1
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Pai C, McIntosh BA, Knutsen RH, Levin MD, Tsang KM, Kozel BA, Heuckeroth RO. Loss of Baz1b in mice causes perinatal lethality, growth failure, and variable multi-system outcomes. Dev Biol 2024; 505:42-57. [PMID: 37827362 PMCID: PMC10872721 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
BAZ1B is one of 25-27 coding genes deleted in canonical Williams syndrome, a multi-system disorder causing slow growth, vascular stenosis, and gastrointestinal complaints, including constipation. BAZ1B is involved in (among other processes) chromatin organization, DNA damage repair, and mitosis, suggesting reduced BAZ1B may contribute to Williams syndrome symptoms. In mice, loss of Baz1b causes early neonatal death. 89.6% of Baz1b-/- mice die within 24 h of birth without vascular anomalies or congenital heart disease (except for patent ductus arteriosus). Some (<50%) Baz1b-/- were noted to have prolonged neonatal cyanosis, patent ductus arteriosus, or reduced lung aeration, and none developed a milk spot. Meanwhile, 35.5% of Baz1b+/- mice die over the first three weeks after birth. Surviving Baz1b heterozygotes grow slowly (with variable severity). 66.7% of Baz1b+/- mice develop bowel dilation, compared to 37.8% of wild-type mice, but small bowel and colon transit studies were normal. Additionally, enteric neuron density appeared normal in Baz1b-/- mice except in distal colon myenteric plexus, where neuron density was modestly elevated. Combined with several rare phenotypes (agnathia, microphthalmia, bowel dilation) recovered, our work confirms the importance of BAZ1B in survival and growth and suggests that reduced copy number of BAZ1B may contribute to the variability in Williams syndrome phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Pai
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 19104; The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 19104
| | - Basil A McIntosh
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, 20892
| | - Russell H Knutsen
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, 20892
| | - Mark D Levin
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, 20892
| | - Kit Man Tsang
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, 20892
| | - Beth A Kozel
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, 20892.
| | - Robert O Heuckeroth
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 19104; The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 19104.
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2
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Tamari T, Ikeda Y, Morimoto K, Kobayashi K, Mizuno-Iijima S, Ayabe S, Kuno A, Mizuno S, Yoshiki A. A universal method for generating knockout mice in multiple genetic backgrounds using zygote electroporation. Biol Open 2023; 12:bio059970. [PMID: 37623822 PMCID: PMC10497038 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetically engineered mouse models are essential tools for understanding mammalian gene functions and disease pathogenesis. Genome editing allows the generation of these models in multiple inbred strains of mice without backcrossing. Zygote electroporation dramatically removed the barrier for introducing the CRISPR-Cas9 complex in terms of cost and labour. Here, we demonstrate that the generalised zygote electroporation method is also effective for generating knockout mice in multiple inbred strains. By combining in vitro fertilisation and electroporation, we obtained founders for knockout alleles in eight common inbred strains. Long-read sequencing analysis detected not only intended mutant alleles but also differences in read frequency of intended and unintended alleles among strains. Successful germline transmission of knockout alleles demonstrated that our approach can establish mutant mice targeting the same locus in multiple inbred strains for phenotyping analysis, contributing to reverse genetics and human disease research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Tamari
- Model Generation & Breeding Service, The Jackson Laboratory Japan, Inc., 955 Kamibayashi, Ishioka, Ibaraki 315-0138, Japan
- Experimental Animal Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
- Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Ikeda
- Model Generation & Breeding Service, The Jackson Laboratory Japan, Inc., 955 Kamibayashi, Ishioka, Ibaraki 315-0138, Japan
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Trans-Border Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Kento Morimoto
- Doctoral Program in Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
- Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kojimachi Business Center Building, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
| | - Keiko Kobayashi
- Model Generation & Breeding Service, The Jackson Laboratory Japan, Inc., 955 Kamibayashi, Ishioka, Ibaraki 315-0138, Japan
| | - Saori Mizuno-Iijima
- Experimental Animal Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - Shinya Ayabe
- Experimental Animal Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - Akihiro Kuno
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Trans-Border Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Atsushi Yoshiki
- Experimental Animal Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
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3
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Bando H, Brinkmeier ML, Castinetti F, Fang Q, Lee MS, Saveanu A, Albarel F, Dupuis C, Brue T, Camper SA. Heterozygous variants in SIX3 and POU1F1 cause pituitary hormone deficiency in mouse and man. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 32:367-385. [PMID: 35951005 PMCID: PMC9851746 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital hypopituitarism is a genetically heterogeneous condition that is part of a spectrum disorder that can include holoprosencephaly. Heterozygous mutations in SIX3 cause variable holoprosencephaly in humans and mice. We identified two children with neonatal hypopituitarism and thin pituitary stalk who were doubly heterozygous for rare, likely deleterious variants in the transcription factors SIX3 and POU1F1. We used genetically engineered mice to understand the disease pathophysiology. Pou1f1 loss-of-function heterozygotes are unaffected; Six3 heterozygotes have pituitary gland dysmorphology and incompletely ossified palate; and the Six3+/-; Pou1f1+/dw double heterozygote mice have a pronounced phenotype, including pituitary growth through the palate. The interaction of Pou1f1 and Six3 in mice supports the possibility of digenic pituitary disease in children. Disruption of Six3 expression in the oral ectoderm completely ablated anterior pituitary development, and deletion of Six3 in the neural ectoderm blocked the development of the pituitary stalk and both anterior and posterior pituitary lobes. Six3 is required in both oral and neural ectodermal tissues for the activation of signaling pathways and transcription factors necessary for pituitary cell fate. These studies clarify the mechanism of SIX3 action in pituitary development and provide support for a digenic basis for hypopituitarism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Frederic Castinetti
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Department of Endocrinology, Hôpital de la Conception, Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares de l’hypophyse HYPO, Marseille, France,Aix-Marseille Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1251, Marseille Medical Genetics (MMG), Institut Marseille, Maladies Rares (MarMaRa), Marseille, France
| | - Qing Fang
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Mi-Sun Lee
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alexandru Saveanu
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Department of Endocrinology, Hôpital de la Conception, Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares de l’hypophyse HYPO, Marseille, France,Aix-Marseille Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1251, Marseille Medical Genetics (MMG), Institut Marseille, Maladies Rares (MarMaRa), Marseille, France
| | - Frédérique Albarel
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Department of Endocrinology, Hôpital de la Conception, Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares de l’hypophyse HYPO, Marseille, France,Aix-Marseille Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1251, Marseille Medical Genetics (MMG), Institut Marseille, Maladies Rares (MarMaRa), Marseille, France
| | - Clémentine Dupuis
- Department of Pediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble-Alpes, site Nord, Hôpital Couple Enfants, Grenoble, France
| | - Thierry Brue
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Department of Endocrinology, Hôpital de la Conception, Centre de Référence des Maladies Rares de l’hypophyse HYPO, Marseille, France,Aix-Marseille Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1251, Marseille Medical Genetics (MMG), Institut Marseille, Maladies Rares (MarMaRa), Marseille, France
| | - Sally A Camper
- To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, 5704 Medical Science Building II, 1241 Catherine St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Tel: +1-734-763-0682; Fax: +1-734-763-3784;
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4
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Guida V, Sparascio FP, Bernardini L, Pancheri F, Melis D, Cocciadiferro D, Pagnoni M, Puzzo M, Goldoni M, Barone C, Hozhabri H, Putotto C, Giuffrida MG, Briuglia S, Palumbo O, Bianca S, Stanzial F, Benedicenti F, Kariminejad A, Forzano F, Baghernajad Salehi L, Mattina T, Brancati F, Castori M, Carella M, Fadda MT, Iannetti G, Dallapiccola B, Digilio MC, Marino B, Tartaglia M, De Luca A. Copy number variation analysis implicates novel pathways in patients with oculo-auriculo-vertebral-spectrum and congenital heart defects. Clin Genet 2021; 100:268-279. [PMID: 33988253 DOI: 10.1111/cge.13994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (OAVS) is a developmental disorder of craniofacial morphogenesis. Its etiology is unclear, but assumed to be complex and heterogeneous, with contribution of both genetic and environmental factors. We assessed the occurrence of copy number variants (CNVs) in a cohort of 19 unrelated OAVS individuals with congenital heart defect. Chromosomal microarray analysis identified pathogenic CNVs in 2/19 (10.5%) individuals, and CNVs classified as variants of uncertain significance in 7/19 (36.9%) individuals. Remarkably, two subjects had small intragenic CNVs involving DACH1 and DACH2, two paralogs coding for key components of the PAX-SIX-EYA-DACH network, a transcriptional regulatory pathway controlling developmental processes relevant to OAVS and causally associated with syndromes characterized by craniofacial involvement. Moreover, a third patient showed a large duplication encompassing DMBX1/OTX3, encoding a transcriptional repressor of OTX2, another transcription factor functionally connected to the DACH-EYA-PAX network. Among the other relevant CNVs, a deletion encompassing HSD17B6, a gene connected with the retinoic acid signaling pathway, whose dysregulation has been implicated in craniofacial malformations, was also identified. Our findings suggest that CNVs affecting gene dosage likely contribute to the genetic heterogeneity of OAVS, and implicate the PAX-SIX-EYA-DACH network as novel pathway involved in the etiology of this developmental trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Guida
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Francesca Piceci Sparascio
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Bernardini
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Francesco Pancheri
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Melis
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.,Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Dario Cocciadiferro
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.,Translational Cytogenomics Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Pagnoni
- Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Marianna Puzzo
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Marina Goldoni
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Chiara Barone
- Medical Genetics, Referral Center for Rare Genetic Diseases, ARNAS Garibaldi, Catania, Italy
| | - Hossein Hozhabri
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Carolina Putotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Giuffrida
