1
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Soussi G, Girdziusaite A, Jhanwar S, Palacio V, Notaro M, Sheth R, Zeller R, Zuniga A. TBX3 is essential for establishment of the posterior boundary of anterior genes and upregulation of posterior genes together with HAND2 during the onset of limb bud development. Development 2024; 151:dev202722. [PMID: 38828908 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202722] [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: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
During limb bud formation, axis polarities are established as evidenced by the spatially restricted expression of key regulator genes. In particular, the mutually antagonistic interaction between the GLI3 repressor and HAND2 results in distinct and non-overlapping anterior-distal Gli3 and posterior Hand2 expression domains. This is a hallmark of the establishment of antero-posterior limb axis polarity, together with spatially restricted expression of homeodomain and other transcriptional regulators. Here, we show that TBX3 is required for establishment of the posterior expression boundary of anterior genes in mouse limb buds. ChIP-seq and differential gene expression analysis of wild-type and mutant limb buds identifies TBX3-specific and shared TBX3-HAND2 target genes. High sensitivity fluorescent whole-mount in situ hybridisation shows that the posterior expression boundaries of anterior genes are positioned by TBX3-mediated repression, which excludes anterior genes such as Gli3, Alx4, Hand1 and Irx3/5 from the posterior limb bud mesenchyme. This exclusion delineates the posterior mesenchymal territory competent to establish the Shh-expressing limb bud organiser. In turn, HAND2 is required for Shh activation and cooperates with TBX3 to upregulate shared posterior identity target genes in early limb buds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Soussi
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ausra Girdziusaite
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Shalu Jhanwar
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Victorio Palacio
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Rushikesh Sheth
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Zeller
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Aimée Zuniga
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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2
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Kawaguchi A, Wang J, Knapp D, Murawala P, Nowoshilow S, Masselink W, Taniguchi-Sugiura Y, Fei JF, Tanaka EM. A chromatin code for limb segment identity in axolotl limb regeneration. Dev Cell 2024:S1534-5807(24)00300-9. [PMID: 38788714 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The salamander limb correctly regenerates missing limb segments because connective tissue cells have segment-specific identities, termed "positional information". How positional information is molecularly encoded at the chromatin level has been unknown. Here, we performed genome-wide chromatin profiling in mature and regenerating axolotl limb connective tissue cells. We find segment-specific levels of histone H3K27me3 as the major positional mark, especially at limb homeoprotein gene loci but not their upstream regulators, constituting an intrinsic segment information code. During regeneration, regeneration-specific regulatory elements became active prior to the re-appearance of developmental regulatory elements. In the hand, the permissive chromatin state of the homeoprotein gene HoxA13 engages with the regeneration program bypassing the upper limb program. Comparison of regeneration regulatory elements with those found in other regenerative animals identified a core shared set of transcription factors, supporting an ancient, conserved regeneration program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akane Kawaguchi
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jingkui Wang
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dunja Knapp
- DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Prayag Murawala
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria; DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Sergej Nowoshilow
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria; DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Wouter Masselink
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Yuka Taniguchi-Sugiura
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ji-Feng Fei
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Elly M Tanaka
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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3
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Kingsley EP, Hager ER, Lassance JM, Turner KM, Harringmeyer OS, Kirby C, Neugeboren BI, Hoekstra HE. Adaptive tail-length evolution in deer mice is associated with differential Hoxd13 expression in early development. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:791-805. [PMID: 38378804 PMCID: PMC11009118 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02346-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Variation in the size and number of axial segments underlies much of the diversity in animal body plans. Here we investigate the evolutionary, genetic and developmental mechanisms driving tail-length differences between forest and prairie ecotypes of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We first show that long-tailed forest mice perform better in an arboreal locomotion assay, consistent with tails being important for balance during climbing. We then identify six genomic regions that contribute to differences in tail length, three of which associate with caudal vertebra length and the other three with vertebra number. For all six loci, the forest allele increases tail length, indicative of the cumulative effect of natural selection. Two of the genomic regions associated with variation in vertebra number contain Hox gene clusters. Of those, we find an allele-specific decrease in Hoxd13 expression in the embryonic tail bud of long-tailed forest mice, consistent with its role in axial elongation. Additionally, we find that forest embryos have more presomitic mesoderm than prairie embryos and that this correlates with an increase in the number of neuromesodermal progenitors, which are modulated by Hox13 paralogues. Together, these results suggest a role for Hoxd13 in the development of natural variation in adaptive morphology on a microevolutionary timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan P Kingsley
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Emily R Hager
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jean-Marc Lassance
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- GIGA Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Kyle M Turner
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Olivia S Harringmeyer
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christopher Kirby
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Beverly I Neugeboren
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Environmental Health and Safety, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hopi E Hoekstra
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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4
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Lozovska A, Korovesi AG, Dias A, Lopes A, Fowler DA, Martins GG, Nóvoa A, Mallo M. Tgfbr1 controls developmental plasticity between the hindlimb and external genitalia by remodeling their regulatory landscape. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2509. [PMID: 38509075 PMCID: PMC10954616 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46870-z] [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: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The hindlimb and external genitalia of present-day tetrapods are thought to derive from an ancestral common primordium that evolved to generate a wide diversity of structures adapted for efficient locomotion and mating in the ecological niche occupied by the species. We show that despite long evolutionary distance from the ancestral condition, the early primordium of the mouse external genitalia preserved the capacity to take hindlimb fates. In the absence of Tgfbr1, the pericloacal mesoderm generates an extra pair of hindlimbs at the expense of the external genitalia. It has been shown that the hindlimb and the genital primordia share many of their key regulatory factors. Tgfbr1 controls the response to those factors by modulating the accessibility status of regulatory elements that control the gene regulatory networks leading to the formation of genital or hindlimb structures. Our work uncovers a remarkable tissue plasticity with potential implications in the evolution of the hindlimb/genital area of tetrapods, and identifies an additional mechanism for Tgfbr1 activity that might also contribute to the control of other physiological or pathological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Lozovska
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Artemis G Korovesi
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - André Dias
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexandre Lopes
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Donald A Fowler
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Gabriel G Martins
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana Nóvoa
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Moisés Mallo
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal.
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5
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Khetan S, Bulyk ML. Overlapping binding sites underlie TF genomic occupancy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.05.583629. [PMID: 38496549 PMCID: PMC10942454 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.05.583629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Sequence-specific DNA binding by transcription factors (TFs) is a crucial step in gene regulation. However, current high-throughput in vitro approaches cannot reliably detect lower affinity TF-DNA interactions, which play key roles in gene regulation. Here, we developed PADIT-seq ( p rotein a ffinity to D NA by in vitro transcription and RNA seq uencing) to assay TF binding preferences to all 10-bp DNA sequences at far greater sensitivity than prior approaches. The expanded catalogs of low affinity DNA binding sites for the human TFs HOXD13 and EGR1 revealed that nucleotides flanking high affinity DNA binding sites create overlapping lower affinity sites that together modulate TF genomic occupancy in vivo . Formation of such extended recognition sequences stems from an inherent property of TF binding sites to interweave each other and expands the genomic sequence space for identifying noncoding variants that directly alter TF binding. One-Sentence Summary Overlapping DNA binding sites underlie TF genomic occupancy through their inherent propensity to interweave each other.
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6
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Chen Y, Zhou T, Liao Z, Gao W, Wu J, Zhang S, Li Y, Liu H, Zhou H, Xu C, Su P. Hnrnpk is essential for embryonic limb bud development as a transcription activator and a collaborator of insulator protein Ctcf. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:2293-2308. [PMID: 37608075 PMCID: PMC10589297 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-023-01207-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Proper development of the limb bud relies on the concordance of various signals, but its molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully illustrated. Here we report that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNPK) is essential for limb bud development. Its ablation in the limb bud results in limbless forelimbs and severe deformities of the hindlimbs. In terms of mechanism, hnRNPK functions as a transcription activator for the vital genes involved in the three regulatory axes of limb bud development. Simultaneously, for the first time we elucidate that hnRNPK binds to and coordinates with the insulator protein CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) to maintain a three-dimensional chromatin architecture. Ablation of hnRNPK weakens the binding strength of CTCF to topologically associating domain (TAD) boundaries, then leading to the loose TADs, and decreased interactions between promoters and enhancers, and further decreased transcription of developmental genes. Our study establishes a fundamental and novel role of hnRNPK in regulating limb bud development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyu Chen
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Taifeng Zhou
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zhiheng Liao
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Wenjie Gao
- Department of Orthopaedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Jinna Wu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510095, China
| | - Shun Zhang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Yongyong Li
- Precision Medicine Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Hengyu Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Hang Zhou
- Department of Orthopaedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Caixia Xu
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Peiqiang Su
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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7
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Marlétaz F, de la Calle-Mustienes E, Acemel RD, Paliou C, Naranjo S, Martínez-García PM, Cases I, Sleight VA, Hirschberger C, Marcet-Houben M, Navon D, Andrescavage A, Skvortsova K, Duckett PE, González-Rajal Á, Bogdanovic O, Gibcus JH, Yang L, Gallardo-Fuentes L, Sospedra I, Lopez-Rios J, Darbellay F, Visel A, Dekker J, Shubin N, Gabaldón T, Nakamura T, Tena JJ, Lupiáñez DG, Rokhsar DS, Gómez-Skarmeta JL. The little skate genome and the evolutionary emergence of wing-like fins. Nature 2023; 616:495-503. [PMID: 37046085 PMCID: PMC10115646 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05868-1] [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: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Skates are cartilaginous fish whose body plan features enlarged wing-like pectoral fins, enabling them to thrive in benthic environments1,2. However, the molecular underpinnings of this unique trait remain unclear. Here we investigate the origin of this phenotypic innovation by developing the little skate Leucoraja erinacea as a genomically enabled model. Analysis of a high-quality chromosome-scale genome sequence for the little skate shows that it preserves many ancestral jawed vertebrate features compared with other sequenced genomes, including numerous ancient microchromosomes. Combining genome comparisons with extensive regulatory datasets in developing fins-including gene expression, chromatin occupancy and three-dimensional conformation-we find skate-specific genomic rearrangements that alter the three-dimensional regulatory landscape of genes that are involved in the planar cell polarity pathway. Functional inhibition of planar cell polarity signalling resulted in a reduction in anterior fin size, confirming that this pathway is a major contributor to batoid fin morphology. We also identified a fin-specific enhancer that interacts with several hoxa genes, consistent with the redeployment of hox gene expression in anterior pectoral fins, and confirmed its potential to activate transcription in the anterior fin using zebrafish reporter assays. Our findings underscore the central role of genome reorganization and regulatory variation in the evolution of phenotypes, shedding light on the molecular origin of an enigmatic trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Marlétaz
- Centre for Life's Origin and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
- Molecular Genetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan.
