento di Malattie Endocrine e del Metabolismo, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano - LITA, Segrate, Italy
| | - Giuditta Rurale
- Dipartimento di Malattie Endocrine e del Metabolismo, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Persani
- Dipartimento di Malattie Endocrine e del Metabolismo, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano - LITA, Segrate, Italy
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18
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Integration of Nodal and BMP Signaling by Mutual Signaling Effector Antagonism. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107487. [PMID: 32268105 PMCID: PMC7166084 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.03.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Opposing sources of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and Nodal signaling molecules are sufficient to induce the formation of a full axis in zebrafish embryos. To address how these signals orchestrate patterning, we transplant sources of fluorescently tagged Nodal and BMP into zebrafish embryos, robustly inducing the formation of secondary axes. Nodal and BMP signal non-cell-autonomously and form similar protein gradients in this context, but the signaling range of Nodal (pSmad2) is shorter than the BMP range (pSmad5). This yields a localized region of pSmad2 activity around the Nodal source, overlapping with a broad domain of pSmad5 activity across the embryo. Cell fates induced in various regions stereotypically correlate with pSmad2-to-pSmad5 ratios and can even be induced BMP- and Nodal-independently with different ratios of constitutively active Smad2 and Smad5. Strikingly, we find that Smad2 and Smad5 antagonize each other for specific cell fates, providing a mechanism for how cells integrate and discriminate between overlapping signals during development. Nodal induces pSmad at a shorter range than BMP due to slower activation kinetics Different ratios of active Smad2 and Smad5 can induce different embryonic structures Smad2 and Smad5 inhibit each other or act synergistically to induce specific cell fates
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19
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Moreno-Ayala R, Olivares-Chauvet P, Schäfer R, Junker JP. Variability of an Early Developmental Cell Population Underlies Stochastic Laterality Defects. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108606. [PMID: 33440143 PMCID: PMC7809618 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development seemingly proceeds with almost perfect precision. However, it is largely unknown how much underlying microscopic variability is compatible with normal development. Here, we quantify embryo-to-embryo variability in vertebrate development by studying cell number variation in the zebrafish endoderm. We notice that the size of a sub-population of the endoderm, the dorsal forerunner cells (DFCs, which later form the left-right organizer), exhibits significantly more embryo-to-embryo variation than the rest of the endoderm. We find that, with incubation of the embryos at elevated temperature, the frequency of left-right laterality defects is increased drastically in embryos with a low number of DFCs. Furthermore, we observe that these fluctuations have a large stochastic component among fish of the same genetic background. Hence, a stochastic variation in early development leads to a remarkably strong macroscopic phenotype. These fluctuations appear to be associated with maternal effects in the specification of the DFCs. High embryo-to-embryo variability of dorsal forerunner cell numbers Fluctuations of dorsal forerunner cells have a large stochastic component Embryos with fewer dorsal forerunner cells frequently develop laterality defects Variability of dorsal forerunner cell numbers is associated to maternal effects
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Moreno-Ayala
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Hannoversche Strasse 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Pedro Olivares-Chauvet
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Hannoversche Strasse 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ronny Schäfer
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Hannoversche Strasse 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Philipp Junker
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Hannoversche Strasse 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
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20
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Rogers KW, ElGamacy M, Jordan BM, Müller P. Optogenetic investigation of BMP target gene expression diversity. eLife 2020; 9:58641. [PMID: 33174840 PMCID: PMC7728441 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling molecules activate distinct patterns of gene expression to coordinate embryogenesis, but how spatiotemporal expression diversity is generated is an open question. In zebrafish, a BMP signaling gradient patterns the dorsal-ventral axis. We systematically identified target genes responding to BMP and found that they have diverse spatiotemporal expression patterns. Transcriptional responses to optogenetically delivered high- and low-amplitude BMP signaling pulses indicate that spatiotemporal expression is not fully defined by different BMP signaling activation thresholds. Additionally, we observed negligible correlations between spatiotemporal expression and transcription kinetics for the majority of analyzed genes in response to BMP signaling pulses. In contrast, spatial differences between BMP target genes largely collapsed when FGF and Nodal signaling were inhibited. Our results suggest that, similar to other patterning systems, combinatorial signaling is likely to be a major driver of spatial diversity in BMP-dependent gene expression in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine W Rogers
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mohammad ElGamacy
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.,Modeling Tumorigenesis Group, Translational Oncology Division, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Heliopolis Biotechnology Ltd, London, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin M Jordan
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Patrick Müller
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany.,Modeling Tumorigenesis Group, Translational Oncology Division, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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21
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Transient Nodal Signaling in Left Precursors Coordinates Opposed Asymmetries Shaping the Heart Loop. Dev Cell 2020; 55:413-431.e6. [PMID: 33171097 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The secreted factor Nodal, known as a major left determinant, is associated with severe heart defects. Yet, it has been unclear how it regulates asymmetric morphogenesis such as heart looping, which align cardiac chambers to establish the double blood circulation. Here, we report that Nodal is transiently active in precursors of the mouse heart tube poles, before looping. In conditional mutants, we show that Nodal is not required to initiate asymmetric morphogenesis. We provide evidence of a heart-specific random generator of asymmetry that is independent of Nodal. Using 3D quantifications and simulations, we demonstrate that Nodal functions as a bias of this mechanism: it is required to amplify and coordinate opposed left-right asymmetries at the heart tube poles, thus generating a robust helical shape. We identify downstream effectors of Nodal signaling, regulating asymmetries in cell proliferation, differentiation, and extracellular matrix composition. Our study uncovers how Nodal regulates asymmetric organogenesis.
