1
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Shiels A. Through the Cat-Map Gateway: A Brief History of Cataract Genetics. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:785. [PMID: 38927721 PMCID: PMC11202810 DOI: 10.3390/genes15060785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Clouding of the transparent eye lens, or cataract(s), is a leading cause of visual impairment that requires surgical replacement with a synthetic intraocular lens to effectively restore clear vision. Most frequently, cataract is acquired with aging as a multifactorial or complex trait. Cataract may also be inherited as a classic Mendelian trait-often with an early or pediatric onset-with or without other ocular and/or systemic features. Since the early 1990s, over 85 genes and loci have been genetically associated with inherited and/or age-related forms of cataract. While many of these underlying genes-including those for lens crystallins, connexins, and transcription factors-recapitulate signature features of lens development and differentiation, an increasing cohort of unpredicted genes, including those involved in cell-signaling, membrane remodeling, and autophagy, has emerged-providing new insights regarding lens homeostasis and aging. This review provides a brief history of gene discovery for inherited and age-related forms of cataract compiled in the Cat-Map database and highlights potential gene-based therapeutic approaches to delay, reverse, or even prevent cataract formation that may help to reduce the increasing demand for cataract surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Shiels
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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2
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Koçak G, Uyulgan S, Polatlı E, Sarı V, Kahveci B, Bursali A, Binokay L, Reçber T, Nemutlu E, Mardinoğlu A, Karakülah G, Utine CA, Güven S. Generation of Anterior Segment of the Eye Cells from hiPSCs in Microfluidic Platforms. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2024; 8:e2400018. [PMID: 38640945 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202400018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Ophthalmic diseases affect many people, causing partial or total loss of vision and a reduced quality of life. The anterior segment of the eye accounts for nearly half of all visual impairment that can lead to blindness. Therefore, there is a growing demand for ocular research and regenerative medicine that specifically targets the anterior segment to improve vision quality. This study aims to generate a microfluidic platform for investigating the formation of the anterior segment of the eye derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) under various spatial-mechanoresponsive conditions. Microfluidic platforms are developed to examine the effects of dynamic conditions on the generation of hiPSCs-derived ocular organoids. The differentiation protocol is validated, and mechanoresponsive genes are identified through transcriptomic analysis. Several culture strategies is implemented for the anterior segment of eye cells in a microfluidic chip. hiPSC-derived cells showed anterior eye cell characteristics in mRNA and protein expression levels under dynamic culture conditions. The expression levels of yes-associated protein and transcriptional coactivator PDZ binding motif (YAP/TAZ) and PIEZO1, varied depending on the differentiation and growth conditions of the cells, as well as the metabolomic profiles under dynamic culture conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gamze Koçak
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Sude Uyulgan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Elifsu Polatlı
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Vedat Sarı
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Burak Kahveci
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Ahmet Bursali
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Leman Binokay
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Tuba Reçber
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, Sıhhiye, Ankara, 06100, Türkiye
| | - Emirhan Nemutlu
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, Sıhhiye, Ankara, 06100, Türkiye
| | - Adil Mardinoğlu
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Gökhan Karakülah
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Canan Aslı Utine
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Department of Ophthalmology, Dokuz Eylül University Hospital, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
| | - Sinan Güven
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
- Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, 35340, Türkiye
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3
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Brown HE, Weasner BP, Weasner BM, Kumar JP. Polycomb safeguards imaginal disc specification through control of the Vestigial-Scalloped complex. Development 2023; 150:dev201872. [PMID: 37702007 PMCID: PMC10560572 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental goal of developmental biology is to understand how cell and tissue fates are specified. The imaginal discs of Drosophila are excellent model systems for addressing this paradigm as their fate can be redirected when discs regenerate after injury or when key selector genes are misregulated. Here, we show that when Polycomb expression is reduced, the wing selector gene vestigial is ectopically activated. This leads to the inappropriate formation of the Vestigial-Scalloped complex, which forces the eye to transform into a wing. We further demonstrate that disrupting this complex does not simply block wing formation or restore eye development. Instead, immunohistochemistry and high-throughput genomic analysis show that the eye-antennal disc unexpectedly undergoes hyperplastic growth with multiple domains being organized into other imaginal discs and tissues. These findings provide insight into the complex developmental landscape that tissues must navigate before adopting their final fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley E. Brown
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | | | - Bonnie M. Weasner
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Justin P. Kumar
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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4
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Brown HE, Weasner BP, Weasner BM, Kumar JP. Polycomb safeguards imaginal disc specification through control of the Vestigial-Scalloped complex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.11.536444. [PMID: 37090526 PMCID: PMC10120697 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.11.536444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental goal of developmental biology is to understand how cell and tissue fates are specified. The imaginal discs of Drosophila are excellent model systems for addressing this paradigm as their fate can be redirected when discs regenerate after injury or when key selector genes are mis-regulated. Here, we show that when Polycomb expression is reduced, the wing selector gene vestigial is ectopically activated. This leads to the inappropriate formation of the Vestigial-Scalloped complex which forces the eye to transform into a wing. We further demonstrate that disrupting this complex does not simply block wing formation or restore eye development. Instead, immunohistochemistry and high throughput genomic analysis show that the eye-antennal disc unexpectedly undergoes hyperplastic growth with multiple domains being organized into other imaginal discs and tissues. These findings provide insight into the complex developmental landscape that tissues must navigate before adopting their final fate. Summary Statement Here we describe a novel mechanism by which Pc promotes an eye fate during normal development and how the eye is reprogrammed into a wing in its absence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley E. Brown
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 USA
| | | | - Bonnie M. Weasner
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 USA
| | - Justin P. Kumar
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 USA
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5
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Abdolkarimi D, Cunha DL, Lahne1 M, Moosajee M. PAX6 disease models for aniridia. Indian J Ophthalmol 2022; 70:4119-4129. [PMID: 36453299 PMCID: PMC9940591 DOI: 10.4103/ijo.ijo_316_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aniridia is a pan-ocular genetic developmental eye disorder characterized by complete or partial iris and foveal hypoplasia, for which there is no treatment currently. Progressive sight loss can arise from cataracts, glaucoma, and aniridia-related keratopathy, which can be managed conservatively or through surgical intervention. The vast majority of patients harbor heterozygous mutations involving the PAX6 gene, which is considered the master transcription factor of early eye development. Over the past decades, several disease models have been investigated to gain a better understanding of the molecular pathophysiology, including several mouse and zebrafish strains and, more recently, human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) derived from aniridia patients. The latter provides a more faithful cellular system to study early human eye development. This review outlines the main aniridia-related animal and cellular models used to study aniridia and highlights the key discoveries that are bringing us closer to a therapy for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dulce Lima Cunha
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | | | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
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6
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Ikkala K, Raatikainen S, Koivula H, Michon F. Zebrafish cornea formation and homeostasis reveal a slow maturation process, similarly to terrestrial vertebrates' corneas. Front Physiol 2022; 13:906155. [PMID: 36388116 PMCID: PMC9663661 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.906155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Corneal blindness is the fourth leading cause of blindness worldwide. The superficial position of cornea on the eye makes this tissue prone to environmental aggressions, which can have a strong impact on sight. While most corneal pathology studies utilize terrestrial models, the knowledge on zebrafish cornea is too scarce to comprehend its strategy for the maintenance of a clear sight in aquatic environment. In this study, we deciphered the cellular and molecular events during corneal formation and maturation in zebrafish. After describing the morphological changes taking place from 3 days post fertilization (dpf) to adulthood, we analyzed cell proliferation. We showed that label retaining cells appear around 14 to 21dpf. Our cell proliferation study, combined to the study of Pax6a and krtt1c19e expression, demonstrate a long maturation process, ending after 45dpf. This maturation ends with a solid patterning of corneal innervation. Finally, we demonstrated that corneal wounding leads to an intense dedifferentiation, leading to the recapitulation of corneal formation and maturation, via a plasticity period. Altogether, our study deciphers the maturation steps of an aquatic cornea. These findings demonstrate the conservation of corneal formation, maturation and wound healing process in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, and they will enhance the use of zebrafish as model for corneal physiology studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa Ikkala
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sini Raatikainen
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Henri Koivula
- Zebrafish Unit, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Frederic Michon
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier, University Montpellier, INSERM, Montpellier, France
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7
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Buzzi AL, Chen J, Thiery A, Delile J, Streit A. Sox8 remodels the cranial ectoderm to generate the ear. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2118938119. [PMID: 35867760 PMCID: PMC9282420 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118938119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate inner ear arises from a pool of progenitors with the potential to contribute to all the sense organs and cranial ganglia in the head. Here, we explore the molecular mechanisms that control ear specification from these precursors. Using a multiomics approach combined with loss-of-function experiments, we identify a core transcriptional circuit that imparts ear identity, along with a genome-wide characterization of noncoding elements that integrate this information. This analysis places the transcription factor Sox8 at the top of the ear determination network. Introducing Sox8 into the cranial ectoderm not only converts non-ear cells into ear progenitors but also activates the cellular programs for ear morphogenesis and neurogenesis. Thus, Sox8 has the unique ability to remodel transcriptional networks in the cranial ectoderm toward ear identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailin Leticia Buzzi
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Jingchen Chen
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandre Thiery
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Julien Delile
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Streit
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
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8
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Making a head: Neural crest and ectodermal placodes in cranial sensory development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 138:15-27. [PMID: 35760729 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
During development of the vertebrate sensory system, many important components like the sense organs and cranial sensory ganglia arise within the head and neck. Two progenitor populations, the neural crest, and cranial ectodermal placodes, contribute to these developing vertebrate peripheral sensory structures. The interactions and contributions of these cell populations to the development of the lens, olfactory, otic, pituitary gland, and cranial ganglia are vital for appropriate peripheral nervous system development. Here, we review the origins of both neural crest and placode cells at the neural plate border of the early vertebrate embryo and investigate the molecular and environmental signals that influence specification of different sensory regions. Finally, we discuss the underlying molecular pathways contributing to the complex vertebrate sensory system from an evolutionary perspective, from basal vertebrates to amniotes.