| | - Elisa de la Calle-Mustienes
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Rafael D Acemel
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
- Epigenetics and Sex Development Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Christina Paliou
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Silvia Naranjo
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Pedro Manuel Martínez-García
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Ildefonso Cases
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Victoria A Sleight
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - Marina Marcet-Houben
- Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BCS-CNS), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dina Navon
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Ali Andrescavage
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Ksenia Skvortsova
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Paul Edward Duckett
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Álvaro González-Rajal
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ozren Bogdanovic
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Johan H Gibcus
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Liyan Yang
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Lourdes Gallardo-Fuentes
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Ismael Sospedra
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Javier Lopez-Rios
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Fabrice Darbellay
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Axel Visel
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Job Dekker
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Neil Shubin
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BCS-CNS), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tetsuya Nakamura
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
| | - Juan J Tena
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain.
| | - Darío G Lupiáñez
- Epigenetics and Sex Development Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Berlin, Germany.
| | - Daniel S Rokhsar
- Molecular Genetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan.
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - José Luis Gómez-Skarmeta
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
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8
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Fuiten AM, Yoshimoto Y, Shukunami C, Stadler HS. Digits in a dish: An in vitro system to assess the molecular genetics of hand/foot development at single-cell resolution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1135025. [PMID: 36994104 PMCID: PMC10040768 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1135025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro models allow for the study of developmental processes outside of the embryo. To gain access to the cells mediating digit and joint development, we identified a unique property of undifferentiated mesenchyme isolated from the distal early autopod to autonomously re-assemble forming multiple autopod structures including: digits, interdigital tissues, joints, muscles and tendons. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of these developing structures revealed distinct cell clusters that express canonical markers of distal limb development including: Col2a1, Col10a1, and Sp7 (phalanx formation), Thbs2 and Col1a1 (perichondrium), Gdf5, Wnt5a, and Jun (joint interzone), Aldh1a2 and Msx1 (interdigital tissues), Myod1 (muscle progenitors), Prg4 (articular perichondrium/articular cartilage), and Scx and Tnmd (tenocytes/tendons). Analysis of the gene expression patterns for these signature genes indicates that developmental timing and tissue-specific localization were also recapitulated in a manner similar to the initiation and maturation of the developing murine autopod. Finally, the in vitro digit system also recapitulates congenital malformations associated with genetic mutations as in vitro cultures of Hoxa13 mutant mesenchyme produced defects present in Hoxa13 mutant autopods including digit fusions, reduced phalangeal segment numbers, and poor mesenchymal condensation. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the in vitro digit system to recapitulate digit and joint development. As an in vitro model of murine digit and joint development, this innovative system will provide access to the developing limb tissues facilitating studies to discern how digit and articular joint formation is initiated and how undifferentiated mesenchyme is patterned to establish individual digit morphologies. The in vitro digit system also provides a platform to rapidly evaluate treatments aimed at stimulating the repair or regeneration of mammalian digits impacted by congenital malformation, injury, or disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M. Fuiten
- Research Center, Shriners Children’s, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Yuki Yoshimoto
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Chisa Shukunami
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - H. Scott Stadler
- Research Center, Shriners Children’s, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
- *Correspondence: H. Scott Stadler,
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9
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Abstract
Hox genes encode evolutionarily conserved transcription factors that are essential for the proper development of bilaterian organisms. Hox genes are unique because they are spatially and temporally regulated during development in a manner that is dictated by their tightly linked genomic organization. Although their genetic function during embryonic development has been interrogated, less is known about how these transcription factors regulate downstream genes to direct morphogenetic events. Moreover, the continued expression and function of Hox genes at postnatal and adult stages highlights crucial roles for these genes throughout the life of an organism. Here, we provide an overview of Hox genes, highlighting their evolutionary history, their unique genomic organization and how this impacts the regulation of their expression, what is known about their protein structure, and their deployment in development and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine A. Hubert
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Deneen M. Wellik
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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10
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Apfelbaum AA, Wu F, Hawkins AG, Magnuson B, Jiménez JA, Taylor SD, Wrenn ED, Waltner O, Pfaltzgraff ER, Song JY, Hall C, Wellik DM, Ljungman M, Furlan SN, Ryan RJ, Sarthy JF, Lawlor ER. EWS::FLI1 and HOXD13 Control Tumor Cell Plasticity in Ewing Sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res 2022; 28:4466-4478. [PMID: 35653119 PMCID: PMC9588607 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-22-0384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Propagation of Ewing sarcoma requires precise regulation of EWS::FLI1 transcriptional activity. Determining the mechanisms of fusion regulation will advance our understanding of tumor progression. Here we investigated whether HOXD13, a developmental transcription factor that promotes Ewing sarcoma metastatic phenotypes, influences EWS::FLI1 transcriptional activity. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Existing tumor and cell line datasets were used to define EWS::FLI1 binding sites and transcriptional targets. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and CRISPR interference were employed to identify enhancers. CUT&RUN and RNA sequencing defined binding sites and transcriptional targets of HOXD13. Transcriptional states were investigated using bulk and single-cell transcriptomic data from cell lines, patient-derived xenografts, and patient tumors. Mesenchymal phenotypes were assessed by gene set enrichment, flow cytometry, and migration assays. RESULTS We found that EWS::FLI1 creates a de novo GGAA microsatellite enhancer in a developmentally conserved regulatory region of the HOXD locus. Knockdown of HOXD13 led to widespread changes in expression of developmental gene programs and EWS::FLI1 targets. HOXD13 binding was enriched at established EWS::FLI1 binding sites where it influenced expression of EWS::FLI1-activated genes. More strikingly, HOXD13 bound and activated EWS::FLI1-repressed genes, leading to adoption of mesenchymal and migratory cell states that are normally suppressed by the fusion. Single-cell analysis confirmed that direct transcriptional antagonism between HOXD13-mediated gene activation and EWS::FLI1-dependent gene repression defines the state of Ewing sarcoma cells along a mesenchymal axis. CONCLUSIONS Ewing sarcoma tumors are comprised of tumor cells that exist along a mesenchymal transcriptional continuum. The identity of cells along this continuum is, in large part, determined by the competing activities of EWS::FLI1 and HOXD13. See related commentary by Weiss and Bailey, p. 4360.
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Affiliation(s)
- April A. Apfelbaum
- Cancer Biology PhD Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA,Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Feinan Wu
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Allegra G. Hawkins
- Childhood Cancer Data Lab Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Brian Magnuson
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Jiménez
- Cancer Biology PhD Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Sean D. Taylor
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Emma D. Wrenn
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Olivia Waltner
- Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | | | - Jane Y. Song
- Immunology Discovery, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Cody Hall
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Deneen M. Wellik
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53705
| | - Mats Ljungman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Scott N. Furlan
- Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA,Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
| | - Russell J.H. Ryan
- Immunology Discovery, Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Jay F. Sarthy
- Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA,Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
| | - Elizabeth R. Lawlor
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA,Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.,Correspondence: Elizabeth R. Lawlor MD, PhD, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Olive Lab, 1100 Olive Way, Suite 100 Seattle, WA 98101,
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11
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Koyano-Nakagawa N, Gong W, Das S, Theisen JWM, Swanholm TB, Van Ly D, Dsouza N, Singh BN, Kawakami H, Young S, Chen KQ, Kawakami Y, Garry DJ. Etv2 regulates enhancer chromatin status to initiate Shh expression in the limb bud. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4221. [PMID: 35864091 PMCID: PMC9304341 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31848-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is essential for limb development, and the mechanisms that govern the propagation and maintenance of its expression has been well studied; however, the mechanisms that govern the initiation of Shh expression are incomplete. Here we report that ETV2 initiates Shh expression by changing the chromatin status of the developmental limb enhancer, ZRS. Etv2 expression precedes Shh in limb buds, and Etv2 inactivation prevents the opening of limb chromatin, including the ZRS, resulting in an absence of Shh expression. Etv2 overexpression in limb buds causes nucleosomal displacement at the ZRS, ectopic Shh expression, and polydactyly. Areas of nucleosome displacement coincide with ETS binding site clusters. ETV2 also functions as a transcriptional activator of ZRS and is antagonized by ETV4/5 repressors. Known human polydactyl mutations introduce novel ETV2 binding sites in the ZRS, suggesting that ETV2 dosage regulates ZRS activation. These studies identify ETV2 as a pioneer transcription factor (TF) regulating the onset of Shh expression, having both a chromatin regulatory role and a transcriptional activation role. The embryonic limb bud is known to be patterned by a Shh morphogen gradient, though how Shh expression is activated remains less clear. Here the authors show that Etv2 acts as a pioneer transcription factor to mediate accessibility of the ZRS enhancer and initiate Shh expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoko Koyano-Nakagawa
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C., Minneapolis, MN, 55402, USA.,Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, MN, 55105, USA
| | - Wuming Gong
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Satyabrata Das
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Joshua W M Theisen
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Tran B Swanholm
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Daniel Van Ly
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Nikita Dsouza
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Bhairab N Singh
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Hiroko Kawakami
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.,Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Samantha Young
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Katherine Q Chen
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Yasuhiko Kawakami
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. .,Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
| | - Daniel J Garry
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. .,Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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12
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Context-dependent enhancer function revealed by targeted inter-TAD relocation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3488. [PMID: 35715427 PMCID: PMC9205857 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31241-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The expression of some genes depends on large, adjacent regions of the genome that contain multiple enhancers. These regulatory landscapes frequently align with Topologically Associating Domains (TADs), where they integrate the function of multiple similar enhancers to produce a global, TAD-specific regulation. We asked if an individual enhancer could overcome the influence of one of these landscapes, to drive gene transcription. To test this, we transferred an enhancer from its native location, into a nearby TAD with a related yet different functional specificity. We used the biphasic regulation of Hoxd genes during limb development as a paradigm. These genes are first activated in proximal limb cells by enhancers located in one TAD, which is then silenced when the neighboring TAD activates its enhancers in distal limb cells. We transferred a distal limb enhancer into the proximal limb TAD and found that its new context suppresses its normal distal specificity, even though it is bound by HOX13 transcription factors, which are responsible for the distal activity. This activity can be rescued only when a large portion of the surrounding environment is removed. These results indicate that, at least in some cases, the functioning of enhancer elements is subordinated to the host chromatin context, which can exert a dominant control over its activity. Here the authors show that a strong enhancer sequence can be controlled by the chromatin environment provided by a topologically associated domain (TAD) located nearby. An enhancer relocated by homologous recombination takes all the hallmarks of its new neighboring enhancers located in the recipient TAD.
