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Wang S, Wang X, Pan C, Liu Y, Lei M, Guo X, Chen Q, Yang X, Ouyang C, Ren Z. Functions of actin-binding proteins in cilia structure remodeling and signaling. Biol Cell 2023; 115:e202300026. [PMID: 37478133 DOI: 10.1111/boc.202300026] [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: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Cilia are microtubule-based organelles found on the surfaces of many types of cells, including cardiac fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, human retinal pigmented epithelial-1 (RPE-1) cells, and alveolar epithelial cells. These organelles can be classified as immotile cilia, referred to as primary cilia in mammalian cells, and motile cilia. Primary cilia are cellular sensors that detect extracellular signals; this is a critical function associated with ciliopathies, which are characterized by the typical clinical features of developmental disorders. Cilia are extensively studied organelles of the microtubule cytoskeleton. However, the ciliary actin cytoskeleton has rarely been studied. Clear evidence has shown that highly regulated actin cytoskeleton dynamics contribute to normal ciliary function. Actin-binding proteins (ABPs) play vital roles in filamentous actin (F-actin) morphology. Here, we discuss recent progress in understanding the roles of ABPs in ciliary structural remodeling and further downstream ciliary signaling with a focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying actin cytoskeleton-related ciliopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Medicine Research Institute, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
- School of Pharmacy, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Xin Wang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Congbin Pan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Medicine Research Institute, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
- School of Pharmacy, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Ying Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Min Lei
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Medicine Research Institute, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Xiying Guo
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Medicine Research Institute, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Qingjie Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Medicine Research Institute, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Xiaosong Yang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Medicine Research Institute, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Changhan Ouyang
- School of Pharmacy, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Zhanhong Ren
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Diabetes and Angiopathy, Medicine Research Institute, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
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Sharkova M, Chow E, Erickson T, Hocking JC. The morphological and functional diversity of apical microvilli. J Anat 2023; 242:327-353. [PMID: 36281951 PMCID: PMC9919547 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory neurons use specialized apical processes to perceive external stimuli and monitor internal body conditions. The apical apparatus can include cilia, microvilli, or both, and is adapted for the functions of the particular cell type. Photoreceptors detect light through a large, modified cilium (outer segment), that is supported by a surrounding ring of microvilli-like calyceal processes (CPs). Although first reported 150 years ago, CPs remain poorly understood. As a basis for future study, we therefore conducted a review of existing literature about sensory cell microvilli, which can act either as the primary sensory detector or as support for a cilia-based detector. While all microvilli are finger-like cellular protrusions with an actin core, the processes vary across cell types in size, number, arrangement, dynamics, and function. We summarize the current state of knowledge about CPs and the characteristics of the microvilli found on inner ear hair cells (stereocilia) and cerebral spinal fluid-contacting neurons, with comparisons to the brush border of the intestinal and renal epithelia. The structure, stability, and dynamics of the actin core are regulated by a complement of actin-binding proteins, which includes both common components and unique features when compared across cell types. Further, microvilli are often supported by lateral links, a glycocalyx, and a defined extracellular matrix, each adapted to the function and environment of the cell. Our comparison of microvillar features will inform further research into how CPs support photoreceptor function, and also provide a general basis for investigations into the structure and functions of apical microvilli found on sensory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Sharkova
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Erica Chow
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Timothy Erickson
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Jennifer C Hocking
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Women and Children's Health Research Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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3
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Rajan S, Kudryashov DS, Reisler E. Actin Bundles Dynamics and Architecture. Biomolecules 2023; 13:450. [PMID: 36979385 PMCID: PMC10046292 DOI: 10.3390/biom13030450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells use the actin cytoskeleton for many of their functions, including their division, adhesion, mechanosensing, endo- and phagocytosis, migration, and invasion. Actin bundles are the main constituent of actin-rich structures involved in these processes. An ever-increasing number of proteins that crosslink actin into bundles or regulate their morphology is being identified in cells. With recent advances in high-resolution microscopy and imaging techniques, the complex process of bundles formation and the multiple forms of physiological bundles are beginning to be better understood. Here, we review the physiochemical and biological properties of four families of highly conserved and abundant actin-bundling proteins, namely, α-actinin, fimbrin/plastin, fascin, and espin. We describe the similarities and differences between these proteins, their role in the formation of physiological actin bundles, and their properties-both related and unrelated to their bundling abilities. We also review some aspects of the general mechanism of actin bundles formation, which are known from the available information on the activity of the key actin partners involved in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudeepa Rajan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Dmitri S. Kudryashov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Emil Reisler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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4
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Schellens RTW, Slijkerman RWN, Hetterschijt L, Peters T, Broekman S, Clemént A, Westerfield M, Phillips JB, Boldt K, Kremer H, De Vrieze E, Van Wijk E. Affinity purification of in vivo assembled whirlin-associated protein complexes from the zebrafish retina. J Proteomics 2022; 266:104666. [PMID: 35788411 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104666] [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: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in WHRN lead to Usher syndrome type 2d or to non-syndromic hearing impairment. The WHRN-encoded gene product whirlin directly interacts with the intracellular regions of the other two Usher syndrome type 2-associated proteins, usherin and ADGRV1. In photoreceptor cells, this protein complex constitutes fibrous links between the periciliary membrane and the connecting cilium. However, the molecular mechanism(s) of retinal degeneration due to compromised formation and function of the USH2-associated protein complex remains elusive. To unravel this pathogenic mechanism, we isolated and characterized whirlin-associated protein complexes from zebrafish photoreceptor cells. We generated transgenic zebrafish that express Strep/FLAG-tagged Whrna, a zebrafish ortholog of human whirlin, under the control of a photoreceptor-specific promoter. Affinity purification of Strep/FLAG-tagged Whrna and associated proteins from adult transgenic zebrafish retinas followed by mass spectrometry identified 19 novel candidate associated proteins. Pull down experiments and dedicated yeast two-hybrid assays confirmed the association of Whrna with 7 of the co-purified proteins. Several of the co-purified proteins are part of the synaptic proteome, which indicates a role for whirlin in the photoreceptor synapse. Future studies will elucidate which of the newly identified protein-protein interactions contribute to the development of the retinal phenotype observed in USH2d patients. SIGNIFICANCE: Since protein-protein interactions identified using targeted in vitro studies do not always recapitulate interactions that are functionally relevant in vivo, we established a transgenic zebrafish line that stably expresses a Strep/FLAG-tagged ortholog of human whirlin (SF-Whrna) in photoreceptor cells. Affinity purification of in vivo-assembled SF-Whrna-associated protein complexes from retinal lysates followed by mass spectrometry, identified 19 novel candidate interaction partners, many of which are enriched in the synaptic proteome. Two human orthologs of the identified candidate interaction partners, FRMPD4 and Kir2.3, were validated as direct interaction partners of human whirlin using a yeast two-hybrid assay. The strong connection of whirlin with postsynaptic density proteins was not identified in previous in vitro protein-protein interaction assays, presumably due to the absence of a biologically relevant context. Isolation and identification of in vivo-assembled whirlin-associated protein complexes from the tissue of interest is therefore a powerful methodology to obtain novel insight into tissue specific protein-protein interactions and has the potential to improve significantly our understanding of the function of whirlin and the molecular pathogenesis underlying Usher syndrome type 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- R T W Schellens
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6500GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - R W N Slijkerman
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - L Hetterschijt
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - T Peters
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - S Broekman
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - A Clemént
- University of Oregon, OR 97403, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - M Westerfield
- University of Oregon, OR 97403, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America.
| | - J B Phillips
- University of Oregon, OR 97403, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America.
