1
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Erickson JR, Walker SE, Arenas Gomez CM, Echeverri K. Sall4 regulates downstream patterning genes during limb regeneration. Dev Biol 2024; 515:151-159. [PMID: 39067503 PMCID: PMC11325254 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2024.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Many salamanders can completely regenerate a fully functional limb. Limb regeneration is a carefully coordinated process involving several defined stages. One key event during the regeneration process is the patterning of the blastema to inform cells of what they must differentiate into. Although it is known that many genes involved in the initial development of the limb are re-used during regeneration, the exact molecular circuitry involved in this process is not fully understood. Several large-scale transcriptional profiling studies of axolotl limb regeneration have identified many transcription factors that are up-regulated after limb amputation. Sall4 is a transcription factor that has been identified to play essential roles in maintaining cells in an undifferentiated state during development and also plays a unique role in limb development. Inactivation of Sall4 during limb bud development results in defects in anterior-posterior patterning of the limb. Sall4 has been found to be up-regulated during limb regeneration in both Xenopus and salamanders, but to date it function has been untested. We confirmed that Sall4 is up-regulated during limb regeneration in the axolotl using qRT-PCR and identified that it is present in the skin cells and also in cells within the blastema. Using CRISPR technology we microinjected gRNAs specific for Sall4 complexed with cas9 protein into the blastema to specifically knockout Sall4 in blastema cells only. This resulted in limb regenerate defects, including missing digits, fusion of digit elements, and defects in the radius and ulna. This suggests that during regeneration Sall4 may play a similar role in regulating the specification of anterior-proximal skeletal elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Erickson
- Department of Genetics, Dell Biology and Development, Stell Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - S E Walker
- Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Chicago, Eugene Bell Center for Regeneration Biology and Tissue Engineering, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - C M Arenas Gomez
- Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Chicago, Eugene Bell Center for Regeneration Biology and Tissue Engineering, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - K Echeverri
- Department of Genetics, Dell Biology and Development, Stell Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Chicago, Eugene Bell Center for Regeneration Biology and Tissue Engineering, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
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2
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Parey E, Ortega-Martinez O, Delroisse J, Piovani L, Czarkwiani A, Dylus D, Arya S, Dupont S, Thorndyke M, Larsson T, Johannesson K, Buckley KM, Martinez P, Oliveri P, Marlétaz F. The brittle star genome illuminates the genetic basis of animal appendage regeneration. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1505-1521. [PMID: 39030276 PMCID: PMC11310086 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02456-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Species within nearly all extant animal lineages are capable of regenerating body parts. However, it remains unclear whether the gene expression programme controlling regeneration is evolutionarily conserved. Brittle stars are a species-rich class of echinoderms with outstanding regenerative abilities, but investigations into the genetic bases of regeneration in this group have been hindered by the limited genomic resources. Here we report a chromosome-scale genome assembly for the brittle star Amphiura filiformis. We show that the brittle star genome is the most rearranged among echinoderms sequenced so far, featuring a reorganized Hox cluster reminiscent of the rearrangements observed in sea urchins. In addition, we performed an extensive profiling of gene expression during brittle star adult arm regeneration and identified sequential waves of gene expression governing wound healing, proliferation and differentiation. We conducted comparative transcriptomic analyses with other invertebrate and vertebrate models for appendage regeneration and uncovered hundreds of genes with conserved expression dynamics, particularly during the proliferative phase of regeneration. Our findings emphasize the crucial importance of echinoderms to detect long-range expression conservation between vertebrates and classical invertebrate regeneration model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Parey
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Olga Ortega-Martinez
- Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Jérôme Delroisse
- Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics Unit, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Laura Piovani
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anna Czarkwiani
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- Technische Universität Dresden, Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), Dresden, Germany
| | - David Dylus
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Cardiovascular and Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Disease, and Ophthalmology (CMI2O), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Srishti Arya
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Samuel Dupont
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg Marine Research Station, Fiskebäckskil, Sweden
- IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories, Radioecology Laboratory, Quai Antoine 1er, Monaco
| | - Michael Thorndyke
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg Marine Research Station, Fiskebäckskil, Sweden
| | - Tomas Larsson
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kerstin Johannesson
- Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Strömstad, Sweden
| | | | - Pedro Martinez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia, i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paola Oliveri
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Ferdinand Marlétaz
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
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3
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Loubet-Senear K, Srivastava M. Brittle star genome provides information on the evolution of regeneration. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1385-1386. [PMID: 39030275 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02459-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn Loubet-Senear
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mansi Srivastava
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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4
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Kawasumi-Kita A, Lee SW, Ohtsuka D, Niimi K, Asakura Y, Kitajima K, Sakane Y, Tamura K, Ochi H, Suzuki KIT, Morishita Y. hoxc12/c13 as key regulators for rebooting the developmental program in Xenopus limb regeneration. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3340. [PMID: 38649703 PMCID: PMC11035627 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47093-y] [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: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
During organ regeneration, after the initial responses to injury, gene expression patterns similar to those in normal development are reestablished during subsequent morphogenesis phases. This supports the idea that regeneration recapitulates development and predicts the existence of genes that reboot the developmental program after the initial responses. However, such rebooting mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we explore core rebooting factors that operate during Xenopus limb regeneration. Transcriptomic analysis of larval limb blastema reveals that hoxc12/c13 show the highest regeneration specificity in expression. Knocking out each of them through genome editing inhibits cell proliferation and expression of a group of genes that are essential for development, resulting in autopod regeneration failure, while limb development and initial blastema formation are not affected. Furthermore, the induction of hoxc12/c13 expression partially restores froglet regenerative capacity which is normally very limited compared to larval regeneration. Thus, we demonstrate the existence of genes that have a profound impact alone on rebooting of the developmental program in a regeneration-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiko Kawasumi-Kita
- Laboratory for Developmental Morphogeometry, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Sang-Woo Lee
- Laboratory for Developmental Morphogeometry, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ohtsuka
- Laboratory for Developmental Morphogeometry, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kaori Niimi
- Laboratory for Developmental Morphogeometry, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Asakura
- Laboratory for Developmental Morphogeometry, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Keiichi Kitajima
- Laboratory for Developmental Morphogeometry, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
- Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Yuto Sakane
- Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan
| | - Koji Tamura
- Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Haruki Ochi
- Institute for Promotion of Medical Science Research, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata, 990-9585, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi T Suzuki
- Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan
- Emerging Model Organisms Facility, Trans-scale Biology Center, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Morishita
- Laboratory for Developmental Morphogeometry, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan.
