1
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Leclercq J, Torres-Paz J, Policarpo M, Agnès F, Rétaux S. Evolution of the regulation of developmental gene expression in blind Mexican cavefish. Development 2024; 151:dev202610. [PMID: 39007346 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202610] [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: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Developmental evolution and diversification of morphology can arise through changes in the regulation of gene expression or protein-coding sequence. To unravel mechanisms underlying early developmental evolution in cavefish of the species Astyanax mexicanus, we compared transcriptomes of surface-dwelling and blind cave-adapted morphs at the end of gastrulation. Twenty percent of the transcriptome was differentially expressed. Allelic expression ratios in cave X surface hybrids showed that cis-regulatory changes are the quasi-exclusive contributors to inter-morph variations in gene expression. Among a list of 108 genes with change at the cis-regulatory level, we explored the control of expression of rx3, which is a master eye gene. We discovered that cellular rx3 levels are cis-regulated in a cell-autonomous manner, whereas rx3 domain size depends on non-autonomous Wnt and Bmp signalling. These results highlight how uncoupled mechanisms and regulatory modules control developmental gene expression and shape morphological changes. Finally, a transcriptome-wide search for fixed coding mutations and differential exon use suggested that variations in coding sequence have a minor contribution. Thus, during early embryogenesis, changes in gene expression regulation are the main drivers of cavefish developmental evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Leclercq
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, CNRS and University Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Jorge Torres-Paz
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, CNRS and University Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Maxime Policarpo
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, CNRS and University Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - François Agnès
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, CNRS and University Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Sylvie Rétaux
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, CNRS and University Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
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2
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Benard EL, Küçükaylak I, Hatzold J, Berendes KU, Carney TJ, Beleggia F, Hammerschmidt M. wnt10a is required for zebrafish median fin fold maintenance and adult unpaired fin metamorphosis. Dev Dyn 2024; 253:566-592. [PMID: 37870737 PMCID: PMC11035493 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.672] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mutations of human WNT10A are associated with odonto-ectodermal dysplasia syndromes. Here, we present analyses of wnt10a loss-of-function mutants in the zebrafish. RESULTS wnt10a mutant zebrafish embryos display impaired tooth development and a collapsing median fin fold (MFF). Rescue experiments show that wnt10a is essential for MFF maintenance both during embryogenesis and later metamorphosis. The MFF collapse could not be attributed to increased cell death or altered proliferation rates of MFF cell types. Rather, wnt10a mutants show reduced expression levels of dlx2a in distal-most MFF cells, followed by compromised expression of col1a1a and other extracellular matrix proteins encoding genes. Transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that although dermal MFF compartments of wnt10a mutants initially are of normal morphology, with regular collagenous actinotrichia, positioning of actinotrichia within the cleft of distal MFF cells becomes compromised, coinciding with actinotrichia shrinkage and MFF collapse. CONCLUSIONS MFF collapse of wnt10a mutant zebrafish is likely caused by the loss of distal properties in the developing MFF, strikingly similar to the proposed molecular pathomechanisms underlying the teeth defects caused by the loss of Wnt10 in fish and mammals. In addition, it points to thus fur unknown mechanisms controlling the linear growth and stability of actinotrichia and their collagen fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica L. Benard
- Institute of Zoology, Developmental Biology Unit,
University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ismail Küçükaylak
- Institute of Zoology, Developmental Biology Unit,
University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Julia Hatzold
- Institute of Zoology, Developmental Biology Unit,
University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Kilian U.W. Berendes
- Institute of Zoology, Developmental Biology Unit,
University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas J. Carney
- Discovery Research Division, Institute of Molecular and
Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research),
Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Filippo Beleggia
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and
University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Germany
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine
and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Mildred Scheel School of Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne
Düsseldorf (MSSO ABCD), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne,
University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Matthias Hammerschmidt
- Institute of Zoology, Developmental Biology Unit,
University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of
Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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3
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Ponnimbaduge Perera P, Perez Guerra D, Riddle MR. The Mexican Tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, as a Model System in Cell and Developmental Biology. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 2023; 39:23-44. [PMID: 37437210 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-012023-014003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of cell and developmental biology has been greatly aided by a focus on a small number of model organisms. However, we are now in an era where techniques to investigate gene function can be applied across phyla, allowing scientists to explore the diversity and flexibility of developmental mechanisms and gain a deeper understanding of life. Researchers comparing the eyeless cave-adapted Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, with its river-dwelling counterpart are revealing how the development of the eyes, pigment, brain, cranium, blood, and digestive system evolves as animals adapt to new environments. Breakthroughs in our understanding of the genetic and developmental basis of regressive and constructive trait evolution have come from A. mexicanus research. They include understanding the types of mutations that alter traits, which cellular and developmental processes they affect, and how they lead to pleiotropy. We review recent progress in the field and highlight areas for future investigations that include evolution of sex differentiation, neural crest development, and metabolic regulation of embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Misty R Riddle
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA;
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4
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Shen C, Nayak A, Neitzel LR, Yang F, Li B, Williams CH, Hong CC, Ahmed Y, Lee E, Robbins DJ. The Casein kinase 1α agonist pyrvinium attenuates Wnt-mediated CK1α degradation via interaction with the E3 ubiquitin ligase component Cereblon. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102227. [PMID: 35780831 PMCID: PMC9352546 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cullin-RING ligase 4 E3 ubiquitin ligase component Cereblon (CRBN) is a well-established target for a class of small molecules termed immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs). These drugs drive CRBN to modulate the degradation of a number of neosubstrates required for the growth of multiple cancers. Whereas the mechanism underlying the activation of CRBN by IMiDs is well described, the normal physiological regulation of CRBN is poorly understood. We recently showed that CRBN is activated following exposure to Wnt ligands and subsequently mediates the degradation of a subset of physiological substrates. Among the Wnt-dependent substrates of CRBN is Casein kinase 1α (CK1α), a known negative regulator of Wnt signaling. Wnt-mediated degradation of CK1α occurs via its association with CRBN at a known IMiD binding pocket. Herein, we demonstrate that a small-molecule CK1α agonist, pyrvinium, directly prevents the Wnt-dependent interaction of CRBN with CK1α, attenuating the consequent CK1α degradation. We further show that pyrvinium disrupts the ability of CRBN to interact with CK1α at the IMiD binding pocket within the CRBN-CK1α complex. Of note, this function of pyrvinium is independent of its previously reported ability to enhance CK1α kinase activity. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that pyrvinium attenuates CRBN-induced Wnt pathway activation in vivo. Collectively, these results reveal a novel dual mechanism through which pyrvinium inhibits Wnt signaling by both attenuating the CRBN-mediated destabilization of CK1α and activating CK1α kinase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Shen
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Anmada Nayak
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Leif R Neitzel
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Bin Li
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Charles H Williams
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Charles C Hong
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Yashi Ahmed
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - David J Robbins
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
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5
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Li K, Fan L, Tian Y, Lou S, Li D, Ma L, Wang L, Pan Y. Application of zebrafish in the study of craniomaxillofacial developmental anomalies. Birth Defects Res 2022; 114:583-595. [PMID: 35437950 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2014] [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: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Craniomaxillofacial developmental anomalies are one of the most prevalent congenital defects worldwide and could result from any disruption of normal development processes, which is generally influenced by interactions between genes and the environment. Currently, with the advances in genetic screening strategies, an increasing number of novel variants and their roles in orofacial diseases have been explored. Zebrafish is recognized as a powerful animal model, and its homologous genes and similar oral structure and development process provide an ideal platform for studying the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to human craniofacial malformations. Here, we reviewed zebrafish models for the study of craniomaxillofacial developmental anomalies, such as human nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without an affected palate and jaw and tooth developmental anomalies. Due to its potential for gene expression and regulation research, zebrafish may provide new perspectives for understanding craniomaxillofacial diseaseand its treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Liwen Fan
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Orthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Tian
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Orthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shu Lou
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Orthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dandan Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Orthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lan Ma
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Orthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lin Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Orthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yongchu Pan
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Orthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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6
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Seni-Silva AC, Maleski ALA, Souza MM, Falcao MAP, Disner GR, Lopes-Ferreira M, Lima C. Natterin-like depletion by CRISPR/Cas9 impairs zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryonic development. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:123. [PMID: 35151271 PMCID: PMC8840632 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08369-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Natterin protein family was first discovered in the venom of the medically significant fish Thalassophryne nattereri, and over the last decade natterin-like genes have been identified in various organisms, notably performing immune-related functions. Previous findings support natterin-like genes as effector defense molecules able to activate multiprotein complexes driving the host innate immune response, notably due to the pore-forming function of the aerolysin superfamily members. Herein, employing a combination of the CRISPR/Cas9 depletion system, phenotype-based screening, and morphometric methods, we evaluated the role of one family member, LOC795232, in the embryonic development of zebrafish since it might be implicated in multiple roles and characterization of the null mutant is central for analysis of gene activity. Results Multiple sequence alignment revealed that the candidate natterin-like has the highest similarity to zebrafish aep1, a putative and better characterized fish-specific defense molecule from the same family. Compared to other species, zebrafish have many natterin-like copies. Whole-mount in situ hybridization confirmed the knockout and mutant embryos exhibited epiboly delay, growth retardation, yolk sac and heart edema, absent or diminished swim bladder, spinal defects, small eyes and head, heart dysfunction, and behavioral impairment. As previously demonstrated, ribonucleoproteins composed of Cas9 and duplex guide RNAs are effective at inducing mutations in the F0 zebrafish. Conclusions The considerably high natterin-like copies in zebrafish compared to other species might be due to the teleost-specific whole genome duplication and followed by subfunctionalization or neofunctionalization. In the present work, we described some of the natterin-like features in the zebrafish development and infer that natterin-like proteins potentially contribute to the embryonary development and immune response. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08369-z. The Natterin family was discovered in the venom of the fish Thalassophryne nattereri. The zebrafish genome encodes eleven natterin-like genes. Natterin-like might be a novel fish-specific defense molecule. Natterin-like proteins are thought to be pore-forming molecules. Reverse genetic study and phenotypic characterization suggests natterin-like genes may have roles in zebrafish development.