| | - K Boldt
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - H Kremer
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6500GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - E De Vrieze
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6500GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - E Van Wijk
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6500GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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5
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Rich SK, Baskar R, Terman JR. Propagation of F-actin disassembly via Myosin15-Mical interactions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/20/eabg0147. [PMID: 33980493 PMCID: PMC8115926 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg0147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The F-actin cytoskeleton drives cellular form and function. However, how F-actin-based changes occur with spatiotemporal precision and specific directional orientation is poorly understood. Here, we identify that the unconventional class XV myosin [Myosin 15 (Myo15)] physically and functionally interacts with the F-actin disassembly enzyme Mical to spatiotemporally position cellular breakdown and reconstruction. Specifically, while unconventional myosins have been associated with transporting cargo along F-actin to spatially target cytoskeletal assembly, we now find they also target disassembly. Myo15 specifically positions this F-actin disassembly by associating with Mical and using its motor and MyTH4-FERM cargo-transporting functions to broaden Mical's distribution. Myo15's broadening of Mical's distribution also expands and directionally orients Mical-mediated F-actin disassembly and subsequent cellular remodeling, including in response to Semaphorin/Plexin cell surface activation signals. Thus, we identify a mechanism that spatiotemporally propagates F-actin disassembly while also proposing that other F-actin-trafficked-cargo is derailed by this disassembly to directionally orient rebuilding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon K Rich
- Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmacology and Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Raju Baskar
- Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmacology and Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jonathan R Terman
- Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmacology and Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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Xu Z, Orkwis JA, Harris GM. Cell Shape and Matrix Stiffness Impact Schwann Cell Plasticity via YAP/TAZ and Rho GTPases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094821. [PMID: 34062912 PMCID: PMC8124465 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Schwann cells (SCs) are a highly plastic cell type capable of undergoing phenotypic changes following injury or disease. SCs are able to upregulate genes associated with nerve regeneration and ultimately achieve functional recovery. During the regeneration process, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell morphology play a cooperative, critical role in regulating SCs, and therefore highly impact nerve regeneration outcomes. However, the roles of the ECM and mechanotransduction relating to SC phenotype are largely unknown. Here, we describe the role that matrix stiffness and cell morphology play in SC phenotype specification via known mechanotransducers YAP/TAZ and RhoA. Using engineered microenvironments to precisely control ECM stiffness, cell shape, and cell spreading, we show that ECM stiffness and SC spreading downregulated SC regenerative associated proteins by the activation of RhoA and YAP/TAZ. Additionally, cell elongation promoted a distinct SC regenerative capacity by the upregulation of Rac1/MKK7/JNK, both necessary for the ECM and morphology changes found during nerve regeneration. These results confirm the role of ECM signaling in peripheral nerve regeneration as well as provide insight to the design of future biomaterials and cellular therapies for peripheral nerve regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyuan Xu
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA; (Z.X.); (J.A.O.)
| | - Jacob A. Orkwis
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA; (Z.X.); (J.A.O.)
| | - Greg M. Harris
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA; (Z.X.); (J.A.O.)
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(513)-556-4167
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Lemaire LA, Cao C, Yoon PH, Long J, Levine M. The hypothalamus predates the origin of vertebrates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/18/eabf7452. [PMID: 33910896 PMCID: PMC8081355 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf7452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamus coordinates neuroendocrine functions in vertebrates. To explore its evolutionary origin, we describe integrated transcriptome/connectome brain maps for swimming tadpoles of Ciona, which serves as an approximation of the ancestral proto-vertebrate. This map features several cell types related to different regions of the vertebrate hypothalamus, including the mammillary nucleus, the arcuate nucleus, and magnocellular neurons. Coronet cells express melanopsin and share additional properties with the saccus vasculosus, a specialized region of the hypothalamus that mediates photoperiodism in nontropical fishes. Comparative transcriptome analyses identified orthologous cell types for mechanosensory switch neurons, and VP+ and VPR+ relay neurons in different regions of the mouse hypothalamus. These observations provide evidence that the hypothalamus predates the evolution of the vertebrate brain. We discuss the possibility that switch neurons, coronet cells, and FoxP+ /VPR+ relay neurons comprise a behavioral circuit that helps trigger metamorphosis of Ciona larvae in response to twilight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence A Lemaire
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Chen Cao
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Peter H Yoon
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Juanjuan Long
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Michael Levine
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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Carlton AJ, Halford J, Underhill A, Jeng J, Avenarius MR, Gilbert ML, Ceriani F, Ebisine K, Brown SDM, Bowl MR, Barr‐Gillespie PG, Marcotti W. Loss of Baiap2l2 destabilizes the transducing stereocilia of cochlear hair cells and leads to deafness. J Physiol 2021; 599:1173-1198. [PMID: 33151556 PMCID: PMC7898316 DOI: 10.1113/jp280670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Mechanoelectrical transduction at auditory hair cells requires highly specialized stereociliary bundles that project from their apical surface, forming a characteristic graded 'staircase' structure. The morphogenesis and maintenance of these stereociliary bundles is a tightly regulated process requiring the involvement of several actin-binding proteins, many of which are still unidentified. We identify a new stereociliary protein, the I-BAR protein BAIAP2L2, which localizes to the tips of the shorter transducing stereocilia in both inner and outer hair cells (IHCs and OHCs). We find that Baiap2l2 deficient mice lose their second and third rows of stereocilia, their mechanoelectrical transducer current, and develop progressive hearing loss, becoming deaf by 8 months of age. We demonstrate that BAIAP2L2 localization to stereocilia tips is dependent on the motor protein MYO15A and its cargo EPS8. We propose that BAIAP2L2 is a new key protein required for the maintenance of the transducing stereocilia in mature cochlear hair cells. ABSTRACT The transduction of sound waves into electrical signals depends upon mechanosensitive stereociliary bundles that project from the apical surface of hair cells within the cochlea. The height and width of these actin-based stereocilia is tightly regulated throughout life to establish and maintain their characteristic staircase-like structure, which is essential for normal mechanoelectrical transduction. Here, we show that BAIAP2L2, a member of the I-BAR protein family, is a newly identified hair bundle protein that is localized to the tips of the shorter rows of transducing stereocilia in mouse cochlear hair cells. BAIAP2L2 was detected by immunohistochemistry from postnatal day 2.5 (P2.5) throughout adulthood. In Baiap2l2 deficient mice, outer hair cells (OHCs), but not inner hair cells (IHCs), began to lose their third row of stereocilia and showed a reduction in the size of the mechanoelectrical transducer current from just after P9. Over the following post-hearing weeks, the ordered staircase structure of the bundle progressively deteriorates, such that, by 8 months of age, both OHCs and IHCs of Baiap2l2 deficient mice have lost most of the second and third rows of stereocilia and become deaf. We also found that BAIAP2L2 interacts with other key stereociliary proteins involved in normal hair bundle morphogenesis, such as CDC42, RAC1, EPS8 and ESPNL. Furthermore, we show that BAIAP2L2 localization to the stereocilia tips depends on the motor protein MYO15A and its cargo EPS8. We propose that BAIAP2L2 is key to maintenance of the normal actin structure of the transducing stereocilia in mature mouse cochlear hair cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Carlton
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Julia Halford
- Oregon Hearing Research Center & Vollum InstituteOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
| | - Anna Underhill
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Jing‐Yi Jeng
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Matthew R. Avenarius
- Oregon Hearing Research Center & Vollum InstituteOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
- Present address: Department of Pathology Wexner Medical CenterThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOHUSA
| | - Merle L. Gilbert