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9
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Self-Organization of the Retina during Eye Development, Retinal Regeneration In Vivo, and in Retinal 3D Organoids In Vitro. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10061458. [PMID: 35740479 PMCID: PMC9221005 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10061458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-organization is a process that ensures histogenesis of the eye retina. This highly intricate phenomenon is not sufficiently studied due to its biological complexity and genetic heterogeneity. The review aims to summarize the existing central theories and ideas for a better understanding of retinal self-organization, as well as to address various practical problems of retinal biomedicine. The phenomenon of self-organization is discussed in the spatiotemporal context and illustrated by key findings during vertebrate retina development in vivo and retinal regeneration in amphibians in situ. Described also are histotypic 3D structures obtained from the disaggregated retinal progenitor cells of birds and retinal 3D organoids derived from the mouse and human pluripotent stem cells. The review highlights integral parts of retinal development in these conditions. On the cellular level, these include competence, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, cooperative movements, and migration. On the physical level, the focus is on the mechanical properties of cell- and cell layer-derived forces and on the molecular level on factors responsible for gene regulation, such as transcription factors, signaling molecules, and epigenetic changes. Finally, the self-organization phenomenon is discussed as a basis for the production of retinal organoids, a promising model for a wide range of basic scientific and medical applications.
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10
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Korzh VP, Gasanov EV. Genetics of Atavism. Russ J Dev Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360422030043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Atavisms have attracted people’s attention for a long time. First, atavisms excited their imagination and created fertile ground for myths and superstitions. With the development of science, atavisms became the subject of investigation, which soon provided evidence to support evolutionary theory. However, at the molecular level, the formation of atavisms remained insufficiently understood. Recent progress in comparative genomics and molecular developmental biology has helped in understanding the processes underlying the formation of one of the human atavisms: the vestigial tail.
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11
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Levin M. Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere: An Experimentally-Grounded Framework for Understanding Diverse Bodies and Minds. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:768201. [PMID: 35401131 PMCID: PMC8988303 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.768201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology and bioengineering provide the opportunity to create novel embodied cognitive systems (otherwise known as minds) in a very wide variety of chimeric architectures combining evolved and designed material and software. These advances are disrupting familiar concepts in the philosophy of mind, and require new ways of thinking about and comparing truly diverse intelligences, whose composition and origin are not like any of the available natural model species. In this Perspective, I introduce TAME-Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere-a framework for understanding and manipulating cognition in unconventional substrates. TAME formalizes a non-binary (continuous), empirically-based approach to strongly embodied agency. TAME provides a natural way to think about animal sentience as an instance of collective intelligence of cell groups, arising from dynamics that manifest in similar ways in numerous other substrates. When applied to regenerating/developmental systems, TAME suggests a perspective on morphogenesis as an example of basal cognition. The deep symmetry between problem-solving in anatomical, physiological, transcriptional, and 3D (traditional behavioral) spaces drives specific hypotheses by which cognitive capacities can increase during evolution. An important medium exploited by evolution for joining active subunits into greater agents is developmental bioelectricity, implemented by pre-neural use of ion channels and gap junctions to scale up cell-level feedback loops into anatomical homeostasis. This architecture of multi-scale competency of biological systems has important implications for plasticity of bodies and minds, greatly potentiating evolvability. Considering classical and recent data from the perspectives of computational science, evolutionary biology, and basal cognition, reveals a rich research program with many implications for cognitive science, evolutionary biology, regenerative medicine, and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
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12
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Bellapianta A, Cetkovic A, Bolz M, Salti A. Retinal Organoids and Retinal Prostheses: An Overview. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:2922. [PMID: 35328339 PMCID: PMC8953078 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23062922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the progress of modern medicine in the last decades, millions of people diagnosed with retinal dystrophies (RDs), such as retinitis pigmentosa, or age-related diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, are suffering from severe visual impairment or even legal blindness. On the one hand, the reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the progress of three-dimensional (3D) retinal organoids (ROs) technology provide a great opportunity to study, understand, and even treat retinal diseases. On the other hand, research advances in the field of electronic retinal prosthesis using inorganic photovoltaic polymers and the emergence of organic semiconductors represent an encouraging therapeutical strategy to restore vision to patients at the late onset of the disease. This review will provide an overview of the latest advancement in both fields. We first describe the retina and the photoreceptors, briefly mention the most used RD animal models, then focus on the latest RO differentiation protocols, carry out an overview of the current technology on inorganic and organic retinal prostheses to restore vision, and finally summarize the potential utility and applications of ROs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ahmad Salti
- Center for Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University Clinic for Ophthalmology and Optometry, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4020 Linz, Austria; (A.B.); (A.C.); (M.B.)
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13
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Bradshaw SN, Allison WT. Hagfish to Illuminate the Developmental and Evolutionary Origins of the Vertebrate Retina. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:822358. [PMID: 35155434 PMCID: PMC8826474 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.822358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate eye is a vital sensory organ that has long fascinated scientists, but the details of how this organ evolved are still unclear. The vertebrate eye is distinct from the simple photoreceptive organs of other non-vertebrate chordates and there are no clear transitional forms of the eye in the fossil record. To investigate the evolution of the eye we can examine the eyes of the most ancient extant vertebrates, the hagfish and lamprey. These jawless vertebrates are in an ideal phylogenetic position to study the origin of the vertebrate eye but data on eye/retina development in these organisms is limited. New genomic and gene expression data from hagfish and lamprey suggest they have many of the same genes for eye development and retinal neurogenesis as jawed vertebrates, but functional work to determine if these genes operate in retinogenesis similarly to other vertebrates is missing. In addition, hagfish express a marker of proliferative retinal cells (Pax6) near the margin of the retina, and adult retinal growth is apparent in some species. This finding of eye growth late into hagfish ontogeny is unexpected given the degenerate eye phenotype. Further studies dissecting retinal neurogenesis in jawless vertebrates would allow for comparison of the mechanisms of retinal development between cyclostome and gnathostome eyes and provide insight into the evolutionary origins of the vertebrate eye.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - W. Ted Allison
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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14
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Shiraki N, Maruyama K, Hayashi R, Oguchi A, Murakawa Y, Katayama T, Takigawa T, Sakimoto S, Quantock AJ, Tsujikawa M, Nishida K. PAX6-positive microglia evolve locally in hiPSC-derived ocular organoids. Stem Cell Reports 2021; 17:221-230. [PMID: 35030319 PMCID: PMC8828554 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). They govern the immunogenicity of the retina, which is considered to be part of the CNS; however, it is not known how microglia develop in the eye. Here, we studied human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that had been expanded into a self-formed ectodermal autonomous multi-zone (SEAM) of cells that partially mimics human eye development. Our results indicated that microglia-like cells, which have characteristics of yolk-sac-like linage cells, naturally develop in 2D eye-like SEAM organoids, which lack any vascular components. These cells are unique in that they are paired box protein 6 (PAX6)-positive, yet they possess some characteristics of mesoderm. Collectively, the data support the notion of the existence of an isolated, locally developing immune system in the eye, which is independent of the body’s vasculature and general immune system. Eye-like organoids from hiPSCs contained immune cells similar to microglia cells RNA-sequencing shows they have specific characteristic of microglia Single-cell analyses indicate they resemble yol-sac-derived myeloid progenitors These cells are unique in that they are PAX6- (eye master gene) positive immune cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhiko Shiraki
- Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazuichi Maruyama
- Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan; Department of Vision Informatics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan; Integrated Frontier Research for Medical Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
| | - Ryuhei Hayashi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan; Integrated Frontier Research for Medical Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan; Department of Stem Cells and Applied Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Akiko Oguchi
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Murakawa
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Kanagawa, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Department of Medical Systems Genomics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tomohiko Katayama
- Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Toru Takigawa
- Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Susumu Sakimoto
- Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan; Integrated Frontier Research for Medical Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Andrew J Quantock
- School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Motokazu Tsujikawa
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kohji Nishida
- Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan; Integrated Frontier Research for Medical Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
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15
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Valencia JE, Feuda R, Mellott DO, Burke RD, Peter IS. Ciliary photoreceptors in sea urchin larvae indicate pan-deuterostome cell type conservation. BMC Biol 2021; 19:257. [PMID: 34863182 PMCID: PMC8642985 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01194-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The evolutionary history of cell types provides insights into how morphological and functional complexity arose during animal evolution. Photoreceptor cell types are particularly broadly distributed throughout Bilateria; however, their evolutionary relationship is so far unresolved. Previous studies indicate that ciliary photoreceptors are homologous at least within chordates, and here, we present evidence that a related form of this cell type is also present in echinoderm larvae. RESULTS Larvae of the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus have photoreceptors that are positioned bilaterally in the oral/anterior apical neurogenic ectoderm. Here, we show that these photoreceptors express the transcription factor Rx, which is commonly expressed in ciliary photoreceptors, together with an atypical opsin of the GO family, opsin3.2, which localizes in particular to the cilia on the cell surface of photoreceptors. We show that these ciliary photoreceptors express the neuronal marker synaptotagmin and are located in proximity to pigment cells. Furthermore, we systematically identified additional transcription factors expressed in these larval photoreceptors and found that a majority are orthologous to transcription factors expressed in vertebrate ciliary photoreceptors, including Otx, Six3, Tbx2/3, and Rx. Based on the developmental expression of rx, these photoreceptors derive from the anterior apical neurogenic ectoderm. However, genes typically involved in eye development in bilateria, including pax6, six1/2, eya, and dac, are not expressed in sea urchin larval photoreceptors but are instead co-expressed in the hydropore canal. CONCLUSIONS Based on transcription factor expression, location, and developmental origin, we conclude that the sea urchin larval photoreceptors constitute a cell type that is likely homologous to the ciliary photoreceptors present in chordates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan E Valencia
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Roberto Feuda
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.,Present address: Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Dan O Mellott
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robert D Burke
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Isabelle S Peter
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
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16
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Yamada R, Oguri A, Fujiki K, Shirahige K, Hirate Y, Kanai-Azuma M, Takezoe H, Akimoto Y, Takahashi N, Kanai Y. MAB21L1 modulates gene expression and DNA metabolic processes in the lens placode. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:dmm049251. [PMID: 34779479 PMCID: PMC8713989 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in human MAB21L1 cause aberrations in lens ectoderm morphogenesis and lead to congenital cerebellar, ocular, craniofacial and genital (COFG) syndrome. Murine Mab21l1-null mutations cause severe cell-autonomous defects in lens formation, leading to microphthalmia; therefore, Mab21l1-null mice are used as a mouse model for COFG syndrome. In this study, we investigated the early-onset single-cell-level phenotypes of murine Mab21l1-null lens ectoderms using electron microscopy and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Electron microscopy and immunohistochemical analyses indicated endoplasmic reticulum stress at the 24- to 26-somite stage in Mab21l1-null lens placodes. scRNA-seq analysis revealed that 131 genes were downregulated and 148 were upregulated in Mab21l1-null lens ectoderms relative to the wild type. We successfully identified 21 lens-specific genes that were downregulated in Mab21l1-null cells, including three key genes involved in lens formation: Pitx3, Maf and Sfrp2. Moreover, gene ontology analysis of the 279 differentially expressed genes indicated enrichment in housekeeping genes associated with DNA/nucleotide metabolism prior to cell death. These findings suggest that MAB21L1 acts as a nuclear factor that modulates not only lens-specific gene expression but also DNA/nucleotide metabolic processes during lens placode formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuichi Yamada
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
- RNA Company Limited, Tokyo 144-0051, Japan
| | - Akira Oguri
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Katsunori Fujiki
- Laboratory of Genome Structure and Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Shirahige
- Laboratory of Genome Structure and Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Hirate
- Department of Experimental Animal Model for Human Disease, Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Masami Kanai-Azuma
- Department of Experimental Animal Model for Human Disease, Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | | | - Yoshihiro Akimoto
- Department of Anatomy, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
| | - Naoki Takahashi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
- RNA Company Limited, Tokyo 144-0051, Japan
| | - Yoshiakira Kanai
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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17
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Latta L, Figueiredo FC, Ashery-Padan R, Collinson JM, Daniels J, Ferrari S, Szentmáry N, Solá S, Shalom-Feuerstein R, Lako M, Xapelli S, Aberdam D, Lagali N. Pathophysiology of aniridia-associated keratopathy: Developmental aspects and unanswered questions. Ocul Surf 2021; 22:245-266. [PMID: 34520870 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Aniridia, a rare congenital disease, is often characterized by a progressive, pronounced limbal insufficiency and ocular surface pathology termed aniridia-associated keratopathy (AAK). Due to the characteristics of AAK and its bilateral nature, clinical management is challenging and complicated by the multiple coexisting ocular and systemic morbidities in aniridia. Although it is primarily assumed that AAK originates from a congenital limbal stem cell deficiency, in recent years AAK and its pathogenesis has been questioned in the light of new evidence and a refined understanding of ocular development and the biology of limbal stem cells (LSCs) and their niche. Here, by consolidating and comparing the latest clinical and preclinical evidence, we discuss key unanswered questions regarding ocular developmental aspects crucial to AAK. We also highlight hypotheses on the potential role of LSCs and the ocular surface microenvironment in AAK. The insights thus gained lead to a greater appreciation for the role of developmental and cellular processes in the emergence of AAK. They also highlight areas for future research to enable a deeper understanding of aniridia, and thereby the potential to develop new treatments for this rare but blinding ocular surface disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Latta
- Dr. Rolf. M. Schwiete Center for Limbal Stem Cell and Aniridia Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany; Department of Ophthalmology, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Saar, Germany.
| | - F C Figueiredo
- Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - R Ashery-Padan
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - J M Collinson
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - J Daniels
- Cells for Sight, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - S Ferrari
- The Veneto Eye Bank Foundation, Venice, Italy
| | - N Szentmáry
- Dr. Rolf. M. Schwiete Center for Limbal Stem Cell and Aniridia Research, Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany
| | - S Solá
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - R Shalom-Feuerstein
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - M Lako
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - S Xapelli
- Instituto Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - D Aberdam
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM U1138, Team 17, France; Université de Paris, 75006, Paris, France.
| | - N Lagali
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Ophthalmology, Sørlandet Hospital Arendal, Arendal, Norway.
