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Mok CH, Hu D, Losa M, Risolino M, Selleri L, Marcucio RS. PBX1 and PBX3 transcription factors regulate SHH expression in the Frontonasal Ectodermal Zone through complementary mechanisms. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.597450. [PMID: 38895322 PMCID: PMC11185640 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.597450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling from the frontonasal ectodermal zone (FEZ) is a key regulator of craniofacial morphogenesis. Along with SHH, pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox (PBX) transcription factors regulate midfacial development. PBXs act in the epithelium during fusion of facial primordia, but their specific interactions with SHH have not been fully investigated. We hypothesized that PBX1/3 regulate SHH expression in the FEZ by activating or repressing transcription. The hypothesis was tested by manipulating PBX1/3 expression in chick embryos and profiling epigenomic landscapes at early developmental stages. PBX1/3 expression was perturbed in the chick face beginning at stage 10 (HH10) using RCAS viruses, and the resulting SHH expression was assessed at HH22. Overexpressing PBX1 expanded SHH expression, while overexpressing PBX3 decreased SHH expression. Conversely, reducing PBX1 expression decreased SHH expression, but reducing PBX3 induced ectopic SHH expression. We performed ATAC-seq and mapped binding of PBX1 and PBX3 with ChIP-seq on the FEZ at HH22 to assess direct interactions of PBX1/3 with the SHH locus. These multi-omics approaches uncovered a 400 bp PBX1-enriched element within intron 1 of SHH (chr2:8,173,222-8,173,621). Enhancer activity of this element was demonstrated by electroporation of reporter constructs in ovo and luciferase reporter assays in vitro . When bound by PBX1, this element upregulates transcription, while it downregulates transcription when bound by PBX3. The present study identifies a cis- regulatory element, named SFE1, that interacts with PBX1/3 to modulate SHH expression in the FEZ and establishes that PBX1 and PBX3 play complementary roles in SHH regulation during embryonic development.
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2
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Selleri L, Rijli FM. Shaping faces: genetic and epigenetic control of craniofacial morphogenesis. Nat Rev Genet 2023; 24:610-626. [PMID: 37095271 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00594-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Major differences in facial morphology distinguish vertebrate species. Variation of facial traits underlies the uniqueness of human individuals, and abnormal craniofacial morphogenesis during development leads to birth defects that significantly affect quality of life. Studies during the past 40 years have advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that establish facial form during development, highlighting the crucial roles in this process of a multipotent cell type known as the cranial neural crest cell. In this Review, we discuss recent advances in multi-omics and single-cell technologies that enable genes, transcriptional regulatory networks and epigenetic landscapes to be closely linked to the establishment of facial patterning and its variation, with an emphasis on normal and abnormal craniofacial morphogenesis. Advancing our knowledge of these processes will support important developments in tissue engineering, as well as the repair and reconstruction of the abnormal craniofacial complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Licia Selleri
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, Department of Orofacial Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Filippo M Rijli
- Laboratory of Developmental Neuroepigenetics, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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3
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Packard M, Gilbert MC, Tetrault E, Albertson RC. Zebrafish crocc2 mutants exhibit divergent craniofacial shape, misregulated variability, and aberrant cartilage morphogenesis. Dev Dyn 2023; 252:1026-1045. [PMID: 37032317 PMCID: PMC10524572 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phenotypic variation is of paramount importance in development, evolution, and human health; however, the molecular mechanisms that influence organ shape and shape variability are not well understood. During craniofacial development, the behavior of skeletal precursors is regulated by both biochemical and environmental inputs, and the primary cilia play critical roles in transducing both types of signals. Here, we examine a gene that encodes a key constituent of the ciliary rootlets, crocc2, and its role in cartilage morphogenesis in larval zebrafish. RESULTS Geometric morphometric analysis of crocc2 mutants revealed altered craniofacial shapes and expanded variation. At the cellular level, we observed altered chondrocyte shapes and planar cell polarity across multiple stages in crocc2 mutants. Notably, cellular defects were specific to areas that experience direct mechanical input. Cartilage cell number, apoptosis, and bone patterning were not affected in crocc2 mutants. CONCLUSIONS Whereas "regulatory" genes are widely implicated in patterning the craniofacial skeleton, genes that encode "structural" aspects of the cell are increasingly implicated in shaping the face. Our results add crocc2 to this list, and demonstrate that it affects craniofacial geometry and canalizes phenotypic variation. We propose that it does so via mechanosensing, possibly through the ciliary rootlet. If true, this would implicate a new organelle in skeletal development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Packard
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A
| | - Michelle C. Gilbert
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A
- Current address, Department of Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, U.S.A
| | - Emily Tetrault
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A
| | - R. Craig Albertson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A
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4
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Zbasnik N, Dolan K, Buczkowski SA, Green RM, Hallgrímsson B, Marcucio RS, Moon AM, Fish JL. Fgf8 dosage regulates jaw shape and symmetry through pharyngeal-cardiac tissue relationships. Dev Dyn 2022; 251:1711-1727. [PMID: 35618654 PMCID: PMC9529861 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Asymmetries in craniofacial anomalies are commonly observed. In the facial skeleton, the left side is more commonly and/or severely affected than the right. Such asymmetries complicate treatment options. Mechanisms underlying variation in disease severity between individuals as well as within individuals (asymmetries) are still relatively unknown. RESULTS Developmental reductions in fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8) have a dosage dependent effect on jaw size, shape, and symmetry. Further, Fgf8 mutants have directionally asymmetric jaws with the left side being more affected than the right. Defects in lower jaw development begin with disruption to Meckel's cartilage, which is discontinuous. All skeletal elements associated with the proximal condensation are dysmorphic, exemplified by a malformed and misoriented malleus. At later stages, Fgf8 mutants exhibit syngnathia, which falls into two broad categories: bony fusion of the maxillary and mandibular alveolar ridges and zygomatico-mandibular fusion. All of these morphological defects exhibit both inter- and intra-specimen variation. CONCLUSIONS We hypothesize that these asymmetries are linked to heart development resulting in higher levels of Fgf8 on the right side of the face, which may buffer the right side to developmental perturbations. This mouse model may facilitate future investigations of mechanisms underlying human syngnathia and facial asymmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel Zbasnik
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Massachusetts LowellLowellMassachusettsUSA
| | - Katie Dolan
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Massachusetts LowellLowellMassachusettsUSA
| | - Stephanie A. Buczkowski
- Department of Molecular and Functional GenomicsGeisinger Medical CenterDanvillePennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rebecca M. Green
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics and Department of Oral and Craniofacial SciencesUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Benedikt Hallgrímsson
- Department of Cell Biology and AnatomyAlberta Chidren's Hospital Research Institute, University of CalgaryCalgaryAlbertaCanada
| | - Ralph S. Marcucio
- Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Trauma InstituteUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Anne M. Moon
- Department of Molecular and Functional GenomicsGeisinger Medical CenterDanvillePennsylvaniaUSA,Departments of Pediatrics and Human GeneticsUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
| | - Jennifer L. Fish
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Massachusetts LowellLowellMassachusettsUSA
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5
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MusMorph, a database of standardized mouse morphology data for morphometric meta-analyses. Sci Data 2022; 9:230. [PMID: 35614082 PMCID: PMC9133120 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01338-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex morphological traits are the product of many genes with transient or lasting developmental effects that interact in anatomical context. Mouse models are a key resource for disentangling such effects, because they offer myriad tools for manipulating the genome in a controlled environment. Unfortunately, phenotypic data are often obtained using laboratory-specific protocols, resulting in self-contained datasets that are difficult to relate to one another for larger scale analyses. To enable meta-analyses of morphological variation, particularly in the craniofacial complex and brain, we created MusMorph, a database of standardized mouse morphology data spanning numerous genotypes and developmental stages, including E10.5, E11.5, E14.5, E15.5, E18.5, and adulthood. To standardize data collection, we implemented an atlas-based phenotyping pipeline that combines techniques from image registration, deep learning, and morphometrics. Alongside stage-specific atlases, we provide aligned micro-computed tomography images, dense anatomical landmarks, and segmentations (if available) for each specimen (N = 10,056). Our workflow is open-source to encourage transparency and reproducible data collection. The MusMorph data and scripts are available on FaceBase ( www.facebase.org , https://doi.org/10.25550/3-HXMC ) and GitHub ( https://github.com/jaydevine/MusMorph ).
