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Molin AN, Contentin R, Angelozzi M, Karvande A, Kc R, Haseeb A, Voskamp C, de Charleroy C, Lefebvre V. Skeletal growth is enhanced by a shared role for SOX8 and SOX9 in promoting reserve chondrocyte commitment to columnar proliferation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316969121. [PMID: 38346197 PMCID: PMC10895259 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316969121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
SOX8 was linked in a genome-wide association study to human height heritability, but roles in chondrocytes for this close relative of the master chondrogenic transcription factor SOX9 remain unknown. We undertook here to fill this knowledge gap. High-throughput assays demonstrate expression of human SOX8 and mouse Sox8 in growth plate cartilage. In situ assays show that Sox8 is expressed at a similar level as Sox9 in reserve and early columnar chondrocytes and turned off when Sox9 expression peaks in late columnar and prehypertrophic chondrocytes. Sox8-/- mice and Sox8fl/flPrx1Cre and Sox9fl/+Prx1Cre mice (inactivation in limb skeletal cells) have a normal or near normal skeletal size. In contrast, juvenile and adult Sox8fl/flSox9fl/+Prx1Cre compound mutants exhibit a 15 to 20% shortening of long bones. Their growth plate reserve chondrocytes progress slowly toward the columnar stage, as witnessed by a delay in down-regulating Pthlh expression, in packing in columns and in elevating their proliferation rate. SOX8 or SOX9 overexpression in chondrocytes reveals not only that SOX8 can promote growth plate cell proliferation and differentiation, even upon inactivation of endogenous Sox9, but also that it is more efficient than SOX9, possibly due to greater protein stability. Altogether, these findings uncover a major role for SOX8 and SOX9 in promoting skeletal growth by stimulating commitment of growth plate reserve chondrocytes to actively proliferating columnar cells. Further, by showing that SOX8 is more chondrogenic than SOX9, they suggest that SOX8 could be preferred over SOX9 in therapies to promote cartilage formation or regeneration in developmental and degenerative cartilage diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud N. Molin
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Romain Contentin
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Marco Angelozzi
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Anirudha Karvande
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Ranjan Kc
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Abdul Haseeb
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Chantal Voskamp
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Charles de Charleroy
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Véronique Lefebvre
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
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2
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Stojceski F, Buetti-Dinh A, Stoddart MJ, Danani A, Della Bella E, Grasso G. Influence of dexamethasone on the interaction between glucocorticoid receptor and SOX9: A molecular dynamics study. J Mol Graph Model 2023; 125:108587. [PMID: 37579519 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2023.108587] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a nuclear receptor that controls critical biological processes by regulating the transcription of specific genes. GR transcriptional activity is modulated by a series of ligands and coenzymes, where a ligand can act as an agonist or antagonist. GR agonists, such as the glucocorticoids dexamethasone (DEX) and prednisolone, are widely prescribed to patients with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. DEX is also used to induce osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Recently, it has been highlighted that DEX induces changes in the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stromal cells by downregulating the transcription factor SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9) and upregulating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARG). SOX9 is fundamental in the control of chondrogenesis, but also in osteogenesis by acting as a dominant-negative of RUNX2. Many processes remain to be clarified during cell fate determination, such as the interplay between the key transcription factors. The main objective pursued by this work is to shed light on the interaction between GR and SOX9 in the presence and absence of DEX at an atomic level of resolution using molecular dynamics simulations. The outcome of this research could help the understanding of possible molecular interactions between GR and SOX9 and their role in the determination of cell fate. The results highlight the key residues at the interface between GR and SOX9 involved in the complexation process and shed light on the mechanism through which DEX modulates GR-SOX9 binding and exerts its biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Stojceski
- Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence USI-SUPSI Polo universitario Lugano - Campus Est, Via la Santa 1, 6962, Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Buetti-Dinh
- Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence USI-SUPSI Polo universitario Lugano - Campus Est, Via la Santa 1, 6962, Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland
| | - Martin J Stoddart
- AO Research Institute Davos, Clavadelerstrasse 8, 7270, Davos Platz, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Danani
- Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence USI-SUPSI Polo universitario Lugano - Campus Est, Via la Santa 1, 6962, Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland
| | - Elena Della Bella
- AO Research Institute Davos, Clavadelerstrasse 8, 7270, Davos Platz, Switzerland.
| | - Gianvito Grasso
- Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence USI-SUPSI Polo universitario Lugano - Campus Est, Via la Santa 1, 6962, Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland.