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18
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Tovar RU, Cantu V, Fremaux B, Gonzalez Jr P, Spikes A, García DM. Comparative development and ocular histology between epigean and subterranean salamanders ( Eurycea) from central Texas. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11840. [PMID: 34395082 PMCID: PMC8325428 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The salamander clade Eurycea from the karst regions of central Texas provides an ideal platform for comparing divergent nervous and sensory systems since some species exhibit extreme phenotypes thought to be associated with inhabiting a subterranean environment, including highly reduced eyes, while others retain an ancestral ocular phenotype appropriate for life above ground. We describe ocular morphology, comparing three salamander species representing two phenotypes-the surface-dwelling Barton Springs salamander (E. sosorum) and San Marcos salamander (E. nana) and the obligate subterranean Texas blind salamander (E. rathbuni) - in terms of structure and size of their eyes. Eyes were examined using confocal microscopy and measurements were made using ImageJ. Statistical analysis of data was carried out using R. We also provide a developmental series and track eye development and immunolocalization of Pax6 in E. sosorum and E. rathbuni. Adult histology of the surface-dwelling San Marcos salamander (E. nana) shows similarities to E. sosorum. The eyes of adults of the epigean species E. nana and E. sosorum appear fully developed with all the histological features of a fully functional eye. In contrast, the eyes of E. rathbuni adults have fewer layers, lack lenses and other features associated with vision as has been reported previously. However, in early developmental stages eye morphology did not differ significantly between E. rathbuni and E. sosorum. Parallel development is observed between the two phenotypes in terms of morphology; however, Pax6 labeling seems to decrease in the latter stages of development in E.rathbuni. We test for immunolabeling of the visual pigment proteins opsin and rhodopsin and observe immunolocalization around photoreceptor disks in E. nana and E. sosorum, but not in the subterranean E. rathbuni. Our results from examining developing salamanders suggest a combination of underdevelopment and degeneration contribute to the reduced eyes of adult E. rathbuni.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben U. Tovar
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Valentin Cantu
- San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Marcos, TX, United States of America
- Uvalde National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Uvalde, TX, United States of America
| | - Brian Fremaux
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States of America
| | - Pedro Gonzalez Jr
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States of America
| | - Amanda Spikes
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States of America
| | - Dana M. García
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States of America
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19
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Davis ES, Voss G, Miesfeld JB, Zarate-Sanchez J, Voss SR, Glaser T. The rax homeobox gene is mutated in the eyeless axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:807-821. [PMID: 32864847 PMCID: PMC8907009 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vertebrate eye formation requires coordinated inductive interactions between different embryonic tissue layers, first described in amphibians. A network of transcription factors and signaling molecules controls these steps, with mutations causing severe ocular, neuronal, and craniofacial defects. In eyeless mutant axolotls, eye morphogenesis arrests at the optic vesicle stage, before lens induction, and development of ventral forebrain structures is disrupted. RESULTS We identified a 5-bp deletion in the rax (retina and anterior neural fold homeobox) gene, which was tightly linked to the recessive eyeless (e) axolotl locus in an F2 cross. This frameshift mutation, in exon 2, truncates RAX protein within the homeodomain (P154fs35X). Quantitative RNA analysis shows that mutant and wild-type rax transcripts are equally abundant in E/e embryos. Translation appears to initiate from dual start codons, via leaky ribosome scanning, a conserved feature among gnathostome RAX proteins. Previous data show rax is expressed in the optic vesicle and diencephalon, deeply conserved among metazoans, and required for eye formation in other species. CONCLUSION The eyeless axolotl mutation is a null allele in the rax homeobox gene, with primary defects in neural ectoderm, including the retinal and hypothalamic primordia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik S. Davis
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California
| | - Gareth Voss
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Joel B. Miesfeld
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California
| | - Juan Zarate-Sanchez
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California
- Davis Senior High School, Davis, California
| | - S. Randal Voss
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Tom Glaser
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California
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20
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Yi C, Spitters TWGM, Al-Far EADA, Wang S, Xiong T, Cai S, Yan X, Guan K, Wagner M, El-Armouche A, Antos CL. A calcineurin-mediated scaling mechanism that controls a K +-leak channel to regulate morphogen and growth factor transcription. eLife 2021; 10:e60691. [PMID: 33830014 PMCID: PMC8110307 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The increase in activity of the two-pore potassium-leak channel Kcnk5b maintains allometric juvenile growth of adult zebrafish appendages. However, it remains unknown how this channel maintains allometric growth and how its bioelectric activity is regulated to scale these anatomical structures. We show the activation of Kcnk5b is sufficient to activate several genes that are part of important development programs. We provide in vivo transplantation evidence that the activation of gene transcription is cell autonomous. We also show that Kcnk5b will induce the expression of different subsets of the tested developmental genes in different cultured mammalian cell lines, which may explain how one electrophysiological stimulus can coordinately regulate the allometric growth of diverse populations of cells in the fin that use different developmental signals. We also provide evidence that the post-translational modification of serine 345 in Kcnk5b by calcineurin regulates channel activity to scale the fin. Thus, we show how an endogenous bioelectric mechanism can be regulated to promote coordinated developmental signaling to generate and scale a vertebrate appendage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Yi
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghaiChina
| | - Tim WGM Spitters
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | | | - Sen Wang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghaiChina
| | - TianLong Xiong
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghaiChina
| | - Simian Cai
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xin Yan
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Kaomei Guan
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Michael Wagner
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
- Klinik für Innere Medizin und Kardiologie, Herzzentrum Dresden, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Ali El-Armouche
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Christopher L Antos
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, ShanghaiTech UniversityShanghaiChina
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
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21
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Bioelectric signaling: Reprogrammable circuits underlying embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer. Cell 2021; 184:1971-1989. [PMID: 33826908 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.02.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
How are individual cell behaviors coordinated toward invariant large-scale anatomical outcomes in development and regeneration despite unpredictable perturbations? Endogenous distributions of membrane potentials, produced by ion channels and gap junctions, are present across all tissues. These bioelectrical networks process morphogenetic information that controls gene expression, enabling cell collectives to make decisions about large-scale growth and form. Recent progress in the analysis and computational modeling of developmental bioelectric circuits and channelopathies reveals how cellular collectives cooperate toward organ-level structural order. These advances suggest a roadmap for exploiting bioelectric signaling for interventions addressing developmental disorders, regenerative medicine, cancer reprogramming, and synthetic bioengineering.
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22
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Gandhi S, Li Y, Tang W, Christensen JB, Urrutia HA, Vieceli FM, Piacentino ML, Bronner ME. A single-plasmid approach for genome editing coupled with long-term lineage analysis in chick embryos. Development 2021; 148:dev193565. [PMID: 33688075 PMCID: PMC8077534 DOI: 10.1242/dev.193565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
An important strategy for establishing mechanisms of gene function during development is through mutation of individual genes and analysis of subsequent effects on cell behavior. Here, we present a single-plasmid approach for genome editing in chick embryos to study experimentally perturbed cells in an otherwise normal embryonic environment. To achieve this, we have engineered a plasmid that encodes Cas9 protein, gene-specific guide RNA (gRNA), and a fluorescent marker within the same construct. Using transfection- and electroporation-based approaches, we show that this construct can be used to perturb gene function in early embryos as well as human cell lines. Importantly, insertion of this cistronic construct into replication-incompetent avian retroviruses allowed us to couple gene knockouts with long-term lineage analysis. We demonstrate the application of our newly engineered constructs and viruses by perturbing β-catenin in vitro and Sox10, Pax6 and Pax7 in the neural crest, retina, and neural tube and segmental plate in vivo, respectively. Together, this approach enables genes of interest to be knocked out in identifiable cells in living embryos and can be broadly applied to numerous genes in different embryonic tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashank Gandhi
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Yuwei Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Weiyi Tang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Jens B. Christensen
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Hugo A. Urrutia
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Felipe M. Vieceli
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Michael L. Piacentino
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Marianne E. Bronner
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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23
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Bannier-Hélaouët M, Post Y, Korving J, Trani Bustos M, Gehart H, Begthel H, Bar-Ephraim YE, van der Vaart J, Kalmann R, Imhoff SM, Clevers H. Exploring the human lacrimal gland using organoids and single-cell sequencing. Cell Stem Cell 2021; 28:1221-1232.e7. [PMID: 33730555 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The lacrimal gland is essential for lubrication and protection of the eye. Disruption of lacrimal fluid production, composition, or release results in dry eye, causing discomfort and damage to the ocular surface. Here, we describe the establishment of long-term 3D organoid culture conditions for mouse and human lacrimal gland. Organoids can be expanded over multiple months and recapitulate morphological and transcriptional features of lacrimal ducts. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing reveals the master regulator for eye development Pax6 to be required for differentiation of adult lacrimal gland cells. We address cellular heterogeneity of the lacrimal gland by providing a single-cell atlas of human lacrimal gland tissue and organoids. Finally, human lacrimal gland organoids phenocopy the process of tear secretion in response to neurotransmitters and can engraft and produce mature tear products upon orthotopic transplantation in mouse. Together, this study provides an experimental platform to study the (patho-)physiology of the lacrimal gland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Bannier-Hélaouët