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Silvana Briuglia
- Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", Unit of Emergency Pediatrics, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Orazio Palumbo
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Bianca
- Medical Genetics, Referral Center for Rare Genetic Diseases, ARNAS Garibaldi, Catania, Italy
| | - Franco Stanzial
- Genetic Counseling Service, Department of Pediatrics, Regional Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Francesco Benedicenti
- Genetic Counseling Service, Department of Pediatrics, Regional Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Forzano
- Clinical Genetics Department, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Teresa Mattina
- Unit of Medical Genetics, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Francesco Brancati
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Medical Genetics University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Marco Castori
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Massimo Carella
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Fadda
- Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Iannetti
- Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Dallapiccola
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Digilio
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Marino
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Tartaglia
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro De Luca
- Medical Genetics Division, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
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5
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Harding P, Cunha DL, Moosajee M. Animal and cellular models of microphthalmia. THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES IN RARE DISEASE 2021; 2:2633004021997447. [PMID: 37181112 PMCID: PMC10032472 DOI: 10.1177/2633004021997447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Microphthalmia is a rare developmental eye disorder affecting 1 in 7000 births. It is defined as a small (axial length ⩾2 standard deviations below the age-adjusted mean) underdeveloped eye, caused by disruption of ocular development through genetic or environmental factors in the first trimester of pregnancy. Clinical phenotypic heterogeneity exists amongst patients with varying levels of severity, and associated ocular and systemic features. Up to 11% of blind children are reported to have microphthalmia, yet currently no treatments are available. By identifying the aetiology of microphthalmia and understanding how the mechanisms of eye development are disrupted, we can gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis. Animal models, mainly mouse, zebrafish and Xenopus, have provided extensive information on the genetic regulation of oculogenesis, and how perturbation of these pathways leads to microphthalmia. However, differences exist between species, hence cellular models, such as patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) optic vesicles, are now being used to provide greater insights into the human disease process. Progress in 3D cellular modelling techniques has enhanced the ability of researchers to study interactions of different cell types during eye development. Through improved molecular knowledge of microphthalmia, preventative or postnatal therapies may be developed, together with establishing genotype-phenotype correlations in order to provide patients with the appropriate prognosis, multidisciplinary care and informed genetic counselling. This review summarises some key discoveries from animal and cellular models of microphthalmia and discusses how innovative new models can be used to further our understanding in the future. Plain language summary Animal and Cellular Models of the Eye Disorder, Microphthalmia (Small Eye) Microphthalmia, meaning a small, underdeveloped eye, is a rare disorder that children are born with. Genetic changes or variations in the environment during the first 3 months of pregnancy can disrupt early development of the eye, resulting in microphthalmia. Up to 11% of blind children have microphthalmia, yet currently no treatments are available. By understanding the genes necessary for eye development, we can determine how disruption by genetic changes or environmental factors can cause this condition. This helps us understand why microphthalmia occurs, and ensure patients are provided with the appropriate clinical care and genetic counselling advice. Additionally, by understanding the causes of microphthalmia, researchers can develop treatments to prevent or reduce the severity of this condition. Animal models, particularly mice, zebrafish and frogs, which can also develop small eyes due to the same genetic/environmental changes, have helped us understand the genes which are important for eye development and can cause birth eye defects when disrupted. Studying a patient's own cells grown in the laboratory can further help researchers understand how changes in genes affect their function. Both animal and cellular models can be used to develop and test new drugs, which could provide treatment options for patients living with microphthalmia. This review summarises the key discoveries from animal and cellular models of microphthalmia and discusses how innovative new models can be used to further our understanding in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath
Street, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust,
London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS
Foundation Trust, London, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
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6
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Dubucs C, Chassaing N, Sergi C, Aubert-Mucca M, Attié-Bitach T, Lacombe D, Thauvin-Robinet C, Arpin S, Perez MJ, Cabrol C, Chen CP, Aziza J, Colin E, Martinovic J, Calvas P, Plaisancié J. Re-focusing on Agnathia-Otocephaly complex. Clin Oral Investig 2020; 25:1353-1362. [PMID: 32643087 DOI: 10.1007/s00784-020-03443-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Agnathia-otocephaly complex is a rare condition characterized by mandibular hypoplasia or agnathia, ear anomalies (melotia/synotia) and microstomia with aglossia. This severe anomaly of the first branchial arch is most often lethal. The estimated incidence is less than 1 in 70.000 births, with etiologies linked to both genetic and teratogenic factors. Most of the cases are sporadic. To date, two genes have been described in humans to be involved in this condition: OTX2 and PRRX1. Nevertheless, the overall proportion of mutated cases is unknown and a significant number of patients remain without molecular diagnosis. Thus, the involvement of other genes than OTX2 and PRRX1 in the agnathia-otocephaly complex is not unlikely. Heterozygous mutations in Cnbp in mice are responsible for mandibular and eye defects mimicking the agnathia-otocephaly complex in humans and appear as a good candidate. Therefore, in this study, we aimed (i) to collect patients presenting with agnathia-otocephaly complex for screening CNBP, in parallel with OTX2 and PRRX1, to check its possible implication in the human phenotype and (ii) to compare our results with the literature data to estimate the proportion of mutated cases after genetic testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this work, we describe 10 patients suffering from the agnathia-otocephaly complex. All of them benefited from array-CGH and Sanger sequencing of OTX2, PRRX1 and CNBP. A complete review of the literature was made using the Pubmed database to collect all the patients described with a phenotype of agnathia-otocephaly complex during the 20 last years (1998-2019) in order (i) to study etiology (genetic causes, iatrogenic causes…) and (ii), when genetic testing was performed, to study which genes were tested and by which type of technologies. RESULTS In our 10 patients' cohort, no point mutation in the three tested genes was detected by Sanger sequencing, while array-CGH has allowed identifying a 107-kb deletion encompassing OTX2 responsible for the agnathia-otocephaly complex phenotype in 1 of them. In 4 of the 70 cases described in the literature, a toxic cause was identified and 22 out the 66 remaining cases benefited from genetic testing. Among those 22 patients, 6 were carrying mutation or deletion in the OTX2 gene and 4 in the PRRX1 gene. Thus, when compiling results from our cohort and the literature, a total of 32 patients benefited from genetic testing, with only 34% (11/32) of patients having a mutation in one of the two known genes, OTX2 or PRRX1. CONCLUSIONS From our work and the literature review, only mutations in OTX2 and PRRX1 have been found to date in patients, explaining around one third of the etiologies after genetic testing. Thus, agnathia-otocephaly complex remains unexplained in the majority of the patients, which indicates that other factors might be involved. Although involved in first branchial arch defects, no mutation in the CNBP gene was found in this study. This suggests that mutations in CNBP might not be involved in such phenotype in humans or that, unlike in mice, a compensatory effect might exist in humans. Nevertheless, given that agnathia-otocephaly complex is a rare phenotype, more patients have to be screened for CNBP mutations before we definitively conclude about its potential implication. Therefore, this work presents the current state of knowledge on agnathia-otocephaly complex and underlines the need to expand further the understanding of the genetic bases of this disorder, which remains largely unknown. CLINICAL RELEVANCE We made here an update and focus on the clinical and genetic aspects of agnathia-otocephaly complex as well as a more general review of craniofacial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Dubucs
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,Département d'Anatomie et de Cytologie Pathologiques, Institut Universitaire du cancer de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - N Chassaing
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,INSERM U1056, Université Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - C Sergi
- Department of Lab. Med. & Pathology (5B4.09), University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - M Aubert-Mucca
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - T Attié-Bitach
- Unité d'Embryofœtopathologie, Service d'Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Paris, France.,Institut Imagine, INSERM U1163, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Paris, France
| | - D Lacombe
- Service de Génétique Médicale, CRMR, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,INSERM U1211, Université de Bordeaux, 33076, Bordeaux, France
| | - C Thauvin-Robinet
- UMR1231 GAD, Inserm - Université Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon, France.,Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic génomique des maladies rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, Bourgogne, France.,Centre de Référence maladies rares "Anomalies du Développement et syndromes malformatifs," Centre de Génétique, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - S Arpin
- Service de Génétique Clinique, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Tours, Tours, France
| | - M J Perez
- Department of Medical Genetics, Reference Center for Developmental Abnormalities and Constitutional Bone Diseases, CHRU, Montpellier, France
| | - C Cabrol
- Centre de Génétique Humaine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | - C P Chen
- Department of Materials Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - J Aziza
- Département d'Anatomie et de Cytologie Pathologiques, Institut Universitaire du cancer de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - E Colin
- Department de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Angers, France.,UMR CNRS 6214-INSERM 1083 and PREMMI, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - J Martinovic
- Unit of Fetal Pathology, AP-HP Antoine Béclère Hospital, Clamart, France
| | - P Calvas
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,INSERM U1056, Université Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Julie Plaisancié
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France. .,INSERM U1056, Université Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.