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22
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Ghorbani-Dalini S, Azarpira N, Sangtarash MH, Soleimanpour-Lichaei HR, Yaghobi R, Lorzadeh S, Sabet A, Sarshar M, Al-Abdullah IH. Optimization of activin-A: a breakthrough in differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell into definitive endoderm. 3 Biotech 2020; 10:215. [PMID: 32355589 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-020-02215-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The first step in differentiation of pluripotent stem cell toward endoderm-derived cell/organ is differentiation to definitive endoderm (DE) which is the central issue in developmental biology. Based on several evidences, we hypothesized that activin-A optimization as well as replacement of fetal bovine serum (FBS) with knockout serum replacement (KSR) is important for differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line into DE. Therefore, a stepwise differentiation protocol was applied on R1-hiPSC1 cell line. At first, activin-A concentration (30, 50, 70 and 100 ng/ml) was optimized. Then, substitution of FBS with KSR was evaluated across four treatment groups. The amount of differentiation of iPSC toward DE was determined by quantitative gene expression analyses of pluripotency (NANOG and OCT4), definitive endoderm (SOX17 and FOXA2) and endoderm-derived organs (PDX1, NEUROG3, and PAX6). Based on gene expression analyses, the more decrease in concentrations of activin-A can increase the differentiation of iPSC into DE, therefore, 30 ng/ml activin-A was chosen as the best concentration for the differentiation of R1-hiPSC1 line toward endoderm-derived organ. Moreover, complete replacement of FBS with gradually increased KSR improved the differentiation of iPSC toward DE. For this reason, the addition of 0% KSR at day 1, 0.2% at day 2 and 2% for the next 3 days was the best optimal protocol of the differentiation of iPSC toward DE. Overall, our results demonstrate that optimization of activin-A is important for differentiation of iPSC line. Furthermore, the replacement of FBS with KSR can improve the efficiency of iPSC differentiation toward DE.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Negar Azarpira
- 1Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Hamid Reza Soleimanpour-Lichaei
- 3Department of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ramin Yaghobi
- 1Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Shahrokh Lorzadeh
- 1Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Alice Sabet
- 1Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Meysam Sarshar
- 4Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory Affiliated to Institute Pasteur Italia-Cenci Bolognetti Foundation, 00185 Rome, Italy
- 5Microbiology Research Center (MRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, 1316943551 Tehran, Iran
| | - Ismail H Al-Abdullah
- 6Department of Translational Research and Cellular Therapeutics, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, USA
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23
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Williams ML, Solnica-Krezel L. Nodal and planar cell polarity signaling cooperate to regulate zebrafish convergence and extension gastrulation movements. eLife 2020; 9:54445. [PMID: 32319426 PMCID: PMC7250581 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
During vertebrate gastrulation, convergence and extension (C and E) of the primary anteroposterior (AP) embryonic axis is driven by polarized mediolateral (ML) cell intercalations and is influenced by AP axial patterning. Nodal signaling is essential for patterning of the AP axis while planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling polarizes cells with respect to this axis, but how these two signaling systems interact during C and E is unclear. We find that the neuroectoderm of Nodal-deficient zebrafish gastrulae exhibits reduced C and E cell behaviors, which require Nodal signaling in both cell- and non-autonomous fashions. PCP signaling is partially active in Nodal-deficient embryos and its inhibition exacerbates their C and E defects. Within otherwise naïve zebrafish blastoderm explants, however, Nodal induces C and E in a largely PCP-dependent manner, arguing that Nodal acts both upstream of and in parallel with PCP during gastrulation to regulate embryonic axis extension cooperatively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot Lk Williams
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
| | - Lilianna Solnica-Krezel
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
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24
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Schauer A, Pinheiro D, Hauschild R, Heisenberg CP. Zebrafish embryonic explants undergo genetically encoded self-assembly. eLife 2020; 9:55190. [PMID: 32250246 PMCID: PMC7190352 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic stem cell cultures are thought to self-organize into embryoid bodies, able to undergo symmetry-breaking, germ layer specification and even morphogenesis. Yet, it is unclear how to reconcile this remarkable self-organization capacity with classical experiments demonstrating key roles for extrinsic biases by maternal factors and/or extraembryonic tissues in embryogenesis. Here, we show that zebrafish embryonic tissue explants, prepared prior to germ layer induction and lacking extraembryonic tissues, can specify all germ layers and form a seemingly complete mesendoderm anlage. Importantly, explant organization requires polarized inheritance of maternal factors from dorsal-marginal regions of the blastoderm. Moreover, induction of endoderm and head-mesoderm, which require peak Nodal-signaling levels, is highly variable in explants, reminiscent of embryos with reduced Nodal signals from the extraembryonic tissues. Together, these data suggest that zebrafish explants do not undergo bona fide self-organization, but rather display features of genetically encoded self-assembly, where intrinsic genetic programs control the emergence of order.
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25
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Qi D, Shi W, Black AR, Kuss MA, Pang X, He Y, Liu B, Duan B. Repair and regeneration of small intestine: A review of current engineering approaches. Biomaterials 2020; 240:119832. [PMID: 32113114 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.119832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The small intestine (SI) is difficult to regenerate or reconstruct due to its complex structure and functions. Recent developments in stem cell research, advanced engineering technologies, and regenerative medicine strategies bring new hope of solving clinical problems of the SI. This review will first summarize the structure, function, development, cell types, and matrix components of the SI. Then, the major cell sources for SI regeneration are introduced, and state-of-the-art biofabrication technologies for generating engineered SI tissues or models are overviewed. Furthermore, in vitro models and in vivo transplantation, based on intestinal organoids and tissue engineering, are highlighted. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives are discussed to help direct future applications for SI repair and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianjun Qi
- Department of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China; Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Wen Shi
- Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Adrian R Black
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Mitchell A Kuss
- Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Xining Pang
- Department of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China; Department of Academician Expert Workstation and Liaoning Province Human Amniotic Membrane Dressings Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Engineering Research Center, Shenyang Amnion Biological Engineering Technology Research and Development Center Co., Ltd, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Yini He
- Department of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Bing Liu
- Department of Anorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Bin Duan
- Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
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26
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27
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Rogers KW, Müller P. Optogenetic approaches to investigate spatiotemporal signaling during development. Curr Top Dev Biol 2019; 137:37-77. [PMID: 32143750 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2019.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Embryogenesis is coordinated by signaling pathways that pattern the developing organism. Many aspects of this process are not fully understood, including how signaling molecules spread through embryonic tissues, how signaling amplitude and dynamics are decoded, and how multiple signaling pathways cooperate to pattern the body plan. Optogenetic approaches can be used to address these questions by providing precise experimental control over a variety of biological processes. Here, we review how these strategies have provided new insights into developmental signaling and discuss how they could contribute to future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine W Rogers
