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Alila-Fersi O, Tej A, Maalej M, Kharrat M, Boughamoura L, Chouchen J, Tlili A, Fakhfakh F. Mitochondrial genes modulate the phenotypic expression of congenital scoliosis syndrome caused by mutations in the TBXT gene. Gene 2024; 914:148388. [PMID: 38499212 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Congenital scoliosis (CS) is a spinal disorder caused by genetic-congenital vertebral malformations and may be associated with other congenital defects or may occur alone. It is genetically heterogeneous and numerous genes contributing to this disease have been identified. In addition, CS has a wide range of phenotypic and genotypic variability, which has been explained by the intervention of genetic factors like modifiers and environment genes. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible cause of CS in a Tunisian patient and to examine the association between mtDNA mutations and mtDNA content and CS. METHODS Here we performed Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES) in a patient presenting clinical features suggestive of severe congenital scoliosis syndrome. Direct sequencing of the whole mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was also performed in addition to copy number quantification in the blood of the indexed case. In silico prediction tools, 3D modeling and molecular docking approaches were used. RESULTS The WES revealed the homozygous missense mutation c.512A > G (p.H171R) in the TBXT gene. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that the p.H171R variant was highly deleterious and caused the TBXT structure instability. Molecular docking revealed that the p.H171R mutation disrupted the monomer stability which seemed to be crucial for maintaining the stability of the homodimer and consequently to the destabilization of the homodimer-DNA complex. On the other hand, we hypothesized that mtDNA can be a modifier factor, so, the screening of the whole mtDNA showed a novel heteroplasmic m.10150T > A (p.M31K) variation in the MT-ND3 gene. Further, qPCR analyses of the patient's blood excluded mtDNA depletion. Bioinformatic investigation revealed that the p.M31K mutation in the ND3 protein was highly deleterious and may cause the ND3 protein structure destabilization and could disturb the interaction between complex I subunits. CONCLUSION We described the possible role of mtDNA genetics on the pathogenesis of congenital scoliosis by hypothesizing that the presence of the homozygous variant in TBXT accounts for the CS phenotype in our patient and the MT-ND3 gene may act as a modifier gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olfa Alila-Fersi
- Molecular Genetics and Functional Laboratory, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia.
| | - Amel Tej
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Marwa Maalej
- Molecular Genetics and Functional Laboratory, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia
| | - Marwa Kharrat
- Molecular Genetics and Functional Laboratory, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia
| | - Lamia Boughamoura
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Jihen Chouchen
- Molecular Genetics and Stem Cell Research Laboratory, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Abdelaziz Tlili
- Human Genetics and Stem Cell Research Group, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Faiza Fakhfakh
- Molecular Genetics and Functional Laboratory, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia.
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Su H, Zhi D, Song Y, Yang Y, Wang D, Li X, Cao G. Exploring the formation mechanism of short-tailed phenotypes in animals using mutant mice with the TBXT gene c.G334T developed by CRISPR/Cas9. Gene 2024; 910:148310. [PMID: 38401832 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
With the change in diet structure, individuals prefer to consume mutton with less fat. However, sheep tail has a lot of fat. We identified a breed of low-fat short-tailed sheep (i.e., Hulunbuir short-tailed sheep). It is necessary to develop an animal model that can promote research on the potential mechanisms of the short-tail phenotype in sheep, which results from the TBXT gene c.G334T mutation. To create animal models, we selected mice as experimental animals. Mouse embryos lacking the TBXT protein, which crucially regulates mouse embryonic development, cannot develop normally. We utilized CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to generate site-specific mutation (c.G334T) in the TBXT gene of mice, and found that the mouse TBXT mutation (c.G334T) leads to a short-tail phenotype. Furthermore, we investigated the interaction between TBXT and Wnt signaling pathways. The expressions of TBXT, Axin2, Dkk1, Wnt3, Wnt3a, and Wnt5a were discovered to be significantly different between mutant embryos and wild embryos by obtaining mouse embryos at various developmental stages and examining the expression relationship between the TBXT and Wnt signaling pathway-related components in all of these embryos. Therefore, as a transcription factor, TBXT regulates the expression of the aforementioned Wnt signaling pathway components by forming a regulatory network for the normal development of mouse embryos. This study enriches the research on the functional role of the TBXT in the development of mouse embryos and the mechanism by which the short-tailed phenotype in sheep develops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Su
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China; Animal Embryo and Developmental Engineering Key Laboratory of Higher Education, Institutions of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Key Laboratory of Basic Veterinary Medicine, China.
| | - Dafu Zhi
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China; Animal Embryo and Developmental Engineering Key Laboratory of Higher Education, Institutions of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Key Laboratory of Basic Veterinary Medicine, China.
| | - Yongli Song
- College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, China.
| | - Yanyan Yang
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, China.
| | - Daqing Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China; Animal Embryo and Developmental Engineering Key Laboratory of Higher Education, Institutions of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Key Laboratory of Basic Veterinary Medicine, China; Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, China.
| | - Xiunan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China; Animal Embryo and Developmental Engineering Key Laboratory of Higher Education, Institutions of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Key Laboratory of Basic Veterinary Medicine, China; Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, China.
| | - Guifang Cao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China; Animal Embryo and Developmental Engineering Key Laboratory of Higher Education, Institutions of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Key Laboratory of Basic Veterinary Medicine, China.
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Gilbert SF. Reprint of: Prelude to molecularization: The double gradient model of Sulo Toivonen and Lauri Saxén. Cells Dev 2024:203919. [PMID: 38702218 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2024.203919] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
The present molecular investigations of Organizer phenomena show a remarkable connection to the earlier classical embryological studies that used transplantation as a method for making mechanistic models of induction. One of the most prominent of these connections is the dual gradient model for anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral polarity. This paper will discuss some of the history of how transplantation experiments provided data that could be interpreted in terms of two gradients of biologically active materials. It will highlight how the attempts to discover the elusive Induktionsstoffen gave rise to the double gradient model of Sulo Toivonen and Lauri Saxén in the 1950s and 1960s. This paper will also document how this research into the identity of these molecules gave rise to the developmental genetics that eventually would find the molecules responsible for primary embryonic induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott F Gilbert
- Department of Biology (Emeritus), Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA; Institute of Biotechnology (Emeritus), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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Kanda K, Iwata H. Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) exposure inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), mesoderm differentiation, and cardiovascular development in early chicken embryos. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171242. [PMID: 38417504 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) is an organophosphorus flame retardant used worldwide and has been detected in the tissues and eggs of wild birds. Our previous study reported that exposure to TCEP induced developmental delay and cardiovascular dysfunction with attenuated heart rate and vasculogenesis in early chicken embryos. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular effects of TCEP on chicken embryos using cardiac transcriptome analysis and to examine whether TCEP exposure affects epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesoderm differentiation during gastrulation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that TCEP exposure decreased the expression of cardiac conduction-related genes and transcription factors on day 5 of incubation. In extraembryonic blood vessels, the expression levels of genes related to fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were significantly reduced by TCEP exposure and vasculogenesis was suppressed. TCEP exposure also attenuated Snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2) and T-box transcription factor T (TBXT) signaling in the chicken primitive streak, indicating that TCEP inhibits EMT and mesoderm differentiation during gastrulation at the early developmental stage. These effects on EMT and mesoderm differentiation may be related to subsequent phenotypic defects, including suppression of heart development and blood vessel formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Kanda
- Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan; National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0856, Japan
| | - Hisato Iwata
- Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan.
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Zhang Y, Li X, Tian H, Xi M, Zhou J, Li H. p53 Activation Facilitates Transdifferentiation of Human Cardiac Fibroblasts into Endothelial Cells. Tissue Eng Part A 2024; 30:330-339. [PMID: 37819701 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2023.0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial cells (ECs), locating at the inner side of vascular lumen, play critical roles in maintaining vascular function and participate in tissue repair and neovascularization. Although increasing studies have shown positive effects of transplantation of vascular ECs or their precursor cells on neovascularization and functional recovery of ischemic tissues, the quantity of in vivo ECs is limited and their quality is affected by age, gender, disease, and others, which hinder their clinical application and further study. Chemical transdifferentiation is a promising approach to generate patient-specific cells. In this process, somatic cells are directly converted into desired cell types without the risk of tumorigenicity by pluripotent cell transplantation and exogenous gene introduction by transgene technology. In the present study, we derived ECs from human cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) through an optimized chemical induction method. The derived ECs expressed endothelial specific markers, took up low-density lipoprotein, secreted angiogenic cytokines under hypoxic condition, and formed microvessels in vitro and in vivo. This CF-EC transition bypassed pluripotency and germ layer differentiation, but underwent a stage of endothelialization. Although p53 maintained the same level during the period of CF-EC transdifferentiation, we could modulate p53 transcriptional activity to further improve cell transition efficiency, which mainly functioned at the later stage of endothelialization. Optimization and exploring the regulatory mechanism of CF-EC transition complement each other, which not only broadens the sources of patient-specific ECs but also provides valuable references for the in vivo direct transdifferentiation study and the elucidation of endothelial development and dysfunction. Impact statement This study provides an optimized chemical induction method to derive endothelial cells (ECs) from human cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), which not only broadens the sources of patient-specific ECs but also provides a good research model of mesenchymal-endothelial transition. Studying the molecular process and regulatory mechanism of CF-EC transdifferentiation will provide valuable references for the in vivo direct transdifferentiation for clinical therapy and deepen the understanding of endothelial development and dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Department of Histology and Embryology and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xuefeng Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hong Tian
- Department of Histology and Embryology and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Miaomiao Xi
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jinsong Zhou
- Department of Histology and Embryology and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hai Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
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6
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Bulger EA, Muncie-Vasic I, Libby ARG, McDevitt TC, Bruneau BG. TBXT dose sensitivity and the decoupling of nascent mesoderm specification from EMT progression in 2D human gastruloids. Development 2024; 151:dev202516. [PMID: 38411343 PMCID: PMC11006400 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202516] [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: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
In the nascent mesoderm, TBXT expression must be precisely regulated to ensure that cells exit the primitive streak and pattern the anterior-posterior axis, but how varying dosage informs morphogenesis is not well understood. In this study, we define the transcriptional consequences of TBXT dosage reduction during early human gastrulation using human induced pluripotent stem cell models of gastrulation and mesoderm differentiation. Multi-omic single-nucleus RNA and single-nucleus ATAC sequencing of 2D gastruloids comprising wild-type, TBXT heterozygous or TBXT null human induced pluripotent stem cells reveal that varying TBXT dosage does not compromise the ability of a cell to differentiate into nascent mesoderm, but instead directly influences the temporal progression of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition with wild type transitioning first, followed by TBXT heterozygous and then TBXT null. By differentiating cells into nascent mesoderm in a monolayer format, we further illustrate that TBXT dosage directly impacts the persistence of junctional proteins and cell-cell adhesions. These results demonstrate that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progression can be decoupled from the acquisition of mesodermal identity in the early gastrula and shed light on the mechanisms underlying human embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A. Bulger
