Cell type-selective expression of the zinc finger-containing gene Nolz-1/Zfp503 in the developing mouse striatum

The Fgf9-Nolz1-Wnt2 axis regulates morphogenesis of the lung

Morphological development of the lung requires complex signal crosstalk between the mesenchymal and epithelial progenitors. Elucidating the genetic cascades underlying signal crosstalk is essential to understanding lung morphogenesis. Here, we identified Nolz1 as a mesenchymal lineage-specific transcriptional regulator that plays a key role in lung morphogenesis. Nolz1 null mutation resulted in a severe hypoplasia phenotype, including a decreased proliferation of mesenchymal cells, aberrant differentiation of epithelial cells and defective growth of epithelial branches. Nolz1 deletion also downregulated Wnt2, Lef1, Fgf10, Gli3 and Bmp4 mRNAs. Mechanistically, Nolz1 regulates lung morphogenesis primarily through Wnt2 signaling. Loss-of-function and overexpression studies demonstrated that Nolz1 transcriptionally activated Wnt2 and downstream β-catenin signaling to control mesenchymal cell proliferation and epithelial branching. Exogenous Wnt2 could rescue defective proliferation and epithelial branching in Nolz1 knockout lungs. Finally, we identified Fgf9 as an upstream regulator of Nolz1. Collectively, Fgf9-Nolz1-Wnt2 signaling represents a novel axis in the control of lung morphogenesis. These findings are relevant to lung tumorigenesis, in which a pathological function of Nolz1 is implicated.

Deciphering inhibitory neuron development: The paths to diversity

The regulation of fate decisions in progenitor cells lays the foundation for the generation of neuronal diversity and the formation of specialized circuits with remarkable processing capacity. Since the discovery more than 20 years ago that inhibitory (GABAergic) neurons originate from progenitors in the ventral part of the embryonic brain, numerous details about their development and function have been unveiled. GABAergic neurons are an extremely heterogeneous group, comprising many specialized subtypes of local interneurons and long-range projection neurons. Clearly distinguishable types emerge during postmitotic maturation, at a time when precursors migrate, morphologically mature, and establish synaptic connections. Yet, differentiation begins at an earlier stage within their progenitor domains, where a combination of birthdate and place of origin are key drivers. This review explains how new insights from single-cell sequencing inform our current understanding of how GABAergic neuron diversity emerges.

The transcription factor Zfp503 promotes the D1 MSN identity and represses the D2 MSN identity

The striatum is primarily composed of two types of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) expressing either D1- or D2-type dopamine receptors. However, the fate determination of these two types of neurons is not fully understood. Here, we found that D1 MSNs undergo fate switching to D2 MSNs in the absence of Zfp503. Furthermore, scRNA-seq revealed that the transcription factor Zfp503 affects the differentiation of these progenitor cells in the lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE). More importantly, we found that the transcription factors Sp8/9, which are required for the differentiation of D2 MSNs, are repressed by Zfp503. Finally, sustained Zfp503 expression in LGE progenitor cells promoted the D1 MSN identity and repressed the D2 MSN identity. Overall, our findings indicated that Zfp503 promotes the D1 MSN identity and represses the D2 MSN identity by regulating Sp8/9 expression during striatal MSN development.

Evolutionarily conservative and non-conservative regulatory networks during primate interneuron development revealed by single-cell RNA and ATAC sequencing

The differences in size and function between primate and rodent brains, and the association of disturbed excitatory/inhibitory balance with many neurodevelopmental disorders highlight the importance to study primate ganglionic eminences (GEs) development. Here we used single-cell RNA and ATAC sequencing to characterize the emergence of cell diversity in monkey and human GEs where most striatal and cortical interneurons are generated. We identified regional and temporal diversity among progenitor cells which give rise to a variety of interneurons. These cells are specified within the primate GEs by well conserved gene regulatory networks, similar to those identified in mice. However, we detected, in human, several novel regulatory pathways or factors involved in the specification and migration of interneurons. Importantly, comparison of progenitors between our human and published mouse GE datasets led to the discovery and confirmation of outer radial glial cells in GEs in human cortex. Our findings reveal both evolutionarily conservative and nonconservative regulatory networks in primate GEs, which may contribute to their larger brain sizes and more complex neural networks compared with mouse.

