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Ferrena A, Zhang X, Shrestha R, Zheng D, Liu W. Six3 and Six6 jointly control diverse target genes in multiple cell populations over developmental trajectories of mouse embryonic retinal progenitor cells. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0308839. [PMID: 39446806 PMCID: PMC11500937 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 10/26/2024] Open
Abstract
How tissue-specific progenitor cells generate adult tissues is a puzzle in organogenesis. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of control and Six3 and Six6 compound-mutant mouse embryonic eyecups, we demonstrated that these two closely related transcription factors jointly control diverse target genes in multiple cell populations over the developmental trajectories of mouse embryonic retinal progenitor cells. In the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection for Dimension Reduction (UMAP) graph of control retinas, naïve retinal progenitor cells had two major trajectories leading to ciliary margin cells and retinal neurons, respectively. The ciliary margin trajectory was from naïve retinal progenitor cells in the G1 phase directly to ciliary margin cells, whereas the neuronal trajectory went through an intermediate neurogenic state marked by Atoh7 expression. Neurogenic retinal progenitor cells (Atoh7+) were still proliferative; early retinal neurons branched out from Atoh7+ retina progenitor cells in the G1 phase. Upon Six3 and Six6 dual deficiency, both naïve and neurogenic retinal progenitor cells were defective, ciliary margin differentiation was enhanced, and multi-lineage neuronal differentiation was disrupted. An ectopic neuronal trajectory lacking the Atoh7+ state led to ectopic neurons. Additionally, Wnt signaling was upregulated, whereas FGF signaling was downregulated. Notably, Six3 and Six6 proteins occupied the loci of diverse genes that were differentially expressed in distinct cell populations, and expression of these genes was significantly altered upon Six3 and Six6 dual deficiency. Our findings provide deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying early retinal differentiation in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Ferrena
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Xusheng Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Rupendra Shrestha
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
- The Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
- The Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
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Niharika, Ureka L, Roy A, Patra SK. Dissecting SOX2 expression and function reveals an association with multiple signaling pathways during embryonic development and in cancer progression. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189136. [PMID: 38880162 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
SRY (Sex Determining Region) box 2 (SOX2) is an essential transcription factor that plays crucial roles in activating genes involved in pre- and post-embryonic development, adult tissue homeostasis, and lineage specifications. SOX2 maintains the self-renewal property of stem cells and is involved in the generation of induced pluripotency stem cells. SOX2 protein contains a particular high-mobility group domain that enables SOX2 to achieve the capacity to participate in a broad variety of functions. The information about the involvement of SOX2 with gene regulatory elements, signaling networks, and microRNA is gradually emerging, and the higher expression of SOX2 is functionally relevant to various cancer types. SOX2 facilitates the oncogenic phenotype via cellular proliferation and enhancement of invasive tumor properties. Evidence are accumulating in favor of three dimensional (higher order) folding of chromatin and epigenetic control of the SOX2 gene by chromatin modifications, which implies that the expression level of SOX2 can be modulated by epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, specifically, via DNA methylation and histone H3 modification. In view of this, and to focus further insights into the roles SOX2 plays in physiological functions, involvement of SOX2 during development, precisely, the advances of our knowledge in pre- and post-embryonic development, and interactions of SOX2 in this scenario with various signaling pathways in tumor development and cancer progression, its potential as a therapeutic target against many cancers are summarized and discussed in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niharika
- Epigenetics and Cancer Research Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Lina Ureka
- Epigenetics and Cancer Research Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Ankan Roy
- Epigenetics and Cancer Research Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Samir Kumar Patra
- Epigenetics and Cancer Research Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India.
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Ghafoori SM, Sethi A, Petersen GF, Tanipour MH, Gooley PR, Forwood JK. RNA Binding Properties of SOX Family Members. Cells 2024; 13:1202. [PMID: 39056784 PMCID: PMC11274882 DOI: 10.3390/cells13141202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
SOX proteins are a family of transcription factors (TFs) that play critical functions in sex determination, neurogenesis, and chondrocyte differentiation, as well as cardiac, vascular, and lymphatic development. There are 20 SOX family members in humans, each sharing a 79-residue L-shaped high mobility group (HMG)-box domain that is responsible for DNA binding. SOX2 was recently shown to interact with long non-coding RNA and large-intergenic non-coding RNA to regulate embryonic stem cell and neuronal differentiation. The RNA binding region was shown to reside within the HMG-box domain; however, the structural details of this binding remain unclear. Here, we show that all SOX family members, except group H, interact with RNA. Our mutational experiments demonstrate that the disordered C-terminal region of the HMG-box domain plays an important role in RNA binding. Further, by determining a high-resolution structure of the HMG-box domain of the group H family member SOX30, we show that despite differences in RNA binding ability, SOX30 shares a very similar secondary structure with other SOX protein HMG-box domains. Together, our study provides insight into the interaction of SOX TFs with RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Mohammad Ghafoori
- School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia;
| | - Ashish Sethi
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (A.S.); (M.H.T.); (P.R.G.)
- Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation, The Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Rd., Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Gayle F. Petersen
- Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia;
| | - Mohammad Hossein Tanipour
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (A.S.); (M.H.T.); (P.R.G.)
| | - Paul R. Gooley
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (A.S.); (M.H.T.); (P.R.G.)
| | - Jade K. Forwood
- School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia;
- Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia;
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Dubaic M, Peskova L, Hampl M, Weissova K, Celiker C, Shylo NA, Hruba E, Kavkova M, Zikmund T, Weatherbee SD, Kaiser J, Barta T, Buchtova M. Role of ciliopathy protein TMEM107 in eye development: insights from a mouse model and retinal organoid. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202302073. [PMID: 37863656 PMCID: PMC10589122 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary cilia are cellular surface projections enriched in receptors and signaling molecules, acting as signaling hubs that respond to stimuli. Malfunctions in primary cilia have been linked to human diseases, including retinopathies and ocular defects. Here, we focus on TMEM107, a protein localized to the transition zone of primary cilia. TMEM107 mutations were found in patients with Joubert and Meckel-Gruber syndromes. A mouse model lacking Tmem107 exhibited eye defects such as anophthalmia and microphthalmia, affecting retina differentiation. Tmem107 expression during prenatal mouse development correlated with phenotype occurrence, with enhanced expression in differentiating retina and optic stalk. TMEM107 deficiency in retinal organoids resulted in the loss of primary cilia, down-regulation of retina-specific genes, and cyst formation. Knocking out TMEM107 in human ARPE-19 cells prevented primary cilia formation and impaired response to Smoothened agonist treatment because of ectopic activation of the SHH pathway. Our data suggest TMEM107 plays a crucial role in early vertebrate eye development and ciliogenesis in the differentiating retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Dubaic
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Peskova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Hampl
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kamila Weissova
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Canan Celiker
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Natalia A Shylo
- Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Eva Hruba
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Kavkova
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Zikmund
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Scott D Weatherbee
- Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Biology Department, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT, USA
| | - Jozef Kaiser
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Barta
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marcela Buchtova
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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5
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Du JL, Gao LX, Wang T, Ye Z, Li HY, Li W, Zeng Q, Xi JF, Yue W, Li ZH. Influence of hypoxia on retinal progenitor and ganglion cells in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal organoids. Int J Ophthalmol 2023; 16:1574-1581. [PMID: 37854379 PMCID: PMC10559029 DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2023.10.03] [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: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To observe the effect of low oxygen concentration on the neural retina in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived retinal organoids (ROs). METHODS The hiPSC and a three-dimensional culture method were used for the experiments. Generated embryoid bodies (EBs) were randomly and equally divided into hypoxic and normoxic groups. Photographs of the EBs were taken on days 38, 45, and 52, and the corresponding volume of EBs was calculated. Simultaneously, samples were collected at these three timepoints, followed by fixation, sectioning, and immunofluorescence. RESULTS The proportion of Ki67-positive proliferating cells increased steadily on day 38; this proliferation-promoting effect tended to increase tissue density rather than tissue volume. On days 45 and 52, the two groups had relatively similar ratios of Ki67-positive cells. Further immunofluorescence analysis showed that the ratio of SOX2-positive cells significantly increased within the neural retina on day 52 (P<0.05). In contrast, the percentage of PAX6- and CHX10-positive cells significantly decreased following hypoxia treatment at all three timepoints (P<0.01), except for CHX10 at day 45 (P>0.05). Moreover, the proportion of PAX6-/TUJ1+ cells within the neural retinas increased considerably (P<0.01, <0.05, <0.05 respectively). CONCLUSION Low oxygen promotes stemness and proliferation of neural retinas, suggesting that hypoxic conditions can enlarge the retinal progenitor cell pool in hiPSC-derived ROs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Lin Du
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
- Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Li-Xiong Gao
- Departement of Ophthalmology, the 6 Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Zi Ye
- Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Hong-Yu Li
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
- Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Wen Li
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
- Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Quan Zeng
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Lab, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Jia-Fei Xi
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Lab, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Wen Yue
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Lab, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Zhao-Hui Li
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
- Senior Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
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Batista da Silva I, Aciole Barbosa D, Kavalco KF, Nunes LR, Pasa R, Menegidio FB. Discovery of putative long non-coding RNAs expressed in the eyes of Astyanax mexicanus (Actinopterygii: Characidae). Sci Rep 2023; 13:12051. [PMID: 37491348 PMCID: PMC10368750 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34198-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Astyanax mexicanus is a well-known model species, that has two morphotypes, cavefish, from subterranean rivers and surface fish, from surface rivers. They are morphologically distinct due to many troglomorphic traits in the cavefish, such as the absence of eyes. Most studies on A. mexicanus are focused on eye development and protein-coding genes involved in the process. However, lncRNAs did not get the same attention and very little is known about them. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap, identifying, describing, classifying, and annotating lncRNAs expressed in the embryo's eye tissue of cavefish and surface fish. To do so, we constructed a concise workflow to assemble and evaluate transcriptomes, annotate protein-coding genes, ncRNAs families, predict the coding potential, identify putative lncRNAs, map them and predict interactions. This approach resulted in the identification of 33,069 and 19,493 putative lncRNAs respectively mapped in cavefish and surface fish. Thousands of these lncRNAs were annotated and identified as conserved in human and several species of fish. Hundreds of them were validated in silico, through ESTs. We identified lncRNAs associated with genes related to eye development. This is the case of a few lncRNAs associated with sox2, which we suggest being isomorphs of the SOX2-OT, a lncRNA that can regulate the expression of sox2. This work is one of the first studies to focus on the description of lncRNAs in A. mexicanus, highlighting several lncRNA targets and opening an important precedent for future studies focusing on lncRNAs expressed in A. mexicanus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iuri Batista da Silva
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa Campus Rio Paranaíba, Rio Paranaíba, MG, 38810-000, Brazil
| | - David Aciole Barbosa
- Integrated Biotechnology Center, University of Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Av. Dr. Cândido X. de Almeida and Souza, 200 - Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, 08780-911, Brazil
| | - Karine Frehner Kavalco
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa Campus Rio Paranaíba, Rio Paranaíba, MG, 38810-000, Brazil
| | - Luiz R Nunes
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, 09606-045, Brazil
| | - Rubens Pasa
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa Campus Rio Paranaíba, Rio Paranaíba, MG, 38810-000, Brazil.
| | - Fabiano B Menegidio
- Integrated Biotechnology Center, University of Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Av. Dr. Cândido X. de Almeida and Souza, 200 - Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, 08780-911, Brazil.