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Müller
- Systems Biology of Development Group, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany; Modeling Tumorigenesis Group, Translational Oncology Division, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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28
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Wu J, Matthias N, Lo J, Ortiz-Vitali JL, Shieh AW, Wang SH, Darabi R. A Myogenic Double-Reporter Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Line Allows Prospective Isolation of Skeletal Muscle Progenitors. Cell Rep 2019; 25:1966-1981.e4. [PMID: 30428361 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.10.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Myogenic differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has been done by gene overexpression or directed differentiation. However, viral integration, long-term culture, and the presence of unwanted cells are the main obstacles. By using CRISPR/Cas9n, a double-reporter human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line was generated for PAX7/MYF5, allowing prospective readout. This strategy allowed pathway screen to define efficient myogenic induction in hPSCs. Next, surface marker screen allowed identification of CD10 and CD24 for purification of myogenic progenitors and exclusion of non-myogenic cells. CD10 expression was also identified on human satellite cells and skeletal muscle progenitors. In vitro and in vivo studies using transgene and/or reporter-free hPSCs further validated myogenic potential of the cells by formation of new fibers expressing human dystrophin as well as donor-derived satellite cells in NSG-mdx4Cv mice. This study provides biological insights for myogenic differentiation of hPSCs using a double-reporter cell resource and defines an improved myogenic differentiation and purification strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbo Wu
- Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nadine Matthias
- Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jonathan Lo
- Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jose L Ortiz-Vitali
- Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Annie W Shieh
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Sidney H Wang
- Center for Human Genetics, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Radbod Darabi
- Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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29
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Economou AD, Hill CS. Temporal dynamics in the formation and interpretation of Nodal and BMP morphogen gradients. Curr Top Dev Biol 2019; 137:363-389. [PMID: 32143749 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2019.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
One of the most powerful ideas in developmental biology has been that of the morphogen gradient. In the classical view, a signaling molecule is produced at a local source from where it diffuses, resulting in graded levels across the tissue. This gradient provides positional information, with thresholds in the level of the morphogen determining the position of different cell fates. While experimental studies have uncovered numerous potential morphogens in biological systems, it is becoming increasingly apparent that one important feature, not captured in the simple model, is the role of time in both the formation and interpretation of morphogen gradients. We will focus on two members of the transforming growth factor-β family that are known to play a vital role as morphogens in early vertebrate development: the Nodals and the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). Primarily drawing on the early zebrafish embryo, we will show how recent studies have demonstrated the importance of feedback and other interactions that evolve through time, in shaping morphogen gradients. We will further show how rather than simply reading out levels of a morphogen, the duration of ligand exposure can be a crucial determinant of how cells interpret morphogens, in particular through the unfolding of downstream transcriptional events and in their interactions with other pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Economou
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
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30
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Haerlingen B, Opitz R, Vandernoot I, Trubiroha A, Gillotay P, Giusti N, Costagliola S. Small-Molecule Screening in Zebrafish Embryos Identifies Signaling Pathways Regulating Early Thyroid Development. Thyroid 2019; 29:1683-1703. [PMID: 31507237 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2019.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Background: Defects in embryonic development of the thyroid gland are a major cause for congenital hypothyroidism in human newborns, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. Organ development relies on a tightly regulated interplay between extrinsic signaling cues and cell intrinsic factors. At present, however, there is limited knowledge about the specific extrinsic signaling cues that regulate foregut endoderm patterning, thyroid cell specification, and subsequent morphogenetic processes in thyroid development. Methods: To begin to address this problem in a systematic way, we used zebrafish embryos to perform a series of in vivo phenotype-driven chemical genetic screens to identify signaling cues regulating early thyroid development. For this purpose, we treated zebrafish embryos during different developmental periods with a panel of small-molecule compounds known to manipulate the activity of major signaling pathways and scored phenotypic deviations in thyroid, endoderm, and cardiovascular development using whole-mount in situ hybridization and transgenic fluorescent reporter models. Results: Systematic assessment of drugged embryos recovered a range of thyroid phenotypes including expansion, reduction or lack of the early thyroid anlage, defective thyroid budding, as well as hypoplastic, enlarged, or overtly disorganized presentation of the thyroid primordium after budding. Our pharmacological screening identified bone morphogenetic protein and fibroblast growth factor signaling as key factors for thyroid specification and early thyroid organogenesis, highlighted the importance of low Wnt activities during early development for thyroid specification, and implicated drug-induced cardiac and vascular anomalies as likely indirect mechanisms causing various forms of thyroid dysgenesis. Conclusions: By integrating the outcome of our screening efforts with previously available information from other model organisms including Xenopus, chicken, and mouse, we conclude that signaling cues regulating thyroid development appear broadly conserved across vertebrates. We therefore expect that observations made in zebrafish can inform mammalian models of thyroid organogenesis to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of congenital thyroid diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Haerlingen
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert Opitz
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Institute of Experimental Pediatric Endocrinology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Vandernoot
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Achim Trubiroha
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre Gillotay
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nicoletta Giusti
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sabine Costagliola
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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31
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Abstract
Soon after fertilization the zebrafish embryo generates the pool of cells that will give rise to the germline and the three somatic germ layers of the embryo (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm). As the basic body plan of the vertebrate embryo emerges, evolutionarily conserved developmental signaling pathways, including Bmp, Nodal, Wnt, and Fgf, direct the nearly totipotent cells of the early embryo to adopt gene expression profiles and patterns of cell behavior specific to their eventual fates. Several decades of molecular genetics research in zebrafish has yielded significant insight into the maternal and zygotic contributions and mechanisms that pattern this vertebrate embryo. This new understanding is the product of advances in genetic manipulations and imaging technologies that have allowed the field to probe the cellular, molecular and biophysical aspects underlying early patterning. The current state of the field indicates that patterning is governed by the integration of key signaling pathways and physical interactions between cells, rather than a patterning system in which distinct pathways are deployed to specify a particular cell fate. This chapter focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the genetic and molecular control of the events that impart cell identity and initiate the patterning of tissues that are prerequisites for or concurrent with movements of gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence L Marlow
- Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, New York, NY, United States.