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5
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Ascanelli C, Dahir R, Wilson CH. Manipulating Myc for reparative regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1357589. [PMID: 38577503 PMCID: PMC10991803 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1357589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The Myc family of proto-oncogenes is a key node for the signal transduction of external pro-proliferative signals to the cellular processes required for development, tissue homoeostasis maintenance, and regeneration across evolution. The tight regulation of Myc synthesis and activity is essential for restricting its oncogenic potential. In this review, we highlight the central role that Myc plays in regeneration across the animal kingdom (from Cnidaria to echinoderms to Chordata) and how Myc could be employed to unlock the regenerative potential of non-regenerative tissues in humans for therapeutic purposes. Mastering the fine balance of harnessing the ability of Myc to promote transcription without triggering oncogenesis may open the door to many exciting opportunities for therapeutic development across a wide array of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Catherine H. Wilson
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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6
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Ruffinatti FA, Scarpellino G, Chinigò G, Visentin L, Munaron L. The Emerging Concept of Transportome: State of the Art. Physiology (Bethesda) 2023; 38:0. [PMID: 37668550 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00010.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The array of ion channels and transporters expressed in cell membranes, collectively referred to as the transportome, is a complex and multifunctional molecular machinery; in particular, at the plasma membrane level it finely tunes the exchange of biomolecules and ions, acting as a functionally adaptive interface that accounts for dynamic plasticity in the response to environmental fluctuations and stressors. The transportome is responsible for the definition of membrane potential and its variations, participates in the transduction of extracellular signals, and acts as a filter for most of the substances entering and leaving the cell, thus enabling the homeostasis of many cellular parameters. For all these reasons, physiologists have long been interested in the expression and functionality of ion channels and transporters, in both physiological and pathological settings and across the different domains of life. Today, thanks to the high-throughput technologies of the postgenomic era, the omics approach to the study of the transportome is becoming increasingly popular in different areas of biomedical research, allowing for a more comprehensive, integrated, and functional perspective of this complex cellular apparatus. This article represents a first effort for a systematic review of the scientific literature on this topic. Here we provide a brief overview of all those studies, both primary and meta-analyses, that looked at the transportome as a whole, regardless of the biological problem or the models they used. A subsequent section is devoted to the methodological aspect by reviewing the most important public databases annotating ion channels and transporters, along with the tools they provide to retrieve such information. Before conclusions, limitations and future perspectives are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Alessandro Ruffinatti
- Turin Cell Physiology Laboratory (TCP-Lab), Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Giorgia Scarpellino
- Turin Cell Physiology Laboratory (TCP-Lab), Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Giorgia Chinigò
- Turin Cell Physiology Laboratory (TCP-Lab), Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Luca Visentin
- Turin Cell Physiology Laboratory (TCP-Lab), Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Luca Munaron
- Turin Cell Physiology Laboratory (TCP-Lab), Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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7
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Tajer B, Savage AM, Whited JL. The salamander blastema within the broader context of metazoan regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1206157. [PMID: 37635872 PMCID: PMC10450636 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1206157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the animal kingdom regenerative ability varies greatly from species to species, and even tissue to tissue within the same organism. The sheer diversity of structures and mechanisms renders a thorough comparison of molecular processes truly daunting. Are "blastemas" found in organisms as distantly related as planarians and axolotls derived from the same ancestral process, or did they arise convergently and independently? Is a mouse digit tip blastema orthologous to a salamander limb blastema? In other fields, the thorough characterization of a reference model has greatly facilitated these comparisons. For example, the amphibian Spemann-Mangold organizer has served as an amazingly useful comparative template within the field of developmental biology, allowing researchers to draw analogies between distantly related species, and developmental processes which are superficially quite different. The salamander limb blastema may serve as the best starting point for a comparative analysis of regeneration, as it has been characterized by over 200 years of research and is supported by a growing arsenal of molecular tools. The anatomical and evolutionary closeness of the salamander and human limb also add value from a translational and therapeutic standpoint. Tracing the evolutionary origins of the salamander blastema, and its relatedness to other regenerative processes throughout the animal kingdom, will both enhance our basic biological understanding of regeneration and inform our selection of regenerative model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jessica L. Whited
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
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8
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Min S, Whited JL. Limb blastema formation: How much do we know at a genetic and epigenetic level? J Biol Chem 2023; 299:102858. [PMID: 36596359 PMCID: PMC9898764 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Regeneration of missing body parts is an incredible ability which is present in a wide number of species. However, this regenerative capability varies among different organisms. Urodeles (salamanders) are able to completely regenerate limbs after amputation through the essential process of blastema formation. The blastema is a collection of relatively undifferentiated progenitor cells that proliferate and repattern to form the internal tissues of a regenerated limb. Understanding blastema formation in salamanders may enable comparative studies with other animals, including mammals, with more limited regenerative abilities and may inspire future therapeutic approaches in humans. This review focuses on the current state of knowledge about how limb blastemas form in salamanders, highlighting both the possible roles of epigenetic controls in this process as well as limitations to scientific understanding that present opportunities for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangwon Min
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jessica L Whited
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
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9
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Sousounis K, Courtemanche K, Whited JL. A Practical Guide for CRISPR-Cas9-Induced Mutations in Axolotls. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2562:335-349. [PMID: 36272086 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2659-7_22] [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] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a powerful tool that enables editing of the axolotl genome. In this chapter, we will cover how to retrieve gene sequences, confirm annotation, design CRISPR targets, analyze indels, and screen for Crispant axolotls. This is a comprehensive guide on how to use CRISPR on your favorite gene and gain insights into its function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Sousounis
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Katharine Courtemanche
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jessica L Whited
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- The Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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10
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Tanaka EM. Now that We Got There, What Next? Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2562:471-479. [PMID: 36272095 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2659-7_31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
As seen in the protocols in this book, the opportunities to pursue work at the cellular and molecular work in salamanders have considerably broadened over the last years. The availability of genomic information and genome editing, and the possibility to image tissues live and other methods enhance the spectrum of biological questions accessible to all researchers. Here I provide a personal perspective on what I consider exciting future questions open for investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elly M Tanaka
- Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria.
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11
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Polikarpova A, Ellinghaus A, Schmidt-Bleek O, Grosser L, Bucher CH, Duda GN, Tanaka EM, Schmidt-Bleek K. The specialist in regeneration-the Axolotl-a suitable model to study bone healing? NPJ Regen Med 2022; 7:35. [PMID: 35773262 PMCID: PMC9246919 DOI: 10.1038/s41536-022-00229-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
While the axolotl's ability to completely regenerate amputated limbs is well known and studied, the mechanism of axolotl bone fracture healing remains poorly understood. One reason might be the lack of a standardized fracture fixation in axolotl. We present a surgical technique to stabilize the osteotomized axolotl femur with a fixator plate and compare it to a non-stabilized osteotomy and to limb amputation. The healing outcome was evaluated 3 weeks, 3, 6 and 9 months post-surgery by microcomputer tomography, histology and immunohistochemistry. Plate-fixated femurs regained bone integrity more efficiently in comparison to the non-fixated osteotomized bone, where larger callus formed, possibly to compensate for the bone fragment misalignment. The healing of a non-critical osteotomy in axolotl was incomplete after 9 months, while amputated limbs efficiently restored bone length and structure. In axolotl amputated limbs, plate-fixated and non-fixated fractures, we observed accumulation of PCNA+ proliferating cells at 3 weeks post-injury similar to mouse. Additionally, as in mouse, SOX9-expressing cells appeared in the early phase of fracture healing and amputated limb regeneration in axolotl, preceding cartilage formation. This implicates endochondral ossification to be the probable mechanism of bone healing in axolotls. Altogether, the surgery with a standardized fixation technique demonstrated here allows for controlled axolotl bone healing experiments, facilitating their comparison to mammals (mice).
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Affiliation(s)
- A Polikarpova
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
| | - A Ellinghaus
- Julius Wolff Institute and BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, DE-13353, Germany
| | - O Schmidt-Bleek
- Julius Wolff Institute and BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, DE-13353, Germany
| | - L Grosser
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
| | - C H Bucher
- Julius Wolff Institute and BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, DE-13353, Germany
| | - G N Duda
- Julius Wolff Institute and BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, DE-13353, Germany
| | - E M Tanaka
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
| | - K Schmidt-Bleek
- Julius Wolff Institute and BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, DE-13353, Germany.
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12
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Normal embryonic development and neonatal digit regeneration in mice overexpressing a stem cell factor, Sall4. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267273. [PMID: 35482646 PMCID: PMC9049339 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sall4 encodes a transcription factor and is known to participate in the pluripotency network of embryonic stem cells. Sall4 expression is known to be high in early stage post-implantation mouse embryos. During early post-gastrulation stages, Sall4 is highly expressed in the tail bud and distal limb buds, where progenitor cells are maintained in an undifferentiated status. The expression of Sall4 is rapidly downregulated during embryonic development. We previously demonstrated that Sall4 is required for limb and posterior axial skeleton development by conditional deletion of Sall4 in the T (Brachyury) lineage. To gain insight into Sall4 functions in embryonic development and postnatal digit regeneration, we genetically overexpressed Sall4 in the mesodermal lineage by the TCre transgene and a novel knockin allele of Rosa26-loxP-stop-loxP-Sall4. In significant contrast to severe defects by Sall4 loss of function reported in previous studies, overexpression of Sall4 resulted in normal morphology and pattern in embryos and neonates. The length of limb long bones showed subtle reduction in Sall4-overexpression mice. It is known that the digit tip of neonatal mice has level-specific regenerative ability after experimental amputation. We observed Sall4 expression in the digit tip by using a sensitive Sall4-LacZ knock-in reporter expression. Sall4 overexpression did not alter the regenerative ability of the terminal phalange that normally regenerates after amputation. Moreover, Sall4 overexpression did not confer regenerative ability to the second phalange that normally does not regenerate after amputation. These genetic experiments show that overexpression of Sall4 does not alter the development of the appendicular and axial skeleton, or neonatal digit regeneration. The results suggest that Sall4 acts as a permissive factor rather than playing an instructive role.