- Oregon Hearing Research Center & Vollum InstituteOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
- Present address: US Army Medical Department Activity‐KoreaCamp HumphreysRepublic of Korea
| | - Federico Ceriani
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | | | - Steve D. M. Brown
- Mammalian Genetics UnitMRC Harwell InstituteHarwell CampusOxfordshireUK
| | - Michael R. Bowl
- Mammalian Genetics UnitMRC Harwell InstituteHarwell CampusOxfordshireUK
- Present address: UCL Ear InstituteUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Peter G. Barr‐Gillespie
- Oregon Hearing Research Center & Vollum InstituteOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
- Oregon Hearing Research CenterOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical ScienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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Kubota M, Scheibinger M, Jan TA, Heller S. Greater epithelial ridge cells are the principal organoid-forming progenitors of the mouse cochlea. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108646. [PMID: 33472062 PMCID: PMC7847202 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, hearing loss is irreversible due to the lack of regenerative potential of non-sensory cochlear cells. Neonatal cochlear cells, however, can grow into organoids that harbor sensory epithelial cells, including hair cells and supporting cells. Here, we purify different cochlear cell types from neonatal mice, validate the composition of the different groups with single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and assess the various groups' potential to grow into inner ear organoids. We find that the greater epithelial ridge (GER), a transient cell population that disappears during post-natal cochlear maturation, harbors the most potent organoid-forming cells. We identified three distinct GER cell groups that correlate with a specific spatial distribution of marker genes. Organoid formation was synergistically enhanced when the cells were cultured at increasing density. This effect is not due to diffusible signals but requires direct cell-to-cell contact. Our findings improve the development of cell-based assays to study culture-generated inner ear cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Kubota
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Mirko Scheibinger
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Taha A Jan
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Stefan Heller
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Chytła A, Gajdzik-Nowak W, Olszewska P, Biernatowska A, Sikorski AF, Czogalla A. Not Just Another Scaffolding Protein Family: The Multifaceted MPPs. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25214954. [PMID: 33114686 PMCID: PMC7662862 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25214954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane palmitoylated proteins (MPPs) are a subfamily of a larger group of multidomain proteins, namely, membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs). The ubiquitous expression and multidomain structure of MPPs provide the ability to form diverse protein complexes at the cell membranes, which are involved in a wide range of cellular processes, including establishing the proper cell structure, polarity and cell adhesion. The formation of MPP-dependent complexes in various cell types seems to be based on similar principles, but involves members of different protein groups, such as 4.1-ezrin-radixin-moesin (FERM) domain-containing proteins, polarity proteins or other MAGUKs, showing their multifaceted nature. In this review, we discuss the function of the MPP family in the formation of multiple protein complexes. Notably, we depict their significant role for cell physiology, as the loss of interactions between proteins involved in the complex has a variety of negative consequences. Moreover, based on recent studies concerning the mechanism of membrane raft formation, we shed new light on a possible role played by MPPs in lateral membrane organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Chytła
- Department of Cytobiochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland; (A.C.); (W.G.-N.); (P.O.); (A.B.)
| | - Weronika Gajdzik-Nowak
- Department of Cytobiochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland; (A.C.); (W.G.-N.); (P.O.); (A.B.)
| | - Paulina Olszewska
- Department of Cytobiochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland; (A.C.); (W.G.-N.); (P.O.); (A.B.)
| | - Agnieszka Biernatowska
- Department of Cytobiochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland; (A.C.); (W.G.-N.); (P.O.); (A.B.)
| | - Aleksander F. Sikorski
- Research and Development Center, Regional Specialist Hospital, Kamieńskiego 73a, 51-154 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Aleksander Czogalla
- Department of Cytobiochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland; (A.C.); (W.G.-N.); (P.O.); (A.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-71375-6356
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11
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Interaction of protocadherin-15 with the scaffold protein whirlin supports its anchoring of hair-bundle lateral links in cochlear hair cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16430. [PMID: 33009420 PMCID: PMC7532178 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73158-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The hair bundle of cochlear hair cells is the site of auditory mechanoelectrical transduction. It is formed by three rows of stiff microvilli-like protrusions of graduated heights, the short, middle-sized, and tall stereocilia. In developing and mature sensory hair cells, stereocilia are connected to each other by various types of fibrous links. Two unconventional cadherins, protocadherin-15 (PCDH15) and cadherin-23 (CDH23), form the tip-links, whose tension gates the hair cell mechanoelectrical transduction channels. These proteins also form transient lateral links connecting neighboring stereocilia during hair bundle morphogenesis. The proteins involved in anchoring these diverse links to the stereocilia dense actin cytoskeleton remain largely unknown. We show that the long isoform of whirlin (L-whirlin), a PDZ domain-containing submembrane scaffold protein, is present at the tips of the tall stereocilia in mature hair cells, together with PCDH15 isoforms CD1 and CD2; L-whirlin localization to the ankle-link region in developing hair bundles moreover depends on the presence of PCDH15-CD1 also localizing there. We further demonstrate that L-whirlin binds to PCDH15 and CDH23 with moderate-to-high affinities in vitro. From these results, we suggest that L-whirlin is part of the molecular complexes bridging PCDH15-, and possibly CDH23-containing lateral links to the cytoskeleton in immature and mature stereocilia.
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12
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Actin-based regulation of ciliogenesis - The long and the short of it. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2019; 102:132-138. [PMID: 31862221 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2019.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The primary cilia is found on the mammalian cell surface where it serves as an antenna for the reception and transmission of a variety of cellular signaling pathways. At its core the cilium is a microtubule-based organelle, but it is clear that its assembly and function are dependent upon the coordinated regulation of both actin and microtubule dynamics. In particular, the discovery that the centrosome is able to act as both a microtubule and actin organizing centre implies that both cytoskeletal networks are acting directly on the process of cilia assembly. In this review, we set our recent results with the formin FHDC1 in the context of current reports that show each stage of ciliogenesis is impacted by changes in actin dynamics. These include direct effects of actin filament assembly on basal body positioning, vesicle trafficking to and entry into the cilium, cilia length, cilia membrane organization and cilia-dependent signaling.
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13
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Mathur PD, Yang J. Usher syndrome and non-syndromic deafness: Functions of different whirlin isoforms in the cochlea, vestibular organs, and retina. Hear Res 2019; 375:14-24. [PMID: 30831381 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Usher syndrome (USH) is the leading cause of inherited combined vision and hearing loss. However, mutations in most USH causative genes lead to other diseases, such as hearing loss only or vision loss only. The molecular mechanisms underlying the variable disease manifestations associated with USH gene mutations are unclear. This review focuses on an USH type 2 (USH2) gene encoding whirlin (WHRN; previously known as DFNB31), mutations in which have been found to cause either USH2 subtype USH2D or autosomal recessive non-syndromic deafness type 31 (DFNB31). This review summarizes the current knowledge about different whirlin isoforms encoded by WHRN orthologs in animal models, the interactions of different whirlin isoforms with their partners, and the function of whirlin isoforms in different cellular and subcellular locations. The recent findings regarding the function of whirlin isoforms suggest that disruption of different isoforms may be one of the mechanisms underlying the variable disease manifestations caused by USH gene mutations. This review also presents recent findings about the vestibular defects in Whrn mutant mouse models, which suggests that previous assumptions about the normal vestibular function of USH2 patients need to be re-evaluated. Finally, this review describes recent progress in developing therapeutics for diseases caused by WHRN mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranav Dinesh Mathur
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA; Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA.