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7
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Harding P, Moosajee M. The Molecular Basis of Human Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia. J Dev Biol 2019; 7:jdb7030016. [PMID: 31416264 PMCID: PMC6787759 DOI: 10.3390/jdb7030016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human eye development is coordinated through an extensive network of genetic signalling pathways. Disruption of key regulatory genes in the early stages of eye development can result in aborted eye formation, resulting in an absent eye (anophthalmia) or a small underdeveloped eye (microphthalmia) phenotype. Anophthalmia and microphthalmia (AM) are part of the same clinical spectrum and have high genetic heterogeneity, with >90 identified associated genes. By understanding the roles of these genes in development, including their temporal expression, the phenotypic variation associated with AM can be better understood, improving diagnosis and management. This review describes the genetic and structural basis of eye development, focusing on the function of key genes known to be associated with AM. In addition, we highlight some promising avenues of research involving multiomic approaches and disease modelling with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, which will aid in developing novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London EC1V 2PD, UK.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
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8
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Gergics P. Pituitary Transcription Factor Mutations Leading to Hypopituitarism. EXPERIENTIA SUPPLEMENTUM (2012) 2019; 111:263-298. [PMID: 31588536 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-25905-1_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Congenital pituitary hormone deficiency is a disabling condition. It is part of a spectrum of disorders including craniofacial midline developmental defects ranging from holoprosencephaly through septo-optic dysplasia to combined and isolated pituitary hormone deficiency. The first genes discovered in the human disease were based on mouse models of dwarfism due to mutations in transcription factor genes. High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies enabled clinicians and researchers to find novel genetic causes of hypopituitarism for the more than three quarters of patients without a known genetic diagnosis to date. Transcription factor (TF) genes are at the forefront of the functional analysis of novel variants of unknown significance due to the relative ease in in vitro testing in a research lab. Genetic testing in hypopituitarism is of high importance to the individual and their family to predict phenotype composition, disease progression and to avoid life-threatening complications such as secondary adrenal insufficiency.This chapter aims to highlight our current understanding about (1) the contribution of TF genes to pituitary development (2) the diversity of inheritance and phenotype features in combined and select isolated pituitary hormone deficiency and (3) provide an initial assessment on how to approach variants of unknown significance in human hypopituitarism. Our better understanding on how transcription factor gene variants lead to hypopituitarism is a meaningful step to plan advanced therapies to specific genetic changes in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Gergics
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Armstrong C, Richardson DS, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ, Küpper C, Percival‐Alwyn L, Clark M, Burke T, Spurgin LG. Genomic associations with bill length and disease reveal drift and selection across island bird populations. Evol Lett 2018; 2:22-36. [PMID: 30283662 PMCID: PMC6121843 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Island species provide excellent models for investigating how selection and drift operate in wild populations, and for determining how these processes act to influence local adaptation and speciation. Here, we examine the role of selection and drift in shaping genomic and phenotypic variation across recently separated populations of Berthelot's pipit (Anthus berthelotii), a passerine bird endemic to three archipelagos in the Atlantic. We first characterized genetic diversity and population structuring that supported previous inferences of a history of recent colonizations and bottlenecks. We then tested for regions of the genome associated with the ecologically important traits of bill length and malaria infection, both of which vary substantially across populations in this species. We identified a SNP associated with variation in bill length among individuals, islands, and archipelagos; patterns of variation at this SNP suggest that both phenotypic and genotypic variation in bill length is largely shaped by founder effects. Malaria was associated with SNPs near/within genes involved in the immune response, but this relationship was not consistent among archipelagos, supporting the view that disease resistance is complex and rapidly evolving. Although we found little evidence for divergent selection at candidate loci for bill length and malaria resistance, genome scan analyses pointed to several genes related to immunity and metabolism as having important roles in divergence and adaptation. Our findings highlight the utility and challenges involved with combining association mapping and population genetic analysis in nonequilibrium populations, to disentangle the effects of drift and selection on shaping genotypes and phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Armstrong
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East AngliaNorwich Research ParkNorwich NR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East AngliaNorwich Research ParkNorwich NR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
| | - Helen Hipperson
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffield S10 2TNUnited Kingdom
| | - Gavin J. Horsburgh
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffield S10 2TNUnited Kingdom
| | - Clemens Küpper
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology82319 SeewiesenGermany
| | | | - Matt Clark
- Earlham InstituteNorwich Research ParkNorwich NR4 7UZUnited Kingdom
| | - Terry Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffield S10 2TNUnited Kingdom
| | - Lewis G. Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East AngliaNorwich Research ParkNorwich NR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
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10
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Shioi G, Hoshino H, Abe T, Kiyonari H, Nakao K, Meng W, Furuta Y, Fujimori T, Aizawa S. Apical constriction in distal visceral endoderm cells initiates global, collective cell rearrangement in embryonic visceral endoderm to form anterior visceral endoderm. Dev Biol 2017; 429:20-30. [PMID: 28712875 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The behavior of visceral endoderm cells was examined as the anterior visceral endoderm (AVE) formed from the distal visceral endoderm (DVE) using the mouse lines R26-H2B-EGFP and R26-PHA7-EGFP to visualize cell nuclei and adherens junction, respectively. The analysis using R26-H2B-EGFP demonstrated global cell rearrangement that was not specific to the DVE cells in the monolayer embryonic visceral endoderm sheet; each population of the endoderm cells moved collectively in a swirling movement as a whole. Most of the AVE cells at E6.5 were not E5.5 DVE cells but were E5.5 cells that were located caudally behind them, as previously reported (Hoshino et al., 2015; Takaoka et al., 2011). In the rearrangement, the posterior embryonic visceral endoderm cells did not move, as extraembryonic visceral endoderm cells did not, and they constituted a distinct population during the process of anterior-posterior axis formation. The analysis using R26-PHA7-EGFP suggested that constriction of the apical surfaces of the cells in prospective anterior portion of the DVE initiated the global cellular movement of the embryonic visceral endoderm to drive AVE formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Go Shioi
- Genetic Engineering Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
| | - Hideharu Hoshino
- Laboratory for Vertebrate Body Plan, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Takaya Abe
- Genetic Engineering Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kiyonari
- Genetic Engineering Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Animal Resource Development Unit, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kazuki Nakao
- Animal Resource Development Unit, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Laboratory of Animal Resources, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine (CDBIM), University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Wenxiang Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yasuhide Furuta
- Genetic Engineering Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Animal Resource Development Unit, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Fujimori
- Genetic Engineering Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Shinichi Aizawa
- Genetic Engineering Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Laboratory for Vertebrate Body Plan, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
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Percival CJ, Marangoni P, Tapaltsyan V, Klein O, Hallgrímsson B. The Interaction of Genetic Background and Mutational Effects in Regulation of Mouse Craniofacial Shape. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2017; 7:1439-1450. [PMID: 28280213 PMCID: PMC5427488 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.040659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Inbred genetic background significantly influences the expression of phenotypes associated with known genetic perturbations and can underlie variation in disease severity between individuals with the same mutation. However, the effect of epistatic interactions on the development of complex traits, such as craniofacial morphology, is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of three inbred backgrounds (129X1/SvJ, C57BL/6J, and FVB/NJ) on the expression of craniofacial dysmorphology in mice (Mus musculus) with loss of function in three members of the Sprouty family of growth factor negative regulators (Spry1, Spry2, or Spry4) in order to explore the impact of epistatic interactions on skull morphology. We found that the interaction of inbred background and the Sprouty genotype explains as much craniofacial shape variation as the Sprouty genotype alone. The most severely affected genotypes display a relatively short and wide skull, a rounded cranial vault, and a more highly angled inferior profile. Our results suggest that the FVB background is more resilient to Sprouty loss of function than either C57 or 129, and that Spry4 loss is generally less severe than loss of Spry1 or Spry2 While the specific modifier genes responsible for these significant background effects remain unknown, our results highlight the value of intercrossing mice of multiple inbred backgrounds to identify the genes and developmental interactions that modulate the severity of craniofacial dysmorphology. Our quantitative results represent an important first step toward elucidating genetic interactions underlying variation in robustness to known genetic perturbations in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Percival
- Alberta Children's Hospital Institute for Child and Maternal Health, University of Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
- The McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Pauline Marangoni
- Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Vagan Tapaltsyan
- Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
- Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Ophir Klein
- Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Benedikt Hallgrímsson
- Alberta Children's Hospital Institute for Child and Maternal Health, University of Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
- The McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
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12
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Fang Q, George AS, Brinkmeier ML, Mortensen AH, Gergics P, Cheung LYM, Daly AZ, Ajmal A, Pérez Millán MI, Ozel AB, Kitzman JO, Mills RE, Li JZ, Camper SA. Genetics of Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency: Roadmap into the Genome Era. Endocr Rev 2016; 37:636-675. [PMID: 27828722 PMCID: PMC5155665 DOI: 10.1210/er.2016-1101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The genetic basis for combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) is complex, involving 30 genes in a variety of syndromic and nonsyndromic presentations. Molecular diagnosis of this disorder is valuable for predicting disease progression, avoiding unnecessary surgery, and family planning. We expect that the application of high throughput sequencing will uncover additional contributing genes and eventually become a valuable tool for molecular diagnosis. For example, in the last 3 years, six new genes have been implicated in CPHD using whole-exome sequencing. In this review, we present a historical perspective on gene discovery for CPHD and predict approaches that may facilitate future gene identification projects conducted by clinicians and basic scientists. Guidelines for systematic reporting of genetic variants and assigning causality are emerging. We apply these guidelines retrospectively to reports of the genetic basis of CPHD and summarize modes of inheritance and penetrance for each of the known genes. In recent years, there have been great improvements in databases of genetic information for diverse populations. Some issues remain that make molecular diagnosis challenging in some cases. These include the inherent genetic complexity of this disorder, technical challenges like uneven coverage, differing results from variant calling and interpretation pipelines, the number of tolerated genetic alterations, and imperfect methods for predicting pathogenicity. We discuss approaches for future research in the genetics of CPHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Fang