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6
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Lo HF, Hong M, Krauss RS. Concepts in Multifactorial Etiology of Developmental Disorders: Gene-Gene and Gene-Environment Interactions in Holoprosencephaly. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:795194. [PMID: 35004690 PMCID: PMC8727999 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.795194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Many common developmental disorders are thought to arise from a complex set of genetic and environmental risk factors. These factors interact with each other to affect the strength and duration of key developmental signaling pathways, thereby increasing the possibility that they fail to achieve the thresholds required for normal embryonic patterning. One such disorder, holoprosencephaly (HPE), serves as a useful model system in understanding various forms of multifactorial etiology. Genomic analysis of HPE cases, epidemiology, and mechanistic studies of animal models have illuminated multiple potential ways that risk factors interact to produce adverse developmental outcomes. Among these are: 1) interactions between driver and modifier genes; 2) oligogenic inheritance, wherein each parent provides predisposing variants in one or multiple distinct loci; 3) interactions between genetic susceptibilities and environmental risk factors that may be insufficient on their own; and 4) interactions of multiple genetic variants with multiple non-genetic risk factors. These studies combine to provide concepts that illuminate HPE and are also applicable to additional disorders with complex etiology, including neural tube defects, congenital heart defects, and oro-facial clefting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Fan Lo
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Mingi Hong
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Robert S Krauss
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
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7
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Sanger TJ, Harding L, Kyrkos J, Turnquist AJ, Epperlein L, Nunez SA, Lachance D, Dhindsa S, Stroud JT, Diaz RE, Czesny B. Environmental Thermal Stress Induces Neuronal Cell Death and Developmental Malformations in Reptiles. Integr Org Biol 2021; 3:obab033. [PMID: 34877473 PMCID: PMC8643577 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obab033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Every stage of organismal life history is being challenged by global warming. Many species are already experiencing temperatures approaching their physiological limits; this is particularly true for ectothermic species, such as lizards. Embryos are markedly sensitive to thermal insult. Here, we demonstrate that temperatures currently experienced in natural nesting areas can modify gene expression levels and induce neural and craniofacial malformations in embryos of the lizard Anolis sagrei. Developmental abnormalities ranged from minor changes in facial structure to significant disruption of anterior face and forebrain. The first several days of postoviposition development are particularly sensitive to this thermal insult. These results raise new concern over the viability of ectothermic species under contemporary climate change. Herein, we propose and test a novel developmental hypothesis that describes the cellular and developmental origins of those malformations: cell death in the developing forebrain and abnormal facial induction due to disrupted Hedgehog signaling. Based on similarities in the embryonic response to thermal stress among distantly related species, we propose that this developmental hypothesis represents a common embryonic response to thermal insult among amniote embryos. Our results emphasize the importance of adopting a broad, multidisciplinary approach that includes both lab and field perspectives when trying to understand the future impacts of anthropogenic change on animal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Sanger
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Laura Harding
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Judith Kyrkos
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Alexandrea J Turnquist
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Lilian Epperlein
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Sylvia A Nunez
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Dryden Lachance
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Seerat Dhindsa
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - James T Stroud
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1137. One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA
| | - Raul E Diaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
| | - Beata Czesny
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1050 Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
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8
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Aponte JD, Katz DC, Roth DM, Vidal-García M, Liu W, Andrade F, Roseman CC, Murray SA, Cheverud J, Graf D, Marcucio RS, Hallgrímsson B. Relating multivariate shapes to genescapes using phenotype-biological process associations for craniofacial shape. eLife 2021; 10:68623. [PMID: 34779766 PMCID: PMC8631940 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Realistic mappings of genes to morphology are inherently multivariate on both sides of the equation. The importance of coordinated gene effects on morphological phenotypes is clear from the intertwining of gene actions in signaling pathways, gene regulatory networks, and developmental processes underlying the development of shape and size. Yet, current approaches tend to focus on identifying and localizing the effects of individual genes and rarely leverage the information content of high-dimensional phenotypes. Here, we explicitly model the joint effects of biologically coherent collections of genes on a multivariate trait – craniofacial shape – in a sample of n = 1145 mice from the Diversity Outbred (DO) experimental line. We use biological process Gene Ontology (GO) annotations to select skeletal and facial development gene sets and solve for the axis of shape variation that maximally covaries with gene set marker variation. We use our process-centered, multivariate genotype-phenotype (process MGP) approach to determine the overall contributions to craniofacial variation of genes involved in relevant processes and how variation in different processes corresponds to multivariate axes of shape variation. Further, we compare the directions of effect in phenotype space of mutations to the primary axis of shape variation associated with broader pathways within which they are thought to function. Finally, we leverage the relationship between mutational and pathway-level effects to predict phenotypic effects beyond craniofacial shape in specific mutants. We also introduce an online application that provides users the means to customize their own process-centered craniofacial shape analyses in the DO. The process-centered approach is generally applicable to any continuously varying phenotype and thus has wide-reaching implications for complex trait genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose D Aponte
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - David C Katz
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Daniela M Roth
- School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Marta Vidal-García
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Fernando Andrade
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Charles C Roseman
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | | | - James Cheverud
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Daniel Graf
- School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Ralph S Marcucio
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Benedikt Hallgrímsson
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, United States
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9
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Abrams SR, Reiter JF. Ciliary Hedgehog signaling regulates cell survival to build the facial midline. eLife 2021; 10:e68558. [PMID: 34672258 PMCID: PMC8592574 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Craniofacial defects are among the most common phenotypes caused by ciliopathies, yet the developmental and molecular etiology of these defects is poorly understood. We investigated multiple mouse models of human ciliopathies (including Tctn2, Cc2d2a, and Tmem231 mutants) and discovered that each displays hypotelorism, a narrowing of the midface. As early in development as the end of gastrulation, Tctn2 mutants displayed reduced activation of the Hedgehog (HH) pathway in the prechordal plate, the head organizer. This prechordal plate defect preceded a reduction of HH pathway activation and Shh expression in the adjacent neurectoderm. Concomitant with the reduction of HH pathway activity, Tctn2 mutants exhibited increased cell death in the neurectoderm and facial ectoderm, culminating in a collapse of the facial midline. Enhancing HH signaling by decreasing the gene dosage of a negative regulator of the pathway, Ptch1, decreased cell death and rescued the midface defect in both Tctn2 and Cc2d2a mutants. These results reveal that ciliary HH signaling mediates communication between the prechordal plate and the neurectoderm to provide cellular survival cues essential for development of the facial midline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun R Abrams
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Cardiovascular Research InstituteSan FranciscoUnited States
- Oral and Craniofacial Sciences Program, School of DentistrySan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Jeremy F Reiter
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Cardiovascular Research InstituteSan FranciscoUnited States
- Chan Zuckerberg BiohubSan FranciscoUnited States
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10
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Watanabe A, Balanoff AM, Gignac PM, Gold MEL, Norell MA. Novel neuroanatomical integration and scaling define avian brain shape evolution and development. eLife 2021; 10:68809. [PMID: 34227464 PMCID: PMC8260227 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
How do large and unique brains evolve? Historically, comparative neuroanatomical studies have attributed the evolutionary genesis of highly encephalized brains to deviations along, as well as from, conserved scaling relationships among brain regions. However, the relative contributions of these concerted (integrated) and mosaic (modular) processes as drivers of brain evolution remain unclear, especially in non-mammalian groups. While proportional brain sizes have been the predominant metric used to characterize brain morphology to date, we perform a high-density geometric morphometric analysis on the encephalized brains of crown birds (Neornithes or Aves) compared to their stem taxa—the non-avialan coelurosaurian dinosaurs and Archaeopteryx. When analyzed together with developmental neuroanatomical data of model archosaurs (Gallus, Alligator), crown birds exhibit a distinct allometric relationship that dictates their brain evolution and development. Furthermore, analyses by neuroanatomical regions reveal that the acquisition of this derived shape-to-size scaling relationship occurred in a mosaic pattern, where the avian-grade optic lobe and cerebellum evolved first among non-avialan dinosaurs, followed by major changes to the evolutionary and developmental dynamics of cerebrum shape after the origin of Avialae. Notably, the brain of crown birds is a more integrated structure than non-avialan archosaurs, implying that diversification of brain morphologies within Neornithes proceeded in a more coordinated manner, perhaps due to spatial constraints and abbreviated growth period. Collectively, these patterns demonstrate a plurality in evolutionary processes that generate encephalized brains in archosaurs and across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, United States.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Department of Life Sciences Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amy M Balanoff
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
| | - Paul M Gignac
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, United States
| | - M Eugenia L Gold
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Biology Department, Suffolk University, Boston, United States
| | - Mark A Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States
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11
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Jewlal E, Barr K, Laird DW, Willmore KE. Connexin 43 contributes to phenotypic robustness of the mouse skull. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1810-1827. [PMID: 34091987 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We compared skull shape and variation among genetically modified mice that exhibit different levels of connexin43 (Cx43) channel function, to determine whether Cx43 contributes to craniofacial phenotypic robustness. Specifically, we used two heterozygous mutant mouse models (G60S/+ and I130T/+) that, when compared to their wildtype counterparts, have an ~80% and ~50% reduction in Cx43 function, respectively. RESULTS Both mutant strains showed significant differences in skull shape compared to wildtype littermates and while these differences were more severe in the G60S/+ mouse, shape differences were localized to similar regions of the skull in both mutants. However, increased skull shape variation was observed in G60S/+ mutants only. Additionally, covariation of skull structures was disrupted in the G60S/+ mutants only, indicating that while a 50% reduction in Cx43 function is sufficient to cause a shift in mean skull shape, the threshold for Cx43 function for disrupting craniofacial phenotypic robustness is lower. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results indicate Cx43 can contribute to phenotypic robustness of the skull through a nonlinear relationship between Cx43 gap junctional function and phenotypic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Jewlal
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kevin Barr
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dale W Laird
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Katherine E Willmore
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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12
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Lencer E, McCune AR. Differences in Cell Proliferation and Craniofacial Phenotype of Closely Related Species in the Pupfish Genus Cyprinodon. J Hered 2021; 111:237-247. [PMID: 31811714 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esz074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis for phenotypic differences is fundamental to the study of macroevolutionary patterns of biological diversity. While technological advances in DNA sequencing have made researching genetic variation in wild taxa routine, fully understanding how these variants affect phenotype requires taking the next step to investigate how genetic changes alter cell and tissue interactions that ultimately produce phenotypes. In this article, we investigate a role for cell proliferation as a developmental source of craniofacial diversity in a radiation of 3 species of Cyprinodon from San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Patterns of cell proliferation in the heads of hatching-age fish differ among species of Cyprinodon, and correlate with differences in allometric growth rate among the jaws of 3 distinct species. Regional patterns of cell proliferation in the head are complex, resulting in an unintuitive result in which lower levels of cell proliferation in the posterior head region are associated with the development of relatively larger jaws in one species. We combine these data with previously published morphological and genomic data to show how studying the mechanisms generating phenotype at the cellular and tissue levels of biological organization can help mechanistically link genomic studies with classic morphological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezra Lencer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.,Department of Craniofacial Biology, University of Denver-Anschutz, RC, Aurora, CO
| | - Amy R McCune
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
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13
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Danescu A, Rens EG, Rehki J, Woo J, Akazawa T, Fu K, Edelstein-Keshet L, Richman JM. Symmetry and fluctuation of cell movements in neural crest-derived facial mesenchyme. Development 2021; 148:dev.193755. [PMID: 33757991 PMCID: PMC8126411 DOI: 10.1242/dev.193755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In the face, symmetry is established when bilateral streams of neural crest cells leave the neural tube at the same time, follow identical migration routes and then give rise to the facial prominences. However, developmental instability exists, particularly surrounding the steps of lip fusion. The causes of instability are unknown but inability to cope with developmental fluctuations are a likely cause of congenital malformations, such as non-syndromic orofacial clefts. Here, we tracked cell movements over time in the frontonasal mass, which forms the facial midline and participates in lip fusion, using live-cell imaging of chick embryos. Our mathematical examination of cell velocity vectors uncovered temporal fluctuations in several parameters, including order/disorder, symmetry/asymmetry and divergence/convergence. We found that treatment with a Rho GTPase inhibitor completely disrupted the temporal fluctuations in all measures and blocked morphogenesis. Thus, we discovered that genetic control of symmetry extends to mesenchymal cell movements and that these movements are of the type that could be perturbed in asymmetrical malformations, such as non-syndromic cleft lip. This article has an associated ‘The people behind the papers’ interview. Highlighted Article: Live imaging of the chick embryo face followed by mathematical analysis of mesenchymal cell tracks captures novel fluctuations between states of order/disorder as well as symmetry/asymmetry, revealing developmental instabilities that are part of normal morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Danescu
- Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Elisabeth G Rens
- Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, 1986 Mathematics Road, Vancouver, V6T 1Z2, Canada
| | - Jaspreet Rehki
- Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Johnathan Woo
- Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Takashi Akazawa
- Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Katherine Fu
- Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Leah Edelstein-Keshet
- Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, 1986 Mathematics Road, Vancouver, V6T 1Z2, Canada
| | - Joy M Richman
- Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada
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14
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Genetic variations at 10q26 regions near FGFR2 gene and its association with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2021; 143:110648. [PMID: 33684891 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In our study, we focussed on three SNPs in the non-coding regions near FGFR2 gene, as studies on non-coding variants in the genome are the novel trends to identify the susceptible loci for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P). FGFR2 gene is selected as a candidate gene based on knock out animal models and the role played in syndromic forms of clefting. FGFR2 gene also plays an important role in FGF signaling pathway during craniofacial development. METHODS In the present study 148 case-parent triads were assessed for three SNPs rs10749408, rs11199874 and rs10788165 near FGFR2 gene by using TaqMan allelic discrimination method. Transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) was used to find the allelic association. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) between the markers was analysed using Haploview program 4.2. Haplotype transmission effects were estimated using FAMHAP package. The possible parent-of-origin effects were assessed by likelihood based approach. RESULTS TDT analysis of three SNPs failed to show significant transmission disortion from heterozygous parents to the affected child and are not associated with NSCL/P. Linkage disequilibrium analysis showed strong LD between rs11199874 and rs10788165 SNPs. In the haplotype TDT analysis, GG haplotype of rs11199874-rs10788165 showed significant undertransmission to affected child. No significant parent-of-origin effects were observed. CONCLUSION The present study on noncoding variants near FGFR2 gene is not associated with NSCL/P. As the numbers of triads included in the study are less, further studies are needed including large sample size to find association with NSCL/P.