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Sokolova N, Zilova L, Wittbrodt J. Unravelling the link between embryogenesis and adult stem cell potential in the ciliary marginal zone: A comparative study between mammals and teleost fish. Cells Dev 2023; 174:203848. [PMID: 37172718 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2023.203848] [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: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The discovery and study of adult stem cells have revolutionized regenerative medicine by offering new opportunities for treating various medical conditions. Anamniote stem cells, which retain their full proliferative capacity and full differentiation range throughout their lifetime, harbour a greater potential compared to mammalian adult stem cells, which only exhibit limited stem cell potential. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying these differences is of significant interest. In this review, we examine the similarities and differences of adult retinal stem cells in anamniotes and mammals, from their embryonic stages in the optic vesicle to their residence in the postembryonic retinal stem cell niche, the ciliary marginal zone located in the retinal periphery. In anamniotes, developing precursors of retinal stem cells are exposed to various environmental cues during their migration in the complex morphogenetic remodelling of the optic vesicle to the optic cup. In contrast, their mammalian counterparts in the retinal periphery are primarily instructed by neighbouring tissues once they are in place. We explore the distinct modes of optic cup morphogenesis in mammals and teleost fish and highlight molecular mechanisms governing morphogenesis and stem cells instruction. The review concludes with the molecular mechanisms of ciliary marginal zone formation and offers a perspective on the impact of comparative single cell transcriptomic studies to reveal the evolutionary similarities and differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Sokolova
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Germany; Heidelberg Biosciences International Graduate School, Germany
| | - Lucie Zilova
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Germany.
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Ferrena A, Zhang X, Shrestha R, Zheng D, Liu W. Six3 and Six6 jointly regulate the identities and developmental trajectories of multipotent retinal progenitor cells in the mouse retina. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.03.539288. [PMID: 37205402 PMCID: PMC10187238 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.03.539288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Formation, maintenance, and differentiation of tissue-specific progenitor cells are fundamental tasks during organogenesis. Retinal development is an excellent model for dissecting these processes; mechanisms of retinal differentiation can be harnessed for retinal regeneration toward curing blindness. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of embryonic mouse eye cups in which transcription factor Six3 was conditionally inactivated in peripheral retinas on top of germline deletion of its close paralog Six6 ("DKO"), we identified cell clusters and then inferred developmental trajectories in the integrated dataset. In control retinas, naïve retinal progenitor cells had two major trajectories leading to ciliary margin cells and retinal neurons, respectively. The ciliary margin trajectory was directly from naïve retinal progenitor cells at G1 phase, and the retinal neuron trajectory was through a neurogenic state marked by Atoh7 expression. Upon Six3 and Six6 dual deficiency, both naïve and neurogenic retinal progenitor cells were defective. Ciliary margin differentiation was enhanced, and multi-lineage retinal differentiation was disrupted. An ectopic neuronal trajectory lacking the Atoh7+ state led to ectopic neurons. Differential expression analysis not only confirmed previous phenotype studies but also identified novel candidate genes regulated by Six3/Six6 . Six3 and Six6 were jointly required for balancing the opposing gradients of the Fgf and Wnt signaling in the central-peripheral patterning of the eye cups. Taken together, we identify transcriptomes and developmental trajectories jointly regulated by Six3 and Six6, providing deeper insight into molecular mechanisms underlying early retinal differentiation.
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SOX2 Modulates the Nuclear Organization and Transcriptional Activity of the Glucocorticoid Receptor. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167869. [PMID: 36309135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Steroid receptors (SRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors (TFs) relevant to key cellular processes in both physiology and pathology, including some types of cancer. SOX2 is a master TF of pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells, and its dysregulation is also associated with various types of human cancers. A potential crosstalk between these TFs could be relevant in malignant cells yet, to the best of our knowledge, no formal study has been performed thus far. Here we show, by quantitative live-cell imaging microscopy, that ectopic expression of SOX2 disrupts the formation of hormone-dependent intranuclear condensates of many steroid receptors (SRs), including those formed by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). SOX2 also reduces GR's binding to specific DNA targets and modulates its transcriptional activity. SOX2-driven effects on GR condensates do not require the intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain of the receptor and, surprisingly, neither relies on GR/SOX2 interactions. SOX2 also alters the intranuclear dynamics and compartmentalization of the SR coactivator NCoA-2 and impairs GR/NCoA-2 interactions. These results suggest an indirect mechanism underlying SOX2-driven effects on SRs involving this coactivator. Together, these results highlight that the transcriptional program elicited by GR relies on its nuclear organization and is intimately linked to the distribution of other GR partners, such as the NCoA-2 coactivator. Abnormal expression of SOX2, commonly observed in many tumors, may alter the biological action of GR and, probably, other SRs as well. Understanding this crosstalk may help to improve steroid hormone-based therapies in cancers with elevated SOX2 expression.
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Diacou R, Nandigrami P, Fiser A, Liu W, Ashery-Padan R, Cvekl A. Cell fate decisions, transcription factors and signaling during early retinal development. Prog Retin Eye Res 2022; 91:101093. [PMID: 35817658 PMCID: PMC9669153 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2022.101093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The development of the vertebrate eyes is a complex process starting from anterior-posterior and dorso-ventral patterning of the anterior neural tube, resulting in the formation of the eye field. Symmetrical separation of the eye field at the anterior neural plate is followed by two symmetrical evaginations to generate a pair of optic vesicles. Next, reciprocal invagination of the optic vesicles with surface ectoderm-derived lens placodes generates double-layered optic cups. The inner and outer layers of the optic cups develop into the neural retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), respectively. In vitro produced retinal tissues, called retinal organoids, are formed from human pluripotent stem cells, mimicking major steps of retinal differentiation in vivo. This review article summarizes recent progress in our understanding of early eye development, focusing on the formation the eye field, optic vesicles, and early optic cups. Recent single-cell transcriptomic studies are integrated with classical in vivo genetic and functional studies to uncover a range of cellular mechanisms underlying early eye development. The functions of signal transduction pathways and lineage-specific DNA-binding transcription factors are dissected to explain cell-specific regulatory mechanisms underlying cell fate determination during early eye development. The functions of homeodomain (HD) transcription factors Otx2, Pax6, Lhx2, Six3 and Six6, which are required for early eye development, are discussed in detail. Comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of early eye development provides insight into the molecular and cellular basis of developmental ocular anomalies, such as optic cup coloboma. Lastly, modeling human development and inherited retinal diseases using stem cell-derived retinal organoids generates opportunities to discover novel therapies for retinal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raven Diacou
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Prithviraj Nandigrami
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Andras Fiser
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Ruth Ashery-Padan
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Ales Cvekl
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA.
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11
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He Z, Xu Y, Ma Q, Zhou C, Yang L, Lin M, Deng P, Yang Z, Gong M, Zhang H, Lu M, Li Y, Gao P, Lu Y, He M, Zhang L, Pi H, Zhang K, Qin S, Yu Z, Zhou Z, Chen C. SOX2 modulated astrocytic process plasticity is involved in arsenic-induced metabolic disorders. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 435:128942. [PMID: 35468398 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic disorders induced by arsenic exposure have attracted great public concern. However, it remains unclear whether hypothalamus-based central regulation mechanisms are involved in this process. Here, we exposed mice to 100 μg/L arsenic in drinking water and established a chronic arsenic exposure model. Our study revealed that chronic arsenic exposure caused metabolic disorders in mice including impaired glucose metabolism and decreased energy expenditure. Arsenic exposure also impaired glucose sensing and the activation of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the hypothalamus. In particular, arsenic exposure damaged the plasticity of hypothalamic astrocytic process. Further research revealed that arsenic exposure inhibited the expression of sex-determining region Y-Box 2 (SOX2), which decreased the expression level of insulin receptors (INSRs) and the phosphorylation of AKT. The conditional deletion of astrocytic SOX2 exacerbated arsenic-induced effects on metabolic disorders, the impairment of hypothalamic astrocytic processes, and the inhibition of INSR/AKT signaling. Furthermore, the arsenic-induced impairment of astrocytic processes and inhibitory effects on INSR/AKT signaling were reversed by SOX2 overexpression in primary hypothalamic astrocytes. Together, we demonstrated here that chronic arsenic exposure caused metabolic disorders by impairing SOX2-modulated hypothalamic astrocytic process plasticity in mice. Our study provides evidence of novel central regulatory mechanisms underlying arsenic-induced metabolic disorders and emphasizes the crucial role of SOX2 in regulating the process plasticity of adult astrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin He
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yudong Xu
- Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, and Department of Emergency Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qinlong Ma
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Chao Zhou
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China; Army 953 Hospital, Shigatse Branch of Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Shigatse 857099, China
| | - Lingling Yang
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Min Lin
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Ping Deng
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Zhiqi Yang
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Mingyue Gong
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Huijie Zhang
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Muxue Lu
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Yanqi Li
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Peng Gao
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yonghui Lu
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Mindi He
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Huifeng Pi
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Kuan Zhang
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Song Qin
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhengping Yu
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Zhou Zhou
- Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, and Department of Emergency Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Center for Neurointelligence, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China.
| | - Chunhai Chen
- Department of Occupational Health (Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Radiation Protection, Ministry of Education), Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
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12
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Co-activation of Sonic hedgehog and Wnt signaling in murine retinal precursor cells drives ocular lesions with features of intraocular medulloepithelioma. Oncogenesis 2021; 10:78. [PMID: 34785636 PMCID: PMC8595639 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-021-00369-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraocular medulloepithelioma (IO-MEPL) is a rare embryonal ocular neoplasm, prevalently occurring in children. IO-MEPLs share histomorphological features with CNS embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes (ETMRs), referred to as intracranial medulloepitheliomas. While Sonic hedgehog (SHH) and WNT signaling pathways are crucial for ETMR pathogenesis, the impact of these pathways on human IO-MEPL development is unclear. Gene expression analyses of human embryonal tumor samples revealed similar gene expression patterns and significant overrepresentation of SHH and WNT target genes in both IO-MEPL and ETMR. In order to unravel the function of Shh and Wnt signaling for IO-MEPL pathogenesis in vivo, both pathways were activated in retinal precursor cells in a time point specific manner. Shh and Wnt co-activation in early Sox2- or Rax-expressing precursor cells resulted in infiltrative ocular lesions that displayed extraretinal expansion. Histomorphological, immunohistochemical, and molecular features showed a strong concordance with human IO-MEPL. We demonstrate a relevant role of WNT and SHH signaling in IO-MEPL and report the first mouse model to generate tumor-like lesions with features of IO-MEPL. The presented data may be fundamental for comprehending IO-MEPL initiation and developing targeted therapeutic approaches.