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7
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Yan R, Zhu H, Huang P, Yang M, Shen M, Pan Y, Zhang C, Zhou X, Li H, Ke X, Zhang W, Hao P, Qu Y. Liquidambaric acid inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling and colon cancer via targeting TNF receptor-associated factor 2. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110319. [PMID: 35108540 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a well-established driver of colon cancer; however, a targeted therapeutic agent has not reached clinics yet. In the present study, we report that the natural compound liquidambaric acid (LDA) inhibits oncogenic Wnt/β-catenin signaling in vitro and in vivo through its direct target tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2). Mechanistically, TRAF2 positively regulates Wnt signaling by interacting with the N-terminal of β-catenin via its TRAF-C domain; this interaction is disrupted in presence of LDA. Particularly, a TRAF2/β-catenin/TCF4/TNIK complex is present in colon cancer cells, where TRAF2 is indispensable for the complex formation, and TRAF2/β-catenin and β-catenin/TCF4 interactions are disrupted upon LDA treatment. Our findings not only highlight that TRAF2 is an oncogenic regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and colon cancer but also provide a lead compound targeting TRAF2 for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Yan
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hongyan Zhu
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Piao Huang
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Min Yang
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Mengzhen Shen
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yuting Pan
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chengqian Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai 201210, P.R. China
| | - Xianglian Zhou
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Huiliang Li
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, No. 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Xisong Ke
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.
| | - Weidong Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China; School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, No. 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China.
| | - Piliang Hao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai 201210, P.R. China.
| | - Yi Qu
- Center for Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.
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8
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Nishiya N, Yonezawa H. Domestication of chemicals attacking metazoan embryogenesis: identification of safe natural products modifying developmental signaling pathways in human. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 2021; 74:651-659. [PMID: 34381189 DOI: 10.1038/s41429-021-00461-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Soil microorganisms are rich sources of bioactive natural products. Interspecies interactions are the cues of their production and refine biological activities. These interactions in natural environments include the interplay between microorganisms and Metazoans (animals), such as nematodes, insects, and ticks. Chemical intercellular communication modulators could exert ideal Metazoan-selective toxicity for defending microorganisms. Developmental signaling pathways, such as the Notch, TGF-beta, and Wnt pathways, are intercellular communication networks that contribute to the reproducible formation of complex higher-order Metazoan body structures. Natural modifiers of the developmental signaling pathway are attractive therapeutic seeds for carcinoma and sarcoma treatment. However, these fundamental signaling pathways also play indispensable physiological roles and their perturbation could lead to toxicity, such as defects in stem cell physiology and tissue regeneration processes. In this review, we introduce a screening system that selects developmental signaling inhibitors with wide therapeutic windows using zebrafish embryonic phenotypes and provide examples of microorganism-derived Wnt pathway inhibitors. Moreover, we discuss safety prospects of the developmental signaling inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoyuki Nishiya
- Division of Integrated Information for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Japan.
| | - Honami Yonezawa
- Division of Integrated Information for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Japan
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9
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Shen C, Nayak A, Neitzel LR, Adams AA, Silver-Isenstadt M, Sawyer LM, Benchabane H, Wang H, Bunnag N, Li B, Wynn DT, Yang F, Garcia-Contreras M, Williams CH, Dakshanamurthy S, Hong CC, Ayad NG, Capobianco AJ, Ahmed Y, Lee E, Robbins DJ. The E3 ubiquitin ligase component, Cereblon, is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of Wnt signaling. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5263. [PMID: 34489457 PMCID: PMC8421366 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25634-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are important for the treatment of multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome. Binding of IMiDs to Cereblon (CRBN), the substrate receptor of the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase, induces cancer cell death by targeting key neo-substrates for degradation. Despite this clinical significance, the physiological regulation of CRBN remains largely unknown. Herein we demonstrate that Wnt, the extracellular ligand of an essential signal transduction pathway, promotes the CRBN-dependent degradation of a subset of proteins. These substrates include Casein kinase 1α (CK1α), a negative regulator of Wnt signaling that functions as a key component of the β-Catenin destruction complex. Wnt stimulation induces the interaction of CRBN with CK1α and its resultant ubiquitination, and in contrast with previous reports does so in the absence of an IMiD. Mechanistically, the destruction complex is critical in maintaining CK1α stability in the absence of Wnt, and in recruiting CRBN to target CK1α for degradation in response to Wnt. CRBN is required for physiological Wnt signaling, as modulation of CRBN in zebrafish and Drosophila yields Wnt-driven phenotypes. These studies demonstrate an IMiD-independent, Wnt-driven mechanism of CRBN regulation and provide a means of controlling Wnt pathway activity by CRBN, with relevance for development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Shen
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.,The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Anmada Nayak
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Leif R Neitzel
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Amber A Adams
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | | | - Leah M Sawyer
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Hassina Benchabane
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Huilan Wang
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Nawat Bunnag
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Bin Li
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Daniel T Wynn
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Fan Yang
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.,The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Marta Garcia-Contreras
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | | | - Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Charles C Hong
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nagi G Ayad
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.,Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Department of Neurological Surgery, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Anthony J Capobianco
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Yashi Ahmed
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - David J Robbins
- Molecular Oncology Program, The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA. .,Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA. .,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
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10
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Haney MG, Wimsett M, Liu C, Blackburn JS. Protocol for rapid assessment of the efficacy of novel Wnt inhibitors using zebrafish models. STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100433. [PMID: 33889852 PMCID: PMC8050796 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulation of Wnt signaling is a hallmark of many cancers, and the development of effective, non-toxic small-molecule Wnt inhibitors is desirable. Off-target toxicities of new compounds are typically tested in mouse models, which is both costly and time consuming. Here, we present a rapid and inexpensive protocol to determine the in vivo toxicity and efficacy of novel Wnt inhibitors in zebrafish using a combination of a fluorescence reporter assay as well as eye rescue and fin regeneration assays. These experiments are completed within 1 week to rapidly narrow drug candidates before moving to more expensive pre-clinical testing. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Zhang et al. (2020).
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan G Haney
- University of Kentucky, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Lexington, KY 40509, USA.,University of Kentucky, Markey Cancer Center, Lexington, KY 40509, USA
| | - Mary Wimsett
- University of Kentucky, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Lexington, KY 40509, USA
| | - Chunming Liu
- University of Kentucky, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Lexington, KY 40509, USA.,University of Kentucky, Markey Cancer Center, Lexington, KY 40509, USA
| | - Jessica S Blackburn
- University of Kentucky, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Lexington, KY 40509, USA.,University of Kentucky, Markey Cancer Center, Lexington, KY 40509, USA
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11
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Fuentes R, Tajer B, Kobayashi M, Pelliccia JL, Langdon Y, Abrams EW, Mullins MC. The maternal coordinate system: Molecular-genetics of embryonic axis formation and patterning in the zebrafish. Curr Top Dev Biol 2020; 140:341-389. [PMID: 32591080 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Axis specification of the zebrafish embryo begins during oogenesis and relies on proper formation of well-defined cytoplasmic domains within the oocyte. Upon fertilization, maternally-regulated cytoplasmic flow and repositioning of dorsal determinants establish the coordinate system that will build the structure and developmental body plan of the embryo. Failure of specific genes that regulate the embryonic coordinate system leads to catastrophic loss of body structures. Here, we review the genetic principles of axis formation and discuss how maternal factors orchestrate axis patterning during zebrafish early embryogenesis. We focus on the molecular identity and functional contribution of genes controlling critical aspects of oogenesis, egg activation, blastula, and gastrula stages. We examine how polarized cytoplasmic domains form in the oocyte, which set off downstream events such as animal-vegetal polarity and germ line development. After gametes interact and form the zygote, cytoplasmic segregation drives the animal-directed reorganization of maternal determinants through calcium- and cell cycle-dependent signals. We also summarize how maternal genes control dorsoventral, anterior-posterior, mesendodermal, and left-right cell fate specification and how signaling pathways pattern these axes and tissues during early development to instruct the three-dimensional body plan. Advances in reverse genetics and phenotyping approaches in the zebrafish model are revealing positional patterning signatures at the single-cell level, thus enhancing our understanding of genotype-phenotype interactions in axis formation. Our emphasis is on the genetic interrogation of novel and specific maternal regulatory mechanisms of axis specification in the zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Fuentes
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
| | - Benjamin Tajer
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Manami Kobayashi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jose L Pelliccia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Elliott W Abrams
- Department of Biology, Purchase College, State University of New York, Harrison, NY, United States
| | - Mary C Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
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12