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15
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Human-chimpanzee fused cells reveal cis-regulatory divergence underlying skeletal evolution. Nat Genet 2021; 53:467-476. [PMID: 33731941 PMCID: PMC8038968 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-021-00804-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulatory divergence is thought to play a central role in determining human-specific traits. However, our ability to link divergent regulation to divergent phenotypes is limited. Here, we utilized human-chimpanzee hybrid induced pluripotent stem cells to study gene expression separating these species. The tetraploid hybrid cells allowed us to separate cis- from trans-regulatory effects, and to control for non-genetic confounding factors. We differentiated these cells into cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs), the primary cell type giving rise to the face. We discovered evidence of lineage-specific selection on the hedgehog signaling pathway, including a human-specific 6-fold down-regulation of EVC2 (LIMBIN), a key hedgehog gene. Inducing a similar down-regulation of EVC2 substantially reduced hedgehog signaling output. Mice and humans lacking functional EVC2 show striking phenotypic parallels to human-chimpanzee craniofacial differences, suggesting that the regulatory divergence of hedgehog signaling may have contributed to the unique craniofacial morphology of humans.
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16
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Hong L, Sun H, Amendt BA. MicroRNA function in craniofacial bone formation, regeneration and repair. Bone 2021; 144:115789. [PMID: 33309989 PMCID: PMC7869528 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2020.115789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bone formation in the craniofacial complex is regulated by cranial neural crest (CNC) and mesoderm-derived cells. Different elements of the developing skull, face, mandible, maxilla (jaws) and nasal bones are regulated by an array of transcription factors, signaling molecules and microRNAs (miRs). miRs are molecular modulators of these factors and act to restrict their expression in a temporal-spatial mechanism. miRs control the different genetic pathways that form the craniofacial complex. By understanding how miRs function in vivo during development they can be adapted to regenerate and repair craniofacial genetic anomalies as well as bone diseases and defects due to traumatic injuries. This review will highlight some of the new miR technologies and functions that form new bone or inhibit bone regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Hong
- Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Hongli Sun
- Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Brad A Amendt
- Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; The University of Iowa, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Iowa City, IA, USA; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
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17
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Elliott KH, Chen X, Salomone J, Chaturvedi P, Schultz PA, Balchand SK, Servetas JD, Zuniga A, Zeller R, Gebelein B, Weirauch MT, Peterson KA, Brugmann SA. Gli3 utilizes Hand2 to synergistically regulate tissue-specific transcriptional networks. eLife 2020; 9:e56450. [PMID: 33006313 PMCID: PMC7556880 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite a common understanding that Gli TFs are utilized to convey a Hh morphogen gradient, genetic analyses suggest craniofacial development does not completely fit this paradigm. Using the mouse model (Mus musculus), we demonstrated that rather than being driven by a Hh threshold, robust Gli3 transcriptional activity during skeletal and glossal development required interaction with the basic helix-loop-helix TF Hand2. Not only did genetic and expression data support a co-factorial relationship, but genomic analysis revealed that Gli3 and Hand2 were enriched at regulatory elements for genes essential for mandibular patterning and development. Interestingly, motif analysis at sites co-occupied by Gli3 and Hand2 uncovered mandibular-specific, low-affinity, 'divergent' Gli-binding motifs (dGBMs). Functional validation revealed these dGBMs conveyed synergistic activation of Gli targets essential for mandibular patterning and development. In summary, this work elucidates a novel, sequence-dependent mechanism for Gli transcriptional activity within the craniofacial complex that is independent of a graded Hh signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey H Elliott
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research FoundationCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Xiaoting Chen
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Joseph Salomone
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research FoundationCincinnatiUnited States
- Medical-Scientist Training Program, University of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Praneet Chaturvedi
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Preston A Schultz
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Sai K Balchand
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | | | - Aimée Zuniga
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Rolf Zeller
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Brian Gebelein
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Matthew T Weirauch
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | | | - Samantha A Brugmann
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Shriners Children’s HospitalCincinnatiUnited States
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18
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Hong S, Hu P, Jang JH, Carrington B, Sood R, Berger SI, Roessler E, Muenke M. Functional analysis of Sonic Hedgehog variants associated with holoprosencephaly in humans using a CRISPR/Cas9 zebrafish model. Hum Mutat 2020; 41:2155-2166. [PMID: 32939873 DOI: 10.1002/humu.24119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Genetic variation in the highly conserved Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) gene is one of the most common genetic causes for the malformations of the brain and face in humans described as the holoprosencephaly clinical spectrum. However, only a minor fraction of known SHH variants have been experimentally proven to lead to abnormal function. Employing a phenotypic rescue assay with synthetic human messenger RNA variant constructs in shha-/- knockout zebrafish, we evaluated 104 clinically reported in-frame and missense SHH variants. Our data helped us to classify them into loss of function variants (31), hypomorphic variants (33), and nonpathogenic variants (40). We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of currently accepted predictors of variant deleteriousness and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines for variant interpretation in the context of this functional model; furthermore, we demonstrate the robustness of model systems such as zebrafish as a rapid method to resolve variants of uncertain significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungkook Hong
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ping Hu
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jae Hee Jang
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Blake Carrington
- Zebrafish Core, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Raman Sood
- Zebrafish Core, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Seth I Berger
- Children's National Hospital, Center for Genetic Medicine Research and Rare Disease Institute, Washington DC, USA
| | - Erich Roessler
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Maximilian Muenke
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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19
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Richbourg HA, Hu DP, Xu Y, Barczak AJ, Marcucio RS. miR-199 family contributes to regulation of sonic hedgehog expression during craniofacial development. Dev Dyn 2020; 249:1062-1076. [PMID: 32391617 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The frontonasal ectodermal zone (FEZ) is a signaling center that regulates patterned development of the upper jaw, and Sonic hedgehog (SHH) mediates FEZ activity. Induction of SHH expression in the FEZ results from SHH-dependent signals from the brain and neural crest cells. Given the role of miRNAs in modulating gene expression, we investigated the extent to which miRNAs regulate SHH expression and FEZ signaling. RESULTS In the FEZ, the miR-199 family appears to be regulated by SHH-dependent signals from the brain; expression of this family increased from HH18 to HH22, and upon activation of SHH signaling in the brain. However, the miR-199 family is more broadly expressed in the mesenchyme of the frontonasal process and adjacent neuroepithelium. Downregulating the miR-199 genes expanded SHH expression in the FEZ, resulting in wider faces, while upregulating miR-199 genes resulted in decreased SHH expression and narrow faces. Hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP3K4) appear to be potential targets of miR-199b. Reduction of MAP3K4 altered beak development but increased apoptosis, while reducing HIF1A reduced expression of SHH in the FEZ and produced malformations independent of apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that this miRNA family appears to participate in regulating SHH expression in the FEZ; however, specific molecular mechanisms remain unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather A Richbourg
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Diane P Hu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Yanhua Xu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Zhejiang University Life Sciences Institute, Hangzhou, China
| | - Andrea J Barczak
- Functional Genomics Core, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Ralph S Marcucio
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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20
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Katz DC, Aponte JD, Liu W, Green RM, Mayeux JM, Pollard KM, Pomp D, Munger SC, Murray SA, Roseman CC, Percival CJ, Cheverud J, Marcucio RS, Hallgrímsson B. Facial shape and allometry quantitative trait locus intervals in the Diversity Outbred mouse are enriched for known skeletal and facial development genes. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233377. [PMID: 32502155 PMCID: PMC7274373 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The biology of how faces are built and come to differ from one another is complex. Discovering normal variants that contribute to differences in facial morphology is one key to untangling this complexity, with important implications for medicine and evolutionary biology. This study maps quantitative trait loci (QTL) for skeletal facial shape using Diversity Outbred (DO) mice. The DO is a randomly outcrossed population with high heterozygosity that captures the allelic diversity of eight inbred mouse lines from three subspecies. The study uses a sample of 1147 DO animals (the largest sample yet employed for a shape QTL study in mouse), each characterized by 22 three-dimensional landmarks, 56,885 autosomal and X-chromosome markers, and sex and age classifiers. We identified 37 facial shape QTL across 20 shape principal components (PCs) using a mixed effects regression that accounts for kinship among observations. The QTL include some previously identified intervals as well as new regions that expand the list of potential targets for future experimental study. Three QTL characterized shape associations with size (allometry). Median support interval size was 3.5 Mb. Narrowing additional analysis to QTL for the five largest magnitude shape PCs, we found significant overrepresentation of genes with known roles in growth, skeletal and facial development, and sensory organ development. For most intervals, one or more of these genes lies within 0.25 Mb of the QTL's peak. QTL effect sizes were small, with none explaining more than 0.5% of facial shape variation. Thus, our results are consistent with a model of facial diversity that is influenced by key genes in skeletal and facial development and, simultaneously, is highly polygenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Katz
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - J. David Aponte
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Rebecca M. Green
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jessica M. Mayeux