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3
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Hossain N, Igawa T, Suzuki M, Tazawa I, Nakao Y, Hayashi T, Suzuki N, Ogino H. Phenotype-genotype relationships in Xenopus sox9 crispants provide insights into campomelic dysplasia and vertebrate jaw evolution. Dev Growth Differ 2023; 65:481-497. [PMID: 37505799 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12884] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Since CRISPR-based genome editing technology works effectively in the diploid frog Xenopus tropicalis, a growing number of studies have successfully modeled human genetic diseases in this species. However, most of their targets were limited to non-syndromic diseases that exhibit abnormalities in a small fraction of tissues or organs in the body. This is likely because of the complexity of interpreting the phenotypic variations resulting from somatic mosaic mutations generated in the founder animals (crispants). In this study, we attempted to model the syndromic disease campomelic dysplasia (CD) by generating sox9 crispants in X. tropicalis. The resulting crispants failed to form neural crest cells at neurula stages and exhibited various combinations of jaw, gill, ear, heart, and gut defects at tadpole stages, recapitulating part of the syndromic phenotype of CD patients. Genotyping of the crispants with a variety of allelic series of mutations suggested that the heart and gut defects depend primarily on frame-shift mutations expected to be null, whereas the jaw, gill, and ear defects could be induced not only by such mutations but also by in-frame deletion mutations expected to delete part of the jawed vertebrate-specific domain from the encoded Sox9 protein. These results demonstrate that Xenopus crispants are useful for investigating the phenotype-genotype relationships behind syndromic diseases and examining the tissue-specific role of each functional domain within a single protein, providing novel insights into vertebrate jaw evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nusrat Hossain
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Takeshi Igawa
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Makoto Suzuki
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Ichiro Tazawa
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yuta Nakao
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Toshinori Hayashi
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Nanoka Suzuki
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Hajime Ogino
- Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
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4
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Subhadarshini S, Sahoo S, Debnath S, Somarelli JA, Jolly MK. Dynamical modeling of proliferative-invasive plasticity and IFNγ signaling in melanoma reveals mechanisms of PD-L1 expression heterogeneity. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006766. [PMID: 37678920 PMCID: PMC10496669 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-006766] [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] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phenotypic heterogeneity of melanoma cells contributes to drug tolerance, increased metastasis, and immune evasion in patients with progressive disease. Diverse mechanisms have been individually reported to shape extensive intra-tumor and inter-tumor phenotypic heterogeneity, such as IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition, but how their crosstalk impacts tumor progression remains largely elusive. METHODS Here, we integrate dynamical systems modeling with transcriptomic data analysis at bulk and single-cell levels to investigate underlying mechanisms behind phenotypic heterogeneity in melanoma and its impact on adaptation to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. We construct a minimal core regulatory network involving transcription factors implicated in this process and identify the multiple 'attractors' in the phenotypic landscape enabled by this network. Our model predictions about synergistic control of PD-L1 by IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition were validated experimentally in three melanoma cell lines-MALME3, SK-MEL-5 and A375. RESULTS We demonstrate that the emergent dynamics of our regulatory network comprising MITF, SOX10, SOX9, JUN and ZEB1 can recapitulate experimental observations about the co-existence of diverse phenotypes (proliferative, neural crest-like, invasive) and reversible cell-state transitions among them, including in response to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. These phenotypes have varied levels of PD-L1, driving heterogeneity in immunosuppression. This heterogeneity in PD-L1 can be aggravated by combinatorial dynamics of these regulators with IFNγ signaling. Our model predictions about changes in proliferative to invasive transition and PD-L1 levels as melanoma cells evade targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors were validated in multiple RNA-seq data sets from in vitro and in vivo experiments. CONCLUSION Our calibrated dynamical model offers a platform to test combinatorial therapies and provide rational avenues for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. This improved understanding of crosstalk among PD-L1 expression, proliferative to invasive transition and IFNγ signaling can be leveraged to improve the clinical management of therapy-resistant and metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarthak Sahoo
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Shibjyoti Debnath
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jason A Somarelli
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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5
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Subhadarshini S, Sahoo S, Debnath S, Somarelli JA, Jolly MK. Dynamical modelling of proliferative-invasive plasticity and IFNγ signaling in melanoma reveals mechanisms of PD-L1 expression heterogeneity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.09.523355. [PMID: 37398358 PMCID: PMC10312429 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.09.523355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic heterogeneity of melanoma cells contributes to drug tolerance, increased metastasis, and immune evasion in patients with progressive disease. Diverse mechanisms have been individually reported to shape extensive intra- and inter-tumoral phenotypic heterogeneity, such as IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition, but how their crosstalk impacts tumor progression remains largely elusive. Here, we integrate dynamical systems modeling with transcriptomic data analysis at bulk and single-cell levels to investigate underlying mechanisms behind phenotypic heterogeneity in melanoma and its impact on adaptation to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. We construct a minimal core regulatory network involving transcription factors implicated in this process and identify the multiple "attractors" in the phenotypic landscape enabled by this network. Our model predictions about synergistic control of PD-L1 by IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition were validated experimentally in three melanoma cell lines - MALME3, SK-MEL-5 and A375. We demonstrate that the emergent dynamics of our regulatory network comprising MITF, SOX10, SOX9, JUN and ZEB1 can recapitulate experimental observations about the co-existence of diverse phenotypes (proliferative, neural crest-like, invasive) and reversible cell-state transitions among them, including in response to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. These phenotypes have varied levels of PD-L1, driving heterogeneity in immune-suppression. This heterogeneity in PD-L1 can be aggravated by combinatorial dynamics of these regulators with IFNγ signaling. Our model predictions about changes in proliferative to invasive transition and PD-L1 levels as melanoma cells evade targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors were validated in multiple data sets from in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our calibrated dynamical model offers a platform to test combinatorial therapies and provide rational avenues for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. This improved understanding of crosstalk among PD-L1 expression, proliferative to invasive transition and IFNγ signaling can be leveraged to improve the clinical management of therapy-resistant and metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarthak Sahoo