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32
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Characterization of paralogous uncx transcription factor encoding genes in zebrafish. Gene X 2019; 721S:100011. [PMID: 31193955 PMCID: PMC6543554 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.100011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The paired-type homeodomain transcription factor Uncx is involved in multiple processes of embryogenesis in vertebrates. Reasoning that zebrafish genes uncx4.1 and uncx are orthologs of mouse Uncx, we studied their genomic environment and developmental expression. Evolutionary analyses indicate the zebrafish uncx genes as being paralogs deriving from teleost-specific whole-genome duplication. Whole-mount in situ mRNA hybridization of uncx transcripts in zebrafish embryos reveals novel expression domains, confirms those previously known, and suggests sub-functionalization of paralogs. Using genetic mutants and pharmacological inhibitors, we investigate the role of signaling pathways on the expression of zebrafish uncx genes in developing somites. In identifying putative functional role(s) of zebrafish uncx genes, we hypothesized that they encode transcription factors that coordinate growth and innervation of somitic muscles. The Uncx4.1 and Uncx genes derive from the teleost-specific whole-genome duplication. Uncx genes are expressed during embryogenesis in unique and overlapping domains. Uncx gene expression during somite differentiation is regulated by FGF signaling. Synteny and expression profiles correlate Uncx genes with axon guidance.
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Key Words
- AP, antero-posterior
- Ace, acerebellar
- CAMP, conserved ancestral microsyntenic pairs
- CNE, conserved non-coding elements
- CRM, cis-regulatory module
- CS, Corpuscle of Stannius
- CaP, caudal primary motor neuron axons
- Ce, cerebellum
- Development
- Di, diencephalon
- Elfn1, Extracellular Leucine Rich Repeat And Fibronectin Type III Domain Containing 1
- Ey, eye
- FB, forebrain
- FGF, fibroblast growth factor
- Flh, floating head
- HB, hindbrain
- HM, hybridization mix
- Hy, hypothalamus
- MO, morpholino
- Mical, molecule interacting with CasL
- No, notochord
- OP, olfactory placode
- OT, optic tectum
- PA, pharyngeal arches
- PSM, presomitic mesoderm
- SC, spinal cord
- Shh, sonic hedgehog
- Signaling pathway
- So, somites
- Synteny
- TSGD
- TSGD, teleost-specific genome duplication
- Te, telencephalon
- Th, thalamus
- Uncx
- VLP, ventro-lateral-posterior
- WIHC, whole-mount immunohistochemistry
- WISH, whole-mount in situ hybridization
- YE, yolk extension
- Yo, yolk
- Zebrafish
- cyc, cyclops
- fss, fused-somites
- hpf, hours post fertilization
- ptc, patched
- smu, slow-muscle-omitted
- syu, sonic-you
- yot, you-too
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33
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Liu Z, Woo S, Weiner OD. Nodal signaling has dual roles in fate specification and directed migration during germ layer segregation in zebrafish. Development 2018; 145:dev.163535. [PMID: 30111654 DOI: 10.1242/dev.163535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
During gastrulation, endodermal cells actively migrate to the interior of the embryo, but the signals that initiate and coordinate this migration are poorly understood. By transplanting ectopically induced endodermal cells far from the normal location of endoderm specification, we identified the inputs that drive internalization without the confounding influences of fate specification and global morphogenic movements. We find that Nodal signaling triggers an autocrine circuit for initiating endodermal internalization. Activation of the Nodal receptor directs endodermal specification through sox32 and also induces expression of more Nodal ligands. These ligands act in an autocrine fashion to initiate endodermal cell sorting. Our work defines an 'AND' gate consisting of sox32-dependent endodermal specification and Nodal ligand reception controlling endodermal cell sorting to the inner layer of the embryo at the onset of gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zairan Liu
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Stephanie Woo
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Orion D Weiner
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA .,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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34
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Ren X, Hamilton N, Müller F, Yamamoto Y. Cellular rearrangement of the prechordal plate contributes to eye degeneration in the cavefish. Dev Biol 2018; 441:221-234. [PMID: 30031755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Astyanax mexicanus consists of two different populations: a sighted surface-dwelling form (surface fish) and a blind cave-dwelling form (cavefish). In the cavefish, embryonic expression of sonic hedgehog a (shha) in the prechordal plate is expanded towards the anterior midline, which has been shown to contribute to cavefish specific traits such as eye degeneration, enhanced feeding apparatus, and specialized brain anatomy. However, it is not clear how this expanded expression is achieved and which signaling pathways are involved. Nodal signaling has a crucial role for expression of shh and formation of the prechordal plate. In this study, we report increased expression of prechordal plate marker genes, nodal-related 2 (ndr2) and goosecoid (gsc) in cavefish embryos at the tailbud stage. To investigate whether Nodal signaling is responsible for the anterior expansion of the prechordal plate, we used an inhibitor of Nodal signaling and showed a decreased anterior expansion of the prechordal plate and increased pax6 expression in the anterior midline in treated cavefish embryos. Later in development, the lens and optic cup of treated embryos were significantly larger than untreated embryos. Conversely, increasing Nodal signaling in the surface fish embryo resulted in the expansion of anterior prechordal plate and reduction of pax6 expression in the anterior neural plate together with the formation of small lenses and optic cups later in development. These results confirmed that Nodal signaling has a crucial role for the anterior expansion of the prechordal plate and plays a significant role in cavefish eye development. We showed that the anterior expansion of the prechordal plate was not due to increased total cell number, suggesting the expansion is achieved by changes in cellular distribution in the prechordal plate. In addition, the distribution of presumptive prechordal plate cells in Spemann's organiser was also altered in the cavefish. These results suggested that changes in the cellular arrangement of Spemann's organiser in early gastrulae could have an essential role in the anterior expansion of the prechordal plate contributing to eye degeneration in the cavefish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyun Ren
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Noémie Hamilton
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ferenc Müller
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Yoshiyuki Yamamoto
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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35
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Abstract
TGF-β family ligands function in inducing and patterning many tissues of the early vertebrate embryonic body plan. Nodal signaling is essential for the specification of mesendodermal tissues and the concurrent cellular movements of gastrulation. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling patterns tissues along the dorsal-ventral axis and simultaneously directs the cell movements of convergence and extension. After gastrulation, a second wave of Nodal signaling breaks the symmetry between the left and right sides of the embryo. During these processes, elaborate regulatory feedback between TGF-β ligands and their antagonists direct the proper specification and patterning of embryonic tissues. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the function and regulation of TGF-β family signaling in these processes. Although we cover principles that are involved in the development of all vertebrate embryos, we focus specifically on three popular model organisms: the mouse Mus musculus, the African clawed frog of the genus Xenopus, and the zebrafish Danio rerio, highlighting the similarities and differences between these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Zinski
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6058
| | - Benjamin Tajer
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6058
| | - Mary C Mullins
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6058
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36
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Hill CS. Spatial and temporal control of NODAL signaling. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2018; 51:50-57. [PMID: 29153705 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2017.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic development is orchestrated by the activity of signal transduction pathways, amongst which are those downstream of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family. Here I focus on signalling by one of these ligands, NODAL, which is essential for early embryonic axis patterning. I review recent advances in our understanding of how NODAL signalling is transduced from the plasma membrane to the nucleus to regulate the transcription of target genes, and how domains of NODAL activity are established and refined during embryonic development. The duration of signalling is emerging as a key determinant of the specificity of downstream responses in terms of cell fate decisions and I will discuss what is currently known about the underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.
