The retinoic acid inducible Cas-family signaling protein Nedd9 regulates neural crest cell migration by modulating adhesion and actin dynamics

Cell migration is essential for the development of numerous structures derived from embryonic neural crest cells (NCCs), however the underlying molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. NCCs migrate long distances in the embryo and contribute to many different cell types, including peripheral neurons, glia and pigment cells. In the present work we report expression of Nedd9, a scaffolding protein within the integrin signaling pathway, in non-lineage-restricted neural crest progenitor cells. In particular, Nedd9 was found to be expressed in the dorsal neural tube at the time of neural crest delamination and in early migrating NCCs. To analyze the role of Nedd9 in neural crest development we performed loss- and gain-of-function experiments and examined the subsequent effects on delamination and migration in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that loss of Nedd9 activity in chick NCCs perturbs cell spreading and the density of focal complexes and actin filaments, properties known to depend on integrins. Moreover, a siRNA dose-dependent decrease in Nedd9 activity results in a graded reduction of NCC's migratory distance while forced overexpression increases it. Retinoic acid (RA) was found to regulate Nedd9 expression in NCCs. Our results demonstrate in vivo that Nedd9 promotes the migration of NCCs in a graded manner and suggest a role for RA in the control of Nedd9 expression levels.

The regulation of Sox9 gene expression by the GATA4/FOG2 transcriptional complex in dominant XX sex reversal mouse models

We have previously established an in vivo requirement for GATA4 and FOG2 transcription factors in sexual differentiation. Fog2 null mouse fetuses or fetuses homozygous for a targeted mutation in Gata4 (Gata4(ki)), which cripples the GATA4-FOG2 interaction, exhibit a profound and early block in testis differentiation in both sexes. Others have shown that XX mice with the Ods transgenic insertion or the Wt1-Sox9 YAC transgene overexpress the testis differentiation gene, Sox9. Thus, these XX animals undergo dominant sex reversal by developing into phenotypically normal, but sterile, males. Now we have determined that Fog2 haploinsufficiency prevents (suppresses) this dominant sex reversal and Fog2+/-Wt1-Sox9 or Ods XX animals develop normally--as fertile females. The suppression of sex reversal in Fog2 heterozygous females results from approximately 50% downregulation of the expression from the transgene-associated allele of Sox9. The GATA4/FOG2-dependent sex reversal observed in the transgenic XX gonads has to rely on gene targets other than the Y chromosome-linked Sry gene. Importantly, Fog2 null or Gata4(ki/ki) embryos (either XX or XY) fail to express detectable levels of Sox9 despite carrying the Ods mutation or Wt1-Sox9 transgene. Fog2 haploinsufficiency leads to a decreased amount of SOX9-positive cells in XY gonads. We conclude that FOG2 is a limiting factor in the formation of a functional GATA4/FOG2 transcription complex that is required for Sox9 expression during gonadogenesis.

GATA-4:FOG interactions regulate gastric epithelial development in the mouse

Transcription factor GATA-4 is a key participant in cytodifferentiation of the mouse hindstomach. Here we show that GATA-4 cooperates with a Friend-of-GATA (FOG) cofactor to direct gene expression in this segment of gut. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that GATA-4 and FOG-1 are co-expressed in hindstomach epithelial cells from embryonic days (E) 11.5 to 18.5. The other member of the mammalian FOG family, FOG-2, was not detected in gastric epithelium. To show that GATA-4:FOG interactions influence stomach development, we analyzed Gata4(ki/ki) mice, which express a mutant GATA-4 that cannot bind FOG cofactors. Sonic Hedgehog, an endoderm-derived signaling molecule normally down-regulated in the distal stomach, was over-expressed in hindstomach epithelium of E11.5 Gata4(ki/ki) mice, and there was a concomitant decrease in fibroblast growth factor-10 in adjacent mesenchyme. We conclude that functional interaction between GATA-4 and a member of the FOG family, presumably FOG-1, is required for proper epithelial-mesenchymal signaling in the developing stomach.

Expression and regulation of mouse SERDIN1, a highly conserved cardiac-specific leucine-rich repeat protein

Despite recent progress, the precise mechanisms responsible for vertebrate cardiac development are still enigmatic. Better understanding of cardiac biology and disease necessitates identification and analysis of a full spectrum of regulatory and structural proteins specific to the developing heart. By performing an in silico screen, we identified a cardiac-specific gene we named Serdin1. The Serdin1 gene is conserved, and the message is restricted to the heart in several vertebrate species, thus implicating Serdin1 as an important gene in cardiac development. In situ hybridization confirmed that the Serdin1 message is cardiac-specific in mice as early as embryonic day 8.5. Antibody staining demonstrated predominantly nuclear staining in immortalized cardiac cell lines (P19 and HL-1) and proliferating cultured cardiomyocytes, whereas in vivo SERDIN1 localizes to I bands of the sarcomere. Seven kilobases of the upstream regulatory sequence of Serdin1 is sufficient for cardiac-specific expression. Computer analysis revealed an 80-bp homologous region between the mouse and the human Serdin genes that contains GATA, SRF, and MEF sites. Cardiac specificity and localization patterns suggest that SERDIN1 is intimately integrated with the molecular pathways controlling cardiogenesis in vertebrates.