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | | | | | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
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6
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Ming Z, Vining B, Bagheri-Fam S, Harley V. SOX9 in organogenesis: shared and unique transcriptional functions. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:522. [PMID: 36114905 PMCID: PMC9482574 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04543-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor SOX9 is essential for the development of multiple organs including bone, testis, heart, lung, pancreas, intestine and nervous system. Mutations in the human SOX9 gene led to campomelic dysplasia, a haploinsufficiency disorder with several skeletal malformations frequently accompanied by 46, XY sex reversal. The mechanisms underlying the diverse SOX9 functions during organ development including its post-translational modifications, the availability of binding partners, and tissue-specific accessibility to target gene chromatin. Here we summarize the expression, activities, and downstream target genes of SOX9 in molecular genetic pathways essential for organ development, maintenance, and function. We also provide an insight into understanding the mechanisms that regulate the versatile roles of SOX9 in different organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhua Ming
- Sex Development Laboratory, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, PO Box 5152, Melbourne, VIC, 3168, Australia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Brittany Vining
- Sex Development Laboratory, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, PO Box 5152, Melbourne, VIC, 3168, Australia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Stefan Bagheri-Fam
- Sex Development Laboratory, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, PO Box 5152, Melbourne, VIC, 3168, Australia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Vincent Harley
- Sex Development Laboratory, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, PO Box 5152, Melbourne, VIC, 3168, Australia.
- Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
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7
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Adrenergic receptor signaling induced by Klf15, a regulator of regeneration enhancer, promotes kidney reconstruction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2204338119. [PMID: 35939709 PMCID: PMC9388080 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204338119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the recent discovery of tissue regeneration enhancers in highly regenerative animals, upstream and downstream genetic programs connected by these enhancers still remain unclear. Here, we performed a genome-wide analysis of enhancers and associated genes in regenerating nephric tubules of Xenopus laevis. Putative enhancers were identified using assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) and H3K27ac chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses. Their target genes were predicted based on their proximity to enhancers on genomic DNA and consistency of their transcriptome profiles to ATAC-seq/ChIP-seq profiles of the enhancers. Motif enrichment analysis identified the central role of Krüppel-like factors (Klf) in the enhancer. Klf15, a member of the Klf family, directly binds enhancers and stimulates expression of regenerative genes, including adrenoreceptor alpha 1A (adra1a), whereas inhibition of Klf15 activity results in failure of nephric tubule regeneration. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of Adra1a-signaling suppresses nephric tubule regeneration, while its activation promotes nephric tubule regeneration and restores organ size. These results indicate that Klf15-dependent adrenergic receptor signaling through regeneration enhancers plays a central role in the genetic network for kidney regeneration.
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8
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Jones K, Ramirez-Perez S, Niu S, Gangishetti U, Drissi H, Bhattaram P. SOX4 and RELA Function as Transcriptional Partners to Regulate the Expression of TNF- Responsive Genes in Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes. Front Immunol 2022; 13:789349. [PMID: 35529852 PMCID: PMC9074688 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.789349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
SOX4 belongs to the group C of the SOX transcription factor family. It is a critical mediator of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-induced transformation of fibroblast-like s-ynoviocytes (FLS) in arthritis. In this study we investigated the genome wide association between the DNA binding and transcriptional activities of SOX4 and the NF-kappaB signaling transcription factor RELA/p65 downstream of TNF signaling. We used ChIP-seq assays in mouse FLS to compare the global DNA binding profiles of SOX4 and RELA. RNA-seq of TNF-induced wildtype and SoxC-knockout FLS was used to identify the SOX4-dependent and independent aspects of the TNF-regulated transcriptome. We found that SOX4 and RELA physically interact with each other on the chromatin. Interestingly, ChIP-seq assays revealed that 70.4% of SOX4 peak summits were within 50bp of the RELA peak summits suggesting that both proteins bind in close-proximity on regulatory sequences, enabling them to co-operatively regulate gene expression. By integrating the ChIP-seq results with RNA-seq from SoxC-knockout FLS we identified a set of TNF-responsive genes that are targets of the RELA-SOX4 transcriptional complex. These TNF-responsive and RELA-SOX4-depenedent genes included inflammation mediators, histone remodeling enzymes and components of the AP-1 signaling pathway. We also identified an autoregulatory mode of SoxC gene expression that involves a TNF-mediated switch from RELA binding to SOX4 binding in the 3' UTR of Sox4 and Sox11 genes. In conclusion, our results show that SOX4 and RELA together orchestrate a multimodal regulation of gene expression downstream of TNF signaling. Their interdependent activities play a pivotal role in the transformation of FLS in arthritis and in the inflammatory pathology of diverse tissues where RELA and SOX4 are co-expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Jones
- Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Sergio Ramirez-Perez
- Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Sean Niu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Umesh Gangishetti
- Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Hicham Drissi
- Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, United States
| | - Pallavi Bhattaram
- Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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9
