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Moss A, Kuttippurathu L, Srivastava A, Schwaber JS, Vadigepalli R. Dynamic dysregulation of transcriptomic networks in brainstem autonomic nuclei during hypertension development in the female spontaneously hypertensive rat. Physiol Genomics 2024; 56:283-300. [PMID: 38145287 PMCID: PMC11283910 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00073.2023] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurogenic hypertension stems from an imbalance in autonomic function that shifts the central cardiovascular control circuits toward a state of dysfunction. Using the female spontaneously hypertensive rat and the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rat model, we compared the transcriptomic changes in three autonomic nuclei in the brainstem, nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), caudal ventrolateral medulla, and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) in a time series at 8, 10, 12, 16, and 24 wk of age, spanning the prehypertensive stage through extended chronic hypertension. RNA-sequencing data were analyzed using an unbiased, dynamic pattern-based approach that uncovered dominant and several subtle differential gene regulatory signatures. Our results showed a persistent dysregulation across all three autonomic nuclei regardless of the stage of hypertension development as well as a cascade of transient dysregulation beginning in the RVLM at the prehypertensive stage that shifts toward the NTS at the hypertension onset. Genes that were persistently dysregulated were heavily enriched for immunological processes such as antigen processing and presentation, the adaptive immune response, and the complement system. Genes with transient dysregulation were also largely region-specific and were annotated for processes that influence neuronal excitability such as synaptic vesicle release, neurotransmitter transport, and an array of neuropeptides and ion channels. Our results demonstrate that neurogenic hypertension is characterized by brainstem region-specific transcriptomic changes that are highly dynamic with significant gene regulatory changes occurring at the hypertension onset as a key time window for dysregulation of homeostatic processes across the autonomic control circuits.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Hypertension is a major disease and is the primary risk factor for cardiovascular complications and stroke. The gene expression changes in the central nervous system circuits driving hypertension are understudied. Here, we show that coordinated and region-specific gene expression changes occur in the brainstem autonomic circuits over time during the development of a high blood pressure phenotype in a rat model of human essential hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Moss
- Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Lakshmi Kuttippurathu
- Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Ankita Srivastava
- Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - James S Schwaber
- Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Rajanikanth Vadigepalli
- Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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Stroynowska-Czerwinska AM, Klimczak M, Pastor M, Kazrani AA, Misztal K, Bochtler M. Clustered PHD domains in KMT2/MLL proteins are attracted by H3K4me3 and H3 acetylation-rich active promoters and enhancers. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:23. [PMID: 36598580 PMCID: PMC9813062 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04651-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Histone lysine-specific methyltransferase 2 (KMT2A-D) proteins, alternatively called mixed lineage leukemia (MLL1-4) proteins, mediate positive transcriptional memory. Acting as the catalytic subunits of human COMPASS-like complexes, KMT2A-D methylate H3K4 at promoters and enhancers. KMT2A-D contain understudied highly conserved triplets and a quartet of plant homeodomains (PHDs). Here, we show that all clustered (multiple) PHDs localize to the well-defined loci of H3K4me3 and H3 acetylation-rich active promoters and enhancers. Surprisingly, we observe little difference in binding pattern between PHDs from promoter-specific KMT2A-B and enhancer-specific KMT2C-D. Fusion of the KMT2A CXXC domain to the PHDs drastically enhances their preference for promoters over enhancers. Hence, the presence of CXXC domains in KMT2A-B, but not KMT2C-D, may explain the promoter/enhancer preferences of the full-length proteins. Importantly, targets of PHDs overlap with KMT2A targets and are enriched in genes involved in the cancer pathways. We also observe that PHDs of KMT2A-D are mutated in cancer, especially within conserved folding motifs (Cys4HisCys2Cys/His). The mutations cause a domain loss-of-function. Taken together, our data suggest that PHDs of KMT2A-D guide the full-length proteins to active promoters and enhancers, and thus play a role in positive transcriptional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Magdalena Klimczak
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michal Pastor
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109, Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Asgar Abbas Kazrani
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109, Warsaw, Poland
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France
| | - Katarzyna Misztal
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Matthias Bochtler
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109, Warsaw, Poland.
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106, Warsaw, Poland.
