1
|
Wei H, Dong X, You Y, Hai B, Duran RCD, Wu X, Kharas N, Wu JQ. OLIG2 regulates lncRNAs and its own expression during oligodendrocyte lineage formation. BMC Biol 2021; 19:132. [PMID: 34172044 PMCID: PMC8235854 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01057-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oligodendrocytes, responsible for axon ensheathment, are critical for central nervous system (CNS) development, function, and diseases. OLIG2 is an important transcription factor (TF) that acts during oligodendrocyte development and performs distinct functions at different stages. Previous studies have shown that lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs; > 200 bp) have important functions during oligodendrocyte development, but their roles have not been systematically characterized and their regulation is not yet clear. RESULTS We performed an integrated study of genome-wide OLIG2 binding and the epigenetic modification status of both coding and non-coding genes during three stages of oligodendrocyte differentiation in vivo: neural stem cells (NSCs), oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), and newly formed oligodendrocytes (NFOs). We found that 613 lncRNAs have OLIG2 binding sites and are expressed in at least one cell type, which can potentially be activated or repressed by OLIG2. Forty-eight of them have increased expression in oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Predicting lncRNA functions by using a "guilt-by-association" approach revealed that the functions of these 48 lncRNAs were enriched in "oligodendrocyte development and differentiation." Additionally, bivalent genes are known to play essential roles during embryonic stem cell differentiation. We identified bivalent genes in NSCs, OPCs, and NFOs and found that some bivalent genes bound by OLIG2 are dynamically regulated during oligodendrocyte development. Importantly, we unveiled a previously unknown mechanism that, in addition to transcriptional regulation via DNA binding, OLIG2 could self-regulate through the 3' UTR of its own mRNA. CONCLUSIONS Our studies have revealed the missing links in the mechanisms regulating oligodendrocyte development at the transcriptional level and after transcription. The results of our research have improved the understanding of fundamental cell fate decisions during oligodendrocyte lineage formation, which can enable insights into demyelination diseases and regenerative medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haichao Wei
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xiaomin Dong
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yanan You
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bo Hai
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Raquel Cuevas-Diaz Duran
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, N.L., Mexico
| | - Xizi Wu
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Natasha Kharas
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jia Qian Wu
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. .,Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. .,MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wei H, Wu X, You Y, Duran RCD, Zheng Y, Narayanan KL, Hai B, Li X, Tallapragada N, Prajapati TJ, Kim DH, Deneen B, Cao QL, Wu JQ. Systematic analysis of purified astrocytes after SCI unveils Zeb2os function during astrogliosis. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108721. [PMID: 33535036 PMCID: PMC7920574 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating neural injuries without effective therapeutic solutions. Astrocytes are the predominant component of the scar. Understanding the complex contributions of reactive astrocytes to SCI pathophysiologies is fundamentally important for developing therapeutic strategies. We have studied the molecular changes in the injury environment and the astrocyte-specific responses by astrocyte purification from injured spinal cords from acute to chronic stages. In addition to protein-coding genes, we have systematically analyzed the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) (>200 bp), which are regulatory RNAs that play important roles in the CNS. We have identified a highly conserved lncRNA, Zeb2os, and demonstrated using functional assays that it plays an important role in reactive astrogliosis through the Zeb2os/Zeb2/Stat3 axis. These studies provide valuable insights into the molecular basis of reactive astrogliosis and fill the knowledge gap regarding the function(s) of lncRNAs in astrogliosis and SCI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haichao Wei
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xizi Wu
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yanan You
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Raquel Cuevas-Diaz Duran
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, N.L. 64710, Mexico
| | - Yiyan Zheng
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - K Lakshmi Narayanan
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Bo Hai
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xu Li
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | | - Dong H Kim
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin Deneen
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Qi-Lin Cao
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jia Qian Wu
- The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UT Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|