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13
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Abstract
The vertebrate eye is derived from the neuroepithelium, surface ectoderm, and extracellular mesenchyme. The neuroepithelium forms an optic cup in which the spatial separation of three domains is established, namely, the region of multipotent retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), the ciliary margin zone (CMZ)-which possesses both a neurogenic and nonneurogenic potential-and the optic disk (OD), the interface between the optic stalk and the neuroretina. Here, we show by genetic ablation in the developing optic cup that Meis1 and Meis2 homeobox genes function redundantly to maintain the retinal progenitor pool while they simultaneously suppress the expression of genes characteristic of CMZ and OD fates. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Meis transcription factors bind regulatory regions of RPC-, CMZ-, and OD-specific genes, thus providing a mechanistic insight into the Meis-dependent gene regulatory network. Our work uncovers the essential role of Meis1 and Meis2 as regulators of cell fate competence, which organize spatial territories in the vertebrate eye.
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14
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Auer JMT, Stoddart JJ, Christodoulou I, Lima A, Skouloudaki K, Hall HN, Vukojević V, Papadopoulos DK. Of numbers and movement - understanding transcription factor pathogenesis by advanced microscopy. Dis Model Mech 2020; 13:dmm046516. [PMID: 33433399 PMCID: PMC7790199 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.046516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are life-sustaining and, therefore, the subject of intensive research. By regulating gene expression, TFs control a plethora of developmental and physiological processes, and their abnormal function commonly leads to various developmental defects and diseases in humans. Normal TF function often depends on gene dosage, which can be altered by copy-number variation or loss-of-function mutations. This explains why TF haploinsufficiency (HI) can lead to disease. Since aberrant TF numbers frequently result in pathogenic abnormalities of gene expression, quantitative analyses of TFs are a priority in the field. In vitro single-molecule methodologies have significantly aided the identification of links between TF gene dosage and transcriptional outcomes. Additionally, advances in quantitative microscopy have contributed mechanistic insights into normal and aberrant TF function. However, to understand TF biology, TF-chromatin interactions must be characterised in vivo, in a tissue-specific manner and in the context of both normal and altered TF numbers. Here, we summarise the advanced microscopy methodologies most frequently used to link TF abundance to function and dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying TF HIs. Increased application of advanced single-molecule and super-resolution microscopy modalities will improve our understanding of how TF HIs drive disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M T Auer
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 1XU, UK
| | - Jack J Stoddart
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 1XU, UK
| | | | - Ana Lima
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 1XU, UK
| | | | - Hildegard N Hall
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 1XU, UK
| | - Vladana Vukojević
- Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM), Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
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15
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Moazzeni H, Khani M, Elahi E. Insights into the regulatory molecules involved in glaucoma pathogenesis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART C-SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2020; 184:782-827. [PMID: 32935930 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Glaucoma is an important cause of irreversible blindness, characterized by optic nerve anomalies. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) and aging are major risk factors. Retinal ganglion cells and trabecular meshwork cells are certainly involved in the etiology of glaucoma. Glaucoma is usually a complex disease, and various genes and functions may contribute to its etiology. Among these may be genes that encode regulatory molecules. In this review, regulatory molecules including 18 transcription factors (TFs), 195 microRNAs (miRNAs), 106 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and two circular RNAs (circRNAs) that are reasonable candidates for having roles in glaucoma pathogenesis are described. The targets of the regulators are reported. Glaucoma-related features including apoptosis, stress responses, immune functions, ECM properties, IOP, and eye development are affected by the targeted genes. The targeted genes that are frequently targeted by multiple regulators most often affect apoptosis and the related features of cell death and cell survival. BCL2, CDKN1A, and TP53 are among the frequent targets of three types of glaucoma-relevant regulators, TFs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs. TP53 was itself identified as a glaucoma-relevant TF. Several of the glaucoma-relevant TFs are themselves among frequent targets of regulatory molecules, which is consistent with existence of a complex network involved in glaucoma pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Moazzeni
- School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marzieh Khani
- School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elahe Elahi
- School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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16
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Singh RK, Nasonkin IO. Limitations and Promise of Retinal Tissue From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Developing Therapies of Blindness. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:179. [PMID: 33132839 PMCID: PMC7513806 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The self-formation of retinal tissue from pluripotent stem cells generated a tremendous promise for developing new therapies of retinal degenerative diseases, which previously seemed unattainable. Together with use of induced pluripotent stem cells or/and CRISPR-based recombineering the retinal organoid technology provided an avenue for developing models of human retinal degenerative diseases "in a dish" for studying the pathology, delineating the mechanisms and also establishing a platform for large-scale drug screening. At the same time, retinal organoids, highly resembling developing human fetal retinal tissue, are viewed as source of multipotential retinal progenitors, young photoreceptors and just the whole retinal tissue, which may be transplanted into the subretinal space with a goal of replacing patient's degenerated retina with a new retinal "patch." Both approaches (transplantation and modeling/drug screening) were projected when Yoshiki Sasai demonstrated the feasibility of deriving mammalian retinal tissue from pluripotent stem cells, and generated a lot of excitement. With further work and testing of both approaches in vitro and in vivo, a major implicit limitation has become apparent pretty quickly: the absence of the uniform layer of Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) cells, which is normally present in mammalian retina, surrounds photoreceptor layer and develops and matures first. The RPE layer polarize into apical and basal sides during development and establish microvilli on the apical side, interacting with photoreceptors, nurturing photoreceptor outer segments and participating in the visual cycle by recycling 11-trans retinal (bleached pigment) back to 11-cis retinal. Retinal organoids, however, either do not have RPE layer or carry patches of RPE mostly on one side, thus directly exposing most photoreceptors in the developing organoids to neural medium. Recreation of the critical retinal niche between the apical RPE and photoreceptors, where many retinal disease mechanisms originate, is so far unattainable, imposes clear limitations on both modeling/drug screening and transplantation approaches and is a focus of investigation in many labs. Here we dissect different retinal degenerative diseases and analyze how and where retinal organoid technology can contribute the most to developing therapies even with a current limitation and absence of long and functional outer segments, supported by RPE.
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17
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Eintracht J, Toms M, Moosajee M. The Use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Model for Developmental Eye Disorders. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:265. [PMID: 32973457 PMCID: PMC7468397 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately one-third of childhood blindness is attributed to developmental eye disorders, of which 80% have a genetic cause. Eye morphogenesis is tightly regulated by a highly conserved network of transcription factors when disrupted by genetic mutations can result in severe ocular malformation. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are an attractive tool to study early eye development as they are more physiologically relevant than animal models, can be patient-specific and their use does not elicit the ethical concerns associated with human embryonic stem cells. The generation of self-organizing hiPSC-derived optic cups is a major advancement to understanding mechanisms of ocular development and disease. Their development in vitro has been found to mirror that of the human eye and these early organoids have been used to effectively model microphthalmia caused by a VSX2 variant. hiPSC-derived optic cups, retina, and cornea organoids are powerful tools for future modeling of disease phenotypes and will enable a greater understanding of the pathophysiology of many other developmental eye disorders. These models will also provide an effective platform for identifying molecular therapeutic targets and for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Toms
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom.,The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom.,The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.,Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.,Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
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18
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Medina-Martinez O, Haller M, Rosenfeld JA, O'Neill MA, Lamb DJ, Jamrich M. The transcription factor Maz is essential for normal eye development. Dis Model Mech 2020; 13:dmm044412. [PMID: 32571845 PMCID: PMC7449797 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.044412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling has an essential role in eye development. Faulty regulation of this pathway results in ocular malformations, owing to defects in cell-fate determination and differentiation. Herein, we show that disruption of Maz, the gene encoding Myc-associated zinc-finger transcription factor, produces developmental eye defects in mice and humans. Expression of key genes involved in the Wnt cascade, Sfrp2, Wnt2b and Fzd4, was significantly increased in mice with targeted inactivation of Maz, resulting in abnormal peripheral eye formation with reduced proliferation of the progenitor cells in the region. Paradoxically, the Wnt reporter TCF-Lef1 displayed a significant downregulation in Maz-deficient eyes. Molecular analysis indicates that Maz is necessary for the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and participates in the network controlling ciliary margin patterning. Copy-number variations and single-nucleotide variants of MAZ were identified in humans that result in abnormal ocular development. The data support MAZ as a key contributor to the eye comorbidities associated with chromosome 16p11.2 copy-number variants and as a transcriptional regulator of ocular development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Medina-Martinez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Meade Haller
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jill A Rosenfeld
- Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, TX 77021, USA
| | - Marisol A O'Neill
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Dolores J Lamb
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- James Buchanan Brady Foundation Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY 10065, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY 10065, USA
- Center for Reproductive Genomics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY 10065, USA
| | - Milan Jamrich
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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19
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Zhao Y, Huang Z, Huang J, Zhang C, Meng F. Phylogenetic analysis and expression differences of eye-related genes in cavefish genus Sinocyclocheilus. Integr Zool 2020; 16:354-367. [PMID: 32652757 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The adaptive evolution of visual systems has been observed in many cavefish. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptations, which include regressive changes such as eye degeneration. Here, we analyzed phylogenetic and expression patterns of 6 eye-related genes (crx, foxg1b, opn1sw2, otx2, rho and sox2) in 12 Sinocyclocheilus species from China, including 8 stygobionts and 4 stygophiles, and examined photoreceptor cell morphology of these species. Those eye-degenerated species of Sinocyclocheilus were polyphyletic and showed different degrees of photoreceptor defects in responses to cave environments. The eye loss and degeneration are the result of convergent evolution. Although S. anophthalmus grouped with the eye-normal species, it displayed not only a high degree of eye degeneration but also significant expression differences in eye-related genes compared with the eye-normal species. The gene foxg1b, which was determined to be under positive selection, might play an important role in the process of eye degeneration in S. anophthalmus based on differential expression. Eye-related gene expression and selection may have contributed to the polyphyly of the cave species. We examined gene expression and duplication in 6 eye-related genes and revealed that these genes displayed considerable diversity in relative expression in Sinocyclocheilus fishes. Otx2 and sox2 were significantly up-regulated in individual cave species, while the other 4 genes (crx, foxg1b, opn1sw2 and rho) were significantly down-regulated. These findings provide a valuable resource for elucidating molecular mechanisms associated with visual system evolution in cavefish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahui Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zushi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinqing Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
| | - Chunguang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fanwei Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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20
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Abstract
Retinal ganglion cell axons forming the optic nerve (ON) emerge unmyelinated from the eye and become myelinated after passage through the optic nerve lamina region (ONLR), a transitional area containing a vascular plexus. The ONLR has a number of unusual characteristics: it inhibits intraocular myelination, enables postnatal ON myelination of growing axons, modulates the fluid pressure differences between eye and brain, and is the primary lesion site in the age-related disease open angle glaucoma (OAG). We demonstrate that the human and rodent ONLR possesses a mitotically active, age-depletable neural progenitor cell (NPC) niche, with unique characteristics and culture requirements. These NPCs generate both forms of macroglia: astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and can form neurospheres in culture. Using reporter mice with SOX2-driven, inducible gene expression, we show that ONLR-NPCs generate macroglial cells for the anterior ON. Early ONLR-NPC loss results in regional dysfunction and hypomyelination. In adulthood, ONLR-NPCs may enable glial replacement and remyelination. ONLR-NPC depletion may help explain why ON diseases such as OAG progress in severity during aging.