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - K. Michael Pollard
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Daniel Pomp
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Steven C. Munger
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, United States of America
| | | | - Charles C. Roseman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Percival
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States of America
| | - James Cheverud
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Ralph S. Marcucio
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Benedikt Hallgrímsson
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
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21
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Niethamer TK, Teng T, Franco M, Du YX, Percival CJ, Bush JO. Aberrant cell segregation in the craniofacial primordium and the emergence of facial dysmorphology in craniofrontonasal syndrome. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008300. [PMID: 32092051 PMCID: PMC7058351 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Craniofrontonasal syndrome (CFNS) is a rare X-linked disorder characterized by craniofacial, skeletal, and neurological anomalies and is caused by mutations in EFNB1. Heterozygous females are more severely affected by CFNS than hemizygous males, a phenomenon called cellular interference that results from EPHRIN-B1 mosaicism. In Efnb1 heterozygous mice, mosaicism for EPHRIN-B1 results in cell sorting and more severe phenotypes than Efnb1 hemizygous males, but how craniofacial dysmorphology arises from cell segregation is unknown and CFNS etiology therefore remains poorly understood. Here, we couple geometric morphometric techniques with temporal and spatial interrogation of embryonic cell segregation in mouse mutant models to elucidate mechanisms underlying CFNS pathogenesis. By generating EPHRIN-B1 mosaicism at different developmental timepoints and in specific cell populations, we find that EPHRIN-B1 regulates cell segregation independently in early neural development and later in craniofacial development, correlating with the emergence of quantitative differences in face shape. Whereas specific craniofacial shape changes are qualitatively similar in Efnb1 heterozygous and hemizygous mutant embryos, heterozygous embryos are quantitatively more severely affected, indicating that Efnb1 mosaicism exacerbates loss of function phenotypes rather than having a neomorphic effect. Notably, neural tissue-specific disruption of Efnb1 does not appear to contribute to CFNS craniofacial dysmorphology, but its disruption within neural crest cell-derived mesenchyme results in phenotypes very similar to widespread loss. EPHRIN-B1 can bind and signal with EPHB1, EPHB2, and EPHB3 receptor tyrosine kinases, but the signaling partner(s) relevant to CFNS are unknown. Geometric morphometric analysis of an allelic series of Ephb1; Ephb2; Ephb3 mutant embryos indicates that EPHB2 and EPHB3 are key receptors mediating Efnb1 hemizygous-like phenotypes, but the complete loss of EPHB1-3 does not fully recapitulate the severity of CFNS-like Efnb1 heterozygosity. Finally, by generating Efnb1+/Δ; Ephb1; Ephb2; Ephb3 quadruple knockout mice, we determine how modulating cumulative receptor activity influences cell segregation in craniofacial development and find that while EPHB2 and EPHB3 play an important role in craniofacial cell segregation, EPHB1 is more important for cell segregation in the brain; surprisingly, complete loss of EPHB1-EPHB3 does not completely abrogate cell segregation. Together, these data advance our understanding of the etiology and signaling interactions underlying CFNS dysmorphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terren K. Niethamer
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Teng Teng
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Melanie Franco
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Yu Xin Du
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Percival
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CJP); (JOB)
| | - Jeffrey O. Bush
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CJP); (JOB)
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22
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Wu Z, Jung HS. How the diversity of the faces arises. J Oral Biosci 2019; 61:195-200. [PMID: 31751682 DOI: 10.1016/j.job.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The evolution of the face is crucial for each species to adapt to different diets, environments, and in some species, to promote social interaction. The diversity in the shapes of the face results from divergence in the process of facial development that begins during early embryonic development. HIGHLIGHTS Here we review the recent advancements in the understanding of the genetic, epigenetic, molecular, and cellular basis of facial diversity. We also review the robustness of facial development and how it relates to the evolution of the face. Finally, we discuss the current challenges in achieving a deeper understanding of facial diversity. CONCLUSION We have gained much knowledge with respect to cis-regulatory elements, gene expression, cellular behavior, and the physical forces in facial development in the past two decades. Significant interdisciplinary work is needed to integrate these varied pieces of information into a complete picture of how the diversity of faces arises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoming Wu
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - Han-Sung Jung
- Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Oral Science Research Center, BK21 PLUS Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, Korea.
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23
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Green RM, Leach CL, Diewert VM, Aponte JD, Schmidt EJ, Cheverud JM, Roseman CC, Young NM, Marcucio RS, Hallgrimsson B. Nonlinear gene expression-phenotype relationships contribute to variation and clefting in the A/WySn mouse. Dev Dyn 2019; 248:1232-1242. [PMID: 31469941 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cleft lip and palate is one of the most common human birth defects, but the underlying etiology is poorly understood. The A/WySn mouse is a spontaneously occurring model of multigenic clefting in which 20% to 30% of individuals develop an orofacial cleft. Recent work has shown altered methylation at a specific retrotransposon insertion downstream of the Wnt9b locus in clefting animals, which results in decreased Wnt9b expression. RESULTS Using a newly developed protocol that allows us to measure morphology, gene expression, and DNA methylation in the same embryo, we relate gene expression in an individual embryo directly to its three-dimensional morphology for the first time. We find that methylation at the retrotransposon relates to Wnt9b expression and morphology. IAP methylation relates to shape of the nasal process in a manner consistent with clefting. Embryos with low IAP methylation exhibit increased among-individual variance in facial shape. CONCLUSIONS Methylation and gene expression relate nonlinearly to nasal process morphology. Individuals at one end of a continuum of phenotypic states display a clinical phenotype and increased phenotypic variation. Variable penetrance and expressivity in this model is likely determined both by among-individual variation in methylation and changes in phenotypic robustness along the underlying liability distribution for orofacial clefting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Green
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Courtney L Leach
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Virginia M Diewert
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jose David Aponte
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Eric J Schmidt
- School of PA Medicine, University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, Virginia
| | - James M Cheverud
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Charles C Roseman
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Nathan M Young
- Department of Orthopedics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Ralph S Marcucio
- Department of Orthopedics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Benedikt Hallgrimsson
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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24
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Woronowicz KC, Schneider RA. Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the evolution of form and function in the amniote jaw. EvoDevo 2019; 10:17. [PMID: 31417668 PMCID: PMC6691539 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-019-0131-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The amniote jaw complex is a remarkable amalgamation of derivatives from distinct embryonic cell lineages. During development, the cells in these lineages experience concerted movements, migrations, and signaling interactions that take them from their initial origins to their final destinations and imbue their derivatives with aspects of form including their axial orientation, anatomical identity, size, and shape. Perturbations along the way can produce defects and disease, but also generate the variation necessary for jaw evolution and adaptation. We focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate form in the amniote jaw complex, and that enable structural and functional integration. Special emphasis is placed on the role of cranial neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) during the species-specific patterning of bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle, and other jaw tissues. We also address the effects of biomechanical forces during jaw development and discuss ways in which certain molecular and cellular responses add adaptive and evolutionary plasticity to jaw morphology. Overall, we highlight how variation in molecular and cellular programs can promote the phenomenal diversity and functional morphology achieved during amniote jaw evolution or lead to the range of jaw defects and disease that affect the human condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine C Woronowicz
- 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, Box 0514, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514 USA.,2Present Address: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - Richard A Schneider
- 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, Box 0514, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514 USA
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25
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Watanabe A, Gignac PM, Balanoff AM, Green TL, Kley NJ, Norell MA. Are endocasts good proxies for brain size and shape in archosaurs throughout ontogeny? J Anat 2019; 234:291-305. [PMID: 30506962 PMCID: PMC6365484 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cranial endocasts, or the internal molds of the braincase, are a crucial correlate for investigating the neuroanatomy of extinct vertebrates and tracking brain evolution through deep time. Nevertheless, the validity of such studies pivots on the reliability of endocasts as a proxy for brain morphology. Here, we employ micro-computed tomography imaging, including diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced CT, and a three-dimensional geometric morphometric framework to examine both size and shape differences between brains and endocasts of two exemplar archosaur taxa - the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus). With ontogenetic sampling, we quantitatively evaluate how endocasts differ from brains and whether this deviation changes during development. We find strong size and shape correlations between brains and endocasts, divergent ontogenetic trends in the brain-to-endocast correspondence between alligators and chickens, and a comparable magnitude between brain-endocast shape differences and intraspecific neuroanatomical variation. The results have important implications for paleoneurological studies in archosaurs. Notably, we demonstrate that the pattern of endocranial shape variation closely reflects brain shape variation. Therefore, analyses of endocranial morphology are unlikely to generate spurious conclusions about large-scale trends in brain size and shape. To mitigate any artifacts, however, paleoneurological studies should consider the lower brain-endocast correspondence in the hindbrain relative to the forebrain; higher size and shape correspondences in chickens than alligators throughout postnatal ontogeny; artificially 'pedomorphic' shape of endocasts relative to their corresponding brains; and potential biases in both size and shape data due to the lack of control for ontogenetic stages in endocranial sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of AnatomyNew York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic MedicineOld WestburyNYUSA