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Ruzicka L, Howe DG, Ramachandran S, Toro S, Van Slyke CE, Bradford YM, Eagle A, Fashena D, Frazer K, Kalita P, Mani P, Martin R, Moxon ST, Paddock H, Pich C, Schaper K, Shao X, Singer A, Westerfield M. The Zebrafish Information Network: new support for non-coding genes, richer Gene Ontology annotations and the Alliance of Genome Resources. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:D867-D873. [PMID: 30407545 PMCID: PMC6323962 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Zebrafish Information Network (ZFIN) (https://zfin.org/) is the database for the model organism, zebrafish (Danio rerio). ZFIN expertly curates, organizes and provides a wide array of zebrafish genetic and genomic data, including genes, alleles, transgenic lines, gene expression, gene function, mutant phenotypes, orthology, human disease models, nomenclature and reagents. New features at ZFIN include increased support for genomic regions and for non-coding genes, and support for more expressive Gene Ontology annotations. ZFIN has recently taken over maintenance of the zebrafish reference genome sequence as part of the Genome Reference Consortium. ZFIN is also a founding member of the Alliance of Genome Resources, a collaboration of six model organism databases (MODs) and the Gene Ontology Consortium (GO). The recently launched Alliance portal (https://alliancegenome.org) provides a unified, comparative view of MOD, GO, and human data, and facilitates foundational and translational biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Ruzicka
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Douglas G Howe
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | | | - Sabrina Toro
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Ceri E Van Slyke
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Yvonne M Bradford
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Anne Eagle
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - David Fashena
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Ken Frazer
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Patrick Kalita
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Prita Mani
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Ryan Martin
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Sierra Taylor Moxon
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Holly Paddock
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Christian Pich
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Kevin Schaper
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Xiang Shao
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Amy Singer
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
| | - Monte Westerfield
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA
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13
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Haerlingen B, Opitz R, Vandernoot I, Trubiroha A, Gillotay P, Giusti N, Costagliola S. Small-Molecule Screening in Zebrafish Embryos Identifies Signaling Pathways Regulating Early Thyroid Development. Thyroid 2019; 29:1683-1703. [PMID: 31507237 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2019.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Background: Defects in embryonic development of the thyroid gland are a major cause for congenital hypothyroidism in human newborns, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. Organ development relies on a tightly regulated interplay between extrinsic signaling cues and cell intrinsic factors. At present, however, there is limited knowledge about the specific extrinsic signaling cues that regulate foregut endoderm patterning, thyroid cell specification, and subsequent morphogenetic processes in thyroid development. Methods: To begin to address this problem in a systematic way, we used zebrafish embryos to perform a series of in vivo phenotype-driven chemical genetic screens to identify signaling cues regulating early thyroid development. For this purpose, we treated zebrafish embryos during different developmental periods with a panel of small-molecule compounds known to manipulate the activity of major signaling pathways and scored phenotypic deviations in thyroid, endoderm, and cardiovascular development using whole-mount in situ hybridization and transgenic fluorescent reporter models. Results: Systematic assessment of drugged embryos recovered a range of thyroid phenotypes including expansion, reduction or lack of the early thyroid anlage, defective thyroid budding, as well as hypoplastic, enlarged, or overtly disorganized presentation of the thyroid primordium after budding. Our pharmacological screening identified bone morphogenetic protein and fibroblast growth factor signaling as key factors for thyroid specification and early thyroid organogenesis, highlighted the importance of low Wnt activities during early development for thyroid specification, and implicated drug-induced cardiac and vascular anomalies as likely indirect mechanisms causing various forms of thyroid dysgenesis. Conclusions: By integrating the outcome of our screening efforts with previously available information from other model organisms including Xenopus, chicken, and mouse, we conclude that signaling cues regulating thyroid development appear broadly conserved across vertebrates. We therefore expect that observations made in zebrafish can inform mammalian models of thyroid organogenesis to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of congenital thyroid diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Haerlingen
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert Opitz
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Institute of Experimental Pediatric Endocrinology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Vandernoot
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Achim Trubiroha
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre Gillotay
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nicoletta Giusti
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sabine Costagliola
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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14
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Große A, Perner B, Naumann U, Englert C. Zebrafish Wtx is a negative regulator of Wnt signaling but is dispensable for embryonic development and organ homeostasis. Dev Dyn 2019; 248:866-881. [PMID: 31290212 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.84] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The X-chromosomally linked gene WTX is a human disease gene and a member of the AMER family. Mutations in WTX are found in Wilms tumor, a form of pediatric kidney cancer and in patients suffering from OSCS (Osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis), a sclerosing bone disorder. Functional data suggest WTX to be an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Deletion of Wtx in mouse leads to perinatal death, impeding the analysis of its physiological role. RESULTS To gain insights into the function of Wtx in development and homeostasis we have used zebrafish as a model and performed both knockdown and knockout studies using morpholinos and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), respectively. Wtx knockdown led to increased Wnt activity and embryonic dorsalization. Also, wtx mutants showed a transient upregulation of Wnt target genes in the context of caudal fin regeneration. Surprisingly, however, wtx as well as wtx/amer2/amer3 triple mutants developed normally, were fertile and did not show any anomalies in organ maintenance. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that members of the zebrafish wtx/amer gene family, while sharing a partially overlapping expression pattern do not compensate for each other. This observation demonstrates a remarkable robustness during development and regeneration in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Große
- Leibniz Institute on Aging-Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Birgit Perner
- Leibniz Institute on Aging-Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Uta Naumann
- Leibniz Institute on Aging-Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Christoph Englert
- Leibniz Institute on Aging-Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany.,Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
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15
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Sarmah S, Curtis C, Mahin J, Farrell M, Engler TA, Sanchez-Felix MV, Sato M, Ma YL, Chu S, Marrs JA. The Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β Inhibitor LSN 2105786 Promotes Zebrafish Fin Regeneration. Biomedicines 2019; 7:biomedicines7020030. [PMID: 31010223 PMCID: PMC6630808 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines7020030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wnt pathway has been shown to regulate bone homeostasis and to influence some bone disease states. We utilized a zebrafish model system to study the effects of a synthetic, orally bioavailable glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) inhibitor LSN 2105786, which activates Wnt signaling during bone healing and embryogenesis. GSK3β inhibitor treatment was used to phenocopy GSK3β morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) knockdown in zebrafish embryos. Human and zebrafish synthetic mRNA injection were similarly effective at rescue of GSK3β MO knockdown. During caudal fin regeneration, bony rays are the first structure to differentiate in zebrafish fins, providing a useful model to study bone healing. Caudal fin regeneration experiments were conducted using various concentrations of a GSK3β inhibitor, examining duration and concentration dependence on regenerative outgrowth. Experiments revealed continuous low concentration (4-5 nM) treatment to be more effective at increasing regeneration than intermittent dosing. Higher concentrations inhibited fin growth, perhaps by excessive stimulation of differentiation programs. Increased Wnt responsive gene expression and differentiation were observed in response to GSK3b inhibitor treatment. Activating Wnt signaling also increased cell proliferation and osteoblast differentiation in fin regenerates. Together, these data indicate that bone healing in zebrafish fin regeneration was improved by activating Wnt signaling using GSK3b inhibitor treatment. In addition, caudal fin regeneration is useful to evaluate dose-dependent pharmacological efficacy in bone healing, various dosing regimens and possible toxicological effects of compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapnalee Sarmah
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Courtney Curtis
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Jennifer Mahin
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Mark Farrell
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | | | - Manuel V Sanchez-Felix
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN 46225, USA.
- Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Masahiko Sato
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN 46225, USA.
| | | | - Shaoyou Chu
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN 46225, USA.
- Molecular Templates, Austin, TX 78729, USA.
| | - James A Marrs
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
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16
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A High-Throughput Assay for Congenital and Age-Related Eye Diseases in Zebrafish. Biomedicines 2019; 7:biomedicines7020028. [PMID: 30979021 PMCID: PMC6631034 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines7020028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Debilitating visual impairment caused by cataracts or microphthalmia is estimated to affect roughly 20 million people in the United States alone. According to the National Eye Institute, by 2050 that number is expected to more than double to roughly 50 million. The identification of candidate disease-causing alleles for cataracts and microphthalmia has been accelerated with advanced sequencing technologies creating a need for verification of the pathophysiology of these genes. Zebrafish pose many advantages as a high-throughput model for human eye disease. By 5 days post-fertilization, zebrafish have quantifiable behavioral responses to visual stimuli. Their small size, many progeny, and external fertilization allows for rapid screening for vision defects. We have adapted the OptoMotor Response to assay visual impairment in zebrafish models of cataracts and microphthalmia. This research demonstrates an inexpensive, high-throughput method for analyzing candidate genes involved in visual impairment.