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21
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SOX2 and p53 Expression Control Converges in PI3K/AKT Signaling with Versatile Implications for Stemness and Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21144902. [PMID: 32664542 PMCID: PMC7402325 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stemness and reprogramming involve transcriptional master regulators that suppress cell differentiation while promoting self-renewal. A distinguished example thereof is SOX2, a high mobility group (HMG)-box transcription factor (TF), whose subcellular localization and turnover regulation in embryonic, induced-pluripotent, and cancer stem cells (ESCs, iPSCs, and CSCs, respectively) is mediated by the PI3K/AKT/SOX2 axis, a stem cell-specific branch of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Further effector functions associated with PI3K/AKT induction include cell cycle progression, cellular (mass) growth, and the suppression of apoptosis. Apoptosis, however, is a central element of DNA damage response (DDR), where it provides a default mechanism for cell clearance when DNA integrity cannot be maintained. A key player in DDR is tumor suppressor p53, which accumulates upon DNA-damage and is counter-balanced by PI3K/AKT enforced turnover. Accordingly, stemness sustaining SOX2 expression and p53-dependent DDR mechanisms show molecular–functional overlap in PI3K/AKT signaling. This constellation proves challenging for stem cells whose genomic integrity is a functional imperative for normative ontogenesis. Unresolved mutations in stem and early progenitor cells may in fact provoke transformation and cancer development. Such mechanisms are also particularly relevant for iPSCs, where genetic changes imposed through somatic cell reprogramming may promote DNA damage. The current review aims to summarize the latest advances in the understanding of PI3K/AKT/SOX2-driven stemness and its intertwined relations to p53-signaling in DDR under conditions of pluripotency, reprogramming, and transformation.
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22
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Shen H, Ding C, Yuan S, Pan T, Li D, Li H, Huang B, Liu Q. Vitamin C- and Valproic Acid-Induced Fetal RPE Stem-like Cells Recover Retinal Degeneration via Regulating SOX2. Mol Ther 2020; 28:1645-1657. [PMID: 32353323 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell replacement therapy has provided promising outcomes in the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases (RDDs), but the resulting limited visual improvement has raised questions about graft survival and differentiation. Through combined treatment with vitamin C and valproic acid (together, VV), we activated human fetal RPE (fRPE) cells to become highly proliferative fetal RPE stem-like cells (fRPESCs). In this study, we report that SOX2 (SRY-box 2) activation contributed to mesenchymal-epithelial transition and elevated the retinal progenitor and mesenchymal stromal markers expressions of fRPESCs. These fRPESCs could differentiate into RPE cells, rod photoreceptors, and mesenchymal lineage progenies under defined conditions. Finally, fRPESCs were transplanted into the subretinal space of an RDD mouse model, and a photoreceptor rescue benefit was demonstrated. The RPE and rod photoreceptor differentiation of transplanted fRPESCs may account for the neural retinal recovery. This study establishes fRPESCs as a highly proliferative, multi-lineage differentiation potential (including RPE, rod photoreceptor, and mesenchymal lineage differentiation), mesenchymal-to-epithelial-transitioned retinal stem-like cell source for cell-based therapy of RDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Shen
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Chenyue Ding
- Center of Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou 215002, China
| | - Songtao Yuan
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Ting Pan
- The Affiliated Changzhou No. 2 People's Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou 213000, China
| | - Duo Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Hong Li
- Center of Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou 215002, China
| | - Boxian Huang
- Center of Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
| | - Qinghuai Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
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Williamson KA, Hall HN, Owen LJ, Livesey BJ, Hanson IM, Adams GGW, Bodek S, Calvas P, Castle B, Clarke M, Deng AT, Edery P, Fisher R, Gillessen-Kaesbach G, Heon E, Hurst J, Josifova D, Lorenz B, McKee S, Meire F, Moore AT, Parker M, Reiff CM, Self J, Tobias ES, Verheij JBGM, Willems M, Williams D, van Heyningen V, Marsh JA, FitzPatrick DR. Recurrent heterozygous PAX6 missense variants cause severe bilateral microphthalmia via predictable effects on DNA-protein interaction. Genet Med 2020; 22:598-609. [PMID: 31700164 PMCID: PMC7056646 DOI: 10.1038/s41436-019-0685-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Most classical aniridia is caused by PAX6 haploinsufficiency. PAX6 missense variants can be hypomorphic or mimic haploinsufficiency. We hypothesized that missense variants also cause previously undescribed disease by altering the affinity and/or specificity of PAX6 genomic interactions. METHODS We screened PAX6 in 372 individuals with bilateral microphthalmia, anophthalmia, or coloboma (MAC) from the Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit eye malformation cohort (HGUeye) and reviewed data from the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study. We performed cluster analysis on PAX6-associated ocular phenotypes by variant type and molecular modeling of the structural impact of 86 different PAX6 causative missense variants. RESULTS Eight different PAX6 missense variants were identified in 17 individuals (15 families) with MAC, accounting for 4% (15/372) of our cohort. Seven altered the paired domain (p.[Arg26Gln]x1, p.[Gly36Val]x1, p.[Arg38Trp]x2, p.[Arg38Gln]x1, p.[Gly51Arg]x2, p.[Ser54Arg]x2, p.[Asn124Lys]x5) and one the homeodomain (p.[Asn260Tyr]x1). p.Ser54Arg and p.Asn124Lys were exclusively associated with severe bilateral microphthalmia. MAC-associated variants were predicted to alter but not ablate DNA interaction, consistent with the electrophoretic mobility shifts observed using mutant paired domains with well-characterized PAX6-binding sites. We found no strong evidence for novel PAX6-associated extraocular disease. CONCLUSION Altering the affinity and specificity of PAX6-binding genome-wide provides a plausible mechanism for the worse-than-null effects of MAC-associated missense variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A Williamson
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - H Nikki Hall
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Liusaidh J Owen
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Benjamin J Livesey
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Isabel M Hanson
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Simon Bodek
- Department of Clinical Genetics, St Michael's Hospital, Southwell Street, Bristol, UK
| | - Patrick Calvas
- CHU Toulouse, Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan, Toulouse, France
| | - Bruce Castle
- Peninsula Clinical Genetics, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospitals (Heavitree), Exeter, UK
| | - Michael Clarke
- Newcastle Eye Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Alexander T Deng
- Clinical Genetics, Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust, Great Maze Pond, London, UK
| | - Patrick Edery
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, Genetic Department and National HHT Reference Center, Femme-Mère-Enfants Hospital, Bron, France
| | - Richard Fisher
- Teeside Genetics Unit, The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK
| | | | - Elise Heon
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jane Hurst
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
| | - Dragana Josifova
- Clinical Genetics, Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust, Great Maze Pond, London, UK
| | - Birgit Lorenz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Shane McKee
- Northern Ireland Regional Genetics Service (NIRGS), Belfast City Hospital, Belfast, UK
| | - Francoise Meire
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Michael Parker
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Charlotte M Reiff
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jay Self
- University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Edward S Tobias
- Academic Medical Genetics and Pathology, University of Glasgow, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, UK
| | - Joke B G M Verheij
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Denise Williams
- Clinical Genetics Unit, Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Veronica van Heyningen
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joseph A Marsh
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David R FitzPatrick
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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Chuang HM, Huang MH, Chen YS, Harn HJ. SOX2 for Stem Cell Therapy and Medical Use: Pros or Cons? Cell Transplant 2020; 29:963689720907565. [PMID: 32233795 PMCID: PMC7444200 DOI: 10.1177/0963689720907565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cell transplantation is a fast-developing technique, which includes stem cell isolation, purification, and storage, and it is in high demand in the industry. In addition, advanced applications of stem cell transplantation, including differentiation, gene delivery, and reprogramming, are presently being studied in clinical trials. In contrast to somatic cells, stem cells are self-renewing and have the ability to differentiate; however, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. SOX2 (sex-determining region Y [SRY]-box 2) is one of the well-known reprogramming factors, and it has been recognized as an oncogene associated with cancer induction. The exclusion of SOX2 in reprogramming methodologies has been used as an alternative cancer treatment approach. However, the manner by which SOX2 induces oncogenic effects remains unclear, with most studies demonstrating its regulation of the cell cycle and no insight into the maintenance of cellular stemness. For controlling certain critical pathways, including Shh and Wnt pathways, SOX2 is considered irreplaceable and is required for the normal functioning of stem cells, particularly neural stem cells. In this report, we discussed the functions of SOX2 in both stem and cancer cells, as well as how this powerful regulator can be used to control cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Meng Chuang
- Buddhist Tzu Chi Bioinnovation Center, Tzu Chi Foundation, Hualien,
Republic of China
- Department of Medical Research, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Hualien,
Republic of China
| | - Mao-Hsuan Huang
- Buddhist Tzu Chi Bioinnovation Center, Tzu Chi Foundation, Hualien,
Republic of China
- Department of Stem Cell Applied Technology, Gwo Xi Stem Cell Applied
Technology, Hsinchu, Republic of China
| | - Yu-Shuan Chen
- Buddhist Tzu Chi Bioinnovation Center, Tzu Chi Foundation, Hualien,
Republic of China
- Department of Medical Research, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Hualien,
Republic of China
| | - Horng-Jyh Harn
- Buddhist Tzu Chi Bioinnovation Center, Tzu Chi Foundation, Hualien,
Republic of China
- Department of Pathology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital & Tzu Chi
University, Hualien, Republic of China
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25
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Schaefer T, Lengerke C. SOX2 protein biochemistry in stemness, reprogramming, and cancer: the PI3K/AKT/SOX2 axis and beyond. Oncogene 2020; 39:278-292. [PMID: 31477842 PMCID: PMC6949191 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0997-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Research of the past view years expanded our understanding of the various physiological functions the cell-fate determining transcription factor SOX2 exerts in ontogenesis, reprogramming, and cancer. However, while scientific reports featuring novel and exciting aspects of SOX2-driven biology are published in near weekly routine, investigations in the underlying protein-biochemical processes that transiently tailor SOX2 activity to situational demand are underrepresented and have not yet been comprehensively summarized. Largely unrecognizable to modern array or sequencing-based technology, various protein secondary modifications and concomitant function modulations have been reported for SOX2. The chemical modifications imposed onto SOX2 are inherently heterogeneous, comprising singular or clustered events of phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation, PARPylation, and O-glycosylation that reciprocally affect each other and critically impact SOX2 functionality, often in a tissue and species-specific manner. One recurring regulatory principle though is the canonical PI3K/AKT signaling axis to which SOX2 relates in various entangled, albeit not exclusive ways. Here we provide a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on SOX2 protein modifications, their proposed relationship to the PI3K/AKT pathway, and regulatory influence on SOX2 with regards to stemness, reprogramming, and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Schaefer