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Yorick Post
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Korving
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marc Trani Bustos
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Helmuth Gehart
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Harry Begthel
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Yotam E Bar-Ephraim
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jelte van der Vaart
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Rachel Kalmann
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Saskia M Imhoff
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Clevers
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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24
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Grocott T, Lozano-Velasco E, Mok GF, Münsterberg AE. The Pax6 master control gene initiates spontaneous retinal development via a self-organising Turing network. Development 2020; 147:dev185827. [PMID: 33214222 PMCID: PMC7774904 DOI: 10.1242/dev.185827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how complex organ systems are assembled from simple embryonic tissues is a major challenge. Across the animal kingdom a great diversity of visual organs are initiated by a 'master control gene' called Pax6, which is both necessary and sufficient for eye development. Yet precisely how Pax6 achieves this deeply homologous function is poorly understood. Using the chick as a model organism, we show that vertebrate Pax6 interacts with a pair of morphogen-coding genes, Tgfb2 and Fst, to form a putative Turing network, which we have computationally modelled. Computer simulations suggest that this gene network is sufficient to spontaneously polarise the developing retina, establishing the first organisational axis of the eye and prefiguring its further development. Our findings reveal how retinal self-organisation may be initiated independently of the highly ordered tissue interactions that help to assemble the eye in vivo These results help to explain how stem cell aggregates spontaneously self-organise into functional eye-cups in vitro We anticipate these findings will help to underpin retinal organoid technology, which holds much promise as a platform for disease modelling, drug development and regenerative therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Grocott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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25
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Peskova L, Jurcikova D, Vanova T, Krivanek J, Capandova M, Sramkova Z, Sebestikova J, Kolouskova M, Kotasova H, Streit L, Barta T. miR-183/96/182 cluster is an important morphogenetic factor targeting PAX6 expression in differentiating human retinal organoids. Stem Cells 2020; 38:1557-1567. [PMID: 32875669 DOI: 10.1002/stem.3272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small, noncoding RNA molecules represent important regulators of gene expression. Recent reports have implicated their role in the cell specification process acting as "fine-tuners" to ensure the precise gene expression at the specific stage of cell differentiation. Here, we used retinal organoids differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) as a model to closely investigate the role of a sensory organ-specific and evolutionary conserved miR-183/96/182 cluster. Using a miRNA tough decoy approach, we inhibited the miR-183/96/182 cluster in hPSCs. Inhibition of the miRNA cluster resulted in an increased expansion of neuroepithelium leading to abnormal "bulged" neural retina in organoids, associated with upregulation of neural-specific and retinal-specific genes. Importantly, we identified PAX6, a well-known essential gene in neuroectoderm specification, as a target of the miR-183/96/182 cluster members. Taken together, the miR-183/96/182 cluster not only represents an important regulator of PAX6 expression, but it also plays a crucial role in retinal tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Peskova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Denisa Jurcikova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Vanova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Krivanek
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Capandova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Sramkova
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Sebestikova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Magdalena Kolouskova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Kotasova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Libor Streit
- Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Barta
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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26
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Maire P, Dos Santos M, Madani R, Sakakibara I, Viaut C, Wurmser M. Myogenesis control by SIX transcriptional complexes. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 104:51-64. [PMID: 32247726 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
SIX homeoproteins were first described in Drosophila, where they participate in the Pax-Six-Eya-Dach (PSED) network with eyeless, eyes absent and dachsund to drive synergistically eye development through genetic and biochemical interactions. The role of the PSED network and SIX proteins in muscle formation in vertebrates was subsequently identified. Evolutionary conserved interactions with EYA and DACH proteins underlie the activity of SIX transcriptional complexes (STC) both during embryogenesis and in adult myofibers. Six genes are expressed throughout muscle development, in embryonic and adult proliferating myogenic stem cells and in fetal and adult post-mitotic myofibers, where SIX proteins regulate the expression of various categories of genes. In vivo, SIX proteins control many steps of muscle development, acting through feedforward mechanisms: in the embryo for myogenic fate acquisition through the direct control of Myogenic Regulatory Factors; in adult myofibers for their contraction/relaxation and fatigability properties through the control of genes involved in metabolism, sarcomeric organization and calcium homeostasis. Furthermore, during development and in the adult, SIX homeoproteins participate in the genesis and the maintenance of myofibers diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Maire
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, 75014, Paris, France.
| | | | - Rouba Madani
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Iori Sakakibara
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Camille Viaut
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Maud Wurmser
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology (IMB), Umeå universitet, Sweden
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27
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Mirjalili Mohanna SZ, Hickmott JW, Lam SL, Chiu NY, Lengyell TC, Tam BM, Moritz OL, Simpson EM. Germline CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing Prevents Vision Loss in a Novel Mouse Model of Aniridia. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2020; 17:478-490. [PMID: 32258211 PMCID: PMC7114625 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Aniridia is a rare eye disorder, which is caused by mutations in the paired box 6 (PAX6) gene and results in vision loss due to the lack of a long-term vision-saving therapy. One potential approach to treating aniridia is targeted CRISPR-based genome editing. To enable the Pax6 small eye (Sey) mouse model of aniridia, which carries the same mutation found in patients, for preclinical testing of CRISPR-based therapeutic approaches, we endogenously tagged the Sey allele, allowing for the differential detection of protein from each allele. We optimized a correction strategy in vitro then tested it in vivo in the germline of our new mouse to validate the causality of the Sey mutation. The genomic manipulations were analyzed by PCR, as well as by Sanger and next-generation sequencing. The mice were studied by slit lamp imaging, immunohistochemistry, and western blot analyses. We successfully achieved both in vitro and in vivo germline correction of the Sey mutation, with the former resulting in an average 34.8% ± 4.6% SD correction, and the latter in restoration of 3xFLAG-tagged PAX6 expression and normal eyes. Hence, in this study we have created a novel mouse model for aniridia, demonstrated that germline correction of the Sey mutation alone rescues the mutant phenotype, and developed an allele-distinguishing CRISPR-based strategy for aniridia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyedeh Zeinab Mirjalili Mohanna
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jack W Hickmott
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Siu Ling Lam
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Nina Y Chiu
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Tess C Lengyell
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Beatrice M Tam
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Centre for Macular Research, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Orson L Moritz
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Centre for Macular Research, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Elizabeth M Simpson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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28
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Klann M, Seaver EC. Functional role of pax6 during eye and nervous system development in the annelid Capitella teleta. Dev Biol 2019; 456:86-103. [PMID: 31445008 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor Pax6 is an important regulator of early animal development. Loss of function mutations of pax6 in a range of animals result in a reduction or complete loss of the eye, a reduction of a subset of neurons, and defects in axon growth. There are no studies focusing on the role of pax6 during development of any lophotrochozoan representative, however, expression of pax6 in the developing eye and nervous system in a number of species suggest that pax6 plays a highly conserved role in eye and nervous system formation. We investigated the functional role of pax6 during development of the marine annelid Capitella teleta. Expression of pax6 transcripts in C. teleta larvae is similar to patterns found in other animals, with distinct subdomains in the brain and ventral nerve cord as well as in the larval and juvenile eye. To perturb pax6 function, two different splice-blocking morpholinos and a translation-blocking morpholino were used. Larvae resulting from microinjections with either splice-blocking morpholino show a reduction of the pax6 transcript. Development of both the larval eyes and the central nervous system architecture are highly disrupted following microinjection of each of the three morpholinos. The less severe phenotype observed when only the homeodomain is disrupted suggests that presence of the paired domain is sufficient for partial function of the Pax6 protein. Preliminary downstream target analysis confirms disruption in expression of some components of the retinal gene regulatory network, as well as disruption of genes involved in nervous system development. Results from this study, taken together with studies from other species, reveal an evolutionarily conserved role for pax6 in eye and neural specification and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen Klann
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, Fl, 32080, USA
| | - Elaine C Seaver
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, Fl, 32080, USA.