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17
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Neitzel LR, Spencer ZT, Nayak A, Cselenyi CS, Benchabane H, Youngblood CQ, Zouaoui A, Ng V, Stephens L, Hann T, Patton JG, Robbins D, Ahmed Y, Lee E. Developmental regulation of Wnt signaling by Nagk and the UDP-GlcNAc salvage pathway. Mech Dev 2019; 156:20-31. [PMID: 30904594 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In a screen for human kinases that regulate Xenopus laevis embryogenesis, we identified Nagk and other components of the UDP-GlcNAc glycosylation salvage pathway as regulators of anteroposterior patterning and Wnt signaling. We find that the salvage pathway does not affect other major embryonic signaling pathways (Fgf, TGFβ, Notch, or Shh), thereby demonstrating specificity for Wnt signaling. We show that the role of the salvage pathway in Wnt signaling is evolutionarily conserved in zebrafish and Drosophila. Finally, we show that GlcNAc is essential for the growth of intestinal enteroids, which are highly dependent on Wnt signaling for growth and maintenance. We propose that the Wnt pathway is sensitive to alterations in the glycosylation state of a cell and acts as a nutritional sensor in order to couple growth/proliferation with its metabolic status. We also propose that the clinical manifestations observed in congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) in humans may be due, in part, to their effects on Wnt signaling during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leif R Neitzel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Program in Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Zachary T Spencer
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Anmada Nayak
- Sylvester Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Christopher S Cselenyi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Hassina Benchabane
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - CheyAnne Q Youngblood
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Natural Science, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK 74464, USA
| | - Alya Zouaoui
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Victoria Ng
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Leah Stephens
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Trevor Hann
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - James G Patton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - David Robbins
- Sylvester Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Yashi Ahmed
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Program in Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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18
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Young RM, Hawkins TA, Cavodeassi F, Stickney HL, Schwarz Q, Lawrence LM, Wierzbicki C, Cheng BYL, Luo J, Ambrosio EM, Klosner A, Sealy IM, Rowell J, Trivedi CA, Bianco IH, Allende ML, Busch-Nentwich EM, Gestri G, Wilson SW. Compensatory growth renders Tcf7l1a dispensable for eye formation despite its requirement in eye field specification. eLife 2019; 8:e40093. [PMID: 30777146 PMCID: PMC6380838 DOI: 10.7554/elife.40093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate eye originates from the eye field, a domain of cells specified by a small number of transcription factors. In this study, we show that Tcf7l1a is one such transcription factor that acts cell-autonomously to specify the eye field in zebrafish. Despite the much-reduced eye field in tcf7l1a mutants, these fish develop normal eyes revealing a striking ability of the eye to recover from a severe early phenotype. This robustness is not mediated through genetic compensation at neural plate stage; instead, the smaller optic vesicle of tcf7l1a mutants shows delayed neurogenesis and continues to grow until it achieves approximately normal size. Although the developing eye is robust to the lack of Tcf7l1a function, it is sensitised to the effects of additional mutations. In support of this, a forward genetic screen identified mutations in hesx1, cct5 and gdf6a, which give synthetically enhanced eye specification or growth phenotypes when in combination with the tcf7l1a mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo M Young
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Thomas A Hawkins
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Florencia Cavodeassi
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Heather L Stickney
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Quenten Schwarz
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Lisa M Lawrence
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Claudia Wierzbicki
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Bowie YL Cheng
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jingyuan Luo
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Allison Klosner
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Ian M Sealy
- Wellcome Sanger InstituteWellcome Genome CampusHinxtonUnited Kingdom
- Department of MedicineUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Jasmine Rowell
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Chintan A Trivedi
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Isaac H Bianco
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Miguel L Allende
- Center for Genome RegulationFacultad de Ciencias, Universidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Elisabeth M Busch-Nentwich
- Wellcome Sanger InstituteWellcome Genome CampusHinxtonUnited Kingdom
- Department of MedicineUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Gaia Gestri
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Stephen W Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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19
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Barbieri E, Deflorian G, Pezzimenti F, Valli D, Saia M, Meani N, Gruszka AM, Alcalay M. Nucleophosmin leukemogenic mutant activates Wnt signaling during zebrafish development. Oncotarget 2018; 7:55302-55312. [PMID: 27486814 PMCID: PMC5342418 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is a ubiquitous multifunctional phosphoprotein with both oncogenic and tumor suppressor functions. Mutations of the NPM1 gene are the most frequent genetic alterations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and result in the expression of a mutant protein with aberrant cytoplasmic localization, NPMc+. Although NPMc+ causes myeloproliferation and AML in animal models, its mechanism of action remains largely unknown. Here we report that NPMc+ activates canonical Wnt signaling during the early phases of zebrafish development and determines a Wnt-dependent increase in the number of progenitor cells during primitive hematopoiesis. Coherently, the canonical Wnt pathway is active in AML blasts bearing NPMc+ and depletion of the mutant protein in the patient derived OCI-AML3 cell line leads to a decrease in the levels of active β-catenin and of Wnt target genes. Our results reveal a novel function of NPMc+ and provide insight into the molecular pathogenesis of AML bearing NPM1 mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Barbieri
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy.,Current address: Gene Expression and Regulation Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gianluca Deflorian
- The FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM) Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Debora Valli
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Saia
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Natalia Meani
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Alicja M Gruszka
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Myriam Alcalay
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy.,Dipartimento di Oncologia ed Emato-Oncologia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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20
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Wang Z, Nakayama Y, Tsuda S, Yamasu K. The role of gastrulation brain homeobox 2 (gbx2) in the development of the ventral telencephalon in zebrafish embryos. Differentiation 2017; 99:28-40. [PMID: 29289755 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2017.12.005] [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: 09/17/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
During vertebrate brain development, the gastrulation brain homeobox 2 gene (gbx2) is expressed in the forebrain, but its precise roles are still unknown. In this study, we addressed this issue in zebrafish (Danio rerio) first by carefully examining gbx2 expression in the developing forebrain. We showed that gbx2 was expressed in the telencephalon during late somitogenesis, from 18h post-fertilization (hpf) to 24 hpf, and in the thalamic primordium after 26 hpf. In contrast, another gbx gene, gbx1, was expressed in the anterior-most ventral telencephalon after 36 hpf. Thus, the expression patterns of these two gbx genes did not overlap, arguing against their redundant function in the forebrain. Two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed close relationships between the telencephalic expression of gbx2 and other forebrain-forming genes, suggesting that their interactions contribute to the regionalization of the telencephalon. FISH further revealed that gbx2 is expressed in the ventricular region of the telencephalon. By using transgenic fish in which gbx2 can be induced by heat shock, we found that gbx2 induction at 16 hpf repressed the expression of emx3, dlx2a, and six3b in the ventral telencephalon. Among secreted factor genes, bmp2b and wnt1 were repressed in the vicinity of the gbx2 domain in the telencephalon. The expression of forebrain-forming genes was examined in mutant embryos lacking gbx2, showing emx3 and dlx2a to be upregulated in the subpallium at 24 hpf. Taken together, these findings indicate that gbx2 contributes to the development of the subpallium through its repressive activities against other telencephalon-forming genes. We further showed that inhibiting FGF signaling and activating Wnt signaling repressed gbx2 and affected the regionalization of the telencephalon, supporting a functional link between gbx2, intracellular signaling, and telencephalon development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Yukiko Nakayama
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Sachiko Tsuda
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan; Saitama University Brain Science Institute, Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan; Research and Development Bureau, Saitama University, Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Kyo Yamasu
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan; Saitama University Brain Science Institute, Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan.
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21
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Wnt9a Is Required for the Aortic Amplification of Nascent Hematopoietic Stem Cells. Cell Rep 2017; 17:1595-1606. [PMID: 27806298 PMCID: PMC6309681 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