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37
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Kindt LM, Coughlin AR, Perosino TR, Ersfeld HN, Hampton M, Liang JO. Identification of transcripts potentially involved in neural tube closure using RNA sequencing. Genesis 2018; 56:e23096. [PMID: 29488319 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Anencephaly is a fatal human neural tube defect (NTD) in which the anterior neural tube remains open. Zebrafish embryos with reduced Nodal signaling display an open anterior neural tube phenotype that is analogous to anencephaly. Previous work from our laboratory suggests that Nodal signaling acts through induction of the head mesendoderm and mesoderm. Head mesendoderm/mesoderm then, through an unknown mechanism, promotes formation of the polarized neuroepithelium that is capable of undergoing the movements required for closure. We compared the transcriptome of embryos treated with a Nodal signaling inhibitor at sphere stage, which causes NTDs, to embryos treated at 30% epiboly, which does not cause NTDs. This screen identified over 3,000 transcripts with potential roles in anterior neurulation. Expression of several genes encoding components of tight and adherens junctions was significantly reduced, supporting the model that Nodal signaling regulates formation of the neuroepithelium. mRNAs involved in Wnt, FGF, and BMP signaling were also differentially expressed, suggesting these pathways might regulate anterior neurulation. In support of this, we found that pharmacological inhibition of FGF-receptor function causes an open anterior NTD as well as loss of mesodermal derivatives. This suggests that Nodal and FGF signaling both promote anterior neurulation through induction of head mesoderm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexy M Kindt
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth.,Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth
| | - Alicia R Coughlin
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth.,Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth
| | | | - Haley N Ersfeld
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth
| | - Marshall Hampton
- Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth.,Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth
| | - Jennifer O Liang
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth.,Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth
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38
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Eicher AK, Berns HM, Wells JM. Translating Developmental Principles to Generate Human Gastric Organoids. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018; 5:353-363. [PMID: 29552623 PMCID: PMC5852324 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2017.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Gastric diseases, including peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer, are highly prevalent in human beings. Despite this, the cellular biology of the stomach remains poorly understood relative to other gastrointestinal organs such as the liver, intestine, and colon. In particular, little is known about the molecular basis of stomach development and the differentiation of gastric lineages. Although animal models are useful for studying gastric development, function, and disease, there are major structural and physiological differences in human stomachs that render these models insufficient. To look at gastric development, function, and disease in a human context, a model system of the human stomach is imperative. This review details how this was achieved through the directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells in a 3-dimensional environment into human gastric organoids (HGOs). Similar to previous work that has generated human intestine, colon, and lung tissue in vitro, HGOs were generated in vitro through a step-wise differentiation designed to mimic the temporal-spatial signaling dynamics that control stomach development in vivo. HGOs can be used for a variety of purposes, including genetic modeling, drug screening, and potentially even in future patient transplantation. Moreover, HGOs are well suited to study the development and interactions of nonepithelial cell types, such as endothelial, neuronal, and mesenchymal, which remain almost completely unstudied. This review discusses the basics of stomach morphology, function, and developmental pathways involved in generating HGOs. We also highlight important gaps in our understanding of how epithelial and mesenchymal interactions are essential for the development and overall function of the human stomach.
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Key Words
- 3-D, 3-dimensional
- BMP, bone morphogenetic protein
- Directed Differentiation
- ECL, enterochromaffin-like
- ENCC, enteric neural crest cell
- ENS, enteric nervous system
- Endoderm
- GI, gastrointestinal
- Gastric Development
- HDGC, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer
- HGO, human gastric organoid
- Organoids
- PSC, pluripotent stem cell
- Pluripotent Stem Cells
- Shh, Sonic hedgehog
- e, embryonic day
- hPSC, human pluripotent stem cell
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra K. Eicher
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - H. Matthew Berns
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - James M. Wells
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio,Division of Endocrinology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio,Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio,Correspondence Address correspondence to: James M. Wells, PhD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229. fax: (513) 636-4317.Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center3333 Burnet AvenueCincinnatiOhio 45229
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39
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van Boxtel AL, Economou AD, Heliot C, Hill CS. Long-Range Signaling Activation and Local Inhibition Separate the Mesoderm and Endoderm Lineages. Dev Cell 2018; 44:179-191.e5. [PMID: 29275993 PMCID: PMC5791662 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Specification of the three germ layers by graded Nodal signaling has long been seen as a paradigm for patterning through a single morphogen gradient. However, by exploiting the unique properties of the zebrafish embryo to capture the dynamics of signaling and cell fate allocation, we now demonstrate that Nodal functions in an incoherent feedforward loop, together with Fgf, to determine the pattern of endoderm and mesoderm specification. We show that Nodal induces long-range Fgf signaling while simultaneously inducing the cell-autonomous Fgf signaling inhibitor Dusp4 within the first two cell tiers from the margin. The consequent attenuation of Fgf signaling in these cells allows specification of endoderm progenitors, while the cells further from the margin, which receive Nodal and/or Fgf signaling, are specified as mesoderm. This elegant model demonstrates the necessity of feedforward and feedback interactions between multiple signaling pathways for providing cells with temporal and positional information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonius L van Boxtel
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Andrew D Economou
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Claire Heliot
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.