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13
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Weiss JM, Hunter MV, Cruz NM, Baggiolini A, Tagore M, Ma Y, Misale S, Marasco M, Simon-Vermot T, Campbell NR, Newell F, Wilmott JS, Johansson PA, Thompson JF, Long GV, Pearson JV, Mann GJ, Scolyer RA, Waddell N, Montal ED, Huang TH, Jonsson P, Donoghue MTA, Harris CC, Taylor BS, Xu T, Chaligné R, Shliaha PV, Hendrickson R, Jungbluth AA, Lezcano C, Koche R, Studer L, Ariyan CE, Solit DB, Wolchok JD, Merghoub T, Rosen N, Hayward NK, White RM. Anatomic position determines oncogenic specificity in melanoma. Nature 2022; 604:354-361. [PMID: 35355015 PMCID: PMC9355078 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04584-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Oncogenic alterations to DNA are not transforming in all cellular contexts1,2. This may be due to pre-existing transcriptional programmes in the cell of origin. Here we define anatomic position as a major determinant of why cells respond to specific oncogenes. Cutaneous melanoma arises throughout the body, whereas the acral subtype arises on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet or under the nails3. We sequenced the DNA of cutaneous and acral melanomas from a large cohort of human patients and found a specific enrichment for BRAF mutations in cutaneous melanoma and enrichment for CRKL amplifications in acral melanoma. We modelled these changes in transgenic zebrafish models and found that CRKL-driven tumours formed predominantly in the fins of the fish. The fins are the evolutionary precursors to tetrapod limbs, indicating that melanocytes in these acral locations may be uniquely susceptible to CRKL. RNA profiling of these fin and limb melanocytes, when compared with body melanocytes, revealed a positional identity gene programme typified by posterior HOX13 genes. This positional gene programme synergized with CRKL to amplify insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling and drive tumours at acral sites. Abrogation of this CRKL-driven programme eliminated the anatomic specificity of acral melanoma. These data suggest that the anatomic position of the cell of origin endows it with a unique transcriptional state that makes it susceptible to only certain oncogenic insults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Weiss
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Miranda V Hunter
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nelly M Cruz
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Arianna Baggiolini
- Developmental Biology, The Center for Stem Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohita Tagore
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yilun Ma
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sandra Misale
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michelangelo Marasco
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Theresa Simon-Vermot
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nathaniel R Campbell
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Physiology, Biophysics & Systems Biology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Felicity Newell
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - James S Wilmott
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Peter A Johansson
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - John F Thompson
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Georgina V Long
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John V Pearson
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Graham J Mann
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Centre for Cancer Research, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Richard A Scolyer
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicola Waddell
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Emily D Montal
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ting-Hsiang Huang
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Philip Jonsson
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mark T A Donoghue
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christopher C Harris
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Barry S Taylor
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tianhao Xu
- Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ronan Chaligné
- Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pavel V Shliaha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, VILLUM Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Microchemistry and Proteomics Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ronald Hendrickson
- Microchemistry and Proteomics Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Achim A Jungbluth
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Cecilia Lezcano
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard Koche
- Center for Epigenetics Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorenz Studer
- Developmental Biology, The Center for Stem Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charlotte E Ariyan
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David B Solit
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jedd D Wolchok
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Neal Rosen
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicholas K Hayward
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Richard M White
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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14
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Essay the (unusual) heuristic value of Hox gene clusters; a matter of time? Dev Biol 2022; 484:75-87. [PMID: 35182536 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Ever since their first report in 1984, Antennapedia-type homeobox (Hox) genes have been involved in such a series of interesting observations, in particular due to their conserved clustered organization between vertebrates and arthropods, that one may legitimately wonder about the origin of this heuristic value. In this essay, I first consider different examples where Hox gene clusters have been instrumental in providing conceptual advances, taken from various fields of research and mostly involving vertebrate embryos. These examples touch upon our understanding of genomic evolution, the revisiting of 19th century views on the relationships between development and evolution and the building of a new framework to understand long-range and pleiotropic gene regulation during development. I then discuss whether the high value of the Hox gene family, when considered as an epistemic object, is related to its clustered structure (and the absence thereof in some animal species) and, if so, what is it in such particular genetic oddities that made them so generous in providing the scientific community with interesting information.
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15
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Roscito JG, Sameith K, Kirilenko BM, Hecker N, Winkler S, Dahl A, Rodrigues MT, Hiller M. Convergent and lineage-specific genomic differences in limb regulatory elements in limbless reptile lineages. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110280. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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16
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Trofka A, Huang BL, Zhu J, Heinz WF, Magidson V, Shibata Y, Shi YB, Tarchini B, Stadler HS, Kabangu M, Al Haj Baddar NW, Voss SR, Mackem S. Genetic basis for an evolutionary shift from ancestral preaxial to postaxial limb polarity in non-urodele vertebrates. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4923-4934.e5. [PMID: 34610275 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In most tetrapod vertebrates, limb skeletal progenitors condense with postaxial dominance. Posterior elements (such as ulna and fibula) appear prior to their anterior counterparts (radius and tibia), followed by digit-appearance order with continuing postaxial polarity. The only exceptions are urodele amphibians (salamanders), whose limb elements develop with preaxial polarity and who are also notable for their unique ability to regenerate complete limbs as adults. The mechanistic basis for this preaxial dominance has remained an enigma and has even been proposed to relate to the acquisition of novel genes involved in regeneration. However, recent fossil evidence suggests that preaxial polarity represents an ancestral rather than derived state. Here, we report that 5'Hoxd (Hoxd11-d13) gene deletion in mouse is atavistic and uncovers an underlying preaxial polarity in mammalian limb formation. We demonstrate this shift from postaxial to preaxial dominance in mouse results from excess Gli3 repressor (Gli3R) activity due to the loss of 5'Hoxd-Gli3 antagonism and is associated with cell-cycle changes promoting precocious cell-cycle exit in the anterior limb bud. We further show that Gli3 knockdown in axolotl results in a shift to postaxial dominant limb skeleton formation, as well as expanded paddle-shaped limb-bud morphology and ensuing polydactyly. Evolutionary changes in Gli3R activity level, which also played a key role in the fin-to-limb transition, appear to be fundamental to the shift from preaxial to postaxial polarity in formation of the tetrapod limb skeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Trofka
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Bau-Lin Huang
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jianjian Zhu
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - William F Heinz
- Optical Microscopy and Analysis Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Valentin Magidson
- Optical Microscopy and Analysis Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Yuki Shibata
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yun-Bo Shi
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - H Scott Stadler
- Division of Skeletal Biology, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Portland, OR, USA; Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Mirindi Kabangu
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Nour W Al Haj Baddar
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - S Randal Voss
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
| | - Susan Mackem
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA.
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17
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Spatial regulation by multiple Gremlin1 enhancers provides digit development with cis-regulatory robustness and evolutionary plasticity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5557. [PMID: 34548488 PMCID: PMC8455560 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25810-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Precise cis-regulatory control of gene expression is essential for normal embryogenesis and tissue development. The BMP antagonist Gremlin1 (Grem1) is a key node in the signalling system that coordinately controls limb bud development. Here, we use mouse reverse genetics to identify the enhancers in the Grem1 genomic landscape and the underlying cis-regulatory logics that orchestrate the spatio-temporal Grem1 expression dynamics during limb bud development. We establish that transcript levels are controlled in an additive manner while spatial regulation requires synergistic interactions among multiple enhancers. Disrupting these interactions shows that altered spatial regulation rather than reduced Grem1 transcript levels prefigures digit fusions and loss. Two of the enhancers are evolutionary ancient and highly conserved from basal fishes to mammals. Analysing these enhancers from different species reveal the substantial spatial plasticity in Grem1 regulation in tetrapods and basal fishes, which provides insights into the fin-to-limb transition and evolutionary diversification of pentadactyl limbs. The BMP antagonist Gremlin1 balances BMP and SHH signalling, endowing limb bud development with robustness. Here, the authors identify enhancers controlling Grem1 levels in an additive, and spatial regulation in a synergistic manner, providing digit patterning with cis-regulatory robustness and evolutionary plasticity.