- University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Department of Biomedicine, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Claudia Lengerke
- University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Department of Biomedicine, Basel, Switzerland
- University Hospital Basel, Division of Hematology, Basel, Switzerland
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26
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Seritrakul P, Gross JM. Genetic and epigenetic control of retinal development in zebrafish. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 59:120-127. [PMID: 31255843 PMCID: PMC6888853 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate retina is a complex structure composed of seven cell types (six neuron and one glia), and all of which originate from a seemingly homogeneous population of proliferative multipotent retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) that exit the cell cycle and differentiate in a spatio-temporally regulated and stereotyped fashion. This neurogenesis process requires intricate genetic regulation involving a combination of cell intrinsic transcription factors and extrinsic signaling molecules, and many critical factors have been identified that influence the timing and composition of the developing retina. Adding complexity to the process, over the past decade, a variety of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms have been shown to influence neurogenesis, and these include changes in histone modifications and the chromatin landscape and changes in DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation patterns. This review summarizes recent findings in the genetic and epigenetic regulation of retinal development, with an emphasis on the zebrafish model system, and it outlines future areas of investigation that will continue to push the field forward into the epigenomics era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawat Seritrakul
- Faculty of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Technology, Silpakorn University, Phetchaburi, 76120, Thailand.
| | - Jeffrey M Gross
- Departments of Ophthalmology, and Developmental Biology, The Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States.
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27
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Moazzeni H, Mirrahimi M, Moghadam A, Banaei-Esfahani A, Yazdani S, Elahi E. Identification of genes involved in glaucoma pathogenesis using combined network analysis and empirical studies. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 28:3637-3663. [PMID: 31518395 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness. We aimed in this study to identify genes that may make subtle and cumulative contributions to glaucoma pathogenesis. To this end, we identified molecular interactions and pathways that include transcription factors (TFs) FOXC1, PITX2, PAX6 and NFKB1 and various microRNAs including miR-204 known to have relevance to trabecular meshwork (TM) functions and/or glaucoma. TM tissue is involved in glaucoma pathogenesis. In-house microarray transcriptome results and data sources were used to identify target genes of the regulatory molecules. Bioinformatics analyses were done to filter TM and glaucoma relevant genes. These were submitted to network-creating softwares to define interactions, pathways and a network that would include the genes. The network was stringently scrutinized and minimized, then expanded by addition of microarray data and data on TF and microRNA-binding sites. Selected features of the network were confirmed by empirical studies such as dual luciferase assays, real-time PCR and western blot experiments and apoptosis assays. MYOC, WDR36, LTPBP2, RHOA, CYP1B1, OPA1, SPARC, MEIS2, PLEKHG5, RGS5, BBS5, ALDH1A1, NOMO2, CXCL6, FMNL2, ADAMTS5, CLOCK and DKK1 were among the genes included in the final network. Pathways identified included those that affect ECM properties, IOP, ciliary body functions, retinal ganglion cell viability, apoptosis, focal adhesion and oxidative stress response. The identification of many genes potentially involved in glaucoma pathology is consistent with its being a complex disease. The inclusion of several known glaucoma-related genes validates the approach used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Moazzeni
- School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehraban Mirrahimi
- School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abolfazl Moghadam
- School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Banaei-Esfahani
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahin Yazdani
- Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elahe Elahi
- School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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28
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Valensi M, Goldman G, Marchant D, Van Den Berghe L, Jonet L, Daruich A, Robert MP, Krejci E, Klein C, Mascarelli F, Versaux-Botteri C, Moulin A, Putterman M, Guimiot F, Molina T, Terris B, Brémond-Gignac D, Behar-Cohen F, Abitbol MM. Sostdc1 is expressed in all major compartments of developing and adult mammalian eyes. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2019; 257:2401-2427. [PMID: 31529323 DOI: 10.1007/s00417-019-04462-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study was conducted in order to study Sostdc1 expression in rat and human developing and adult eyes. METHODS Using the yeast signal sequence trap screening method, we identified the Sostdc1 cDNA encoding a protein secreted by the adult rat retinal pigment epithelium. We determined by in situ hybridization, RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blot analysis Sostdc1 gene and protein expression in developing and postnatal rat ocular tissue sections. We also investigated Sostdc1 immunohistolocalization in developing and adult human ocular tissues. RESULTS We demonstrated a prominent Sostdc1 gene expression in the developing rat central nervous system (CNS) and eyes at early developmental stages from E10.5 days postconception (dpc) to E13 dpc. Specific Sostdc1 immunostaining was also detected in most adult cells of rat ocular tissue sections. We also identified the rat ocular embryonic compartments characterized by a specific Sostdc1 immunohistostaining and specific Pax6, Sox2, Otx2, and Vsx2 immunohistostaining from embryonic stages E10.5 to E13 dpc. Furthermore, we determined the localization of SOSTDC1 immunoreactivity in ocular tissue sections of developing and adult human eyes. Indeed, we detected SOSTDC1 immunostaining in developing and adult human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina (NR) as well as in several developing and adult human ocular compartments, including the walls of choroidal and scleral vessels. Of utmost importance, we observed a strong SOSTDC1 expression in a pathological ocular specimen of type 2 Peters' anomaly complicated by retinal neovascularization as well in the walls ofother pathological extra-ocular vessels. CONCLUSION: As rat Sostdc1 and human SOSTDC1 are dual antagonists of the Wnt/β-catenin and BMP signaling pathways, these results underscore the potential crucial roles of these pathways and their antagonists, such as Sostdc1 and SOSTDC1, in developing and adult mammalian normal eyes as well as in syndromic and nonsyndromic congenital eye diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maud Valensi
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Gabrielle Goldman
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de L'Hôpital Cochin-Hôtel-Dieu, Université Paris Descartes, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Marchant
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Paris Cité, UFR SMBH, Laboratoire Hypoxie et poumons, Université Paris 13, EA 2363, 93017, Bobigny, France
| | - Loïc Van Den Berghe
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- Inserm UMR 1037, CRCT (Cancer Research Center of Toulouse), 31037, Toulouse, France
| | - Laurent Jonet
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Alejandra Daruich
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Matthieu P Robert
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
- COGnition and Action Group, UMR 8257, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Eric Krejci
- COGnition and Action Group, UMR 8257, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Christophe Klein
- Centre d'Imagerie Cellulaire et de Cytométrie (CICC), Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers (CRC), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6, Université Paris Descartes - Paris 5, UMR_S 1138, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Mascarelli
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Claudine Versaux-Botteri
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Moulin
- Département de Pathologie, Hôpital Ophtalmique Jules-Gonin , 15, avenue de France, 1004, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marc Putterman
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de l'Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Université Paris Descartes, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Fabien Guimiot
- Unité Fonctionnelle de Foeto-Pathologie, Hôpital Universitaire Robert Debré, 48 Boulevard Serrurier, 75019, Paris, France
| | - Thierry Molina
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de l'Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Université Paris Descartes, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Benoît Terris
- APHP, Service de Pathologie de L'Hôpital Cochin-Hôtel-Dieu, Université Paris Descartes, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Brémond-Gignac
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Francine Behar-Cohen
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Service d'Ophtalmologie, Hôpital Universitaire Cochin-Hôtel-Dieu, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Marc M Abitbol
- Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers, UMR_S INSERM 1138, Equipe 17, Université Paris Descartes, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France.
- AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service d'Ophtalmologie, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France.
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Mercurio S, Serra L, Nicolis SK. More than just Stem Cells: Functional Roles of the Transcription Factor Sox2 in Differentiated Glia and Neurons. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E4540. [PMID: 31540269 PMCID: PMC6769708 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sox2 transcription factor, encoded by a gene conserved in animal evolution, has become widely known because of its functional relevance for stem cells. In the developing nervous system, Sox2 is active in neural stem cells, and important for their self-renewal; differentiation to neurons and glia normally involves Sox2 downregulation. Recent evidence, however, identified specific types of fully differentiated neurons and glia that retain high Sox2 expression, and critically require Sox2 function, as revealed by functional studies in mouse and in other animals. Sox2 was found to control fundamental aspects of the biology of these cells, such as the development of correct neuronal connectivity. Sox2 downstream target genes identified within these cell types provide molecular mechanisms for cell-type-specific Sox2 neuronal and glial functions. SOX2 mutations in humans lead to a spectrum of nervous system defects, involving vision, movement control, and cognition; the identification of neurons and glia requiring Sox2 function, and the investigation of Sox2 roles and molecular targets within them, represents a novel perspective for the understanding of the pathogenesis of these defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Mercurio
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - Linda Serra
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
- CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Silvia K Nicolis
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy.