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Akima S George
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Michelle L Brinkmeier
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Amanda H Mortensen
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Peter Gergics
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Leonard Y M Cheung
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Alexandre Z Daly
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Adnan Ajmal
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - María Ines Pérez Millán
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - A Bilge Ozel
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Jacob O Kitzman
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Ryan E Mills
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Jun Z Li
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Sally A Camper
- Department of Human Genetics (Q.F., A.S.G., M.L.B., A.H.M., P.G., L.Y.M.C., A.Z.D., M.I.P.M., A.B.O., J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L., S.A.C.), Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (A.S.G.), Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (A.A.), and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (J.O.K., R.E.M., J.Z.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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Sittig LJ, Carbonetto P, Engel KA, Krauss KS, Barrios-Camacho CM, Palmer AA. Genetic Background Limits Generalizability of Genotype-Phenotype Relationships. Neuron 2016; 91:1253-1259. [PMID: 27618673 PMCID: PMC5033712 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous loci that influence risk for psychiatric diseases. Genetically engineered mice are often used to characterize genes implicated by GWASs. These studies are based on the assumption that observed genotype-phenotype relationships will generalize to humans, implying that the results would at least generalize to other inbred mouse strains. Given current concerns about reproducibility, we sought to directly test this assumption. We produced F1 crosses between male C57BL/6J mice heterozygous for null alleles of Cacna1c and Tcf7l2 and wild-type females from 30 inbred laboratory strains. We found extremely strong interactions with genetic background that sometimes supported diametrically opposing conclusions. These results do not negate the invaluable contributions of mouse genetics to biomedical science, but they do show that genotype-phenotype relationships cannot be reliably inferred by studying a single genetic background, and thus constitute a major challenge to the status quo. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Sittig
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Peter Carbonetto
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Kyle A Engel
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Kathleen S Krauss
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Camila M Barrios-Camacho
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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14
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Werren JH, Cohen LB, Gadau J, Ponce R, Baudry E, Lynch JA. Dissection of the complex genetic basis of craniofacial anomalies using haploid genetics and interspecies hybrids in Nasonia wasps. Dev Biol 2016; 415:391-405. [PMID: 26721604 PMCID: PMC4914427 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2015] [Revised: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The animal head is a complex structure where numerous sensory, structural and alimentary structures are concentrated and integrated, and its ontogeny requires precise and delicate interactions among genes, cells, and tissues. Thus, it is perhaps unsurprising that craniofacial abnormalities are among the most common birth defects in people, or that these defects have a complex genetic basis involving interactions among multiple loci. Developmental processes that depend on such epistatic interactions become exponentially more difficult to study in diploid organisms as the number of genes involved increases. Here, we present hybrid haploid males of the wasp species pair Nasonia vitripennis and Nasonia giraulti, which have distinct male head morphologies, as a genetic model of craniofacial development that possesses the genetic advantages of haploidy, along with many powerful genomic tools. Viable, fertile hybrids can be made between the species, and quantitative trail loci related to shape differences have been identified. In addition, a subset of hybrid males show head abnormalities, including clefting at the midline and asymmetries. Crucially, epistatic interactions among multiple loci underlie several developmental differences and defects observed in the F2 hybrid males. Furthermore, we demonstrate an introgression of a chromosomal region from N. giraulti into N. vitripennis that shows an abnormality in relative eye size, which maps to a region containing a major QTL for this trait. Therefore, the genetic sources of head morphology can, in principle, be identified by positional cloning. Thus, Nasonia is well positioned to be a uniquely powerful model invertebrate system with which to probe both development and complex genetics of craniofacial patterning and defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Werren
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States.
| | - Lorna B Cohen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
| | - Juergen Gadau
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85285, United States
| | - Rita Ponce
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States
| | - Emmanuelle Baudry
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States; Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - Jeremy A Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States.
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15
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Latypova X, Bordereau S, Bleriot A, Pichon O, Poulain D, Briand A, Le Caignec C, Isidor B. Mandibular dysostosis without microphthalmia caused by OTX2 deletion. Am J Med Genet A 2016; 170:2466-70. [PMID: 27378064 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.37837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in OTX2 are mostly identified in patients with anophthalmia/microphthalmia with variable severity. The OTX2 homeobox gene plays a crucial role in craniofacial morphogenesis during early embryo development. We report for the first time a patient with a mandibular dysostosis caused by a 120 kb deletion including the entire coding sequence of OTX2, identified by array CGH. No ocular malformations were identified after extended ophthalmologic examination. Our data refine the clinical spectrum associated with OTX2 mutations and suggests that OTX2 haploinsufficiency should be considered as a possible cause for isolated mandibular dysostosis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xénia Latypova
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Sylvain Bordereau
- Service d'Ophtalmologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Alice Bleriot
- Service d'Ophtalmologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Olivier Pichon
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Damien Poulain
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Annaïg Briand
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Cédric Le Caignec
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France.,INSERM, Laboratoire de Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Nantes, France
| | - Bertrand Isidor
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France.,INSERM, Laboratoire de Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Nantes, France
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16
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Kappen C. Developmental Patterning as a Quantitative Trait: Genetic Modulation of the Hoxb6 Mutant Skeletal Phenotype. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146019. [PMID: 26800342 PMCID: PMC4723086 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The process of patterning along the anterior-posterior axis in vertebrates is highly conserved. The function of Hox genes in the axis patterning process is particularly well documented for bone development in the vertebral column and the limbs. We here show that Hoxb6, in skeletal elements at the cervico-thoracic junction, controls multiple independent aspects of skeletal pattern, implicating discrete developmental pathways as substrates for this transcription factor. In addition, we demonstrate that Hoxb6 function is subject to modulation by genetic factors. These results establish Hox-controlled skeletal pattern as a quantitative trait modulated by gene-gene interactions, and provide evidence that distinct modifiers influence the function of conserved developmental genes in fundamental patterning processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Kappen
- Department of Developmental Biology, Pennington Biomedical Research Center/Louisiana State University System, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70808, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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17
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Kim HT, Kim SJ, Sohn YI, Paik SS, Caplette R, Simonutti M, Moon KH, Lee EJ, Min KW, Kim MJ, Lee DG, Simeone A, Lamonerie T, Furukawa T, Choi JS, Kweon HS, Picaud S, Kim IB, Shong M, Kim JW. Mitochondrial Protection by Exogenous Otx2 in Mouse Retinal Neurons. Cell Rep 2015; 13:990-1002. [PMID: 26565912 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.09.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OTX2 (orthodenticle homeobox 2) haplodeficiency causes diverse defects in mammalian visual systems ranging from retinal dysfunction to anophthalmia. We find that the retinal dystrophy of Otx2(+/GFP) heterozygous knockin mice is mainly due to the loss of bipolar cells and consequent deficits in retinal activity. Among bipolar cell types, OFF-cone bipolar subsets, which lack autonomous Otx2 gene expression but receive Otx2 proteins from photoreceptors, degenerate most rapidly in Otx2(+/GFP) mouse retinas, suggesting a neuroprotective effect of the imported Otx2 protein. In support of this hypothesis, retinal dystrophy in Otx2(+/GFP) mice is prevented by intraocular injection of Otx2 protein, which localizes to the mitochondria of bipolar cells and facilitates ATP synthesis as a part of mitochondrial ATP synthase complex. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a mitochondrial function for Otx2 and suggest a potential therapeutic application of OTX2 protein delivery in human retinal dystrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyoung-Tai Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, South Korea
| | - Soung Jung Kim
- Research Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon 301-721, South Korea
| | - Young-In Sohn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, South Korea
| | - Sun-Sook Paik
- Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, South Korea
| | - Romain Caplette
- INSERM, U968, Paris 75012, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 968, Institut de la Vision, Paris 75012, France; CNRS, UMR_7210, Paris 75012, France
| | - Manuel Simonutti
- INSERM, U968, Paris 75012, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 968, Institut de la Vision, Paris 75012, France; CNRS, UMR_7210, Paris 75012, France
| | - Kyeong Hwan Moon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, South Korea
| | - Eun Jung Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, South Korea
| | - Kwang Wook Min
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, South Korea
| | - Mi Jeong Kim
- Nano-Bio Electron Microscopy Research Group, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Daejeon 305-806, South Korea
| | - Dong-Gi Lee
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Daejeon 305-806, Korea
| | - Antonio Simeone
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, Adriano Buzzati-Traverso, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy; IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS 86077, Italy
| | - Thomas Lamonerie
- Institut de Biologie Valrose, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, UMR UNS/CNRS 7277/INSERM 1091, Nice 06108, France
| | - Takahisa Furukawa
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; AMED-CREST, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Jong-Soon Choi
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Daejeon 305-806, Korea
| | - Hee-Seok Kweon
- Nano-Bio Electron Microscopy Research Group, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Daejeon 305-806, South Korea
| | - Serge Picaud
- INSERM, U968, Paris 75012, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 968, Institut de la Vision, Paris 75012, France; CNRS, UMR_7210, Paris 75012, France
| | - In-Beom Kim
- Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, South Korea
| | - Minho Shong
- Research Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon 301-721, South Korea
| | - Jin Woo Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, South Korea.