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18
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Bolt CC, Lopez-Delisle L, Mascrez B, Duboule D. Mesomelic dysplasias associated with the HOXD locus are caused by regulatory reallocations. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5013. [PMID: 34408147 PMCID: PMC8373931 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25330-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human families with chromosomal rearrangements at 2q31, where the human HOXD locus maps, display mesomelic dysplasia, a severe shortening and bending of the limb. In mice, the dominant Ulnaless inversion of the HoxD cluster produces a similar phenotype suggesting the same origin for these malformations in humans and mice. Here we engineer 1 Mb inversion including the HoxD gene cluster, which positioned Hoxd13 close to proximal limb enhancers. Using this model, we show that these enhancers contact and activate Hoxd13 in proximal cells, inducing the formation of mesomelic dysplasia. We show that a secondary Hoxd13 null mutation in-cis with the inversion completely rescues the alterations, demonstrating that ectopic HOXD13 is directly responsible for this bone anomaly. Single-cell expression analysis and evaluation of HOXD13 binding sites suggests that the phenotype arises primarily by acting through genes normally controlled by HOXD13 in distal limb cells. Altogether, these results provide a conceptual and mechanistic framework to understand and unify the molecular origins of human mesomelic dysplasia associated with 2q31.
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MESH Headings
- Abnormalities, Multiple/embryology
- Abnormalities, Multiple/genetics
- Abnormalities, Multiple/metabolism
- Animals
- Bone Diseases, Developmental/embryology
- Bone Diseases, Developmental/genetics
- Bone Diseases, Developmental/metabolism
- Disease Models, Animal
- Female
- Gene Deletion
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism
- Humans
- Limb Deformities, Congenital/embryology
- Limb Deformities, Congenital/genetics
- Limb Deformities, Congenital/metabolism
- Loss of Function Mutation
- Male
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Multigene Family
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Chase Bolt
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Collège de France, Paris, France.
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19
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Fernandez-Guerrero M, Zdral S, Castilla-Ibeas A, Lopez-Delisle L, Duboule D, Ros MA. Time-sequenced transcriptomes of developing distal mouse limb buds: A comparative tissue layer analysis. Dev Dyn 2021; 251:1550-1575. [PMID: 34254395 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of the amniote limb has been an important model system to study patterning mechanisms and morphogenesis. For proper growth and patterning, it requires the interaction between the distal sub-apical mesenchyme and the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) that involve the separate implementation of coordinated and tissue-specific genetic programs. RESULTS Here, we produce and analyze the transcriptomes of both distal limb mesenchymal progenitors and the overlying ectodermal cells, following time-coursed dissections that cover from limb bud initiation to fully patterned limbs. The comparison of transcriptomes within each layer as well as between layers over time, allowed the identification of specific transcriptional signatures for each of the developmental stages. Special attention was given to the identification of genes whose transcription dynamics suggest a previously unnoticed role in the context of limb development and also to signaling pathways enriched between layers. CONCLUSION We interpret the transcriptomic data in light of the known development pattern and we conclude that a major transcriptional transition occurs in distal limb buds between E9.5 and E10.5, coincident with the switch from an early phase continuation of the signature of trunk progenitors, related to the initial proximo distal specification, to a late intrinsic phase of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Fernandez-Guerrero
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, IBBTEC (CSIC-University of Cantabria-SODERCAN), Santander, Spain
| | - Sofia Zdral
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, IBBTEC (CSIC-University of Cantabria-SODERCAN), Santander, Spain
| | - Alejandro Castilla-Ibeas
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, IBBTEC (CSIC-University of Cantabria-SODERCAN), Santander, Spain
| | | | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Marian A Ros
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, IBBTEC (CSIC-University of Cantabria-SODERCAN), Santander, Spain.,Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
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20
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Di Mauro A, Scognamiglio G, Aquino G, Cerrone M, Liguori G, Clemente O, Di Bonito M, Cantile M, Botti G, Tafuto S, Tatangelo F. Aberrant Expression of Long Non Coding RNA HOTAIR and De-Regulation of the Paralogous 13 HOX Genes Are Strongly Associated with Aggressive Behavior of Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22137049. [PMID: 34208964 PMCID: PMC8268982 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) are rare diseases occurring in the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas. They are characterized by the loss of epithelial tubular gland elements, and by the increased expression of neuroendocrine markers. GEP-NENs are subdivided into two histo-pathological types, gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) and gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinomas (GEP-NECs). According to WHO 2017 and 2019 classification criteria are graded and staged in four categories, NET-G1, NET-G2, NET-G3, and NEC-G3. The molecular characterization of these tumors can be fundamental for the identification of new diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the expression of the paralogous 13 HOX genes, normally involved in embryogenic development and frequently deregulated in human cancers, and of the HOX regulating lncRNA HOTAIR in GEP-NENs. The expression of HOX genes is gradually lost in the transition from GEP NET G1 to NET/NEC G3 tumors, while HOTAIR expression, inversely correlated with HOX genes expression and weakly expressed in low-grade GEP NENs, becomes aberrant in NET G3 and NEC G3 categories. Our data highlights their potential role in the molecular stratification of GEP-NENs by suggesting new prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabella Di Mauro
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
| | - Giosuè Scognamiglio
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
| | - Gabriella Aquino
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
| | - Margherita Cerrone
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
| | - Giuseppina Liguori
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
| | - Ottavia Clemente
- Sarcomas and Rare Tumors Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS-Fondazione G. Pascale, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (O.C.); (S.T.)
| | - Maurizio Di Bonito
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
| | - Monica Cantile
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0815903471; Fax: +39-0815903718
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Scientific Direction, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS-Fondazione G. Pascale, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Salvatore Tafuto
- Sarcomas and Rare Tumors Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS-Fondazione G. Pascale, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (O.C.); (S.T.)
| | - Fabiana Tatangelo
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione “G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.D.M.); (G.S.); (G.A.); (M.C.); (G.L.); (M.D.B.); (F.T.)
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21
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Abstract
Arthropod segmentation and vertebrate somitogenesis are leading fields in the experimental and theoretical interrogation of developmental patterning. However, despite the sophistication of current research, basic conceptual issues remain unresolved. These include: (i) the mechanistic origins of spatial organization within the segment addition zone (SAZ); (ii) the mechanistic origins of segment polarization; (iii) the mechanistic origins of axial variation; and (iv) the evolutionary origins of simultaneous patterning. Here, I explore these problems using coarse-grained models of cross-regulating dynamical processes. In the morphogenetic framework of a row of cells undergoing axial elongation, I simulate interactions between an 'oscillator', a 'switch' and up to three 'timers', successfully reproducing essential patterning behaviours of segmenting systems. By comparing the output of these largely cell-autonomous models to variants that incorporate positional information, I find that scaling relationships, wave patterns and patterning dynamics all depend on whether the SAZ is regulated by temporal or spatial information. I also identify three mechanisms for polarizing oscillator output, all of which functionally implicate the oscillator frequency profile. Finally, I demonstrate significant dynamical and regulatory continuity between sequential and simultaneous modes of segmentation. I discuss these results in the context of the experimental literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Clark
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Trinity College Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Trinity Street, Cambridge CB2 1TQ, UK
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22
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Delgado I, Giovinazzo G, Temiño S, Gauthier Y, Balsalobre A, Drouin J, Torres M. Control of mouse limb initiation and antero-posterior patterning by Meis transcription factors. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3086. [PMID: 34035267 PMCID: PMC8149412 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23373-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Meis1 and Meis2 are homeodomain transcription factors that regulate organogenesis through cooperation with Hox proteins. Elimination of Meis genes after limb induction has shown their role in limb proximo-distal patterning; however, limb development in the complete absence of Meis function has not been studied. Here, we report that Meis1/2 inactivation in the lateral plate mesoderm of mouse embryos leads to limb agenesis. Meis and Tbx factors converge in this function, extensively co-binding with Tbx to genomic sites and co-regulating enhancers of Fgf10, a critical factor in limb initiation. Limbs with three deleted Meis alleles show proximal-specific skeletal hypoplasia and agenesis of posterior skeletal elements. This failure in posterior specification results from an early role of Meis factors in establishing the limb antero-posterior prepattern required for Shh activation. Our results demonstrate roles for Meis transcription factors in early limb development and identify their involvement in previously undescribed interaction networks that regulate organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Delgado
- Cardiovascular Development Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Giovanna Giovinazzo
- Cardiovascular Development Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Susana Temiño
- Cardiovascular Development Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yves Gauthier
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Aurelio Balsalobre
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jacques Drouin
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Miguel Torres
- Cardiovascular Development Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.