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29
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Harding P, Moosajee M. The Molecular Basis of Human Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia. J Dev Biol 2019; 7:jdb7030016. [PMID: 31416264 PMCID: PMC6787759 DOI: 10.3390/jdb7030016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human eye development is coordinated through an extensive network of genetic signalling pathways. Disruption of key regulatory genes in the early stages of eye development can result in aborted eye formation, resulting in an absent eye (anophthalmia) or a small underdeveloped eye (microphthalmia) phenotype. Anophthalmia and microphthalmia (AM) are part of the same clinical spectrum and have high genetic heterogeneity, with >90 identified associated genes. By understanding the roles of these genes in development, including their temporal expression, the phenotypic variation associated with AM can be better understood, improving diagnosis and management. This review describes the genetic and structural basis of eye development, focusing on the function of key genes known to be associated with AM. In addition, we highlight some promising avenues of research involving multiomic approaches and disease modelling with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, which will aid in developing novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London EC1V 2PD, UK.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
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30
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Shin JY, Son J, Kim WS, Gwak J, Ju BG. Jmjd6a regulates GSK3β RNA splicing in Xenopus laevis eye development. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219800. [PMID: 31361752 PMCID: PMC6667200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219800] [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: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that Jmjd6 plays an important role in gene regulation through its demethylation or hydroxylation activity on histone and transcription factors. In addition, Jmjd6 has been shown to regulate RNA splicing by interaction with splicing factors. In this study, we demonstrated that Jmjd6a is expressed in developing Xenopus laevis eye during optic vesicle formation and retinal layer differentiation stages. Knockdown of Jmjd6a by an antisense morpholino resulted in eye malformation including a deformed retinal layer and no lens formation. We further found down-regulation of gene expression related to eye development such as Rx1, Otx2, and Pax6 in Jmjd6a morpholino injected embryos. Jmjd6 interacts with splicing factor U2AF25 and GSK3β RNA in the anterior region of Xenopus embryos. Knockdown of Jmjd6a led to deletion of GSK3β RNA exon 1 and 2, which resulted in generation of N’-terminal truncated GSK3β protein. This event further caused decreased phosphorylation of β-catenin and subsequently increased β-catenin stability. Therefore, our result may suggest that Jmjd6a plays an important role in Xenopus eye development through regulation of GSK3β RNA splicing and canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jee Yoon Shin
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jeongin Son
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Won Sun Kim
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jungsug Gwak
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Bong-Gun Ju
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
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31
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Bernardo-Garcia FJ, Syed M, Jékely G, Sprecher SG. Glass confers rhabdomeric photoreceptor identity in Drosophila, but not across all metazoans. EvoDevo 2019; 10:4. [PMID: 30873275 PMCID: PMC6399963 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-019-0117-6] [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: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Across metazoans, visual systems employ different types of photoreceptor neurons (PRs) to detect light. These include rhabdomeric PRs, which exist in distantly related phyla and possess an evolutionarily conserved phototransduction cascade. While the development of rhabdomeric PRs has been thoroughly studied in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, we still know very little about how they form in other species. To investigate this question, we tested whether the transcription factor Glass, which is crucial for instructing rhabdomeric PR formation in Drosophila, may play a similar role in other metazoans. Glass homologues exist throughout the animal kingdom, indicating that this protein evolved prior to the metazoan radiation. Interestingly, our work indicates that glass is not expressed in rhabdomeric photoreceptors in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea nor in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii. Combined with a comparative analysis of the Glass DNA-binding domain, our data suggest that the fate of rhabdomeric PRs is controlled by Glass-dependent and Glass-independent mechanisms in different animal clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Javier Bernardo-Garcia
- 1Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.,2Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | - Maryam Syed
- 1Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Gáspár Jékely
- 3Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD UK
| | - Simon G Sprecher
- 1Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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32
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Martín-Del-Campo R, Bárcenas-Ibarra A, Sifuentes-Romero I, Llera-Herrera R, García-Gasca A. Methylation status of the putative Pax6 promoter in olive ridley sea turtle embryos with eye defects: An initial approach. Mech Dev 2018; 154:287-295. [PMID: 30110613 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Normal development involves the interplay of genetic and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. Pax6 is an eye-selector factor responsible for initiating the regulatory cascade for the development of the eyes. For the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), a threatened species, eye malformations have been reported. In order to study the DNA methylation status of the putative promoter of the Pax6 gene in embryos with ocular malformations, an exploratory study was carried out in which DNA was isolated from embryos with anophthalmia, microphthalmia, and cyclopia, as well as from their normal counterparts. The 5'-flanking region from the Pax6 gene was isolated, showing two CpG islands (CGIs). The methylation status of CGIs in malformed embryos was compared with that of normal embryos by bisulfite sequencing. Putative transcription factor binding sites and regulatory features were identified. Methylation patterns were observed in both CpG and non-CpG contexts, and were unique for each malformed embryo; in the CpG context, an embryo with cyclopia showed a methylated cytosine upstream the CGI-1 not present in other embryos, an embryo with left anophthalmia presented two methylated cytosines in the CGI-1, whereas an embryo with left anophthalmia and right microphthalmia showed two methylated cytosines in the CGI-2. Normal embryos did not show methylated cytosines in the CGI-1, but one of them showed one methylcytosine in the CGI-2. Methylated transcription factor-binding sites may affect Pax6 expression associated to the cellular response to environmental compounds and hypoxia, signal transduction, cell cycle, lens physiology and development, as well as the transcription rate. Although preliminary, these results suggest that embryos with ocular malformations present unique DNA methylation patterns in the putative promoter of the Pax6 gene in L. olivacea, and probably those subtle, random changes in the methylation status can cause (at least in part) the aberrant phenotypes observed in these embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Martín-Del-Campo
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo (CIAD), Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82110, Mexico.
| | - Annelisse Bárcenas-Ibarra
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo (CIAD), Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82110, Mexico
| | - Itzel Sifuentes-Romero
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA.
| | - Raúl Llera-Herrera
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo (CIAD), Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82110, Mexico; Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (Unidad Académica Mazatlán), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Joel Montes Camarena s/n, PO Box 811, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82040, Mexico
| | - Alejandra García-Gasca
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo (CIAD), Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82110, Mexico.
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Zhu J, Huang X, Jiang H, Hu L, Michal JJ, Jiang Z, Shi H. The role of pparγ in embryonic development of Xenopus tropicalis under triphenyltin-induced teratogenicity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 633:1245-1252. [PMID: 29758877 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 03/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Evidence has shown that triphenyltin (TPT) triggers severe malformations in Xenopus tropicalis embryos, partly due to activation of PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ) protein. In the present study, we investigated how abundance of pparγ and TPT exposure interact and affect X. tropicalis embryonic development. We observed pparγ expression signals appeared in the neural crest and neural fold, as well as in the brain, eyes and spinal cord organs. Both pparγ overexpression and its Morpholino (MO) knockdown inhibited pax6 (paired box 6) expression, a marker of eye development, and significantly up- and down-regulated lipid and glucose homeostasis related genes, such as lpl (lipoprotein lipase), slc2a4 (solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 4) and pck1 (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1, cytosolic), thus inducing eye phenotypes. Overexpression of pparγ induced small eye phenotype, while pparγ MO induced small eye plus turbid eye lens microencephaly and enlarged trunk. In contrast, 5-20μgSn/L (stannum/L) TPT exposure reversed some impacts induced by pparγ overexpression, i.e., no small eye, up-regulation of pax6 and down-regulation of pparγ, lpl, slc2a4 and pck1. Meanwhile, microinjection of pparγ MO combined with exposure to 20μgSn/L TPT caused 85% mortality. In brief, our work clearly indicates that pparγ is essential to eye development and inhibition of its expression combined with TPT exposure can be extremely harmful to X. tropicalis embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingmin Zhu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Ocean college, Qinzhou University, Qinzhou, Guangxi, China; State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Xiao Huang
- Institute of Cellular and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hui Jiang
- Institute of Cellular and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lingling Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Jennifer J Michal
- Department of Animal Sciences and Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7620, USA
| | - Zhihua Jiang
- Department of Animal Sciences and Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7620, USA
| | - Huahong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
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Baker LR, Weasner BM, Nagel A, Neuman SD, Bashirullah A, Kumar JP. Eyeless/Pax6 initiates eye formation non-autonomously from the peripodial epithelium. Development 2018; 145:dev.163329. [PMID: 29980566 DOI: 10.1242/dev.163329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The transcription factor Pax6 is considered the master control gene for eye formation because (1) it is present within the genomes and retina/lens of all animals with a visual system; (2) severe retinal defects accompany its loss; (3) Pax6 genes have the ability to substitute for one another across the animal kingdom; and (4) Pax6 genes are capable of inducing ectopic eye/lens in flies and mammals. Many roles of Pax6 were first elucidated in Drosophila through studies of the gene eyeless (ey), which controls both growth of the entire eye-antennal imaginal disc and fate specification of the eye. We show that Ey also plays a surprising role within cells of the peripodial epithelium to control pattern formation. It regulates the expression of decapentaplegic (dpp), which is required for initiation of the morphogenetic furrow in the eye itself. Loss of Ey within the peripodial epithelium leads to the loss of dpp expression within the eye, failure of the furrow to initiate, and abrogation of retinal development. These findings reveal an unexpected mechanism for how Pax6 controls eye development in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke R Baker
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Bonnie M Weasner
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Athena Nagel
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Sarah D Neuman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Arash Bashirullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Justin P Kumar
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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35
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Azimi M, Le TT, Brown NL. Presenilin gene function and Notch signaling feedback regulation in the developing mouse lens. Differentiation 2018; 102:40-52. [PMID: 30059908 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2018.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Presenilins (Psen1 and Psen2 in mice) are polytopic transmembrane proteins that act in the γ-secretase complex to make intra-membrane cleavages of their substrates, including the well-studied Notch receptors. Such processing releases the Notch intracellular domain, allowing it to physically relocate from the cell membrane to the nucleus where it acts in a transcriptional activating complex to regulate downstream genes in the signal-receiving cell. Previous studies of Notch pathway mutants for Jagged1, Notch2, and Rbpj demonstrated that canonical signaling is a necessary component of normal mouse lens development. However, the central role of Psens within the γ-secretase complex has never been explored in any developing eye tissue or cell type. By directly comparing Psen single and double mutant phenotypes during mouse lens development, we found a stronger requirement for Psen1, although both genes are needed for progenitor cell growth and to prevent apoptosis. We also uncovered a novel genetic interaction between Psen1 and Jagged1. By quantifying protein and mRNA levels of key Notch pathway genes in Psen1/2 or Jagged1 mutant lenses, we identified multiple points in the overall signaling cascade where feedback regulation can occur. Our data are consistent with the loss of particular genes indirectly influencing the transcription level of another. However, we conclude that regulating Notch2 protein levels is particularly important during normal signaling, supporting the importance of post-translational regulatory mechanisms in this tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Azimi
- Department of Cell Biology & Human Anatomy; University of California, Davis One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Tien T Le
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Nadean L Brown
- Department of Cell Biology & Human Anatomy; University of California, Davis One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Research Foundation, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
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36
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Development of functional ectopic compound eyes in scarabaeid beetles by knockdown of orthodenticle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:12021-12026. [PMID: 29078401 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714895114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex traits like limbs, brains, or eyes form through coordinated integration of diverse cell fates across developmental space and time, yet understanding how complexity and integration emerge from uniform, undifferentiated precursor tissues remains limited. Here, we use ectopic eye formation as a paradigm to investigate the emergence and integration of novel complex structures following massive ontogenetic perturbation. We show that down-regulation via RNAi of a single head patterning gene-orthodenticle-induces ectopic structures externally resembling compound eyes at the middorsal adult head of both basal and derived scarabaeid beetle species (Onthophagini and Oniticellini). Scanning electron microscopy documents ommatidial organization of these induced structures, while immunohistochemistry reveals the presence of rudimentary ommatidial lenses, crystalline cones, and associated neural-like tissue within them. Further, RNA-sequencing experiments show that after orthodenticle down-regulation, the transcriptional signature of the middorsal head-the location of ectopic eye induction-converges onto that of regular compound eyes, including up-regulation of several retina-specific genes. Finally, a light-aversion behavioral assay to assess functionality reveals that ectopic compound eyes can rescue the ability to respond to visual stimuli when wild-type eyes are surgically removed. Combined, our results show that knockdown of a single gene is sufficient for the middorsal head to acquire the competence to ectopically generate a functional compound eye-like structure. These findings highlight the buffering capacity of developmental systems, allowing massive genetic perturbations to be channeled toward orderly and functional developmental outcomes, and render ectopic eye formation a widely accessible paradigm to study the evolution of complex systems.