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Ivana Muncie-Vasic
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA and University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ashley R. G. Libby
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Todd C. McDevitt
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Benoit G. Bruneau
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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7
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Gilbert SF. Prelude to molecularization: The double gradient model of Sulo Toivonen and Lauri Saxén. Cells Dev 2024; 177:203884. [PMID: 37972757 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2023.203884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The present molecular investigations of Organizer phenomena show a remarkable connection to the earlier classical embryological studies that used transplantation as a method for making mechanistic models of induction. One of the most prominent of these connections is the dual gradient model for anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral polarity. This paper will discuss some of the history of how transplantation experiments provided data that could be interpreted in terms of two gradients of biologically active materials. It will highlight how the attempts to discover the elusive Induktionsstoffen gave rise to the double gradient model of Sulo Toivonen and Lauri Saxén in the 1950s and 1960s. This paper will also document how this research into the identity of these molecules gave rise to the developmental genetics that eventually would find the molecules responsible for primary embryonic induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott F Gilbert
- Department of Biology (Emeritus), Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA; Institute of Biotechnology (Emeritus), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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Xia B, Zhang W, Zhao G, Zhang X, Bai J, Brosh R, Wudzinska A, Huang E, Ashe H, Ellis G, Pour M, Zhao Y, Coelho C, Zhu Y, Miller A, Dasen JS, Maurano MT, Kim SY, Boeke JD, Yanai I. On the genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes. Nature 2024; 626:1042-1048. [PMID: 38418917 PMCID: PMC10901737 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07095-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The loss of the tail is among the most notable anatomical changes to have occurred along the evolutionary lineage leading to humans and to the 'anthropomorphous apes'1-3, with a proposed role in contributing to human bipedalism4-6. Yet, the genetic mechanism that facilitated tail-loss evolution in hominoids remains unknown. Here we present evidence that an individual insertion of an Alu element in the genome of the hominoid ancestor may have contributed to tail-loss evolution. We demonstrate that this Alu element-inserted into an intron of the TBXT gene7-9-pairs with a neighbouring ancestral Alu element encoded in the reverse genomic orientation and leads to a hominoid-specific alternative splicing event. To study the effect of this splicing event, we generated multiple mouse models that express both full-length and exon-skipped isoforms of Tbxt, mimicking the expression pattern of its hominoid orthologue TBXT. Mice expressing both Tbxt isoforms exhibit a complete absence of the tail or a shortened tail depending on the relative abundance of Tbxt isoforms expressed at the embryonic tail bud. These results support the notion that the exon-skipped transcript is sufficient to induce a tail-loss phenotype. Moreover, mice expressing the exon-skipped Tbxt isoform develop neural tube defects, a condition that affects approximately 1 in 1,000 neonates in humans10. Thus, tail-loss evolution may have been associated with an adaptive cost of the potential for neural tube defects, which continue to affect human health today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Xia
- Institute for Computational Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Gene Regulation Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Society of Fellows, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Weimin Zhang
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Guisheng Zhao
- Institute for Computational Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xinru Zhang
- Gene Regulation Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Jiangshan Bai
- Gene Regulation Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ran Brosh
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Emily Huang
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hannah Ashe
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gwen Ellis
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maayan Pour
- Institute for Computational Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yu Zhao
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Camila Coelho
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yinan Zhu
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexander Miller
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeremy S Dasen
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthew T Maurano
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sang Y Kim
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jef D Boeke
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
| | - Itai Yanai
- Institute for Computational Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
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Khatif H, Bazzi H. Generation and characterization of a Dkk4-Cre knock-in mouse line. Genesis 2024; 62:e23532. [PMID: 37435631 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23532] [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: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Ectodermal appendages in mammals, such as teeth, mammary glands, sweat glands and hair follicles, are generated during embryogenesis through a series of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. Canonical Wnt signaling and its inhibitors are implicated in the early steps of ectodermal appendage development and patterning. To study the activation dynamics of the Wnt target and inhibitor Dickkopf4 (Dkk4) in ectodermal appendages, we used CRSIPR/Cas9 to generate a Dkk4-Cre knock-in mouse (Mus musculus) line, where the Cre recombinase cDNA replaces the expression of endogenous Dkk4. Using Cre reporters, the Dkk4-Cre activity was evident at the prospective sites of ectodermal appendages, overlapping with the Dkk4 mRNA expression. Unexpectedly, a predominantly mesenchymal cell population in the embryo posterior also showed Dkk4-Cre activity. Lineage-tracing suggested that these cells are likely derived from a few Dkk4-Cre-expressing cells in the epiblast at early gastrulation. Finally, our analyses of Dkk4-Cre-expressing cells in developing hair follicle epithelial placodes revealed intra- and inter-placodal cellular heterogeneity, supporting emerging data on the positional and transcriptional cellular variability in placodes. Collectively, we propose the new Dkk4-Cre knock-in mouse line as a suitable model to study Wnt and DKK4 inhibitor dynamics in early mouse development and ectodermal appendage morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Khatif
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- The Cologne Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hisham Bazzi
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- The Cologne Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Szoszkiewicz A, Bukowska-Olech E, Jamsheer A. Molecular landscape of congenital vertebral malformations: recent discoveries and future directions. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024; 19:32. [PMID: 38291488 PMCID: PMC10829358 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-024-03040-0] [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: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Vertebral malformations (VMs) pose a significant global health problem, causing chronic pain and disability. Vertebral defects occur as isolated conditions or within the spectrum of various congenital disorders, such as Klippel-Feil syndrome, congenital scoliosis, spondylocostal dysostosis, sacral agenesis, and neural tube defects. Although both genetic abnormalities and environmental factors can contribute to abnormal vertebral development, our knowledge on molecular mechanisms of numerous VMs is still limited. Furthermore, there is a lack of resource that consolidates the current knowledge in this field. In this pioneering review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the latest research on the molecular basis of VMs and the association of the VMs-related causative genes with bone developmental signaling pathways. Our study identifies 118 genes linked to VMs, with 98 genes involved in biological pathways crucial for the formation of the vertebral column. Overall, the review summarizes the current knowledge on VM genetics, and provides new insights into potential involvement of biological pathways in VM pathogenesis. We also present an overview of available data regarding the role of epigenetic and environmental factors in VMs. We identify areas where knowledge is lacking, such as precise molecular mechanisms in which specific genes contribute to the development of VMs. Finally, we propose future research avenues that could address knowledge gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Szoszkiewicz
- Department of Medical Genetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 8, 60-806, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Ewelina Bukowska-Olech
- Department of Medical Genetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 8, 60-806, Poznan, Poland
| | - Aleksander Jamsheer
- Department of Medical Genetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 8, 60-806, Poznan, Poland.
- Centers for Medical Genetics GENESIS, Dąbrowskiego 77A, 60-529, Poznan, Poland.
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11
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Janssen R, Budd GE. New insights into mesoderm and endoderm development, and the nature of the onychophoran blastopore. Front Zool 2024; 21:2. [PMID: 38267986 PMCID: PMC10809584 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00521-7] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early during onychophoran development and prior to the formation of the germ band, a posterior tissue thickening forms the posterior pit. Anterior to this thickening forms a groove, the embryonic slit, that marks the anterior-posterior orientation of the developing embryo. This slit is by some authors considered the blastopore, and thus the origin of the endoderm, while others argue that the posterior pit represents the blastopore. This controversy is of evolutionary significance because if the slit represents the blastopore, then this would support the amphistomy hypothesis that suggests that a slit-like blastopore in the bilaterian ancestor evolved into protostomy and deuterostomy. RESULTS In this paper, we summarize our current knowledge about endoderm and mesoderm development in onychophorans and provide additional data on early endoderm- and mesoderm-determining marker genes such as Blimp, Mox, and the T-box genes. CONCLUSION We come to the conclusion that the endoderm of onychophorans forms prior to the development of the embryonic slit, and thus that the slit is not the primary origin of the endoderm. It is thus unlikely that the embryonic slit represents the blastopore. We suggest instead that the posterior pit indeed represents the lips of the blastopore, and that the embryonic slit (and surrounding tissue) represents a morphologically superficial archenteron-like structure. We conclude further that both endoderm and mesoderm development are under control of conserved gene regulatory networks, and that many of the features found in arthropods including the model Drosophila melanogaster are likely derived.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Janssen
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Graham E Budd
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
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12
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Mereu P, Pirastru M, Sanna D, Bassu G, Naitana S, Leoni GG. Phenotype transition from wild mouflon to domestic sheep. Genet Sel Evol 2024; 56:1. [PMID: 38166592 PMCID: PMC10763062 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-023-00871-6] [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: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The domestication of animals started around 12,000 years ago in the Near East region. This "endless process" is characterized by the gradual accumulation of changes that progressively marked the genetic, phenotypic and physiological differences between wild and domesticated species. The main distinctive phenotypic characteristics are not all directly attributable to the human-mediated selection of more productive traits. In the last decades, two main hypotheses have been proposed to clarify the emergence of such a set of phenotypic traits across a variety of domestic species. The first hypothesis relates the phenotype of the domesticated species to an altered thyroid hormone-based signaling, whereas the second one relates it to changes in the neural crest cells induced by selection of animals for tameness. These two hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive since they may have contributed differently to the process over time and space. The adaptation model induced by domestication can be adopted to clarify some aspects (that are still controversial and debated) of the long-term evolutionary process leading from the wild Neolithic mouflon to the current domestic sheep. Indeed, sheep are among the earliest animals to have been domesticated by humans, around 12,000 years ago, and since then, they have represented a crucial resource in human history. The aim of this review is to shed light on the molecular mechanisms and the specific genomic variants that underlie the phenotypic variability between sheep and mouflon. In this regard, we carried out a critical review of the most recent studies on the molecular mechanisms that are most accredited to be responsible for coat color and phenotype, tail size and presence of horns. We also highlight that, in such a complicate context, sheep/mouflon hybrids represent a powerful and innovative model for studying the mechanism by which the phenotypic traits related to the phenotypic responses to domestication are inherited. Knowledge of these mechanisms could have a significant impact on the selection of more productive breeds. In fact, as in a journey back in time of animal domestication, the genetic traits of today's domestic species are being progressively and deliberately shaped according to human needs, in a direction opposite to that followed during domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Mereu
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Monica Pirastru
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy.