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14
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Vélez-Ortega AC, Frolenkov GI. Building and repairing the stereocilia cytoskeleton in mammalian auditory hair cells. Hear Res 2019; 376:47-57. [PMID: 30638948 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Despite all recent achievements in identification of the molecules that are essential for the structure and mechanosensory function of stereocilia bundles in the auditory hair cells of mammalian species, we still have only a rudimentary understanding of the mechanisms of stereocilia formation, maintenance, and repair. Important molecular differences distinguishing mammalian auditory hair cells from hair cells of other types and species have been recently revealed. In addition, we are beginning to solve the puzzle of the apparent life-long stability of the stereocilia bundles in these cells. New data link the stability of the cytoskeleton in the mammalian auditory stereocilia with the normal activity of mechanotransduction channels. These data suggest new ideas on how a terminally-differentiated non-regenerating hair cell in the mammalian cochlea may repair and tune its stereocilia bundle throughout the life span of the organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Catalina Vélez-Ortega
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose St., Lexington, KY, 40536-0298, USA.
| | - Gregory I Frolenkov
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose St., Lexington, KY, 40536-0298, USA.
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15
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Identification of Binding Partners of Deafness-Related Protein PDZD7. Neural Plast 2018; 2018:2062346. [PMID: 29796015 PMCID: PMC5896214 DOI: 10.1155/2018/2062346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PDZD7 is an important deafness gene, whose mutations are associated with syndromic and nonsyndromic hearing loss. PDZD7 contains multiple PDZ domains that are essential for organizing various proteins into protein complex. Several PDZD7-binding proteins have been identified, including usherin, ADGRV1, whirlin, harmonin, SANS, and MYO7A, all belonging to USH proteins. Here, we report the identification of novel PDZD7-binding partners through yeast two-hybrid screening using the first two PDZ domains of PDZD7 as bait. Eleven proteins were identified, most of which have not been reported as PDZD7-binding partners before. Among the identified proteins, ADGRV1, gelsolin, and β-catenin have been shown to play important roles in hearing, whereas the functions of other proteins in the inner ear remain elusive. We confirmed the expression of one candidate PDZD7-binding protein, CADM1, in the mouse inner ear and evaluated the auditory function of Cadm1 knockout mice by performing auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurement. Unexpectedly, Cadm1 knockout mice show normal hearing threshold, which might be explained by the possible compensation by its homologs that are also expressed in the inner ear. Taken together, our work identified several novel PDZD7-binding proteins, which will help us to further understand the role of PDZD7 in hearing transduction.
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Avenarius MR, Krey JF, Dumont RA, Morgan CP, Benson CB, Vijayakumar S, Cunningham CL, Scheffer DI, Corey DP, Müller U, Jones SM, Barr-Gillespie PG. Heterodimeric capping protein is required for stereocilia length and width regulation. J Cell Biol 2017; 216:3861-3881. [PMID: 28899994 PMCID: PMC5674897 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201704171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Control of the dimensions of actin-rich processes like filopodia, lamellipodia, microvilli, and stereocilia requires the coordinated activity of many proteins. Each of these actin structures relies on heterodimeric capping protein (CAPZ), which blocks actin polymerization at barbed ends. Because dimension control of the inner ear's stereocilia is particularly precise, we studied the CAPZB subunit in hair cells. CAPZB, present at ∼100 copies per stereocilium, concentrated at stereocilia tips as hair cell development progressed, similar to the CAPZB-interacting protein TWF2. We deleted Capzb specifically in hair cells using Atoh1-Cre, which eliminated auditory and vestibular function. Capzb-null stereocilia initially developed normally but later shortened and disappeared; surprisingly, stereocilia width decreased concomitantly with length. CAPZB2 expressed by in utero electroporation prevented normal elongation of vestibular stereocilia and irregularly widened them. Together, these results suggest that capping protein participates in stereocilia widening by preventing newly elongating actin filaments from depolymerizing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Avenarius
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Jocelyn F. Krey
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Rachel A. Dumont
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Clive P. Morgan
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Connor B. Benson
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Sarath Vijayakumar
- Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
| | | | | | - David P. Corey
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Ulrich Müller
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Sherri M. Jones
- Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
| | - Peter G. Barr-Gillespie
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR,Correspondence to Peter G. Barr-Gillespie:
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Gelsolin dysfunction causes photoreceptor loss in induced pluripotent cell and animal retinitis pigmentosa models. Nat Commun 2017; 8:271. [PMID: 28814713 PMCID: PMC5559447 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00111-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator (RPGR) cause X-linked RP (XLRP), an untreatable, inherited retinal dystrophy that leads to premature blindness. RPGR localises to the photoreceptor connecting cilium where its function remains unknown. Here we show, using murine and human induced pluripotent stem cell models, that RPGR interacts with and activates the actin-severing protein gelsolin, and that gelsolin regulates actin disassembly in the connecting cilium, thus facilitating rhodopsin transport to photoreceptor outer segments. Disease-causing RPGR mutations perturb this RPGR-gelsolin interaction, compromising gelsolin activation. Both RPGR and Gelsolin knockout mice show abnormalities of actin polymerisation and mislocalisation of rhodopsin in photoreceptors. These findings reveal a clinically-significant role for RPGR in the activation of gelsolin, without which abnormalities in actin polymerisation in the photoreceptor connecting cilia cause rhodopsin mislocalisation and eventual retinal degeneration in XLRP. Mutations in the Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator (RPGR) cause retinal dystrophy, but how this arises at a molecular level is unclear. Here, the authors show in induced pluripotent stem cells and mouse knockouts that RPGR mediates actin dynamics in photoreceptors via the actin-severing protein, gelsolin.
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18
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A mutation in Nischarin causes otitis media via LIMK1 and NF-κB pathways. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006969. [PMID: 28806779 PMCID: PMC5570507 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Otitis media (OM), inflammation of the middle ear (ME), is a common cause of conductive hearing impairment. Despite the importance of the disease, the aetiology of chronic and recurrent forms of middle ear inflammatory disease remains poorly understood. Studies of the human population suggest that there is a significant genetic component predisposing to the development of chronic OM, although the underlying genes are largely unknown. Using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis we identified a recessive mouse mutant, edison, that spontaneously develops a conductive hearing loss due to chronic OM. The causal mutation was identified as a missense change, L972P, in the Nischarin (NISCH) gene. edison mice develop a serous or granulocytic effusion, increasingly macrophage and neutrophil rich with age, along with a thickened, inflamed mucoperiosteum. We also identified a second hypomorphic allele, V33A, with only modest increases in auditory thresholds and reduced incidence of OM. NISCH interacts with several proteins, including ITGA5 that is thought to have a role in modulating VEGF-induced angiogenesis and vascularization. We identified a significant genetic interaction between Nisch and Itga5; mice heterozygous for Itga5-null and homozygous for edison mutations display a significantly increased penetrance and severity of chronic OM. In order to understand the pathological mechanisms underlying the OM phenotype, we studied interacting partners to NISCH along with downstream signalling molecules in the middle ear epithelia of edison mouse. Our analysis implicates PAK1 and RAC1, and downstream signalling in LIMK1 and NF-κB pathways in the development of chronic OM. Otitis media (OM) is the most common cause of deafness in children and is primarily characterised by inflammation of the middle ear. It is the most common cause of surgery in children in the developed world, with many children developing recurrent and chronic forms of OM undergoing tympanostomy tube insertion. There is evidence that a significant genetic component contributes towards the development of recurrent and chronic forms of OM. The mouse has been a powerful tool for identifying the genes involved in chronic OM. In this study we identified and characterised edison, a novel mouse model of chronic OM that shares important features with the chronic disease in humans. A mutation in the Nisch gene causes edison mice to spontaneously develop OM following birth and subsequently develop chronic OM, with an associated hearing loss. Our molecular analysis of the mutation reveals the underlying pathological mechanisms and pathways involved in OM in the edison mouse, involving PAK1, RAC1 and downstream signalling in LIMK1 and NF-κB pathways. Identification of the edison mutant provides an important genetic disease model of chronic OM and implicates a new gene and genetic pathways involved in predisposition to OM.
