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Chu L, Xie D, Xu D. Epigenetic Regulation of Fibroblasts and Crosstalk between Cardiomyocytes and Non-Myocyte Cells in Cardiac Fibrosis. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1382. [PMID: 37759781 PMCID: PMC10526373 DOI: 10.3390/biom13091382] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms and cell crosstalk have been shown to play important roles in the initiation and progression of cardiac fibrosis. This review article aims to provide a thorough overview of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in fibroblast regulation. During fibrosis, fibroblast epigenetic regulation encompasses a multitude of mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone acetylation and methylation, and chromatin remodeling. These mechanisms regulate the phenotype of fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix composition by modulating gene expression, thereby orchestrating the progression of cardiac fibrosis. Moreover, cardiac fibrosis disrupts normal cardiac function by imposing myocardial mechanical stress and compromising cardiac electrical conduction. This review article also delves into the intricate crosstalk between cardiomyocytes and non-cardiomyocytes in the heart. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms governing epigenetic regulation and cell crosstalk in cardiac fibrosis is critical for the development of effective therapeutic strategies. Further research is warranted to unravel the precise molecular mechanisms underpinning these processes and to identify potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dachun Xu
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 315 Yanchang Middle Road, Shanghai 200072, China; (L.C.); (D.X.)
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2
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Tang CY, Zhang X, Xu X, Sun S, Peng C, Song MH, Yan C, Sun H, Liu M, Xie L, Luo SJ, Li JT. Genetic mapping and molecular mechanism behind color variation in the Asian vine snake. Genome Biol 2023; 24:46. [PMID: 36895044 PMCID: PMC9999515 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02887-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reptiles exhibit a wide variety of skin colors, which serve essential roles in survival and reproduction. However, the molecular basis of these conspicuous colors remains unresolved. RESULTS We investigate color morph-enriched Asian vine snakes (Ahaetulla prasina), to explore the mechanism underpinning color variations. Transmission electron microscopy imaging and metabolomics analysis indicates that chromatophore morphology (mainly iridophores) is the main basis for differences in skin color. Additionally, we assemble a 1.77-Gb high-quality chromosome-anchored genome of the snake. Genome-wide association study and RNA sequencing reveal a conservative amino acid substitution (p.P20S) in SMARCE1, which may be involved in the regulation of chromatophore development initiated from neural crest cells. SMARCE1 knockdown in zebrafish and immunofluorescence verify the interactions among SMARCE1, iridophores, and tfec, which may determine color variations in the Asian vine snake. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals the genetic associations of color variation in Asian vine snakes, providing insights and important resources for a deeper understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms related to reptilian coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Yang Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiaohu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Sichuan University-The Chinese University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- The State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Shijie Sun
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Sichuan University-The Chinese University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Changjun Peng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Meng-Huan Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chaochao Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Huaqin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Sichuan University-The Chinese University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Mingfeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Sichuan University-The Chinese University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Liang Xie
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Shu-Jin Luo
- The State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jia-Tang Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.
- Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yezin Nay Pyi Taw, 05282, Myanmar.
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3
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Wu Y, Hao Y, Yu G, Li L, Wang S, Li X, Zhang Z, Zou S, Liu Z, Fan P, Shi Y. Quantitative proteomics reveals the therapeutic effects of RFAP against depression via pathway regulation of long-term depression and potentiation. Heliyon 2023; 9:e13429. [PMID: 36873540 PMCID: PMC9976212 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance RFAP is a compound extraction complex of four Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including the dry bark of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Radix Paeoniae Alba), Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis (Fructus Gardeniae), Albizia julibrissin Durazz. (Albizia julibrissin Durazz), and Paeonia × suffruticosa Andrews (Peony bark). Not only RFAP but also the individual ingredients have been commonly used for the treatment of depression in the clinic. However, the underlying mechanism of pharmacology is difficult to interpret since its holistic and multidrug nature. Aim of the study This study aimed to elucidate the potential antidepressant mechanism of RFAP in the treatment of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rats' model via the quantitative proteomics approach. Materials and methods We established the CUMS rats' model and evaluated the efficacy of RFAP using multiple behavior assays, including the sugar preference test, open field test, and forced swimming test. Then label-free quantitative proteomics analyses were performed to evaluate the integrated changes of proteome profiling in control, CUMS, RFAP low dose, and RFAP high dose groups. Finally, we validated the critical changed proteins in the pathways of long-term depression and potentiation via RT-PCR and Western blotting assays. Results We successfully established the CUMS rats' model. The behavior assays indicated that the rats demonstrated a tendency to behavioral despair after four weeks. Label-free quantitative proteomics showed that 107 proteins were significantly upregulated and 163 proteins were downregulated in the CUMS group compared to the control group. These differentially expressed proteins were involved in long-term potentiation, long-term depression, nervous system development, neuronal synaptic structural constituent of ribosome, ATP metabolic process, learning or memory, and cellular lipid metabolic process. RFAP treatment partially restored the differentially expressed protein profile. The protective effect of RFAP on behavioral assessment were consistent with the results of proteomics. Conclusions The results indicated that RFAP exerted a synergistic effect on CUMS by regulating long-term inhibition and potentiation-related proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China