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23
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Beccari L, Jaquier G, Lopez-Delisle L, Rodriguez-Carballo E, Mascrez B, Gitto S, Woltering J, Duboule D. Dbx2 regulation in limbs suggests interTAD sharing of enhancers. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1280-1299. [PMID: 33497014 PMCID: PMC8451760 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During tetrapod limb development, the HOXA13 and HOXD13 transcription factors are critical for the emergence and organization of the autopod, the most distal aspect where digits will develop. Since previous work had suggested that the Dbx2 gene is a target of these factors, we set up to analyze in detail this potential regulatory interaction. RESULTS We show that HOX13 proteins bind to mammalian-specific sequences at the vicinity of the Dbx2 locus that have enhancer activity in developing digits. However, the functional inactivation of the DBX2 protein did not elicit any particular phenotype related to Hox genes inactivation in digits, suggesting either redundant or compensatory mechanisms. We report that the neighboring Nell2 and Ano6 genes are also expressed in distal limb buds and are in part controlled by the same Dbx2 enhancers despite being localized into two different topologically associating domains (TADs) flanking the Dbx2 locus. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that Hoxa13 and Hoxd genes cooperatively activate Dbx2 expression in developing digits through binding to mammalian specific regulatory sequences in the Dbx2 neighborhood. Furthermore, these enhancers can overcome TAD boundaries in either direction to co-regulate a set of genes located in distinct chromatin domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institut NeuroMyoGène, CNRS UMR 5310, INSERM U1217, University Claude Bernard Lyon1, Lyon, France
| | - Gabriel Jaquier
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Eddie Rodriguez-Carballo
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Joost Woltering
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Life Sciences, Federal School of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Collège de France, Paris, France
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24
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Desanlis I, Paul R, Kmita M. Transcriptional Trajectories in Mouse Limb Buds Reveal the Transition from Anterior-Posterior to Proximal-Distal Patterning at Early Limb Bud Stage. J Dev Biol 2020; 8:jdb8040031. [PMID: 33297480 PMCID: PMC7768367 DOI: 10.3390/jdb8040031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Limb patterning relies in large part on the function of the Hox family of developmental genes. While the differential expression of Hox genes shifts from the anterior-posterior (A-P) to the proximal-distal (P-D) axis around embryonic day 11 (E11), whether this shift coincides with a more global change of A-P to P-D patterning program remains unclear. By performing and analyzing the transcriptome of the developing limb bud from E10.5 to E12.5, at single-cell resolution, we have uncovered transcriptional trajectories that revealed a general switch from A-P to P-D genetic program between E10.5 and E11.5. Interestingly, all the transcriptional trajectories at E10.5 end with cells expressing either proximal or distal markers suggesting a progressive acquisition of P-D identity. Moreover, we identified three categories of genes expressed in the distal limb mesenchyme characterized by distinct temporal expression dynamics. Among these are Hoxa13 and Hoxd13 (Hox13 hereafter), which start to be expressed around E10.5, and importantly the binding of the HOX13 factors was observed within or in the neighborhood of several of the distal limb genes. Our data are consistent with previous evidence suggesting that the transition from the early/proximal to the late/distal transcriptome of the limb mesenchyme largely relies on HOX13 function. Based on these results and the evidence that HOX13 factors restrict Hoxa11 expression to the proximal limb, in progenitor cells of the zeugopod, we propose that HOX13 act as a key determinant of P-D patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Desanlis
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; (I.D.); (R.P.)
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Rachel Paul
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; (I.D.); (R.P.)
- Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Marie Kmita
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; (I.D.); (R.P.)
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-514-987-5749
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25
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Johnstone CP, Wang NB, Sevier SA, Galloway KE. Understanding and Engineering Chromatin as a Dynamical System across Length and Timescales. Cell Syst 2020; 11:424-448. [PMID: 33212016 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Connecting the molecular structure and function of chromatin across length and timescales remains a grand challenge to understanding and engineering cellular behaviors. Across five orders of magnitude, dynamic processes constantly reshape chromatin structures, driving spaciotemporal patterns of gene expression and cell fate. Through the interplay of structure and function, the genome operates as a highly dynamic feedback control system. Recent experimental techniques have provided increasingly detailed data that revise and augment the relatively static, hierarchical view of genomic architecture with an understanding of how dynamic processes drive organization. Here, we review how novel technologies from sequencing, imaging, and synthetic biology refine our understanding of chromatin structure and function and enable chromatin engineering. Finally, we discuss opportunities to use these tools to enhance understanding of the dynamic interrelationship of chromatin structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nathan B Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, 25 Ames St., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Stuart A Sevier
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Kate E Galloway
- Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, 25 Ames St., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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26
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Wang D, Liu B, Xiong T, Yu W, She Q. Investigation of the underlying genes and mechanism of familial hypercholesterolemia through bioinformatics analysis. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2020; 20:419. [PMID: 32938406 PMCID: PMC7493348 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-020-01701-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is one of the commonest inherited metabolic disorders. Abnormally high level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood leads to premature atherosclerosis onset and a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the specific mechanisms of the progression process are still unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the potential differently expressed genes (DEGs) and mechanism of FH using various bioinformatic tools. Methods GSE13985 and GSE6054 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for bioinformatic analysis in this study. First, limma package of R was used to identify DEGs between blood samples of patients with FH and those from healthy individuals. Then, the functional annotation of DEGs was carried out by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. Based on Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) tool, we constructed the Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) network among DEGs and mined the core genes as well. Results A total of 102 communal DEGs (49 up-regulated and 53 down-regulated) are identified in FH samples compared with control samples. The functional changes of DEGs are mainly associated with the focal adhere and glucagon signaling pathway. Ten genes (ITGAL, TLN1, POLR2A, CD69, GZMA, VASP, HNRNPUL1, SF1, SRRM2, ITGAV) were identified as core genes. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the core genes are mainly enriched in numerous processes related to cell adhesion, integrin-mediated signaling pathway and cell-matrix adhesion. In the transcription factor (TF) target regulating network, 219 nodes were detected, including 214 DEGs and 5 TFs (SP1, EGR3, CREB, SEF1, HOX13). In conclusion, the DEGs and hub genes identified in this study may help us understand the potential etiology of the occurrence and development of AS. Conclusion Up-regulated ITGAL, TLN1, POLR2A, VASP, HNRNPUL1, SF1, SRRM2, and down-regulated CD69, GZMA and ITGAV performed important promotional effects for the formation of atherosclerotic plaques those suffering from FH. Moreover, SP1, EGR3, CREB, SEF1 and HOX13 were the potential transcription factors for DEGs and could serve as underlying targets for AS rupture prevention. These findings provide a theoretical basis for us to understand the potential etiology of the occurrence and development of AS in FH patients and we may be able to find potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinghui Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Medical College Road, Shiyou Road Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400010, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of Cardiovascular, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Medical College Road, Shiyou Road Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400010, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianhua Xiong
- Department of Cardiovascular, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Medical College Road, Shiyou Road Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400010, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenlong Yu
- Department of Cardiovascular, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Medical College Road, Shiyou Road Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400010, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang She
- Department of Cardiovascular, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 76 Linjiang Road, Chongqing, 400010, P.R. China.
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27
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Woltering JM, Irisarri I, Ericsson R, Joss JMP, Sordino P, Meyer A. Sarcopterygian fin ontogeny elucidates the origin of hands with digits. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabc3510. [PMID: 32875118 PMCID: PMC7438105 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc3510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
How the hand and digits originated from fish fins during the Devonian fin-to-limb transition remains unsolved. Controversy in this conundrum stems from the scarcity of ontogenetic data from extant lobe-finned fishes. We report the patterning of an autopod-like domain by hoxa13 during fin development of the Australian lungfish, the most closely related extant fish relative of tetrapods. Differences from tetrapod limbs include the absence of digit-specific expansion of hoxd13 and hand2 and distal limitation of alx4 and pax9, which potentially evolved through an enhanced response to shh signaling in limbs. These developmental patterns indicate that the digit program originated in postaxial fin radials and later expanded anteriorly inside of a preexisting autopod-like domain during the evolution of limbs. Our findings provide a genetic framework for the transition of fins into limbs that supports the significance of classical models proposing a bending of the tetrapod metapterygial axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost M. Woltering
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Universität Konstanz, Universitätstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Universität Konstanz, Universitätstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | | | | | - Paolo Sordino
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Axel Meyer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Universität Konstanz, Universitätstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
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28
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Qu F, Palte IC, Gontarz PM, Zhang B, Guilak F. Transcriptomic analysis of bone and fibrous tissue morphogenesis during digit tip regeneration in the adult mouse. FASEB J 2020; 34:9740-9754. [PMID: 32506623 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202000330r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Humans have limited regenerative potential of musculoskeletal tissues following limb or digit loss. The murine digit has been used to study mammalian regeneration, where stem/progenitor cells (the "blastema") completely regenerate the digit tip after distal, but not proximal, amputation. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this response remain to be determined. Here, we evaluated the spatiotemporal formation of bone and fibrous tissues after level-dependent amputation of the murine terminal phalanx and quantified the transcriptome of the repair tissue. Distal (regenerative) and proximal (non-regenerative) amputations showed significant differences in temporal gene expression and tissue regrowth over time. Genes that direct skeletal system development and limb morphogenesis are transiently upregulated during blastema formation and differentiation, including distal Hox genes. Overall, our results suggest that digit tip regeneration is controlled by a gene regulatory network that recapitulates aspects of limb development, and that failure to activate this developmental program results in fibrotic wound healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feini Qu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Shriners Hospitals for Children-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ilan C Palte
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Shriners Hospitals for Children-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Paul M Gontarz
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bo Zhang
- Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Farshid Guilak
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Shriners Hospitals for Children-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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29
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Basu S, Mackowiak SD, Niskanen H, Knezevic D, Asimi V, Grosswendt S, Geertsema H, Ali S, Jerković I, Ewers H, Mundlos S, Meissner A, Ibrahim DM, Hnisz D. Unblending of Transcriptional Condensates in Human Repeat Expansion Disease. Cell 2020; 181:1062-1079.e30. [PMID: 32386547 PMCID: PMC7261253 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Expansions of amino acid repeats occur in >20 inherited human disorders, and many occur in intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of transcription factors (TFs). Such diseases are associated with protein aggregation, but the contribution of aggregates to pathology has been controversial. Here, we report that alanine repeat expansions in the HOXD13 TF, which cause hereditary synpolydactyly in humans, alter its phase separation capacity and its capacity to co-condense with transcriptional co-activators. HOXD13 repeat expansions perturb the composition of HOXD13-containing condensates in vitro and in vivo and alter the transcriptional program in a cell-specific manner in a mouse model of synpolydactyly. Disease-associated repeat expansions in other TFs (HOXA13, RUNX2, and TBP) were similarly found to alter their phase separation. These results suggest that unblending of transcriptional condensates may underlie human pathologies. We present a molecular classification of TF IDRs, which provides a framework to dissect TF function in diseases associated with transcriptional dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaon Basu
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian D Mackowiak
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Henri Niskanen
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dora Knezevic
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Vahid Asimi
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Grosswendt
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hylkje Geertsema
- Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Salaheddine Ali
- RG Development and Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institute for Medical and Human Genetics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BCRT-Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ivana Jerković
- RG Development and Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Helge Ewers
- Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Mundlos
- RG Development and Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institute for Medical and Human Genetics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BCRT-Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Meissner
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daniel M Ibrahim
- RG Development and Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institute for Medical and Human Genetics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BCRT-Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - Denes Hnisz
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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30
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HOX13-dependent chromatin accessibility underlies the transition towards the digit development program. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2491. [PMID: 32427842 PMCID: PMC7237422 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16317-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Hox genes encode transcription factors (TFs) that establish morphological diversity in the developing embryo. The similar DNA-binding motifs of the various HOX TFs contrast with the wide-range of HOX-dependent genetic programs. The influence of the chromatin context on HOX binding specificity remains elusive. Here, we used the developing limb as a model system to compare the binding specificity of HOXA13 and HOXD13 (HOX13 hereafter), which are required for digit formation, and HOXA11, involved in forearm/leg development. We find that upon ectopic expression in distal limb buds, HOXA11 binds sites normally HOX13-specific. Importantly, these sites are loci whose chromatin accessibility relies on HOX13. Moreover, we show that chromatin accessibility specific to the distal limb requires HOX13 function. Based on these results, we propose that HOX13 TFs pioneer the distal limb-specific chromatin accessibility landscape for the proper implementation of the distal limb developmental program. Pioneer factors direct cell fate through switching inaccessible chromatin to an accessible state at specific target enhancers. Here the authors show that HOX13 transcription factors have a pioneer activity which is required for the proper implementation of the distal limb developmental program.