| | - Daria Sanna
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bassu
- Agenzia FoReSTAS, Regione autonoma della Sardegna, 09123, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Salvatore Naitana
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
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13
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Frith TJR, Briscoe J, Boezio GLM. From signalling to form: the coordination of neural tube patterning. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 159:168-231. [PMID: 38729676 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
The development of the vertebrate spinal cord involves the formation of the neural tube and the generation of multiple distinct cell types. The process starts during gastrulation, combining axial elongation with specification of neural cells and the formation of the neuroepithelium. Tissue movements produce the neural tube which is then exposed to signals that provide patterning information to neural progenitors. The intracellular response to these signals, via a gene regulatory network, governs the spatial and temporal differentiation of progenitors into specific cell types, facilitating the assembly of functional neuronal circuits. The interplay between the gene regulatory network, cell movement, and tissue mechanics generates the conserved neural tube pattern observed across species. In this review we offer an overview of the molecular and cellular processes governing the formation and patterning of the neural tube, highlighting how the remarkable complexity and precision of vertebrate nervous system arises. We argue that a multidisciplinary and multiscale understanding of the neural tube development, paired with the study of species-specific strategies, will be crucial to tackle the open questions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Briscoe
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
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14
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Li H, Chang L, Wu J, Huang J, Guan W, Bates LE, Stuart HT, Guo M, Zhang P, Huang B, Chen C, Zhang M, Chen J, Min M, Wu G, Hutchins AP, Silva JCR. In vitro generation of mouse morula-like cells. Dev Cell 2023; 58:2510-2527.e7. [PMID: 37875119 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Generating cells with the molecular and functional properties of embryo cells and with full developmental potential is an aim with fundamental biological significance. Here we report the in vitro generation of mouse transient morula-like cells (MLCs) via the manipulation of signaling pathways. MLCs are molecularly distinct from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and cluster instead with embryo 8- to 16-cell stage cells. A single MLC can generate a blastoid, and the efficiency increases to 80% when 8-10 MLCs are used. MLCs make embryoids directly, efficiently, and within 4 days. Transcriptomic analysis shows that day 4-5 MLC-derived embryoids contain the cell types found in natural embryos at early gastrulation. Furthermore, MLCs introduced into morulae segregate into epiblast (EPI), primitive endoderm (PrE), and trophectoderm (TE) fates in blastocyst chimeras and have a molecular signature indistinguishable from that of host embryo cells. These findings represent the generation of cells that are molecularly and functionally similar to the precursors of the first three cell lineages of the embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanhuan Li
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China.
| | - Litao Chang
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Guangzhou Medical University, Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 511495, China
| | - Jinyi Wu
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Guangzhou Medical University, Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 511495, China
| | - Jiahui Huang
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Wei Guan
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Lawrence E Bates
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Hannah T Stuart
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Mingyue Guo
- Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Guangzhou Medical University, Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 511495, China
| | - Pengfei Zhang
- Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Boyan Huang
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Chuanxin Chen
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Man Zhang
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Jiekai Chen
- Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mingwei Min
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Guangming Wu
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China
| | - Andrew P Hutchins
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518055, China
| | - José C R Silva
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510005, China.
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15
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Bulger EA, Muncie-Vasic I, Libby AR, McDevitt TC, Bruneau BG. TBXT dose sensitivity and the decoupling of nascent mesoderm specification from EMT progression in 2D human gastruloids. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.06.565933. [PMID: 37986746 PMCID: PMC10659276 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.06.565933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
In the nascent mesoderm, levels of Brachyury (TBXT) expression must be precisely regulated to ensure cells exit the primitive streak and pattern the anterior-posterior axis, but how this varying dosage informs morphogenesis is not well understood. In this study, we define the transcriptional consequences of TBXT dose reduction during early human gastrulation using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based models of gastrulation and mesoderm differentiation. Multiomic single-nucleus RNA and single-nucleus ATAC sequencing of 2D gastruloids comprised of WT, TBXT heterozygous (TBXT-Het), or TBXT null (TBXT-KO) hiPSCs reveal that varying TBXT dosage does not compromise a cell's ability to differentiate into nascent mesoderm, but that the loss of TBXT significantly delays the temporal progression of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). This delay is dependent on TBXT dose, as cells heterozygous for TBXT proceed with EMT at an intermediate pace relative to WT or TBXT-KO. By differentiating iPSCs of the allelic series into nascent mesoderm in a monolayer format, we further illustrate that TBXT dose directly impacts the persistence of junctional proteins and cell-cell adhesions. These results demonstrate that EMT progression can be decoupled from the acquisition of mesodermal identity in the early gastrula and shed light on the mechanisms underlying human embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A. Bulger
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Ivana Muncie-Vasic
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA
- UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA
| | - Ashley R.G. Libby
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Todd C. McDevitt
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Benoit G. Bruneau
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA
- Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco
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16
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Steinhart MR, van der Valk WH, Osorio D, Serdy SA, Zhang J, Nist-Lund C, Kim J, Moncada-Reid C, Sun L, Lee J, Koehler KR. Mapping oto-pharyngeal development in a human inner ear organoid model. Development 2023; 150:dev201871. [PMID: 37796037 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201871] [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: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Inner ear development requires the coordination of cell types from distinct epithelial, mesenchymal and neuronal lineages. Although we have learned much from animal models, many details about human inner ear development remain elusive. We recently developed an in vitro model of human inner ear organogenesis using pluripotent stem cells in a 3D culture, fostering the growth of a sensorineural circuit, including hair cells and neurons. Despite previously characterizing some cell types, many remain undefined. This study aimed to chart the in vitro development timeline of the inner ear organoid to understand the mechanisms at play. Using single-cell RNA sequencing at ten stages during the first 36 days of differentiation, we tracked the evolution from pluripotency to various ear cell types after exposure to specific signaling modulators. Our findings showcase gene expression that influences differentiation, identifying a plethora of ectodermal and mesenchymal cell types. We also discern aspects of the organoid model consistent with in vivo development, while highlighting potential discrepancies. Our study establishes the Inner Ear Organoid Developmental Atlas (IODA), offering deeper insights into human biology and improving inner ear tissue differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Steinhart
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Wouter H van der Valk
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- OtoBiology Leiden, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery; Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2333 ZA, the Netherlands
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW); Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZA, the Netherlands
| | - Daniel Osorio
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology; Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sara A Serdy
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jingyuan Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Carl Nist-Lund
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jin Kim
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Cynthia Moncada-Reid
- Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology (SHBT) Graduate Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Liang Sun
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology; Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jiyoon Lee
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Karl R Koehler
- Department of Otolaryngology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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17
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Arimoto A, Nishitsuji K, Hisata K, Satoh N, Tagawa K. Transcriptomic evidence for Brachyury expression in the caudal tip region of adult Ptychodera flava (Hemichordata). Dev Growth Differ 2023; 65:470-480. [PMID: 37483093 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12882] [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: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Most metazoans have a single copy of the T-box transcription factor gene Brachyury. This gene is expressed in cells of the blastopore of late blastulae and the archenteron invagination region of gastrulae. It appears to be crucial for gastrulation and mesoderm differentiation of embryos. Although this expression pattern is shared by most deuterostomes, Brachyury expression has not been reported in adult stages. Here we show that Brachyury of an indirect developer, the hemichordate acorn worm Ptychodera flava, is expressed not only in embryonic cells, but also in cells of the caudal tip (anus) region of adults. This spatially restricted expression, shown by whole-mount in situ hybridization, was confirmed by Iso-Seq RNA sequencing and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analysis. Iso-Seq analysis showed that gene expression occurs only in the caudal region of adults, but not in anterior regions, including the stomochord. scRNA-seq analysis showed a cluster that contained Brachyury-expressing cells comprising epidermis- and mesoderm-related cells, but which is unlikely to be associated with the nervous system or muscle. Although further investigation is required to examine the roles of Brachyury in adults, this study provides important clues for extending studies on Brachyury expression involved in development of the most posterior region of deuterostomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asuka Arimoto
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Blue Innovation Division, Seto Inland Sea Carbon-neutral Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Koki Nishitsuji
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Kanako Hisata
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Kuni Tagawa
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Blue Innovation Division, Seto Inland Sea Carbon-neutral Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University of Malang, Kota Malang, Indonesia
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18
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Schüle KM, Weckerle J, Probst S, Wehmeyer AE, Zissel L, Schröder CM, Tekman M, Kim GJ, Schlägl IM, Sagar, Arnold SJ. Eomes restricts Brachyury functions at the onset of mouse gastrulation. Dev Cell 2023; 58:1627-1642.e7. [PMID: 37633271 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian specification of mesoderm and definitive endoderm (DE) is instructed by the two related Tbx transcription factors (TFs) Eomesodermin (Eomes) and Brachyury sharing partially redundant functions. Gross differences in mutant embryonic phenotypes suggest specific functions of each TF. To date, the molecular details of separated lineage-specific gene regulation by Eomes and Brachyury remain poorly understood. Here, we combine mouse embryonic and stem-cell-based analyses to delineate the non-overlapping, lineage-specific transcriptional activities. On a genome-wide scale, binding of both TFs overlaps at promoters of target genes but shows specificity for distal enhancer regions that is conferred by differences in Tbx DNA-binding motifs. The unique binding to enhancer sites instructs the specification of anterior mesoderm (AM) and DE by Eomes and caudal mesoderm by Brachyury. Remarkably, EOMES antagonizes BRACHYURY gene regulatory functions in coexpressing cells during early gastrulation to ensure the proper sequence of early AM and DE lineage specification followed by posterior mesoderm derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin M Schüle
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Jelena Weckerle
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simone Probst
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra E Wehmeyer
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lea Zissel
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Chiara M Schröder
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 19a, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Signaling Research Centers BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse18, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Mehmet Tekman
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gwang-Jin Kim
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Inga-Marie Schlägl
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sagar
- Department of Medicine II, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian J Arnold
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Signaling Research Centers BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse18, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
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19
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Oh SY, Na SB, Kang YK, Do JT. In Vitro Embryogenesis and Gastrulation Using Stem Cells in Mice and Humans. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13655. [PMID: 37686459 PMCID: PMC10563085 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713655] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
During early mammalian embryonic development, fertilized one-cell embryos develop into pre-implantation blastocysts and subsequently establish three germ layers through gastrulation during post-implantation development. In recent years, stem cells have emerged as a powerful tool to study embryogenesis and gastrulation without the need for eggs, allowing for the generation of embryo-like structures known as synthetic embryos or embryoids. These in vitro models closely resemble early embryos in terms of morphology and gene expression and provide a faithful recapitulation of early pre- and post-implantation embryonic development. Synthetic embryos can be generated through a combinatorial culture of three blastocyst-derived stem cell types, such as embryonic stem cells, trophoblast stem cells, and extraembryonic endoderm cells, or totipotent-like stem cells alone. This review provides an overview of the progress and various approaches in studying in vitro embryogenesis and gastrulation in mice and humans using stem cells. Furthermore, recent findings and breakthroughs in synthetic embryos and gastruloids are outlined. Despite ethical considerations, synthetic embryo models hold promise for understanding mammalian (including humans) embryonic development and have potential implications for regenerative medicine and developmental research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jeong Tae Do
- Department of Stem Cell Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk Institute of Technology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.O.); (S.B.N.); (Y.K.K.)