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Su G, Wang W, Zhao X, Chen J, Zheng J, Liu M, Bi J, Guo D, Chen B, Zhao Z, Shi J, Zhang L, Lu W. Enhancer architecture-dependent multilayered transcriptional regulation orchestrates RA signaling-induced early lineage differentiation of ESCs. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:11575-11595. [PMID: 34723340 PMCID: PMC8599802 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling pathway-driven target gene transcription is critical for fate determination of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), but enhancer-dependent transcriptional regulation in these processes remains poorly understood. Here, we report enhancer architecture-dependent multilayered transcriptional regulation at the Halr1–Hoxa1 locus that orchestrates retinoic acid (RA) signaling-induced early lineage differentiation of ESCs. We show that both homeobox A1 (Hoxa1) and Hoxa adjacent long non-coding RNA 1 (Halr1) are identified as direct downstream targets of RA signaling and regulated by RARA/RXRA via RA response elements (RAREs). Chromosome conformation capture-based screens indicate that RA signaling promotes enhancer interactions essential for Hoxa1 and Halr1 expression and mesendoderm differentiation of ESCs. Furthermore, the results also show that HOXA1 promotes expression of Halr1 through binding to enhancer; conversely, loss of Halr1 enhances interaction between Hoxa1 chromatin and four distal enhancers but weakens interaction with chromatin inside the HoxA cluster, leading to RA signaling-induced Hoxa1 overactivation and enhanced endoderm differentiation. These findings reveal complex transcriptional regulation involving synergistic regulation by enhancers, transcription factors and lncRNA. This work provides new insight into intrinsic molecular mechanisms underlying ESC fate determination during RA signaling-induced early differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangsong Su
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Wenbin Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Xueyuan Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Jun Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Jian Zheng
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Man Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Jinfang Bi
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Dianhao Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Bohan Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Zhongfang Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Jiandang Shi
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
| | - Wange Lu
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China.,State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, 300071 Tianjin City, China
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10
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Birkhoff JC, Brouwer RWW, Kolovos P, Korporaal AL, Bermejo-Santos A, Boltsis I, Nowosad K, van den Hout MCGN, Grosveld FG, van IJcken WFJ, Huylebroeck D, Conidi A. Targeted chromatin conformation analysis identifies novel distal neural enhancers of ZEB2 in pluripotent stem cell differentiation. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 29:2535-2550. [PMID: 32628253 PMCID: PMC7471508 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor zinc finger E-box binding protein 2 (ZEB2) controls embryonic and adult cell fate decisions and cellular maturation in many stem/progenitor cell types. Defects in these processes in specific cell types underlie several aspects of Mowat–Wilson syndrome (MOWS), which is caused by ZEB2 haplo-insufficiency. Human ZEB2, like mouse Zeb2, is located on chromosome 2 downstream of a ±3.5 Mb-long gene-desert, lacking any protein-coding gene. Using temporal targeted chromatin capture (T2C), we show major chromatin structural changes based on mapping in-cis proximities between the ZEB2 promoter and this gene desert during neural differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells, including at early neuroprogenitor cell (NPC)/rosette state, where ZEB2 mRNA levels increase significantly. Combining T2C with histone-3 acetylation mapping, we identified three novel candidate enhancers about 500 kb upstream of the ZEB2 transcription start site. Functional luciferase-based assays in heterologous cells and NPCs reveal co-operation between these three enhancers. This study is the first to document in-cis Regulatory Elements located in ZEB2’s gene desert. The results further show the usability of T2C for future studies of ZEB2 REs in differentiation and maturation of multiple cell types and the molecular characterization of newly identified MOWS patients that lack mutations in ZEB2 protein-coding exons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith C Birkhoff
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Rutger W W Brouwer
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands.,Center for Biomics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Petros Kolovos
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece
| | - Anne L Korporaal
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Ana Bermejo-Santos
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Ilias Boltsis
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Karol Nowosad
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20-093, Poland
| | - Mirjam C G N van den Hout
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands.,Center for Biomics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Frank G Grosveld
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Wilfred F J van IJcken
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands.,Center for Biomics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
| | - Danny Huylebroeck
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands.,Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium
| | - Andrea Conidi
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, CN 3015, The Netherlands
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11
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Dolmatov IY, Kalacheva NV, Tkacheva ES, Shulga AP, Zavalnaya EG, Shamshurina EV, Girich AS, Boyko AV, Eliseikina MG. Expression of Piwi, MMP, TIMP, and Sox during Gut Regeneration in Holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix (Holothuroidea, Dendrochirotida). Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1292. [PMID: 34440466 PMCID: PMC8391186 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesodermal cells of holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix can transdifferentiate into enterocytes during the regeneration of the digestive system. In this study, we investigated the expression of several genes involved in gut regeneration in E. fraudatrix. Moreover, the localization of progenitor cells of coelomocytes, juvenile cells, and their participation in the formation of the luminal epithelium of the digestive tube were studied. It was shown that Piwi-positive cells were not involved in the formation of the luminal epithelium of the digestive tube. Ef-72 kDa type IV collagenase and Ef-MMP16 had an individual expression profile and possibly different functions. The Ef-tensilin3 gene exhibited the highest expression and indicates its potential role in regeneration. Ef-Sox9/10 and Ef-Sox17 in E. fraudatrix may participate in the mechanism of transdifferentiation of coelomic epithelial cells. Their transcripts mark the cells that plunge into the connective tissue of the gut anlage and give rise to enterocytes. Ef-Sox9/10 probably controls the switching of mesodermal cells to the enterocyte phenotype, while Ef-Sox17 may be involved in the regulation of the initial stages of transdifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Yu. Dolmatov
- A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Palchevsky 17, 690041 Vladivostok, Russia; (N.V.K.); (E.S.T.); (A.P.S.); (E.G.Z.); (E.V.S.); (A.S.G.); (A.V.B.); (M.G.E.)