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Singh NP, Krumlauf R. Diversification and Functional Evolution of HOX Proteins. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:798812. [PMID: 35646905 PMCID: PMC9136108 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.798812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene duplication and divergence is a major contributor to the generation of morphological diversity and the emergence of novel features in vertebrates during evolution. The availability of sequenced genomes has facilitated our understanding of the evolution of genes and regulatory elements. However, progress in understanding conservation and divergence in the function of proteins has been slow and mainly assessed by comparing protein sequences in combination with in vitro analyses. These approaches help to classify proteins into different families and sub-families, such as distinct types of transcription factors, but how protein function varies within a gene family is less well understood. Some studies have explored the functional evolution of closely related proteins and important insights have begun to emerge. In this review, we will provide a general overview of gene duplication and functional divergence and then focus on the functional evolution of HOX proteins to illustrate evolutionary changes underlying diversification and their role in animal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robb Krumlauf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- *Correspondence: Robb Krumlauf,
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Transcriptional Regulation and Implications for Controlling Hox Gene Expression. J Dev Biol 2022; 10:jdb10010004. [PMID: 35076545 PMCID: PMC8788451 DOI: 10.3390/jdb10010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hox genes play key roles in axial patterning and regulating the regional identity of cells and tissues in a wide variety of animals from invertebrates to vertebrates. Nested domains of Hox expression generate a combinatorial code that provides a molecular framework for specifying the properties of tissues along the A–P axis. Hence, it is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms that coordinately control the precise patterns of the transcription of clustered Hox genes required for their roles in development. New insights are emerging about the dynamics and molecular mechanisms governing transcriptional regulation, and there is interest in understanding how these may play a role in contributing to the regulation of the expression of the clustered Hox genes. In this review, we summarize some of the recent findings, ideas and emerging mechanisms underlying the regulation of transcription in general and consider how they may be relevant to understanding the transcriptional regulation of Hox genes.
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OUP accepted manuscript. Stem Cells 2022; 40:175-189. [DOI: 10.1093/stmcls/sxab014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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Cain B, Gebelein B. Mechanisms Underlying Hox-Mediated Transcriptional Outcomes. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:787339. [PMID: 34869389 PMCID: PMC8635045 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.787339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Metazoans differentially express multiple Hox transcription factors to specify diverse cell fates along the developing anterior-posterior axis. Two challenges arise when trying to understand how the Hox transcription factors regulate the required target genes for morphogenesis: First, how does each Hox factor differ from one another to accurately activate and repress target genes required for the formation of distinct segment and regional identities? Second, how can a Hox factor that is broadly expressed in many tissues within a segment impact the development of specific organs by regulating target genes in a cell type-specific manner? In this review, we highlight how recent genomic, interactome, and cis-regulatory studies are providing new insights into answering these two questions. Collectively, these studies suggest that Hox factors may differentially modify the chromatin of gene targets as well as utilize numerous interactions with additional co-activators, co-repressors, and sequence-specific transcription factors to achieve accurate segment and cell type-specific transcriptional outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Cain
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Brian Gebelein
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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Abstract
During early development, the hindbrain is sub-divided into rhombomeres that underlie the organisation of neurons and adjacent craniofacial tissues. A gene regulatory network of signals and transcription factors establish and pattern segments with a distinct anteroposterior identity. Initially, the borders of segmental gene expression are imprecise, but then become sharply defined, and specialised boundary cells form. In this Review, we summarise key aspects of the conserved regulatory cascade that underlies the formation of hindbrain segments. We describe how the pattern is sharpened and stabilised through the dynamic regulation of cell identity, acting in parallel with cell segregation. Finally, we discuss evidence that boundary cells have roles in local patterning, and act as a site of neurogenesis within the hindbrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robb Krumlauf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.,Dept of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas University Medical School, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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Conway SJ. Special Issue "2020 Feature Papers by JDB' Editorial Board Members". J Dev Biol 2021; 9:jdb9020021. [PMID: 34199485 PMCID: PMC8293115 DOI: 10.3390/jdb9020021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Simon J Conway
- HB Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, 1044 West Walnut Street, Room R4 W402E, Indianapolis, IN 46033, USA
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