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20
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Sheveleva O, Protasova E, Nenasheva T, Butorina N, Melnikova V, Gerasimova T, Sakovnich O, Kurinov A, Grigor’eva E, Medvedev S, Lyadova I. A Model of iPSC-Derived Macrophages with TNFAIP3 Overexpression Reveals the Peculiarities of TNFAIP3 Protein Expression and Function in Human Macrophages. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12868. [PMID: 37629049 PMCID: PMC10454046 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612868] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Macrophages play a crucial role in the development and control of inflammation. Understanding the mechanisms balancing macrophage inflammatory activity is important to develop new strategies for treating inflammation-related diseases. TNF-α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3, A20) is a negative regulator of intracellular inflammatory cascades; its deficiency induces hyper-inflammatory reactions. Whether A20 overexpression can dampen macrophage inflammatory response remains unclear. Here, we generated human-induced pluripotent stem cells with tetracycline-inducible A20 expression and differentiated them into macrophages (A20-iMacs). A20-iMacs displayed morphology, phenotype, and phagocytic activity typical of macrophages, and they displayed upregulated A20 expression in response to doxycycline. A20 overexpression dampened the A20-iMac response to TNF-α, as shown by a decreased expression of IL1B and IL6 mRNA. A dynamic analysis of A20 expression following the generation of A20-iMacs and control iMacs showed that the expression declined in iMacs and that iMacs expressed a lower molecular weight form of the A20 protein (~70 kDa) compared with less differentiated cells (~90 kDa). A low-level expression of A20 and the predominance of a low-molecular-weight A20 form were also characteristic of monocyte-derived macrophages. The study for the first time developed a model for generating macrophages with an inducible expression of a target gene and identified the peculiarities of A20 expression in macrophages that likely underlie macrophage preparedness for inflammatory reactivity. It also suggested the possibility of mitigating inflammatory macrophage responses via A20 overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Sheveleva
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Histogenesis, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.S.); (E.P.); (T.N.); (N.B.); (T.G.); (O.S.)
| | - Elena Protasova
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Histogenesis, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.S.); (E.P.); (T.N.); (N.B.); (T.G.); (O.S.)
| | - Tatiana Nenasheva
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Histogenesis, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.S.); (E.P.); (T.N.); (N.B.); (T.G.); (O.S.)
| | - Nina Butorina
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Histogenesis, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.S.); (E.P.); (T.N.); (N.B.); (T.G.); (O.S.)
| | - Victoria Melnikova
- Laboratory of Comparative Developmental Physiology, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Tatiana Gerasimova
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Histogenesis, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.S.); (E.P.); (T.N.); (N.B.); (T.G.); (O.S.)
| | - Olga Sakovnich
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Histogenesis, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.S.); (E.P.); (T.N.); (N.B.); (T.G.); (O.S.)
| | - Alexander Kurinov
- Laboratory of Regeneration Problems, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Elena Grigor’eva
- Laboratory of Developmental Epigenetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Lavrentyev Ave., 10, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (E.G.); (S.M.)
| | - Sergey Medvedev
- Laboratory of Developmental Epigenetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Lavrentyev Ave., 10, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (E.G.); (S.M.)
| | - Irina Lyadova
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Histogenesis, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova Str., 26, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.S.); (E.P.); (T.N.); (N.B.); (T.G.); (O.S.)
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21
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Zhou S, Lenk LJ, Gao Y, Wang Y, Zhao X, Pan M, Huang S, Sun K, Kalds P, Luo Q, Lillico S, Sonstegard T, Scholl UI, Ma B, Petersen B, Chen Y, Wang X. Generation of sheep with defined FecB B and TBXT mutations and porcine blastocysts with KCNJ5 G151R/+ mutation using prime editing. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:313. [PMID: 37308830 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09409-y] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rewriting the genomes of living organisms has been a long-standing aim in the biological sciences. The revelation of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology has revolutionized the entire biological field. Since its emergence, this technology has been widely applied to induce gene knockouts, insertions, deletions, and base substitutions. However, the classical version of this system was imperfect for inducing or correcting desired mutations. A subsequent development generated more advanced classes, including cytosine and adenine base editors, which can be used to achieve single nucleotide substitutions. Nevertheless, these advanced systems still suffer from several limitations, such as the inability to edit loci without a suitable PAM sequence and to induce base transversions. On the other hand, the recently emerged prime editors (PEs) can achieve all possible single nucleotide substitutions as well as targeted insertions and deletions, which show promising potential to alter and correct the genomes of various organisms. Of note, the application of PE to edit livestock genomes has not been reported yet. RESULTS In this study, using PE, we successfully generated sheep with two agriculturally significant mutations, including the fecundity-related FecBB p.Q249R and the tail length-related TBXT p.G112W. Additionally, we applied PE to generate porcine blastocysts with a biomedically relevant point mutation (KCNJ5 p.G151R) as a porcine model of human primary aldosteronism. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates the potential of the PE system to edit the genomes of large animals for the induction of economically desired mutations and for modeling human diseases. Although prime-edited sheep and porcine blastocysts could be generated, the editing frequencies are still unsatisfactory, highlighting the need for optimizations in the PE system for efficient generation of large animals with customized traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiwei Zhou
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Laura Johanna Lenk
- Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 31535, Neustadt, Germany
| | - Yawei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Yuhui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Xiaoe Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Menghao Pan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Shuhong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Kexin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Peter Kalds
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
- Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, El-Arish, 45511, Egypt
| | - Qi Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Simon Lillico
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | | | - Ute I Scholl
- Center of Functional Genomics, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Baohua Ma
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Bjoern Petersen
- Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 31535, Neustadt, Germany.
| | - Yulin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling, 712100, China.
| | - Xiaolong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling, 712100, China.
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22
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Atay C, Medina-Echeverz J, Hochrein H, Suter M, Hinterberger M. Armored modified vaccinia Ankara in cancer immunotherapy. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 379:87-142. [PMID: 37541728 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2023.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy relies on unleashing the patient´s immune system against tumor cells. Cancer vaccines aim to stimulate both the innate and adaptive arms of immunity to achieve durable clinical responses. Some roadblocks for a successful cancer vaccine in the clinic include the tumor antigen of choice, the adjuvants employed to strengthen antitumor-specific immune responses, and the risks associated with enhancing immune-related adverse effects in patients. Modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) belongs to the family of poxviruses and is a versatile vaccine platform that combines several attributes crucial for cancer therapy. First, MVA is an excellent inducer of innate immune responses leading to type I interferon secretion and induction of T helper cell type 1 (Th1) immune responses. Second, it elicits robust and durable humoral and cellular immunity against vector-encoded heterologous antigens. Third, MVA has enormous genomic flexibility, which allows for the expression of multiple antigenic and costimulatory entities. And fourth, its replication deficit in human cells ensures a excellent safety profile. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of how MVA induces innate and adaptive immune responses. Furthermore, we will give an overview of the tumor-associated antigens and immunomodulatory molecules that have been used to armor MVA and describe their clinical use. Finally, the route of MVA immunization and its impact on therapeutic efficacy depending on the immunomodulatory molecules expressed will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cigdem Atay
- Bavarian Nordic GmbH, Fraunhoferstr.13, Planegg, Germany
| | | | | | - Mark Suter
- Prof. em. University of Zurich, Switzerland
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23
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Gredler ML, Zallen JA. Multicellular rosettes link mesenchymal-epithelial transition to radial intercalation in the mouse axial mesoderm. Dev Cell 2023:S1534-5807(23)00134-X. [PMID: 37080203 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.03.018] [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: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Mesenchymal-epithelial transitions are fundamental drivers of development and disease, but how these behaviors generate epithelial structure is not well understood. Here, we show that mesenchymal-epithelial transitions promote epithelial organization in the mouse node and notochordal plate through the assembly and radial intercalation of three-dimensional rosettes. Axial mesoderm rosettes acquire junctional and apical polarity, develop a central lumen, and dynamically expand, coalesce, and radially intercalate into the surface epithelium, converting mesenchymal-epithelial transitions into higher-order tissue structure. In mouse Par3 mutants, axial mesoderm rosettes establish central tight junction polarity but fail to form an expanded apical domain and lumen. These defects are associated with altered rosette dynamics, delayed radial intercalation, and formation of a small, fragmented surface epithelial structure. These results demonstrate that three-dimensional rosette behaviors translate mesenchymal-epithelial transitions into collective radial intercalation and epithelial formation, providing a strategy for building epithelial sheets from individual self-organizing units in the mammalian embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa L Gredler
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer A Zallen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA.
