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Basson MA. Neurodevelopmental functions of CHD8: new insights and questions. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:15-27. [PMID: 38288845 PMCID: PMC10903457 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220926] [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: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Heterozygous, de novo, loss-of-function variants of the CHD8 gene are associated with a high penetrance of autism and other neurodevelopmental phenotypes. Identifying the neurodevelopmental functions of high-confidence autism risk genes like CHD8 may improve our understanding of the neurodevelopmental mechanisms that underlie autism spectrum disorders. Over the last decade, a complex picture of pleiotropic CHD8 functions and mechanisms of action has emerged. Multiple brain and non-brain cell types and progenitors appear to be affected by CHD8 haploinsufficiency. Behavioural, cellular and synaptic phenotypes are dependent on the nature of the gene mutation and are modified by sex and genetic background. Here, I review some of the CHD8-interacting proteins and molecular mechanisms identified to date, as well as the impacts of CHD8 deficiency on cellular processes relevant to neurodevelopment. I endeavour to highlight some of the critical questions that still require careful and concerted attention over the next decade to bring us closer to the goal of understanding the salient mechanisms whereby CHD8 deficiency causes neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Albert Basson
- Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Hatherly Laboratories, Exeter EX4 4PS, U.K
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology and MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, U.K
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Zhao X, Yang X, Lv P, Xu Y, Wang X, Zhao Z, Du J. Polycomb regulates circadian rhythms in Drosophila in clock neurons. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302140. [PMID: 37914396 PMCID: PMC10620068 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are essential physiological feature for most living organisms. Previous studies have shown that epigenetic regulation plays a crucial role. There is a knowledge gap in the chromatin state of some key clock neuron clusters. In this study, we show that circadian rhythm is affected by the epigenetic regulator Polycomb (Pc) within the Drosophila clock neurons. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the roles of Pc in these clock neuron clusters, we use targeted DamID (TaDa) to identify genes significantly bound by Pc in the neurons marked by C929-Gal4 (including l-LNvs cluster), R6-Gal4 (including s-LNvs cluster), R18H11-Gal4 (including DN1 cluster), and DVpdf-Gal4, pdf-Gal80 (including LNds cluster). It shows that Pc binds to the genes involved in the circadian rhythm pathways, arguing a direct role for Pc in regulating circadian rhythms through specific clock genes. This study shows the identification of Pc targets in the clock neuron clusters, providing potential resource for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of circadian rhythms by the PcG complex. Thus, this study provided an example for epigenetic regulation of adult behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianguo Zhao
- https://ror.org/04v3ywz14 Department of Entomology and MOA Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xingzhuo Yang
- https://ror.org/04v3ywz14 Department of Entomology and MOA Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Pengfei Lv
- https://ror.org/04v3ywz14 Department of Entomology and MOA Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuetong Xu
- https://ror.org/04v3ywz14 Department of Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangfeng Wang
- https://ror.org/04v3ywz14 Department of Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhangwu Zhao
- https://ror.org/04v3ywz14 Department of Entomology and MOA Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Du
- https://ror.org/04v3ywz14 Department of Entomology and MOA Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Reduced chromatin accessibility correlates with resistance to Notch activation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2210. [PMID: 35468895 PMCID: PMC9039071 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29834-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Notch signalling pathway is a master regulator of cell fate transitions in development and disease. In the brain, Notch promotes neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation, regulates neuronal migration and maturation and can act as an oncogene or tumour suppressor. How NOTCH and its transcription factor RBPJ activate distinct gene regulatory networks in closely related cell types in vivo remains to be determined. Here we use Targeted DamID (TaDa), requiring only thousands of cells, to identify NOTCH and RBPJ binding in NSCs and their progeny in the mouse embryonic cerebral cortex in vivo. We find that NOTCH and RBPJ associate with a broad network of NSC genes. Repression of NSC-specific Notch target genes in intermediate progenitors and neurons correlates with decreased chromatin accessibility, suggesting that chromatin compaction may contribute to restricting NOTCH-mediated transactivation.
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Jiménez JA, Simon JM, Hu W, Moy SS, Harper KM, Liu CW, Lu K, Zylka MJ. Developmental pyrethroid exposure and age influence phenotypes in a Chd8 haploinsufficient autism mouse model. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5555. [PMID: 35365720 PMCID: PMC8975859 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09533-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Hundreds of genes have been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including loss-of-function mutations in chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 8 (Chd8). Environmental factors also are implicated in autism risk and have the potential to exacerbate phenotypes in genetically sensitized backgrounds. Here we investigate transcriptional and behavioral phenotypes in a Chd8 haploinsufficient (Chd8V986*/+) mouse line exposed to the pesticide deltamethrin (DM) from conception to postnatal day 22. Vehicle-exposed Chd8V986*/+ mice displayed ASD-associated phenotypes, including anxiety-like behavior and altered sociability, replicating a previous study with this mouse line. A core set of genes was altered in Chd8V986*/+ mice at multiple ages, including Usp11, Wars2, Crlf2, and Eglf6, and proximity ligation data indicated direct binding of CHD8 to the 5' region of these genes. Moreover, oligodendrocyte and neurodegenerative transcriptional phenotypes were apparent in 12 and 18 month old Chd8V986*/+ mice. Following DM exposure, the mutant mice displayed an exacerbated phenotype in the elevated plus maze, and genes associated with vascular endothelial cells were downregulated in the cerebral cortex of older Chd8V986*/+ animals. Our study reveals a gene x environment interaction with a Chd8 haploinsufficient mouse line and points to the importance of investigating phenotypes in ASD animal models across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Jiménez
- Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jeremy M Simon
- UNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Wenxin Hu
- UNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Sheryl S Moy
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Kathryn M Harper
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Chih-Wei Liu
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Kun Lu
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Mark J Zylka
- UNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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