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13
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Lovely AM, Duerr TJ, Qiu Q, Galvan S, Voss SR, Monaghan JR. Wnt Signaling Coordinates the Expression of Limb Patterning Genes During Axolotl Forelimb Development and Regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:814250. [PMID: 35531102 PMCID: PMC9068880 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.814250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
After amputation, axolotl salamanders can regenerate their limbs, but the degree to which limb regeneration recapitulates limb development remains unclear. One limitation in answering this question is our lack of knowledge about salamander limb development. Here, we address this question by studying expression patterns of genes important for limb patterning during axolotl salamander limb development and regeneration. We focus on the Wnt signaling pathway because it regulates multiple functions during tetrapod limb development, including limb bud initiation, outgrowth, patterning, and skeletal differentiation. We use fluorescence in situ hybridization to show the expression of Wnt ligands, Wnt receptors, and limb patterning genes in developing and regenerating limbs. Inhibition of Wnt ligand secretion permanently blocks limb bud outgrowth when treated early in limb development. Inhibiting Wnt signaling during limb outgrowth decreases the expression of critical signaling genes, including Fgf10, Fgf8, and Shh, leading to the reduced outgrowth of the limb. Patterns of gene expression are similar between developing and regenerating limbs. Inhibition of Wnt signaling during regeneration impacted patterning gene expression similarly. Overall, our findings suggest that limb development and regeneration utilize Wnt signaling similarly. It also provides new insights into the interaction of Wnt signaling with other signaling pathways during salamander limb development and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy J. Duerr
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Qingchao Qiu
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | | | - S. Randal Voss
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - James R. Monaghan
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
- Institute for Chemical Imaging of Living Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
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14
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Leigh ND, Currie JD. Re-building limbs, one cell at a time. Dev Dyn 2022; 251:1389-1403. [PMID: 35170828 PMCID: PMC9545806 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
New techniques for visualizing and interrogating single cells hold the key to unlocking the underlying mechanisms of salamander limb regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas D Leigh
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Joshua D Currie
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, 455 Vine Street, Winston-Salem, USA
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15
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Shrestha AMS, B Guiao JE, R Santiago KC. Assembly-free rapid differential gene expression analysis in non-model organisms using DNA-protein alignment. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:97. [PMID: 35120462 PMCID: PMC8815227 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08278-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND RNA-seq is being increasingly adopted for gene expression studies in a panoply of non-model organisms, with applications spanning the fields of agriculture, aquaculture, ecology, and environment. For organisms that lack a well-annotated reference genome or transcriptome, a conventional RNA-seq data analysis workflow requires constructing a de-novo transcriptome assembly and annotating it against a high-confidence protein database. The assembly serves as a reference for read mapping, and the annotation is necessary for functional analysis of genes found to be differentially expressed. However, assembly is computationally expensive. It is also prone to errors that impact expression analysis, especially since sequencing depth is typically much lower for expression studies than for transcript discovery. RESULTS We propose a shortcut, in which we obtain counts for differential expression analysis by directly aligning RNA-seq reads to the high-confidence proteome that would have been otherwise used for annotation. By avoiding assembly, we drastically cut down computational costs - the running time on a typical dataset improves from the order of tens of hours to under half an hour, and the memory requirement is reduced from the order of tens of Gbytes to tens of Mbytes. We show through experiments on simulated and real data that our pipeline not only reduces computational costs, but has higher sensitivity and precision than a typical assembly-based pipeline. A Snakemake implementation of our workflow is available at: https://bitbucket.org/project_samar/samar . CONCLUSIONS The flip side of RNA-seq becoming accessible to even modestly resourced labs has been that the time, labor, and infrastructure cost of bioinformatics analysis has become a bottleneck. Assembly is one such resource-hungry process, and we show here that it can be avoided for quick and easy, yet more sensitive and precise, differential gene expression analysis in non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anish M S Shrestha
- Bioinformatics Lab, Advanced Research Institute for Informatics, Computing, and Networking (AdRIC), De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
- Department of Software Technology, College of Computer Studies, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
| | - Joyce Emlyn B Guiao
- Bioinformatics Lab, Advanced Research Institute for Informatics, Computing, and Networking (AdRIC), De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
| | - Kyle Christian R Santiago
- Bioinformatics Lab, Advanced Research Institute for Informatics, Computing, and Networking (AdRIC), De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
- Department of Software Technology, College of Computer Studies, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
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16
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García-Lepe UO, Torres-Dimas E, Espinal-Centeno A, Cruz-Ramírez A, Bermúdez-Cruz RM. Evidence of requirement for homologous-mediated DNA repair during Ambystoma mexicanum limb regeneration. Dev Dyn 2022; 251:1035-1053. [PMID: 35040539 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Limb regeneration in the axolotl is achieved by epimorphosis, thus depending on the blastema formation, a mass of progenitor cells capable of proliferating and differentiating to recover all lost structures functionally. During regeneration, the blastema cells accelerate the cell cycle and duplicate its genome, which is inherently difficult to replicate because of its length and composition, thus being prone to suffer double-strand breaks. RESULTS We identified and characterized two remarkable components of the homologous recombination repair pathway (Amex.RAD51 and Amex.MRE11), which were heterologously expressed, biochemically characterized, and inhibited by specific chemicals. These same inhibitors were applied at different time points after amputation to study their effects during limb regeneration. We observed an increase in cellular senescent accompanied by a slight delay in regeneration at 28 days post-amputation regenerated tissues; moreover, inhibitors caused a rise in the double-strand break signaling as a response to the inhibition of the repair mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS We confirmed the participation and importance of homologous recombination during limb regeneration. Where the chemical inhibition induces double-strand breaks that lead to DNA damage associated senescence, or in an alternatively way, this damage could be possibly repaired by a different DNA repair pathway, permitting proper regeneration and avoiding senescence. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulises Omar García-Lepe
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Department, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN Mexico city, Mexico
| | - Esteban Torres-Dimas
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Department, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN Mexico city, Mexico
| | - Annie Espinal-Centeno
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Alfredo Cruz-Ramírez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Rosa María Bermúdez-Cruz
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Department, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN Mexico city, Mexico
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Holtze S, Gorshkova E, Braude S, Cellerino A, Dammann P, Hildebrandt TB, Hoeflich A, Hoffmann S, Koch P, Terzibasi Tozzini E, Skulachev M, Skulachev VP, Sahm A. Alternative Animal Models of Aging Research. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:660959. [PMID: 34079817 PMCID: PMC8166319 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.660959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Most research on mechanisms of aging is being conducted in a very limited number of classical model species, i.e., laboratory mouse (Mus musculus), rat (Rattus norvegicus domestica), the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans). The obvious advantages of using these models are access to resources such as strains with known genetic properties, high-quality genomic and transcriptomic sequencing data, versatile experimental manipulation capabilities including well-established genome editing tools, as well as extensive experience in husbandry. However, this approach may introduce interpretation biases due to the specific characteristics of the investigated species, which may lead to inappropriate, or even false, generalization. For example, it is still unclear to what extent knowledge of aging mechanisms gained in short-lived model organisms is transferable to long-lived species such as humans. In addition, other specific adaptations favoring a long and healthy life from the immense evolutionary toolbox may be entirely missed. In this review, we summarize the specific characteristics of emerging animal models that have attracted the attention of gerontologists, we provide an overview of the available data and resources related to these models, and we summarize important insights gained from them in recent years. The models presented include short-lived ones such as killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), long-lived ones such as primates (Callithrix jacchus, Cebus imitator, Macaca mulatta), bathyergid mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber, Fukomys spp.), bats (Myotis spp.), birds, olms (Proteus anguinus), turtles, greenland sharks, bivalves (Arctica islandica), and potentially non-aging ones such as Hydra and Planaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Holtze
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Gorshkova
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Stan Braude
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Alessandro Cellerino
- Biology Laboratory, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
- Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Philip Dammann
- Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Central Animal Laboratory, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas B. Hildebrandt
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Hoeflich
- Division Signal Transduction, Institute for Genome Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Steve Hoffmann
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Philipp Koch
- Core Facility Life Science Computing, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Eva Terzibasi Tozzini
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Maxim Skulachev
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir P. Skulachev
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Arne Sahm
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
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18
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Wang MH, Hsu CL, Wu CH, Chiou LL, Tsai YT, Lee HS, Lin SP. Timing Does Matter: Nerve-Mediated HDAC1 Paces the Temporal Expression of Morphogenic Genes During Axolotl Limb Regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:641987. [PMID: 34041236 PMCID: PMC8143519 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.641987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Sophisticated axolotl limb regeneration is a highly orchestrated process that requires highly regulated gene expression and epigenetic modification patterns at precise positions and timings. We previously demonstrated two waves of post-amputation expression of a nerve-mediated repressive epigenetic modulator, histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), at the wound healing (3 days post-amputation; 3 dpa) and blastema formation (8 dpa onward) stages in juvenile axolotls. Limb regeneration was profoundly inhibited by local injection of an HDAC inhibitor, MS-275, at the amputation sites. To explore the transcriptional response of post-amputation axolotl limb regeneration in a tissue-specific and time course-dependent manner after MS-275 treatment, we performed transcriptome sequencing of the epidermis and soft tissue (ST) at 0, 3, and 8 dpa with and without MS-275 treatment. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of each coregulated gene cluster revealed a complex array of functional pathways in both the epidermis and ST. In particular, HDAC activities were required to inhibit the premature elevation of genes related to tissue development, differentiation, and morphogenesis. Further validation by Q-PCR in independent animals demonstrated that the expression of 5 out of 6 development- and regeneration-relevant genes that should only be elevated at the blastema stage was indeed prematurely upregulated at the wound healing stage when HDAC1 activity was inhibited. WNT pathway-associated genes were also prematurely activated under HDAC1 inhibition. Applying a WNT inhibitor to MS-275-treated amputated limbs partially rescued HDAC1 inhibition, resulting in blastema formation defects. We propose that post-amputation HDAC1 expression is at least partially responsible for pacing the expression timing of morphogenic genes to facilitate proper limb regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu-Hui Wang