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Cvekl A, Zhang X. Signaling and Gene Regulatory Networks in Mammalian Lens Development. Trends Genet 2017; 33:677-702. [PMID: 28867048 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ocular lens development represents an advantageous system in which to study regulatory mechanisms governing cell fate decisions, extracellular signaling, cell and tissue organization, and the underlying gene regulatory networks. Spatiotemporally regulated domains of BMP, FGF, and other signaling molecules in late gastrula-early neurula stage embryos generate the border region between the neural plate and non-neural ectoderm from which multiple cell types, including lens progenitor cells, emerge and undergo initial tissue formation. Extracellular signaling and DNA-binding transcription factors govern lens and optic cup morphogenesis. Pax6, c-Maf, Hsf4, Prox1, Sox1, and a few additional factors regulate the expression of the lens structural proteins, the crystallins. Extensive crosstalk between a diverse array of signaling pathways controls the complexity and order of lens morphogenetic processes and lens transparency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ales Cvekl
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
| | - Xin Zhang
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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Maia LA, Velloso I, Abreu JG. Advances in the use ofXenopusfor successful drug screening. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2017; 12:1153-1159. [DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2017.1367281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena A. Maia
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ian Velloso
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jose G. Abreu
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Lateral thinking - Interocular symmetry and asymmetry in neurovascular patterning, in health and disease. Prog Retin Eye Res 2017; 59:131-157. [PMID: 28457789 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
No biological system or structure is likely to be perfectly symmetrical, or have identical right and left forms. This review explores the evidence for eye and visual pathway asymmetry, in health and in disease, and attempts to provide guidance for those studying the structure and function of the visual system, where recognition of symmetry or asymmetry may be essential. The principal question with regards to asymmetry is not 'are the eyes the same?', for some degree of asymmetry is pervasive, but 'when are they importantly different?'. Knowing if right and left eyes are 'importantly different' could have significant consequences for deciding whether right or left eyes are included in an analysis or for examining the association between a phenotype and ocular parameter. The presence of significant asymmetry would also have important implications for the design of normative databases of retinal and optic nerve metrics. In this review, we highlight not only the universal presence of asymmetry, but provide evidence that some elements of the visual system are inherently more asymmetric than others, pointing to the need for improved normative data to explain sources of asymmetry and their impact on determining associations with genetic, environmental or health-related factors and ultimately in clinical practice.
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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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Wang X, Shan X, Gregory-Evans CY. A mouse model of aniridia reveals the in vivo downstream targets of Pax6 driving iris and ciliary body development in the eye. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2017; 1863:60-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Yuan H, Wang W, Hu B, Pan C, Chen M, Ke L, Yang L, Chen J. Cloning and Functional Analysis of Pax6 from the Hydrothermal Vent Tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168579. [PMID: 28005979 PMCID: PMC5179022 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The paired box 6 (Pax6) gene encodes a transcription factor essential for eye development in a wide range of animal lineages. Here we describe the cloning and characterization of Pax6 gene from the blind hydrothermal vent tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae (RpPax6). The deduced RpPax6 protein shares extensive sequence identity with Pax6 proteins from other species and contains both the paired domain and a complete homeodomain. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that it clusters with the corresponding sequence from the closely related species Platynereis dumerilii (P. dumerilii) of Annelida. Luciferase reporter assay indicate that RpPax6 protein suppresses the transcription of sine oculis (so) in D. melanogaster, interfering with the C-terminal of RpPax6. Taking advantage of Drosophila model, we show that RpPax6 expression is not able to rescue small eye phenotype of ey2 mutant, only to cause a more severe headless phenotype. In addition, RpPax6 expression induced apoptosis and inhibition of apoptosis can partially rescue RpPax6-induced headless phenotype. We provide evidence RpPax6 plays at least two roles: it blocks the expression of later-acting transcription factors in the eye development cascade, and it promotes cell apoptosis. Our results indicate alternation of the Pax6 function may be one of the possible causes that lead the eye absence in vestimentiferan tubeworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huifang Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
- * E-mail: (JC); (WW)
| | - Bin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
| | - Changkun Pan
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mingliang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
| | - Linlin Ke
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
| | - Lirong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
| | - Jianming Chen
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
- * E-mail: (JC); (WW)
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Kim CH, An MJ, Kim DH, Kim JW. Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) regulates retinal development through a PAX6-dependent pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2016; 482:735-741. [PMID: 27871855 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.11.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Cell fate determination is tightly controlled by the expression of transcription factors and gene regulatory networks. PAX6 is a transcription factor containing a DNA-binding paired-box domain and homeobox domain that plays a key role in the development of the eye, brain, and pancreas. Here, we showed that histone deacetyltransferase 1 (HDAC1) is a novel binding partner of PAX6 in newborn mouse retinas. We also showed that HDAC1 specifically binds to the paired and transactivation domains of PAX6, and these physical interactions were required for effective repression of PAX6 transcriptional activity during retinal development. Furthermore, HDAC1 preferentially regulates the transcriptional activity of PAX6 when it binds to paired-domain (P6CON and chimeric pCON/P3) PAX6 responsive elements compared to homeodomain (pP3) PAX6 responsive elements. The repressive effect of HDAC1 on the transcriptional activity of PAX6 was reversed by knockdown of HDAC1 or treatment with an HDAC inhibitor, TSA. Taken together, these results show that HDAC1 binds PAX6 and that protein-protein interaction leads to transcriptional repression of PAX6 target genes during mouse retinal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chul-Hong Kim
- Genome Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi-Jin An
- Genome Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Hyun Kim
- Genome Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Woong Kim
- Genome Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea.
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Motahari Z, Martinez-De Luna RI, Viczian AS, Zuber ME. Tbx3 represses bmp4 expression and, with Pax6, is required and sufficient for retina formation. Development 2016; 143:3560-3572. [PMID: 27578778 DOI: 10.1242/dev.130955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Vertebrate eye formation begins in the anterior neural plate in the eye field. Seven eye field transcription factors (EFTFs) are expressed in eye field cells and when expressed together are sufficient to generate retina from pluripotent cells. The EFTF Tbx3 can regulate the expression of some EFTFs; however, its role in retina formation is unknown. Here, we show that Tbx3 represses bmp4 transcription and is required in the eye field for both neural induction and normal eye formation in Xenopus laevis Although sufficient for neural induction, Tbx3-expressing pluripotent cells only form retina in the context of the eye field. Unlike Tbx3, the neural inducer Noggin can generate retina both within and outside the eye field. We found that the neural and retina-inducing activity of Noggin requires Tbx3. Noggin, but not Tbx3, induces Pax6 and coexpression of Tbx3 and Pax6 is sufficient to determine pluripotent cells to a retinal lineage. Our results suggest that Tbx3 represses bmp4 expression and maintains eye field neural progenitors in a multipotent state; then, in combination with Pax6, Tbx3 causes eye field cells to form retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Motahari
- The Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Reyna I Martinez-De Luna
- The Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Andrea S Viczian
- The Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Michael E Zuber
- The Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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Hedgehog-dependent E3-ligase Midline1 regulates ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation of Pax6 during visual system development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:10103-8. [PMID: 27555585 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1600770113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Pax6 is a key transcription factor involved in eye, brain, and pancreas development. Although pax6 is expressed in the whole prospective retinal field, subsequently its expression becomes restricted to the optic cup by reciprocal transcriptional repression of pax6 and pax2 However, it remains unclear how Pax6 protein is removed from the eyestalk territory on time. Here, we report that Mid1, a member of the RBCC/TRIM E3 ligase family, which was first identified in patients with the X-chromosome-linked Opitz BBB/G (OS) syndrome, interacts with Pax6. We found that the forming eyestalk is a major domain of mid1 expression, controlled by the morphogen Sonic hedgehog (Shh). Here, Mid1 regulates the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of Pax6 protein. Accordantly, when Mid1 levels are knocked down, Pax6 expression is expanded and eyes are enlarged. Our findings indicate that remaining or misaddressed Pax6 protein is cleared from the eyestalk region to properly set the border between the eyestalk territory and the retina via Mid1. Thus, we identified a posttranslational mechanism, regulated by Sonic hedgehog, which is important to suppress Pax6 activity and thus breaks pax6 autoregulation at defined steps during the formation of the visual system.
