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Rankin SA, Zorn AM. The homeodomain transcription factor Ventx2 regulates respiratory progenitor cell number and differentiation timing during
Xenopus
lung development. Dev Growth Differ 2022; 64:347-361. [PMID: 36053777 PMCID: PMC10088502 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ventx2 is an Antennapedia superfamily/NK-like subclass homeodomain transcription factor best known for its roles in the regulation of early dorsoventral patterning during Xenopus gastrulation and in the maintenance of neural crest multipotency. In this work we characterize the spatiotemporal expression pattern of ventx2 in progenitor cells of the Xenopus respiratory system epithelium. We find that ventx2 is directly induced by BMP signaling in the ventral foregut prior to nkx2-1, the earliest epithelial marker of the respiratory lineage. Functional studies demonstrate that Ventx2 regulates the number of Nkx2-1/Sox9+ respiratory progenitor cells induced during foregut development, the timing and level of surfactant protein gene expression, and proper tracheal-esophageal separation. Our data suggest that Ventx2 regulates the balance of respiratory progenitor cell expansion and differentiation. While the ventx gene family has been lost from the mouse genome during evolution, humans have retained a ventx2-like gene (VENTX). Finally, we discuss how our findings might suggest a possible function of VENTX in human respiratory progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A. Rankin
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati OH
| | - Aaron M. Zorn
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati OH
- University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics Cincinnati OH
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Ducos B, Bensimon D, Scerbo P. Vertebrate Cell Differentiation, Evolution, and Diseases: The Vertebrate-Specific Developmental Potential Guardians VENTX/ NANOG and POU5/ OCT4 Enter the Stage. Cells 2022; 11:cells11152299. [PMID: 35892595 PMCID: PMC9331430 DOI: 10.3390/cells11152299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
During vertebrate development, embryonic cells pass through a continuum of transitory pluripotent states that precede multi-lineage commitment and morphogenesis. Such states are referred to as “refractory/naïve” and “competent/formative” pluripotency. The molecular mechanisms maintaining refractory pluripotency or driving the transition to competent pluripotency, as well as the cues regulating multi-lineage commitment, are evolutionarily conserved. Vertebrate-specific “Developmental Potential Guardians” (vsDPGs; i.e., VENTX/NANOG, POU5/OCT4), together with MEK1 (MAP2K1), coordinate the pluripotency continuum, competence for multi-lineage commitment and morphogenesis in vivo. During neurulation, vsDPGs empower ectodermal cells of the neuro-epithelial border (NEB) with multipotency and ectomesenchyme potential through an “endogenous reprogramming” process, giving rise to the neural crest cells (NCCs). Furthermore, vsDPGs are expressed in undifferentiated-bipotent neuro-mesodermal progenitor cells (NMPs), which participate in posterior axis elongation and growth. Finally, vsDPGs are involved in carcinogenesis, whereby they confer selective advantage to cancer stem cells (CSCs) and therapeutic resistance. Intriguingly, the heterogenous distribution of vsDPGs in these cell types impact on cellular potential and features. Here, we summarize the findings about the role of vsDPGs during vertebrate development and their selective advantage in evolution. Our aim to present a holistic view regarding vsDPGs as facilitators of both cell plasticity/adaptability and morphological innovation/variation. Moreover, vsDPGs may also be at the heart of carcinogenesis by allowing malignant cells to escape from physiological constraints and surveillance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Ducos
- LPENS, PSL, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- IBENS, PSL, CNRS, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- High Throughput qPCR Core Facility, ENS, PSL, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (B.D.); (D.B.); (P.S.)
| | - David Bensimon
- LPENS, PSL, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- IBENS, PSL, CNRS, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90094, USA
- Correspondence: (B.D.); (D.B.); (P.S.)
| | - Pierluigi Scerbo
- LPENS, PSL, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- IBENS, PSL, CNRS, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (B.D.); (D.B.); (P.S.)
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Ventx Family and Its Functional Similarities with Nanog: Involvement in Embryonic Development and Cancer Progression. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23052741. [PMID: 35269883 PMCID: PMC8911082 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ventx family is one of the subfamilies of the ANTP (antennapedia) superfamily and belongs to the NK-like (NKL) subclass. Ventx is a homeobox transcription factor and has a DNA-interacting domain that is evolutionarily conserved throughout vertebrates. It has been extensively studied in Xenopus, zebrafish, and humans. The Ventx family contains transcriptional repressors widely involved in embryonic development and tumorigenesis in vertebrates. Several studies have documented that the Ventx family inhibited dorsal mesodermal formation, neural induction, and head formation in Xenopus and zebrafish. Moreover, Ventx2.2 showed functional similarities to Nanog and Barx1, leading to pluripotency and neural-crest migration in vertebrates. Among them, Ventx protein is an orthologue of the Ventx family in humans. Studies have demonstrated that human Ventx was strongly associated with myeloid-cell differentiation and acute myeloid leukemia. The therapeutic potential of Ventx family inhibition in combating cancer progression in humans is discussed. Additionally, we briefly discuss genome evolution, gene duplication, pseudo-allotetraploidy, and the homeobox family in Xenopus.
