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Moorwood K, Smith FM, Garfield AS, Ward A. Imprinted Grb10, encoding growth factor receptor bound protein 10, regulates fetal growth independently of the insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (Igf1r) and insulin receptor (Insr) genes. BMC Biol 2024; 22:127. [PMID: 38816743 PMCID: PMC11140863 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01926-w] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Optimal size at birth dictates perinatal survival and long-term risk of developing common disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The imprinted Grb10 gene encodes a signalling adaptor protein capable of inhibiting receptor tyrosine kinases, including the insulin receptor (Insr) and insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (Igf1r). Grb10 restricts fetal growth such that Grb10 knockout (KO) mice are at birth some 25-35% larger than wild type. Using a mouse genetic approach, we test the widely held assumption that Grb10 influences growth through interaction with Igf1r, which has a highly conserved growth promoting role. RESULTS Should Grb10 interact with Igf1r to regulate growth Grb10:Igf1r double mutant mice should be indistinguishable from Igf1r KO single mutants, which are around half normal size at birth. Instead, Grb10:Igf1r double mutants were intermediate in size between Grb10 KO and Igf1r KO single mutants, indicating additive effects of the two signalling proteins having opposite actions in separate pathways. Some organs examined followed a similar pattern, though Grb10 KO neonates exhibited sparing of the brain and kidneys, whereas the influence of Igf1r extended to all organs. An interaction between Grb10 and Insr was similarly investigated. While there was no general evidence for a major interaction for fetal growth regulation, the liver was an exception. The liver in Grb10 KO mutants was disproportionately overgrown with evidence of excess lipid storage in hepatocytes, whereas Grb10:Insr double mutants were indistinguishable from Insr single mutants or wild types. CONCLUSIONS Grb10 acts largely independently of Igf1r or Insr to control fetal growth and has a more variable influence on individual organs. Only the disproportionate overgrowth and excess lipid storage seen in the Grb10 KO neonatal liver can be explained through an interaction between Grb10 and the Insr. Our findings are important for understanding how positive and negative influences on fetal growth dictate size and tissue proportions at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Moorwood
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Building 4 South, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Florentia M Smith
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Building 4 South, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Alastair S Garfield
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Building 4 South, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Ward
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Building 4 South, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
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Holroyd NA, Walsh C, Gourmet L, Walker-Samuel S. Quantitative Image Processing for Three-Dimensional Episcopic Images of Biological Structures: Current State and Future Directions. Biomedicines 2023; 11:909. [PMID: 36979887 PMCID: PMC10045950 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Episcopic imaging using techniques such as High Resolution Episcopic Microscopy (HREM) and its variants, allows biological samples to be visualized in three dimensions over a large field of view. Quantitative analysis of episcopic image data is undertaken using a range of methods. In this systematic review, we look at trends in quantitative analysis of episcopic images and discuss avenues for further research. Papers published between 2011 and 2022 were analyzed for details about quantitative analysis approaches, methods of image annotation and choice of image processing software. It is shown that quantitative processing is becoming more common in episcopic microscopy and that manual annotation is the predominant method of image analysis. Our meta-analysis highlights where tools and methods require further development in this field, and we discuss what this means for the future of quantitative episcopic imaging, as well as how annotation and quantification may be automated and standardized across the field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claire Walsh
- Centre for Computational Medicine, University College London, London WC1E 6DD, UK
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Lucie Gourmet
- Centre for Computational Medicine, University College London, London WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Simon Walker-Samuel
- Centre for Computational Medicine, University College London, London WC1E 6DD, UK
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Neumann J, Hofmann B, Dhein S, Gergs U. Cardiac Roles of Serotonin (5-HT) and 5-HT-Receptors in Health and Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054765. [PMID: 36902195 PMCID: PMC10003731 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Serotonin acts solely via 5-HT4-receptors to control human cardiac contractile function. The effects of serotonin via 5-HT4-receptors lead to positive inotropic and chronotropic effects, as well as arrhythmias, in the human heart. In addition, 5-HT4-receptors may play a role in sepsis, ischaemia, and reperfusion. These presumptive effects of 5-HT4-receptors are the focus of the present review. We also discuss the formation and inactivation of serotonin in the body, namely, in the heart. We identify cardiovascular diseases where serotonin might play a causative or additional role. We address the mechanisms which 5-HT4-receptors can use for cardiac signal transduction and their possible roles in cardiac diseases. We define areas where further research in this regard should be directed in the future, and identify animal models that might be generated to this end. Finally, we discuss in what regard 5-HT4-receptor agonists or antagonists might be useful drugs that could enter clinical practice. Serotonin has been the target of many studies for decades; thus, we found it timely to summarise our current knowledge here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Neumann
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, D-06097 Halle, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Britt Hofmann
- Cardiac Surgery, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, D-06097 Halle, Germany
| | - Stefan Dhein
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Universität Leipzig, D-04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ulrich Gergs
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, D-06097 Halle, Germany
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4