- College of Bioresources and Agriculture, Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Lang Hsu
- Department of Medical Research, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Genomics and Proteomics, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Han Wu
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ling-Ling Chiou
- Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Tzang Tsai
- College of Bioresources and Agriculture, Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsuan-Shu Lee
- College of Bioresources and Agriculture, Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shau-Ping Lin
- College of Bioresources and Agriculture, Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.,Center of Systems Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,The Research Center of Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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19
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Wei X, Li H, Guo Y, Zhao X, Liu Y, Zou X, Zhou L, Yuan Y, Qin Y, Mao C, Huang G, Yu Y, Deng Q, Feng W, Xu J, Wang M, Liu S, Yang H, Liu L, Liu C, Gu Y. An ATAC-seq Dataset Uncovers the Regulatory Landscape During Axolotl Limb Regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:651145. [PMID: 33869207 PMCID: PMC8044901 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.651145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Wei
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hanbo Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Yang Guo
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | | | - Yang Liu
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuanxuan Zou
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Li Zhou
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yating Qin
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Chunyan Mao
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | | | - Yeya Yu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Qiuting Deng
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Weimin Feng
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiangshan Xu
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Shanshan Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Huanming Yang
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Longqi Liu
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chuanyu Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ying Gu
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
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20
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Salnikov L, Baramiya MG. From Autonomy to Integration, From Integration to Dynamically Balanced Integrated Co-existence: Non-aging as the Third Stage of Development. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2021; 2:655315. [PMID: 35822034 PMCID: PMC9261420 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2021.655315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Reversible senescence at the cellular level emerged together with tissue specialization in Metazoans. However, this reversibility (ability to permanently rejuvenate) through recapitulation of early stages of development, was originally a part of ontogenesis, since the pressure of integrativeness was not dominant. The complication of specialization in phylogenesis narrowed this "freedom of maneuver", gradually "truncating" remorphogenesis to local epimorphosis and further up to the complete disappearance of remorphogenesis from the ontogenesis repertoire. This evolutionary trend transformed cellular senescence into organismal aging and any recapitulation of autonomy into carcinogenesis. The crown of specialization, Homo sapiens, completed this post-unicellular stage of development, while in the genome all the potential for the next stage of development, which can be called the stage of balanced coexistence of autonomous and integrative dominants within a single whole. Here, completing the substantiation of the new section of developmental biology, we propose to call it Developmental Biogerontology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lev Salnikov
- SibEnzyme US LLC, West Roxbury, MA, United States
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21
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Single-cell RNA-seq reveals novel mitochondria-related musculoskeletal cell populations during adult axolotl limb regeneration process. Cell Death Differ 2021; 28:1110-1125. [PMID: 33116295 PMCID: PMC7937690 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-020-00640-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
While the capacity to regenerate tissues or limbs is limited in mammals, including humans, axolotls are able to regrow entire limbs and major organs after incurring a wound. The wound blastema has been extensively studied in limb regeneration. However, due to the inadequate characterization of ECM and cell subpopulations involved in the regeneration process, the discovery of the key drivers for human limb regeneration remains unknown. In this study, we applied large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing to classify cells throughout the adult axolotl limb regeneration process, uncovering a novel regeneration-specific mitochondria-related cluster supporting regeneration through energy providing and the ECM secretion (COL2+) cluster contributing to regeneration through cell-cell interactions signals. We also discovered the dedifferentiation and re-differentiation of the COL1+/COL2+ cellular subpopulation and exposed a COL2-mitochondria subcluster supporting the musculoskeletal system regeneration. On the basis of these findings, we reconstructed the dynamic single-cell transcriptome of adult axolotl limb regenerative process, and identified the novel regenerative mitochondria-related musculoskeletal populations, which yielded deeper insights into the crucial interactions between cell clusters within the regenerative microenvironment.
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22
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Dwaraka VB, Voss SR. Towards comparative analyses of salamander limb regeneration. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2021; 336:129-144. [PMID: 31584252 PMCID: PMC8908358 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Among tetrapods, only salamanders can regenerate their limbs and tails throughout life. This amazing regenerative ability has attracted the attention of scientists for hundreds of years. Now that large, salamander genomes are beginning to be sequenced for the first time, omics tools and approaches can be used to integrate new perspectives into the study of tissue regeneration. Here we argue the need to move beyond the primary salamander models to investigate regeneration in other species. Salamanders at first glance come across as a phylogenetically conservative group that has not diverged greatly from their ancestors. While salamanders do present ancestral characteristics of basal tetrapods, including the ability to regenerate limbs, data from fossils and data from studies that have tested for species differences suggest there may be considerable variation in how salamanders develop and regenerate their limbs. We review the case for expanded studies of salamander tissue regeneration and identify questions and approaches that are most likely to reveal commonalities and differences in regeneration among species. We also address challenges that confront such an initiative, some of which are regulatory and not scientific. The time is right to gain evolutionary perspective about mechanisms of tissue regeneration from comparative studies of salamander species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun B. Dwaraka
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - S. Randal Voss
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
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23
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Varela-Rodríguez H, Abella-Quintana DG, Espinal-Centeno A, Varela-Rodríguez L, Gomez-Zepeda D, Caballero-Pérez J, García-Medel PL, Brieba LG, Ordaz-Ortiz JJ, Cruz-Ramirez A. Functional Characterization of the Lin28/let-7 Circuit During Forelimb Regeneration in Ambystoma mexicanum and Its Influence on Metabolic Reprogramming. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:562940. [PMID: 33330447 PMCID: PMC7710800 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.562940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a caudate amphibian, which has an extraordinary ability to restore a wide variety of damaged structures by a process denominated epimorphosis. While the origin and potentiality of progenitor cells that take part during epimorphic regeneration are known to some extent, the metabolic changes experienced and their associated implications, remain unexplored. However, a circuit with a potential role as a modulator of cellular metabolism along regeneration is that formed by Lin28/let-7. In this study, we report two Lin28 paralogs and eight mature let-7 microRNAs encoded in the axolotl genome. Particularly, in the proliferative blastema stage amxLin28B is more abundant in the nuclei of blastemal cells, while the microRNAs amx-let-7c and amx-let-7a are most downregulated. Functional inhibition of Lin28 factors increase the levels of most mature let-7 microRNAs, consistent with an increment of intermediary metabolites of the Krebs cycle, and phenotypic alterations in the outgrowth of the blastema. In summary, we describe the primary components of the Lin28/let-7 circuit and their function during axolotl regeneration, acting upstream of metabolic reprogramming events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Varela-Rodríguez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Diana G Abella-Quintana
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Annie Espinal-Centeno
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | | | - David Gomez-Zepeda
- Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Laboratory, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Juan Caballero-Pérez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Paola L García-Medel
- Structural Biochemistry Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Luis G Brieba
- Structural Biochemistry Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - José J Ordaz-Ortiz
- Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Laboratory, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Alfredo Cruz-Ramirez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Guanajuato, Mexico
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García‐Lepe UO, Cruz‐Ramírez A, Bermúdez‐Cruz RM. DNA repair during regeneration in
Ambystoma mexicanum. Dev Dyn 2020; 250:788-799. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ulises Omar García‐Lepe
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Department Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Avanzados del IPN Mexico city Mexico
| | - Alfredo Cruz‐Ramírez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN Guanajuato Mexico
| | - Rosa María Bermúdez‐Cruz
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Department Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Avanzados del IPN Mexico city Mexico
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25
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Espinal-Centeno A, Dipp-Álvarez M, Saldaña C, Bako L, Cruz-Ramírez A. Conservation analysis of core cell cycle regulators and their transcriptional behavior during limb regeneration in Ambystoma mexicanum. Mech Dev 2020; 164:103651. [PMID: 33127453 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2020.103651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl) has been one of the major experimental models for the study of regeneration during the past 100 years. Axolotl limb regeneration takes place through a multi-stage and complex developmental process called epimorphosis that involves diverse events of cell reprogramming. Such events start with dedifferentiation of somatic cells and the proliferation of quiescent stem cells to generate a population of proliferative cells called blastema. Once the blastema reaches a mature stage, cells undergo progressive differentiation into the diverse cell lineages that will form the new limb. Such pivotal cell reprogramming phenomena depend on the fine-tuned regulation of the cell cycle in each regeneration stage, where cell populations display specific proliferative capacities and differentiation status. The axolotl genome has been fully sequenced and released recently, and diverse RNA-seq approaches have also been generated, enabling the identification and conservatory analysis of core cell cycle regulators in this species. We report here our results from such analyses and present the transcriptional behavior of key regulatory factors during axolotl limb regeneration. We also found conserved protein interactions between axolotl Cyclin Dependent Kinases 2, 4 and 6 and Cyclins type D and E. Canonical CYC-CDK interactions that play major roles in modulating cell cycle progression in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Espinal-Centeno
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (U.G.A.-LANGEBIO) CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Mexico; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro, Qro. CP 76230, Mexico
| | - Melissa Dipp-Álvarez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (U.G.A.-LANGEBIO) CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Carlos Saldaña
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro, Qro. CP 76230, Mexico
| | - Laszlo Bako
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Alfredo Cruz-Ramírez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (U.G.A.-LANGEBIO) CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Mexico.
