Transcriptional regulators with broad expression in the zebrafish spinal cord

BACKGROUND

The spinal cord is a crucial part of the vertebrate CNS, controlling movements and receiving and processing sensory information from the trunk and limbs. However, there is much we do not know about how this essential organ develops. Here, we describe expression of 21 transcription factors and one transcriptional regulator in zebrafish spinal cord.

RESULTS

We analyzed the expression of aurkb, foxb1a, foxb1b, her8a, homeza, ivns1abpb, mybl2b, myt1a, nr2f1b, onecut1, sall1a, sall3a, sall3b, sall4, sox2, sox19b, sp8b, tsc22d1, wdhd1, zfhx3b, znf804a, and znf1032 in wild-type and MIB E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 zebrafish embryos. While all of these genes are broadly expressed in spinal cord, they have distinct expression patterns from one another. Some are predominantly expressed in progenitor domains, and others in subsets of post-mitotic cells. Given the conservation of spinal cord development, and the transcription factors and transcriptional regulators that orchestrate it, we expect that these genes will have similar spinal cord expression patterns in other vertebrates, including mammals and humans.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data identify 22 different transcriptional regulators that are strong candidates for playing different roles in spinal cord development. For several of these genes, this is the first published description of their spinal cord expression.

Transcriptional Regulators with Broad Expression in the Zebrafish Spinal Cord

Background

The spinal cord is a crucial part of the vertebrate CNS, controlling movements and receiving and processing sensory information from the trunk and limbs. However, there is much we do not know about how this essential organ develops. Here, we describe expression of 21 transcription factors and one transcriptional regulator in zebrafish spinal cord.

Results

We analyzed the expression of aurkb, foxb1a, foxb1b, her8a, homeza, ivns1abpb, mybl2b, myt1a, nr2f1b, onecut1, sall1a, sall3a, sall3b, sall4, sox2, sox19b, sp8b, tsc22d1, wdhd1, zfhx3b, znf804a, and znf1032 in wild-type and MIB E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 zebrafish embryos. While all of these genes are broadly expressed in spinal cord, they have distinct expression patterns from one another. Some are predominantly expressed in progenitor domains, and others in subsets of post-mitotic cells. Given the conservation of spinal cord development, and the transcription factors and transcriptional regulators that orchestrate it, we expect that these genes will have similar spinal cord expression patterns in other vertebrates, including mammals and humans.

Conclusions

Our data identify 22 different transcriptional regulators that are strong candidates for playing different roles in spinal cord development. For several of these genes, this is the first published description of their spinal cord expression.

Induction and in silico staging of human gastruloids with neural tube, segmented somites & advanced cell types

Embryonic organoids are emerging as powerful models for studying early mammalian development. For example, stem cell-derived 'gastruloids' form elongating structures containing all three germ layers1-4. However, although elongated, human gastruloids do not morphologically resemble post-implantation embryos. Here we show that a specific, discontinuous regimen of retinoic acid (RA) robustly induces human gastruloids with embryo-like morphological structures, including a neural tube and segmented somites. Single cell RNA-seq (sc-RNA-seq) further reveals that these human 'RA-gastruloids' contain more advanced cell types than conventional gastruloids, including neural crest cells, renal progenitor cells, skeletal muscle cells, and, rarely, neural progenitor cells. We apply a new approach to computationally stage human RA-gastruloids relative to somite-resolved mouse embryos, early human embryos and other gastruloid models, and find that the developmental stage of human RA-gastruloids is comparable to that of E9.5 mouse embryos, although some cell types show greater or lesser progression. We chemically perturb WNT and BMP signaling in human RA-gastruloids and find that these signaling pathways regulate somite patterning and neural tube length, respectively, while genetic perturbation of the transcription factors PAX3 and TBX6 markedly compromises the formation of neural crest and somites/renal cells, respectively. Human RA-gastruloids complement other embryonic organoids in serving as a simple, robust and screenable model for decoding early human embryogenesis.

Cell Transplantation for Repair of the Spinal Cord and Prospects for Generating Region-Specific Exogenic Neuronal Cells

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with currently irreversible consequences in several functional components of the central nervous system. Despite the severity of injury, there remains no approved treatment to restore function. However, with a growing number of preclinical studies and clinical trials, cell transplantation has gained significant potential as a treatment for SCI. Researchers have identified several cell types as potential candidates for transplantation. To optimize successful functional outcomes after transplantation, one key factor concerns generating neuronal cells with regional and subtype specificity, thus calling on the developmental transcriptome patterning of spinal cord cells. A potential source of spinal cord cells for transplantation is the generation of exogenic neuronal progenitor cells via the emerging technologies of gene editing and blastocyst complementation. This review highlights the use of cell transplantation to treat SCI in the context of relevant developmental gene expression patterns useful for producing regionally specific exogenic spinal cells via in vitro differentiation and blastocyst complementation.