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19
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Vélez-Ortega AC, Freeman MJ, Indzhykulian AA, Grossheim JM, Frolenkov GI. Mechanotransduction current is essential for stability of the transducing stereocilia in mammalian auditory hair cells. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28350294 PMCID: PMC5407859 DOI: 10.7554/elife.24661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanotransducer channels at the tips of sensory stereocilia of inner ear hair cells are gated by the tension of 'tip links' interconnecting stereocilia. To ensure maximal sensitivity, tip links are tensioned at rest, resulting in a continuous influx of Ca2+ into the cell. Here, we show that this constitutive Ca2+ influx, usually considered as potentially deleterious for hair cells, is in fact essential for stereocilia stability. In the auditory hair cells of young postnatal mice and rats, a reduction in mechanotransducer current, via pharmacological channel blockers or disruption of tip links, leads to stereocilia shape changes and shortening. These effects occur only in stereocilia that harbor mechanotransducer channels, recover upon blocker washout or tip link regeneration and can be replicated by manipulations of extracellular Ca2+ or intracellular Ca2+ buffering. Thus, our data provide the first experimental evidence for the dynamic control of stereocilia morphology by the mechanotransduction current. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24661.001 Our sense of hearing depends on cells known as hair cells that line the inner ear. Each hair cell has tiny projections called stereocilia, which are arranged in a bundle with rows of increasing height like a staircase and are connected to each other by tiny filaments called tip-links. When sound waves hit the stereocilia, the tension on the tip-links increases, which opens “mechanotransduction” channels on the shorter stereocilia that allow calcium ions to flow into the cells. To ensure that the ears can detect even the softest sounds, the tip-links always have a small amount of tension which allows a small, but continuous flow of calcium ions into the cell. Scientists generally consider this continuous flow of calcium ions as a potentially harmful byproduct of sensitive hearing. Vélez-Ortega et al. isolated inner ear tissues from young mice and rats and exposed them to drugs that either block the flow of calcium ions through the mechanotransduction channels or break the tip-links on stereocilia. Surprisingly, these drugs made profound changes in the shape of individual stereocilia and the staircase architecture of the stereocilia bundle. When the drugs were rinsed out of the hair cells, the stereocilia went back to their normal shape. Sequestering of free calcium ions inside the hair cells had a similar effect on the shape of stereocilia. These findings show that the flow of calcium ions into the sterocilia via mechanotransduction channels controls the exquisite staircase-like architecture of the stereocilia bundle. More research is needed to identify which structural proteins cause the stereocilia shape changes and to work out exactly how calcium ions are involved. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24661.002
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Affiliation(s)
- A Catalina Vélez-Ortega
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
| | - Mary J Freeman
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
| | - Artur A Indzhykulian
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
| | - Jonathan M Grossheim
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
| | - Gregory I Frolenkov
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
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20
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Weck ML, Grega-Larson NE, Tyska MJ. MyTH4-FERM myosins in the assembly and maintenance of actin-based protrusions. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2016; 44:68-78. [PMID: 27836411 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Unconventional myosins are actin-based molecular motors that serve a multitude of roles within the cell. One group of myosin motors, the MyTH4-FERM myosins, play an integral part in building and maintaining finger-like protrusions, which allow cells to interact with their external environment. Suggested to act primarily as transporters, these motor proteins enrich adhesion molecules, actin-regulatory proteins and other factors at the tips of filopodia, microvilli, and stereocilia. Below we review data from biophysical, biochemical, and cell biological studies, which implicate these myosins as central players in the assembly, maintenance and function of actin-based protrusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith L Weck
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 3154 MRB III, PMB 407935, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240-7935, United States
| | - Nathan E Grega-Larson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 3154 MRB III, PMB 407935, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240-7935, United States
| | - Matthew J Tyska
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 3154 MRB III, PMB 407935, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240-7935, United States.
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21
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McGrath J, Roy P, Perrin BJ. Stereocilia morphogenesis and maintenance through regulation of actin stability. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 65:88-95. [PMID: 27565685 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Revised: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Stereocilia are actin-based protrusions on auditory and vestibular sensory cells that are required for hearing and balance. They convert physical force from sound, head movement or gravity into an electrical signal, a process that is called mechanoelectrical transduction. This function depends on the ability of sensory cells to grow stereocilia of defined lengths. These protrusions form a bundle with a highly precise geometry that is required to detect nanoscale movements encountered in the inner ear. Congenital or progressive stereocilia degeneration causes hearing loss. Thus, understanding stereocilia hair bundle structure, development, and maintenance is pivotal to understanding the pathogenesis of deafness. Stereocilia cores are made from a tightly packed array of parallel, crosslinked actin filaments, the length and stability of which are regulated in part by myosin motors, actin crosslinkers and capping proteins. This review aims to describe stereocilia actin regulation in the context of an emerging "tip turnover" model where actin assembles and disassembles at stereocilia tips while the remainder of the core is exceptionally stable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamis McGrath
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46022, USA
| | - Pallabi Roy
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46022, USA
| | - Benjamin J Perrin
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46022, USA.
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22
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Giralt A, Coura R, Girault JA. Pyk2 is essential for astrocytes mobility following brain lesion. Glia 2015; 64:620-34. [DOI: 10.1002/glia.22952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Albert Giralt
- Inserm UMR-S839; Paris 75005 France
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC, Paris 6), Sorbonne Universités; Paris 75005 France
- Institut du Fer à Moulin; Paris 75005 France
| | - Renata Coura
- Inserm UMR-S839; Paris 75005 France
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC, Paris 6), Sorbonne Universités; Paris 75005 France
- Institut du Fer à Moulin; Paris 75005 France
| | - Jean-Antoine Girault
- Inserm UMR-S839; Paris 75005 France
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC, Paris 6), Sorbonne Universités; Paris 75005 France
- Institut du Fer à Moulin; Paris 75005 France
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Abstract
Cochlear hair cell bundles, made up of 10s to 100s of individual stereocilia, are essential for hearing, and even relatively minor structural changes, due to mutations or injuries, can result in total deafness. Consistent with its specialized role, the staircase geometry (SCG) of hair cell bundles presents one of the most striking, intricate, and precise organizations of actin-based cellular shapes. Composed of rows of actin-filled stereocilia with increasing lengths, the hair cell’s staircase-shaped bundle is formed from a progenitor field of smaller, thinner, and uniformly spaced microvilli with relatively invariant lengths. While recent genetic studies have provided a significant increase in information on the multitude of stereocilia protein components, there is currently no model that integrates the basic physical forces and biochemical processes necessary to explain the emergence of the SCG. We propose such a model derived from the biophysical and biochemical characteristics of actin-based protrusions. We demonstrate that polarization of the cell’s apical surface, due to the lateral polarization of the entire epithelial layer, plays a key role in promoting SCG formation. Furthermore, our model explains many distinct features of the manifestations of SCG in different species and in the presence of various deafness-associated mutations.
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Genetics of auditory mechano-electrical transduction. Pflugers Arch 2014; 467:49-72. [PMID: 24957570 PMCID: PMC4281357 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-014-1552-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Revised: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The hair bundles of cochlear hair cells play a central role in the auditory mechano-electrical transduction (MET) process. The identification of MET components and of associated molecular complexes by biochemical approaches is impeded by the very small number of hair cells within the cochlea. In contrast, human and mouse genetics have proven to be particularly powerful. The study of inherited forms of deafness led to the discovery of several essential proteins of the MET machinery, which are currently used as entry points to decipher the associated molecular networks. Notably, MET relies not only on the MET machinery but also on several elements ensuring the proper sound-induced oscillation of the hair bundle or the ionic environment necessary to drive the MET current. Here, we review the most significant advances in the molecular bases of the MET process that emerged from the genetics of hearing.