| | - Ying Hao
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Guohua Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China
| | - Li Li
- Chenland Nutritionals, Inc., Irvine, CA, 92614, USA
| | | | - Xin Li
- Chenland Nutritionals, Inc., Irvine, CA, 92614, USA
| | - Zengliang Zhang
- Traditional Chinese Medicine College, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Jinshan Development Zone Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 010110, China
| | - Shengcan Zou
- Chenland Nutritionals, Inc., Irvine, CA, 92614, USA
| | - Zimin Liu
- Chenland Nutritionals, Inc., Irvine, CA, 92614, USA
| | - Pengcheng Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yuanyuan Shi
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.,Shenzhen Research Institute, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518118, China
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4
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Gurung S, Restrepo NK, Chestnut B, Klimkaite L, Sumanas S. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of vascular endothelial cells in zebrafish embryos. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13065. [PMID: 35906287 PMCID: PMC9338088 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17127-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial cells exhibit substantial phenotypic and transcriptional heterogeneity which is established during early embryogenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in establishing endothelial cell diversity are still not well understood. Zebrafish has emerged as an advantageous model to study vascular development. Despite its importance, the single-cell transcriptomic profile of vascular endothelial cells during zebrafish development is still missing. To address this, we applied single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of vascular endothelial cells isolated from zebrafish embryos at the 24 hpf stage. Six distinct clusters or subclusters related to vascular endothelial cells were identified which include arterial, two venous, cranial, endocardial and endothelial progenitor cell subtypes. Furthermore, we validated our findings by characterizing novel markers for arterial, venous, and endocardial cells. We experimentally confirmed the presence of two transcriptionally different venous cell subtypes, demonstrating heterogeneity among venous endothelial cells at this early developmental stage. This dataset will be a valuable resource for future functional characterization of vascular endothelial cells and interrogation of molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment of their heterogeneity and cell-fate decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Gurung
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, USF Health Heart Institute, University of South Florida, 560 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL, 33602, USA
| | - Nicole K Restrepo
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, USF Health Heart Institute, University of South Florida, 560 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL, 33602, USA
| | - Brendan Chestnut
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Laurita Klimkaite
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Saulius Sumanas
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA. .,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, USF Health Heart Institute, University of South Florida, 560 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL, 33602, USA.
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5
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Gonzalez-Teran B, Pittman M, Felix F, Thomas R, Richmond-Buccola D, Hüttenhain R, Choudhary K, Moroni E, Costa MW, Huang Y, Padmanabhan A, Alexanian M, Lee CY, Maven BEJ, Samse-Knapp K, Morton SU, McGregor M, Gifford CA, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Gelb BD, Colombo G, Conklin BR, Black BL, Bruneau BG, Krogan NJ, Pollard KS, Srivastava D. Transcription factor protein interactomes reveal genetic determinants in heart disease. Cell 2022; 185:794-814.e30. [PMID: 35182466 PMCID: PMC8923057 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is present in 1% of live births, yet identification of causal mutations remains challenging. We hypothesized that genetic determinants for CHDs may lie in the protein interactomes of transcription factors whose mutations cause CHDs. Defining the interactomes of two transcription factors haplo-insufficient in CHD, GATA4 and TBX5, within human cardiac progenitors, and integrating the results with nearly 9,000 exomes from proband-parent trios revealed an enrichment of de novo missense variants associated with CHD within the interactomes. Scoring variants of interactome members based on residue, gene, and proband features identified likely CHD-causing genes, including the epigenetic reader GLYR1. GLYR1 and GATA4 widely co-occupied and co-activated cardiac developmental genes, and the identified GLYR1 missense variant disrupted interaction with GATA4, impairing in vitro and in vivo function in mice. This integrative proteomic and genetic approach provides a framework for prioritizing and interrogating genetic variants in heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Gonzalez-Teran
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maureen Pittman
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Institute for Computational Health Sciences, and Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Franco Felix
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Desmond Richmond-Buccola
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ruth Hüttenhain
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Mauro W Costa
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yu Huang
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Arun Padmanabhan
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael Alexanian
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Clara Youngna Lee
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Bonnie E J Maven
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA; Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kaitlen Samse-Knapp
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sarah U Morton
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael McGregor
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Casey A Gifford
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - J G Seidman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christine E Seidman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bruce D Gelb
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Bruce R Conklin