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26
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Matsunami M, Miura T, Kishida O, Michimae H, Nishimura K. Expression of Genes Involved in Offensive and Defensive Phenotype Induction in the Pituitary Gland of the Hokkaido Salamander (Hynobius retardatus). Zoolog Sci 2020; 37:563-574. [DOI: 10.2108/zs190140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masatoshi Matsunami
- Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan
| | - Toru Miura
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, University of Tokyo, Miura, Kanagawa 238-0225, Japan
| | - Osamu Kishida
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Tomakomai, Hokkaido 053-0035, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Michimae
- School of Pharmacy, Department of Clinical Medicine (Biostatistics), Kitasato University, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Kinya Nishimura
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan
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27
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Jiang P, Chamberlain CS, Vanderby R, Thomson JA, Stewart R. TimeMeter assesses temporal gene expression similarity and identifies differentially progressing genes. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:e51. [PMID: 32123905 PMCID: PMC7229845 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparative time series transcriptome analysis is a powerful tool to study development, evolution, aging, disease progression and cancer prognosis. We develop TimeMeter, a statistical method and tool to assess temporal gene expression similarity, and identify differentially progressing genes where one pattern is more temporally advanced than the other. We apply TimeMeter to several datasets, and show that TimeMeter is capable of characterizing complicated temporal gene expression associations. Interestingly, we find: (i) the measurement of differential progression provides a novel feature in addition to pattern similarity that can characterize early developmental divergence between two species; (ii) genes exhibiting similar temporal patterns between human and mouse during neural differentiation are under strong negative (purifying) selection during evolution; (iii) analysis of genes with similar temporal patterns in mouse digit regeneration and axolotl blastema differentiation reveals common gene groups for appendage regeneration with potential implications in regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Jiang
- Regenerative Biology Laboratory, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53707, USA
| | - Connie S Chamberlain
- Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Ray Vanderby
- Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - James A Thomson
- Regenerative Biology Laboratory, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53707, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Ron Stewart
- Regenerative Biology Laboratory, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53707, USA
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28
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Vincent E, Villiard E, Sader F, Dhakal S, Kwok BH, Roy S. BMP signaling is essential for sustaining proximo-distal progression in regenerating axolotl limbs. Development 2020; 147:dev.170829. [PMID: 32665245 DOI: 10.1242/dev.170829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Amputation of a salamander limb triggers a regeneration process that is perfect. A limited number of genes have been studied in this context and even fewer have been analyzed functionally. In this work, we use the BMP signaling inhibitor LDN193189 on Ambystoma mexicanum to explore the role of BMPs in regeneration. We find that BMP signaling is required for proper expression of various patterning genes and that its inhibition causes major defects in the regenerated limbs. Fgf8 is downregulated when BMP signaling is blocked, but ectopic injection of either human or axolotl protein did not rescue the defects. By administering LDN193189 treatments at different time points during regeneration, we show clearly that limb regeneration progresses in a proximal to distal fashion. This demonstrates that BMPs play a major role in patterning of regenerated limbs and that regeneration is a progressive process like development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Vincent
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Eric Villiard
- Department of Stomatology, Faculty of Dentistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Fadi Sader
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Sabin Dhakal
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Département de médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Benjamin H Kwok
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Département de médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Stéphane Roy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada .,Department of Stomatology, Faculty of Dentistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada
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29
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Nowoshilow S, Tanaka EM. Introducing www.axolotl-omics.org - an integrated -omics data portal for the axolotl research community. Exp Cell Res 2020; 394:112143. [PMID: 32540400 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2020.112143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Genomic resources are indispensable for biological investigations in model organisms. In recent years, a number of genomic resources including a full genome assembly, extensive transcriptomic data, as well as genome editing has been developed for the axolotl, a classical model organism for developmental, neurobiological and regeneration studies, making the axolotl a highly versatile system. Here we describe the Axolotl-omics website that allows rapid ortholog searches, and access to genome and transcriptomic resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergej Nowoshilow
- Institute of Molecular Pathology Vienna Biocenter, Campus Vienna Biocenter 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elly M Tanaka
- Institute of Molecular Pathology Vienna Biocenter, Campus Vienna Biocenter 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
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30
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Leigh ND, Sessa S, Dragalzew AC, Payzin-Dogru D, Sousa JF, Aggouras AN, Johnson K, Dunlap GS, Haas BJ, Levin M, Schneider I, Whited JL. von Willebrand factor D and EGF domains is an evolutionarily conserved and required feature of blastemas capable of multitissue appendage regeneration. Evol Dev 2020; 22:297-311. [PMID: 32163674 PMCID: PMC7390686 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Regenerative ability varies tremendously across species. A common feature of regeneration of appendages such as limbs, fins, antlers, and tails is the formation of a blastema—a transient structure that houses a pool of progenitor cells that can regenerate the missing tissue. We have identified the expression of von Willebrand factor D and EGF domains (vwde) as a common feature of blastemas capable of regenerating limbs and fins in a variety of highly regenerative species, including axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa), and Polpyterus (Polypterus senegalus). Further, vwde expression is tightly linked to the ability to regenerate appendages in Xenopus laevis. Functional experiments demonstrate a requirement for vwde in regeneration and indicate that Vwde is a potent growth factor in the blastema. These data identify a key role for vwde in regenerating blastemas and underscore the power of an evolutionarily informed approach for identifying conserved genetic components of regeneration. vwde expression is a common feature of blastemas capable of fin and limb regeneration. vwde expression is tightly tied to regeneration‐competency. vwde is required for axolotl limb regeneration, with transient knockdown resulting in severe endpoint phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas D Leigh
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Sofia Sessa
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Aline C Dragalzew
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Duygu Payzin-Dogru
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Josane F Sousa
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Anthony N Aggouras
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Kimberly Johnson
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Garrett S Dunlap
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Brian J Haas
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.,Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Igor Schneider
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Jessica L Whited
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
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31
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Sousounis K, Bryant DM, Martinez Fernandez J, Eddy SS, Tsai SL, Gundberg GC, Han J, Courtemanche K, Levin M, Whited JL. Eya2 promotes cell cycle progression by regulating DNA damage response during vertebrate limb regeneration. eLife 2020; 9:51217. [PMID: 32142407 PMCID: PMC7093111 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