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Ueyama T, Sakaguchi H, Nakamura T, Goto A, Morioka S, Shimizu A, Nakao K, Hishikawa Y, Ninoyu Y, Kassai H, Suetsugu S, Koji T, Fritzsch B, Yonemura S, Hisa Y, Matsuda M, Aiba A, Saito N. Maintenance of stereocilia and apical junctional complexes by Cdc42 in cochlear hair cells. J Cell Sci 2014; 127:2040-52. [PMID: 24610943 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.143602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cdc42 is a key regulator of dynamic actin organization. However, little is known about how Cdc42-dependent actin regulation influences steady-state actin structures in differentiated epithelia. We employed inner ear hair-cell-specific conditional knockout to analyze the role of Cdc42 in hair cells possessing highly elaborate stable actin protrusions (stereocilia). Hair cells of Atoh1-Cre;Cdc42(flox/flox) mice developed normally but progressively degenerated after maturation, resulting in progressive hearing loss particularly at high frequencies. Cochlear hair cell degeneration was more robust in inner hair cells than in outer hair cells, and began as stereocilia fusion and depletion, accompanied by a thinning and waving circumferential actin belt at apical junctional complexes (AJCs). Adenovirus-encoded GFP-Cdc42 expression in hair cells and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging of hair cells from transgenic mice expressing a Cdc42-FRET biosensor indicated Cdc42 presence and activation at stereociliary membranes and AJCs in cochlear hair cells. Cdc42-knockdown in MDCK cells produced phenotypes similar to those of Cdc42-deleted hair cells, including abnormal microvilli and disrupted AJCs, and downregulated actin turnover represented by enhanced levels of phosphorylated cofilin. Thus, Cdc42 influenced the maintenance of stable actin structures through elaborate tuning of actin turnover, and maintained function and viability of cochlear hair cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takehiko Ueyama
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Biosignal Research Center, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
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Olt J, Mburu P, Johnson SL, Parker A, Kuhn S, Bowl M, Marcotti W, Brown SDM. The actin-binding proteins eps8 and gelsolin have complementary roles in regulating the growth and stability of mechanosensory hair bundles of mammalian cochlear outer hair cells. PLoS One 2014; 9:e87331. [PMID: 24475274 PMCID: PMC3903700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 12/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound transduction depends upon mechanosensitive channels localized on the hair-like bundles that project from the apical surface of cochlear hair cells. Hair bundles show a stair-case structure composed of rows of stereocilia, and each stereocilium contains a core of tightly-packed and uniformly-polarized actin filaments. The growth and maintenance of the stereociliary actin core are dynamically regulated. Recently, it was shown that the actin-binding protein gelsolin is expressed in the stereocilia of outer hair cells (OHCs) and in its absence they become long and straggly. Gelsolin is part of a whirlin scaffolding protein complex at the stereocilia tip, which has been shown to interact with other actin regulatory molecules such as Eps8. Here we investigated the physiological effects associated with the absence of gelsolin and its possible overlapping role with Eps8. We found that, in contrast to Eps8, gelsolin does not affect mechanoelectrical transduction during immature stages of development. Moreover, OHCs from gelsolin knockout mice were able to mature into fully functional sensory receptors as judged by the normal resting membrane potential and basolateral membrane currents. Mechanoelectrical transducer current in gelsolin-Eps8 double knockout mice showed a profile similar to that observed in the single mutants for Eps8. We propose that gelsolin has a non-overlapping role with Eps8. While Eps8 is mainly involved in the initial growth of stereocilia in both inner hair cells (IHCs) and OHCs, gelsolin is required for the maintenance of mature hair bundles of low-frequency OHCs after the onset of hearing.
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MESH Headings
- Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism
- Animals
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism
- Gelsolin/genetics
- Gelsolin/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer/physiology
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer/ultrastructure
- Immunohistochemistry
- Mechanoreceptors/metabolism
- Mechanoreceptors/physiology
- Mechanoreceptors/ultrastructure
- Mechanotransduction, Cellular/physiology
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Microfilament Proteins/metabolism
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
- Patch-Clamp Techniques
- Physical Stimulation
- Pyridinium Compounds
- Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Olt
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Philomena Mburu
- Medical Research Council (MRC), Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart L. Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Parker
- Medical Research Council (MRC), Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie Kuhn
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Mike Bowl
- Medical Research Council (MRC), Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell, United Kingdom
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (WM); (SDMB)
| | - Steve D. M. Brown
- Medical Research Council (MRC), Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (WM); (SDMB)
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27
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Progressive hearing loss and gradual deterioration of sensory hair bundles in the ears of mice lacking the actin-binding protein Eps8L2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:13898-903. [PMID: 23918390 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1304644110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanotransduction in the mammalian auditory system depends on mechanosensitive channels in the hair bundles that project from the apical surface of the sensory hair cells. Individual stereocilia within each bundle contain a core of tightly packed actin filaments, whose length is dynamically regulated during development and in the adult. We show that the actin-binding protein epidermal growth factor receptor pathway substrate 8 (Eps8)L2, a member of the Eps8-like protein family, is a newly identified hair bundle protein that is localized at the tips of stereocilia of both cochlear and vestibular hair cells. It has a spatiotemporal expression pattern that complements that of Eps8. In the cochlea, whereas Eps8 is essential for the initial elongation of stereocilia, Eps8L2 is required for their maintenance in adult hair cells. In the absence of both proteins, the ordered staircase structure of the hair bundle in the cochlea decays. In contrast to the early profound hearing loss associated with an absence of Eps8, Eps8L2 null-mutant mice exhibit a late-onset, progressive hearing loss that is directly linked to a gradual deterioration in hair bundle morphology. We conclude that Eps8L2 is required for the long-term maintenance of the staircase structure and mechanosensory function of auditory hair bundles. It complements the developmental role of Eps8 and is a candidate gene for progressive age-related hearing loss.