Developmental Characterization of Schizophrenia-Associated Gene Zswim6 in Mouse Forebrain

Schizophrenia is a devastating neuropsychiatric disease with a globally 1% life-long prevalence. Clinical studies have linked Zswim6 mutations to developmental and neurological diseases, including schizophrenia. Zswim6’s function remains largely unknown. Given the involvement of Zswim6 in schizophrenia and schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disease, it is important to understand the spatiotemporal expression pattern of Zswim6 in the developing brain. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the spatiotemporal expression pattern of Zswim6 in the mouse forebrain by in situ hybridization with radioactive and non-radioactive-labeled riboprobes. Zswim6 mRNA was detected as early as E11.5 in the ventral forebrain. At E11.5–E13.5, Zswim6 was highly expressed in the lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE). The LGE consisted of two progenitor populations. Dlx⁺;Er81⁺ cells in dorsal LGE comprised progenitors of olfactory bulb interneurons, whereas Dlx⁺;Isl1⁺ progenitors in ventral LGE gave rise to striatal projection neurons. Zswim6 was not colocalized with Er81 in the dorsal LGE. In the ventral LGE, Zswim6 was colocalized with striatal progenitor marker Nolz-1. Zswim6 was highly expressed in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of LGE in which progenitors undergo the transition from proliferation to differentiation. Double labeling showed that Zswim6 was not colocalized with proliferation marker Ki67 but was colocalized with differentiation marker Tuj1 in the SVZ, suggesting Zswim6 expression in early differentiating neurons. Zswim6 was also expressed in the adjacent structures of medial and caudal ganglionic eminences (MGE, CGE) that contained progenitors of cortical interneurons. At E15.5 and E17.5, Zswim6 was expressed in several key brain regions that were involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, including the striatum, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and medial habenular nucleus. Zswim6 was persistently expressed in the postnatal brain. Cell type analysis indicated that Zswim6 mRNA was colocalized with D1R-expressing striatonigral and D2R-expressing striatopallidal neurons of the adult striatum with a higher colocalization in striatopallidal neurons. These findings are of particular interest as striatal dopamine D2 receptors are known to be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In summary, the comprehensive analysis provides an anatomical framework for the study of Zswim6 function and Zswim6-associated neurological disorders.

Nolz1 expression is required in dopaminergic axon guidance and striatal innervation

Midbrain dopaminergic (DA) axons make long longitudinal projections towards the striatum. Despite the importance of DA striatal innervation, processes involved in establishment of DA axonal connectivity remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate a striatal-specific requirement of transcriptional regulator Nolz1 in establishing DA circuitry formation. DA projections are misguided and fail to innervate the striatum in both constitutive and striatal-specific Nolz1 mutant embryos. The lack of striatal Nolz1 expression results in nigral to pallidal lineage conversion of striatal projection neuron subtypes. This lineage switch alters the composition of secreted factors influencing DA axonal tract formation and renders the striatum non-permissive for dopaminergic and other forebrain tracts. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis of wild-type and Nolz1^−/− mutant striatal tissue led to the identification of several secreted factors that underlie the observed guidance defects and proteins that promote DA axonal outgrowth. Together, our data demonstrate the involvement of the striatum in orchestrating dopaminergic circuitry formation.

The mechanisms regulating midbrain dopaminergic innervation during development are unclear. Here, the authors showed that Nolz1 is required for axonal guidance of dopaminergic neurons during embryonic development of the mouse brain.

Parcellation of the striatal complex into dorsal and ventral districts

The striatal complex of basal ganglia comprises two functionally distinct districts. The dorsal district controls motor and cognitive functions. The ventral district regulates the limbic function of motivation, reward, and emotion. The dorsoventral parcellation of the striatum also is of clinical importance as differential striatal pathophysiologies occur in Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and drug addiction disorders. Despite these striking neurobiologic contrasts, it is largely unknown how the dorsal and ventral divisions of the striatum are set up. Here, we demonstrate that interactions between the two key transcription factors Nolz-1 and Dlx1/2 control the migratory paths of striatal neurons to the dorsal or ventral striatum. Moreover, these same transcription factors control the cell identity of striatal projection neurons in both the dorsal and the ventral striata including the D1-direct and D2-indirect pathways. We show that Nolz-1, through the I12b enhancer, represses Dlx1/2, allowing normal migration of striatal neurons to dorsal and ventral locations. We demonstrate that deletion, up-regulation, and down-regulation of Nolz-1 and Dlx1/2 can produce a striatal phenotype characterized by a withered dorsal striatum and an enlarged ventral striatum and that we can rescue this phenotype by manipulating the interactions between Nolz-1 and Dlx1/2 transcription factors. Our study indicates that the two-tier system of striatal complex is built by coupling of cell-type identity and migration and suggests that the fundamental basis for divisions of the striatum known to be differentially vulnerable at maturity is already encoded by the time embryonic striatal neurons begin their migrations into developing striata.