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18
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CRISPR/Cas9-based generation of knockdown mice by intronic insertion of artificial microRNA using longer single-stranded DNA. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12799. [PMID: 26242611 PMCID: PMC4525291 DOI: 10.1038/srep12799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Knockdown mouse models, where gene dosages can be modulated, provide valuable insights into gene function. Typically, such models are generated by embryonic stem (ES) cell-based targeted insertion, or pronuclear injection, of the knockdown expression cassette. However, these methods are associated with laborious and time-consuming steps, such as the generation of large constructs with elements needed for expression of a functional RNAi-cassette, ES-cell handling, or screening for mice with the desired knockdown effect. Here, we demonstrate that reliable knockdown models can be generated by targeted insertion of artificial microRNA (amiRNA) sequences into a specific locus in the genome [such as intronic regions of endogenous eukaryotic translation elongation factor 2 (eEF-2) gene] using the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Crispr associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system. We used in vitro synthesized single-stranded DNAs (about 0.5-kb long) that code for amiRNA sequences as repair templates in CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis. Using this approach we demonstrate that amiRNA cassettes against exogenous (eGFP) or endogenous [orthodenticle homeobox 2 (Otx2)] genes can be efficiently targeted to a predetermined locus in the genome and result in knockdown of gene expression. We also provide a strategy to establish conditional knockdown models with this method.
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19
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Differentiation of human epidermal neural crest stem cells (hEPI-NCSC) into virtually homogenous populations of dopaminergic neurons. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2014; 10:316-26. [PMID: 24399192 PMCID: PMC3969515 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-013-9493-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Here we provide a protocol for the directed differentiation of hEPI-NCSC into midbrain dopaminergic neurons, which degenerate in Parkinson's disease. hEPI-NCSC are neural crest-derived multipotent stem cells that persist into adulthood in the bulge of hair follicles. The experimental design is distinctly different from conventional protocols for embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. It includes pre-differentiation of the multipotent hEPI-NCSC into neural stem cell-like cells, followed by ventralizing, patterning, continued exposure to the TGFβ receptor inhibitor, SB431542, and at later stages of differentiation the presence of the WNT inhibitor, IWP-4. All cells expressed A9 midbrain dopaminergic neuron progenitor markers with gene expression levels comparable to those in normal human substantia nigra. The current study shows for the first time that virtually homogeneous populations of dopaminergic neurons can be derived ex vivo from somatic stem cells without the need for purification, with useful timeliness and high efficacy. This novel development is an important first step towards the establishment of fully functional dopaminergic neurons from an ontologically relevant stem cell type, hEPI-NCSC.
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20
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Mortensen AH, Schade V, Lamonerie T, Camper SA. Deletion of OTX2 in neural ectoderm delays anterior pituitary development. Hum Mol Genet 2014; 24:939-53. [PMID: 25315894 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddu506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
OTX2 is a homeodomain transcription factor that is necessary for normal head development in mouse and man. Heterozygosity for loss-of-function alleles causes an incompletely penetrant, haploinsufficiency disorder. Affected individuals exhibit a spectrum of features that range from developmental defects in eye and/or pituitary development to acephaly. To investigate the mechanism underlying the pituitary defects, we used different cre lines to inactivate Otx2 in early head development and in the prospective anterior and posterior lobes. Mice homozygous for Otx2 deficiency in early head development and pituitary oral ectoderm exhibit craniofacial defects and pituitary gland dysmorphology, but normal pituitary cell specification. The morphological defects mimic those observed in humans and mice with OTX2 heterozygous mutations. Mice homozygous for Otx2 deficiency in the pituitary neural ectoderm exhibited altered patterning of gene expression and ablation of FGF signaling. The posterior pituitary lobe and stalk, which normally arise from neural ectoderm, were extremely hypoplastic. Otx2 expression was intact in Rathke's pouch, the precursor to the anterior lobe, but the anterior lobe was hypoplastic. The lack of FGF signaling from the neural ectoderm was sufficient to impair anterior lobe growth, but not the differentiation of hormone-producing cells. This study demonstrates that Otx2 expression in the neural ectoderm is important intrinsically for the development of the posterior lobe and pituitary stalk, and it has significant extrinsic effects on anterior pituitary growth. Otx2 expression early in head development is important for establishing normal craniofacial features including development of the brain, eyes and pituitary gland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda H Mortensen
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5618, USA and
| | - Vanessa Schade
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5618, USA and
| | - Thomas Lamonerie
- Institut de Biologie Valrose, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS UMR7277, Inserm U1091, Nice 06108, France
| | - Sally A Camper
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5618, USA and
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21
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Zielinski D, Markus B, Sheikh M, Gymrek M, Chu C, Zaks M, Srinivasan B, Hoffman JD, Aizenbud D, Erlich Y. OTX2 duplication is implicated in hemifacial microsomia. PLoS One 2014; 9:e96788. [PMID: 24816892 PMCID: PMC4016008 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is the second most common facial anomaly after cleft lip and palate. The phenotype is highly variable and most cases are sporadic. We investigated the disorder in a large pedigree with five affected individuals spanning eight meioses. Whole-exome sequencing results indicated the absence of a pathogenic coding point mutation. A genome-wide survey of segmental variations identified a 1.3 Mb duplication of chromosome 14q22.3 in all affected individuals that was absent in more than 1000 chromosomes of ethnically matched controls. The duplication was absent in seven additional sporadic HFM cases, which is consistent with the known heterogeneity of the disorder. To find the critical gene in the duplicated region, we analyzed signatures of human craniofacial disease networks, mouse expression data, and predictions of dosage sensitivity. All of these approaches implicated OTX2 as the most likely causal gene. Moreover, OTX2 is a known oncogenic driver in medulloblastoma, a condition that was diagnosed in the proband during the course of the study. Our findings suggest a role for OTX2 dosage sensitivity in human craniofacial development and raise the possibility of a shared etiology between a subtype of hemifacial microsomia and medulloblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Zielinski
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Barak Markus
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mona Sheikh
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Melissa Gymrek
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Biology and Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Clement Chu
- Counsyl, South San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Marta Zaks
- Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Jodi D. Hoffman
- Division of Genetics, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Yaniv Erlich
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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22
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Mizuno S, Tra DTH, Mizobuchi A, Iseki H, Mizuno-Iijima S, Kim JD, Ishida J, Matsuda Y, Kunita S, Fukamizu A, Sugiyama F, Yagami KI. Truncated Cables1 causes agenesis of the corpus callosum in mice. J Transl Med 2014; 94:321-30. [PMID: 24336072 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2013.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is a congenital abnormality of the brain structure. More than 60 genes are known to be involved in corpus callosum development. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ACC are not fully understood. Previously, we produced a novel transgenic mouse strain, TAS, carrying genes of the tetracycline-inducible expression system that are not involved in brain development, and inherited ACC was observed in the brains of all homozygous TAS mice. Although ACC was probably induced by transgene insertion mutation, the causative gene and the molecular mechanism of its pathogenesis remain unclear. Here, we first performed interphase three-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis to determine the genomic insertion site. Transgenes were inserted into chromosome 18 ∼12.0 Mb from the centromere. Gene expression analysis and genomic PCR walking showed that the genomic region containing exon 4 of Cables1 was deleted by transgene insertion and the other exons of Cables1 were intact. The mutant allele was designated as Cables1(TAS). Interestingly, Cables1(TAS) mRNA consisted of exons 1-3 of Cables1 and part of the transgene that encoded a novel truncated Cables1 protein. Homozygous TAS mice exhibited mRNA expression of Cables1(TAS) in the fetal cerebrum, but not that of wild-type Cables1. To investigate whether a dominant negative effect of Cables1(TAS) or complete loss of function of Cables1 gives rise to ACC, we produced Cables1-null mutant mice. ACC was not observed in Cables1-null mutant mice, suggesting that a dominant negative effect of Cables1(TAS) impairs callosal formation. Moreover, ACC frequency in Cables1(+/TAS) mice was significantly lower than that in Cables1(-/TAS) mice, indicating that wild-type Cables1 interfered with the dominant negative effect of Cables1(TAS). This study indicated that truncated Cables1 causes ACC and wild-type Cables1 contributes to callosal formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Dinh T H Tra
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Atsushi Mizobuchi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hiroyoshi Iseki
- 1] Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan [2] Project Research Division, Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
| | | | - Jun-Dal Kim
- Life Science Center, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Junji Ishida
- Life Science Center, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yoichi Matsuda
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Satoshi Kunita
- Center for Experimental Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Japan
| | - Akiyoshi Fukamizu
- Life Science Center, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Fumihiro Sugiyama
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ken-ichi Yagami
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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23