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31
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Amândio AR, Lopez-Delisle L, Bolt CC, Mascrez B, Duboule D. A complex regulatory landscape involved in the development of mammalian external genitals. eLife 2020; 9:e52962. [PMID: 32301703 PMCID: PMC7185996 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental genes are often controlled by large regulatory landscapes matching topologically associating domains (TADs). In various contexts, the associated chromatin backbone is modified by specific enhancer-enhancer and enhancer-promoter interactions. We used a TAD flanking the mouse HoxD cluster to study how these regulatory architectures are formed and deconstructed once their function achieved. We describe this TAD as a functional unit, with several regulatory sequences acting together to elicit a transcriptional response. With one exception, deletion of these sequences didn't modify the transcriptional outcome, a result at odds with a conventional view of enhancer function. The deletion and inversion of a CTCF site located near these regulatory sequences did not affect transcription of the target gene. Slight modifications were nevertheless observed, in agreement with the loop extrusion model. We discuss these unexpected results considering both conventional and alternative explanations relying on the accumulation of poorly specific factors within the TAD backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Amândio
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Christopher Chase Bolt
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
- Collège de FranceParisFrance
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32
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Flowers GP, Crews CM. Remembering where we are: Positional information in salamander limb regeneration. Dev Dyn 2020; 249:465-482. [PMID: 32124513 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fifty years ago, Lewis Wolpert defined an important question in developmental biology: how are cell fates determined by the positions of cells within a system? He proposed that cells retain positional values as if they lie within a coordinate system and that the interpretation of these values produces patterns in development. He referred to this concept as positional information. Though initially controversial, this concept of positional information has proven to be profoundly influential in developmental biology. One area in which the influence of Wolpert's theoretical work can be clearly demonstrated is the study of limb regeneration in salamanders. Here, we review the work in limb regeneration leading up to Wolpert defining the concept of positional information and how his theory has guided regeneration research over the subsequent 50 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant Parker Flowers
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Craig M Crews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Roux M, Bouchard M, Kmita M. Multifaceted Hoxa13 function in urogenital development underlies the Hand-Foot-Genital Syndrome. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 28:1671-1681. [PMID: 30649340 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hand-Foot-Genital syndrome is a rare condition caused by mutations in the HOXA13 gene and characterized by limb malformations and urogenital defects. While the role of Hoxa13 in limb development has been extensively studied, its function during the development of the urogenital system remains elusive mostly due to the embryonic lethality of Hoxa13 homozygous mutant mice. Using a conditional inactivation strategy, we show that mouse fetuses lacking Hoxa13 function develop megaureters, hydronephrosis and malformations of the uterus, reminiscent of the defects characterizing patients with Hand-Foot-Genital syndrome. Our analysis reveals that Hoxa13 plays a critical role in Müllerian ducts fusion and in ureter remodeling by regulating the elimination of the caudal common nephric duct, eventually preventing the separation from the nephric duct. Our data also reveal a specific role for Hoxa13 in the urogenital sinus, which is in part mediated by Gata3, as well as Hoxa13 requirement for the proper organization of the ureter. Finally, we provide evidence that Hoxa13 provides positional and temporal cues during the development of the lower urogenital system, a sine qua non condition for the proper function of the urinary system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Roux
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maxime Bouchard
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre and Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marie Kmita
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Médecine (Programme de Biologie Moléculaire), Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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34
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The formation of the thumb requires direct modulation of Gli3 transcription by Hoxa13. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:1090-1096. [PMID: 31896583 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1919470117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In the tetrapod limb, the digits (fingers or toes) are the elements most subject to morphological diversification in response to functional adaptations. However, despite their functional importance, the mechanisms controlling digit morphology remain poorly understood. Here we have focused on understanding the special morphology of the thumb (digit 1), the acquisition of which was an important adaptation of the human hand. To this end, we have studied the limbs of the Hoxa13 mouse mutant that specifically fail to form digit 1. We show that, consistent with the role of Hoxa13 in Hoxd transcriptional regulation, the expression of Hoxd13 in Hoxa13 mutant limbs does not extend into the presumptive digit 1 territory, which is therefore devoid of distal Hox transcripts, a circumstance that can explain its agenesis. The loss of Hoxd13 expression, exclusively in digit 1 territory, correlates with increased Gli3 repressor activity, a Hoxd negative regulator, resulting from increased Gli3 transcription that, in turn, is due to the release from the negative modulation exerted by Hox13 paralogs on Gli3 regulatory sequences. Our results indicate that Hoxa13 acts hierarchically to initiate the formation of digit 1 by reducing Gli3 transcription and by enabling expansion of the 5'Hoxd second expression phase, thereby establishing anterior-posterior asymmetry in the handplate. Our work uncovers a mutual antagonism between Gli3 and Hox13 paralogs that has important implications for Hox and Gli3 gene regulation in the context of development and evolution.
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35
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Dynamic and self-regulatory interactions among gene regulatory networks control vertebrate limb bud morphogenesis. Curr Top Dev Biol 2020; 139:61-88. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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36
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Rhodes CS, Matsunobu T, Yamada Y. Analysis of a limb-specific regulatory element in the promoter of the link protein gene. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 518:672-677. [PMID: 31470976 PMCID: PMC10505274 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.08.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Link protein is encoded by the Hapln1 gene and is a prototypical protein found in the cartilage matrix. It acts as an important component of the endochondral skeleton during early development. To study its transcriptional regulation, promoter fragments derived from the link protein gene were coupled to the β-galactosidase reporter and used to study in vivo transgene expression in mice. In day 15.5 mouse embryos, a link promoter fragment spanning -1020 to +40 nucleotides demonstrated highly specific β-galactosidase staining of skeletal structures, including the appendicular and axial cartilaginous tissues. Two shorter promoter fragments, spanning -690 to +40 and -315 to +40 nucleotides, demonstrated limb- and genitalia-specific expression resembling that of homeodomain-regulated tissues. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a highly conserved, Hox-like binding site (HLBS) at approximately -220 bp of the promoter, shared by both constructs, which contained the Hox-core consensus sequence TAATTA. Electromobility shift assays demonstrated binding of Hox-B4 recombinant protein to the HLBS, which was eliminated with nucleotide substitutions within the core-binding element. Co-transfection analysis of the HLBS demonstrated a 22-fold transcriptional activation by HoxA9 expression, which was ablated with a substitution within the core HLBS element. Together these findings establish promoter regions within the link protein gene that are important for in vivo expression and identify the potential role of homeodomain-containing proteins in controlling cartilage and limb gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig S Rhodes
- Molecular Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Tomoya Matsunobu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyushu Rosai Hospital, 1-1 Sonekitamachi, Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 800-0296, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Yamada
- Molecular Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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37
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Rodríguez-Carballo E, Lopez-Delisle L, Yakushiji-Kaminatsui N, Ullate-Agote A, Duboule D. Impact of genome architecture on the functional activation and repression of Hox regulatory landscapes. BMC Biol 2019; 17:55. [PMID: 31299961 PMCID: PMC6626364 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-019-0677-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The spatial organization of the mammalian genome relies upon the formation of chromatin domains of various scales. At the level of gene regulation in cis, collections of enhancer sequences define large regulatory landscapes that usually match with the presence of topologically associating domains (TADs). These domains often contain ranges of enhancers displaying similar or related tissue specificity, suggesting that in some cases, such domains may act as coherent regulatory units, with a global on or off state. By using the HoxD gene cluster, which specifies the topology of the developing limbs via highly orchestrated regulation of gene expression, as a paradigm, we investigated how the arrangement of regulatory domains determines their activity and function. RESULTS Proximal and distal cells in the developing limb express different levels of Hoxd genes, regulated by flanking 3' and 5' TADs, respectively. We characterized the effect of large genomic rearrangements affecting these two TADs, including their fusion into a single chromatin domain. We show that, within a single hybrid TAD, the activation of both proximal and distal limb enhancers globally occurred as when both TADs are intact. However, the activity of the 3' TAD in distal cells is generally increased in the fused TAD, when compared to wild type where it is silenced. Also, target gene activity in distal cells depends on whether or not these genes had previously responded to proximal enhancers, which determines the presence or absence of H3K27me3 marks. We also show that the polycomb repressive complex 2 is mainly recruited at the Hox gene cluster and can extend its coverage to far-cis regulatory sequences as long as confined to the neighboring TAD structure. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that antagonistic limb proximal and distal enhancers can exert their specific effects when positioned into the same TAD and in the absence of their genuine target genes. We also conclude that removing these target genes reduced the coverage of a regulatory landscape by chromatin marks associated with silencing, which correlates with its prolonged activity in time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eddie Rodríguez-Carballo
- Laboratory of Developmental Genomics, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nayuta Yakushiji-Kaminatsui
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Present Address: Laboratory for Developmental Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohoma, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Asier Ullate-Agote
- Laboratory of Artificial and Natural Evolution, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- Laboratory of Developmental Genomics, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland.