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Sheng KY, Nakano T, Yamaguchi S. A region-dependent allele-biased expression of Dopa decarboxylase in mouse brain. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1078927. [PMID: 36568970 PMCID: PMC9768605 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1078927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic event in which genes are expressed only from either the paternal or maternal allele. Dopa decarboxylase (Ddc), is an imprinted gene that encodes an enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of L-dopa to dopamine. Although Ddc has been reported to be paternally expressed in embryonic and neonatal hearts, its expression pattern in the brain has been controversial. To visualize Ddc-expressing neurons, we established a knock-in mouse carrying a humanized Kusabira orange 1 (hKO1) reporter cassette at the Ddc locus (Ddc-hKO1). The expression of Ddc-hKO1 was detected in all known Ddc-positive cells in the brains of embryonic, neonatal, adult, and aged mice. We further developed an efficient purification method for Ddc-hKO1-positive neurons using a cell sorter. RNA sequencing analysis confirmed the enrichment of dopaminergic, serotonergic and cholinergic neurons in Ddc-hKO1-positive cell population recovered using this method. A detailed analysis of Ddc-hKO1 paternally and maternally derived heterozygous mice combined with immunostaining revealed that Ddc was preferentially expressed from the maternal allele in ventral tegmented area (VTA), substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), and retrorubral field (RRF); while it was expressed from both alleles in dorsal raphe nucleus (DR). These results indicate that Ddc exhibit an allele-specific expression pattern in different brain regions, presumably reflecting the diverse regulatory mechanisms of imprinting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kit-Yeng Sheng
- Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka, Japan
| | - Toru Nakano
- Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka, Japan,Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shinpei Yamaguchi
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan,Stem Cells and Reprogramming Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Chiba, Japan,*Correspondence: Shinpei Yamaguchi,
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Juan AM, Foong YH, Thorvaldsen JL, Lan Y, Leu NA, Rurik JG, Li L, Krapp C, Rosier CL, Epstein JA, Bartolomei MS. Tissue-specific Grb10/Ddc insulator drives allelic architecture for cardiac development. Mol Cell 2022; 82:3613-3631.e7. [PMID: 36108632 PMCID: PMC9547965 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.08.021] [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: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Allele-specific expression of imprinted gene clusters is governed by gametic DNA methylation at master regulators called imprinting control regions (ICRs). Non-gametic or secondary differentially methylated regions (DMRs) at promoters and exonic regions reinforce monoallelic expression but do not control an entire cluster. Here, we unveil an unconventional secondary DMR that is indispensable for tissue-specific imprinting of two previously unlinked genes, Grb10 and Ddc. Using polymorphic mice, we mapped an intronic secondary DMR at Grb10 with paternal-specific CTCF binding (CBR2.3) that forms contacts with Ddc. Deletion of paternal CBR2.3 removed a critical insulator, resulting in substantial shifting of chromatin looping and ectopic enhancer-promoter contacts. Destabilized gene architecture precipitated abnormal Grb10-Ddc expression with developmental consequences in the heart and muscle. Thus, we redefine the Grb10-Ddc imprinting domain by uncovering an unconventional intronic secondary DMR that functions as an insulator to instruct the tissue-specific, monoallelic expression of multiple genes-a feature previously ICR exclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee M Juan
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yee Hoon Foong
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Joanne L Thorvaldsen
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yemin Lan
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Nicolae A Leu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Joel G Rurik
- Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Department Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Li Li
- Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Department Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Christopher Krapp
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Casey L Rosier
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan A Epstein
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Department Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Marisa S Bartolomei
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Xu Z, Shi J, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Zhao J, Chen Q, Song C, Geng S, Xie W, Wu F, Bai Y, Yang Y, Li X. Zfp57 Exerts Maternal and Sexually Dimorphic Effects on Genomic Imprinting. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:784128. [PMID: 35252168 PMCID: PMC8895500 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.784128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Zfp57 has both maternal and zygotic functions in mouse. It maintains genomic imprinting at most known imprinted regions and controls allelic expression of the target imprinted genes in mouse embryos. The DNA methylation imprint at many imprinting control regions (ICRs) is lost when both maternal and zygotic Zfp57 are absent in Zfp57 maternal–zygotic mutant mouse embryos. Interestingly, we found that DNA methylation at a few ICRs was partially lost without maternal Zfp57 in Zfp57 heterozygous mouse embryos derived from Zfp57 homozygous female mice. This suggests that maternal Zfp57 is essential for the maintenance of DNA methylation at a small subset of imprinted regions in mouse embryos. This maternal effect of Zfp57 was applied to allelic expression switch as well as expression levels of the corresponding imprinted genes. It is rather surprising that DNA methylation imprint was affected differently at Rasgrf1 and AK008011 imprinted regions in the female or male Zfp57 maternal–zygotic mutant embryos, with more significant loss of DNA methylation observed in the male mutant embryos. Loss of ZFP57 resulted in gender-specific differences in allelic expression switch and expression level changes of some imprinted genes in female or male mutant embryos. These results indicate maternal and sexually dimorphic effects of ZFP57 on genomic imprinting in mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Xu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Jiajia Shi
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Yu Zhang
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhan Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Junzheng Zhao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Qian Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Chenglin Song
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Shuhui Geng
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Wei Xie
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Feizhen Wu
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Bai
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Yang Yang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
| | - Xiajun Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, ShanghaiChina
- *Correspondence: Xiajun Li,
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