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12
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Dettmer R, Niwolik I, Mehmeti I, Jörns A, Naujok O. New hPSC SOX9 and INS Reporter Cell Lines Facilitate the Observation and Optimization of Differentiation into Insulin-Producing Cells. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2021; 17:2193-2209. [PMID: 34415483 PMCID: PMC8599335 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-021-10232-9] [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] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into insulin-producing stem cell-derived beta cells harbors great potential for research and therapy of diabetes. SOX9 plays a crucial role during development of the pancreas and particularly in the development of insulin-producing cells as SOX9+ cells form the source for NEUROG3+ endocrine progenitor cells. For the purpose of easy monitoring of differentiation efficiencies into pancreatic progenitors and insulin-producing cells, we generated new reporter lines by knocking in a P2A-H-2Kk-F2A-GFP2 reporter gene into the SOX9-locus and a P2A-mCherry reporter gene into the INS-locus mediated by CRISPR/CAS9-technology. The knock-ins enabled co-expression of the endogenous and reporter genes and report on the endogenous gene expression. Furthermore, FACS and MACS enabled the purification of pancreatic progenitors and insulin-producing cells. Using these cell lines, we established a new differentiation protocol geared towards SOX9+ cells to efficiently drive human pluripotent stem cells into glucose-responsive beta cells. Our new protocol offers an alternative route towards stem cell-derived beta cells, pointing out the importance of Wnt/beta-catenin inhibition and the efficacy of EGF for the development of pancreatic progenitors, as well as the significance of 3D culture for the functionality of the generated beta cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabea Dettmer
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Isabell Niwolik
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ilir Mehmeti
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Anne Jörns
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ortwin Naujok
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
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13
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Leypold NA, Speicher MR. Evolutionary conservation in noncoding genomic regions. Trends Genet 2021; 37:903-918. [PMID: 34238591 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Humans may share more genomic commonalities with other species than previously thought. According to current estimates, ~5% of the human genome is functionally constrained, which is a much larger fraction than the ~1.5% occupied by annotated protein-coding genes. Hence, ~3.5% of the human genome comprises likely functional conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) preserved among organisms, whose common ancestors existed throughout hundreds of millions of years of evolution. As whole-genome sequencing emerges as a standard procedure in genetic analyses, interpretation of variations in CNEs, including the elucidation of mechanistic and functional roles, becomes a necessity. Here, we discuss the phenomenon of noncoding conservation via four dimensions (sequence, regulatory conservation, spatiotemporal expression, and structure) and the potential significance of CNEs in phenotype variation and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Leypold
- Institute of Human Genetics, Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Michael R Speicher
- Institute of Human Genetics, Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria.