How salamanders accomplish progenitor cell proliferation while faithfully maintaining genomic integrity and regenerative potential remains elusive. Here we found an innate DNA damage response mechanism that is evident during blastema proliferation (early- to late-bud) and studied its role during tissue regeneration by ablating the function of one of its components, Eyes absent 2. In eya2 mutant axolotls, we found that DNA damage signaling through the H2AX histone variant was deregulated, especially within the proliferating progenitors during limb regeneration. Ultimately, cell cycle progression was impaired at the G1/S and G2/M transitions and regeneration rate was reduced. Similar data were acquired using acute pharmacological inhibition of the Eya2 phosphatase activity and the DNA damage checkpoint kinases Chk1 and Chk2 in wild-type axolotls. Together, our data indicate that highly-regenerative animals employ a robust DNA damage response pathway which involves regulation of H2AX phosphorylation via Eya2 to facilitate proper cell cycle progression upon injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Sousounis
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,The Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, United States
| | - Donald M Bryant
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Jose Martinez Fernandez
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Samuel S Eddy
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston, United States
| | - Stephanie L Tsai
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Gregory C Gundberg
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,The Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, United States
| | - Jihee Han
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Katharine Courtemanche
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Michael Levin
- The Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, United States.,Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, United States
| | - Jessica L Whited
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.,The Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, United States.,The Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States.,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, United States
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32
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Flowers GP, Crews CM. Remembering where we are: Positional information in salamander limb regeneration. Dev Dyn 2020; 249:465-482. [PMID: 32124513 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fifty years ago, Lewis Wolpert defined an important question in developmental biology: how are cell fates determined by the positions of cells within a system? He proposed that cells retain positional values as if they lie within a coordinate system and that the interpretation of these values produces patterns in development. He referred to this concept as positional information. Though initially controversial, this concept of positional information has proven to be profoundly influential in developmental biology. One area in which the influence of Wolpert's theoretical work can be clearly demonstrated is the study of limb regeneration in salamanders. Here, we review the work in limb regeneration leading up to Wolpert defining the concept of positional information and how his theory has guided regeneration research over the subsequent 50 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant Parker Flowers
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Craig M Crews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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33
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Sanor LD, Flowers GP, Crews CM. Multiplex CRISPR/Cas screen in regenerating haploid limbs of chimeric Axolotls. eLife 2020; 9:48511. [PMID: 31989926 PMCID: PMC6986871 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Axolotls and other salamanders can regenerate entire limbs after amputation as adults, and much recent effort has sought to identify the molecular programs controlling this process. While targeted mutagenesis approaches like CRISPR/Cas9 now permit gene-level investigation of these mechanisms, genetic screening in the axolotl requires an extensive commitment of time and space. Previously, we quantified CRISPR/Cas9-generated mutations in the limbs of mosaic mutant axolotls before and after regeneration and found that the regenerated limb is a highfidelity replicate of the original limb (Flowers et al. 2017). Here, we circumvent aforementioned genetic screening limitations and present methods for a multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 haploid screen in chimeric axolotls (MuCHaChA), which is a novel platform for haploid genetic screening in animals to identify genes essential for limb regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas D Sanor
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Grant Parker Flowers
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Craig M Crews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, United States
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34
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Chandereng T, Gitter A. Lag penalized weighted correlation for time series clustering. BMC Bioinformatics 2020; 21:21. [PMID: 31948388 PMCID: PMC6966853 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-019-3324-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The similarity or distance measure used for clustering can generate intuitive and interpretable clusters when it is tailored to the unique characteristics of the data. In time series datasets generated with high-throughput biological assays, measurements such as gene expression levels or protein phosphorylation intensities are collected sequentially over time, and the similarity score should capture this special temporal structure. RESULTS We propose a clustering similarity measure called Lag Penalized Weighted Correlation (LPWC) to group pairs of time series that exhibit closely-related behaviors over time, even if the timing is not perfectly synchronized. LPWC aligns time series profiles to identify common temporal patterns. It down-weights aligned profiles based on the length of the temporal lags that are introduced. We demonstrate the advantages of LPWC versus existing time series and general clustering algorithms. In a simulated dataset based on the biologically-motivated impulse model, LPWC is the only method to recover the true clusters for almost all simulated genes. LPWC also identifies clusters with distinct temporal patterns in our yeast osmotic stress response and axolotl limb regeneration case studies. CONCLUSIONS LPWC achieves both of its time series clustering goals. It groups time series with correlated changes over time, even if those patterns occur earlier or later in some of the time series. In addition, it refrains from introducing large shifts in time when searching for temporal patterns by applying a lag penalty. The LPWC R package is available at https://github.com/gitter-lab/LPWC and CRAN under a MIT license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thevaa Chandereng
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
- Morgridge Institute of Research, Madison, WI USA
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Anthony Gitter
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
- Morgridge Institute of Research, Madison, WI USA
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35
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Sibai M, Parlayan C, Tuğlu P, Öztürk G, Demircan T. Integrative Analysis of Axolotl Gene Expression Data from Regenerative and Wound Healing Limb Tissues. Sci Rep 2019; 9:20280. [PMID: 31889169 PMCID: PMC6937273 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56829-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a urodele amphibian endowed with remarkable regenerative capacities manifested in scarless wound healing and restoration of amputated limbs, which makes it a powerful experimental model for regenerative biology and medicine. Previous studies have utilized microarrays and RNA-Seq technologies for detecting differentially expressed (DE) genes in different phases of the axolotl limb regeneration. However, sufficient consistency may be lacking due to statistical limitations arising from intra-laboratory analyses. This study aims to bridge such gaps by performing an integrative analysis of publicly available microarray and RNA-Seq data from axolotl limb samples having comparable study designs using the "merging" method. A total of 351 genes were found DE in regenerative samples compared to the control in data of both technologies, showing an adjusted p-value < 0.01 and log fold change magnitudes >1. Downstream analyses illustrated consistent correlations of the directionality of DE genes within and between data of both technologies, as well as concordance with the literature on regeneration related biological processes. qRT-PCR analysis validated the observed expression level differences of five of the top DE genes. Future studies may benefit from the utilized concept and approach for enhanced statistical power and robust discovery of biomarkers of regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Sibai
- Graduate School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Cüneyd Parlayan
- Regenerative and Restorative Medicine Research Center, REMER, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, İstanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Pelin Tuğlu
- Regenerative and Restorative Medicine Research Center, REMER, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gürkan Öztürk
- Regenerative and Restorative Medicine Research Center, REMER, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
- Department of Physiology, International School of Medicine, İstanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Turan Demircan
- Regenerative and Restorative Medicine Research Center, REMER, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey.