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40
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Rogers KW, Lord ND, Gagnon JA, Pauli A, Zimmerman S, Aksel DC, Reyon D, Tsai SQ, Joung JK, Schier AF. Nodal patterning without Lefty inhibitory feedback is functional but fragile. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 29215332 PMCID: PMC5720593 DOI: 10.7554/elife.28785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental signaling pathways often activate their own inhibitors. Such inhibitory feedback has been suggested to restrict the spatial and temporal extent of signaling or mitigate signaling fluctuations, but these models are difficult to rigorously test. Here, we determine whether the ability of the mesendoderm inducer Nodal to activate its inhibitor Lefty is required for development. We find that zebrafish lefty mutants exhibit excess Nodal signaling and increased specification of mesendoderm, resulting in embryonic lethality. Strikingly, development can be fully restored without feedback: Lethal patterning defects in lefty mutants can be rescued by ectopic expression of lefty far from its normal expression domain or by spatially and temporally uniform exposure to a Nodal inhibitor drug. While drug-treated mutants are less tolerant of mild perturbations to Nodal signaling levels than wild type embryos, they can develop into healthy adults. These results indicate that patterning without inhibitory feedback is functional but fragile. During animal development, a single fertilized cell gives rise to different tissues and organs. This ‘patterning’ process depends on signaling molecules that instruct cells in different positions in the embryo to acquire different identities. To avoid mistakes during patterning, each cell must receive the correct amount of signal at the appropriate time. In a process called ‘inhibitory feedback’, a signaling molecule instructs cells to produce molecules that block its own signaling. Although inhibitory feedback is widely used during patterning in organisms ranging from sea urchins to mammals, its exact purpose is often not clear. In part this is because feedback is challenging to experimentally manipulate. Removing the inhibitor disrupts feedback, but also increases signaling. Since the effects of broken feedback and increased signaling are intertwined, any resulting developmental defects do not provide information about what feedback specifically does. In order to examine the role of feedback, it is therefore necessary to disconnect the production of the inhibitor from the signaling process. In developing embryos, a well-known signaling molecule called Nodal instructs cells to become specific types – for example, a heart or gut cell. Nodal also promotes the production of its inhibitor, Lefty. To understand how this feedback system works, Rogers, Lord et al. first removed Lefty from zebrafish embryos. These embryos had excessive levels of Nodal signaling, did not develop correctly, and could not survive. Bathing the embryos in a drug that inhibits Nodal reduced excess signaling and allowed them to develop successfully. In these drug-treated embryos, inhibitor production is disconnected from the signaling process, allowing the role of feedback to be examined. Drug-treated embryos were less able to tolerate fluctuations in Nodal signaling than normal zebrafish embryos, which could compensate for such disturbances by adjusting Lefty levels. Overall, it appears that inhibitory feedback in this patterning system is important to compensate for alterations in Nodal signaling, but is not essential for development. Understanding the role of inhibitory feedback will be useful for efforts to grow tissues and organs in the laboratory for clinical use. The results presented by Rogers, Lord et al. also suggest the possibility that drug treatments could be developed to help correct birth defects in the womb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine W Rogers
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Nathan D Lord
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - James A Gagnon
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Andrea Pauli
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Steven Zimmerman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Deniz C Aksel
- Program in Biophysics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Deepak Reyon
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, United States.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, United States
| | - Shengdar Q Tsai
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, United States.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, United States
| | - J Keith Joung
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, United States.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, United States
| | - Alexander F Schier
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
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41
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Ishikawa T, Kashima M, Nagano AJ, Ishikawa-Fujiwara T, Kamei Y, Todo T, Mori K. Unfolded protein response transducer IRE1-mediated signaling independent of XBP1 mRNA splicing is not required for growth and development of medaka fish. eLife 2017; 6:26845. [PMID: 28952924 PMCID: PMC5636610 DOI: 10.7554/elife.26845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
When activated by the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, metazoan IRE1, the most evolutionarily conserved unfolded protein response (UPR) transducer, initiates unconventional splicing of XBP1 mRNA. Unspliced and spliced mRNA are translated to produce pXBP1(U) and pXBP1(S), respectively. pXBP1(S) functions as a potent transcription factor, whereas pXBP1(U) targets pXBP1(S) to degradation. In addition, activated IRE1 transmits two signaling outputs independent of XBP1, namely activation of the JNK pathway, which is initiated by binding of the adaptor TRAF2 to phosphorylated IRE1, and regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) of various mRNAs in a relatively nonspecific manner. Here, we conducted comprehensive and systematic genetic analyses of the IRE1-XBP1 branch of the UPR using medaka fish and found that the defects observed in XBP1-knockout or IRE1-knockout medaka were fully rescued by constitutive expression of pXBP1(S). Thus, the JNK and RIDD pathways are not required for the normal growth and development of medaka. The unfolded protein response sensor/transducer IRE1-mediated splicing of XBP1 mRNA encoding its active downstream transcription factor to maintain the homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum is sufficient for growth and development of medaka fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tokiro Ishikawa
- Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Makoto Kashima
- Research Institute for Food and Agriculture, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Japan
| | | | | | - Yasuhiro Kamei
- Spectrography and Bioimaging Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Takeshi Todo
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Kazutoshi Mori
- Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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42
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Coda DM, Gaarenstroom T, East P, Patel H, Miller DSJ, Lobley A, Matthews N, Stewart A, Hill CS. Distinct modes of SMAD2 chromatin binding and remodeling shape the transcriptional response to NODAL/Activin signaling. eLife 2017; 6:e22474. [PMID: 28191871 PMCID: PMC5305219 DOI: 10.7554/elife.22474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
NODAL/Activin signaling orchestrates key processes during embryonic development via SMAD2. How SMAD2 activates programs of gene expression that are modulated over time however, is not known. Here we delineate the sequence of events that occur from SMAD2 binding to transcriptional activation, and the mechanisms underlying them. NODAL/Activin signaling induces dramatic chromatin landscape changes, and a dynamic transcriptional network regulated by SMAD2, acting via multiple mechanisms. Crucially we have discovered two modes of SMAD2 binding. SMAD2 can bind pre-acetylated nucleosome-depleted sites. However, it also binds to unacetylated, closed chromatin, independently of pioneer factors, where it induces nucleosome displacement and histone acetylation. For a subset of genes, this requires SMARCA4. We find that long term modulation of the transcriptional responses requires continued NODAL/Activin signaling. Thus SMAD2 binding does not linearly equate with transcriptional kinetics, and our data suggest that SMAD2 recruits multiple co-factors during sustained signaling to shape the downstream transcriptional program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide M Coda