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14
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Chen S, Yang L, Li Z, Zhuo S, Yan B, Zhang Z, Zhang J, Feng H, Yang K. EGFR/EGFRvIII partly regulates the tumourigenesis of glioblastoma through the SOX9-GLUT3 axis. Am J Transl Res 2021; 13:6055-6065. [PMID: 34306344 PMCID: PMC8290802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
EGFR/EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII) glioblastoma is seriously malignant, and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, EGFR and GLUT3 were found to be co-expressed in our collected tissues and associated with worse overall survival in glioblastoma via bioinformatics analysis. Functionally, in vitro and in vivo tests revealed that silencing GLUT3 substantially inhibited the viability of U87-EGFRvIII and LN229-EGFRvIII cells. Compared with wild-type U87 or LN229 cells, the expression level of SOX9 in U87-EGFRvIII or LN229-EGFRvIII cells (U87 and LN229 over-expressing EGFRvIII) was substantially increased. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and Dual-luciferase reporter assays revealed that SOX9 bound to the promoter of GLUT3 and promoted the expression of GLUT3. Collectively, our findings indicated that the EGFR/EGFRvIII-SOX9-GLUT3 axis mediated the tumourigenesis of glioblastoma and might be a potential target for glioblastoma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenbo Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
| | - Liangwang Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
| | - Zhengzheng Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
| | - Shenghua Zhuo
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
| | - Bo Yan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
| | - Zhaoteng Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
| | - Jinben Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
| | - Haizhong Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
| | - Kun Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical CollegeHaikou 570102, Hainan, China
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15
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Tanaka J, Takamatsu K, Yukimori A, Kujiraoka S, Ishida S, Takakura I, Yasuhara R, Mishima K. Sox9 function in salivary gland development. J Oral Biosci 2021; 63:8-13. [PMID: 33497841 DOI: 10.1016/j.job.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Organogenesis is regulated by morphogen signaling and transcription networks. These networks differ between organs, and identifying the organ-specific network is important to clarify the molecular mechanisms of development and regeneration of organs. Several studies have been conducted to identify salivary gland-specific networks using a mouse submandibular gland model. The submandibular glands (SMGs) of mice manifest as a thickening of the oral epithelium at embryonic day 11.5 and invaginate into the underlying mesenchyme. The network between Fgf10 and Sox9 is involved in SMG development in mice. HIGHLIGHT Sox9, a member of the Sox family, is expressed in the SMG in mice from the embryonic stage to the adult stage, although the distribution changes during development. A null mutation of mouse Sox9 is lethal during the neonatal period due to respiratory failure, whereas deletion of Sox9 in the oral epithelium using the Cre/lox P system, can lead to smaller initial buds of SMGs in conditional knockout (cKO) mice than in normal mice. In addition, we showed that adenoviral transduction of Sox9 and Foxc1 genes into mouse embryonic stem cell-derived oral ectoderm could induce salivary gland rudiment in an organoid culture system. ChIP-sequencing revealed that Sox9 possibly regulates several tube- and branching-formation-related genes. CONCLUSION Sox9 may serve as an essential transcription factor for salivary gland development. The Sox9-mediated pathway can be a promising candidate for regenerating damaged salivary glands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junichi Tanaka
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan
| | - Koki Takamatsu
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan
| | - Akane Yukimori
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan
| | - Satoko Kujiraoka
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan
| | - Shoko Ishida
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan
| | - Ikuko Takakura
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan
| | - Rika Yasuhara
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan
| | - Kenji Mishima
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Showa University School of Dentistry, 1-5-8, Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8555, Japan.
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16
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Nakamichi R, Kurimoto R, Tabata Y, Asahara H. Transcriptional, epigenetic and microRNA regulation of growth plate. Bone 2020; 137:115434. [PMID: 32422296 PMCID: PMC7387102 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2020.115434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Endochondral ossification is a critical event in bone formation, particularly in long shaft bones. Many cellular differentiation processes work in concert to facilitate the generation of cartilage primordium to formation of trabecular structures, all of which occur within the growth plate. Previous studies have revealed that the growth plate is tightly regulated by various transcription factors, epigenetic systems, and microRNAs. Hence, understanding these mechanisms that regulate the growth plate is crucial to furthering the current understanding on skeletal diseases, and in formulating effective treatment strategies. In this review, we focus on describing the function and mechanisms of the transcription factors, epigenetic systems, and microRNAs known to regulate the growth plate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Nakamichi
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, MBB-102, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Ryota Kurimoto
- Department of Systems Biomedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Yusuke Tabata
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
| | - Hirosi Asahara
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, MBB-102, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Systems Biomedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan.
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17
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Ledo AM, Vining KH, Alonso MJ, Garcia-Fuentes M, Mooney DJ. Extracellular matrix mechanics regulate transfection and SOX9-directed differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Acta Biomater 2020; 110:153-163. [PMID: 32417266 PMCID: PMC7291356 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Gene delivery within hydrogel matrices can potentially direct mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards a chondrogenic fate to promote regeneration of cartilage. Here, we investigated whether the mechanical properties of the hydrogel containing the gene delivery systems could enhance transfection and chondrogenic programming of primary human bone marrow-derived MSCs. We developed collagen-I-alginate interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels with tunable stiffness and adhesion properties. The hydrogels were activated with nanocomplexed SOX9 polynucleotides to direct chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. MSCs transfected within the hydrogels showed higher expression of chondrogenic markers compared to MSCs transfected in 2D prior to encapsulation. The nanocomplex uptake and resulting expression of transfected SOX9 were jointly enhanced by increased stiffness and cell-adhesion ligand density in the hydrogels. Further, transfection of SOX9 effectively induced MSCs chondrogenesis and reduced markers of hypertrophy compared to control matrices. These findings highlight the importance of matrix stiffness and adhesion as design parameters in gene-activated matrices for regenerative medicine. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Gene-activated matrices (GAMs) are biodegradable polymer networks integrating gene therapies, and they are promising technologies for supporting tissue regeneration. Despite this interest, there is still limited information on how to rationally design these systems. Here, we provide a systematic study of the effect of matrix stiffness and cell adhesion ligands on gene transfer efficiency. We show that high stiffness and the presence of cell-binding sites promote transfection efficiency and that this result is related to more efficient internalization and trafficking of the gene therapies. GAMs with optimized mechanical properties can induce cartilage formation and result in tissues with better characteristics for articular cartilage tissue engineering as compared to previously described standard methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana M Ledo
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, IDIS Research Institute, CIMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain.
| | - Kyle H Vining
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Maria J Alonso
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, IDIS Research Institute, CIMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain.