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36
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Vieira WA, Wells KM, McCusker CD. Advancements to the Axolotl Model for Regeneration and Aging. Gerontology 2019; 66:212-222. [PMID: 31779024 PMCID: PMC7214127 DOI: 10.1159/000504294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of regenerative capacity is a normal part of aging. However, some organisms, such as the Mexican axolotl, retain striking regenerative capacity throughout their lives. Moreover, the development of age-related diseases is rare in this organism. In this review, we will explore how axolotls are used as a model system to study regenerative processes, the exciting new technological advancements now available for this model, and how we can apply the lessons we learn from studying regeneration in the axolotl to understand, and potentially treat, age-related decline in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren A Vieira
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kaylee M Wells
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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37
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Darnet S, Dragalzew AC, Amaral DB, Sousa JF, Thompson AW, Cass AN, Lorena J, Pires ES, Costa CM, Sousa MP, Fröbisch NB, Oliveira G, Schneider PN, Davis MC, Braasch I, Schneider I. Deep evolutionary origin of limb and fin regeneration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:15106-15115. [PMID: 31270239 PMCID: PMC6660751 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900475116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Salamanders and lungfishes are the only sarcopterygians (lobe-finned vertebrates) capable of paired appendage regeneration, regardless of the amputation level. Among actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes), regeneration after amputation at the fin endoskeleton has only been demonstrated in polypterid fishes (Cladistia). Whether this ability evolved independently in sarcopterygians and actinopterygians or has a common origin remains unknown. Here we combine fin regeneration assays and comparative RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of Polypterus and axolotl blastemas to provide support for a common origin of paired appendage regeneration in Osteichthyes (bony vertebrates). We show that, in addition to polypterids, regeneration after fin endoskeleton amputation occurs in extant representatives of 2 other nonteleost actinopterygians: the American paddlefish (Chondrostei) and the spotted gar (Holostei). Furthermore, we assessed regeneration in 4 teleost species and show that, with the exception of the blue gourami (Anabantidae), 3 species were capable of regenerating fins after endoskeleton amputation: the white convict and the oscar (Cichlidae), and the goldfish (Cyprinidae). Our comparative RNA-seq analysis of regenerating blastemas of axolotl and Polypterus reveals the activation of common genetic pathways and expression profiles, consistent with a shared genetic program of appendage regeneration. Comparison of RNA-seq data from early Polypterus blastema to single-cell RNA-seq data from axolotl limb bud and limb regeneration stages shows that Polypterus and axolotl share a regeneration-specific genetic program. Collectively, our findings support a deep evolutionary origin of paired appendage regeneration in Osteichthyes and provide an evolutionary framework for studies on the genetic basis of appendage regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Darnet
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil
| | - Aline C Dragalzew
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil
| | - Danielson B Amaral
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil
| | - Josane F Sousa
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil
| | - Andrew W Thompson
- Department of Integrative Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
| | - Amanda N Cass
- Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
| | - Jamily Lorena
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, 66055-090 Belém, Brazil
| | - Eder S Pires
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, 66055-090 Belém, Brazil
| | - Carinne M Costa
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil
| | - Marcos P Sousa
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, 66077-530 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Nadia B Fröbisch
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Patricia N Schneider
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil
| | - Marcus C Davis
- Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
| | - Ingo Braasch
- Department of Integrative Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
| | - Igor Schneider
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-900 Belém, Brazil;
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Longitudinal 16S rRNA data derived from limb regenerative tissue samples of axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum. Sci Data 2019; 6:70. [PMID: 31123261 PMCID: PMC6533342 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-019-0077-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a critically endangered species and a fruitful amphibian model for regenerative biology. Despite growing body of research on the cellular and molecular biology of axolotl limb regeneration, microbiological aspects of this process remain poorly understood. Here, we describe bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon dataset derived from axolotl limb tissue samples in the course of limb regeneration. The raw data was obtained by sequencing V3–V4 region of 16S rRNA gene and comprised 14,569,756 paired-end raw reads generated from 21 samples. Initial data analysis using DADA2 pipeline resulted in amplicon sequence variant (ASV) table containing a total of ca. 5.9 million chimera-removed, high-quality reads and a median of 296,971 reads per sample. The data constitute a useful resource for the research on the microbiological aspects of axolotl limb regeneration and will also broadly facilitate comparative studies in the developmental and conservation biology of this critically endangered species. Design Type(s) | time series design • organism development design | Measurement Type(s) | rRNA 16S | Technology Type(s) | DNA sequencing | Factor Type(s) | biological replicate • temporal_interval | Sample Characteristic(s) | Ambystoma mexicanum • limb • laboratory environment |
Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data (ISA-Tab format)
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39
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Bichirs employ similar genetic pathways for limb regeneration as are used in lungfish and salamanders. Gene 2019; 690:68-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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40
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Kakebeen AD, Wills AE. More Than Just a Bandage: Closing the Gap Between Injury and Appendage Regeneration. Front Physiol 2019; 10:81. [PMID: 30800076 PMCID: PMC6376490 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The remarkable regenerative capabilities of amphibians have captured the attention of biologists for centuries. The frogs Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis undergo temporally restricted regenerative healing of appendage amputations and spinal cord truncations, injuries that are both devastating and relatively common in human patients. Rapidly expanding technological innovations have led to a resurgence of interest in defining the factors that enable regenerative healing, and in coupling these factors to human therapeutic interventions. It is well-established that early embryonic signaling pathways are critical for growth and patterning of new tissue during regeneration. A growing body of research now indicates that early physiological injury responses are also required to initiate a regenerative program, and that these differ in regenerative and non-regenerative contexts. Here we review recent insights into the biophysical, biochemical, and epigenetic processes that underlie regenerative healing in amphibians, focusing particularly on tail and limb regeneration in Xenopus. We also discuss the more elusive potential mechanisms that link wounding to tissue growth and patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneke D Kakebeen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Andrea E Wills
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
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41
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Tsai SL, Baselga-Garriga C, Melton DA. Blastemal progenitors modulate immune signaling during early limb regeneration. Development 2019; 146:146/1/dev169128. [PMID: 30602532 DOI: 10.1242/dev.169128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Blastema formation, a hallmark of limb regeneration, requires proliferation and migration of progenitors to the amputation plane. Although blastema formation has been well described, the transcriptional programs that drive blastemal progenitors remain unknown. We transcriptionally profiled dividing and non-dividing cells in regenerating stump tissues, as well as the wound epidermis, during early axolotl limb regeneration. Our analysis revealed unique transcriptional signatures of early dividing cells and, unexpectedly, repression of several core developmental signaling pathways in early regenerating stump tissues. We further identify an immunomodulatory role for blastemal progenitors through interleukin 8 (IL-8), a highly expressed cytokine in subpopulations of early blastemal progenitors. Ectopic il-8 expression in non-regenerating limbs induced myeloid cell recruitment, while IL-8 knockdown resulted in defective myeloid cell retention during late wound healing, delaying regeneration. Furthermore, the il-8 receptor cxcr-1/2 was expressed in myeloid cells, and inhibition of CXCR-1/2 signaling during early stages of limb regeneration prevented regeneration. Altogether, our findings suggest that blastemal progenitors are active early mediators of immune support, and identify CXCR-1/2 signaling as an important immunomodulatory pathway during the initiation of regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Tsai
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Clara Baselga-Garriga
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Douglas A Melton
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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42
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Fei JF, Lou WPK, Knapp D, Murawala P, Gerber T, Taniguchi Y, Nowoshilow S, Khattak S, Tanaka EM. Application and optimization of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome engineering in axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). Nat Protoc 2018; 13:2908-2943. [PMID: 30429597 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-018-0071-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Genomic manipulation is essential to the use of model organisms to understand development, regeneration and adult physiology. The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), a type of salamander, exhibits an unparalleled regenerative capability in a spectrum of complex tissues and organs, and therefore serves as a powerful animal model for dissecting mechanisms of regeneration. We describe here an optimized stepwise protocol to create genetically modified axolotls using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The protocol, which takes 7-8 weeks to complete, describes generation of targeted gene knockouts and knock-ins and includes site-specific integration of large targeting constructs. The direct use of purified CAS9-NLS (CAS9 containing a C-terminal nuclear localization signal) protein allows the prompt formation of guide RNA (gRNA)-CAS9-NLS ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, which accelerates the creation of double-strand breaks (DSBs) at targeted genomic loci in single-cell-stage axolotl eggs. With this protocol, a substantial number of F0 individuals harboring a homozygous-type frameshift mutation can be obtained, allowing phenotype analysis in this generation. In the presence of targeting constructs, insertions of exogenous genes into targeted axolotl genomic loci can be achieved at efficiencies of up to 15% in a non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) manner. Our protocol bypasses the long generation time of axolotls and allows direct functional analysis in F0 genetically manipulated axolotls. This protocol can be potentially applied to other animal models, especially to organisms with a well-characterized transcriptome but lacking a well-characterized genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Feng Fei
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Wilson Pak-Kin Lou
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Dunja Knapp
- DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies, Dresden (CRTD), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Prayag Murawala
- The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Tobias Gerber
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Yuka Taniguchi
- The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Sergej Nowoshilow
- The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Shahryar Khattak
- DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies, Dresden (CRTD), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Elly M Tanaka
- The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
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43
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Arenas Gómez CM, Woodcock RM, Smith JJ, Voss RS, Delgado JP. Using transcriptomics to enable a plethodontid salamander (Bolitoglossa ramosi) for limb regeneration research. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:704. [PMID: 30253734 PMCID: PMC6157048 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5076-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tissue regeneration is widely distributed across the tree of life. Among vertebrates, salamanders possess an exceptional ability to regenerate amputated limbs and other complex structures. Thus far, molecular insights about limb regeneration have come from a relatively limited number of species from two closely related salamander families. To gain a broader perspective on the molecular basis of limb regeneration and enhance the molecular toolkit of an emerging plethodontid salamander (Bolitoglossa ramosi), we used RNA-Seq to generate a de novo reference transcriptome and identify differentially expressed genes during limb regeneration. Results Using paired-end Illumina sequencing technology and Trinity assembly, a total of 433,809 transcripts were recovered and we obtained functional annotation for 142,926 non-redundant transcripts of the B. ramosi de novo reference transcriptome. Among the annotated transcripts, 602 genes were identified as differentially expressed during limb regeneration. This list was further processed to identify a core set of genes that exhibit conserved expression changes between B. ramosi and the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), and presumably their common ancestor from approximately 180 million years ago. Conclusions We identified genes from B. ramosi that are differentially expressed during limb regeneration, including multiple conserved protein-coding genes and possible putative species-specific genes. Comparative analyses reveal a subset of genes that show similar patterns of expression with ambystomatid species, which highlights the importance of developing comparative gene expression data for studies of limb regeneration among salamanders. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5076-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M Arenas Gómez
- Grupo de Genética, Regeneración y Cáncer, Universidad de Antioquia, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, Torre 2, laboratorio 432. Calle 62 No. 52 - 59, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Ryan M Woodcock
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA.,Keene State College, Keene, NH, USA
| | - Jeramiah J Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA
| | - Randal S Voss
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jean Paul Delgado
- Grupo de Genética, Regeneración y Cáncer, Universidad de Antioquia, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, Torre 2, laboratorio 432. Calle 62 No. 52 - 59, Medellín, Colombia.