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30
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Huang Z, Titus T, Postlethwait JH, Meng F. Eye Degeneration and Loss of otx5b Expression in the Cavefish Sinocyclocheilus tileihornes. J Mol Evol 2019; 87:199-208. [PMID: 31332479 PMCID: PMC6711879 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-019-09901-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Cave animals possess remarkable phenotypes associated with existence in their dark environments. The Chinese cavefish Sinocyclocheilus tileihornes shows substantial eye degeneration, a trait shared by most cave species. The extent to which independent evolution of troglomorphic traits uses convergent molecular genetic mechanisms is as yet unknown. We performed transcriptome-wide gene expression profiling in S. tileihornes eyes and compared results with those from the closely related surface species S. angustiporus and an independently derived congeneric cavefish, S. anophthalmus. In total, 52.85 million 100 bp long paired-end clean reads were generated for S. tileihornes, and we identified differentially expressed genes between the three possible pairs of species. Functional analysis of genes differentially expressed between S. tileihornes and S. angustiporus revealed that phototransduction (KEGG id: dre04744) was the most significantly enriched pathway, indicating the obvious differences in response to captured photons between the cavefish S. tileihornes and the surface species S. angustiporus. Analysis of key genes regulating eye development showed complete absence of otx5b (orthodenticle homolog 5) expression in S. tileihornes eyes, probably related to degradation of rods, but normal expression of crx (cone-rod homeobox). The enriched pathways and Otx5 are involved in phototransduction, photoreceptor formation, and regulation of photoreceptor-related gene expression. Unlike the S. tileihornes reported here, S. anophthalmus has reduced crx and otx5 expression. These results show that different species of cavefish within the same genus that independently evolved troglodyte characteristics can have different genetic mechanisms of eye degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zushi Huang
- Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Tom Titus
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | | | - Fanwei Meng
- Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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31
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Berg DJ, Kartheiser K, Leyrer M, Saali A, Berson DM. Transcriptomic Signatures of Postnatal and Adult Intrinsically Photosensitive Ganglion Cells. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0022-19.2019. [PMID: 31387875 PMCID: PMC6712207 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0022-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are rare mammalian photoreceptors essential for non-image-forming vision functions, such as circadian photoentrainment and the pupillary light reflex. They comprise multiple subtypes distinguishable by morphology, physiology, projections, and levels of expression of melanopsin (Opn4), their photopigment. The molecular programs that distinguish ipRGCs from other ganglion cells and ipRGC subtypes from one another remain elusive. Here, we present comprehensive gene expression profiles of early postnatal and adult mouse ipRGCs purified from two lines of reporter mice that mark different sets of ipRGC subtypes. We find dozens of novel genes highly enriched in ipRGCs. We reveal that Rasgrp1 and Tbx20 are selectively expressed in subsets of ipRGCs, though these molecularly defined groups imperfectly match established ipRGC subtypes. We demonstrate that the ipRGCs regulating circadian photoentrainment are diverse at the molecular level. Our findings reveal unexpected complexity in gene expression patterns across mammalian ipRGC subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Berg
- Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, and Biochemistry Program, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
| | | | - Megan Leyrer
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
| | - Alexandra Saali
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
| | - David M Berson
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
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Singh RK, Occelli LM, Binette F, Petersen-Jones SM, Nasonkin IO. Transplantation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Tissue in the Subretinal Space of the Cat Eye. Stem Cells Dev 2019; 28:1151-1166. [PMID: 31210100 PMCID: PMC6708274 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2019.0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
To develop biological approaches to restore vision, we developed a method of transplanting stem cell-derived retinal tissue into the subretinal space of a large-eye animal model (cat). Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) were differentiated to retinal organoids in a dish. hESC-derived retinal tissue was introduced into the subretinal space of wild-type cats following a pars plana vitrectomy. The cats were systemically immunosuppressed with either prednisolone or prednisolone plus cyclosporine A. The eyes were examined by fundoscopy and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging for adverse effects due to the presence of the subretinal grafts. Immunohistochemistry was done with antibodies to retinal and human markers to delineate graft survival, differentiation, and integration into cat retina. We successfully delivered hESC-derived retinal tissue into the subretinal space of the cat eye. We observed strong infiltration of immune cells in the graft and surrounding tissue in the cats treated with prednisolone. In contrast, we showed better survival and low immune response to the graft in cats treated with prednisolone plus cyclosporine A. Immunohistochemistry with antibodies (STEM121, CALB2, DCX, and SMI-312) revealed large number of graft-derived fibers connecting the graft and the host. We also show presence of human-specific synaptophysin puncta in the cat retina. This work demonstrates feasibility of engrafting hESC-derived retinal tissue into the subretinal space of large-eye animal models. Transplanting retinal tissue in degenerating cat retina will enable rapid development of preclinical in vivo work focused on vision restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratnesh K Singh
- Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly BioTime Inc.), Carlsbad, California
| | - Laurence M Occelli
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lasing, Michigan
| | - Francois Binette
- Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly BioTime Inc.), Carlsbad, California
| | - Simon M Petersen-Jones
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lasing, Michigan
| | - Igor O Nasonkin
- Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly BioTime Inc.), Carlsbad, California
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Hu Y, Wang X, Hu B, Mao Y, Chen Y, Yan L, Yong J, Dong J, Wei Y, Wang W, Wen L, Qiao J, Tang F. Dissecting the transcriptome landscape of the human fetal neural retina and retinal pigment epithelium by single-cell RNA-seq analysis. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000365. [PMID: 31269016 PMCID: PMC6634428 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The developmental pathway of the neural retina (NR) and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has been revealed by extensive research in mice. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of the human NR and RPE, as well as the interactions between these two tissues, have not been well defined. Here, we analyzed 2,421 individual cells from human fetal NR and RPE using single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technique and revealed the tightly regulated spatiotemporal gene expression network of human retinal cells. We identified major cell classes of human fetal retina and potential crucial transcription factors for each cell class. We dissected the dynamic expression patterns of visual cycle- and ligand-receptor interaction-related genes in the RPE and NR. Moreover, we provided a map of disease-related genes for human fetal retinal cells and highlighted the importance of retinal progenitor cells as potential targets of inherited retinal diseases. Our findings captured the key in vivo features of the development of the human NR and RPE and offered insightful clues for further functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqiong Hu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoye Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Boqiang Hu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunuo Mao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yidong Chen
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Liying Yan
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Yong
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Ji Dong
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Wei
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Wen
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Qiao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Fuchou Tang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
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34
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Ventura T, Stewart MJ, Chandler JC, Rotgans B, Elizur A, Hewitt AW. Molecular aspects of eye development and regeneration in the Australian redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus. AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aaf.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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SOX2 haploinsufficiency promotes impaired vision at advanced age. Oncotarget 2018; 9:36684-36692. [PMID: 30613351 PMCID: PMC6291181 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related vision loss has been associated with degeneration of the retina and decline in Müller glia cell activity. Sox2 is a critical transcription factor for the development and maintenance of the mammalian retina. Here we determined the role of Sox2 in retinal aging. We observed a decline in the number of Sox2-positive Müller, amacrine and ganglion cells with age. We also explored the impact of Sox2 haploinsufficiency (Sox2GFP) on the activity of Müller glia cells and vision loss with age. Reduction of Sox2-positive cells promoted impaired Müller glia cell function at advanced age of Sox2GFP. These findings correlated with a significant decline in electroretinographic response in Sox2 haploinsufficient mice. Together, these results indicate that Sox2 is required for the maintenance of the transmission of visual information from cones and rods, and suggest that decline in Sox2 expression is responsible for retinal cell aging and age-related vision loss.
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36
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Diacou R, Zhao Y, Zheng D, Cvekl A, Liu W. Six3 and Six6 Are Jointly Required for the Maintenance of Multipotent Retinal Progenitors through Both Positive and Negative Regulation. Cell Rep 2018; 25:2510-2523.e4. [PMID: 30485816 PMCID: PMC6317371 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.10.106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene regulation of multipotent neuroretinal progenitors is partially understood. Through characterizing Six3 and Six6 double knockout retinas (DKOs), we demonstrate Six3 and Six6 are jointly required for the maintenance of multipotent neuroretinal progenitors. Phenotypes in DKOs were not found in either Six3 nulls or Six6 nulls. At the far periphery, ciliary margin (CM) markers Otx1 and Cdon together with Wnt3a and Fzd1 were ectopically upregulated, whereas neuroretinal progenitor markers Sox2, Notch1, and Otx2 were absent or reduced. At the mid periphery, multi-lineage differentiation was defective. The gene set jointly regulated by Six3 and Six6 significantly overlapped with the gene networks regulated by WNT3A, CTNNB1, POU4F2, or SOX2. Stimulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by either Wnt-3a or a GS3Kβ inhibitor promoted CM progenitors at the cost of neuroretinal identity at the periphery of eyecups. Therefore, Six3 and Six6 together directly or indirectly suppress Wnt/β-catenin signaling but promote retinogenic factors for the maintenance of multipotent neuroretinal progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raven Diacou
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Yilin Zhao
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Ales Cvekl
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA.