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tessa Gaarenstroom
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Philip East
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Harshil Patel
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel S J Miller
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Lobley
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nik Matthews
- Advanced Sequencing, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aengus Stewart
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline S Hill
- Developmental Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
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43
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Tseng WC, Munisha M, Gutierrez JB, Dougan ST. Establishment of the Vertebrate Germ Layers. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 953:307-381. [PMID: 27975275 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-46095-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The process of germ layer formation is a universal feature of animal development. The germ layers separate the cells that produce the internal organs and tissues from those that produce the nervous system and outer tissues. Their discovery in the early nineteenth century transformed embryology from a purely descriptive field into a rigorous scientific discipline, in which hypotheses could be tested by observation and experimentation. By systematically addressing the questions of how the germ layers are formed and how they generate overall body plan, scientists have made fundamental contributions to the fields of evolution, cell signaling, morphogenesis, and stem cell biology. At each step, this work was advanced by the development of innovative methods of observing cell behavior in vivo and in culture. Here, we take an historical approach to describe our current understanding of vertebrate germ layer formation as it relates to the long-standing questions of developmental biology. By comparing how germ layers form in distantly related vertebrate species, we find that highly conserved molecular pathways can be adapted to perform the same function in dramatically different embryonic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Chia Tseng
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Mumingjiang Munisha
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Juan B Gutierrez
- Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.,Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Scott T Dougan
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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44
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Sampath K, Robertson EJ. Keeping a lid on nodal: transcriptional and translational repression of nodal signalling. Open Biol 2016; 6:150200. [PMID: 26791244 PMCID: PMC4736825 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.150200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nodal is an evolutionarily conserved member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily of secreted signalling factors. Nodal factors are known to play key roles in embryonic development and asymmetry in a variety of organisms ranging from hydra and sea urchins to fish, mice and humans. In addition to embryonic patterning, Nodal signalling is required for maintenance of human embryonic stem cell pluripotency and mis-regulated Nodal signalling has been found associated with tumour metastases. Therefore, precise and timely regulation of this pathway is essential. Here, we discuss recent evidence from sea urchins, frogs, fish, mice and humans that show a role for transcriptional and translational repression of Nodal signalling during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karuna Sampath
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AJ, UK
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45
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Sako K, Pradhan SJ, Barone V, Inglés-Prieto Á, Müller P, Ruprecht V, Čapek D, Galande S, Janovjak H, Heisenberg CP. Optogenetic Control of Nodal Signaling Reveals a Temporal Pattern of Nodal Signaling Regulating Cell Fate Specification during Gastrulation. Cell Rep 2016; 16:866-77. [PMID: 27396324 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
During metazoan development, the temporal pattern of morphogen signaling is critical for organizing cell fates in space and time. Yet, tools for temporally controlling morphogen signaling within the embryo are still scarce. Here, we developed a photoactivatable Nodal receptor to determine how the temporal pattern of Nodal signaling affects cell fate specification during zebrafish gastrulation. By using this receptor to manipulate the duration of Nodal signaling in vivo by light, we show that extended Nodal signaling within the organizer promotes prechordal plate specification and suppresses endoderm differentiation. Endoderm differentiation is suppressed by extended Nodal signaling inducing expression of the transcriptional repressor goosecoid (gsc) in prechordal plate progenitors, which in turn restrains Nodal signaling from upregulating the endoderm differentiation gene sox17 within these cells. Thus, optogenetic manipulation of Nodal signaling identifies a critical role of Nodal signaling duration for organizer cell fate specification during gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Sako
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Saurabh J Pradhan
- Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Vanessa Barone
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Álvaro Inglés-Prieto
- Laboratory of Synthetic Physiology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Patrick Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Verena Ruprecht
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Daniel Čapek
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Sanjeev Galande
- Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Harald Janovjak
- Laboratory of Synthetic Physiology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Carl-Philipp Heisenberg
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
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46
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Dye BR, Miller AJ, Spence JR. How to Grow a Lung: Applying Principles of Developmental Biology to Generate Lung Lineages from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. CURRENT PATHOBIOLOGY REPORTS 2016; 4:47-57. [PMID: 27340610 PMCID: PMC4882378 DOI: 10.1007/s40139-016-0102-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The number and severity of diseases affecting human lung development and adult respiratory function has stimulated great interest in new in vitro models to study the human lung. This review summarizes the most recent breakthroughs deriving lung lineages in a dish by directing the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells. A variety of culturing platforms have been developed, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional (organoid) culture platforms, to derive specific cell types and structures of the lung. These stem cell-derived lung models will further our understanding of human lung development, disease, and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana R. Dye
- />Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Alyssa J. Miller
- />Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
- />Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Jason R. Spence
- />Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
- />Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
- />Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
- />Center for Organogenesis, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
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47