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44
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Dwaraka VB, Smith JJ, Woodcock MR, Voss SR. Comparative transcriptomics of limb regeneration: Identification of conserved expression changes among three species of Ambystoma. Genomics 2018; 111:1216-1225. [PMID: 30092345 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2018.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptome studies are revealing the complex gene expression basis of limb regeneration in the primary salamander model - Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl). To better understand this complexity, there is need to extend analyses to additional salamander species. Using microarray and RNA-Seq, we performed a comparative transcriptomic study using A. mexicanum and two other ambystomatid salamanders: A. andersoni, and A. maculatum. Salamanders were administered forelimb amputations and RNA was isolated and analyzed to identify 405 non-redundant genes that were commonly, differentially expressed 24 h post amputation. Many of the upregulated genes are predicted to function in wound healing and developmental processes, while many of the downregulated genes are typically expressed in muscle. The conserved transcriptional changes identified in this study provide a high-confidence dataset for identifying factors that simultaneous orchestrate wound healing and regeneration processes in response to injury, and more generally for identifying genes that are essential for salamander limb regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun B Dwaraka
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, United States; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
| | - Jeramiah J Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, United States
| | - M Ryan Woodcock
- Department of Biology, Keene State College, Keene, NH 03431, United States
| | - S Randal Voss
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
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45
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Sandoval-Guzmán T, Currie JD. The journey of cells through regeneration. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2018; 55:36-41. [PMID: 30031323 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The process of building an organ, appendage, or organism requires the precise coordination of cells in space and time. Regeneration of those same tissues adds an additional element of complexity, emerging from the chaos of disease or injury to build a mass of progenitors from mature tissue. Translating insights from natural examples of tissue regeneration into engineered regenerative therapies requires a deep understanding of the journey of a cell directly following injury to its contribution to functional, scaled replacement tissue. Here we step through the chronological phases of regeneration and highlight emerging work that brings us closer to elucidating the unique intrinsic and extrinsic properties of cells during epimorphic regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Sandoval-Guzmán
- DFG-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 105, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Joshua D Currie
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada.
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46
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Thampi P, Liu J, Zeng Z, MacLeod JN. Changes in the appendicular skeleton during metamorphosis in the axolotl salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum). J Anat 2018; 233:468-477. [PMID: 29992565 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Axolotl salamanders (Ambystoma mexicanum) remain aquatic in their natural state, during which biomechanical forces on their diarthrodial limb joints are likely reduced relative to salamanders living on land. However, even as sexually mature adults, these amphibians can be induced to metamorphose into a weight-bearing terrestrial stage by environmental stress or the exogenous administration of thyroxine hormone. In some respects, this aquatic to terrestrial transition of axolotl salamanders through metamorphosis may model developmental and changing biomechanical skeletal forces in mammals during the prenatal to postnatal transition at birth and in the early postnatal period. To assess differences in the appendicular skeleton as a function of metamorphosis, anatomical and gene expression parameters were compared in skeletal tissues between aquatic and terrestrial axolotls that were the same age and genetically full siblings. The length of long bones and area of cuboidal bones in the appendicular skeleton, as well as the cellularity of cartilaginous and interzone tissues of femorotibial joints were generally higher in aquatic axolotls compared with their metamorphosed terrestrial siblings. A comparison of steady-state mRNA transcripts encoding aggrecan core protein (ACAN), type II collagen (COL2A1), and growth and differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) in femorotibial cartilaginous and interzone tissues did not reveal any significant differences between aquatic and terrestrial axolotls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parvathy Thampi
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Jinpeng Liu
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Zheng Zeng
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - James N MacLeod
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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47
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Alibardi L. Immunodetection of High Mobility Group Proteins in the regenerating tail of lizard mainly indicates activation for cell proliferation. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Alibardi
- Comparative Histolab Padova and Department of BiologyUniversity of Bologna Bologna Italy
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48
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The axolotl genome and the evolution of key tissue formation regulators. Nature 2018; 554:50-55. [PMID: 29364872 DOI: 10.1038/nature25458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 312] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Salamanders serve as important tetrapod models for developmental, regeneration and evolutionary studies. An extensive molecular toolkit makes the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) a key representative salamander for molecular investigations. Here we report the sequencing and assembly of the 32-gigabase-pair axolotl genome using an approach that combined long-read sequencing, optical mapping and development of a new genome assembler (MARVEL). We observed a size expansion of introns and intergenic regions, largely attributable to multiplication of long terminal repeat retroelements. We provide evidence that intron size in developmental genes is under constraint and that species-restricted genes may contribute to limb regeneration. The axolotl genome assembly does not contain the essential developmental gene Pax3. However, mutation of the axolotl Pax3 paralogue Pax7 resulted in an axolotl phenotype that was similar to those seen in Pax3-/- and Pax7-/- mutant mice. The axolotl genome provides a rich biological resource for developmental and evolutionary studies.
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Evans T, Johnson AD, Loose M. Virtual Genome Walking across the 32 Gb Ambystoma mexicanum genome; assembling gene models and intronic sequence. Sci Rep 2018; 8:618. [PMID: 29330416 PMCID: PMC5766544 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-19128-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Large repeat rich genomes present challenges for assembly using short read technologies. The 32 Gb axolotl genome is estimated to contain ~19 Gb of repetitive DNA making an assembly from short reads alone effectively impossible. Indeed, this model species has been sequenced to 20× coverage but the reads could not be conventionally assembled. Using an alternative strategy, we have assembled subsets of these reads into scaffolds describing over 19,000 gene models. We call this method Virtual Genome Walking as it locally assembles whole genome reads based on a reference transcriptome, identifying exons and iteratively extending them into surrounding genomic sequence. These assemblies are then linked and refined to generate gene models including upstream and downstream genomic, and intronic, sequence. Our assemblies are validated by comparison with previously published axolotl bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. Our analyses of axolotl intron length, intron-exon structure, repeat content and synteny provide novel insights into the genic structure of this model species. This resource will enable new experimental approaches in axolotl, such as ChIP-Seq and CRISPR and aid in future whole genome sequencing efforts. The assembled sequences and annotations presented here are freely available for download from https://tinyurl.com/y8gydc6n . The software pipeline is available from https://github.com/LooseLab/iterassemble .
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Affiliation(s)
- Teri Evans
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Andrew D Johnson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Matthew Loose
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
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50
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Regeneration in distantly related species: common strategies and pathways. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2018; 4:5. [PMID: 29354283 PMCID: PMC5764997 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-017-0042-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
While almost all animals are able to at least partially replace some lost parts, regeneration abilities vary considerably across species. Here we study gene expression patterns in distantly related species to investigate conserved regeneration strategies. To this end, we collect from the literature transcriptomic data obtained during the regeneration of three species (Hydra magnipapillata, Schmidtea mediterranea, and Apostichopus japonicus), and compare them with gene expression during regeneration in vertebrates and mammals. This allows us to identify a common set of differentially expressed genes and relevant shared pathways that are conserved across species during the early stage of the regeneration process. We also find a set of differentially expressed genes that in mammals are associated to the presence of macrophages and to the epithelial–mesenchymal transition. This suggests that features of the sophisticated wound healing strategy of mammals are already observable in earlier emerging metazoans. All animals capable of regenerating a lost body part, from an organ or a limb to the whole organism, use a common set of genes. This is the striking discovery of a team of researchers from the Center for Complexity and Biosystems of the University of Milan, led by Caterina La Porta. They analyzed the genetic activity in regenerating tissues from widely different species—from hydra to mice. They found that some of the genes active at the beginning of the regeneration process are the same in very different species, including mammals which have lost this function during evolution, except for the restoration of the liver. The discovery of this shared genetic signature is of great importance to understand how regeneration evolved and could be useful for future regeneration therapies.
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