| | - Marcos Garcia-Fuentes
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, IDIS Research Institute, CIMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain.
| | - David J Mooney
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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18
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Suzuki N, Ochi H. Regeneration enhancers: A clue to reactivation of developmental genes. Dev Growth Differ 2020; 62:343-354. [PMID: 32096563 PMCID: PMC7383998 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
During tissue and organ regeneration, cells initially detect damage and then alter nuclear transcription in favor of tissue/organ reconstruction. Until recently, studies of tissue regeneration have focused on the identification of relevant genes. These studies show that many developmental genes are reused during regeneration. Concurrently, comparative genomics studies have shown that the total number of genes does not vastly differ among vertebrate taxa. Moreover, functional analyses of developmental genes using various knockout/knockdown techniques demonstrated that the functions of these genes are conserved among vertebrates. Despite these data, the ability to regenerate damaged body parts varies widely between animals. Thus, it is important to determine how regenerative transcriptional programs are triggered and why animals with low regenerative potential fail to express developmental genes after injury. Recently, we discovered relevant enhancers and named them regeneration signal-response enhancers (RSREs) after identifying their activation mechanisms in a Xenopus laevis transgenic system. In this review, we summarize recent studies of injury/regeneration-associated enhancers and then discuss their mechanisms of activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanoka Suzuki
- Amphibian Research CenterHiroshima UniversityHigashi‐HiroshimaJapan
| | - Haruki Ochi
- Institute for Promotion of Medical Science ResearchFaculty of MedicineYamagata UniversityYamagataJapan
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19
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Ledo AM, Senra A, Rilo-Alvarez H, Borrajo E, Vidal A, Alonso MJ, Garcia-Fuentes M. mRNA-activated matrices encoding transcription factors as primers of cell differentiation in tissue engineering. Biomaterials 2020; 247:120016. [PMID: 32272302 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Gene-activated matrices (GAMs) encoding pivotal transcription factors (TFs) represent a powerful tool to direct stem cell specification for tissue engineering applications. However, current TF-based GAMs activated with pDNA, are challenged by their low transfection efficiency and delayed transgene expression. Here, we report a GAM technology activated with mRNAs encoding TFs SOX9 (cartilage) and MYOD (muscle). We find that these mRNA-GAMs induce a higher and faster TF expression compared to pDNA-GAMs, especially in the case of RNase resistant mRNA sequences. This potent TF expression was translated into a high synthesis of cartilage- and muscle-specific markers, and ultimately, into successful tissue specification in vitro. Additionally, we show that the expression of tissue-specific markers can be further modulated by altering the properties of the mRNA-GAM environment. These results highlight the value of this GAM technology for priming cell lineage specification, a key centerpiece for future tissue engineering devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana M Ledo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, IDIS Research Institute, CiMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ana Senra
- Histology Unit, CiMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Héctor Rilo-Alvarez
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, IDIS Research Institute, CiMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Erea Borrajo
- Department of Physiology, IDIS Research Institute, CiMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Anxo Vidal
- Department of Physiology, IDIS Research Institute, CiMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Maria J Alonso
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, IDIS Research Institute, CiMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Marcos Garcia-Fuentes
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, IDIS Research Institute, CiMUS Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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20
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Wang L, Cai R, Liu F, Lv Y, Zhang Y, Duan S, Izaz A, Zhou J, Wang H, Duan R, Wu X, Li T. Molecular cloning, characterization, mRNA expression changes and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling during kidney embryonic development of SOX9 in Alligator sinensis. Gene 2020; 731:144334. [PMID: 31935508 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.144334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
SOX9 plays a crucial, extensive and conservative role in the process of somatic tissue development and adult regeneration through the positive self-regulation mediated by SOM across all vertebrates. In this study, we have cloned SOX9 from the kidney of hatchling Alligator sinensis. The full-length of SOX9 cDNA is 3878 bp with an open reading frame encoding 494 amino acids. Amino acid alignment analyses indicated that the SOX9 exhibit highly conserved functional domains. Using the droplet digital PCR, the mRNA abundances of SOX9 during nephrogenesis in A. sinensis showed prominent changes in the embryonic development, suggesting that SOX9 might combines a vital role in the regulation of complex renal development. Interestingly, we detected the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of SOX9 protein using immunofluorescence, implying that nucleocytoplasmic shuttling is critical to the regulation of SOX9 in the renal embryonic development. Collectively, these data provide an important foundation for further studies on renal developmental biology and molecular biology of non-mammalian SOX9. Furthermore, it provides new insights into the phenomenon of SOX9 nucleocytoplasmic shuttling in Alligator sinensis, which is probably of great significance to the development of kidney metanephros embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Ruiqing Cai
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Fengnan Liu
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Yang Lv
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Shulong Duan
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Ali Izaz
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Jue Zhou
- Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui 241002, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui 241002, China
| | - Renjie Duan
- Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui 241002, China
| | - Xiaobing Wu
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China.