- Division of PaleontologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Richard Gilder Graduate SchoolAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Department of Life Sciences Vertebrates DivisionNatural History MuseumLondonUK
| | - Paul M. Gignac
- Division of PaleontologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesTulsaOKUSA
| | - Amy M. Balanoff
- Division of PaleontologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Center for Functional Anatomy and EvolutionJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Todd L. Green
- Department of Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesTulsaOKUSA
| | - Nathan J. Kley
- Department of Anatomical SciencesStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNYUSA
| | - Mark A. Norell
- Division of PaleontologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
- Richard Gilder Graduate SchoolAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNYUSA
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26
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Merkuri F, Fish JL. Developmental processes regulate craniofacial variation in disease and evolution. Genesis 2018; 57:e23249. [PMID: 30207415 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Variation in development mediates phenotypic differences observed in evolution and disease. Although the mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation are still largely unknown, recent research suggests that variation in developmental processes may play a key role. Developmental processes mediate genotype-phenotype relationships and consequently play an important role regulating phenotypes. In this review, we provide an example of how shared and interacting developmental processes may explain convergence of phenotypes in spliceosomopathies and ribosomopathies. These data also suggest a shared pathway to disease treatment. We then discuss three major mechanisms that contribute to variation in developmental processes: genetic background (gene-gene interactions), gene-environment interactions, and developmental stochasticity. Finally, we comment on evolutionary alterations to developmental processes, and the evolution of disease buffering mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fjodor Merkuri
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer L Fish
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
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27
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Sun Z, da Fontoura CSG, Moreno M, Holton NE, Sweat M, Sweat Y, Lee MK, Arbon J, Bidlack FB, Thedens DR, Nopoulos P, Cao H, Eliason S, Weinberg SM, Martin JF, Moreno-Uribe L, Amendt BA. FoxO6 regulates Hippo signaling and growth of the craniofacial complex. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007675. [PMID: 30286078 PMCID: PMC6197693 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms that regulate post-natal growth of the craniofacial complex and that ultimately determine the size and shape of our faces are not well understood. Hippo signaling is a general mechanism to control tissue growth and organ size, and although it is known that Hippo signaling functions in neural crest specification and patterning during embryogenesis and before birth, its specific role in postnatal craniofacial growth remains elusive. We have identified the transcription factor FoxO6 as an activator of Hippo signaling regulating neonatal growth of the face. During late stages of mouse development, FoxO6 is expressed specifically in craniofacial tissues and FoxO6-/- mice undergo expansion of the face, frontal cortex, olfactory component and skull. Enlargement of the mandible and maxilla and lengthening of the incisors in FoxO6-/- mice are associated with increases in cell proliferation. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that FoxO6 activates Lats1 expression, thereby increasing Yap phosphorylation and activation of Hippo signaling. FoxO6-/- mice have significantly reduced Hippo Signaling caused by a decrease in Lats1 expression and decreases in Shh and Runx2 expression, suggesting that Shh and Runx2 are also linked to Hippo signaling. In vitro, FoxO6 activates Hippo reporter constructs and regulates cell proliferation. Furthermore PITX2, a regulator of Hippo signaling is associated with Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome causing a flattened midface and we show that PITX2 activates FoxO6 expression. Craniofacial specific expression of FoxO6 postnatally regulates Hippo signaling and cell proliferation. Together, these results identify a FoxO6-Hippo regulatory pathway that controls skull growth, odontogenesis and face morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Sun
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Clarissa S. G. da Fontoura
- Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Myriam Moreno
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Nathan E. Holton
- Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Mason Sweat
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Yan Sweat
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Myoung Keun Lee
- Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA, United States of America
| | - Jed Arbon
- Private practice, Cary, North Carolina United States of America
| | | | - Daniel R. Thedens
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Peggy Nopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Huojun Cao
- Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Steven Eliason
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Seth M. Weinberg
- Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA, United States of America
| | - James F. Martin
- Department of Physiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Lina Moreno-Uribe
- Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Brad A. Amendt
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
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28
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Abstract
Quantitative genetic variation in morphology is pervasive in all species and is the basis for the evolution of differences among species. The measurement of morphological form in adults is now beginning to be combined with comparable measurements of form during development. Here we compare the shape of the developing wing to its adult form in a holometabolous insect, Drosophila melanogaster. We used protein expression patterns to measure shape in the developing precursors of the final adult wing. Three developmental stages were studied: late larval third instar, post-pupariation and in the adult fly. We studied wild-type animals in addition to mutants of two genes (shf and ds) that have known effects on adult wing shape and size. Despite experimental noise related to the difficulty of comparing developing structures, we found consistent differences in wing shape and size at each developmental stage between genotypes. Quantitative comparisons of variation arising at different developmental stages with the variation in the final structure enable us to determine when variation arises, and to generate hypotheses about the causes of that variation. In addition we provide linear rules allowing us to link wing morphology in the larva, with wing morphology in the pupa. Our approach provides a framework to analyze quantitative morphological variation in the developing fly wing. This framework should help to characterize the natural variation of the larval and pupal wing shape, and to measure the contribution of the processes occurring during these developmental stages to the natural variation in adult wing morphology.
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29
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Schneider RA. Neural crest and the origin of species-specific pattern. Genesis 2018; 56:e23219. [PMID: 30134069 PMCID: PMC6108449 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23219] [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: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
For well over half of the 150 years since the discovery of the neural crest, the special ability of these cells to function as a source of species-specific pattern has been clearly recognized. Initially, this observation arose in association with chimeric transplant experiments among differentially pigmented amphibians, where the neural crest origin for melanocytes had been duly noted. Shortly thereafter, the role of cranial neural crest cells in transmitting species-specific information on size and shape to the pharyngeal arch skeleton as well as in regulating the timing of its differentiation became readily apparent. Since then, what has emerged is a deeper understanding of how the neural crest accomplishes such a presumably difficult mission, and this includes a more complete picture of the molecular and cellular programs whereby neural crest shapes the face of each species. This review covers studies on a broad range of vertebrates and describes neural-crest-mediated mechanisms that endow the craniofacial complex with species-specific pattern. A major focus is on experiments in quail and duck embryos that reveal a hierarchy of cell-autonomous and non-autonomous signaling interactions through which neural crest generates species-specific pattern in the craniofacial integument, skeleton, and musculature. By controlling size and shape throughout the development of these systems, the neural crest underlies the structural and functional integration of the craniofacial complex during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A. Schneider
- Department of Orthopedic SurgeryUniversity of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus AvenueS‐1161San Francisco, California
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30
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Hallgrimsson B, Green RM, Katz DC, Fish JL, Bernier FP, Roseman CC, Young NM, Cheverud JM, Marcucio RS. The developmental-genetics of canalization. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 88:67-79. [PMID: 29782925 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Canalization, or robustness to genetic or environmental perturbations, is fundamental to complex organisms. While there is strong evidence for canalization as an evolved property that varies among genotypes, the developmental and genetic mechanisms that produce this phenomenon are very poorly understood. For evolutionary biology, understanding how canalization arises is important because, by modulating the phenotypic variation that arises in response to genetic differences, canalization is a determinant of evolvability. For genetics of disease in humans and for economically important traits in agriculture, this subject is important because canalization is a potentially significant cause of missing heritability that confounds genomic prediction of phenotypes. We review the major lines of thought on the developmental-genetic basis for canalization. These fall into two groups. One proposes specific evolved molecular mechanisms while the other deals with robustness or canalization as a more general feature of development. These explanations for canalization are not mutually exclusive and they overlap in several ways. General explanations for canalization are more likely to involve emergent features of development than specific molecular mechanisms. Disentangling these explanations is also complicated by differences in perspectives between genetics and developmental biology. Understanding canalization at a mechanistic level will require conceptual and methodological approaches that integrate quantitative genetics and developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Hallgrimsson
- Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
| | - Rebecca M Green
- Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - David C Katz
- Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Jennifer L Fish
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Francois P Bernier
- Dept of Medical Genetics, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Charles C Roseman
- Dept. of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Nathan M Young
- Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA
| | - James M Cheverud
- Dept. of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60660, USA
| | - Ralph S Marcucio
- Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA.