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28
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Tateossian H, Morse S, Parker A, Mburu P, Warr N, Acevedo-Arozena A, Cheeseman M, Wells S, Brown SD. Otitis media in the Tgif knockout mouse implicates TGFβ signalling in chronic middle ear inflammatory disease. Hum Mol Genet 2013; 22:2553-65. [PMID: 23459932 PMCID: PMC3674796 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 02/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is the most common cause of hearing loss in children and tympanostomy to alleviate the condition remains the commonest surgical intervention in children in the developed world. Chronic and recurrent forms of OM are known to have a very significant genetic component, however, until recently little was known of the underlying genes involved. The identification of mouse models of chronic OM has indicated a role of transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) signalling and its impact on responses to hypoxia in the inflamed middle ear. We have, therefore, investigated the role of TGFβ signalling and identified and characterized a new model of chronic OM carrying a mutation in the gene for transforming growth interacting factor 1 (Tgif1). Tgif1 homozygous mutant mice have significantly raised auditory thresholds due to a conductive deafness arising from a chronic effusion starting at around 3 weeks of age. The OM is accompanied by a significant thickening of the middle ear mucosa lining, expansion of mucin-secreting goblet cell populations and raised levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, TNF-α and IL-1β in ear fluids. We also identified downstream effects on TGFβ signalling in middle ear epithelia at the time of development of chronic OM. Both phosphorylated SMAD2 and p21 levels were lowered in the homozygous mutant, demonstrating a suppression of the TGFβ pathway. The identification and characterization of the Tgif mutant supports the role of TGFβ signalling in the development of chronic OM and provides an important candidate gene for genetic studies in the human population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan Morse
- MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell OX11 0RD, UK and
| | - Andrew Parker
- MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell OX11 0RD, UK and
| | | | - Nick Warr
- MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell OX11 0RD, UK and
| | | | | | - Sara Wells
- Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell, Harwell OX11 0RD, UK
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29
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Kikkawa Y, Seki Y, Okumura K, Ohshiba Y, Miyasaka Y, Suzuki S, Ozaki M, Matsuoka K, Noguchi Y, Yonekawa H. Advantages of a mouse model for human hearing impairment. Exp Anim 2012; 61:85-98. [PMID: 22531723 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.61.85] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Hearing is a major factor in human quality of life. Mouse models are important tools for discovering the genes that are responsible for genetic hearing loss, and these models often allow the processes that regulate the onset of deafness in humans to be analyzed. Thus far, in the study of hearing and deafness, at least 400 mutants with hearing impairments have been identified in laboratory mouse populations. Analysis of through a combination of genetic, morphological, and physiological studies is revealing valuable insights into the ontogenesis, morphogenesis, and function of the mammalian ear. This review discusses the advantages of the mouse models of human hearing impairment and highlights the identification of the molecules required for stereocilia development in the inner ear hair cells by analysis of various mouse mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiaki Kikkawa
- Mammalian Genetics Project, Department of Genome Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
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30
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Lapan SW, Reddien PW. Transcriptome analysis of the planarian eye identifies ovo as a specific regulator of eye regeneration. Cell Rep 2012; 2:294-307. [PMID: 22884275 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2012.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2012] [Revised: 05/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the millions of invertebrate species with visual systems, the genetic basis of eye development and function is well understood only in Drosophila melanogaster. We describe an eye transcriptome for the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. Planarian photoreceptors expressed orthologs of genes required for phototransduction and microvillus structure in Drosophila and vertebrates, and optic pigment cells expressed solute transporters and melanin synthesis enzymes similar to those active in the vertebrate retinal pigment epithelium. Orthologs of several planarian eye genes, such as bestrophin-1 and Usher syndrome genes, cause eye defects in mammals when perturbed and were not previously described to have roles in invertebrate eyes. Five previously undescribed planarian eye transcription factors were required for normal eye formation during head regeneration. In particular, a conserved, transcription-factor-encoding ovo gene was expressed from the earliest stages of eye regeneration and was required for regeneration of all cell types of the eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain W Lapan
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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31
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Johnson KR, Longo-Guess CM, Gagnon LH. Mutations of the mouse ELMO domain containing 1 gene (Elmod1) link small GTPase signaling to actin cytoskeleton dynamics in hair cell stereocilia. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36074. [PMID: 22558334 PMCID: PMC3338648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2012] [Accepted: 03/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stereocilia, the modified microvilli projecting from the apical surfaces of the sensory hair cells of the inner ear, are essential to the mechanoelectrical transduction process underlying hearing and balance. The actin-filled stereocilia on each hair cell are tethered together by fibrous links to form a highly patterned hair bundle. Although many structural components of hair bundles have been identified, little is known about the signaling mechanisms that regulate their development, morphology, and maintenance. Here, we describe two naturally occurring, allelic mutations that result in hearing and balance deficits in mice, named roundabout (rda) and roundabout-2J (rda(2J)). Positional cloning identified both as mutations of the mouse ELMO domain containing 1 gene (Elmod1), a poorly characterized gene with no previously reported mutant phenotypes. The rda mutation is a 138 kb deletion that includes exons 1-5 of Elmod1, and rda(2J) is an intragenic duplication of exons 3-8 of Elmod1. The deafness associated with these mutations is caused by cochlear hair cell dysfunction, as indicated by conspicuous elongations and fusions of inner hair cell stereocilia and progressive degeneration of outer hair cell stereocilia. Mammalian ELMO-family proteins are known to be involved in complexes that activate small GTPases to regulate the actin cytoskeleton during phagocytosis and cell migration. ELMOD1 and ELMOD2 recently were shown to function as GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) for the Arf family of small G proteins. Our finding connecting ELMOD1 deficiencies with stereocilia dysmorphologies thus establishes a link between the Ras superfamily of small regulatory GTPases and the actin cytoskeleton dynamics of hair cell stereocilia.
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32
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Abstract
Hair cells in the mammalian inner ear convert sound into electrical signals that are relayed to the nervous system by the chemical neurotransmitter glutamate. Electrical information encoding sound is then passed through the central nervous system to the higher auditory centres in the brain, where it is used to construct a temporally and spatially accurate representation of the auditory landscape. To achieve this, hair cells must encode fundamental properties of sound stimuli at extremely high rates, not only during mechano-electrical transduction, which occurs in the hair bundles at the cell apex, but also during electrochemical transduction at the specialized ribbon synapses at the cell base. How is the development of such a sophisticated cell regulated? More specifically, to what extent does physiological activity contribute to the progression of the intrinsic genetic programmes that drive cell differentiation? Hair cell differentiation takes about 3 weeks in most rodents, from terminal mitosis during embryonic development to the onset of hearing around 2 weeks after birth. Until recent years, most of the molecules involved in hair cell development and function were unknown, which was mainly due to difficulties in working with the mammalian cochlea and the very small number of hair cells, about 16,000 in humans, present in the auditory organ. Recent advances in the ability to record from the acutely isolated cochlea maintained in near-physiological conditions, combined with the use of genetically modified mouse models, has allowed the identification of several proteins and molecular mechanisms that are crucial for the maturation and function of hair cells. In this article, I highlight recent findings from my laboratory that have furthered our understanding of how developing hair cells acquire the remarkable sensitivity of adult auditory sensory receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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33
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Peddada N, Sagar A, Ashish, Garg R. Plasma gelsolin: a general prognostic marker of health. Med Hypotheses 2011; 78:203-10. [PMID: 22082609 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2011.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2011] [Revised: 10/19/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Plasma gelsolin (pGSN) is the only component of two member extracellular actin scavenger system capable of severing circulating actin microfilaments. Here, we put forth the hypothesis that pGSN level is an important and sensitive general prognostic biomarker for health and disease conditions in humans, urging the need for gelsolin replacement therapy to improve patient's health status. Clinical significance and the therapeutic importance of this protein have been well illustrated in animal models as well as in patients with various diseases. Patients with decreased pGSN levels were observed to have higher mortality rate, longer hospital stay and longer ventilation time in intensive care units as compared to healthy controls. pGSN levels were found to be increasing in patients recovering from diseases; furthermore, it has been confirmed that repletion with exogenous recombinant pGSN increases the survival rate in animal models of different acute insults. To be used as a biomarker of health, however, establishing the accurate levels of gelsolin in human plasma and understanding its variance with age, race, gender and health status is a prerequisite. Upon establishing the accurate levels of pGSN in healthy individuals, this biomarker would predict the prognosis/disease progression in multiple health conditions and help in prioritizing the ones in-need of gelsolin replacement therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagesh Peddada
- Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
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34
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Wang L, Zou J, Shen Z, Song E, Yang J. Whirlin interacts with espin and modulates its actin-regulatory function: an insight into the mechanism of Usher syndrome type II. Hum Mol Genet 2011; 21:692-710. [PMID: 22048959 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddr503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Whirlin mutations cause retinal degeneration and hearing loss in Usher syndrome type II (USH2) and non-syndromic deafness, DFNB31. Its protein recruits other USH2 causative proteins to form a complex at the periciliary membrane complex in photoreceptors and the ankle link of the stereocilia in hair cells. However, the biological function of this USH2 protein complex is largely unknown. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified espin, an actin-binding/bundling protein involved in human deafness when defective, as a whirlin-interacting protein. The interaction between these two proteins was confirmed by their coimmunoprecipitation and colocalization in cultured cells. This interaction involves multiple domains of both proteins and only occurs when espin does not bind to actin. Espin was partially colocalized with whirlin in the retina and the inner ear. In whirlin knockout mice, espin expression changed significantly in these two tissues. Further studies found that whirlin increased the mobility of espin and actin at the actin bundles cross-linked by espin and, eventually, affected the dimension of these actin bundles. In whirlin knockout mice, the stereocilia were thickened in inner hair cells. We conclude that the interaction between whirlin and espin and the balance between their expressions are required to maintain the actin bundle network in photoreceptors and hair cells. Disruption of this actin bundle network contributes to the pathogenic mechanism of hearing loss and retinal degeneration caused by whirlin and espin mutations. Espin is a component of the USH2 protein complex and could be a candidate gene for Usher syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
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35
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Insights into the Function of the Unstructured N-Terminal Domain of Proteins 4.1R and 4.1G in Erythropoiesis. Int J Cell Biol 2011; 2011:943272. [PMID: 21904552 PMCID: PMC3166722 DOI: 10.1155/2011/943272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2011] [Accepted: 06/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane skeletal protein 4.1R is the prototypical member of a family of four highly paralogous proteins that include 4.1G, 4.1N, and 4.1B. Two isoforms of 4.1R (4.1R(135) and 4.1R(80)), as well as 4.1G, are expressed in erythroblasts during terminal differentiation, but only 4.1R(80) is present in mature erythrocytes. One goal in the field is to better understand the complex regulation of cell type and isoform-specific expression of 4.1 proteins. To start answering these questions, we are studying in depth the important functions of 4.1 proteins in the organization and function of the membrane skeleton in erythrocytes. We have previously reported that the binding profiles of 4.1R(80) and 4.1R(135) to membrane proteins and calmodulin are very different despite the similar structure of the membrane-binding domain of 4.1G and 4.1R(135). We have accumulated evidence for those differences being caused by the N-terminal 209 amino acids headpiece region (HP). Interestingly, the HP region is an unstructured domain. Here we present an overview of the differences and similarities between 4.1 isoforms and paralogs. We also discuss the biological significance of unstructured domains.