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24
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Song BP, Ragsac MF, Tellez K, Jindal GA, Grudzien JL, Le SH, Farley EK. Diverse logics and grammar encode notochord enhancers. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112052. [PMID: 36729834 PMCID: PMC10387507 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The notochord is a defining feature of all chordates. The transcription factors Zic and ETS regulate enhancer activity within the notochord. We conduct high-throughput screens of genomic elements within developing Ciona embryos to understand how Zic and ETS sites encode notochord activity. Our screen discovers an enhancer located near Lama, a gene critical for notochord development. Reversing the orientation of an ETS site within this enhancer abolishes expression, indicating that enhancer grammar is critical for notochord activity. Similarly organized clusters of Zic and ETS sites occur within mouse and human Lama1 introns. Within a Brachyury (Bra) enhancer, FoxA and Bra, in combination with Zic and ETS binding sites, are necessary and sufficient for notochord expression. This binding site logic also occurs within other Ciona and vertebrate Bra enhancers. Collectively, this study uncovers the importance of grammar within notochord enhancers and discovers signatures of enhancer logic and grammar conserved across chordates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P Song
- Department of Medicine, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michelle F Ragsac
- Department of Medicine, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Krissie Tellez
- Department of Medicine, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Granton A Jindal
- Department of Medicine, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jessica L Grudzien
- Department of Medicine, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sophia H Le
- Department of Medicine, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Emma K Farley
- Department of Medicine, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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25
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Dupont C, Schäffers OJ, Tan BF, Merzouk S, Bindels EM, Zwijsen A, Huylebroeck D, Gribnau J. Efficient generation of ETX embryoids that recapitulate the entire window of murine egg cylinder development. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd2913. [PMID: 36652512 PMCID: PMC9848479 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add2913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The murine embryonic-trophoblast-extra-embryonic endoderm (ETX) model is an integrated stem cell-based model to study early postimplantation development. It is based on the self-assembly potential of embryonic, trophoblast, and hypoblast/primitive/visceral endoderm-type stem cell lines (ESC, TSC, and XEN, respectively) to arrange into postimplantation egg cylinder-like embryoids. Here, we provide an optimized method for reliable and efficient generation of ETX embryoids that develop into late gastrulation in static culture conditions. It is based on transgenic Gata6-overproducing ESCs and modified assembly and culture conditions. Using this method, up to 43% of assembled ETX embryoids exhibited a correct spatial distribution of the three stem cell derivatives at day 4 of culture. Of those, 40% progressed into ETX embryoids that both transcriptionally and morphologically faithfully mimicked in vivo postimplantation mouse development between E5.5 and E7.5. The ETX model system offers the opportunity to study the murine postimplantation egg cylinder stages and could serve as a source of various cell lineage precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathérine Dupont
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Olivier J. M. Schäffers
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Beatrice F. Tan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sarra Merzouk
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Eric M. Bindels
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - An Zwijsen
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Danny Huylebroeck
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Joost Gribnau
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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26
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Downs KM. The mouse allantois: new insights at the embryonic-extraembryonic interface. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210251. [PMID: 36252214 PMCID: PMC9574631 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
During the early development of Placentalia, a distinctive projection emerges at the posterior embryonic-extraembryonic interface of the conceptus; its fingerlike shape presages maturation into the placental umbilical cord, whose major role is to shuttle fetal blood to and from the chorion for exchange with the mother during pregnancy. Until recently, the biology of the cord's vital vascular anlage, called the body stalk/allantois in humans and simply the allantois in rodents, has been largely unknown. Here, new insights into the development of the mouse allantois are featured, from its origin and mechanism of arterial patterning through its union with the chorion. Key to generating the allantois and its critical functions are the primitive streak and visceral endoderm, which together are sufficient to create the entire fetal-placental connection. Their newly discovered roles at the embryonic-extraembryonic interface challenge conventional wisdom, including the physical limits of the primitive streak, its function as sole purveyor of mesoderm in the mouse, potency of visceral endoderm, and the putative role of the allantois in the germ line. With this working model of allantois development, understanding a plethora of hitherto poorly understood orphan diseases in humans is now within reach. This article is part of the theme issue 'Extraembryonic tissues: exploring concepts, definitions and functions across the animal kingdom'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M. Downs
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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27
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Reconstitution of reproductive organ system that produces functional oocytes. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2022; 77:101982. [PMID: 36179583 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2022.101982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Reproductive organs have unique developmental and functional properties that enable them to manage both germ cell development and the endocrine system in a sex-dependent manner. Proper reconstitution of the reproductive organs, therefore, will contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying germ cell development and sex-determination. However, reproductive organs have not yet been systematically reconstituted from pluripotent stem cells. This is largely due to technical problems in the reconstitution of the germ cell and somatic cell lineages, which have very different developmental trajectories. Accordingly, faithful construction of reproductive organoids requires that the reconstitution and evaluation of these two different cell lineages be performed separately. Here, we update the state-of-the-art in the reconstitution of reproductive organoids that produce functional oocytes.
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28
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Schwaiger M, Andrikou C, Dnyansagar R, Murguia PF, Paganos P, Voronov D, Zimmermann B, Lebedeva T, Schmidt HA, Genikhovich G, Benvenuto G, Arnone MI, Technau U. An ancestral Wnt-Brachyury feedback loop in axial patterning and recruitment of mesoderm-determining target genes. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1921-1939. [PMID: 36396969 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01905-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors are crucial drivers of cellular differentiation during animal development and often share ancient evolutionary origins. The T-box transcription factor Brachyury plays a pivotal role as an early mesoderm determinant and neural repressor in vertebrates; yet, the ancestral function and key evolutionary transitions of the role of this transcription factor remain obscure. Here, we present a genome-wide target-gene screen using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, an early branching non-bilaterian, and the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a representative of the sister lineage of chordates. Our analysis reveals an ancestral gene regulatory feedback loop connecting Brachyury, FoxA and canonical Wnt signalling involved in axial patterning that predates the cnidarian-bilaterian split about 700 million years ago. Surprisingly, we also found that part of the gene regulatory network controlling the fate of neuromesodermal progenitors in vertebrates was already present in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians. However, while several endodermal and neuronal Brachyury target genes are ancestrally shared, hardly any of the key mesodermal downstream targets in vertebrates are found in the sea anemone or the sea urchin. Our study suggests that a limited number of target genes involved in mesoderm formation were newly acquired in the vertebrate lineage, leading to a dramatic shift in the function of this ancestral developmental regulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schwaiger
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Andrikou
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rohit Dnyansagar
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Patricio Ferrer Murguia
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Danila Voronov
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
| | - Bob Zimmermann
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tatiana Lebedeva
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heiko A Schmidt
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Grigory Genikhovich
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Ulrich Technau
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Research Platform 'Single Cell Regulation of Stem Cells', University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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29
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Tyser RCV, Srinivas S. Recent advances in understanding cell types during human gastrulation. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 131:35-43. [PMID: 35606274 PMCID: PMC7615356 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Gastrulation is a fundamental process during embryonic development, conserved across all multicellular animals [1]. In the majority of metazoans, gastrulation is characterised by large scale morphogenetic remodeling, leading to the conversion of an early pluripotent embryonic cell layer into the three primary 'germ layers': an outer ectoderm, inner endoderm and intervening mesoderm layer. The morphogenesis of these three layers of cells is closely coordinated with cellular diversification, laying the foundation for the generation of the hundreds of distinct specialized cell types in the animal body. The process of gastrulation has for a long time attracted tremendous attention in a broad range of experimental systems ranging from sponges to mice. In humans the process of gastrulation starts approximately 14 days after fertilization and continues for slightly over a week. However our understanding of this important process, as it pertains to human, is limited. Donations of human fetal material at these early stages are exceptionally rare, making it nearly impossible to study human gastrulation directly. Therefore, our understanding of human gastrulation is predominantly derived from animal models such as the mouse [2,3] and from studies of limited collections of fixed whole samples and histological sections of human gastrulae [4-7], some of which date back to over a century ago. More recently we have been gaining valuable molecular insights into human gastrulation using in vitro models of hESCs [8-12] and increasingly, in vitro cultured human and non-human primate embryos [13-16]. However, while methods have been developed to culture human embryos into this stage (and probably beyond), current ethical standards prohibit the culture of human embryos past 14 days again limiting our ability to experimentally probe human gastrulation. This review discusses recent molecular insights from the study of a rare CS 7 human gastrula obtained as a live sample and raises several questions arising from this recent study that it will be interesting to address in the future using emerging models of human gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard C V Tyser
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, South Parks Road, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Shankar Srinivas
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, South Parks Road, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
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Yoney A, Bai L, Brivanlou AH, Siggia ED. Mechanisms underlying WNT-mediated priming of human embryonic stem cells. Development 2022; 149:dev200335. [PMID: 35815787 PMCID: PMC9357376 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Embryogenesis is guided by a limited set of signaling pathways dynamically expressed in different places. How a context-dependent signaling response is generated has been a central question of developmental biology, which can now be addressed with in vitro models of human embryos that are derived from embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Our previous work demonstrated that during early stages of hESC differentiation, cells chronicle signaling hierarchy. Only cells that have been exposed (primed) by WNT signaling can respond to subsequent activin exposure and differentiate to mesendodermal (ME) fates. Here, we show that WNT priming does not alter SMAD2 binding nor its chromatin opening but, instead, acts by inducing the expression of the SMAD2 co-factor EOMES. Expression of EOMES is sufficient to replace WNT upstream of activin-mediated ME differentiation, thus unveiling the mechanistic basis for priming and cellular memory in early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Yoney
- Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Laboratory of Synthetic Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Lu Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Physics, Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Ali H. Brivanlou
- Laboratory of Synthetic Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Eric D. Siggia
- Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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31
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Dienelt A, Keller KC, zur Nieden NI. High glucose impairs osteogenic differentiation of embryonic stem cells via early diversion of beta-catenin from Forkhead box O to T cell factor interaction. Birth Defects Res 2022; 114:1056-1074. [PMID: 36164276 PMCID: PMC9708100 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2085] [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: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diabetes, which is characterized by an increase in blood glucose concentration, is accompanied by low bone turnover, increased fracture risk, and the formation of embryonic skeletal malformations. Yet, there are few studies elucidating the underlying alterations in signaling pathways leading to these osteogenic defects. We hypothesized here that bone formation deficiencies in a high glucose environment result from altered activity of beta-catenin (CTNNB1), a key contributor to osteogenic differentiation, dysregulation of which has also been implicated in the development of diabetes. METHODS To test this hypothesis, we used a previously established embryonic stem cell (ESC) model of differentiation that mimics the diabetic environment of the developing embryo. We differentiated murine ESCs within osteogenic-inducing media containing either high (diabetic) or low (physiological) levels of D-glucose and performed time course analyses to study the influence of high glucose on early and late bone cell differentiation. RESULTS Endpoint measures for osteogenic differentiation were reduced in a glucose-dependent manner and expression of precursor-specific markers altered at multiple time points. Furthermore, transcriptional activity of the lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF)/T cell factor (TCF) transcription factors during precursor formation stages was significantly elevated while levels of CTNNB1 complexed with Forkhead box O 3a (FOXO3a) declined. Modulation of AKT, a known upstream regulator of both LEF/TCF and FOXO3a, as well as CTNNB1 rescued some of the reductions in osteogenic output seen in the high glucose condition. CONCLUSIONS Within our in vitro model, we found a clear involvement of LEF/TCF and FOXO3a signaling pathways in the regulation of osteogenic differentiation, which may account for the skeletal deficiencies found in newborns of diabetic mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Dienelt