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Deshwar AR, Chng SC, Ho L, Reversade B, Scott IC. The Apelin receptor enhances Nodal/TGFβ signaling to ensure proper cardiac development. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27077952 PMCID: PMC4859801 DOI: 10.7554/elife.13758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Apelin receptor (Aplnr) is essential for heart development, controlling the early migration of cardiac progenitors. Here we demonstrate that in zebrafish Aplnr modulates Nodal/TGFβ signaling, a key pathway essential for mesendoderm induction and migration. Loss of Aplnr function leads to a reduction in Nodal target gene expression whereas activation of Aplnr by a non-peptide agonist increases the expression of these same targets. Furthermore, loss of Aplnr results in a delay in the expression of the cardiogenic transcription factors mespaa/ab. Elevating Nodal levels in aplnra/b morphant and double mutant embryos is sufficient to rescue cardiac differentiation defects. We demonstrate that loss of Aplnr attenuates the activity of a point source of Nodal ligands Squint and Cyclops in a non-cell autonomous manner. Our results favour a model in which Aplnr is required to fine-tune Nodal output, acting as a specific rheostat for the Nodal/TGFβ pathway during the earliest stages of cardiogenesis. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13758.001 In one of the first events that happens as an embryo develops, cells become the different stem cell populations that form the body’s organs. So what makes a cell become one stem cell type rather than another? In the case of the heart, the first important event is the activity of a signaling pathway called the Nodal/TGFβ pathway. Nodal signaling can drive cells to become many different stem cell types depending on its level of activity. Many different levels of regulation fine-tune Nodal signaling to produce these activity thresholds. Zebrafish that have a mutation in the gene that encodes a protein called the Apelin receptor have no heart. The loss of this receptor interferes with how heart stem cells (called cardiac progenitors) are made and how they move to where heart development occurs. Deshwar et al. have now studied mutant zebrafish in order to investigate how the Apelin receptor influences early heart development. This revealed that Nodal signaling levels are slightly lower in the mutant zebrafish embryos than in normal fish at the time when Nodal activity induces cardiac progenitors to form. When Nodal activity is experimentally boosted in zebrafish that lack the Apelin receptor, they become able to develop hearts. Deshwar et al. also found that the Apelin receptor does not work in cells that produce or receive Nodal signals. This suggests that the Apelin receptor modulates Nodal signaling levels by acting in cells that lie between the cells that release Nodal signals and the cardiac progenitors. An important question for future work to address is how this modulation works. As Nodal is a key determinant of many cell types in developing embryos, learning how Apelin receptors regulate its activity could help researchers to derive specific cell types from cultured stem cells for use in regenerative medicine. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13758.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish R Deshwar
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Serene C Chng
- Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lena Ho
- Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bruno Reversade
- Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, , Singapore
| | - Ian C Scott
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Heart and Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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48
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Hoepfner J, Kleinsorge M, Papp O, Ackermann M, Alfken S, Rinas U, Solodenko W, Kirschning A, Sgodda M, Cantz T. Biphasic modulation of Wnt signaling supports efficient foregut endoderm formation from human pluripotent stem cells. Cell Biol Int 2016; 40:534-48. [DOI: 10.1002/cbin.10590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2015] [Accepted: 02/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeannine Hoepfner
- Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology; REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology; Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
| | - Mandy Kleinsorge
- Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology; REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology; Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
| | - Oliver Papp
- Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology; REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology; Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
| | - Mania Ackermann
- iPSC Based Gene Therapy; REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
| | - Susanne Alfken
- Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology; REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology; Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
| | - Ursula Rinas
- Institute of Technical Chemistry; Leibniz University Hannover; Hannover Germany
| | - Wladimir Solodenko
- Institute of Organic Chemistry; Leibniz University Hannover; Hannover Germany
| | - Andreas Kirschning
- Institute of Organic Chemistry; Leibniz University Hannover; Hannover Germany
| | - Malte Sgodda
- Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology; REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology; Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
| | - Tobias Cantz
- Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology; REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology; Hannover Medical School; Hannover Germany
- Cell and Developmental Biology; Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine; Münster Germany
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49
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Gonsar N, Coughlin A, Clay-Wright JA, Borg BR, Kindt LM, Liang JO. Temporal and spatial requirements for Nodal-induced anterior mesendoderm and mesoderm in anterior neurulation. Genesis 2016; 54:3-18. [PMID: 26528772 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Zebrafish with defective Nodal signaling have a phenotype analogous to the fatal human birth defect anencephaly, which is caused by an open anterior neural tube. Previous work in our laboratory found that anterior open neural tube phenotypes in Nodal signaling mutants were caused by lack of mesendodermal/mesodermal tissues. Defects in these mutants are already apparent at neural plate stage, before the neuroepithelium starts to fold into a tube. Consistent with this, we found that the requirement for Nodal signaling maps to mid-late blastula stages. This timing correlates with the timing of prechordal plate mesendoderm and anterior mesoderm induction, suggesting these tissues act to promote neurulation. To further identify tissues important for neurulation, we took advantage of the variable phenotypes in Nodal signaling-deficient sqt mutant and Lefty1-overexpressing embryos. Statistical analysis indicated a strong, positive correlation between a closed neural tube and presence of several mesendoderm/mesoderm-derived tissues (hatching glands, cephalic paraxial mesoderm, notochord, and head muscles). However, the neural tube was closed in a subset of embryos that lacked any one of these tissues. This suggests that several types of Nodal-induced mesendodermal/mesodermal precursors are competent to promote neurulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngawang Gonsar
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN.,Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
| | - Alicia Coughlin
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN.,Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
| | | | - Bethanie R Borg
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN
| | - Lexy M Kindt
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN.,Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
| | - Jennifer O Liang
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN.,Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
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50
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Abstract
For many decades, the major function of mRNA was thought to be to provide protein-coding information embedded in the genome. The advent of high-throughput sequencing has led to the discovery of pervasive transcription of eukaryotic genomes and opened the world of RNA-mediated gene regulation. Many regulatory RNAs have been found to be incapable of protein coding and are hence termed as non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, studies in recent years have shown that several previously annotated non-coding RNAs have the potential to encode proteins, and conversely, some coding RNAs have regulatory functions independent of the protein they encode. Such bi-functional RNAs, with both protein coding and non-coding functions, which we term as 'cncRNAs', have emerged as new players in cellular systems. Here, we describe the functions of some cncRNAs identified from bacteria to humans. Because the functions of many RNAs across genomes remains unclear, we propose that RNAs be classified as coding, non-coding or both only after careful analysis of their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Kumari
- Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV47AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Karuna Sampath
- Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, The University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV47AJ, United Kingdom.
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