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Bell I, Khan H, Stutt N, Horn M, Hydzik T, Lum W, Rea V, Clapham E, Hoeg L, Van Raay TJ. Nkd1 functions downstream of Axin2 to attenuate Wnt signaling. Mol Biol Cell 2024; 35:ar93. [PMID: 38656801 PMCID: PMC11244159 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e24-02-0059-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is a crucial developmental pathway involved in early development as well as stem-cell maintenance in adults and its misregulation leads to numerous diseases. Thus, understanding the regulation of this pathway becomes vitally important. Axin2 and Nkd1 are widely utilized negative feedback regulators in Wnt signaling where Axin2 functions to destabilize cytoplasmic β-catenin, and Nkd1 functions to inhibit the nuclear localization of β-catenin. Here, we set out to further understand how Axin2 and Nkd1 regulate Wnt signaling by creating axin2gh1/gh1, nkd1gh2/gh2 single mutants and axin2gh1/gh1;nkd1gh2/gh2 double mutant zebrafish using sgRNA/Cas9. All three Wnt regulator mutants were viable and had impaired heart looping, neuromast migration defects, and behavior abnormalities in common, but there were no signs of synergy in the axin2gh1/gh1;nkd1gh2/gh2 double mutants. Further, Wnt target gene expression by qRT-PCR and RNA-seq, and protein expression by mass spectrometry demonstrated that the double axin2gh1/gh1;nkd1gh2/gh2 mutant resembled the nkd1gh2/gh2 phenotype demonstrating that Nkd1 functions downstream of Axin2. In support of this, the data further demonstrates that Axin2 uniquely alters the properties of β-catenin-dependent transcription having novel readouts of Wnt activity compared with nkd1gh2/gh2 or the axin2gh1/gh1;nkd1gh2/gh2 double mutant. We also investigated the sensitivity of the Wnt regulator mutants to exacerbated Wnt signaling, where the single mutants displayed characteristic heightened Wnt sensitivity, resulting in an eyeless phenotype. Surprisingly, this phenotype was rescued in the double mutant, where we speculate that cross-talk between Wnt/β-catenin and Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity pathways could lead to altered Wnt signaling in some scenarios. Collectively, the data emphasizes both the commonality and the complexity in the feedback regulation of Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Bell
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
| | - Haider Khan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathan Stutt
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Matthew Horn
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
| | - Teesha Hydzik
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
| | - Whitney Lum
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
| | - Victoria Rea
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
| | - Emma Clapham
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa Hoeg
- Department of Bioinformatics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Terence J. Van Raay
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Ontario, Canada
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Pax2a is expressed in oocytes and is responsible for early development and oogenesis in zebrafish. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 533:592-599. [PMID: 32981680 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.09.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Eleven genes, including pax2a, were selected as candidate ovulation-inducing genes on the basis of microarray analysis and RNA sequencing in our previous study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the pax2a gene in the ovulation-inducing process. F2 pax2a homozygous mutant zebrafish possessing a deletion of 6 nucleotides were established in this study. However, the deletion included the start codon (ATG) of the pax2a gene, and the Pax2a protein was still detected, which indicated that the deletion caused a shift in the start codon to the next ATG, resulting in a 12-amino acid deletion. F2 pax2a homozygous mutant zebrafish showed ovulation. However, the embryos showed an abnormal oval shape at the epiboly stage that resulted in yolk and tail formation abnormalities and heart edema. The surviving F3 homozygous mutants did not develop ovaries. Pax2a was detected in oocytes and eggs but not after the Prim-22 stage. It is suggested that pax2a is expressed as a maternal gene in oocytes and is necessary for oogenesis and early development.
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Wu J, Guo NZ, Cui LL, Wang W, Xiong CQ, Zhang XY. Correlation between tripartite motif-containing protein 44 protein expression and the prognosis of postoperative patients exhibiting skin squamous cell carcinoma. Medicine (Baltimore) 2018; 97:e13021. [PMID: 30383661 PMCID: PMC6221647 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000013021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Tripartite motif-containing protein 44 (TRIM44) plays an important role in the development and progression of some human cancers; however, its role in skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate TRIM44 expression and clinicopathological significance of TRIM44 in SCC.Immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot were performed to evaluate differences in TRIM44 protein expression in SCC and normal skin tissues.IHC showed that the positive rate of TRIM44 staining in SCC tissues 26.00% (9/30), while the positive rate of normal control group was 83.33% (25/30). The positive rate of TRIM44 staining in SCC tissues is significantly lower than normal skin tissue (P <.01). RT-PCR showed that the positive rates of TRIM44 mRNA expression in SCC tissues were 16.67% (5/30), but the positive rate of normal control group was 86.67% (26/30). TRIM44 mRNA expression in SCC group was significantly lower than that in the normal group (P <.01). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that low expression was associated with poor overall survival in SCC patients (P =.004). Multi-factor survival analysis indicated that both low TRIM44 expression and tumor stage were independent factors affecting the overall survival of patients with SCC (P =.038 and P =.001, respectively). Low expression of TRIM44 in SCC was associated with staging (P =.009 and P =.008, respectively) and metastasis (P =.003 and P =.004, respectively).The levels of TRIM44 protein and TRIM44 mRNA in SCC are both lowly expressed which is strongly associated with tumor staging, metastasis, and poor survival. And it also is an independent factor affecting the overall survival of patients with SCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng City, Yancheng
| | - Nai-Zhou Guo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng City, Yancheng
| | - Lei-lei Cui
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng City, Yancheng
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng City, Yancheng
| | - Cun-quan Xiong
- College of pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College Medicine, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xue-yan Zhang
- College of pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College Medicine, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China
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Wu J, Zhang JR, Jiang XQ, Cao XG. Correlation between secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine protein expression and the prognosis of postoperative patients exhibiting esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Med Rep 2017; 16:3401-3406. [PMID: 28713937 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.6959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the expression level of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) and the prognosis of postoperative patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The expression level of SPARC was detected in the 89 ESCC tissue cases and 100 healthy esophageal mucosa cases, which served as the controls. Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription‑polymerase chain reaction (RT‑PCR) were employed to evaluate the SPARC expression in cases with ESCC. RT‑PCR demonstrated that the positive rates of SPARC mRNA expression in ESCC were 71.91% (64/89). The positive rates of normal esophageal mucosa mRNA expression were 15.00% (15/100), which were significantly lower than that in the ESCC tissue samples. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Immunohistochemical staining indicated that the positive expression rate of SPARC protein in the ESCC tissue samples was significantly higher than that in the esophageal mucosa tissue samples (65.17 vs. 8.00%; P<0.001). The expression of SPARC protein was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), which was not associated with the pathologic gross morphology, tumor differentiation degree or other clinical features. The survival of patients with ESCC was not associated with the expression level of SPARC protein (P>0.05), but was associated with the tumor location (P<0.05), differentiation (P<0.001) and staging (P<0.05). Thus, SPARC mRNA and protein were highly expressed in ESCC, and negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis, which was not associated with postoperative survival of ESCC patients. Thus, detection of SPARC mRNA and protein expression levels may facilitate early diagnosis and prognosis assessment of ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, Jiangsu 224005, P.R. China
| | - Jin-Rong Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The People's Hospital of Dafeng, Yancheng, Jiangsu 224100, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Qiu Jiang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The People's Hospital of Dafeng, Yancheng, Jiangsu 224100, P.R. China
| | - Xu-Guang Cao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, Jiangsu 224005, P.R. China
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