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Cheng X, Jiang W, Wang Q, Liu K, Dai W, Liu Y, Shao C, Li Q. Unveiling Gene Expression Dynamics during Early Embryogenesis in Cynoglossus semilaevis: A Transcriptomic Perspective. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:505. [PMID: 38672775 PMCID: PMC11050975 DOI: 10.3390/life14040505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Commencing with sperm-egg fusion, the early stages of metazoan development include the cleavage and formation of blastula and gastrula. These early embryonic events play a crucial role in ontogeny and are accompanied by a dramatic remodeling of the gene network, particularly encompassing the maternal-to-zygotic transition. Nonetheless, the gene expression dynamics governing early embryogenesis remain unclear in most metazoan lineages. We conducted transcriptomic profiling on two types of gametes (oocytes and sperms) and early embryos (ranging from the four-cell to the gastrula stage) of an economically valuable flatfish-the Chinese tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae). Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that large-scale zygotic genome activation (ZGA) occurs in the blastula stage, aligning with previous findings in zebrafish. Through the comparison of the most abundant transcripts identified in each sample and the functional analysis of co-expression modules, we unveiled distinct functional enrichments across different gametes/developmental stages: actin- and immune-related functions in sperms; mitosis, transcription inhibition, and mitochondrial function in oocytes and in pre-ZGA embryos (four- to 1000-cell stage); and organ development in post-ZGA embryos (blastula and gastrula). These results provide insights into the intricate transcriptional regulation of early embryonic development in Cynoglossidae fish and expand our knowledge of developmental constraints in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Cheng
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China;
- BGI Research, Wuhan 430074, China;
| | - Wei Jiang
- BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China;
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; (Q.W.); (K.L.); (Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Kaiqiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; (Q.W.); (K.L.); (Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Wei Dai
- BGI Research, Wuhan 430074, China;
| | - Yuyan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; (Q.W.); (K.L.); (Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Changwei Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; (Q.W.); (K.L.); (Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Qiye Li
- BGI Research, Wuhan 430074, China;
- BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China;
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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RSPO3 is a novel contraction-inducible factor identified in an "in vitro exercise model" using primary human myotubes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14291. [PMID: 35995979 PMCID: PMC9395423 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18190-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The physiological significance of skeletal muscle as a secretory organ is now well known but we can only speculate as to the existence of as-yet-unidentified myokines, especially those upregulated in response to muscle contractile activity. We first attempted to establish an “insert-chamber based in vitro exercise model” allowing the miniature but high cell-density culture state enabling highly developed contractile human myotubes to be readily obtained by applying electric pulse stimulation (EPS). By employing this in vitro exercise model, we identified R-spondin 3 (RSPO3) as a novel contraction-inducible myokine produced by cultured human myotubes. Contraction-dependent muscular RSPO3 mRNA upregulation was confirmed in skeletal muscles of mice subjected to sciatic nerve mediated in situ contraction as well as those of mice after 2 h of running. Pharmacological in vitro experiments demonstrated a relatively high concentration of metformin (millimolar range) to suppress the contraction-inducible mRNA upregulation of human myokines including RSPO3, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and CXCL1. Our data also suggest human RSPO3 to be a paracrine factor that may positively participate in the myogenesis processes of myoblasts and satellite cells. Thus, the “insert chamber-based in vitro exercise model” is a potentially valuable research tool for investigating contraction-inducible biological responses of human myotubes usually exhibiting poorer contractility development even in the setting of EPS treatment.
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Reis AH, Sokol SY. Rspo2 inhibits TCF3 phosphorylation to antagonize Wnt signaling during vertebrate anteroposterior axis specification. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13433. [PMID: 34183732 PMCID: PMC8239024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92824-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The Wnt pathway activates target genes by controlling the β-catenin-T-cell factor (TCF) transcriptional complex during embryonic development and cancer. This pathway can be potentiated by R-spondins, a family of proteins that bind RNF43/ZNRF3 E3 ubiquitin ligases and LGR4/5 receptors to prevent Frizzled degradation. Here we demonstrate that, during Xenopus anteroposterior axis specification, Rspo2 functions as a Wnt antagonist, both morphologically and at the level of gene targets and pathway mediators. Unexpectedly, the binding to RNF43/ZNRF3 and LGR4/5 was not required for the Wnt inhibitory activity. Moreover, Rspo2 did not influence Dishevelled phosphorylation in response to Wnt ligands, suggesting that Frizzled activity is not affected. Further analysis indicated that the Wnt antagonism is due to the inhibitory effect of Rspo2 on TCF3/TCF7L1 phosphorylation that normally leads to target gene activation. Consistent with this mechanism, Rspo2 anteriorizing activity has been rescued in TCF3-depleted embryos. These observations suggest that Rspo2 is a context-specific regulator of TCF3 phosphorylation and Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice H Reis
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
| | - Sergei Y Sokol
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
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