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Collège de France, 75005, Paris, France.
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38
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Paralogous HOX13 Genes in Human Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11050699. [PMID: 31137568 PMCID: PMC6562813 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11050699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hox genes (HOX in humans), an evolutionary preserved gene family, are key determinants of embryonic development and cell memory gene program. Hox genes are organized in four clusters on four chromosomal loci aligned in 13 paralogous groups based on sequence homology (Hox gene network). During development Hox genes are transcribed, according to the rule of “spatio-temporal collinearity”, with early regulators of anterior body regions located at the 3’ end of each Hox cluster and the later regulators of posterior body regions placed at the distal 5’ end. The onset of 3’ Hox gene activation is determined by Wingless-type MMTV integration site family (Wnt) signaling, whereas 5’ Hox activation is due to paralogous group 13 genes, which act as posterior-inhibitors of more anterior Hox proteins (posterior prevalence). Deregulation of HOX genes is associated with developmental abnormalities and different human diseases. Paralogous HOX13 genes (HOX A13, HOX B13, HOX C13 and HOX D13) also play a relevant role in tumor development and progression. In this review, we will discuss the role of paralogous HOX13 genes regarding their regulatory mechanisms during carcinogenesis and tumor progression and their use as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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Selleri L, Zappavigna V, Ferretti E. 'Building a perfect body': control of vertebrate organogenesis by PBX-dependent regulatory networks. Genes Dev 2019; 33:258-275. [PMID: 30824532 PMCID: PMC6411007 DOI: 10.1101/gad.318774.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Pbx genes encode transcription factors that belong to the TALE (three-amino-acid loop extension) superclass of homeodomain proteins. We have witnessed a surge in information about the roles of this gene family as leading actors in the transcriptional control of development. PBX proteins represent a clear example of how transcription factors can regulate developmental processes by combinatorial properties, acting within multimeric complexes to implement activation or repression of transcription depending on their interaction partners. Here, we revisit long-emphasized functions of PBX transcription factors as cofactors for HOX proteins, major architects of the body plan. We further discuss new knowledge on roles of PBX proteins in different developmental contexts as upstream regulators of Hox genes-as factors that interact with non-HOX proteins and can work independently of HOX-as well as potential pioneer factors. Committed to building a perfect body, PBX proteins govern regulatory networks that direct essential morphogenetic processes and organogenesis in vertebrate development. Perturbations of PBX-dependent networks can cause human congenital disease and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Licia Selleri
- Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.,Institute of Human Genetics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.,Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.,Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.,Department of Anatomy, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Vincenzo Zappavigna
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Ferretti
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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40
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Yamamoto S, Uchida Y, Ohtani T, Nozaki E, Yin C, Gotoh Y, Yakushiji-Kaminatsui N, Higashiyama T, Suzuki T, Takemoto T, Shiraishi YI, Kuroiwa A. Hoxa13 regulates expression of common Hox target genes involved in cartilage development to coordinate the expansion of the autopodal anlage. Dev Growth Differ 2019; 61:228-251. [PMID: 30895612 PMCID: PMC6850407 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
To elucidate the role of Hox genes in limb cartilage development, we identified the target genes of HOXA11 and HOXA13 by ChIP‐Seq. The ChIP DNA fragment contained evolutionarily conserved sequences and multiple highly conserved HOX binding sites. A substantial portion of the HOXA11 ChIP fragment overlapped with the HOXA13 ChIP fragment indicating that both factors share common targets. Deletion of the target regions neighboring Bmp2 or Tshz2 reduced their expression in the autopod suggesting that they function as the limb bud‐specific enhancers. We identified the Hox downstream genes as exhibiting expression changes in the Hoxa13 knock out (KO) and Hoxd11‐13 deletion double mutant (Hox13 dKO) autopod by Genechip analysis. The Hox downstream genes neighboring the ChIP fragment were defined as the direct targets of Hox. We analyzed the spatial expression pattern of the Hox target genes that encode two different categories of transcription factors during autopod development and Hox13dKO limb bud. (a) Bcl11a, encoding a repressor of cartilage differentiation, was expressed in the E11.5 autopod and was substantially reduced in the Hox13dKO. (b) The transcription factors Aff3, Bnc2, Nfib and Runx1t1 were expressed in the zeugopodal cartilage but not in the autopod due to the repressive or relatively weak transcriptional activity of Hox13 at E11.5. Interestingly, the expression of these genes was later observed in the autopodal cartilage at E12.5. These results indicate that Hox13 transiently suspends the cartilage differentiation in the autopodal anlage via multiple pathways until establishing the paddle‐shaped structure required to generate five digits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiori Yamamoto
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Yuji Uchida
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Tomomi Ohtani
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Erina Nozaki
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Chunyang Yin
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Gotoh
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | | | - Tetsuya Higashiyama
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan.,Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Takamasa Suzuki
- Department of Biological Chemistry, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, Kasugai-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Takemoto
- Laboratory for Embryology, Institute for Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Yo-Ichi Shiraishi
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kuroiwa
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
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41
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Luo Z, Rhie SK, Farnham PJ. The Enigmatic HOX Genes: Can We Crack Their Code? Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11030323. [PMID: 30866492 PMCID: PMC6468460 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11030323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Homeobox genes (HOX) are a large family of transcription factors that direct the formation of many body structures during early embryonic development. There are 39 genes in the subgroup of homeobox genes that constitute the human HOX gene family. Correct embryonic development of flies and vertebrates is, in part, mediated by the unique and highly regulated expression pattern of the HOX genes. Disruptions in these fine-tuned regulatory mechanisms can lead to developmental problems and to human diseases such as cancer. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms of action of the HOX family of transcription factors are severely under-studied, likely due to idiosyncratic details of their structure, expression, and function. We suggest that a concerted and collaborative effort to identify interacting protein partners, produce genome-wide binding profiles, and develop HOX network inhibitors in a variety of human cell types will lead to a deeper understanding of human development and disease. Within, we review the technological challenges and possible approaches needed to achieve this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifei Luo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Suhn K Rhie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Peggy J Farnham
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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Reassessing the Role of Hox Genes during Vertebrate Development and Evolution. Trends Genet 2018; 34:209-217. [PMID: 29269261 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Since their discovery Hox genes have been at the core of the established models explaining the development and evolution of the vertebrate body plan as well as its paired appendages. Recent work brought new light to their role in the patterning processes along the main body axis. These studies show that Hox genes do not control the basic layout of the vertebrate body plan but carry out region-specific patterning instructions loaded on the derivatives of axial progenitors by Hox-independent processes. Furthermore, the finding that Hox clusters are embedded in functional chromatin domains, which critically impacts their expression, has significantly altered our understanding of the mechanisms of Hox gene regulation. This new conceptual framework has broadened our understanding of both limb development and the evolution of vertebrate paired appendages.