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31
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Richtsmeier JT. A century of development. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:726-740. [PMID: 29574839 PMCID: PMC6007869 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joan T Richtsmeier
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
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32
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Green RM, Fish JL, Young NM, Smith FJ, Roberts B, Dolan K, Choi I, Leach CL, Gordon P, Cheverud JM, Roseman CC, Williams TJ, Marcucio RS, Hallgrímsson B. Developmental nonlinearity drives phenotypic robustness. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1970. [PMID: 29213092 PMCID: PMC5719035 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02037-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Robustness to perturbation is a fundamental feature of complex organisms. Mutations are the raw material for evolution, yet robustness to their effects is required for species survival. The mechanisms that produce robustness are poorly understood. Nonlinearities are a ubiquitous feature of development that may link variation in development to phenotypic robustness. Here, we manipulate the gene dosage of a signaling molecule, Fgf8, a critical regulator of vertebrate development. We demonstrate that variation in Fgf8 expression has a nonlinear relationship to phenotypic variation, predicting levels of robustness among genotypes. Differences in robustness are not due to gene expression variance or dysregulation, but emerge from the nonlinearity of the genotype–phenotype curve. In this instance, embedded features of development explain robustness differences. How such features vary in natural populations and relate to genetic variation are key questions for unraveling the origin and evolvability of this feature of organismal development. Developmental processes often involve nonlinearities, but the consequences for translating genotype to phenotype are not well characterized. Here, Green et al. vary Fgf8 signaling across allelic series of mice and show that phenotypic robustness in craniofacial shape is explained by a nonlinear effect of Fgf8 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Green
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Jennifer L Fish
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Nathan M Young
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA
| | - Francis J Smith
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Benjamin Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Katie Dolan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Irene Choi
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Courtney L Leach
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Paul Gordon
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - James M Cheverud
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60660, USA
| | - Charles C Roseman
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Trevor J Williams
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Ralph S Marcucio
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA.
| | - Benedikt Hallgrímsson
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
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33
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Gawne R, McKenna KZ, Nijhout HF. Unmodern Synthesis: Developmental Hierarchies and the Origin of Phenotypes. Bioessays 2017; 40. [PMID: 29178269 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201600265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The question of whether the modern evolutionary synthesis requires an extension has recently become a topic of discussion, and a source of controversy. We suggest that this debate is, for the most part, not about the modern synthesis at all. Rather, it is about the extent to which genetic mechanisms can be regarded as the primary determinants of phenotypic characters. The modern synthesis has been associated with the idea that phenotypes are the result of gene products, while supporters of the extended synthesis have suggested that environmental factors, along with processes such as epigenetic inheritance, and niche construction play an important role in character formation. We argue that the methodology of the modern evolutionary synthesis has been enormously successful, but does not provide an accurate characterization of the origin of phenotypes. For its part, the extended synthesis has yet to be transformed into a testable theory, and accordingly, has yielded few results. We conclude by suggesting that the origin of phenotypes can only be understood by integrating findings from all levels of the organismal hierarchy. In most cases, parts and processes from a single level fail to accurately explain the presence of a given phenotypic trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Gawne
- Department of Biology, Duke University 130 Science Dr., Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Kenneth Z McKenna
- Department of Biology, Duke University 130 Science Dr., Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - H Frederik Nijhout
- Department of Biology, Duke University 130 Science Dr., Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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34
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Sedykh I, Yoon B, Roberson L, Moskvin O, Dewey CN, Grinblat Y. Zebrafish zic2 controls formation of periocular neural crest and choroid fissure morphogenesis. Dev Biol 2017; 429:92-104. [PMID: 28689736 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate retina develops in close proximity to the forebrain and neural crest-derived cartilages of the face and jaw. Coloboma, a congenital eye malformation, is associated with aberrant forebrain development (holoprosencephaly) and with craniofacial defects (frontonasal dysplasia) in humans, suggesting a critical role for cross-lineage interactions during retinal morphogenesis. ZIC2, a zinc-finger transcription factor, is linked to human holoprosencephaly. We have previously used morpholino assays to show zebrafish zic2 functions in the developing forebrain, retina and craniofacial cartilage. We now report that zebrafish with genetic lesions in zebrafish zic2 orthologs, zic2a and zic2b, develop with retinal coloboma and craniofacial anomalies. We demonstrate a requirement for zic2 in restricting pax2a expression and show evidence that zic2 function limits Hh signaling. RNA-seq transcriptome analysis identified an early requirement for zic2 in periocular neural crest as an activator of alx1, a transcription factor with essential roles in craniofacial and ocular morphogenesis in human and zebrafish. Collectively, these data establish zic2 mutant zebrafish as a powerful new genetic model for in-depth dissection of cell interactions and genetic controls during craniofacial complex development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Sedykh
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Baul Yoon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Genetics Ph. D. Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Laura Roberson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Oleg Moskvin
- Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Colin N Dewey
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Yevgenya Grinblat
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
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35
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Lencer ES, Warren WC, Harrison R, McCune AR. The Cyprinodon variegatus genome reveals gene expression changes underlying differences in skull morphology among closely related species. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:424. [PMID: 28558659 PMCID: PMC5450241 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3810-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the genetic and developmental origins of phenotypic novelty is central to the study of biological diversity. In this study we identify modifications to the expression of genes at four developmental stages that may underlie jaw morphological differences among three closely related species of pupfish (genus Cyprinodon) from San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Pupfishes on San Salvador Island are trophically differentiated and include two endemic species that have evolved jaw morphologies unlike that of any other species in the genus Cyprinodon. RESULTS We find that gene expression differs significantly across recently diverged species of pupfish. Genes such as Bmp4 and calmodulin, previously implicated in jaw diversification in African cichlid fishes and Galapagos finches, were not found to be differentially expressed among species of pupfish. Instead we find multiple growth factors and cytokine/chemokine genes to be differentially expressed among these pupfish taxa. These include both genes and pathways known to affect craniofacial development, such as Wnt signaling, as well as novel genes and pathways not previously implicated in craniofacial development. These data highlight both shared and potentially unique sources of jaw diversity in pupfish and those identified in other evolutionary model systems such as Galapagos finches and African cichlids. CONCLUSIONS We identify modifications to the expression of genes involved in Wnt signaling, Igf signaling, and the inflammation response as promising avenues for future research. Our project provides insight into the magnitude of gene expression changes contributing to the evolution of morphological novelties, such as jaw structure, in recently diverged pupfish species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezra S Lencer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
| | - Wesley C Warren
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Richard Harrison
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Amy R McCune
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
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Facial shape differences between rats selected for tame and aggressive behaviors. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175043. [PMID: 28369080 PMCID: PMC5378367 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Domestication has been consistently accompanied by a suite of traits called the domestication syndrome. These include increased docility, changes in coat coloration, prolonged juvenile behaviors, modified function of adrenal glands and reduced craniofacial dimensions. Wilkins et al recently proposed that the mechanistic factor underlying traits that encompass the domestication syndrome was altered neural crest cell (NCC) development. NCC form the precursors to a large number of tissue types including pigment cells, adrenal glands, teeth and the bones of the face. The hypothesis that deficits in NCC development can account for the domestication syndrome was partly based on the outcomes of Dmitri Belyaev's domestication experiments initially conducted on silver foxes. After generations of selecting for tameness, the foxes displayed phenotypes observed in domesticated species. Belyaev also had a colony of rats selected over 64 generations for either tameness or defensive aggression towards humans. Here we focus on the facial morphology of Belyaev's tame, 'domesticated' rats to test whether: 1) tameness in rats causes craniofacial changes similar to those observed in the foxes; 2) facial shape, i.e. NCC-derived region, is distinct in the tame and aggressive rats. We used computed-tomography scans of rat skulls and landmark-based geometric morphometrics to quantify and analyze the facial skeleton. We found facial shape differences between the tame and aggressive rats that were independent of size and which mirrored changes seen in domesticated animals compared to their wild counterparts. However, there was no evidence of reduced sexual dimorphism in the face of the tame rats. This indicates that not all morphological changes in NCC-derived regions in the rats follow the pattern of shape change reported in domesticated animals or the silver foxes. Thus, certain phenotypic trends that are part of the domestication syndrome might not be consistently present in all experimental animal models.
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Neaux D. Morphological integration of the cranium inHomo,Pan, andHylobatesand the evolution of hominoid facial structures. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 162:732-746. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dimitri Neaux
- Zoology Division; School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England; Armidale New South Wales Australia
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Chang CF, Chang YT, Millington G, Brugmann SA. Craniofacial Ciliopathies Reveal Specific Requirements for GLI Proteins during Development of the Facial Midline. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1006351. [PMID: 27802276 PMCID: PMC5089743 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ciliopathies represent a broad class of disorders that affect multiple organ systems. The craniofacial complex is among those most severely affected when primary cilia are not functional. We previously reported that loss of primary cilia on cranial neural crest cells, via a conditional knockout of the intraflagellar transport protein KIF3a, resulted in midfacial widening due to a gain of Hedgehog (HH) activity. Here, we examine the molecular mechanism of how a loss of primary cilia can produce facial phenotypes associated with a gain of HH function. We show that loss of intraflagellar transport proteins (KIF3a or IFT88) caused aberrant GLI processing such that the amount of GLI3FL and GLI2FL was increased, thus skewing the ratio of GLIFL to GLIR in favor of the FL isoform. Genetic addition of GLI3R partially rescued the ciliopathic midfacial widening. Interestingly, despite several previous studies suggesting midfacial development relies heavily on GLI3R activity, the conditional loss of GLI3 alone did not reproduce the ciliopathic phenotype. Only the combined loss of both GLI2 and GLI3 was able to phenocopy the ciliopathic midfacial appearance. Our findings suggest that ciliopathic facial phenotypes are generated via loss of both GLI3R and GLI2R and that this pathology occurs via a de-repression mechanism. Furthermore, these studies suggest a novel role for GLI2R in craniofacial development. Primary cilia are ubiquitous organelles that serve to transduce molecular signals within a cell. Loss of functional primary cilia results in a disease class called ciliopathies. Ciliopathies have a broad range of phenotypes; however, severe facial anomalies are commonly associated with this disease class. The facial midline is particularly sensitive to loss of primary cilia, frequently undergoing a significant widening. This phenotype is similar to that which occurs when there are gain-of-function defects in the Sonic Hedgehog pathway. This manuscript addresses the molecular basis for midfacial widening in ciliopathies. Importantly, we determine mechanisms to both rescue and phenocopy the ciliopathic midfacial phenotype. In sum, this work provides novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of midfacial patterning and the extent to which loss of cilia impact that process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Fang Chang
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery and Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
| | - Ya-Ting Chang
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery and Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
| | - Grethel Millington
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery and Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
| | - Samantha A. Brugmann
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery and Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
- * E-mail:
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Shaffer JR, Orlova E, Lee MK, Leslie EJ, Raffensperger ZD, Heike CL, Cunningham ML, Hecht JT, Kau CH, Nidey NL, Moreno LM, Wehby GL, Murray JC, Laurie CA, Laurie CC, Cole J, Ferrara T, Santorico S, Klein O, Mio W, Feingold E, Hallgrimsson B, Spritz RA, Marazita ML, Weinberg SM. Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Multiple Loci Influencing Normal Human Facial Morphology. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1006149. [PMID: 27560520 PMCID: PMC4999139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous lines of evidence point to a genetic basis for facial morphology in humans, yet little is known about how specific genetic variants relate to the phenotypic expression of many common facial features. We conducted genome-wide association meta-analyses of 20 quantitative facial measurements derived from the 3D surface images of 3118 healthy individuals of European ancestry belonging to two US cohorts. Analyses were performed on just under one million genotyped SNPs (Illumina OmniExpress+Exome v1.2 array) imputed to the 1000 Genomes reference panel (Phase 3). We observed genome-wide significant associations (p < 5 x 10−8) for cranial base width at 14q21.1 and 20q12, intercanthal width at 1p13.3 and Xq13.2, nasal width at 20p11.22, nasal ala length at 14q11.2, and upper facial depth at 11q22.1. Several genes in the associated regions are known to play roles in craniofacial development or in syndromes affecting the face: MAFB, PAX9, MIPOL1, ALX3, HDAC8, and PAX1. We also tested genotype-phenotype associations reported in two previous genome-wide studies and found evidence of replication for nasal ala length and SNPs in CACNA2D3 and PRDM16. These results provide further evidence that common variants in regions harboring genes of known craniofacial function contribute to normal variation in human facial features. Improved understanding of the genes associated with facial morphology in healthy individuals can provide insights into the pathways and mechanisms controlling normal and abnormal facial morphogenesis. There is a great deal of evidence that genes influence facial appearance. This is perhaps most apparent when we look at our own families, since we are more likely to share facial features in common with our close relatives than with unrelated individuals. Nevertheless, little is known about how variation in specific regions of the genome relates to the kinds of distinguishing facial characteristics that give us our unique identities, e.g., the size and shape of our nose or how far apart our eyes are spaced. In this paper, we investigate this question by examining the association between genetic variants across the whole genome and a set of measurements designed to capture key aspects of facial form. We found evidence of genetic associations involving measures of eye, nose, and facial breadth. In several cases, implicated regions contained genes known to play roles in embryonic face formation or in syndromes in which the face is affected. Our ability to connect specific genetic variants to ubiquitous facial traits can inform our understanding of normal and abnormal craniofacial development, provide potential predictive models of evolutionary changes in human facial features, and improve our ability to create forensic facial reconstructions from DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Shaffer
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ekaterina Orlova
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Myoung Keun Lee
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth J. Leslie
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Zachary D. Raffensperger
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Carrie L. Heike
- Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Craniofacial Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Michael L. Cunningham
- Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Craniofacial Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jacqueline T. Hecht
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas McGovern Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Chung How Kau
- Department of Orthodontics, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Nichole L. Nidey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Lina M. Moreno
- Department of Orthodontics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
- Dows Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - George L. Wehby
- Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey C. Murray
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Cecelia A. Laurie
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Cathy C. Laurie
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Joanne Cole
- Human Medical Genetics and Genomics Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Tracey Ferrara
- Human Medical Genetics and Genomics Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Stephanie Santorico
- Human Medical Genetics and Genomics Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Colorado, Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Ophir Klein
- Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Washington Mio
- Department of Mathematics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
| | - Eleanor Feingold
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Benedikt Hallgrimsson
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Richard A. Spritz
- Human Medical Genetics and Genomics Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Mary L. Marazita
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Seth M. Weinberg
- Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Weinberg SM, Leslie EJ, Hecht JT, Wehby GL, Deleyiannis FWB, Moreno LM, Christensen K, Marazita ML. Hypertelorism and Orofacial Clefting Revisited: An Anthropometric Investigation. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 2016; 54:631-638. [PMID: 27505181 DOI: 10.1597/15-256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Since the 1960s, multiple studies have reported a tendency toward hypertelorism in individuals with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (OFCs). However, the association between specific cleft types and increased interorbital distance has been inconsistent. Using three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging, we tested whether different forms of clefting showed evidence of increased interorbital distance. METHODS Intercanthal and outercanthal distances and intercanthal indices were calculated from 3D facial surface images of 287 individuals with repaired OFCs. Raw measurements were converted to sex and age-normalized Z-scores. Mean Z-scores for individuals with cleft lip (CL), cleft lip and palate (CLP), and cleft palate (CP) were compared with reference normative values (controls) and one another directly using t tests and analysis of variance. RESULTS The CLP group showed a significant increase in intercanthal width (P = .001) and intercanthal index (P < .001) compared with reference norms. The CP group showed a significant decrease (P < .001) in outercanthal width. The CL group showed no difference from reference norms. The proportion of clinically hyperteloric individuals was generally low but highest in the CLP group (7.4%). Cleft severity had little effect on interorbital spacing. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with CLP exhibited on average a tendency toward mild hypertelorism, driven primarily by an increase in intercanthal distance. This tendency was not seen in CL or CP.
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Powder KE, Albertson RC. Cichlid fishes as a model to understand normal and clinical craniofacial variation. Dev Biol 2016; 415:338-346. [PMID: 26719128 PMCID: PMC4914429 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We have made great strides towards understanding the etiology of craniofacial disorders, especially for 'simple' Mendelian traits. However, the facial skeleton is a complex trait, and the full spectrum of genetic, developmental, and environmental factors that contribute to its final geometry remain unresolved. Forward genetic screens are constrained with respect to complex traits due to the types of genes and alleles commonly identified, developmental pleiotropy, and limited information about the impact of environmental interactions. Here, we discuss how studies in an evolutionary model - African cichlid fishes - can complement traditional approaches to understand the genetic and developmental origins of complex shape. Cichlids exhibit an unparalleled range of natural craniofacial morphologies that model normal human variation, and in certain instances mimic human facial dysmorphologies. Moreover, the evolutionary history and genomic architecture of cichlids make them an ideal system to identify the genetic basis of these phenotypes via quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and population genomics. Given the molecular conservation of developmental genes and pathways, insights from cichlids are applicable to human facial variation and disease. We review recent work in this system, which has identified lbh as a novel regulator of neural crest cell migration, determined the Wnt and Hedgehog pathways mediate species-specific bone morphologies, and examined how plastic responses to diet modulate adult facial shapes. These studies have not only revealed new roles for existing pathways in craniofacial development, but have identified new genes and mechanisms involved in shaping the craniofacial skeleton. In all, we suggest that combining work in traditional laboratory and evolutionary models offers significant potential to provide a more complete and comprehensive picture of the myriad factors that are involved in the development of complex traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara E Powder
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 221 Morrill Science Center South, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - R Craig Albertson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 221 Morrill Science Center South, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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Grieco TM, Hlusko LJ. Insight from Frogs: Sonic Hedgehog Gene Expression and a Re-evaluation of the Vertebrate Odontogenic Band. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2016; 299:1099-109. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 03/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Theresa M. Grieco
- Department of Oral Health Sciences; Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Leslea J. Hlusko
- Department of Integrative Biology; University of California Berkeley; Berkeley California
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Abstract
Bird beaks are textbook examples of ecological adaptation to diet, but their shapes are also controlled by genetic and developmental histories. To test the effects of these factors on the avian craniofacial skeleton, we conducted morphometric analyses on raptors, a polyphyletic group at the base of the landbird radiation. Despite common perception, we find that the beak is not an independently targeted module for selection. Instead, the beak and skull are highly integrated structures strongly regulated by size, with axes of shape change linked to the actions of recently identified regulatory genes. Together, size and integration account for almost 80% of the shape variation seen between different species to the exclusion of morphological dietary adaptation. Instead, birds of prey use size as a mechanism to modify their feeding ecology. The extent to which shape variation is confined to a few major axes may provide an advantage in that it facilitates rapid morphological evolution via changes in body size, but may also make raptors especially vulnerable when selection pressures act against these axes. The phylogenetic position of raptors suggests that this constraint is prevalent in all landbirds and that breaking the developmental correspondence between beak and braincase may be the key novelty in classic passerine adaptive radiations.
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Gondré-Lewis MC, Gboluaje T, Reid SN, Lin S, Wang P, Green W, Diogo R, Fidélia-Lambert MN, Herman MM. The human brain and face: mechanisms of cranial, neurological and facial development revealed through malformations of holoprosencephaly, cyclopia and aberrations in chromosome 18. J Anat 2016; 227:255-67. [PMID: 26278930 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of inborn genetic errors can lend insight into mechanisms of normal human development and congenital malformations. Here, we present the first detailed comparison of cranial and neuro pathology in two exceedingly rare human individuals with cyclopia and alobar holoprosencephaly (HPE) in the presence and absence of aberrant chromosome 18 (aCh18). The aCh18 fetus contained one normal Ch18 and one with a pseudo-isodicentric duplication of chromosome 18q and partial deletion of 18p from 18p11.31 where the HPE gene, TGIF, resides, to the p terminus. In addition to synophthalmia, the aCh18 cyclopic malformations included a failure of induction of most of the telencephalon - closely approximating anencephaly, unchecked development of brain stem structures, near absence of the sphenoid bone and a malformed neurocranium and viscerocranium that constitute the median face. Although there was complete erasure of the olfactory and superior nasal structures, rudiments of nasal structures derived from the maxillary bone were evident, but with absent pharyngeal structures. The second non-aCh18 cyclopic fetus was initially classified as a true Cyclops, as it appeared to have a proboscis and one median eye with a single iris, but further analysis revealed two eye globes as expected for synophthalmic cyclopia. Furthermore, the proboscis was associated with the medial ethmoid ridge, consistent with an incomplete induction of these nasal structures, even as the nasal septum and paranasal sinuses were apparently developed. An important conclusion of this study is that it is the brain that predicts the overall configuration of the face, due to its influence on the development of surrounding skeletal structures. The present data using a combination of macroscopic, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques provide an unparalleled analysis on the extent of the effects of median defects, and insight into normal development and patterning of the brain, face and their skeletal support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie C Gondré-Lewis
- Laboratory for Neurodevelopment, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Temitayo Gboluaje
- Laboratory for Neurodevelopment, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Shaina N Reid
- Laboratory for Neurodevelopment, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Stephen Lin
- Department of Radiology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Paul Wang
- Department of Radiology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - William Green
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Biology, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Rui Diogo
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Biology, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Mary M Herman
- Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Couzens AMC, Evans AR, Skinner MM, Prideaux GJ. The role of inhibitory dynamics in the loss and reemergence of macropodoid tooth traits. Evolution 2016; 70:568-85. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aidan M. C. Couzens
- School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia
| | - Alistair R. Evans
- School of Biological Sciences; Monash University; Victoria 3800 Australia
- Geosciences; Museum Victoria; Melbourne Victoria 3001 Australia
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation; University of Kent; Kent CT2 7NZ United Kingdom
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | - Gavin J. Prideaux
- School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia
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Xavier GM, Seppala M, Barrell W, Birjandi AA, Geoghegan F, Cobourne MT. Hedgehog receptor function during craniofacial development. Dev Biol 2016; 415:198-215. [PMID: 26875496 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The Hedgehog signalling pathway plays a fundamental role in orchestrating normal craniofacial development in vertebrates. In particular, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is produced in three key domains during the early formation of the head; neuroectoderm of the ventral forebrain, facial ectoderm and the pharyngeal endoderm; with signal transduction evident in both ectodermal and mesenchymal tissue compartments. Shh signalling from the prechordal plate and ventral midline of the diencephalon is required for appropriate division of the eyefield and forebrain, with mutation in a number of pathway components associated with Holoprosencephaly, a clinically heterogeneous developmental defect characterized by a failure of the early forebrain vesicle to divide into distinct halves. In addition, signalling from the pharyngeal endoderm and facial ectoderm plays an essential role during development of the face, influencing cranial neural crest cells that migrate into the early facial processes. In recent years, the complexity of Shh signalling has been highlighted by the identification of multiple novel proteins that are involved in regulating both the release and reception of this protein. Here, we review the contributions of Shh signalling during early craniofacial development, focusing on Hedgehog receptor function and describing the consequences of disruption for inherited anomalies of this region in both mouse models and human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme M Xavier
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK; Department of Orthodontics, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Maisa Seppala
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK; Department of Orthodontics, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - William Barrell
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Anahid A Birjandi
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Finn Geoghegan
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Martyn T Cobourne
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK; Department of Orthodontics, King's College London Dental Institute, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK.