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37
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Wollenzien H, Voigt E, Kareta MS. Somatic Pluripotent Genes in Tissue Repair, Developmental Disease, and Cancer. SPG BIOMED 2018; 1. [PMID: 31172135 DOI: 10.32392/biomed.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into all cell types of the body. This pliable developmental state is achieved by the function of a series of pluripotency factors, classically identified as OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG. These pluripotency factors are responsible for activating the larger pluripotency networks and the self-renewal programs which give ES cells their unique characteristics. However, during differentiation pluripotency networks become downregulated as cells achieve greater lineage specification and exit the cell cycle. Typically the repression of pluripotency is viewed as a positive factor to ensure the fidelity of cellular identity by restricting cellular pliancy. Consistent with this view, the expression of pluripotency factors is greatly restricted in somatic cells. However, there are examples whereby cells either maintain or reactivate pluripotency factors to preserve the increased potential for the healing of wounds or tissue homeostasis. Additionally there are many examples where these pluripotency factors become reactivated in a variety of human pathologies, particularly cancer. In this review, we will summarize the somatic repression of pluripotency factors, their role in tissue homeostasis and wound repair, and the human diseases that are associated with pluripotency factor misregulation with an emphasis on their role in the etiology of multiple cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Wollenzien
- Genetics and Genomics Group, Cellular Therapies and Stem Cell Biology Group, and the Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, 2301 East 60th Street North, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA.,Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St. Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
| | - Ellen Voigt
- Genetics and Genomics Group, Cellular Therapies and Stem Cell Biology Group, and the Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, 2301 East 60th Street North, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA
| | - Michael S Kareta
- Genetics and Genomics Group, Cellular Therapies and Stem Cell Biology Group, and the Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, 2301 East 60th Street North, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA.,Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St. Vermillion, SD 57069, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, 1400 W. 22nd St., Sioux Falls, SD 57105, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Dakota State University, 1175 Medary Ave, Brookings, SD 57006, USA
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38
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Identification and expression of transcription factor sox2 in large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea. Theriogenology 2018; 120:123-137. [PMID: 30118947 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
As an important transcription and pluripotency factor, Sox2 plays its functions essentially in the regulation of self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic and neural stem cells, as well as embryogenesis, organogenesis, neurogenesis and regeneration. The data is lacking on Sox2 in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) (Lc-Sox2) which is a limitation on the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In this study, Lc-sox2 was cloned by RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) and analyzed by Bioinformatics. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH) were used to detect the expression of Lc-sox2. The full-length cDNA sequence of Lc-sox2 is 2135 bp and encodes a 322-aa (amino acids). Lc-Sox2 possesses a highly conserved HMG-box as DNA-binding domain, maintains highly conserved with vertebrates, particularly with teleosts. In tissues, Lc-sox2 was expressed with gender difference in brain and eye (female > male), in embryos, Lc-sox2 was expressed with a zygotic type that the high level expression began to appear in the gastrula stage. The spatio-temporal expression patterns of Lc-sox2 suggested the potential involvement in embryogenesis, neurogenesis, gametogenesis and adult physiological processes of large yellow croaker. Our results contributed to better understanding of Sox2 from large yellow croaker.
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39
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Cohen-Tayar Y, Cohen H, Mitiagin Y, Abravanel Z, Levy C, Idelson M, Reubinoff B, Itzkovitz S, Raviv S, Kaestner KH, Blinder P, Elkon R, Ashery-Padan R. Pax6 regulation of Sox9 in the mouse retinal pigmented epithelium controls its timely differentiation and choroid vasculature development. Development 2018; 145:dev.163691. [PMID: 29986868 DOI: 10.1242/dev.163691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The synchronized differentiation of neuronal and vascular tissues is crucial for normal organ development and function, although there is limited information about the mechanisms regulating the coordinated development of these tissues. The choroid vasculature of the eye serves as the main blood supply to the metabolically active photoreceptors, and develops together with the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). Here, we describe a novel regulatory relationship between the RPE transcription factors Pax6 and Sox9 that controls the timing of RPE differentiation and the adjacent choroid maturation. We used a novel machine learning algorithm tool to analyze high resolution imaging of the choroid in Pax6 and Sox9 conditional mutant mice. Additional unbiased transcriptomic analyses in mutant mice and RPE cells generated from human embryonic stem cells, as well as chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput analyses, revealed secreted factors that are regulated by Pax6 and Sox9. These factors might be involved in choroid development and in the pathogenesis of the common blinding disease: age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamit Cohen-Tayar
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Hadar Cohen
- Department of Particle Physics, Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yulia Mitiagin
- Department of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics school, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Zohar Abravanel
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Carmit Levy
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Masha Idelson
- The Hadassah Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center, The Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy and The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, 9112001 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Benjamin Reubinoff
- The Hadassah Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center, The Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy and The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, 9112001 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shalev Itzkovitz
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science 76100, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shaul Raviv
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Klaus H Kaestner
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 12-126 Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6145, USA
| | - Pablo Blinder
- Department of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics school, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School for Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Ran Elkon
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel .,Sagol School for Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Ruth Ashery-Padan
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel .,Sagol School for Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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40
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Kuse Y, Ohuchi K, Nakamura S, Hara H, Shimazawa M. Microglia increases the proliferation of retinal precursor cells during postnatal development. Mol Vis 2018; 24:536-545. [PMID: 30090016 PMCID: PMC6066272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose In mice, retinal development continues throughout the postnatal stage accompanied by the proliferation of retinal precursor cells. Previous reports showed that during the postnatal stage microglia increase from postnatal day 0 (P0) to P7. However, how microglia are associated with retinal development remains unknown. Methods The involvement of microglia in retinal development was investigated by two approaches, microglial activation and loss, using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and PLX3397 (pexidartinib), respectively. Results LPS injection at 1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.) in the neonatal mice increased the number of retinal microglia at P7. 5-Bromo-2´-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive proliferative cells were increased by LPS treatment compared to the control group. The proliferative cells were mainly colocalized with paired box 6 (Pax6), a marker of retinal precursor cells. However, the depletion of microglia by treatment with PLX3397 decreased the BrdU-positive proliferative cells. Moreover, progranulin deficiency decreased the number of microglia and retinal precursor cells. Conclusions These findings indicated that microglia regulate the proliferation of immature retinal cells.
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Shannon ML, Fame RM, Chau KF, Dani N, Calicchio ML, Géléoc GS, Lidov HGW, Alexandrescu S, Lehtinen MK. Mice Expressing Myc in Neural Precursors Develop Choroid Plexus and Ciliary Body Tumors. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2018; 188:1334-1344. [PMID: 29545198 PMCID: PMC5971223 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2018.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Choroid plexus tumors and ciliary body medulloepithelioma are predominantly pediatric neoplasms. Progress in understanding the pathogenesis of these tumors has been hindered by their rarity and lack of models that faithfully recapitulate the disease. Here, we find that endogenous Myc proto-oncogene protein is down-regulated in the forebrain neuroepithelium, whose neural plate border domains give rise to the anterior choroid plexus and ciliary body. To uncover the consequences of persistent Myc expression, MYC expression was forced in multipotent neural precursors (nestin-Cre:Myc), which produced fully penetrant models of choroid plexus carcinoma and ciliary body medulloepithelioma. Nestin-mediated MYC expression in the epithelial cells of choroid plexus leads to the regionalized formation of choroid plexus carcinoma in the posterior domain of the lateral ventricle choroid plexus and the fourth ventricle choroid plexus that is accompanied by loss of multiple cilia, up-regulation of protein biosynthetic machinery, and hydrocephalus. Parallel MYC expression in the ciliary body leads also to up-regulation of protein biosynthetic machinery. Additionally, Myc expression in human choroid plexus tumors increases with aggressiveness of disease. Collectively, our findings expose a select vulnerability of the neuroepithelial lineage to postnatal tumorigenesis and provide a new mouse model for investigating the pathogenesis of these rare pediatric neoplasms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan L Shannon
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ryann M Fame
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kevin F Chau
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Neil Dani
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Monica L Calicchio
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gwenaelle S Géléoc
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; F.M. Kirby Center for Neurobiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hart G W Lidov
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sanda Alexandrescu
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Maria K Lehtinen
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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42
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Rausch RL, Libby RT, Kiernan AE. Ciliary margin-derived BMP4 does not have a major role in ocular development. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197048. [PMID: 29738572 PMCID: PMC5940228 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterozygous Bmp4 mutations in humans and mice cause severe ocular anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD). Abnormalities include pupil displacement, corneal opacity, iridocorneal adhesions, and variable intraocular pressure, as well as some retinal and vascular defects. It is presently not known what source of BMP4 is responsible for these defects, as BMP4 is expressed in several developing ocular and surrounding tissues. In particular, BMP4 is expressed in the ciliary margins of the optic cup which give rise to anterior segment structures such as the ciliary body and iris, making it a good candidate for the required source of BMP4 for anterior segment development. Here, we test whether ciliary margin-derived BMP4 is required for ocular development using two different conditional knockout approaches. In addition, we compared the conditional deletion phenotypes with Bmp4 heterozygous null mice. Morphological, molecular, and functional assays were performed on adult mutant mice, including histology, immunohistochemistry, in vivo imaging, and intraocular pressure measurements. Surprisingly, in contrast to Bmp4 heterozygous mutants, our analyses revealed that the anterior and posterior segments of Bmp4 conditional knockouts developed normally. These results indicate that ciliary margin-derived BMP4 does not have a major role in ocular development, although subtle alterations could not be ruled out. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the anterior and posterior phenotypes observed in Bmp4 heterozygous animals showed a strong propensity to co-occur, suggesting a common, non-cell autonomous source for these defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L. Rausch
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
- Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Richard T. Libby
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
- Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Amy E. Kiernan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
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43
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Gou Y, Guo J, Maulding K, Riley BB. sox2 and sox3 cooperate to regulate otic/epibranchial placode induction in zebrafish. Dev Biol 2018; 435:84-95. [PMID: 29355522 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Expression of sox3 is one of the earliest markers of Fgf-dependent otic/epibranchial placode induction. We report here that sox2 is also expressed in the early otic/epibranchial placode in zebrafish. To address functions of sox2 and sox3, we generated knockouts and heat shock-inducible transgenes. Mutant analysis, and low-level misexpression, showed that sox2 and sox3 act redundantly to establish a full complement of otic/epibranchial cells. Disruption of pax8, another early regulator, caused similar placodal deficiencies to sox3 mutants or pax8-sox3 double mutants, suggesting that sox3 and pax8 operate in the same pathway. High-level misexpression of sox2 or sox3 during early stages cell-autonomously blocked placode induction, whereas misexpression several hours later could not reverse placodal differentiation. In an assay for ectopic placode-induction, we previously showed that misexpression of fgf8 induces a high level of ectopic sox3, but not pax8. Partial knockdown of sox3 significantly enhanced ectopic induction of pax8, whereas full knockdown of sox3 inhibited this process. Together these findings show that sox2 and sox3 are together required for proper otic induction, but the level of expression must be tightly regulated to avoid suppression of differentiation and maintenance of pluripotency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunzi Gou
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3258, United States
| | - Jinbai Guo
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3258, United States
| | - Kirstin Maulding
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3258, United States
| | - Bruce B Riley
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3258, United States.