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43
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Yakushiji-Kaminatsui N, Lopez-Delisle L, Bolt CC, Andrey G, Beccari L, Duboule D. Similarities and differences in the regulation of HoxD genes during chick and mouse limb development. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e3000004. [PMID: 30475793 PMCID: PMC6283595 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In all tetrapods examined thus far, the development and patterning of limbs require the activation of gene members of the HoxD cluster. In mammals, they are regulated by a complex bimodal process that controls first the proximal patterning and then the distal structure. During the shift from the former to the latter regulation, this bimodal regulatory mechanism allows the production of a domain with low Hoxd gene expression, at which both telomeric (T-DOM) and centromeric regulatory domains (C-DOM) are silent. These cells generate the future wrist and ankle articulations. We analyzed the implementation of this regulatory mechanism in chicken, i.e., in an animal for which large morphological differences exist between fore- and hindlimbs. We report that although this bimodal regulation is globally conserved between the mouse and the chick, some important modifications evolved at least between these two model systems, in particular regarding the activity of specific enhancers, the width of the TAD boundary separating the two regulations, and the comparison between the forelimb versus hindlimb regulatory controls. At least one aspect of these regulations seems to be more conserved between chick and bats than with mouse, which may relate to the extent to which forelimbs and hindlimbs of these various animals differ in their morphologies. A comparison of Hox gene regulation during the development of limbs in birds and mammals reveals that whereas the characteristic bimodal regulatory system, based on large chromatin domains, is largely conserved between these morphologically distinct structures, some differences are revealed in the way this is implemented in various vertebrates. The shapes of limbs vary greatly among tetrapod species, even between the forelimbs and hindlimbs of the same animal. Hox genes regulate the proper growth and patterning of tetrapod limbs. In order to evaluate whether variations in the complex regulation of a cluster of Hox genes—the Hoxd genes—during limb development contribute to the differences in limb shape, we compared their transcriptional control during limb bud development in the forelimbs and hindlimbs of mouse and chicken embryos. We found that the regulatory mechanism underlying Hoxd gene expression is highly conserved, but some clear differences exist. For instance, we observed a variation in the topologically associating domain (TAD; a self-interacting genomic region) boundary interval between the mouse and the chick, as well as differences in the activity of a conserved enhancer element situated within the telomeric regulatory domain. In contrast to the mouse, the chicken enhancer has a stronger activity in the forelimb buds than in the hindlimb buds, which is correlated with the striking differences in the mRNA levels of the genes. We conclude that differences in both the timing and duration of TAD activities and in the width of their boundary may parallel the important decrease in Hoxd gene transcription in chick hindlimb buds versus forelimb buds. These differences may also account for the slightly distinct regulatory strategies implemented by mammals and birds at this locus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christopher Chase Bolt
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Andrey
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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Roscito JG, Sameith K, Parra G, Langer BE, Petzold A, Moebius C, Bickle M, Rodrigues MT, Hiller M. Phenotype loss is associated with widespread divergence of the gene regulatory landscape in evolution. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4737. [PMID: 30413698 PMCID: PMC6226452 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07122-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Detecting the genomic changes underlying phenotypic changes between species is a main goal of evolutionary biology and genomics. Evolutionary theory predicts that changes in cis-regulatory elements are important for morphological changes. We combined genome sequencing, functional genomics and genome-wide comparative analyses to investigate regulatory elements in lineages that lost morphological traits. We first show that limb loss in snakes is associated with widespread divergence of limb regulatory elements. We next show that eye degeneration in subterranean mammals is associated with widespread divergence of eye regulatory elements. In both cases, sequence divergence results in an extensive loss of transcription factor binding sites. Importantly, diverged regulatory elements are associated with genes required for normal limb patterning or normal eye development and function, suggesting that regulatory divergence contributed to the loss of these phenotypes. Together, our results show that genome-wide decay of the phenotype-specific cis-regulatory landscape is a hallmark of lost morphological traits. Cis-regulatory elements are important factors for morphological changes. Here, the authors show widespread divergence of limb and eye regulatory elements in limb loss in snakes and eye degeneration in subterranean mammals respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana G Roscito
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, 01187, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany.,Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Katrin Sameith
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, 01187, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Genis Parra
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, 01187, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Bjoern E Langer
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, 01187, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Andreas Petzold
- Center for Regenerative Therapies TU Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Claudia Moebius
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Marc Bickle
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | | | - Michael Hiller
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany. .,Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, 01187, Germany. .,Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
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45
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Fabre PJ, Leleu M, Mascrez B, Lo Giudice Q, Cobb J, Duboule D. Heterogeneous combinatorial expression of Hoxd genes in single cells during limb development. BMC Biol 2018; 16:101. [PMID: 30223853 PMCID: PMC6142630 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0570-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Global analyses of gene expression during development reveal specific transcription patterns associated with the emergence of various cell types, tissues, and organs. These heterogeneous patterns are instrumental to ensure the proper formation of the different parts of our body, as shown by the phenotypic effects generated by functional genetic approaches. However, variations at the cellular level can be observed within each structure or organ. In the developing mammalian limbs, expression of Hox genes from the HoxD cluster is differentially controlled in space and time, in cells that will pattern the digits and the forearms. While the Hoxd genes broadly share a common regulatory landscape and large-scale analyses have suggested a homogenous Hox gene transcriptional program, it has not previously been clear whether Hoxd genes are expressed together at the same levels in the same cells. RESULTS We report a high degree of heterogeneity in the expression of the Hoxd11 and Hoxd13 genes. We analyzed single-limb bud cell transcriptomes and show that Hox genes are expressed in specific combinations that appear to match particular cell types. In cells giving rise to digits, we find that the expression of the five relevant Hoxd genes (Hoxd9 to Hoxd13) is unbalanced, despite their control by known global enhancers. We also report that specific combinatorial expression follows a pseudo-time sequence, which is established based on the transcriptional diversity of limb progenitors. CONCLUSIONS Our observations reveal the existence of distinct combinations of Hoxd genes at the single-cell level during limb development. In addition, we document that the increasing combinatorial expression of Hoxd genes in this developing structure is associated with specific transcriptional signatures and that these signatures illustrate a temporal progression in the differentiation of these cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- P J Fabre
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - M Leleu
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - B Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Q Lo Giudice
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - J Cobb
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - D Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland.
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46
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Jain D, Nemec S, Luxey M, Gauthier Y, Bemmo A, Balsalobre A, Drouin J. Regulatory integration of Hox factor activity with T-box factors in limb development. Development 2018; 145:dev.159830. [PMID: 29490982 DOI: 10.1242/dev.159830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In tetrapods, Tbx4, Tbx5 and Hox cluster genes are crucial for forelimb and hindlimb development and mutations in these genes are responsible for congenital limb defects. The molecular basis of their integrated mechanisms of action in the context of limb development remains poorly understood. We studied Tbx4 and Hoxc10 owing to their overlapping loss-of-function phenotypes and colocalized expression in mouse hindlimb buds. We report an extensive overlap between Tbx4 and Hoxc10 genome occupancy and their putative target genes. Tbx4 and Hoxc10 interact directly with each other, have the ability to bind to a previously unrecognized T-box-Hox composite DNA motif and show synergistic activity when acting on reporter genes. Pitx1, the master regulator for hindlimb specification, also shows extensive genomic colocalization with Tbx4 and Hoxc10. Genome occupancy by Tbx4 in hindlimb buds is similar to Tbx5 occupancy in forelimbs. By contrast, another Hox factor, Hoxd13, also interacts with Tbx4/Tbx5 but antagonizes Tbx4/Tbx5-dependent transcriptional activity. Collectively, the modulation of Tbx-dependent activity by Hox factors acting on common DNA targets may integrate different developmental processes for the balanced formation of proportionate limbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Jain
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H2W 1R7 Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - Stephen Nemec
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H2W 1R7 Canada.,Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1 Canada
| | - Maëva Luxey
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H2W 1R7 Canada
| | - Yves Gauthier
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H2W 1R7 Canada
| | - Amandine Bemmo
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H2W 1R7 Canada
| | - Aurelio Balsalobre
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H2W 1R7 Canada
| | - Jacques Drouin
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H2W 1R7 Canada .,Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6 Canada.,Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1 Canada.,Departement de Biochimie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H3J 3J7 Canada
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47
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Abstract
Collinear regulation of Hox genes in space and time has been an outstanding question ever since the initial work of Ed Lewis in 1978. Here we discuss recent advances in our understanding of this phenomenon in relation to novel concepts associated with large-scale regulation and chromatin structure during the development of both axial and limb patterns. We further discuss how this sequential transcriptional activation marks embryonic stem cell-like axial progenitors in mammals and, consequently, how a temporal genetic system is further translated into spatial coordinates via the fate of these progenitors. In this context, we argue the benefit and necessity of implementing this unique mechanism as well as the difficulty in evolving an alternative strategy to deliver this critical positional information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Deschamps
- Hubrecht Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
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48
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Paço A, Freitas R. Hox D genes and the fin-to-limb
transition: Insights from fish studies. Genesis 2017; 56. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paço
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Celular e Molecular; Porto Portugal
- I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde; Porto Portugal
- Universidade do Porto; Porto Portugal
| | - Renata Freitas
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Celular e Molecular; Porto Portugal
- I3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde; Porto Portugal
- Universidade do Porto; Porto Portugal
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49
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Neijts R, Deschamps J. At the base of colinear Hox gene expression: cis -features and trans -factors orchestrating the initial phase of Hox cluster activation. Dev Biol 2017; 428:293-299. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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50
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Montero JA, Lorda-Diez CI, Francisco-Morcillo J, Chimal-Monroy J, Garcia-Porrero JA, Hurle JM. Sox9 Expression in Amniotes: Species-Specific Differences in the Formation of Digits. Front Cell Dev Biol 2017; 5:23. [PMID: 28386540 PMCID: PMC5362607 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2017.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In tetrapods the digit pattern has evolved to adapt to distinct locomotive strategies. The number of digits varies between species or even between hindlimb and forelimb within the same species. These facts illustrate the plasticity of embryonic limb autopods. Sox9 is a precocious marker of skeletal differentiation of limb mesenchymal cells. Its pattern of expression in the developing limb has been widely studied and reflects the activity of signaling cascades responsible for skeletogenesis. In this assay we stress previously overlooked differences in the pattern of expression of Sox9 in limbs of avian, mouse and turtle embryos which may reflect signaling differences associated with distinct limb skeletal morphologies observed in these species. Furthermore, we show that Sox9 gene expression is higher and maintained in the interdigital region in species with webbed digits in comparison with free digit animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan A Montero
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular and IDIVAL, Universidad de Cantabria Santander, Spain
| | - Carlos I Lorda-Diez
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular and IDIVAL, Universidad de Cantabria Santander, Spain
| | | | - Jesus Chimal-Monroy
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan A Garcia-Porrero
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular and IDIVAL, Universidad de Cantabria Santander, Spain
| | - Juan M Hurle
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular and IDIVAL, Universidad de Cantabria Santander, Spain
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