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36
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Zampini V, Rüttiger L, Johnson SL, Franz C, Furness DN, Waldhaus J, Xiong H, Hackney CM, Holley MC, Offenhauser N, Di Fiore PP, Knipper M, Masetto S, Marcotti W. Eps8 regulates hair bundle length and functional maturation of mammalian auditory hair cells. PLoS Biol 2011; 9:e1001048. [PMID: 21526224 PMCID: PMC3079587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2010] [Accepted: 03/09/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hair cells of the mammalian cochlea are specialized for the dynamic coding of sound stimuli. The transduction of sound waves into electrical signals depends upon mechanosensitive hair bundles that project from the cell's apical surface. Each stereocilium within a hair bundle is composed of uniformly polarized and tightly packed actin filaments. Several stereociliary proteins have been shown to be associated with hair bundle development and function and are known to cause deafness in mice and humans when mutated. The growth of the stereociliar actin core is dynamically regulated at the actin filament barbed ends in the stereociliary tip. We show that Eps8, a protein with actin binding, bundling, and barbed-end capping activities in other systems, is a novel component of the hair bundle. Eps8 is localized predominantly at the tip of the stereocilia and is essential for their normal elongation and function. Moreover, we have found that Eps8 knockout mice are profoundly deaf and that IHCs, but not OHCs, fail to mature into fully functional sensory receptors. We propose that Eps8 directly regulates stereocilia growth in hair cells and also plays a crucial role in the physiological maturation of mammalian cochlear IHCs. Together, our results indicate that Eps8 is critical in coordinating the development and functionality of mammalian auditory hair cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Zampini
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Department of Physiology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, THR, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stuart L. Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph Franz
- Department of Otolaryngology, THR, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - David N. Furness
- Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University, Keele, United Kingdom
| | - Jörg Waldhaus
- Department of Otolaryngology, THR, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hao Xiong
- Department of Otolaryngology, THR, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Carole M. Hackney
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew C. Holley
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Nina Offenhauser
- IFOM, Fondazione Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Di Fiore
- IFOM, Fondazione Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, Milan, Italy
- Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
- Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia e Odontoiatria, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, THR, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sergio Masetto
- Department of Physiology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- * E-mail: (WM); (SM)
| | - Walter Marcotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (WM); (SM)
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37
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Sekerková G, Richter CP, Bartles JR. Roles of the espin actin-bundling proteins in the morphogenesis and stabilization of hair cell stereocilia revealed in CBA/CaJ congenic jerker mice. PLoS Genet 2011; 7:e1002032. [PMID: 21455486 PMCID: PMC3063760 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2010] [Accepted: 02/02/2011] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Hearing and vestibular function depend on mechanosensory staircase collections of hair cell stereocilia, which are produced from microvillus-like precursors as their parallel actin bundle scaffolds increase in diameter and elongate or shorten. Hair cell stereocilia contain multiple classes of actin-bundling protein, but little is known about what each class contributes. To investigate the roles of the espin class of actin-bundling protein, we used a genetic approach that benefited from a judicious selection of mouse background strain and an examination of the effects of heterozygosity. A congenic jerker mouse line was prepared by repeated backcrossing into the inbred CBA/CaJ strain, which is known for excellent hearing and minimal age-related hearing loss. We compared stereocilia in wild-type CBA/CaJ mice, jerker homozygotes that lack espin proteins owing to a frameshift mutation in the espin gene, and jerker heterozygotes that contain reduced espin levels. The lack of espins radically impaired stereociliary morphogenesis, resulting in stereocilia that were abnormally thin and short, with reduced differential elongation to form a staircase. Mean stereociliary diameter did not increase beyond ∼0.10–0.14 µm, making stereocilia ∼30%–60% thinner than wild type and suggesting that they contained ∼50%–85% fewer actin filaments. These characteristics indicate a requirement for espins in the appositional growth and differential elongation of the stereociliary parallel actin bundle and fit the known biological activities of espins in vitro and in transfected cells. The stereocilia of jerker heterozygotes showed a transient proximal-distal tapering suggestive of haploinsufficiency and a slowing of morphogenesis that revealed previously unrecognized assembly steps and intermediates. The lack of espins also led to a region-dependent degeneration of stereocilia involving shortening and collapse. We conclude that the espin actin-bundling proteins are required for the assembly and stabilization of the stereociliary parallel actin bundle. Stereocilia are the fingerlike projections of inner ear hair cells that detect sound and motion. Stereocilia grow to specific lengths and diameters and form staircase-like arrays. The changes in size appear to be driven by matching alterations in the dimensions of an underlying molecular scaffold consisting of a bundle of actin filaments cross-linked by actin-bundling proteins. To elucidate the roles of the espin actin-bundling proteins in hair cell stereocilia, we carry out an in-depth accounting of stereociliary size and shape in the jerker mutant mouse, which lacks the espin proteins because of a mutation in the espin gene. We examine a new and improved jerker mouse with a genetic background known for high-quality lifelong hearing. We find that, in the absence of espins, stereocilia do not increase in diameter or complete their elongation, but instead bend, shorten, and disappear. Although the specifics vary according to inner ear region, the stereociliary defects are profound and can readily account for the deafness and balance problems of jerker mice and humans with certain espin gene mutations. Even reducing espin levels by one-half leads to temporary defects in stereociliary diameter. Thus, espins play crucial roles in the formation and maintenance of hair cell stereocilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Sekerková
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Claus-Peter Richter
- Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Hugh Knowles Center for Clinical and Basic Science in Hearing and Its Disorders, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - James R. Bartles
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Hugh Knowles Center for Clinical and Basic Science in Hearing and Its Disorders, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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