All mature blood cell types in the adult animal arise from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). However, the developmental cues regulating HSPC ontogeny are incompletely understood. In particular, the details surrounding a requirement for Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the development of mature HSPCs are controversial and difficult to consolidate. Using zebrafish, we demonstrate that Wnt signaling is required to direct an amplification of HSPCs in the aorta. Wnt9a is specifically required for this process and cannot be replaced by Wnt9b or Wnt3a. This proliferative event occurs independently of initial HSPC fate specification, and the Wnt9a input is required prior to aorta formation. HSPC arterial amplification occurs prior to seeding of secondary hematopoietic tissues and proceeds, in part, through the cell cycle regulator myca (c-myc). Our results support a general paradigm, in which early signaling events, including Wnt, direct later HSPC developmental processes. Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) give rise to all of the blood cells of the adult organism; however, how these cells are derived in vivo is still incompletely understood. Using zebrafish, Grainger et al. find that Wnt9a mediates amplification of HSPCs prior to their migration to secondary hematopoietic sites.
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22
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Roberson S, Halpern ME. Development and connectivity of the habenular nuclei. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 78:107-115. [PMID: 29107475 PMCID: PMC5920772 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence has reinforced that the habenular region of the vertebrate dorsal forebrain is an essential integrating center, and a region strongly implicated in neurological disorders and addiction. Despite the important and diverse neuromodulatory roles the habenular nuclei play, their development has been understudied. The emphasis of this review is on the dorsal habenular nuclei of zebrafish, homologous to the medial nuclei of mammals, as recent work has revealed new information about the signaling pathways that regulate their formation. Additionally, the zebrafish dorsal habenulae have become a valuable model for probing how left-right differences are established in a vertebrate brain. Sonic hedgehog, fibroblast growth factors and Wingless-INT proteins are all involved in the generation of progenitor cells and ultimately, along with Notch signaling, influence habenular neurogenesis and left-right asymmetry. Intriguingly, a genetic network has emerged that leads to the differentiation of dorsal habenular neurons and, through localized chemokine signaling, directs the posterior outgrowth of their newly emerging axons towards their postsynaptic target, the midbrain interpeduncular nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Roberson
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Embryology, 3520 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Marnie E Halpern
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Embryology, 3520 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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23
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Brafman D, Willert K. Wnt/β-catenin signaling during early vertebrate neural development. Dev Neurobiol 2017; 77:1239-1259. [PMID: 28799266 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of vast number of distinct cell types arranged in a highly organized manner. This high degree of complexity is achieved by cellular communication, including direct cell-cell contact, cell-matrix interactions, and cell-growth factor signaling. Among the several developmental signals controlling the development of the CNS, Wnt proteins have emerged as particularly critical and, hence, have captivated the attention of many researchers. With Wnts' evolutionarily conserved function as primordial symmetry breaking signals, these proteins and their downstream effects are responsible for simultaneously establishing cellular diversity and tissue organization. With their expansive repertoire of secreted agonists and antagonists, cell surface receptors, signaling cascades and downstream biological effects, Wnts are ideally suited to control the complex processes underlying vertebrate neural development. In this review, we will describe the mechanisms by which Wnts exert their potent effects on cells and tissues and highlight the many roles of Wnt signaling during neural development, starting from the initial induction of the neural plate, the subsequent patterning along the embryonic axes, to the intricately organized structure of the CNS. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 1239-1259, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Brafman
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287
| | - Karl Willert
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0695
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24
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Krishnan J, Rohner N. Cavefish and the basis for eye loss. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20150487. [PMID: 27994128 PMCID: PMC5182419 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have colonized the entire world from rather moderate to the harshest environments, some of these so extreme that only few animals are able to survive. Cave environments present such a challenge and obligate cave animals have adapted to perpetual darkness by evolving a multitude of traits. The most common and most studied cave characteristics are the regression of eyes and the overall reduction in pigmentation. Studying these traits can provide important insights into how evolutionary forces drive convergent and regressive adaptation. The blind Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) has emerged as a useful model to study cave evolution owing to the availability of genetic and genomic resources, and the amenability of embryonic development as the different populations remain fertile with each other. In this review, we give an overview of our current knowledge underlying the process of regressive and convergent evolution using eye degeneration in cavefish as an example.This article is part of the themed issue 'Evo-devo in the genomics era, and the origins of morphological diversity'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaya Krishnan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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25
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Lazzaroni F, Del Giacco L, Biasci D, Turrini M, Prosperi L, Brusamolino R, Cairoli R, Beghini A. Intronless WNT10B-short variant underlies new recurrent allele-specific rearrangement in acute myeloid leukaemia. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37201. [PMID: 27853307 PMCID: PMC5112549 DOI: 10.1038/srep37201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Defects in the control of Wnt signaling have emerged as a recurrent mechanism involved in cancer pathogenesis and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), including the hematopoietic regeneration-associated WNT10B in AC133bright leukaemia cells, although the existence of a specific mechanism remains unproven. We have obtained evidences for a recurrent rearrangement, which involved the WNT10B locus (WNT10BR) within intron 1 (IVS1) and flanked at the 5' by non-human sequences whose origin remains to be elucidated; it also expressed a transcript variant (WNT10BIVS1) which was mainly detected in a cohort of patients with intermediate/unfavorable risk AML. We also identified in two separate cases, affected by AML and breast cancer respectively, a genomic transposable short form of human WNT10B (ht-WNT10B). The intronless ht-WNT10B resembles a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), which suggests its involvement in a non-random microhomology-mediated recombination generating the rearranged WNT10BR. Furthermore, our studies supports an autocrine activation primed by the formation of WNT10B-FZD4/5 complexes in the breast cancer MCF7 cells that express the WNT10BIVS1. Chemical interference of WNT-ligands production by the porcupine inhibitor IWP-2 achieved a dose-dependent suppression of the WNT10B-FZD4/5 interactions. These results present the first evidence for a recurrent rearrangement promoted by a mobile ht-WNT10B oncogene, as a relevant mechanism for Wnt involvement in human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luca Del Giacco
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Biasci
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mauro Turrini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Valduce Hospital, Como, Italy
| | - Laura Prosperi
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Cairoli
- Department of Oncology, Hematology Unit, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy
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26
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Williams CH, Hong CC. Zebrafish small molecule screens: Taking the phenotypic plunge. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2016; 14:350-356. [PMID: 27721960 PMCID: PMC5050293 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Target based chemical screens are a mainstay of modern drug discovery, but the effectiveness of this reductionist approach is being questioned in light of declines in pharmaceutical R & D efficiency. In recent years, phenotypic screens have gained increasing acceptance as a complementary/alternative approach to early drug discovery. We discuss the various model organisms used in phenotypic screens, with particular focus on zebrafish, which has emerged as a leading model of in vivo phenotypic screens. Additionally, we anticipate therapeutic opportunities, particularly in orphan disease space, in the context of rapid advances in human Mendelian genetics, electronic health record (EHR)-enabled genome–phenome associations, and genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles H Williams
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Charles C Hong
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Research Medicine, Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
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27
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Triptonide Effectively Inhibits Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling via C-terminal Transactivation Domain of β-catenin. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32779. [PMID: 27596363 PMCID: PMC5011721 DOI: 10.1038/srep32779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormal activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling is implicated in many diseases including cancer. As a result, therapeutic agents that disrupt this signaling pathway have been highly sought after. Triptonide is a key bioactive small molecule identified in a traditional Chinese medicine named Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F., and it has a broad spectrum of biological functions. Here we show that triptonide can effectively inhibit canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling by targeting the downstream C-terminal transcription domain of β-catenin or a nuclear component associated with β-catenin. In addition, triptonide treatment robustly rescued the zebrafish “eyeless” phenotype induced by GSK-3β antagonist 6-bromoindirubin-30-oxime (BIO) for Wnt signaling activation during embryonic gastrulation. Finally, triptonide effectively induced apoptosis of Wnt-dependent cancer cells, supporting the therapeutic potential of triptonide.