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Bernard C, Kim HT, Torero Ibad R, Lee EJ, Simonutti M, Picaud S, Acampora D, Simeone A, Di Nardo AA, Prochiantz A, Moya KL, Kim JW. Graded Otx2 activities demonstrate dose-sensitive eye and retina phenotypes. Hum Mol Genet 2013; 23:1742-53. [PMID: 24234651 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the human, mutations of OTX2 (Orthodenticle homeobox 2 transcription factor) translate into eye malformations of variable expressivity (even between the two eyes of the same individual) and incomplete penetrance, suggesting the existence of subtle thresholds in OTX2 activity. We have addressed this issue by analyzing retinal structure and function in six mutant mice with graded Otx2 activity: Otx2(+/+), Otx2(+/AA), Otx2(+/GFP), Otx2(AA/AA), Otx2(AA/GFP) and Otx2(GFP/GFP). Null mice (Otx2(GFP/GFP)) fail to develop the head and are embryonic lethal, and compound heterozygous Otx2(AA/GFP) mice show a truncated head and die at birth. All other genotypes develop until adulthood. We analyzed eye structure and visual physiology in the genotypes that develop until adulthood and report that phenotype severity parallels Otx2 activity. Otx2(+/AA) are only mildly affected whereas Otx2(+/GFP) are more affected than Otx2(+/AA) but less than Otx2(AA/AA) mice. Otx2(AA/AA) mice later manifest the most severe defects, with variable expressivity. Electrophysiological and histological analyses of the mouse retina revealed progressive death of bipolar cells and cone photoreceptors that is both Otx2 activity- and age-dependent with the same ranking of phenotypic severity. This study demonstrates the importance of gene dosage in the development of age-dependent pathologies and underscores the fact that small gene dosage differences can cause significant pathological states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémence Bernard
- Collège de France, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, UMR CNRS 7241/INSERM U1050, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, Paris 75005, France
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24
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Davis SW, Ellsworth BS, Peréz Millan MI, Gergics P, Schade V, Foyouzi N, Brinkmeier ML, Mortensen AH, Camper SA. Pituitary gland development and disease: from stem cell to hormone production. Curr Top Dev Biol 2013; 106:1-47. [PMID: 24290346 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-416021-7.00001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many aspects of pituitary development have become better understood in the past two decades. The signaling pathways regulating pituitary growth and shape have emerged, and the balancing interactions between the pathways are now appreciated. Markers for multipotent progenitor cells are being identified, and signature transcription factors have been discovered for most hormone-producing cell types. We now realize that pulsatile hormone secretion involves a 3D integration of cellular networks. About a dozen genes are known to cause pituitary hypoplasia when mutated due to their essential roles in pituitary development. Similarly, a few genes are known that predispose to familial endocrine neoplasia, and several genes mutated in sporadic pituitary adenomas are documented. In the next decade, we anticipate gleaning a deeper appreciation of these processes at the molecular level, insight into the development of the hypophyseal portal blood system, and evolution of better therapeutics for congenital and acquired hormone deficiencies and for common craniopharyngiomas and pituitary adenomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon W Davis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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25
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Brachthäuser L, Klumpp S, Hecht W, Kuchelmeister K, Reinacher M, Ebbert W, Herden C. Aprosencephaly with otocephaly in a lamb (Ovis aries). Vet Pathol 2012; 49:1043-8. [PMID: 22431914 DOI: 10.1177/0300985812439722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Aprosencephaly is a rare condition in veterinary and human medicine characterized by the complete absence of telencephalon and diencephalon. Some cases are accompanied by a facial dysmorphism designated as otocephaly. A stillborn lamb had splanchnocranial anomalies that were classified by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and pathologic examination as aprosencephaly and otocephaly. The brain included parts of the cerebellum and brainstem but no telencephalon, diencephalon, or mesencephalon. The cerebellum had a structurally normal cortex with expression of neuronal nuclear antigen in the inner and doublecortin in the outer granular cell layers, as well as an irregularly situated nucleus dentatus. Aprosencephaly with otocephaly has been described in mice with heterozygous mutations in the Otx2 gene; however, no causative polymorphisms were detected in the Otx2 gene region of this lamb.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Brachthäuser
- Institut für Veterinär-Pathologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 96, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
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26
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Nordquist N, Luthman H, Pettersson U, Eriksson UJ. Linkage study of embryopathy-polygenic inheritance of diabetes-induced skeletal malformations in the rat. Reprod Toxicol 2012; 33:297-307. [PMID: 22227068 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2011.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2011] [Revised: 12/13/2011] [Accepted: 12/16/2011] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
We developed an inbred rat model of diabetic embryopathy, in which the offspring displays skeletal malformations (agnathia or micrognathia) when the mother is diabetic, and no malformations when she is not diabetic. Our aim was to find genes controlling the embryonic maldevelopment in a diabetic environment. We contrasted the fetal outcome in inbred Sprague-Dawley L rats (20% skeletal malformations in diabetic pregnancy) with that of inbred Wistar Furth rats (denotedW, no skeletal malformations in diabetic pregnancy). We used offspring from the backcross F(1)×L to probe for the genetic basis for malformation of the mandible in diabetic pregnancy. A set of 186 fetuses (93 affected, 93 unaffected) was subjected to a whole genome scan with 160 micro satellites. Analysis of genotype distribution indicated 7 loci on chromosome 4, 10 (3 loci), 14, 18, and 19 in the teratogenic process (and 14 other loci on 12 chromosomes with less strong association to the malformations), several of which contained genes implicated in other experimental studies of diabetic embryopathy. These candidate genes will be scrutinized in further experimentation. We conclude that the genetic involvement in rodent diabetic embryopathy is polygenic and predisposing for congenital malformations.
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27
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Herman S, Delio M, Morrow B, Samanich J. Agnathia-otocephaly complex: a case report and examination of the OTX2 and PRRX1 genes. Gene 2011; 494:124-9. [PMID: 22198066 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2011.11.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 11/15/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Agnathia-otocephaly is a rare, often lethal malformation characterized by absence or hypoplasia of the mandible, microstomia, hypoglossia/aglossia, and variable anterior midline fusion of the ears (melotia, synotia). Etiologies have been linked to both genetic and teratogenic factors and to date, a definitive, commonly identifiable cause has not been recognized. Mouse and human genetic studies have implicated OTX2 and PRRX1 as potential candidate genes for agnathia-otocephaly. In this study we report a sporadic case of agnathia-otocephaly complex with associated features of maldevelopment and examine the roles of OTX2 and PRRX1. The proband, a male born at 31 weeks, displayed severe micrognathia, microstomia, posteriorly-rotated and low set ears, and downward slanting palpebral fissures. Mutation analysis was performed after sequencing the entire coding regions of OTX2 and PRRX1 genes isolated from the proband and his parents. After thorough analysis, no DNA variations were detected. This suggests that mutations in different genes or environmental causes are responsible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Herman
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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Diaczok D, DiVall S, Matsuo I, Wondisford FE, Wolfe AM, Radovick S. Deletion of Otx2 in GnRH neurons results in a mouse model of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Mol Endocrinol 2011; 25:833-46. [PMID: 21436260 DOI: 10.1210/me.2010-0271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
GnRH is the central regulator of reproductive function responding to central nervous system cues to control gonadotropin synthesis and secretion. GnRH neurons originate in the olfactory placode and migrate to the forebrain, in which they are found in a scattered distribution. Congenital idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CIHH) has been associated with mutations or deletions in a number of genes that participate in the development of GnRH neurons and expression of GnRH. Despite the critical role of GnRH in mammalian reproduction, a comprehensive understanding of the developmental factors that are responsible for regulating the establishment of mature GnRH neurons and the expression of GnRH is lacking. orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2), a homeodomain protein required for the formation of the forebrain, has been shown to be expressed in GnRH neurons, up-regulated during GnRH neuronal development, and responsible for increased GnRH promoter activity in GnRH neuronal cell lines. Interestingly, mutations in Otx2 have been associated with human hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, but the mechanism by which Otx2 mutations cause CIHH is unknown. Here we show that deletion of Otx2 in GnRH neurons results in a significant decrease in GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus, a delay in pubertal onset, abnormal estrous cyclicity, and infertility. Taken together, these data provide in vivo evidence that Otx2 is critical for GnRH expression and reproductive competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Diaczok
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
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Cui ML, Copsey L, Green AA, Bangham JA, Coen E. Quantitative control of organ shape by combinatorial gene activity. PLoS Biol 2010; 8:e1000538. [PMID: 21085695 PMCID: PMC2976723 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2009] [Accepted: 09/28/2010] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel combination of molecular genetics, shape analysis, and computational modelling shows how the complex three-dimensional shape of the Snapdragon flower can arise through local gene activity. The development of organs with particular shapes, like wings or flowers, depends on regional activity of transcription factors and signalling molecules. However, the mechanisms that link these molecular activities to the morphogenetic events underlying shape are poorly understood. Here we describe a combination of experimental and computational approaches that address this problem, applying them to a group of genes controlling flower shape in the Snapdragon (Antirrhinum). Four transcription factors are known to play a key role in the control of floral shape and asymmetry in Snapdragon. We use quantitative shape analysis of mutants for these factors to define principal components underlying flower shape variation. We show that each transcription factor has a specific effect on the shape and size of regions within the flower, shifting the position of the flower in shape space. These shifts are further analysed by generating double mutants and lines that express some of the genes ectopically. By integrating these observations with known gene expression patterns and interactions, we arrive at a combinatorial scheme for how regional effects on shape are genetically controlled. We evaluate our scheme by incorporating the proposed interactions into a generative model, where the developing flower is treated as a material sheet that grows according to how genes modify local polarities and growth rates. The petal shapes generated by the model show a good quantitative match with those observed experimentally for each petal in numerous genotypes, thus validating the hypothesised scheme. This article therefore shows how complex shapes can be accounted for by combinatorial effects of transcription factors on regional growth properties. This finding has implications not only for how shapes develop but also for how they may have evolved through tinkering with transcription factors and their targets. A major challenge in developmental biology is to understand how patterns of gene activity are translated into complex three-dimensional forms, like hearts, wings, or flowers. Addressing this problem has not been easy, partly because of the difficulties in quantifying the effects of genes on shape and also because we lack frameworks that allow hypotheses about underlying mechanisms to be evaluated. Here we address this issue through a combination of experimental and computational approaches, using the Snapdragon flower as a model system. By quantifying the shapes of these flowers in a range of mutants with reduced or increased activity of particular genes, we show how the complex floral shape depends on the way genes act in combination in each petal region. The proposed interactions were tested by incorporating them into a computational model of the growing flower. Quantitative comparisons reveal a good agreement between the shapes generated by the model and those observed experimentally, confirming our underlying hypothesis. The Snapdragon flower, with its tightly fitting upper and lower petals, has evolved as a specialised mechanism for targeting pollinators. Our article shows how the development and evolution of such forms may have arisen by natural tinkering with the local effects of genes on growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Long Cui