Rostrocaudal patterning and neural crest differentiation of human pre-neural spinal cord progenitors in vitro

The spinal cord emerges from a niche of neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) formed and maintained by WNT/fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signals at the posterior end of the embryo. NMPs can be generated from human pluripotent stem cells and hold promise for spinal cord replacement therapies. However, NMPs are transient, which compromises production of the full range of rostrocaudal spinal cord identities in vitro. Here we report the generation of NMP-derived pre-neural progenitors (PNPs) with stem cell-like self-renewal capacity. PNPs maintain pre-spinal cord identity for 7-10 passages, dividing to self-renew and to make neural crest progenitors, while gradually adopting a more posterior identity by activating colinear HOX gene expression. The HOX clock can be halted through GDF11-mediated signal inhibition to produce a PNP and NC population with a thoracic identity that can be maintained for up to 30 passages.

Transcription Factors Sp8 and Sp9 Coordinately Regulate Olfactory Bulb Interneuron Development

Neural stem cells in the postnatal telencephalic ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) generate new interneurons, which migrate tangentially through the rostral migratory stream (RMS) into the olfactory bulb (OB). The Sp8 and Sp9 transcription factors are expressed in neuroblasts, as well as in the immature and mature interneurons in the V-SVZ-RMS-OB system. Here we show that Sp8 and Sp9 coordinately regulate OB interneuron development: although Sp9 null mutants show no major OB interneuron defect, conditional deletion of both Sp8 and Sp9 resulted in a much more severe reduction of OB interneuron number than that observed in the Sp8 conditional mutant mice, due to defects in neuronal differentiation, tangential and radial migration, and increased cell death in the V-SVZ-RMS-OB system. RNA-Seq and RNA in situ hybridization reveal that, in Sp8/Sp9 double mutant mice, but not in Sp8 or Sp9 single mutant mice, newly born neuroblasts in the V-SVZ-RMS-OB system fail to express Prokr2 and Tshz1 expression, genes with known roles in promoting OB interneuron differentiation and migration, and that are involved in human Kallmann syndrome.

Evolution of vertebrate spinal cord patterning

The vertebrate spinal cord is organized across three developmental axes, anterior-posterior (AP), dorsal-ventral (DV), and medial-lateral (ML). Patterning of these axes is regulated by canonical intercellular signaling pathways: the AP axis by Wnt, fibroblast growth factor, and retinoic acid (RA), the DV axis by Hedgehog, Tgfβ, and Wnt, and the ML axis where proliferation is controlled by Notch. Developmental time plays an important role in which signal does what and when. Patterning across the three axes is not independent, but linked by interactions between signaling pathway components and their transcriptional targets. Combined this builds a sophisticated organ with many different types of cell in specific AP, DV, and ML positions. Two living lineages share phylum Chordata with vertebrates, amphioxus, and tunicates, while the jawless fish such as lampreys, survive as the most basally divergent vertebrate lineage. Genes and mechanisms shared between lampreys and other vertebrates tell us what predated vertebrates, while those also shared with other chordates tell us what evolved early in chordate evolution. Between these lie vertebrate innovations: genetic and developmental changes linked to evolution of new morphology. These include gene duplications, differences in how signals are received, and new regulatory connections between signaling pathways and their target genes.

Nanowire arrays restore vision in blind mice

The restoration of light response with complex spatiotemporal features in retinal degenerative diseases towards retinal prosthesis has proven to be a considerable challenge over the past decades. Herein, inspired by the structure and function of photoreceptors in retinas, we develop artificial photoreceptors based on gold nanoparticle-decorated titania nanowire arrays, for restoration of visual responses in the blind mice with degenerated photoreceptors. Green, blue and near UV light responses in the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are restored with a spatial resolution better than 100 µm. ON responses in RGCs are blocked by glutamatergic antagonists, suggesting functional preservation of the remaining retinal circuits. Moreover, neurons in the primary visual cortex respond to light after subretinal implant of nanowire arrays. Improvement in pupillary light reflex suggests the behavioral recovery of light sensitivity. Our study will shed light on the development of a new generation of optoelectronic toolkits for subretinal prosthetic devices.

The restoration of light response using retinal prosthesis could be a way to restore vision following retinal degenerative disease. Here the authors develop gold-titania nanowire arrays that restore visual response in blind mice.

Functional dissection of the Pax6 paired domain: Roles in neural tube patterning and peripheral nervous system development

During development of the CNS, stem and progenitor cell proliferation, cell fate designation, and patterning decisions are tightly regulated by interdependent networks of key transcriptional regulators. In a genetic approach we analyzed divergent functionality of the PAI and RED sub-domains of the Pax6 Paired domain (PD) during progenitor zone formation, motor and interneuron development, and peripheral connectivity at distinct levels within the neural tube: within the hindbrain, mutation of the PAI sub-domain severely affected patterning of the p3 and pMN domains and establishment of the corresponding motor neurons. Exit point designation of hypoglossal axons was disturbed in embryos harboring either mutations in the PD sub-domains or containing a functional Pax6 Null allele. At brachial spinal levels, we propose a selective involvement of the PAI sub-domain during patterning of ventral p2 and pMN domains, critically disturbing generation of specific motor neuron subtypes and increasing V2 interneuron numbers. Our findings present a novel aspect of how Pax6 not only utilizes its modular structure to perform distinct functions via its paired and homeodomain. Individual sub-domains can exert distinct functions, generating a new level of complexity for transcriptional regulation by one single transcription factor not only in dorso-ventral, but also rostro-caudal neural tube patterning.