- Department of Cell Therapy, Applied Stem Cell Technologies Unit, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kevin C. Keller
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology & Stem Cell Center, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Nicole I. zur Nieden
- Department of Cell Therapy, Applied Stem Cell Technologies Unit, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology & Stem Cell Center, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
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32
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Drozd AM, Mariani L, Guo X, Goitea V, Menezes NA, Ferretti E. Progesterone Receptor Modulates Extraembryonic Mesoderm and Cardiac Progenitor Specification during Mouse Gastrulation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810307. [PMID: 36142249 PMCID: PMC9499561 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Progesterone treatment is commonly employed to promote and support pregnancy. While maternal tissues are the main progesterone targets in humans and mice, its receptor (PGR) is expressed in the murine embryo, questioning its function during embryonic development. Progesterone has been previously associated with murine blastocyst development. Whether it contributes to lineage specification is largely unknown. Gastrulation initiates lineage specification and generation of the progenitors contributing to all organs. Cells passing through the primitive streak (PS) will give rise to the mesoderm and endoderm. Cells emerging posteriorly will form the extraembryonic mesodermal tissues supporting embryonic growth. Cells arising anteriorly will contribute to the embryonic heart in two sets of distinct progenitors, first (FHF) and second heart field (SHF). We found that PGR is expressed in a posterior–anterior gradient in the PS of gastrulating embryos. We established in vitro differentiation systems inducing posterior (extraembryonic) and anterior (cardiac) mesoderm to unravel PGR function. We discovered that PGR specifically modulates extraembryonic and cardiac mesoderm. Overexpression experiments revealed that PGR safeguards cardiac differentiation, blocking premature SHF progenitor specification and sustaining the FHF progenitor pool. This role of PGR in heart development indicates that progesterone administration should be closely monitored in potential early-pregnancy patients undergoing infertility treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Drozd
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Luca Mariani
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xiaogang Guo
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Victor Goitea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Niels Alvaro Menezes
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elisabetta Ferretti
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence:
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33
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Liu G, Yang G, Zhao G, Guo C, Zeng Y, Xue Y, Zeng F. Spatial transcriptomic profiling to identify mesoderm progenitors with precision genomic screening and functional confirmation. Cell Prolif 2022; 55:e13298. [PMID: 35906841 PMCID: PMC9528766 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13298] [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: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Mesoderm, derived from a new layer between epiblast and hypoblast during gastrulation, can differentiate into various tissues, including muscles, bones, kidneys, blood, and the urogenital system. However, systematic elucidation of mesoderm characteristics and specific markers remains a challenge. This study aims to screen and identify candidate genes important for mesoderm development. Materials and Methods Cells originating from the three germ layers were obtained by laser capture microdissection, followed by microcellular RNA sequencing. Mesoderm‐specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by using a combination of three bioinformatics pipelines. Candidate mesoderm‐specific genes expression were verified by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and immunohistochemistry. Functional analyses were verified by ESCs‐EBs differentiation and colony‐forming units (CFUs) assay. Results A total of 1962 differentially expressed mesoderm genes were found, out of which 50 were candidate mesoderm‐specific DEGs which mainly participate in somite development, formation of the primary germ layer, segmentation, mesoderm development, and pattern specification process by GO analysis. Representative genes Cdh2, Cdh11, Jag1, T, Fn‐1, and Pcdh7 were specifically expressed in mesoderm among the three germ layers. Pcdh7 as membrane‐associated gene has hematopoietic‐relevant functions identified by ESCs‐EBs differentiation and CFUs assay. Conclusions Spatial transcriptomic profiling with multi‐method analysis and confirmation revealed candidate mesoderm progenitors. This approach appears to be efficient and reliable and can be extended to screen and validate candidate genes in various cellular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanghui Liu
- Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanheng Yang
- Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guijun Zhao
- Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuanliang Guo
- Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yitao Zeng
- Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Xue
- Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Department of Histo-Embryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Embryogenesis and Developmental Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo and Reproduction Engineering, Shanghai, China
| | - Fanyi Zeng
- Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Department of Histo-Embryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Embryogenesis and Developmental Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo and Reproduction Engineering, Shanghai, China.,School of Pharmacy, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
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Zhao T, McMahon M, Reynolds K, Saha SK, Stokes A, Zhou CJ. The role of Lrp6-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the development and intervention of spinal neural tube defects in mice. Dis Model Mech 2022; 15:275313. [PMID: 35514236 PMCID: PMC9194482 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are among the common and severe birth defects with poorly understood etiology. Mutations in the Wnt co-receptor LRP6 are associated with NTDs in humans. Either gain-of-function (GOF) or loss-of-function (LOF) mutations of Lrp6 can cause NTDs in mice. NTDs in Lrp6-GOF mutants may be attributed to altered β-catenin-independent noncanonical Wnt signaling. However, the mechanisms underlying NTDs in Lrp6-LOF mutants and the role of Lrp6-mediated canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling in neural tube closure remain unresolved. We previously demonstrated that β-catenin signaling is required for posterior neuropore (PNP) closure. In the current study, conditional ablation of Lrp6 in dorsal PNP caused spinal NTDs with diminished activities of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and its downstream target gene Pax3, which is required for PNP closure. β-catenin-GOF rescued NTDs in Lrp6-LOF mutants. Moreover, maternal supplementation of a Wnt/β-catenin signaling agonist reduced the frequency and severity of spinal NTDs in Lrp6-LOF mutants by restoring Pax3 expression. Together, these results demonstrate the essential role of Lrp6-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling in PNP closure, which could also provide a therapeutic target for NTD intervention through manipulation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling activities. Summary: Conditional ablation of Lrp6 in dorsal neural folds causes spinal neural tube defects that can be rescued by genetic activation of β-catenin or maternal supplementation of Wnt signaling agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyu Zhao
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine of Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Moira McMahon
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine of Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Kurt Reynolds
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine of Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Subbroto Kumar Saha
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine of Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Arjun Stokes
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine of Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Chengji J Zhou
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine of Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
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35
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Meister L, Escriva H, Bertrand S. Functions of the FGF signalling pathway in cephalochordates provide insight into the evolution of the prechordal plate. Development 2022; 149:275365. [PMID: 35575387 PMCID: PMC9188755 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling pathway plays various roles during vertebrate embryogenesis, from mesoderm formation to brain patterning. This diversity of functions relies on the fact that vertebrates possess the largest FGF gene complement among metazoans. In the cephalochordate amphioxus, which belongs to the chordate clade together with vertebrates and tunicates, we have previously shown that the main role of FGF during early development is the control of rostral somite formation. Inhibition of this signalling pathway induces the loss of these structures, resulting in an embryo without anterior segmented mesoderm, as in the vertebrate head. Here, by combining several approaches, we show that the anterior presumptive paraxial mesoderm cells acquire an anterior axial fate when FGF signal is inhibited and that they are later incorporated in the anterior notochord. Our analysis of notochord formation in wild type and in embryos in which FGF signalling is inhibited also reveals that amphioxus anterior notochord presents transient prechordal plate features. Altogether, our results give insight into how changes in FGF functions during chordate evolution might have participated to the emergence of the complex vertebrate head. Summary: FGF signalling inhibition in cephalochordates induces a loss of anteriormost somites. After FGFR inhibition, the presomitic anterior region cells are incorporated in the anterior notochord which transiently present prechordal plate features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydvina Meister
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Hector Escriva
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Stéphanie Bertrand
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
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36
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Hickman TT, Rathan-Kumar S, Peck SH. Development, Pathogenesis, and Regeneration of the Intervertebral Disc: Current and Future Insights Spanning Traditional to Omics Methods. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:841831. [PMID: 35359439 PMCID: PMC8963184 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.841831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The intervertebral disc (IVD) is the fibrocartilaginous joint located between each vertebral body that confers flexibility and weight bearing capabilities to the spine. The IVD plays an important role in absorbing shock and stress applied to the spine, which helps to protect not only the vertebral bones, but also the brain and the rest of the central nervous system. Degeneration of the IVD is correlated with back pain, which can be debilitating and severely affects quality of life. Indeed, back pain results in substantial socioeconomic losses and healthcare costs globally each year, with about 85% of the world population experiencing back pain at some point in their lifetimes. Currently, therapeutic strategies for treating IVD degeneration are limited, and as such, there is great interest in advancing treatments for back pain. Ideally, treatments for back pain would restore native structure and thereby function to the degenerated IVD. However, the complex developmental origin and tissue composition of the IVD along with the avascular nature of the mature disc makes regeneration of the IVD a uniquely challenging task. Investigators across the field of IVD research have been working to elucidate the mechanisms behind the formation of this multifaceted structure, which may identify new therapeutic targets and inform development of novel regenerative strategies. This review summarizes current knowledge base on IVD development, degeneration, and regenerative strategies taken from traditional genetic approaches and omics studies and discusses the future landscape of investigations in IVD research and advancement of clinical therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara T. Hickman
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Sudiksha Rathan-Kumar
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Sun H. Peck
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- *Correspondence: Sun H. Peck,
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37
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Campbell GP, Farkas DR, Chapman DL. Ectopic expression of T in the paraxial mesoderm disrupts somite maturation in the mouse. Dev Biol 2022; 485:37-49. [PMID: 35276131 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.02.010] [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: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
T is the founding member of the T-box family of transcription factors; family members are critical for cell fate decisions and tissue morphogenesis throughout the animal kingdom. T is expressed in the primitive streak and notochord with mouse mutant studies revealing its critical role in mesoderm formation in the primitive streak and notochord integrity. We previously demonstrated that misexpression of Tbx6 in the paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm results in embryos resembling Tbx15 and Tbx18 nulls. This, together with results from in vitro transcriptional assays, suggested that ectopically expressed Tbx6 can compete with endogenously expressed Tbx15 and Tbx18 at the binding sites of target genes. Since T-box proteins share a similar DNA binding domain, we hypothesized that misexpressing T in the paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm would also interfere with the endogenous Tbx15 and Tbx18, causing embryonic phenotypes resembling those seen upon Tbx6 expression in the somites and limbs. Interestingly, ectopic T expression led to distinct embryonic phenotypes, specifically, reduced-sized somites in embryos expressing the highest levels of T, which ultimately affects axis length and neural tube morphogenesis. We further demonstrate that ectopic T leads to ectopic expression of Tbx6 and Mesogenin 1, known targets of T. These results suggests that ectopic T expression contributes to the phenotype by activating its own targets rather than via a straight competition with endogenous T-box factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Campbell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Deborah R Farkas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Deborah L Chapman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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38