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Copsey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Amelia A. Green
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - J. Andrew Bangham
- University of East Anglia, School of Computing Sciences, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Enrico Coen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Current perspectives on the etiology of agnathia-otocephaly. Eur J Med Genet 2010; 53:358-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2010.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2010] [Accepted: 09/05/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Suzuki D, Brandley MC, Tokita M. The mitochondrial phylogeny of an ancient lineage of ray-finned fishes (Polypteridae) with implications for the evolution of body elongation, pelvic fin loss, and craniofacial morphology in Osteichthyes. BMC Evol Biol 2010; 10:21. [PMID: 20100320 PMCID: PMC2825197 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-10-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2009] [Accepted: 01/25/2010] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The family Polypteridae, commonly known as "bichirs", is a lineage that diverged early in the evolutionary history of Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish), but has been the subject of far less evolutionary study than other members of that clade. Uncovering patterns of morphological change within Polypteridae provides an important opportunity to evaluate if the mechanisms underlying morphological evolution are shared among actinoptyerygians, and in fact, perhaps the entire osteichthyan (bony fish and tetrapods) tree of life. However, the greatest impediment to elucidating these patterns is the lack of a well-resolved, highly-supported phylogenetic tree of Polypteridae. In fact, the interrelationships of polypterid species have never been subject to molecular phylogenetic analysis. Here, we infer the first molecular phylogeny of bichirs, including all 12 recognized species and multiple subspecies using Bayesian analyses of 16S and cyt-b mtDNA. We use this mitochondrial phylogeny, ancestral state reconstruction, and geometric morphometrics to test whether patterns of morphological evolution, including the evolution of body elongation, pelvic fin reduction, and craniofacial morphology, are shared throughout the osteichthyan tree of life. RESULTS Our molecular phylogeny reveals 1) a basal divergence between Erpetoichthys and Polypterus, 2) polyphyly of P. endlicheri and P. palmas, and thus 3) the current taxonomy of Polypteridae masks its underlying genetic diversity. Ancestral state reconstructions suggest that pelvic fins were lost independently in Erpetoichthys, and unambiguously estimate multiple independent derivations of body elongation and shortening. Our mitochondrial phylogeny suggested species that have lower jaw protrusion and up-righted orbit are closely related to each other, indicating a single transformation of craniofacial morphology. CONCLUSION The mitochondrial phylogeny of polypterid fish provides a strongly-supported phylogenetic framework for future comparative evolutionary, physiological, ecological, and genetic analyses. Indeed, ancestral reconstruction and geometric morphometric analyses revealed that the patterns of morphological evolution in Polypteridae are similar to those seen in other osteichthyans, thus implying the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms responsible for those patterns were established early in the evolutionary history of Osteichthyes. We propose developmental and genetic mechanisms to be tested under the light of this new phylogenetic framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai Suzuki
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan
| | - Matthew C Brandley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8105 USA
| | - Masayoshi Tokita
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572 Japan
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Tajima T, Ohtake A, Hoshino M, Amemiya S, Sasaki N, Ishizu K, Fujieda K. OTX2 loss of function mutation causes anophthalmia and combined pituitary hormone deficiency with a small anterior and ectopic posterior pituitary. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:314-9. [PMID: 18854396 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2008-1219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2) is a transcription factor necessary for ocular and forebrain development. In humans, heterozygous mutations of OTX2 cause severe ocular malformations. However, whether mutations of OTX2 cause pituitary structural abnormalities or combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) has not been clarified. OBJECTIVES We surveyed the functional consequences of a novel OTX2 mutation that was detected in a patient with anophthalmia and CPHD. PATIENT We examined a Japanese patient with growth disturbance, anophthalamia, and severe developmental delay. He showed deficiencies in GH, TSH, LH, FSH, and ACTH. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed a small anterior pituitary gland, invisible stalk, ectopic posterior lobe, and Chiari malformation. RESULTS Sequence analysis of OTX2 demonstrated a heterozygous two bases insertion [S136fsX178 (c.576-577insCT)] in exon 3. The mutant Otx2 protein localized to the nucleus, but did not activate the promoter of the HESX1 and POU1F1 gene, indicating a loss of function mutation. No dominant negative effect in the presence of wild-type Otx2 was observed. CONCLUSION This case indicates that the OTX2 mutation is a cause of CPHD. Further study of more patients with OTX2 defects is necessary to clarify the clinical phenotypes and endocrine defects caused by OTX2 mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiro Tajima
- Department of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, N15, W7, Sapporo, Japan 060-0835.
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Incapacitating the evolutionary capacitor: Hsp90 modulation of disease. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2008; 18:264-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2008.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2008] [Accepted: 07/02/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Ueda Y, Yamaguchi R, Ikawa M, Okabe M, Morii E, Maeda Y, Kinoshita T. PGAP1 knock-out mice show otocephaly and male infertility. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:30373-80. [PMID: 17711852 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m705601200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A palmitate linked to the inositol in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) is removed in the endoplasmic reticulum immediately after the conjugation of GPI with proteins in most cells. Previously, we identified PGAP1 (post GPI attachment to proteins 1) as a GPI inositoldeacylase that removes the palmitate from inositol. A defect in PGAP1 caused a delay in the transport of GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface in Chinese hamster ovary cells, although the cell-surface expression of GPI-APs in the steady state was normal. Nevertheless, in most cells, GPI-APs undergo deacylation. To elucidate the biological significance of PGAP1 in vivo, we established PGAP1 knock-out mice. Most PGAP1 knock-out mice showed otocephaly, a developmental defect, and died right after birth. However, some survived with growth retardation. Male knock-out mice showed severely reduced fertility despite the capability of ejaculation. Their spermatozoa were normal in number, motility, and ability to ascend the uterus, but were unable to go into the oviduct. In vitro, PGAP1-deficient spermatozoa showed weak attachment to the zona pellucida and a severely diminished rate of fertilization. Therefore, an extra acyl chain in GPI anchors caused severe deleterious effects to development and sperm function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasutaka Ueda
- Department of Immunoregulation, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
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Abstract
Otocephaly is a rare lethal syndrome of microstomia, aglossia, agnathia, and synotia. This male infant was born to a 19-year-old, gravida 1, para 0, woman who received routine prenatal check-up. Polyhydramnios, low-lying ears, and proboscis were noted by sonography at 29 weeks of gestation. Amniocentesis showed a normal karyotype of 46, XY. Premature rupture of membranes and preterm labor were noted at 32 weeks of gestation. A male infant was delivered preterm and died shortly after birth. The infant showed midline proboscis and absence of mandible. The simple, soft ears were extremely low-set and were near the midline of the neck. Otocephaly is regarded as the most severe form of first arch anomalies. Prenatal diagnosis should be dependent on ultrasound analysis. In the face of polyhydramnios, otocephaly is one of the possible fetal anomalies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwei-Shuai Hwang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tri-service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
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Furushima K, Yamamoto A, Nagano T, Shibata M, Miyachi H, Abe T, Ohshima N, Kiyonari H, Aizawa S. Mouse homologues of Shisa antagonistic to Wnt and Fgf signalings. Dev Biol 2007; 306:480-92. [PMID: 17481602 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2007.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2006] [Revised: 03/12/2007] [Accepted: 03/19/2007] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
In an effort to identify Otx2 targets in mouse anterior neuroectoderm we identified a gene, mShisa, which is homologous to xShisa1 that we previously reported as a head inducer in Xenopus. mShisa encodes an antagonist against both Wnt and Fgf signalings; it inhibits these signalings cell-autonomously as xShisa1 does. The mShisa expression is lost or greatly reduced in Otx2 mutant visceral endoderm, anterior mesendoderm and anterior neuroectoderm. However, mShisa mutants exhibited no defects in head development. Shisa is composed of five subfamilies, but normal head development in mShisa mutants is unlikely to be explained in terms of the compensation of mShisa deficiency by its paralogues or by known Wnt antagonists in anterior visceral endoderm and/or anterior mesendoderm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenryo Furushima
- Laboratory for Animal Resources and Genetic Engineering, Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), RIKEN Kobe, 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
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Napier HRL, Kidson SH. Molecular events in early development of the ciliary body: a question of folding. Exp Eye Res 2006; 84:615-25. [PMID: 16959249 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2006.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2005] [Revised: 05/26/2006] [Accepted: 07/19/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Ciliary body morphogenesis is a complicated, multi-step process requiring coordinated changes in cell shape, flexure of epithelial sheets and dynamic shifts in mitotic rates. Very little is known of how these cellular events are triggered or regulated. This review summarises current models of ciliary body morphogenesis. The role of intraocular pressure as a driver of morphogenesis is re-evaluated in the light of new information. An update on the role of the lens in ciliary body morphogenesis is presented. In the second part of the review current gene expression data is related to ciliary body morphogenesis. In particular the role of Bmp4 and its downstream target genes are discussed, with novel gene expression patterns of Bmp4 and Tgfbeta1i4 being presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- H R L Napier