Whole-Genome Cardiac DNA Methylation Fingerprint and Gene Expression Analysis Provide New Insights in the Pathogenesis of Chronic Chagas Disease Cardiomyopathy

Background

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in Latin America and affects 10 million people worldwide. Approximately 12000 deaths attributable to Chagas disease occur annually due to chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CCC), an inflammatory cardiomyopathy presenting with heart failure and arrythmia; 30% of infected subjects develop CCC years after infection. Genetic mechanisms play a role in differential progression to CCC, but little is known about the role of epigenetic modifications in pathological gene expression patterns in CCC patients’ myocardium. DNA methylation is the most common modification in the mammalian genome.

Methods

We investigated the impact of genome-wide cardiac DNA methylation on global gene expression in myocardial samples from end-stage CCC patients, compared to control samples from organ donors.

Results

In total, 4720 genes were differentially methylated between CCC patients and controls, of which 399 were also differentially expressed. Several of them were related to heart function or to the immune response and had methylation sites in their promoter region. Reporter gene and in silico transcription factor binding analyses indicated promoter methylation modified expression of key genes. Among those, we found potassium channel genes KCNA4 and KCNIP4, involved in electrical conduction and arrythmia, SMOC2, involved in matrix remodeling, as well as enkephalin and RUNX3, potentially involved in the increased T-helper 1 cytokine-mediated inflammatory damage in heart.

Conclusions

Results support that DNA methylation plays a role in the regulation of expression of pathogenically relevant genes in CCC myocardium, and identify novel potential disease pathways and therapeutic targets in CCC.

Zinc finger gene nolz1 regulates the formation of retinal progenitor cells and suppresses the Lim3/Lhx3 phenotype of retinal bipolar cells in chicken retina

BACKGROUND

The zinc-finger transcription factor Nolz1 regulates spinal cord neuron development by interacting with the transcription factors Isl1, Lim1, and Lim3, which are also important for photoreceptors, horizontal and bipolar cells during retinal development. We, therefore, studied Nolz1 during retinal development.

RESULTS

Nolz1 expression was seen in two waves during development: one early (peak at embryonic day 3-4.5) in retinal progenitors and one late (embryonic day 8) in newly differentiated cells in the inner nuclear layer. Overexpression and knockdown showed that Nolz1 decreases proliferation and stimulates cell cycle withdrawal in retinal progenitors with effects on the generation of retinal ganglion cells, photoreceptors, and horizontal cells without triggering apoptosis. Overexpression of Nolz1 gave more p27 positive cells. Sustained overexpression of Nolz1 in the retina gave fewer Lim3/Lhx3 bipolar cells.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that Nolz1 has multiple functions during development and suggest a mechanism in which Nolz1 initially regulates the proliferation state of the retinal progenitor cells and then acts as a repressor that suppresses the Lim3/Lhx3 bipolar cell phenotype at the time of bipolar cell differentiation. Developmental Dynamics 247:630-641, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Characterization of Glcci1 expression in a subpopulation of lateral ganglionic eminence progenitors in the mouse telencephalon

BACKGROUND

The lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) in the ventral telencephalon is a diverse progenitor domain subdivided by distinct gene expression into a dorsal region (dLGE) that gives rise to olfactory bulb and amygdalar interneurons and a ventral region (vLGE) that gives rise to striatal projection neurons. The homeobox gene, Gsx2, is an enriched marker of the LGE and is expressed in a high dorsal to low ventral gradient in the ventricular zone (VZ) as development proceeds. Aside from Gsx2, markers restricted to the VZ in the dLGE and/or vLGE remain largely unknown.