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Russo L, Sladitschek HL, Neveu PA. Multi-layered regulation of neuroectoderm differentiation by retinoic acid in a primitive streak-like context. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:231-244. [PMID: 35063128 PMCID: PMC8828549 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of the primitive streak (PS) and the subsequent induction of neuroectoderm are hallmarks of gastrulation. Combining an in vitro reconstitution of this process based on mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) with a collection of knockouts in reporter mESC lines, we identified retinoic acid (RA) as a critical mediator of early neural induction triggered by TGFβ or Wnt signaling inhibition. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis captured the temporal unfolding of cell type diversification, up to the emergence of somite and neural fates. In the absence of the RA-synthesizing enzyme Aldh1a2, a sensitive RA reporter revealed a hitherto unidentified residual RA signaling that specified neural fate. Genetic evidence showed that the RA-degrading enzyme Cyp26a1 protected PS-like cells from neural induction, even in the absence of TGFβ and Wnt antagonists. Overall, we characterized a multi-layered control of RA levels that regulates early neural differentiation in an in vitro PS-like system. In vitro reconstitution of neural induction by primitive streak-like cells Retinoic acid mediates neural induction triggered by TGFβ or Wnt signaling inhibition A sensitive activity reporter reveals Aldh1a2-independent retinoic acid signaling Cyp26a1 protects primitive streak-like cells from neural induction
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Russo
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany; Joint PhD Degree from EMBL and Heidelberg University, Faculty of Biosciences, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hanna L Sladitschek
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pierre A Neveu
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
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39
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Schifferl D, Scholze-Wittler M, Wittler L, Veenvliet JV, Koch F, Herrmann BG. A 37 kb region upstream of brachyury comprising a notochord enhancer is essential for notochord and tail development. Development 2021; 148:273520. [PMID: 34822716 PMCID: PMC8722351 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The node-streak border region comprising notochord progenitor cells (NPCs) at the posterior node and neuro-mesodermal progenitor cells (NMPs) in the adjacent epiblast is the prime organizing center for axial elongation in mouse embryos. The T-box transcription factor brachyury (T) is essential for both formation of the notochord and maintenance of NMPs, and thus is a key regulator of trunk and tail development. The T promoter controlling T expression in NMPs and nascent mesoderm has been characterized in detail; however, control elements for T expression in the notochord have not been identified yet. We have generated a series of deletion alleles by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in mESCs, and analyzed their effects in mutant mouse embryos. We identified a 37 kb region upstream of T that is essential for notochord function and tailbud outgrowth. Within that region, we discovered a T-binding enhancer required for notochord cell specification and differentiation. Our data reveal a complex regulatory landscape controlling cell type-specific expression and function of T in NMP/nascent mesoderm and node/notochord, allowing proper trunk and tail development. Summary: Genetic dissection of the mouse brachyury locus identifies a notochord enhancer and predicts additional control elements essential for trunk and tail development of the mouse embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Schifferl
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department of Developmental Genetics, Ihnestr. 63-73, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Manuela Scholze-Wittler
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department of Developmental Genetics, Ihnestr. 63-73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Wittler
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department of Developmental Genetics, Ihnestr. 63-73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jesse V Veenvliet
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department of Developmental Genetics, Ihnestr. 63-73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Frederic Koch
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department of Developmental Genetics, Ihnestr. 63-73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernhard G Herrmann
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department of Developmental Genetics, Ihnestr. 63-73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Binagui-Casas A, Dias A, Guillot C, Metzis V, Saunders D. Building consensus in neuromesodermal research: Current advances and future biomedical perspectives. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 73:133-140. [PMID: 34717142 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The development of the vertebrate body axis relies on the activity of different populations of axial progenitors, including neuromesodermal progenitors. Currently, the term 'Neuromesodermal progenitors' is associated with various definitions. Here, we use distinct terminologies to highlight advances in our understanding of this cell type at both the single-cell and population levels. We discuss how these recent insights prompt new opportunities to address a range of biomedical questions spanning cancer metastasis, congenital disorders, cellular metabolism, regenerative medicine, and evolution. Finally, we outline some of the major unanswered questions and propose future directions at the forefront of neuromesodermal research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anahí Binagui-Casas
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - André Dias
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal.
| | - Charlène Guillot
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital & Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, USA; Institute of Genetics, Reproduction and Development, Medical school, University of Clermont Auvergne, 28, Place Henri Dunant, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Vicki Metzis
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Dillan Saunders
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
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Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Vascular Cells: Recent Progress and Future Directions. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2021; 8:jcdd8110148. [PMID: 34821701 PMCID: PMC8622843 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd8110148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold great promise for cardiovascular regeneration following ischemic injury. Considerable effort has been made toward the development and optimization of methods to differentiate hiPSCs into vascular cells, such as endothelial and smooth muscle cells (ECs and SMCs). In particular, hiPSC-derived ECs have shown robust potential for promoting neovascularization in animal models of cardiovascular diseases, potentially achieving significant and sustained therapeutic benefits. However, the use of hiPSC-derived SMCs that possess high therapeutic relevance is a relatively new area of investigation, still in the earlier investigational stages. In this review, we first discuss different methodologies to derive vascular cells from hiPSCs with a particular emphasis on the role of key developmental signals. Furthermore, we propose a standardized framework for assessing and defining the EC and SMC identity that might be suitable for inducing tissue repair and regeneration. We then highlight the regenerative effects of hiPSC-derived vascular cells on animal models of myocardial infarction and hindlimb ischemia. Finally, we address several obstacles that need to be overcome to fully implement the use of hiPSC-derived vascular cells for clinical application.
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Świerczek-Lasek B, Dudka D, Bauer D, Czajkowski T, Ilach K, Streminska W, Kominek A, Piwocka K, Ciemerych MA, Archacka K. Comparison of Differentiation Pattern and WNT/SHH Signaling in Pluripotent Stem Cells Cultured under Different Conditions. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102743. [PMID: 34685722 PMCID: PMC8534321 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are characterized by the ability to self-renew as well as undergo multidirectional differentiation. Culture conditions have a pivotal influence on differentiation pattern. In the current study, we compared the fate of mouse PSCs using two culture media: (1) chemically defined, free of animal reagents, and (2) standard one relying on the serum supplementation. Moreover, we assessed the influence of selected regulators (WNTs, SHH) on PSC differentiation. We showed that the differentiation pattern of PSCs cultured in both systems differed significantly: cells cultured in chemically defined medium preferentially underwent ectodermal conversion while their endo- and mesodermal differentiation was limited, contrary to cells cultured in serum-supplemented medium. More efficient ectodermal differentiation of PSCs cultured in chemically defined medium correlated with higher activity of SHH pathway while endodermal and mesodermal conversion of cells cultured in serum-supplemented medium with higher activity of WNT/JNK pathway. However, inhibition of either canonical or noncanonical WNT pathway resulted in the limitation of endo- and mesodermal conversion of PSCs. In addition, blocking WNT secretion led to the inhibition of PSC mesodermal differentiation, confirming the pivotal role of WNT signaling in this process. In contrast, SHH turned out to be an inducer of PSC ectodermal, not mesodermal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Świerczek-Lasek
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Damian Dudka
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Damian Bauer
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Tomasz Czajkowski
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Katarzyna Ilach
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Władysława Streminska
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Agata Kominek
- Laboratory of Cytometry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (A.K.); (K.P.)
| | - Katarzyna Piwocka
- Laboratory of Cytometry, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (A.K.); (K.P.)
| | - Maria A. Ciemerych
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Karolina Archacka
- Department of Cytology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; (B.Ś.-L.); (D.D.); (D.B.); (T.C.); (K.I.); (W.S.); (M.A.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-22-55-42-203
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DeMaria PJ, Lee-Wisdom K, Donahue RN, Madan RA, Karzai F, Schwab A, Palena C, Jochems C, Floudas C, Strauss J, Marté JL, Redman JM, Dombi E, Widemann B, Korchin B, Adams T, Pico-Navarro C, Heery C, Schlom J, Gulley JL, Bilusic M. Phase 1 open-label trial of intravenous administration of MVA-BN-brachyury-TRICOM vaccine in patients with advanced cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003238. [PMID: 34479925 PMCID: PMC8420671 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background MVA-BN-brachyury-TRICOM is a recombinant vector-based therapeutic cancer vaccine designed to induce an immune response against brachyury. Brachyury, a transcription factor overexpressed in advanced cancers, has been associated with treatment resistance, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and metastatic potential. MVA-BN-brachyury-TRICOM has demonstrated immunogenicity and safety in previous clinical trials of subcutaneously administered vaccine. Preclinical studies have suggested that intravenous administration of therapeutic vaccines can induce superior CD8+ T cell responses, higher levels of systemic cytokine release, and stronger natural killer cell activation and proliferation. This is the first-in-human study of the intravenous administration of MVA-BN-brachyury-TRICOM. Methods Between January 2020 and March 2021, 13 patients were treated on a phase 1, open-label, 3+3 design, dose-escalation study at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. The study population was adults with advanced solid tumors and was enriched for chordoma, a rare sarcoma of the notochord that overexpresses brachyury. Vaccine was administered intravenously at three DLs on days 1, 22, and 43. Blood samples were taken to assess drug pharmacokinetics and immune activation. Imaging was conducted at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months post-treatment. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability as determined by the frequency of dose-limiting toxicities; a secondary endpoint was determination of the recommended phase 2 dose. Results No dose-limiting toxicities were observed and no serious adverse events were attributed to the vaccine. Vaccine-related toxicities were consistent with class profile (ie, influenza-like symptoms). Cytokine release syndrome up to grade 2 was observed with no adverse outcomes. Dose-effect trend was observed for fever, chills/rigor, and hypotension. Efficacy analysis of objective response rate per RECIST 1.1 at the end of study showed one patient with a partial response, four with stable disease, and eight with progressive disease. Three patients with stable disease experienced clinical benefit in the form of improvement in pain. Immune correlatives showed T cell activation against brachyury and other tumor-associated cascade antigens. Conclusions Intravenous administration of MVA-BN-brachyury-TRICOM vaccine was safe and tolerable. Maximum tolerated dose was not reached. The maximum administered dose was 109 infectious units every 3 weeks for three doses. This dose was selected as the recommended phase 2 dose. Trial registration number NCT04134312.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J DeMaria
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Katherine Lee-Wisdom
- Medical Oncology Service, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Renee N Donahue
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ravi A Madan
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Fatima Karzai
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Angie Schwab
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Claudia Palena
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Caroline Jochems
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Charalampos Floudas
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Julius Strauss
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jennifer L Marté
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jason Mark Redman
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Eva Dombi
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Brigitte Widemann
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Borys Korchin
- Oncology Strategy, Bavarian Nordic Inc, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Cesar Pico-Navarro
- Oncology Strategy, Bavarian Nordic Inc, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey Schlom
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - James L Gulley