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28
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Axitinib blocks Wnt/β-catenin signaling and directs asymmetric cell division in cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:9339-44. [PMID: 27482107 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1604520113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic mutations of the Wnt (wingless)/β-catenin pathway are frequently observed in major cancer types. Thus far, however, no therapeutic agent targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling is available for clinical use. Here we demonstrate that axitinib, a clinically approved drug, strikingly blocks Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancer cells, zebrafish, and Apc(min/+) mice. Notably, axitinib dramatically induces Wnt asymmetry and nonrandom DNA segregation in cancer cells by promoting nuclear β-catenin degradation independent of the GSK3β (glycogen synthase kinase3β)/APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) complex. Using a DARTS (drug affinity-responsive target stability) assay coupled to 2D-DIGE (2D difference in gel electrophoresis) and mass spectrometry, we have identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase SHPRH (SNF2, histone-linker, PHD and RING finger domain-containing helicase) as the direct target of axitinib in blocking Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Treatment with axitinib stabilizes SHPRH and thereby increases the ubiquitination and degradation of β-catenin. Our findings suggest a previously unreported mechanism of nuclear β-catenin regulation and indicate that axitinib, a clinically approved drug, would provide therapeutic benefits for cancer patients with aberrant nuclear β-catenin activation.
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29
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Teh C, Sun G, Shen H, Korzh V, Wohland T. Modulating the expression level of secreted Wnt3 influences cerebellum development in zebrafish transgenics. Development 2015; 142:3721-33. [PMID: 26395493 DOI: 10.1242/dev.127589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The boundaries of brain regions are associated with the tissue-specific secretion of ligands from different signaling pathways. The dynamics of these ligands in vivo and the impact of its disruption remain largely unknown. Using light and fluorescence microscopy for the overall imaging of the specimen and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to determine Wnt3 dynamics, we demonstrated that Wnt3 regulates cerebellum development during embryogenesis using zebrafish wnt3 transgenics with either tissue-specific expression of an EGFP reporter or a functionally active fusion protein, Wnt3EGFP. The results suggest a state of dynamic equilibrium of Wnt3EGFP mobility in polarized neuroepithelial-like progenitors in the dorsal midline and cerebellar progenitors on the lateral side. Wnt3EGFP is secreted from the cerebellum as shown by measurements of its mobility in the ventricular cavity. The importance of Wnt secretion in brain patterning was validated with the Porcn inhibitor Wnt-C59 (C59), which, when applied early, reduced membrane-bound and secreted fractions of Wnt3EGFP and led to a malformed brain characterized by the absence of epithalamus, optic tectum and cerebellum. Likewise, interference with Wnt secretion later on during cerebellar development negatively impacted cerebellar growth and patterning. Our work, supported by quantitative analysis of protein dynamics in vivo, highlights the importance of membrane-localized and secreted Wnt3 during cerebellum development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathleen Teh
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, 138673 Singapore
| | - Guangyu Sun
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore Center for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117557 Singapore
| | - Hongyuan Shen
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, 138673 Singapore
| | - Vladimir Korzh
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, 138673 Singapore Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore
| | - Thorsten Wohland
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore Center for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117557 Singapore Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore
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30
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Larraguibel J, Weiss ARE, Pasula DJ, Dhaliwal RS, Kondra R, Van Raay TJ. Wnt ligand-dependent activation of the negative feedback regulator Nkd1. Mol Biol Cell 2015; 26:2375-84. [PMID: 25904337 PMCID: PMC4462952 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e14-12-1648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Nkd1, a negative feedback regulator of the Wnt pathway, localizes with Dvl2 to the putative Wnt signalosome, where it becomes activated by Wnt. Activated Nkd1 moves away from the membrane to become more cytosolic, where it interacts with β-catenin to prevent nuclear accumulation. Misregulation of Wnt signaling is at the root of many diseases, most notably colorectal cancer, and although we understand the activation of the pathway, we have a very poor understanding of the circumstances under which Wnt signaling turns itself off. There are numerous negative feedback regulators of Wnt signaling, but two stand out as constitutive and obligate Wnt-induced regulators: Axin2 and Nkd1. Whereas Axin2 behaves similarly to Axin in the destruction complex, Nkd1 is more enigmatic. Here we use zebrafish blastula cells that are responsive Wnt signaling to demonstrate that Nkd1 activity is specifically dependent on Wnt ligand activation of the receptor. Furthermore, our results support the hypothesis that Nkd1 is recruited to the Wnt signalosome with Dvl2, where it becomes activated to move into the cytoplasm to interact with β-catenin, inhibiting its nuclear accumulation. Comparison of these results with Nkd function in Drosophila generates a unified and conserved model for the role of this negative feedback regulator in the modulation of Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jahdiel Larraguibel
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Alexander R E Weiss
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Daniel J Pasula
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Rasmeet S Dhaliwal
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Roman Kondra
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Terence J Van Raay
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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31
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Chen Q, Su Y, Wesslowski J, Hagemann AI, Ramialison M, Wittbrodt J, Scholpp S, Davidson G. Tyrosine phosphorylation of LRP6 by Src and Fer inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signalling. EMBO Rep 2014; 15:1254-67. [PMID: 25391905 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201439644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6) function as transmembrane receptors to transduce Wnt signals. A key mechanism for signalling is Wnt-induced serine/threonine phosphorylation at conserved PPPSPxS motifs in the LRP6 cytoplasmic domain, which promotes pathway activation. Conserved tyrosine residues are positioned close to all PPPSPxS motifs, which suggests they have a functional significance. Using a cell culture-based cDNA expression screen, we identified the non-receptor tyrosine kinases Src and Fer as novel LRP6 modifiers. Both Src and Fer associate with LRP6 and phosphorylate LRP6 directly. In contrast to the known PPPSPxS Ser/Thr kinases, tyrosine phosphorylation by Src and Fer negatively regulates LRP6-Wnt signalling. Epistatically, they function upstream of β-catenin to inhibit signalling and in agreement with a negative role in regulating LRP6, MEF cells lacking these kinases show enhanced Wnt signalling. Wnt3a treatment of cells enhances tyrosine phosphorylation of endogenous LRP6 and, mechanistically, Src reduces cell surface LRP6 levels and disrupts LRP6 signalosome formation. Interestingly, CK1γ inhibits Fer-induced LRP6 phosphorylation, suggesting a mechanism whereby CK1γ acts to de-represses inhibitory LRP6 tyrosine phosphorylation. We propose that LRP6 tyrosine phosphorylation by Src and Fer serves a negative regulatory function to prevent over-activation of Wnt signalling at the level of the Wnt receptor, LRP6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Chen
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Yi Su
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Janine Wesslowski
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Anja I Hagemann
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | | | | | - Steffen Scholpp
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Gary Davidson
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
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32
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Huysseune A, Soenens M, Elderweirdt F. Wnt signaling during tooth replacement in zebrafish (Danio rerio): pitfalls and perspectives. Front Physiol 2014; 5:386. [PMID: 25339911 PMCID: PMC4186270 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The canonical (β-catenin dependent) Wnt signaling pathway has emerged as a likely candidate for regulating tooth replacement in continuously renewing dentitions. So far, the involvement of canonical Wnt signaling has been experimentally demonstrated predominantly in amniotes. These studies tend to show stimulation of tooth formation by activation of the Wnt pathway, and inhibition of tooth formation when blocking the pathway. Here, we report a strong and dynamic expression of the soluble Wnt inhibitor dickkopf1 (dkk1) in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio) tooth germs, suggesting an active repression of Wnt signaling during morphogenesis and cytodifferentiation of a tooth, and derepression of Wnt signaling during start of replacement tooth formation. To further analyse the role of Wnt signaling, we used different gain-of-function approaches. These yielded disjunct results, yet none of them indicating enhanced tooth replacement. Thus, masterblind (mbl) mutants, defective in axin1, mimic overexpression of Wnt, but display a normally patterned dentition in which teeth are replaced at the appropriate times and positions. Activating the pathway with LiCl had variable outcomes, either resulting in the absence, or the delayed formation, of first-generation teeth, or yielding a regular dentition with normal replacement, but no supernumerary teeth or accelerated tooth replacement. The failure so far to influence tooth replacement in the zebrafish by perturbing Wnt signaling is discussed in the light of (i) potential technical pitfalls related to dose- or time-dependency, (ii) the complexity of the canonical Wnt pathway, and (iii) species-specific differences in the nature and activity of pathway components. Finally, we emphasize the importance of in-depth knowledge of the wild-type pattern for reliable interpretations. It is hoped that our analysis can be inspiring to critically assess and elucidate the role of Wnt signaling in tooth development in polyphyodonts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Huysseune
- Evolutionary Developmental Biology Research Group, Biology Department, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mieke Soenens
- Evolutionary Developmental Biology Research Group, Biology Department, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
| | - Fien Elderweirdt
- Evolutionary Developmental Biology Research Group, Biology Department, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
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33
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Yin J, Morrissey ME, Shine L, Kennedy C, Higgins DG, Kennedy BN. Genes and signaling networks regulated during zebrafish optic vesicle morphogenesis. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:825. [PMID: 25266257 PMCID: PMC4190348 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genetic cascades underpinning vertebrate early eye morphogenesis are poorly understood. One gene family essential for eye morphogenesis encodes the retinal homeobox (Rx) transcription factors. Mutations in the human retinal homeobox gene (RAX) can lead to gross morphological phenotypes ranging from microphthalmia to anophthalmia. Zebrafish rx3 null mutants produce a similar striking eyeless phenotype with an associated expanded forebrain. Thus, we used zebrafish rx3-/- mutants as a model to uncover an Rx3-regulated gene network during early eye morphogenesis. RESULTS Rx3-regulated genes were identified using whole transcriptomic sequencing (RNA-seq) of rx3-/- mutants and morphologically wild-type siblings during optic vesicle morphogenesis. A gene co-expression network was then constructed for the Rx3-regulated genes, identifying gene cross-talk during early eye development. Genes highly connected in the network are hub genes, which tend to exhibit higher expression changes between rx3-/- mutants and normal phenotype siblings. Hub genes down-regulated in rx3-/- mutants encompass homeodomain transcription factors and mediators of retinoid-signaling, both associated with eye development and known human eye disorders. In contrast, genes up-regulated in rx3-/- mutants are centered on Wnt signaling pathways, associated with brain development and disorders. The temporal expression pattern of Rx3-regulated genes was further profiled during early development from maternal stage until visual function is fully mature. Rx3-regulated genes exhibited synchronized expression patterns, and a transition of gene expression during the early segmentation stage when Rx3 was highly expressed. Furthermore, most of these deregulated genes are enriched with multiple RAX-binding motif sequences on the gene promoter. CONCLUSIONS Here, we assembled a comprehensive model of Rx3-regulated genes during early eye morphogenesis. Rx3 promotes optic vesicle morphogenesis and represses brain development through a highly correlated and modulated network, exhibiting repression of genes mediating Wnt signaling and concomitant enhanced expression of homeodomain transcription factors and retinoid-signaling genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yin
- />UCD Conway Institute, UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Ireland
- />Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
| | - Maria E Morrissey
- />UCD Conway Institute, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Ireland
| | - Lisa Shine
- />UCD Conway Institute, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Ireland
| | - Ciarán Kennedy
- />UCD Conway Institute, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Ireland
| | - Desmond G Higgins
- />UCD Conway Institute, UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Ireland
| | - Breandán N Kennedy
- />UCD Conway Institute, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Ireland
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Hüsken U, Stickney HL, Gestri G, Bianco IH, Faro A, Young RM, Roussigne M, Hawkins TA, Beretta CA, Brinkmann I, Paolini A, Jacinto R, Albadri S, Dreosti E, Tsalavouta M, Schwarz Q, Cavodeassi F, Barth AK, Wen L, Zhang B, Blader P, Yaksi E, Poggi L, Zigman M, Lin S, Wilson SW, Carl M. Tcf7l2 is required for left-right asymmetric differentiation of habenular neurons. Curr Biol 2014; 24:2217-27. [PMID: 25201686 PMCID: PMC4194317 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2012] [Revised: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although left-right asymmetries are common features of nervous systems, their developmental bases are largely unknown. In the zebrafish epithalamus, dorsal habenular neurons adopt medial (dHbm) and lateral (dHbl) subnuclear character at very different frequencies on the left and right sides. The left-sided parapineal promotes the elaboration of dHbl character in the left habenula, albeit by an unknown mechanism. Likewise, the genetic pathways acting within habenular neurons to control their asymmetric differentiated character are unknown. RESULTS In a forward genetic screen for mutations that result in loss of habenular asymmetry, we identified two mutant alleles of tcf7l2, a gene that encodes a transcriptional regulator of Wnt signaling. In tcf7l2 mutants, most neurons on both sides differentiate with dHbl identity. Consequently, the habenulae develop symmetrically, with both sides adopting a pronounced leftward character. Tcf7l2 acts cell automously in nascent equipotential neurons, and on the right side, it promotes dHbm and suppresses dHbl differentiation. On the left, the parapineal prevents this Tcf7l2-dependent process, thereby promoting dHbl differentiation. CONCLUSIONS Tcf7l2 is essential for lateralized fate selection by habenular neurons that can differentiate along two alternative pathways, thereby leading to major neural circuit asymmetries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Hüsken
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Heather L Stickney
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Gaia Gestri
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Isaac H Bianco
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ana Faro
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rodrigo M Young
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Myriam Roussigne
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Centre de Biologie du Développement (CDB), UPS, Université de Toulouse, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, France; CNRS, CDB UMR 5547, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Thomas A Hawkins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Carlo A Beretta
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Irena Brinkmann
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alessio Paolini
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Raquel Jacinto
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Shahad Albadri
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elena Dreosti
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Neuroelectronics Research Flanders, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matina Tsalavouta
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Quenten Schwarz
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Florencia Cavodeassi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Anukampa K Barth
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Lu Wen
- Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Patrick Blader
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CDB), UPS, Université de Toulouse, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, France; CNRS, CDB UMR 5547, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Emre Yaksi
- Neuroelectronics Research Flanders, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lucia Poggi
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mihaela Zigman
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 329, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Shuo Lin
- Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Stephen W Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Matthias Carl
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
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Nishiya N, Oku Y, Kumagai Y, Sato Y, Yamaguchi E, Sasaki A, Shoji M, Ohnishi Y, Okamoto H, Uehara Y. A zebrafish chemical suppressor screening identifies small molecule inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:530-540. [PMID: 24684907 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2014.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Genetic screening for suppressor mutants has been successfully used to identify important signaling regulators. Using an analogy to genetic suppressor screening, we developed a chemical suppressor screening method to identify inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. We used zebrafish embryos in which chemically induced β-catenin accumulation led to an "eyeless" phenotype and conducted a pilot screening for compounds that restored eye development. This approach allowed us to identify geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitor 286 (GGTI-286), a geranylgeranyltransferase (GGTase) inhibitor. Our follow-up studies showed that GGTI-286 reduces nuclear localization of β-catenin and transcription dependent on β-catenin/T cell factor in mammalian cells. In addition to pharmacological inhibition, GGTase gene knockdown also attenuates the nuclear function of β-catenin. Overall, we validate our chemical suppressor screening as a method for identifying Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitors and implicate GGTase as a potential therapeutic target for Wnt-activated cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoyuki Nishiya
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan.