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44
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Zhou J, Benito-Martin A, Mighty J, Chang L, Ghoroghi S, Wu H, Wong M, Guariglia S, Baranov P, Young M, Gharbaran R, Emerson M, Mark MT, Molina H, Canto-Soler MV, Selgas HP, Redenti S. Retinal progenitor cells release extracellular vesicles containing developmental transcription factors, microRNA and membrane proteins. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2823. [PMID: 29434302 PMCID: PMC5809580 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20421-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A range of cell types, including embryonic stem cells, neurons and astrocytes have been shown to release extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing molecular cargo. Across cell types, EVs facilitate transfer of mRNA, microRNA and proteins between cells. Here we describe the release kinetics and content of EVs from mouse retinal progenitor cells (mRPCs). Interestingly, mRPC derived EVs contain mRNA, miRNA and proteins associated with multipotency and retinal development. Transcripts enclosed in mRPC EVs, include the transcription factors Pax6, Hes1, and Sox2, a mitotic chromosome stabilizer Ki67, and the neural intermediate filaments Nestin and GFAP. Proteomic analysis of EV content revealed retinogenic growth factors and morphogen proteins. mRPC EVs were shown to transfer GFP mRNA between cell populations. Finally, analysis of EV mediated functional cargo delivery, using the Cre-loxP recombination system, revealed transfer and uptake of Cre+ EVs, which were then internalized by target mRPCs activating responder loxP GFP expression. In summary, the data supports a paradigm of EV genetic material encapsulation and transfer within RPC populations. RPC EV transfer may influence recipient RPC transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, representing a novel mechanism of differentiation and fate determination during retinal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.,Biology Doctoral Program, The Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Alberto Benito-Martin
- Children's Cancer and Blood Foundation Laboratories, Departments of Pediatrics, and Cell and Developmental Biology, Drukier Institute for Children's Health, Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, 10021, USA
| | - Jason Mighty
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.,Biology Doctoral Program, The Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Lynne Chang
- Nikon Instruments Inc, 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY, 11747, USA
| | - Shima Ghoroghi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.,Biology Doctoral Program, The Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Madeline Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Sara Guariglia
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th St, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Petr Baranov
- The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Michael Young
- The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Rajendra Gharbaran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Mark Emerson
- Biology Doctoral Program, The Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA.,Department of Biology, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Milica Tesic Mark
- Proteomics Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Henrik Molina
- Proteomics Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - M Valeria Canto-Soler
- The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Hector Peinado Selgas
- Children's Cancer and Blood Foundation Laboratories, Departments of Pediatrics, and Cell and Developmental Biology, Drukier Institute for Children's Health, Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, 10021, USA.,Microenvironment and Metastasis Laboratory, Department of Molecular Oncology, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3, Madrid, E28029, Spain
| | - Stephen Redenti
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA. .,Biology Doctoral Program, The Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA. .,Biochemistry Doctoral Program, The Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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45
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Kautzman AG, Keeley PW, Nahmou MM, Luna G, Fisher SK, Reese BE. Sox2 regulates astrocytic and vascular development in the retina. Glia 2017; 66:623-636. [PMID: 29178409 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sox2 is a transcriptional regulator that is highly expressed in retinal astrocytes, yet its function in these cells has not previously been examined. To understand its role, we conditionally deleted Sox2 from the population of astrocytes and examined the consequences on retinal development. We found that Sox2 deletion does not alter the migration of astrocytes, but it impairs their maturation, evidenced by the delayed upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) across the retina. The centro-peripheral gradient of angiogenesis is also delayed in Sox2-CKO retinas. In the mature retina, we observed lasting abnormalities in the astrocytic population evidenced by the sporadic loss of GFAP immunoreactivity in the peripheral retina as well as by the aberrant extension of processes into the inner retina. Blood vessels in the adult retina are also under-developed and show a decrease in the frequency of branch points and in total vessel length. The developmental relationship between maturing astrocytes and angiogenesis suggests a causal relationship between the astrocytic loss of Sox2 and the vascular architecture in maturity. We suggest that the delay in astrocytic maturation and vascular invasion may render the retina hypoxic, thereby causing the abnormalities we observe in adulthood. These studies uncover a novel role for Sox2 in the development of retinal astrocytes and indicate that its removal can lead to lasting changes to retinal homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda G Kautzman
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060
| | - Patrick W Keeley
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060
| | - Michael M Nahmou
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060
| | - Gabriel Luna
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060
| | - Steven K Fisher
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060
| | - Benjamin E Reese
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-5060
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46
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Abstract
We describe bilateral true anophthalmia in a juvenile female eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) with histologic confirmation that orbital contents lacked ocular tissues. Additionally, the optic chiasm of the brain was absent and axon density in the optic tract adjacent to the lateral geniculate nucleus was reduced.
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47
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Williams AL, Eason J, Chawla B, Bohnsack BL. Cyp1b1 Regulates Ocular Fissure Closure Through a Retinoic Acid-Independent Pathway. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2017; 58:1084-1097. [PMID: 28192799 PMCID: PMC5308778 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.16-20235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Mutations in the CYP1B1 gene are the most commonly identified genetic causes of primary infantile-onset glaucoma. Despite this disease association, the role of CYP1B1 in eye development and its in vivo substrate remain unknown. In the present study, we used zebrafish to elucidate the mechanism by which cyp1b1 regulates eye development. Methods Zebrafish eye and neural crest development were analyzed using live imaging of transgenic zebrafish embryos, in situ hybridization, immunostaining, TUNEL assay, and methylacrylate sections. Cyp1b1 and retinoic acid (RA) levels were genetically (morpholino oligonucleotide antisense and mRNA) and pharmacologically manipulated to examine gene function. Results Using zebrafish, we observed that cyp1b1 was expressed in a specific spatiotemporal pattern in the ocular fissures of the developing zebrafish retina and regulated fissure patency. Decreased Cyp1b1 resulted in the premature breakdown of laminin in the ventral fissure and altered subsequent neural crest migration into the anterior segment. In contrast, cyp1b1 overexpression inhibited cell survival in the ventral ocular fissure and prevented fissure closure via an RA-independent pathway. Cyp1b1 overexpression also inhibited the ocular expression of vsx2, pax6a, and pax6b and increased the extraocular expression of shha. Importantly, embryos injected with human wild-type but not mutant CYP1B1 mRNA also showed colobomas, demonstrating the evolutionary and functional conservation of gene function between species. Conclusions Cyp1b1 regulation of ocular fissure closure indirectly affects neural crest migration and development through an RA-independent pathway. These studies provide insight into the role of Cyp1b1 in eye development and further elucidate the pathogenesis of primary infantile-onset glaucoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antionette L Williams
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
| | - Jessica Eason
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
| | - Bahaar Chawla
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
| | - Brenda L Bohnsack
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
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48
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Ezati R, Etemadzadeh A, Soheili ZS, Samiei S, Ranaei Pirmardan E, Davari M, Najafabadi HS. The influence of rAAV2-mediated SOX2 delivery into neonatal and adult human RPE cells; a comparative study. J Cell Physiol 2017; 233:1222-1235. [PMID: 28480968 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.25991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Cell replacement is a promising therapy for degenerative diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Since the human retina lacks regeneration capacity, much attention has been directed toward persuading for cells that can differentiate into retinal neurons. In this report, we have investigated reprogramming of the human RPE cells and concerned the effect of donor age on the cellular fate as a critical determinant in reprogramming competence. We evaluated the effect of SOX2 over-expression in human neonatal and adult RPE cells in cultures. The coding region of human SOX2 gene was cloned into adeno-associated virus (AAV2) and primary culture of human neonatal/adult RPE cells were infected by recombinant virus. De-differentiation of RPE to neural/retinal progenitor cells was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR and ICC for neural/retinal progenitor cells' markers. Gene expression analysis showed 80-fold and 12-fold over-expression for SOX2 gene in infected neonatal and adult hRPE cells, respectively. The fold of increase for Nestin in neonatal and adult hRPE cells was 3.8-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively. PAX6 expression was increased threefold and 2.5-fold in neonatal/adult treated cultures. Howbeit, we could not detect rhodopsin, and CHX10 expression in neonatal hRPE cultures and expression of rhodopsin in adult hRPE cells. Results showed SOX2 induced human neonatal/adult RPE cells to de-differentiate toward retinal progenitor cells. However, the increased number of PAX6, CHX10, Thy1, and rhodopsin positive cells in adult hRPE treated cultures clearly indicated the considerable generation of neuro-retinal terminally differentiated cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Razie Ezati
- Institute of Medical Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azadeh Etemadzadeh
- Institute of Medical Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra-Soheila Soheili
- Institute of Medical Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahram Samiei
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Malihe Davari
- Institute of Medical Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hoda Shams Najafabadi
- Institute of Medical Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
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49
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Chen CA, Yin J, Lewis RA, Schaaf CP. Genetic causes of optic nerve hypoplasia. J Med Genet 2017; 54:441-449. [PMID: 28501829 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2017-104626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) is the most common congenital optic nerve anomaly and a leading cause of blindness in the USA. Although most cases of ONH occur as isolated cases within their respective families, the advancement in molecular diagnostic technology has made us realise that a substantial fraction of cases has identifiable genetic causes, typically de novo mutations. An increasing number of genes has been reported, mutations of which can cause ONH. Many of the genes involved serve as transcription factors, participating in an intricate multistep process critical to eye development and neurogenesis in the neural retina. This review will discuss the respective genes and mutations, human phenotypes, and animal models that have been created to gain a deeper understanding of the disorders. The identification of the underlying gene and mutation provides an important step in diagnosis, medical care and counselling for the affected individuals and their families. We envision that future research will lead to further disease gene identification, but will also teach us about gene-gene and gene-environment interactions relevant to optic nerve development. How much of the functional impairment of the various forms of ONH is a reflection of altered morphogenesis versus neuronal homeostasis will determine the prospect of therapeutic intervention, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of the individuals affected with ONH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-An Chen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jiani Yin
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Richard Alan Lewis
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Christian P Schaaf
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
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50
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Analysis of expression of transcription factors in early human retina. Int J Dev Neurosci 2017; 60:94-102. [PMID: 28377129 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2017.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The retina originates in the central nervous system. Due to its accessibility and simplicity, the retina has become an invaluable model for studying the basic mechanisms involved in development. To date, considerable knowledge regarding the interactions among genes that coordinate retinal development has been gained from extensive research in model animals. However, our understanding of retinal development in humans remains undeveloped. Here, we analyze the expression of transcription factors that are involved in the early development of the retina in human embryos at 6-12 weeks post-conception. Our work demonstrates that early developing neural retinas can be divided into two layers, the outer and inner neuroblast layers. Eye-field transcription factors and those related to the early development of the retina have distinct expression patterns in the two layers. Cell-type-specific transcription factors emerge at 8 weeks. These data provide clear and systemic structures for early retinal development in human.
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