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Marijo Bilusic
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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44
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Kalds P, Luo Q, Sun K, Zhou S, Chen Y, Wang X. Trends towards revealing the genetic architecture of sheep tail patterning: Promising genes and investigatory pathways. Anim Genet 2021; 52:799-812. [PMID: 34472112 DOI: 10.1111/age.13133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Different sheep breeds have evolved after initial domestication, generating various tail phenotypic patterns. The phenotypic diversity of sheep tail patterns offers ideal materials for comparative analysis of its genetic basis. Evolutionary biologists, animal geneticists, breeders, and producers have been curious to clearly understand the underlying genetics behind phenotypic differences in sheep tails. Understanding the causal gene(s) and mutation(s) underlying these differences will help probe an evolutionary riddle, improve animal production performance, promote animal welfare, and provide lessons that help comprehend human diseases related to fat deposition (i.e., obesity). Historically, fat tails have served as an adaptive response to aridification and climate change. However, the fat tail is currently associated with compromised mating and animal locomotion, fat distribution in the animal body, increased raising costs, reduced consumer preference, and other animal welfare issues such as tail docking. The developing genomic approaches provide unprecedented opportunities to determine causal variants underlying phenotypic differences among populations. In the last decade, researchers have performed several genomic investigations to assess the genomic causality underlying phenotypic variations in sheep tails. Various genes have been suggested with the prominence of several potentially significant causatives, including the BMP2 and PDGFD genes associated with the fat tail phenotype and the TBXT gene linked with the caudal vertebrae number and tail length. Although the potential genes related to sheep tail characteristics have been revealed, the causal variant(s) and mutation(s) of these high-ranking candidate genes are still elusive and need further investigation. The review discusses the potential genes, sheds light on a knowledge gap, and provides possible investigative approaches that could help determine the specific genomic causatives of sheep tail patterns. Besides, characterizing and revealing the genetic determinism of sheep tails will help solve issues compromising sheep breeding and welfare in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Kalds
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.,Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, El-Arish, Egypt
| | - Q Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - K Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - S Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Y Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - X Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
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45
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Abrahao-Machado LF, Pinto F, Antunes B, Volc S, Boldrini E, Camargo OPD, Reis RM. Clinical impact of brachyury expression in Ewing sarcoma patients. Adv Med Sci 2021; 66:321-325. [PMID: 34273746 DOI: 10.1016/j.advms.2021.06.002] [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: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The T-box transcription factor brachyury has been demonstrated as a prognostic factor in a variety of cancer types and considered a novel oncotarget in solid tumors. Brachyury acts as a regulator of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, leading to more aggressive behavior and poorer prognosis. However, recent literature evidence suggests a tumor suppressor role in other neoplasms. In the present study, we aimed to study brachyury expression and its prognostic impact in Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive neoplasm of young individuals. METHODS We analyzed the expression of brachyury by immunohistochemistry in a series of 96 Ewing sarcomas in a tissue microarray and investigated the association of the protein expression with the clinical parameters and overall survival. RESULTS More than half of the cases (51%, n = 49) depicted positive nuclear brachyury expression, while a lack of expression was observed in 49% (n = 47) of cases. Nuclear brachyury staining was significantly associated with non-white ethnicity (p = 0.04) and axial localization (p = 0.025). Importantly, lack of brachyury expression was significantly associated with lower overall survival in multivariate analyses (hazard ratio - HR: 2.227, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate, that brachyury is an independent prognostic biomarker in Ewing sarcoma, which might suggest a tumor suppressor role and which yet to be fully elucidated.
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Yoshino T, Suzuki T, Nagamatsu G, Yabukami H, Ikegaya M, Kishima M, Kita H, Imamura T, Nakashima K, Nishinakamura R, Tachibana M, Inoue M, Shima Y, Morohashi KI, Hayashi K. Generation of ovarian follicles from mouse pluripotent stem cells. Science 2021; 373:373/6552/eabe0237. [PMID: 34437124 DOI: 10.1126/science.abe0237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Oocytes mature in a specialized fluid-filled sac, the ovarian follicle, which provides signals needed for meiosis and germ cell growth. Methods have been developed to generate functional oocytes from pluripotent stem cell-derived primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) when placed in culture with embryonic ovarian somatic cells. In this study, we developed culture conditions to recreate the stepwise differentiation process from pluripotent cells to fetal ovarian somatic cell-like cells (FOSLCs). When FOSLCs were aggregated with PGCLCs derived from mouse embryonic stem cells, the PGCLCs entered meiosis to generate functional oocytes capable of fertilization and development to live offspring. Generating functional mouse oocytes in a reconstituted ovarian environment provides a method for in vitro oocyte production and follicle generation for a better understanding of mammalian reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Yoshino
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takahiro Suzuki
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.,Functional Genomics, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Go Nagamatsu
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Haruka Yabukami
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Mika Ikegaya
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Mami Kishima
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Haruka Kita
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takuya Imamura
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.,RNA Biology and Epigenomics Team/LMCP, Program of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima 739-8511, Japan
| | - Kinichi Nakashima
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Nishinakamura
- Department of Kidney Development, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan
| | - Makoto Tachibana
- Laboratory of Epigenome Dynamics, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Miki Inoue
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yuichi Shima
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City 812-8582, Japan.,Department of Systems Life Sciences, Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City 812-8582, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki City, 701-0192 Okayama Prefecture, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichirou Morohashi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City 812-8582, Japan.,Department of Systems Life Sciences, Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City 812-8582, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Hayashi
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
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Scheibner K, Schirge S, Burtscher I, Büttner M, Sterr M, Yang D, Böttcher A, Ansarullah, Irmler M, Beckers J, Cernilogar FM, Schotta G, Theis FJ, Lickert H. Epithelial cell plasticity drives endoderm formation during gastrulation. Nat Cell Biol 2021; 23:692-703. [PMID: 34168324 PMCID: PMC8277579 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-021-00694-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
It is generally accepted that epiblast cells ingress into the primitive streak by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to give rise to the mesoderm; however, it is less clear how the endoderm acquires an epithelial fate. Here, we used embryonic stem cell and mouse embryo knock-in reporter systems to combine time-resolved lineage labelling with high-resolution single-cell transcriptomics. This allowed us to resolve the morphogenetic programs that segregate the mesoderm from the endoderm germ layer. Strikingly, while the mesoderm is formed by classical EMT, the endoderm is formed independent of the key EMT transcription factor Snail1 by mechanisms of epithelial cell plasticity. Importantly, forkhead box transcription factor A2 (Foxa2) acts as an epithelial gatekeeper and EMT suppressor to shield the endoderm from undergoing a mesenchymal transition. Altogether, these results not only establish the morphogenetic details of germ layer formation, but also have broader implications for stem cell differentiation and cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Scheibner
- Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Silvia Schirge
- Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Ingo Burtscher
- Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Maren Büttner
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Sterr
- Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Dapeng Yang
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anika Böttcher
- Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Ansarullah
- Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Irmler
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Beckers
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
| | - Filippo M Cernilogar
- Division of Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Gunnar Schotta
- Division of Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian J Theis
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Department of Mathematics, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
- School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
| | - Heiko Lickert
- Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany.
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany.
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.
- School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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Feng X, Cheung JPY, Je JSH, Cheung PWH, Chen S, Yue M, Wang N, Choi VNT, Yang X, Song YQ, Luk KDK, Gao B. Genetic variants of TBX6 and TBXT identified in patients with congenital scoliosis in Southern China. J Orthop Res 2021; 39:971-988. [PMID: 32672867 DOI: 10.1002/jor.24805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Congenital scoliosis (CS) is a spinal deformity present at birth due to underlying congenital vertebral malformation (CVM) that occurs during embryonic development. Hemivertebrae is the most common anomaly that causes CS. Recently, compound heterozygosity in TBX6 has been identified in Northern Chinese, Japanese, and European CS patient cohorts, which explains about 7%-10% of the affected population. In this report, we recruited 67 CS patients characterized with hemivertebrae in the Southern Chinese population and investigated the TBX6 variant and risk haplotype. We found that two patients with hemivertebrae in the thoracic spine and one patient with hemivertebrae in the lumbar spine carry the previously defined pathogenic TBX6 compound heterozygous variants. In addition, whole exome sequencing of patients with CS and their family members identified a de novo missense mutation (c.G47T: p.R16L) in another member of the T-box family, TBXT. This rare mutation compromised the binding of TBXT to its target sequence, leading to reduced transcriptional activity, and exhibited dominant-negative effect on wild-type TBXT. Our findings further highlight the importance of T-box family genes in the development of congenital scoliosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Feng
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Jason Pui Yin Cheung
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Jimmy S H Je
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Prudence W H Cheung
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Shuxia Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ming Yue
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Ni Wang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Vanessa N T Choi
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Xueyan Yang
- The State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - You-Qiang Song
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Keith D K Luk
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Bo Gao
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Soeda S, Saito R, Fujii A, Tojo S, Tokumura Y, Taniura H. Abnormal DNA methylation in pluripotent stem cells from a patient with Prader-Willi syndrome results in neuronal differentiation defects. Stem Cell Res 2021; 53:102351. [PMID: 33895503 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2021.102351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is a common method of gene expression regulation, and this form of regulation occurs in the neurodevelopmental disorder Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Gene expression regulation via methylation is important for humans, although there is little understanding of the role of methylation in neuronal differentiation. We characterized the cellular differentiation potential of iPS cells derived from a patient with PWS with abnormal methylation (M-iPWS cells). A comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) array revealed that, unlike iPWS cells (deletion genes type), the abnormally methylated M-iPWS cells had no deletion in the15q11.2-q13 chromosome region. In addition, methylation-specific PCR showed that M-iPWS cells had strong methylation in CpG island of the small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide N (SNRPN) on both alleles. To assess the effect of abnormal methylation on cell differentiation, the M-iPWS and iPWS cells were induced to differentiate into embryoid bodies (EBs). The results suggest that iPWS and M-iPWS cells are defective at differentiation into ectoderm. Neural stem cells (NSCs) and neurons derived from M-iPWS cells had fewer NSCs and mature neurons with low expression of NSCs and neuronal markers. We conclude that expression of the downstream of genes in the PWS region regulated by methylation is involved in neuronal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhei Soeda
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga 525-8577, Japan.
| | - Ryo Saito
- Advanced Clinical Research Center, Southern Tohoku Research Institute for Neuroscience, Kanagawa 215-0026, Japan; Core Research Facilities for Basic Science, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8471, Japan
| | - Ai Fujii
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
| | - Shusei Tojo
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
| | - Yuka Tokumura
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
| | - Hideo Taniura
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
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Goliusova DV, Klementieva NV, Panova AV, Mokrysheva NG, Kiselev SL. The Role of Genetic Factors in Endocrine Tissues Development and Its Regulation In Vivo and In Vitro. RUSS J GENET+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s102279542103008x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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