RESULTS

Here, we show that the gene and protein expression of Glucocorticoid-induced transcript 1 (Glcci1) has a similar dorsal to ventral gradient of expression in the VZ as Gsx2. We found that Glcci1 gene and protein expression are reduced in Gsx2 mutants, and are increased in the cortex after early and late Gsx2 misexpression. Moreover, Glcci1 expressing cells are restricted to a subpopulation of Gsx2 positive cells on the basal side of the VZ and co-express Ascl1, but not the subventricular zone dLGE marker, Sp8.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that Glcci1 is a new marker of a subpopulation of LGE VZ progenitor cells in the Gsx2 lineage. Developmental Dynamics 247:222-228, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Selective neuronal expression of the SoxE factor, Sox8, in direct pathway striatal projection neurons of the developing mouse brain

The striatum is the major component of the basal ganglia and is well known to play a key role in the control of motor function via balanced output from the indirect (iSPNs) and direct pathway striatal projection neurons (dSPNs). Little is known, however, about the molecular genetic mechanisms that control the formation of the iSPNs versus dSPNs. We show here that the SoxE family member, Sox8, is co-expressed with the dSPN markers, Isl1 and Ebf1, in the developing striatum. Moreover, dSPNs, as marked by Isl1-cre fate map, express Sox8 in the embryonic striatum and Sox8-EGFP BAC transgenic mice specifically reveal the direct pathway axons during development. These EGFP⁺ axons are first observed to reach their midbrain target, the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), at E14 in the mouse with a robust connection observed already at birth. The selective expression of EGFP in dSPNs of Sox8-EGFP BAC mice is maintained at postnatal timepoints. Sox8 is known to be expressed in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) together with other SoxE factors and we show here that the EGFP signal co-localizes with the OPC markers throughout the brain. Finally, we show that Sox8-EGFP BAC mice can be used to interrogate the altered dSPN development in Isl1 conditional mutants including aberrant axonal projections detected already at embryonic timepoints. Thus, Sox8 represents an early and specific marker of embryonic dSPNs and the Sox8-EGFP BAC transgenic mice are an excellent tool to study the development of basal ganglia circuitry.

ZNF503/Zpo2 drives aggressive breast cancer progression by down-regulation of GATA3 expression

The transcription factor GATA3 is the master regulator that drives mammary luminal epithelial cell differentiation and maintains mammary gland homeostasis. Loss of GATA3 is associated with aggressive breast cancer development. We have identified ZNF503/ZEPPO2 zinc-finger elbow-related proline domain protein 2 (ZPO2) as a transcriptional repressor of GATA3 expression and transcriptional activity that induces mammary epithelial cell proliferation and breast cancer development. We show that ZPO2 is recruited to GATA3 promoter in association with ZBTB32 (Repressor of GATA, ROG) and that ZBTB32 is essential for down-regulation of GATA3 via ZPO2. Through this modulation of GATA3 activity, ZPO2 promotes aggressive breast cancer development. Our data provide insight into a mechanism of GATA3 regulation, and identify ZPO2 as a possible candidate gene for future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Effects of oxidative stress on hyperglycaemia-induced brain malformations in a diabetes mouse model

Pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) enhances the risk of fetal neurodevelopmental defects. However, the mechanism of hyperglycaemia-induced neurodevelopmental defects is not fully understood. In this study, several typical neurodevelopmental defects were identified in the streptozotocin-induced diabetes mouse model. The neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin/forkhead box P1-labelled neuronal differentiation was suppressed and glial fibrillary acidic protein-labelled glial cell lineage differentiation was slightly promoted in pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) mice. Various concentrations of glucose did not change the U87 cell viability, but glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor expression was altered with varying glucose concentrations. Mouse maternal hyperglycaemia significantly increased Tunel(+) apoptosis but did not dramatically affect PCNA(+) cell proliferation in the process. To determine the cause of increased apoptosis, we determined the SOD activity, the expression of Nrf2 as well as its downstream anti-oxidative factors NQO1 and HO1, and found that all of them significantly increased in PGDM fetal brains compared with controls. However, Nrf2 expression in U87 cells was not significantly changed by different glucose concentrations. In mouse telencephalon, we observed the co-localization of Tuj-1 and Nrf2 expression in neurons, and down-regulating of Nrf2 in SH-SY5Y cells altered the viability of SH-SY5Y cells exposed to high glucose concentrations. Taken together, the data suggest that Nrf2-modulated antioxidant stress plays a crucial role in maternal hyperglycaemia-induced neurodevelopmental defects.