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Scerbo P, Monsoro-Burq AH. The vertebrate-specific VENTX/NANOG gene empowers neural crest with ectomesenchyme potential. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz1469. [PMID: 32494672 PMCID: PMC7190326 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz1469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
During Cambrian, unipotent progenitors located at the neural (plate) border (NB) of an Olfactoria chordate embryo acquired the competence to form ectomesenchyme, pigment cells and neurons, initiating the rise of the multipotent neural crest cells (NC) specific to vertebrates. Surprisingly, the known vertebrate NB/NC transcriptional circuitry is a constrained feature also found in invertebrates. Therefore, evidence for vertebrate-specific innovations endowing vertebrate NC with multipotency is still missing. Here, we identified VENTX/NANOG and POU5/OCT4 as vertebrate-specific innovations. When VENTX was depleted in vivo and in directly-induced NC, the NC lost its early multipotent state and its skeletogenic potential, but kept sensory neuron and pigment identity, thus reminiscent of invertebrate NB precursors. In vivo, VENTX gain-of-function enabled NB specifiers to reprogram embryonic non-neural ectoderm towards early NC identity. We propose that skeletogenic NC evolved by acquiring VENTX/NANOG activity, promoting a novel multipotent progenitor regulatory state into the pre-existing sensory neuron/pigment NB program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierluigi Scerbo
- Univ. Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Centre Universitaire, 15, rue Georges Clémenceau, F-91405 Orsay, France
- Institut Curie Research Division, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3347, INSERM U1021, F-91405 Orsay, France
| | - Anne H. Monsoro-Burq
- Univ. Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Centre Universitaire, 15, rue Georges Clémenceau, F-91405 Orsay, France
- Institut Curie Research Division, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3347, INSERM U1021, F-91405 Orsay, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, F-75005 Paris, France
- Corresponding author.
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Castro Colabianchi AM, Revinski DR, Encinas PI, Baez MV, Monti RJ, Rodríguez Abinal M, Kodjabachian L, Franchini LF, López SL. Notch1 is asymmetrically distributed from the beginning of embryogenesis and controls the ventral center. Development 2018; 145:dev.159368. [PMID: 29866901 DOI: 10.1242/dev.159368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Based on functional evidence, we have previously demonstrated that early ventral Notch1 activity restricts dorsoanterior development in Xenopus We found that Notch1 has ventralizing properties and abolishes the dorsalizing activity of β-catenin by reducing its steady state levels, in a process that does not require β-catenin phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase 3β. In the present work, we demonstrate that Notch1 mRNA and protein are enriched in the ventral region from the beginning of embryogenesis in Xenopus This is the earliest sign of ventral development, preceding the localized expression of wnt8a, bmp4 and Ventx genes in the ventral center and the dorsal accumulation of nuclear β-catenin. Knockdown experiments indicate that Notch1 is necessary for the normal expression of genes essential for ventral-posterior development. These results indicate that during early embryogenesis ventrally located Notch1 promotes the development of the ventral center. Together with our previous evidence, these results suggest that ventral enrichment of Notch1 underlies the process by which Notch1 participates in restricting nuclear accumulation of β-catenin to the dorsal side.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitana M Castro Colabianchi
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias 'Prof. E. De Robertis' (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina. Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular 'Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco', C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diego R Revinski
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias 'Prof. E. De Robertis' (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina. Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular 'Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco', C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Paula I Encinas
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias 'Prof. E. De Robertis' (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina. Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular 'Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco', C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Verónica Baez
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias 'Prof. E. De Robertis' (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina. Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular 'Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco', C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Renato J Monti
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias 'Prof. E. De Robertis' (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina. Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular 'Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco', C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mateo Rodríguez Abinal
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias 'Prof. E. De Robertis' (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina. Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular 'Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco', C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Lucía F Franchini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Silvia L López
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias 'Prof. E. De Robertis' (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina. Laboratorio de Embriología Molecular 'Prof. Dr. Andrés E. Carrasco', C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina
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