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Brian L Black
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Benoit G Bruneau
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA; Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nevan J Krogan
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Katherine S Pollard
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Institute for Computational Health Sciences, and Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Deepak Srivastava
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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Lowe V, Wisniewski L, Pellet-Many C. The Zebrafish Cardiac Endothelial Cell-Roles in Development and Regeneration. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2021; 8:jcdd8050049. [PMID: 34062899 PMCID: PMC8147271 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd8050049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In zebrafish, the spatiotemporal development of the vascular system is well described due to its stereotypical nature. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms orchestrating post-embryonic vascular development, the maintenance of vascular homeostasis, or how coronary vessels integrate into the growing heart are less well studied. In the context of cardiac regeneration, the central cellular mechanism by which the heart regenerates a fully functional myocardium relies on the proliferation of pre-existing cardiomyocytes; the epicardium and the endocardium are also known to play key roles in the regenerative process. Remarkably, revascularisation of the injured tissue occurs within a few hours after cardiac damage, thus generating a vascular network acting as a scaffold for the regenerating myocardium. The activation of the endocardium leads to the secretion of cytokines, further supporting the proliferation of the cardiomyocytes. Although epicardium, endocardium, and myocardium interact with each other to orchestrate heart development and regeneration, in this review, we focus on recent advances in the understanding of the development of the endocardium and the coronary vasculature in zebrafish as well as their pivotal roles in the heart regeneration process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Lowe
- Heart Centre, Barts & The London School of Medicine, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK;
| | - Laura Wisniewski
- Centre for Tumour Microenvironment, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK;
| | - Caroline Pellet-Many
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, 4 Royal College Street, London NW1 0TU, UK
- Correspondence:
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7
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Boazak EM, King R, Wang J, Chu CM, Toporek AM, Sherwood JM, Overby DR, Geisert EE, Ethier CR. Smarce1 and Tensin 4 Are Putative Modulators of Corneoscleral Stiffness. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:596154. [PMID: 33634081 PMCID: PMC7902041 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.596154] [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: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomechanical properties of the cornea and sclera are important in the onset and progression of multiple ocular pathologies and vary substantially between individuals, yet the source of this variation remains unknown. Here we identify genes putatively regulating corneoscleral biomechanical tissue properties by conducting high-fidelity ocular compliance measurements across the BXD recombinant inbred mouse set and performing quantitative trait analysis. We find seven cis-eQTLs and non-synonymous SNPs associating with ocular compliance, and show by RT-qPCR and immunolabeling that only two of the candidate genes, Smarce1 and Tns4, showed significant expression in corneal and scleral tissues. Both have mechanistic potential to influence the development and/or regulation of tissue material properties. This work motivates further study of Smarce1 and Tns4 for their role(s) in ocular pathology involving the corneoscleral envelope as well as the development of novel mouse models of ocular pathophysiology, such as myopia and glaucoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Boazak
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Rebecca King
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jiaxing Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cassandra M Chu
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Aaron M Toporek
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Joseph M Sherwood
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Darryl R Overby
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eldon E Geisert
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - C Ross Ethier
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
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8
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Schnabel D, Castillo-Robles J, Lomeli H. Protein Purification and Western Blot Detection from Single Zebrafish Embryo. Zebrafish 2019; 16:505-507. [DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2019.1761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Denhi Schnabel
- Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | | | - Hilda Lomeli
- Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
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9
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Packaging development: how chromatin controls transcription in zebrafish embryogenesis. Biochem Soc Trans 2019; 47:713-724. [DOI: 10.1042/bst20180617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
How developmental gene expression is activated, co-ordinated and maintained is one of the biggest questions in developmental biology. While transcription factors lead the way in directing developmental gene expression, their accessibility to the correct repertoire of genes can depend on other factors such as DNA methylation, the presence of particular histone variants and post-translational modifications of histones. Collectively, factors that modify DNA or affect its packaging and accessibility contribute to a chromatin landscape that helps to control the timely expression of developmental genes. Zebrafish, perhaps better known for their strength as a model of embryology and organogenesis during development, are coming to the fore as a powerful model for interpreting the role played by chromatin in gene expression. Several recent advances have shown that zebrafish exhibit both similarities and differences to other models (and humans) in the way that they employ chromatin mechanisms of gene regulation. Here, I review how chromatin influences developmental transcriptional programmes during early zebrafish development, patterning and organogenesis. Lastly, I briefly highlight the importance of zebrafish chromatin research towards the understanding of human disease and transgenerational inheritance.
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