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Percival CJ, Liberton DK, Pardo‐Manuel de Villena F, Spritz R, Marcucio R, Hallgrímsson B. Genetics of murine craniofacial morphology: diallel analysis of the eight founders of the Collaborative Cross. J Anat 2016; 228:96-112. [PMID: 26426826 PMCID: PMC4694168 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Using eight inbred founder strains of the mouse Collaborative Cross (CC) project and their reciprocal F1 hybrids, we quantified variation in craniofacial morphology across mouse strains, explored genetic contributions to craniofacial variation that distinguish the founder strains, and tested whether specific or summary measures of craniofacial shape display stronger additive genetic contributions. This study thus provides critical information about phenotypic diversity among CC founder strains and about the genetic contributions to this phenotypic diversity, which is relevant to understanding the basis of variation in standard laboratory strains and natural populations. Craniofacial shape was quantified as a series of size-adjusted linear dimensions (RDs) and by principal components (PC) analysis of morphological landmarks captured from computed tomography images from 62 of the 64 reciprocal crosses of the CC founder strains. We first identified aspects of skull morphology that vary between these phenotypically 'normal' founder strains and that are defining characteristics of these strains. We estimated the contributions of additive and various non-additive genetic factors to phenotypic variation using diallel analyses of a subset of these strongly differing RDs and the first eight PCs of skull shape variation. We find little difference in the genetic contributions to RD measures and PC scores, suggesting fundamental similarities in the magnitude of genetic contributions to both specific and summary measures of craniofacial phenotypes. Our results indicate that there are stronger additive genetic effects associated with defining phenotypic characteristics of specific founder strains, suggesting these distinguishing measures are good candidates for use in genotype-phenotype association studies of CC mice. Our results add significantly to understanding of genotype-phenotype associations in the skull, which serve as a foundation for modeling the origins of medically and evolutionarily relevant variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Percival
- Alberta Children's Hospital Institute for Child and Maternal HealthUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
- The McCaig Bone and Joint InstituteUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
- Department of Cell Biology and AnatomyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
| | - Denise K. Liberton
- The McCaig Bone and Joint InstituteUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
- Department of Cell Biology and AnatomyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
- Present address: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial ResearchBethesdaMDUSA
| | | | - Richard Spritz
- Human Medical Genetics and Genomics ProgramUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraCOUSA
| | - Ralph Marcucio
- The Orthopaedic Trauma InstituteDepartment of Orthopaedic SurgeryUCSF School of MedicineSan FranciscoCAUSA
| | - Benedikt Hallgrímsson
- Alberta Children's Hospital Institute for Child and Maternal HealthUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
- The McCaig Bone and Joint InstituteUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
- Department of Cell Biology and AnatomyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
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Fish JL. Developmental mechanisms underlying variation in craniofacial disease and evolution. Dev Biol 2015; 415:188-197. [PMID: 26724698 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Revised: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Craniofacial disease phenotypes exhibit significant variation in penetrance and severity. Although many genetic contributions to phenotypic variation have been identified, genotype-phenotype correlations remain imprecise. Recent work in evolutionary developmental biology has exposed intriguing developmental mechanisms that potentially explain incongruities in genotype-phenotype relationships. This review focuses on two observations from work in comparative and experimental animal model systems that highlight how development structures variation. First, multiple genetic inputs converge on relatively few developmental processes. Investigation of when and how variation in developmental processes occurs may therefore help predict potential genetic interactions and phenotypic outcomes. Second, genetic mutation is typically associated with an increase in phenotypic variance. Several models outlining developmental mechanisms underlying mutational increases in phenotypic variance are discussed using Satb2-mediated variation in jaw size as an example. These data highlight development as a critical mediator of genotype-phenotype correlations. Future research in evolutionary developmental biology focusing on tissue-level processes may help elucidate the "black box" between genotype and phenotype, potentially leading to novel treatment, earlier diagnoses, and better clinical consultations for individuals affected by craniofacial anomalies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Fish
- University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Biological Sciences, 198 Riverside Street, Olsen Hall, Room 619, Lowell, MA 01854, United States.
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Singh N, Dutka T, Reeves RH, Richtsmeier JT. Chronic up-regulation of sonic hedgehog has little effect on postnatal craniofacial morphology of euploid and trisomic mice. Dev Dyn 2015; 245:114-22. [PMID: 26509735 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Ts65Dn, a mouse model of Down syndrome (DS), brain and craniofacial abnormalities that parallel those in people with DS are linked to an attenuated cellular response to sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling. If a similarly reduced response to SHH occurs in all trisomic cells, then chronic up-regulation of the pathway might have a positive effect on development in trisomic mice, resulting in amelioration of the craniofacial anomalies. RESULTS We crossed Ts65Dn with Ptch1(tm1Mps/+) mice and quantified the craniofacial morphology of Ts65Dn;Ptch(+/-) offspring to assess whether a chronic up-regulation of the SHH pathway rescued DS-related anomalies. Ts65Dn;Ptch1(+/-) mice experience a chronic increase in SHH in SHH-receptive cells due to haploinsufficiency of the pathway suppressor, Ptch1. Chronic up-regulation had minimal effect on craniofacial shape and did not correct facial abnormalities in Ts65Dn;Ptch(+/-) mice. We further compared effects of this chronic up-regulation of SHH with acute pathway stimulation in mice treated on the day of birth with a SHH pathway agonist, SAG. We found that SHH affects facial morphology differently based on chronic vs. acute postnatal pathway up-regulation. CONCLUSIONS Our findings have implications for understanding the function of SHH in craniofacial development and for the potential use of SHH-based agonists to treat DS-related abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nandini Singh
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Tara Dutka
- Institute of Genetic Medicine and Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Roger H Reeves
- Institute of Genetic Medicine and Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Joan T Richtsmeier
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
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Ealba EL, Jheon AH, Hall J, Curantz C, Butcher KD, Schneider RA. Neural crest-mediated bone resorption is a determinant of species-specific jaw length. Dev Biol 2015; 408:151-63. [PMID: 26449912 PMCID: PMC4698309 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Precise control of jaw length during development is crucial for proper form and function. Previously we have shown that in birds, neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) confers species-specific size and shape to the beak by regulating molecular and histological programs for the induction and deposition of cartilage and bone. Here we reveal that a hitherto unrecognized but similarly essential mechanism for establishing jaw length is the ability of NCM to mediate bone resorption. Osteoclasts are considered the predominant cells that resorb bone, although osteocytes have also been shown to participate in this process. In adults, bone resorption is tightly coupled to bone deposition as a means to maintain skeletal homeostasis. Yet, the role and regulation of bone resorption during growth of the embryonic skeleton have remained relatively unexplored. We compare jaw development in short-beaked quail versus long-billed duck and find that quail have substantially higher levels of enzymes expressed by bone-resorbing cells including tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), Matrix metalloproteinase 13 (Mmp13), and Mmp9. Then, we transplant NCM destined to form the jaw skeleton from quail to duck and generate chimeras in which osteocytes arise from quail donor NCM and osteoclasts come exclusively from the duck host. Chimeras develop quail-like jaw skeletons coincident with dramatically elevated expression of TRAP, Mmp13, and Mmp9. To test for a link between bone resorption and jaw length, we block resorption using a bisphosphonate, osteoprotegerin protein, or an MMP13 inhibitor, and this significantly lengthens the jaw. Conversely, activating resorption with RANKL protein shortens the jaw. Finally, we find that higher resorption in quail presages their relatively lower adult jaw bone mineral density (BMD) and that BMD is also NCM-mediated. Thus, our experiments suggest that NCM not only controls bone resorption by its own derivatives but also modulates the activity of mesoderm-derived osteoclasts, and in so doing enlists bone resorption as a key patterning mechanism underlying the functional morphology and evolution of the jaw.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin L Ealba
- Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Andrew H Jheon
- Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Jane Hall
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Camille Curantz
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Kristin D Butcher
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Richard A Schneider
- Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
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