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Sun XL, Chen ZH, Guo X, Wang J, Ge M, Wong SZH, Wang T, Li S, Yao M, Johnston LA, Wu QF. Stem cell competition driven by the Axin2-p53 axis controls brain size during murine development. Dev Cell 2023; 58:744-759.e11. [PMID: 37054704 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Cell competition acts as a quality-control mechanism that eliminates cells less fit than their neighbors to optimize organ development. Whether and how competitive interactions occur between neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in the developing brain remains unknown. Here, we show that endogenous cell competition occurs and intrinsically correlates with the Axin2 expression level during normal brain development. Induction of genetic mosaicism predisposes Axin2-deficient NPCs to behave as "losers" in mice and undergo apoptotic elimination, but homogeneous ablation of Axin2 does not promote cell death. Mechanistically, Axin2 suppresses the p53 signaling pathway at the post-transcriptional level to maintain cell fitness, and Axin2-deficient cell elimination requires p53-dependent signaling. Furthermore, mosaic Trp53 deletion confers a "winner" status to p53-deficient cells that outcompete their neighbors. Conditional loss of both Axin2 and Trp53 increases cortical area and thickness, suggesting that the Axin2-p53 axis may coordinate to survey cell fitness, regulate natural cell competition, and optimize brain size during neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Lian Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhen-Hua Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xize Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jingjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Mengmeng Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Samuel Zheng Hao Wong
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Si Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Mingze Yao
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Laura A Johnston
- Department of Genetics and Development, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Qing-Feng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100045, China; Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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