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Hickmott JW, Chen CY, Arenillas DJ, Korecki AJ, Lam SL, Molday LL, Bonaguro RJ, Zhou M, Chou AY, Mathelier A, Boye SL, Hauswirth WW, Molday RS, Wasserman WW, Simpson EM. PAX6 MiniPromoters drive restricted expression from rAAV in the adult mouse retina. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2016; 3:16051. [PMID: 27556059 PMCID: PMC4980111 DOI: 10.1038/mtm.2016.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Current gene therapies predominantly use small, strong, and readily available ubiquitous promoters. However, as the field matures, the availability of small, cell-specific promoters would be greatly beneficial. Here we design seven small promoters from the human paired box 6 (PAX6) gene and test them in the adult mouse retina using recombinant adeno-associated virus. We chose the retina due to previous successes in gene therapy for blindness, and the PAX6 gene since it is: well studied; known to be driven by discrete regulatory regions; expressed in therapeutically interesting retinal cell types; and mutated in the vision-loss disorder aniridia, which is in need of improved therapy. At the PAX6 locus, 31 regulatory regions were bioinformatically predicted, and nine regulatory regions were constructed into seven MiniPromoters. Driving Emerald GFP, these MiniPromoters were packaged into recombinant adeno-associated virus, and injected intravitreally into postnatal day 14 mice. Four MiniPromoters drove consistent retinal expression in the adult mouse, driving expression in combinations of cell-types that endogenously express Pax6: ganglion, amacrine, horizontal, and Müller glia. Two PAX6-MiniPromoters drive expression in three of the four cell types that express PAX6 in the adult mouse retina. Combined, they capture all four cell types, making them potential tools for research, and PAX6-gene therapy for aniridia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack W Hickmott
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chih-yu Chen
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David J Arenillas
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Andrea J Korecki
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Siu Ling Lam
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Laurie L Molday
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Russell J Bonaguro
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michelle Zhou
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alice Y Chou
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Anthony Mathelier
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sanford L Boye
- Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - William W Hauswirth
- Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Robert S Molday
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Wyeth W Wasserman
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Elizabeth M Simpson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Casane D, Rétaux S. Evolutionary Genetics of the Cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2016; 95:117-59. [PMID: 27503356 DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2016.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Blind and depigmented fish belonging to the species Astyanax mexicanus are outstanding models for evolutionary genetics. During their evolution in the darkness of caves, they have undergone a number of changes at the morphological, physiological, and behavioral levels, but they can still breed with their river-dwelling conspecifics. The fertile hybrids between these two morphotypes allow forward genetic approaches, from the search of quantitative trait loci to the identification of the mutations underlying the evolution of troglomorphism. We review here the past 30years of evolutionary genetics on Astyanax: from the first crosses and the discovery of convergent evolution of different Astyanax cavefish populations to the most recent evolutionary transcriptomics and genomics studies that have provided researchers with potential candidate genes to be tested using functional genetic approaches. Although significant progress has been made and some genes have been identified, cavefish have not yet fully revealed the secret of their adaptation to the absence of light. In particular, the genetic determinism of their loss of eyes seems complex and still puzzles researchers. We also discuss future research directions, including searches for the origin of cave alleles and searches for selection genome-wide, as well as the necessary but missing information on the timing of cave colonization by surface fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Casane
- Laboratory EGCE, CNRS and University of Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Paris Diderot University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - S Rétaux
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, CNRS and University Paris-Sud, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Ocular Disorders. Stem Cells Int 2016; 2016:8304879. [PMID: 27293447 PMCID: PMC4884591 DOI: 10.1155/2016/8304879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sustenance of visual function is the ultimate focus of ophthalmologists. Failure of complete recovery of visual function and complications that follow conventional treatments have shifted search to a new form of therapy using stem cells. Stem cell progenitors play a major role in replenishing degenerated cells despite being present in low quantity and quiescence in our body. Unlike other tissues and cells, regeneration of new optic cells responsible for visual function is rarely observed. Understanding the transcription factors and genes responsible for optic cells development will assist scientists in formulating a strategy to activate and direct stem cells renewal and differentiation. We review the processes of human eye development and address the strategies that have been exploited in an effort to regain visual function in the preclinical and clinical state. The update of clinical findings of patients receiving stem cell treatment is also presented.
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Distinct Biochemical Activities of Eyes absent During Drosophila Eye Development. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23228. [PMID: 26980695 PMCID: PMC4793267 DOI: 10.1038/srep23228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eyes absent (Eya) is a highly conserved transcriptional coactivator and protein phosphatase that plays vital roles in multiple developmental processes from Drosophila to humans. Eya proteins contain a PST (Proline-Serine-Threonine)-rich transactivation domain, a threonine phosphatase motif (TPM), and a tyrosine protein phosphatase domain. Using a genomic rescue system, we find that the PST domain is essential for Eya activity and Dac expression, and the TPM is required for full Eya function. We also find that the threonine phosphatase activity plays only a minor role during Drosophila eye development and the primary function of the PST and TPM domains is transactivation that can be largely substituted by the heterologous activation domain VP16. Along with our previous results that the tyrosine phosphatase activity of Eya is dispensable for normal Eya function in eye formation, we demonstrate that a primary function of Eya during Drosophila eye development is as a transcriptional coactivator. Moreover, the PST/TPM and the threonine phosphatase activity are not required for in vitro interaction between retinal determination factors. Finally, this work is the first report of an Eya-Ey physical interaction. These findings are particularly important because they highlight the need for an in vivo approach that accurately dissects protein function.
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50
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Barabino A, Plamondon V, Abdouh M, Chatoo W, Flamier A, Hanna R, Zhou S, Motoyama N, Hébert M, Lavoie J, Bernier G. Loss of Bmi1 causes anomalies in retinal development and degeneration of cone photoreceptors. Development 2016; 143:1571-84. [PMID: 26965367 DOI: 10.1242/dev.125351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Retinal development occurs through the sequential but overlapping generation of six types of neuronal cells and one glial cell type. Of these, rod and cone photoreceptors represent the functional unit of light detection and phototransduction and are frequently affected in retinal degenerative diseases. During mouse development, the Polycomb group protein Bmi1 is expressed in immature retinal progenitors and differentiated retinal neurons, including cones. We show here that Bmi1 is required to prevent post natal degeneration of cone photoreceptors and bipolar neurons and that inactivation of Chk2 or p53 could improve but not overcome cone degeneration in Bmi1(-/-) mice. The retinal phenotype of Bmi1(-/-) mice was also characterized by loss of heterochromatin, activation of tandem repeats, oxidative stress and Rip3-associated necroptosis. In the human retina, BMI1 was preferentially expressed in cones at heterochromatic foci. BMI1 inactivation in human embryonic stem cells was compatible with retinal induction but impaired cone terminal differentiation. Despite this developmental arrest, BMI1-deficient cones recapitulated several anomalies observed in Bmi1(-/-) photoreceptors, such as loss of heterochromatin, activation of tandem repeats and induction of p53, revealing partly conserved biological functions between mouse and man.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Barabino
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4
| | - Vicky Plamondon
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4
| | - Mohamed Abdouh
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4
| | - Wassim Chatoo
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4
| | - Anthony Flamier
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4
| | - Roy Hanna
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4
| | - Shufeng Zhou
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4
| | - Noboru Motoyama
- Department of Cognitive Brain Science, National Institute for Longevity Sciences, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 36-3 Gengo, Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8522, Japan
| | - Marc Hébert
- Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Laval, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Joëlle Lavoie
- Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Laval, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Gilbert Bernier
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal, Canada H1T 2M4 Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada H3T 1J4 Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada H3T 1J4
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