| | - Yusuke Oku
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Yusuke Kumagai
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Yuki Sato
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Emi Yamaguchi
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Akari Sasaki
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Momoko Shoji
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Yukimi Ohnishi
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Okamoto
- Laboratory for Developmental Gene Regulation, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Yoshimasa Uehara
- Department of Microbial Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Iwate Medical University School of Pharmacy, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
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Alves CH, Pellissier LP, Wijnholds J. The CRB1 and adherens junction complex proteins in retinal development and maintenance. Prog Retin Eye Res 2014; 40:35-52. [PMID: 24508727 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2014.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The early developing retinal neuroepithelium is composed of multipotent retinal progenitor cells that differentiate in a time specific manner, giving rise to six major types of neuronal and one type of glial cells. These cells migrate and organize in three distinct nuclear layers divided by two plexiform layers. Apical and adherens junction complexes have a crucial role in this process by the establishment of polarity and adhesion. Changes in these complexes disturb the spatiotemporal aspects of retinogenesis, leading to retinal degeneration resulting in mild or severe impairment of retinal function and vision. In this review, we summarize the mouse models for the different members of the apical and adherens junction protein complexes and describe the main features of their retinal phenotypes. The knowledge acquired from the different mutant animals for these proteins corroborate their importance in retina development and maintenance of normal retinal structure and function. More recently, several studies have tried to unravel the connection between the apical proteins, important cellular signaling pathways and their relation in retina development. Still, the mechanisms by which these proteins function remain largely unknown. Here, we hypothesize how the mammalian apical CRB1 complex might control retinogenesis and prevents onset of Leber congenital amaurosis or retinitis pigmentosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celso Henrique Alves
- Department of Neuromedical Genetics, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lucie P Pellissier
- Department of Neuromedical Genetics, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Wijnholds
- Department of Neuromedical Genetics, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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37
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Robertson JK, Danzmann K, Charles S, Blake K, Olivares A, Bamikole S, Olson M, Raay TJV. Targeting the Wnt pathway in zebrafish as a screening method to identify novel therapeutic compounds. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2014; 239:169-76. [DOI: 10.1177/1535370213514322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Activating mutations in the Wnt signaling pathway account for the initiation of greater than 90% of all colorectal cancers and this pathway has been implicated in numerous other diseases. Therefore, identifying small molecule inhibitors of this pathway is of critical importance towards identifying clinically relevant drugs. Numerous screens have been employed to identify therapeutic reagents, but none have made it to advanced clinical trials, suggesting that traditional screening methods are ineffective at identifying clinically relevant targets. Here, we describe a novel in vivo screen to identify small molecule inhibitors of the Wnt pathway. Specifically, treatment of zebrafish embryos with LiCl inhibits GSK3 kinase function, resulting in hyperactivation of the signaling pathway and an eyeless phenotype at 1 day post fertilization. Using the small molecule XAV939, a known inhibitor of Wnt signaling, we rescued the LiCl induced eyeless phenotype, confirming efficacy of the screen. We next tested our assay with 400 known small molecule kinase inhibitors, none of which should inhibit Wnt signaling below the level of GSK3 based on their known targets. Accordingly, none of these small molecules rescued the eyeless phenotype, which demonstrates the stringency of the assay. However, several of these small molecule kinase inhibitors did generate a non-Wnt phenotype in accordance with the kinase they targeted. Therefore, combining the efficacy, sensitivity, and stringency of this preliminary screen, this model will provide an alternative to the traditional in vitro screen, generating potentially clinical relevant drugs in a rapid and cost-effective way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua K Robertson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Kestral Danzmann
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Sherise Charles
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Katherine Blake
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Annia Olivares
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Solape Bamikole
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Meghan Olson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Terence J Van Raay
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
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38
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Iglesias AI, Springelkamp H, van der Linde H, Severijnen LA, Amin N, Oostra B, Kockx CEM, van den Hout MCGN, van IJcken WFJ, Hofman A, Uitterlinden AG, Verdijk RM, Klaver CCW, Willemsen R, van Duijn CM. Exome sequencing and functional analyses suggest that SIX6 is a gene involved in an altered proliferation–differentiation balance early in life and optic nerve degeneration at old age. Hum Mol Genet 2013; 23:1320-32. [DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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39
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Cornelia de Lange Syndrome: NIPBL haploinsufficiency downregulates canonical Wnt pathway in zebrafish embryos and patients fibroblasts. Cell Death Dis 2013; 4:e866. [PMID: 24136230 PMCID: PMC3824680 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2013.371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome is a severe genetic disorder characterized by malformations affecting multiple systems, with a common feature of severe mental retardation. Genetic variants within four genes (NIPBL (Nipped-B-like), SMC1A, SMC3, and HDAC8) are believed to be responsible for the majority of cases; all these genes encode proteins that are part of the 'cohesin complex'. Cohesins exhibit two temporally separated major roles in cells: one controlling the cell cycle and the other involved in regulating the gene expression. The present study focuses on the role of the zebrafish nipblb paralog during neural development, examining its expression in the central nervous system, and analyzing the consequences of nipblb loss of function. Neural development was impaired by the knockdown of nipblb in zebrafish. nipblb-loss-of-function embryos presented with increased apoptosis in the developing neural tissues, downregulation of canonical Wnt pathway genes, and subsequent decreased Cyclin D1 (Ccnd1) levels. Importantly, the same pattern of canonical WNT pathway and CCND1 downregulation was observed in NIPBL-mutated patient-specific fibroblasts. Finally, chemical activation of the pathway in nipblb-loss-of-function embryos rescued the adverse phenotype and restored the physiological levels of cell death.
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40
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Hao J, Ao A, Zhou L, Murphy CK, Frist AY, Keel JJ, Thorne CA, Kim K, Lee E, Hong CC. Selective small molecule targeting β-catenin function discovered by in vivo chemical genetic screen. Cell Rep 2013; 4:898-904. [PMID: 24012757 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2013.07.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Revised: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/31/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The canonical Wnt signaling pathway, mediated by the transcription factor β-catenin, plays critical roles in embryonic development and represents an important therapeutic target. In a zebrafish-based in vivo screen for small molecules that specifically perturb embryonic dorsoventral patterning, we discovered a compound named windorphen that selectively blocks the Wnt signal required for ventral development. Windorphen exhibits remarkable specificity toward β-catenin-1 function, indicating that the two β-catenin isoforms found in zebrafish are not functionally redundant. We show that windorphen is a selective inhibitor of p300 histone acetyltransferase, a coactivator that associates with β-catenin. Finally, windorphen robustly and selectively kills cancer cells that harbor Wnt-activating mutations, supporting the therapeutic potential of this Wnt inhibitor class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jijun Hao
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
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41
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Deasey S, Nurminsky D, Shanmugasundaram S, Lima F, Nurminskaya M. Transglutaminase 2 as a novel activator of LRP6/β-catenin signaling. Cell Signal 2013; 25:2646-51. [PMID: 23993960 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2013.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 08/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The β-catenin signaling axis is critical for normal embryonic development and tissue homeostasis in adults. We have previously shown that extracellular enzyme transglutaminase 2 (TG2) activates β-catenin signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In this study, we provide several lines of evidence that TG2 functions as an activating ligand of the LRP5/6 receptors. Specifically, we show that TG2 synergizes with LRP6 in the activation of β-catenin-dependent gene expression in Cos-7 cells. Interfering with the LRP5/6 receptors attenuates TG2-induced activation of β-catenin in Cos-7 cells. Further, we show that TG2 binds directly to the extracellular domain of LRP6, which is also able to act as a substrate for TG2-mediated protein cross-linking. Furthermore, inhibitors of TG2 protein cross-linking quench the observed TG2-induced β-catenin activation, implicating protein cross-linking as a novel regulatory mechanism for this pathway. Together, our findings identify and characterize a new activating ligand of the LRP5/6 receptors and uncover a novel activity of TG2 as an agonist of β-catenin signaling, contributing to the understanding of diverse developmental events and pathological conditions in which transglutaminase and β-catenin signaling are implicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Deasey
- Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
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Hayes M, Naito M, Daulat A, Angers S, Ciruna B. Ptk7 promotes non-canonical Wnt/PCP-mediated morphogenesis and inhibits Wnt/β-catenin-dependent cell fate decisions during vertebrate development. Development 2013; 140:1807-18. [PMID: 23533179 DOI: 10.1242/dev.090183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Using zebrafish, we have characterised the function of Protein tyrosine kinase 7 (Ptk7), a transmembrane pseudokinase implicated in Wnt signal transduction during embryonic development and in cancer. Ptk7 is a known regulator of mammalian neural tube closure and Xenopus convergent extension movement. However, conflicting reports have indicated both positive and negative roles for Ptk7 in canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling. To clarify the function of Ptk7 in vertebrate embryonic patterning and morphogenesis, we generated maternal-zygotic (MZ) ptk7 mutant zebrafish using a zinc-finger nuclease (ZFN) gene targeting approach. Early loss of zebrafish Ptk7 leads to defects in axial convergence and extension, neural tube morphogenesis and loss of planar cell polarity (PCP). Furthermore, during late gastrula and segmentation stages, we observe significant upregulation of β-catenin target gene expression and demonstrate a clear role for Ptk7 in attenuating canonical Wnt/β-catenin activity in vivo. MZptk7 mutants display expanded differentiation of paraxial mesoderm within the tailbud, suggesting an important role for Ptk7 in regulating canonical Wnt-dependent fate specification within posterior stem cell pools post-gastrulation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a plasma membrane-tethered Ptk7 extracellular fragment is sufficient to rescue both PCP morphogenesis and Wnt/β-catenin patterning defects in MZptk7 mutant embryos. Our results indicate that the extracellular domain of Ptk7 acts as an important regulator of both non-canonical Wnt/PCP and canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling in multiple vertebrate developmental contexts, with important implications for the upregulated PTK7 expression observed in human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Hayes
- Program in Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
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Sinn R, Wittbrodt J. An eye on eye development. Mech Dev 2013; 130:347-58. [PMID: 23684892 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2013.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2013] [Revised: 05/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate eye is composed of both surface ectodermal and neuroectodermal derivatives that evaginate laterally from an epithelial anlage of the forming diencephalon. The retina is composed of a limited number of neuronal and non-neuronal cell types and is seen as a model for the brain with reduced complexity. The eye develops in a stereotypic manner building on evolutionarily conserved molecular networks. Eye formation is initiated at the onset of gastrulation by the determination of the eye field in the anterior neuroectoderm. Homeobox transcription factors, in particular Six3 are crucially involved in the establishment and maintenance of retinal identity. The eye field expands by proliferation as gastrulation proceeds and is initially confined to a single retinal primordium by the differential activity of specifying transcription factors. This central field is subsequently split in response to secreted factors emanating from the ventral midline. Concomitant with medio-lateral patterning at the onset of neurulation, morphogenesis sets in and laterally evaginates the optic vesicle. Strikingly during this process the neuroectoderm in the eye field transiently loses epithelial features and cells migrate individually. In a second morphogenetic event, the vesicle is transformed into the optic cup, concomitant with onset and progression of retinal differentiation. Accompanying optic cup morphogenesis, neural differentiation is initiated from a retinal signalling centre in a stereotypic and species specific manner by secreted signalling factors. Here we will give an overview of key events during vertebrate eye formation and highlight key players in the respective processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Sinn