The substantia nigra and ventral tegmental dopaminergic neurons from development to degeneration

The pathology of Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by the loss of neurons in the substantia nigra parcompacta (A9), which results in the insufficient release of dopamine, and the appearance of motor symptoms. Not all neurons in the A9 subregions degenerate in PD, and the dopaminergic (DA) neurons located in the neighboring ventral tegmental area (A10) are relatively resistant to PD pathogenesis. An increasing number of quantitative studies using human tissue samples of these brain regions have revealed important biological differences. In this review, we first describe current knowledge on the multi-segmental neuromere origin of these DA neurons. We then compare the continued transcription factor and protein expression profile and morphological differences distinguishing subregions within the A9 substantia nigra, and between A9 and A10 DA neurons. We conclude that the expression of three types of factors and proteins contributes to the diversity observed in these DA neurons and potentially to their differential vulnerability to PD. In particular, the specific axonal structure of A9 neurons and the way A9 neurons maintain their DA usage makes them easily exposed to energy deficits, calcium overload and oxidative stress, all contributing to their decreased survival in PD. We highlight knowledge gaps in our understanding of the cellular biomarkers for and their different functions in DA neurons, knowledge which may assist to identify underpinning disease mechansims that could be targeted for the treatment of any subregional dysfunction and loss of these DA neurons.

The Transcriptional Repressor ZNF503/Zeppo2 Promotes Mammary Epithelial Cell Proliferation and Enhances Cell Invasion

The NET (nocA, Nlz, elB, TLP-1) subfamily of zinc finger proteins is an important mediator during developmental processes. The evolutionary conserved zinc finger protein ZNF503/Zeppo2 (zinc finger elbow-related proline domain protein 2, Zpo2) plays critical roles during embryogenesis. We found that Zpo2 is expressed in adult tissue and examined its function. We found that ZPO2 is a nuclearly targeted transcriptional repressor that is expressed in mammary epithelial cells. Elevated Zpo2 levels increase mammary epithelial cell proliferation. Zpo2 promotes cellular invasion through down-regulation of E-cadherin and regulates the invasive phenotype in a RAC1-dependent manner. We detect elevated Zpo2 expression during breast cancer progression in a MMTV-PyMT transgenic mouse model. Tumor transplant experiments indicated that overexpression of Zpo2 in MMTV-PyMT mammary tumor cell lines enhances lung metastasis. Our findings suggest that Zpo2 plays a significant role in mammary gland homeostasis and that deregulation of Zpo2 may promote breast cancer development.

Ectopic expression of nolz-1 in neural progenitors promotes cell cycle exit/premature neuronal differentiation accompanying with abnormal apoptosis in the developing mouse telencephalon

Nolz-1, as a murine member of the NET zinc-finger protein family, is expressed in post-mitotic differentiating neurons of striatum during development. To explore the function of Nolz-1 in regulating the neurogenesis of forebrain, we studied the effects of ectopic expression of Nolz-1 in neural progenitors. We generated the Cre-loxP dependent conditional transgenic mice in which Nolz-1 was ectopically expressed in proliferative neural progenitors. Ectopic expression of Nolz-1 in neural progenitors by intercrossing the Nolz-1 conditional transgenic mice with the nestin-Cre mice resulted in hypoplasia of telencephalon in double transgenic mice. Decreased proliferation of neural progenitor cells were found in the telencephalon, as evidenced by the reduction of BrdU-, Ki67- and phospho-histone 3-positive cells in E11.5-12.5 germinal zone of telencephalon. Transgenic Nolz-1 also promoted cell cycle exit and as a consequence might facilitate premature differentiation of progenitors, because TuJ1-positive neurons were ectopically found in the ventricular zone and there was a general increase of TuJ1 immunoreactivity in the telencephalon. Moreover, clusters of strong TuJ1-expressing neurons were present in E12.5 germinal zone. Some of these strong TuJ1-positive clusters, however, contained apoptotic condensed DNA, suggesting that inappropriate premature differentiation may lead to abnormal apoptosis in some progenitor cells. Consistent with the transgenic mouse analysis in vivo, similar effects of Nozl-1 over-expression in induction of apoptosis, inhibition of cell proliferation and promotion of neuronal differentiation were also observed in three different N18, ST14A and N2A neural cell lines in vitro. Taken together, our study indicates that ectopic expression of Nolz-1 in neural progenitors promotes cell cycle exit/premature neuronal differentiation and induces abnormal apoptosis in the developing telencephalon.