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, South Africa
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Faye-Petersen O, David E, Rangwala N, Seaman JP, Hua Z, Heller DS. Otocephaly: report of five new cases and a literature review. Fetal Pediatr Pathol 2006; 25:277-96. [PMID: 17438667 DOI: 10.1080/15513810601123417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Otocephaly, characterized by mandibular hypoplasia or agnathia, ventromedial auricular malposition (melotia) and/or auricular fusion (synotia), and microstomia with oroglossal hypoplasia or aglossia, is an extremely rare anomalad, identified in less than 1 in 70,000 births. The malformation spectrum is essentially lethal, because of ventilatory problems, and represents a developmental field defect of blastogenesis primarily affecting thefirst branchial arch derivatives. Holoprosencephaly is the most commonly identified association, but skeletal, genitourinary, and cardiovascular anomalies, and situs inversus have been reported. Polyhydramnios may be the presenting feature, but prenatal diagnosis has been uncommon. We present five new cases of otocephaly, the largest published series to date, with comprehensive review of the literature and an update of research in the etiopathogenesis of this malformation complex. One of our cases had situs inversus, and two presented with unexplained polyhydramnios. Otocephaly, while quite rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of this gestational complication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ona Faye-Petersen
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 07101, USA
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Abstract
Cichlids have undergone extensive evolutionary modifications of their feeding apparatus, making them an ideal model to study the factors that underlie craniofacial diversity. Recent studies have provided critical insights into the molecular mechanisms that have contributed to the origin and maintenance of cichlid trophic diversity. We review this body of work, which shows that the cichlid jaw is regulated by a few genes of major additive effect, and is composed of modules that have evolved under strong divergent selection. Adaptive variation in cichlid jaw shape is evident early in development and is associated with allelic variation in and expression of bmp4. Modulating this growth factor in the experimentally tractable zebrafish model reproduces natural variation in cichlid jaw shape, supporting a role for bmp4 in craniofacial evolution. These data demonstrate the utility of the cichlid jaw as a model for studying the genetic and developmental basis of evolutionary changes in craniofacial morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Albertson
- Department of Cytokine Biology, The Forsyth Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Stottmann RW, Berrong M, Matta K, Choi M, Klingensmith J. The BMP antagonist Noggin promotes cranial and spinal neurulation by distinct mechanisms. Dev Biol 2006; 295:647-63. [PMID: 16712836 PMCID: PMC3001110 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.03.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2005] [Revised: 03/23/2006] [Accepted: 03/31/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Here we characterize the consequences of elevated bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling on neural tube morphogenesis by analyzing mice lacking the BMP antagonist, Noggin. Noggin is expressed dorsally in the closing neural folds and ventrally in the notochord and somites. All Noggin-/- pups are born with lumbar spina bifida; depending on genetic background, they may also have exencephaly. The exencephaly is due to a primary failure of neurulation, resulting from a lack of mid/hindbrain dorsolateral hinge point (DLHP) formation. Thus, as previously shown for Shh signaling at spinal levels, BMP activity may inhibit cranial DLHP morphogenesis. However, the increased BMP signaling observed in the Noggin-/- dorsal neural tube is not sufficient to cause exencephaly; it appears to also depend on the action of a genetic modifier, which may act to increase dorsal Shh signaling. The spinal neural tube defect results from a different mechanism: increased BMP signaling in the mesoderm between the limb buds leads to abnormal somite differentiation and axial skeletal malformation. The resulting lack of mechanical support for the neural tube causes spina bifida. We show that this defect is due to elevated BMP4 signaling. Thus, Noggin is required for mammalian neurulation in two contexts, dependent on position along the rostrocaudal axis.
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Dixon J, Dixon MJ. Genetic background has a major effect on the penetrance and severity of craniofacial defects in mice heterozygous for the gene encoding the nucleolar protein Treacle. Dev Dyn 2004; 229:907-14. [PMID: 15042714 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.20004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a craniofacial disorder that results from mutations in TCOF1, which encodes the nucleolar protein Treacle. The severity of the clinical features exhibits wide variation and includes hypoplasia of the mandible and maxilla, abnormalities of the external ears and middle ear ossicles, and cleft palate. To determine the in vivo function of Treacle, we previously generated Tcof1 heterozygous mice on a mixed C57BL/6 and 129 background. These mice exhibited a lethal phenotype, which included abnormal development of the maxilla, absence of the eyes and nasal passages, and neural tube defects. Here, we show that placing the mutation onto different genetic backgrounds has a major effect on the penetrance and severity of the craniofacial and other defects. The offspring exhibit markedly variable strain-dependent phenotypes that range from extremely severe and lethal in a mixed CBA/Ca and 129 background, to apparently normal and viable in a mixed BALB/c and 129 background. In the former case, in addition to a profoundly severe craniofacial phenotype, CBA-derived heterozygous mice also exhibited delayed ossification of the long bones, rib fusions, and digit anomalies. The results of our studies indicate that factors in the different genetic backgrounds contribute extensively to the Tcof1 phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill Dixon
- School of Biological Sciences and Department of Dental Medicine and Surgery, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
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Hung FY, Wang KG, Chen CP, Hsu CY. Prenatal Diagnosis of Otocephaly by Three-dimensional Ultrasonography. Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/s1028-4559(09)60076-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Abstract
Retinal stem cells (RSCs) are multipotent central nervous system (CNS) precursors that give rise to the retina during the course of development. RSCs are present in the embryonic eyecup of all vertebrate species and remain active in lower vertebrates throughout life. Mammals, however, exhibit little RSC activity in adulthood and thus little capacity for retinal growth or regeneration. Because CNS precursors can now be isolated from immature and mature mammals and expanded ex vivo, it is possible to study these cells in culture as well as following transplantation to the diseased retina. Such experiments have revealed a wealth of unanticipated findings, both in terms of the instructive cues present in the mature mammalian retina as well as the ability of grafted CNS precursors to respond to them. This review examines current knowledge regarding RSCs, together with other CNS precursors, from the perspective of investigators who wish to isolate, propagate, genetically modify, and transplant these cells as a regenerative strategy with application to retinal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Klassen
- Stem Cell Research, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA 92868, USA
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Kim JYH, Nelson AL, Algon SA, Graves O, Sturla LM, Goumnerova LC, Rowitch DH, Segal RA, Pomeroy SL. Medulloblastoma tumorigenesis diverges from cerebellar granule cell differentiation in patched heterozygous mice. Dev Biol 2003; 263:50-66. [PMID: 14568546 DOI: 10.1016/s0012-1606(03)00434-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is a cerebellar tumor that can arise through aberrant activation of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, which normally regulates cerebellar granule cell proliferation. Mutations of the Shh receptor PATCHED (PTCH) are associated with medulloblastomas, which have not been found to have loss of PTCH heterozygosity. We address whether patched (Ptc) heterozygosity fundamentally alters granule cell differentiation and contributes to tumorigenesis by increasing proliferation and/or decreasing apoptosis in Ptc+/- mice. Our data show that postnatal Ptc+/- mouse granule cell precursor growth is not globally altered. However, many older Ptc+/- mice display abnormal cerebellar regions containing persistently proliferating granule cell precursors. Since fewer Ptc+/- mice form medulloblastomas, these granule cell rests represent a developmentally disrupted, but uncommitted stage of tumorigenesis. Although Ptc+/- mouse medulloblastomas express neurodevelopmental genes, they diverge from granule cell differentiation in their discordant coexpression of postmitotic markers despite their ongoing growth. Like human medulloblastomas, mouse tumors with reduced levels of the neurotrophin-3 receptor, trkC/Ntrk3, display decreased apoptosis in vivo, illustrating the role of TrkC in regulating tumor cell survival. These results indicate that Ptc heterozygosity contributes to tumorigenesis by predisposing a subset of granule cell precursors to the formation of proliferative rests and subsequent dysregulation of developmental gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Y H Kim
- Department of Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Chen CP, Wang KG, Huang JK, Chang TY, Lin YH, Chin DTH, Tzen CY, Wang W. Prenatal diagnosis of otocephaly with microphthalmia/anophthalmia using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2003; 22:214-215. [PMID: 12905522 DOI: 10.1002/uog.135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
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Richman JM, Lee SH. About face: signals and genes controlling jaw patterning and identity in vertebrates. Bioessays 2003; 25:554-68. [PMID: 12766945 DOI: 10.1002/bies.10288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The embryonic vertebrate face is composed of similarly sized buds of neural crest-derived mesenchyme encased in epithelium. These buds or facial prominences grow and fuse together to give the postnatal morphology characteristic of each species. Here we review the role of neural crest cells and foregut endoderm in differentiating facial features. We relate the developing facial prominences to the skeletal structure of the face and review the signals and genes that have been shown to play an important role in facial morphogenesis. We also examine two experiments one at the genetic level and one at the signal level in which transformation of facial prominences and subsequent change of jaw identity was induced. We propose that signals such as retinoids and BMPs and downstream transcription factors such as Distal-less related genes specify jaw identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy M Richman
- Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2199 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3 Canada.
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Abstract
Interest in modifier genes is growing rapidly because of their ability to modulate the phenotype of individuals with monogenic and multigenic traits and diseases. A neglected class of modifiers is protective alleles that can suppress disease in otherwise susceptible individuals. Together these modifier genes and protective alleles provide important glimpses into the molecular and cellular basis for the functional networks that provide robustness and homeostasis in complex biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph H Nadeau
- Department of Genetics and Center for Computational Genomics, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
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