- Centre for Organismal Studies, COS Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Hashiguchi M, Mullins MC. Anteroposterior and dorsoventral patterning are coordinated by an identical patterning clock. Development 2013; 140:1970-80. [PMID: 23536566 DOI: 10.1242/dev.088104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Establishment of the body plan in vertebrates depends on the temporally coordinated patterning of tissues along the body axes. We have previously shown that dorsoventral (DV) tissues are temporally patterned progressively from anterior to posterior by a BMP signaling pathway. Here we report that DV patterning along the zebrafish anteroposterior (AP) axis is temporally coordinated with AP patterning by an identical patterning clock. We altered AP patterning by inhibiting or activating FGF, Wnt or retinoic acid signaling combined with inhibition of BMP signaling at a series of developmental time points, which revealed that the temporal progression of DV patterning is directly coordinated with AP patterning. We investigated how these signaling pathways are integrated and suggest a model for how DV and AP patterning are temporally coordinated. It has been shown that in Xenopus dorsal tissues FGF and Wnt signaling quell BMP signaling by degrading phosphorylated (P) Smad1/5, the BMP pathway signal transducer, via phosphorylation of the Smad1/5 linker region. We show that in zebrafish FGF/MAPK, but not Wnt/GSK3, phosphorylation of the Smad1/5 linker region localizes to a ventral vegetal gastrula region that could coordinate DV patterning with AP patterning ventrally without degrading P-Smad1/5. Furthermore, we demonstrate that alteration of the MAPK phosphorylation sites in the Smad5 linker causes precocious patterning of DV tissues along the AP axis during gastrulation. Thus, DV and AP patterning are intimately coordinated to allow cells to acquire both positional and temporal information simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megumi Hashiguchi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA
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Inhibition of caudal fin regeneration in Corydoras aeneus by lithium chloride. Micron 2013; 46:66-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2012.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2012] [Revised: 12/17/2012] [Accepted: 12/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Neal JT, Peterson TS, Kent ML, Guillemin K. H. pylori virulence factor CagA increases intestinal cell proliferation by Wnt pathway activation in a transgenic zebrafish model. Dis Model Mech 2013; 6:802-10. [PMID: 23471915 PMCID: PMC3634662 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.011163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection with Helicobacter pylori is a major risk factor for the development of gastric cancer, and infection with strains carrying the virulence factor CagA significantly increases this risk. To investigate the mechanisms by which CagA promotes carcinogenesis, we generated transgenic zebrafish expressing CagA ubiquitously or in the anterior intestine. Transgenic zebrafish expressing either the wild-type or a phosphorylation-resistant form of CagA exhibited significantly increased rates of intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and showed significant upregulation of the Wnt target genes cyclinD1, axin2 and the zebrafish c-myc ortholog myca. Coexpression of CagA with a loss-of-function allele encoding the β-catenin destruction complex protein Axin1 resulted in a further increase in intestinal proliferation. Coexpression of CagA with a null allele of the key β-catenin transcriptional cofactor Tcf4 restored intestinal proliferation to wild-type levels. These results provide in vivo evidence of Wnt pathway activation by CagA downstream of or in parallel to the β-catenin destruction complex and upstream of Tcf4. Long-term transgenic expression of wild-type CagA, but not the phosphorylation-resistant form, resulted in significant hyperplasia of the adult intestinal epithelium. We further utilized this model to demonstrate that oncogenic cooperation between CagA and a loss-of-function allele of p53 is sufficient to induce high rates of intestinal small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, establishing the utility of our transgenic zebrafish model in the study of CagA-associated gastrointestinal cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- James T Neal
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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Nikaido M, Law EWP, Kelsh RN. A systematic survey of expression and function of zebrafish frizzled genes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54833. [PMID: 23349976 PMCID: PMC3551900 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2012] [Accepted: 12/19/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is crucial for the regulation of numerous processes in development. Consistent with this, the gene families for both the ligands (Wnts) and receptors (Frizzleds) are very large. Surprisingly, while we have a reasonable understanding of the Wnt ligands likely to mediate specific Wnt-dependent processes, the corresponding receptors usually remain to be elucidated. Taking advantage of the zebrafish model's excellent genomic and genetic properties, we undertook a comprehensive analysis of the expression patterns of frizzled (fzd) genes in zebrafish. To explore their functions, we focused on testing their requirement in several developmental events known to be regulated by Wnt signaling, convergent extension movements of gastrulation, neural crest induction, and melanocyte specification. We found fourteen distinct fzd genes in the zebrafish genome. Systematic analysis of their expression patterns between 1-somite and 30 hours post-fertilization revealed complex, dynamic and overlapping expression patterns. This analysis demonstrated that only fzd3a, fzd9b, and fzd10 are expressed in the dorsal neural tube at stages corresponding to the timing of melanocyte specification. Surprisingly, however, morpholino knockdown of these, alone or in combination, gave no indication of reduction of melanocytes, suggesting the important involvement of untested fzds or another type of Wnt receptor in this process. Likewise, we found only fzd7b and fzd10 expressed at the border of the neural plate at stages appropriate for neural crest induction. However, neural crest markers were not reduced by knockdown of these receptors. Instead, these morpholino knockdown studies showed that fzd7a and fzd7b work co-operatively to regulate convergent extension movement during gastrulation. Furthermore, we show that the two fzd7 genes function together with fzd10 to regulate epiboly movements and mesoderm differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masataka Nikaido
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W. P. Law
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, United Kingdom
| | - Robert N. Kelsh
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Grocott T, Tambalo M, Streit A. The peripheral sensory nervous system in the vertebrate head: a gene regulatory perspective. Dev Biol 2012; 370:3-23. [PMID: 22790010 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Revised: 06/28/2012] [Accepted: 06/29/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In the vertebrate head, crucial parts of the sense organs and sensory ganglia develop from special regions, the cranial placodes. Despite their cellular and functional diversity, they arise from a common field of multipotent progenitors and acquire distinct identity later under the influence of local signalling. Here we present the gene regulatory network that summarises our current understanding of how sensory cells are specified, how they become different from other ectodermal derivatives and how they begin to diversify to generate placodes with different identities. This analysis reveals how sequential activation of sets of transcription factors subdivides the ectoderm over time into smaller domains of progenitors for the central nervous system, neural crest, epidermis and sensory placodes. Within this hierarchy the timing of signalling and developmental history of each cell population is of critical importance to determine the ultimate outcome. A reoccurring theme is that local signals set up broad gene expression domains, which are further refined by mutual repression between different transcription factors. The Six and Eya network lies at the heart of sensory progenitor specification. In a positive feedback loop these factors perpetuate their own expression thus stabilising pre-placodal fate, while simultaneously repressing neural and neural crest specific factors. Downstream of the Six and Eya cassette, Pax genes in combination with other factors begin to impart regional identity to placode progenitors. While our review highlights the wealth of information available, it also points to the lack information on the cis-regulatory mechanisms that control placode specification and of how the repeated use of signalling input is integrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Grocott
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London, Guy's Tower Wing, Floor 27, London SE1 9RT, UK
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Carlin D, Sepich D, Grover VK, Cooper MK, Solnica-Krezel L, Inbal A. Six3 cooperates with Hedgehog signaling to specify ventral telencephalon by promoting early expression of Foxg1a and repressing Wnt signaling. Development 2012; 139:2614-24. [PMID: 22736245 PMCID: PMC3383232 DOI: 10.1242/dev.076018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/01/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Six3 exerts multiple functions in the development of anterior neural tissue of vertebrate embryos. Whereas complete loss of Six3 function in the mouse results in failure of forebrain formation, its hypomorphic mutations in human and mouse can promote holoprosencephaly (HPE), a forebrain malformation that results, at least in part, from abnormal telencephalon development. However, the roles of Six3 in telencephalon patterning and differentiation are not well understood. To address the role of Six3 in telencephalon development, we analyzed zebrafish embryos deficient in two out of three Six3-related genes, six3b and six7, representing a partial loss of Six3 function. We found that telencephalon forms in six3b;six7-deficient embryos; however, ventral telencephalic domains are smaller and dorsal domains are larger. Decreased cell proliferation or excess apoptosis cannot account for the ventral deficiency. Instead, six3b and six7 are required during early segmentation for specification of ventral progenitors, similar to the role of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in telencephalon development. Unlike in mice, we observe that Hh signaling is not disrupted in embryos with reduced Six3 function. Furthermore, six3b overexpression is sufficient to compensate for loss of Hh signaling in isl1- but not nkx2.1b-positive cells, suggesting a novel Hh-independent role for Six3 in telencephalon patterning. We further find that Six3 promotes ventral telencephalic fates through transient regulation of foxg1a expression and repression of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Carlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Diane Sepich
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Vandana K. Grover
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Michael K. Cooper
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Lilianna Solnica-Krezel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Adi Inbal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, IMRIC, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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Fotaki V, Price DJ, Mason JO. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is disrupted in the extra-toes (Gli3(Xt/Xt) ) mutant from early stages of forebrain development, concomitant with anterior neural plate patterning defects. J Comp Neurol 2012; 519:1640-57. [PMID: 21452227 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The zinc finger transcription factor Gli3 is essential for normal development of the forebrain. Mutant mice with no functional Gli3 (extra-toes, Gli3(Xt/Xt) mutants) display a massive reduction in the size of the telencephalic lobes and absence of dorsomedial telencephalic structures, including the cortical hem, which normally expresses a number of Wnt molecules essential for patterning the hippocampus. Dorsomedial telencephalic Wnt activity, transduced through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, is also required for hippocampal specification and dorsoventral telencephalic patterning. Wnts whose normal expression is restricted to the cortical hem are completely absent in Gli3(Xt/Xt) embryos, but some expression of those Wnts with a broader expression domain persists, raising the possibility that Wnt/β-catenin signaling may still be active in this mutant. We examined whether the Wnt expression that persists in the Gli3(Xt/Xt) mutant neocortex activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, using the BAT-gal transgenic reporter. We found Wnt/β-catenin signaling consistently decreased in the forebrains of Gli3(Xt/Xt) mutants, even prior to the formation of the cortical hem. This is accompanied by a severe reduction in expression of Wnt7b and Wnt8b at the lateral edges of the anterior neural plate that will give rise to the pallium. In addition, we found a significant increase in the expression of rostroventral markers of the anterior neural plate that will give rise to the basal forebrain. Our data reveal that Gli3 is required at the neural plate stage to regulate Wnt expression and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the presumptive forebrain and confirm its previously proposed role in patterning the anterior neural plate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassiliki Fotaki
- Genes and Development Group, Centre for Integrative Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.
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