| | - Tiechen Li
- Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui 241002, China
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21
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Liang B, Mamidi MK, Samsa WE, Chen Y, Lee B, Zheng Q, Zhou G. Targeted and sustained Sox9 expression in mouse hypertrophic chondrocytes causes severe and spontaneous osteoarthritis by perturbing cartilage homeostasis. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:1056-1069. [PMID: 32269734 PMCID: PMC7137053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Sox9 is the master transcription factor essential for cartilage development and homeostasis. To investigate the specific role of Sox9 during chondrocyte hypertrophy, we generated a novel Col10a1-Sox9 transgenic mouse model, in which Sox9 is specifically expressed in hypertrophic chondrocytes driven by a well-characterized 10-kb Col10a1 promoter. These mice were viable and fertile, and appeared normal at birth. However, they developed dwarfism by ten weeks of age. The histological analysis of the growth plates from these transgenic mice demonstrated an abnormal growth plate architecture and a significantly reduced amount of trabecular bone and mineral content in the primary spongiosa. Real-time qPCR analysis revealed the reduced expression of Col10a1, and increased expressions of adipogenic differentiation markers in primary hypertrophic chondrocytes isolated from transgenic mice. Concomitantly, the transgenic mouse chondrocyte cultures had increased lipid droplet accumulation. Unexpectedly, we also observed an increased incidence of spontaneous osteoarthritis (OA) development in the transgenic mice by X-ray analysis, micro-computed tomography scanning, and histological examination of knee joints. The manifestation of OA in Col10a1-Sox9 transgenic mice began by six-months of age, and worsened by eleven-months of age. In conclusion, we provide strong evidence that the proper spatiotemporal expression of Sox9 is necessary for normal adult hypertrophic cartilage homeostasis, and that the aberrant expression of Sox9 might lead to spontaneous OA development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bojian Liang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University126 Xiantai Blvd, Changchun 130033, Jilin, P. R. China
| | - Murali K Mamidi
- Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
| | - William E Samsa
- Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
| | - Yuqing Chen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHouston, TX, USA
| | - Brendan Lee
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHouston, TX, USA
| | - Qiping Zheng
- Department of Hematology and Hematological Laboratory Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu UniversityZhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, P. R. China
- Shenzhen Academy of Peptide Targeting Technology at PingshanShenzhen 518118, P. R. China
| | - Guang Zhou
- Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH, USA
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22
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Tariq A, Hao Q, Sun Q, Singh DK, Jadaliha M, Zhang Y, Chetlangia N, Ma J, Holton SE, Bhargava R, Lal A, Prasanth SG, Prasanth KV. LncRNA-mediated regulation of SOX9 expression in basal subtype breast cancer cells. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:175-185. [PMID: 31690584 PMCID: PMC6961546 DOI: 10.1261/rna.073254.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive breast cancer (BC) subtypes with a poor prognosis and high recurrence rate. Recent studies have identified vital roles played by several lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) in BC pathobiology. Cell type-specific expression of lncRNAs and their potential role in regulating the expression of oncogenic and tumor suppressor genes have made them promising cancer drug targets. By performing a transcriptome screen in an isogenic TNBC/basal subtype BC progression cell line model, we recently reported ∼1800 lncRNAs that display aberrant expression during breast cancer progression. Mechanistic studies on one such nuclear-retained lncRNA, linc02095, reveal that it promotes breast cancer proliferation by facilitating the expression of oncogenic transcription factor, SOX9. Both linc02095 and SOX9 display coregulated expression in BC patients as well in basal subtype BC cell lines. Knockdown of linc02095 results in decreased BC cell proliferation, whereas its overexpression promotes cells proliferation. Linc02095-depleted cells display reduced expression of SOX9 concomitant with reduced RNA polymerase II occupancy at the SOX9 gene body as well as defective SOX9 mRNA export, implying that linc02095 positively regulates SOX9 transcription and mRNA export. Finally, we identify a positive feedback loop in BC cells that controls the expression of both linc02095 and SOX9 Thus, our results unearth tumor-promoting activities of a nuclear lncRNA linc02095 by facilitating the expression of key oncogenic transcription factor in BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aamira Tariq
- Department of Biosciences, Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Qinyu Hao
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Qinyu Sun
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Deepak K Singh
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Mahdieh Jadaliha
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Neha Chetlangia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Jian Ma
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Sarah E Holton
- Department of Bioengineering and Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Rohit Bhargava
- Department of Bioengineering and Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Ashish Lal
- Regulatory RNAs and Cancer Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Supriya G Prasanth
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Kannanganattu V Prasanth
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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23
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Bulanenkova SS, Snezhkov EV, Akopov SB. SOX9 as One of the Central Units of Regulation Axis of Pancreas Embryogenesis and Cancer Progression. MOLECULAR GENETICS MICROBIOLOGY AND VIROLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.3103/s0891416819030030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Hovland AS, Rothstein M, Simoes-Costa M. Network architecture and regulatory logic in neural crest development. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2019; 12:e1468. [PMID: 31702881 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The neural crest is an ectodermal cell population that gives rise to over 30 cell types during vertebrate embryogenesis. These stem cells are formed at the border of the developing central nervous system and undergo extensive migration before differentiating into components of multiple tissues and organs. Neural crest formation and differentiation is a multistep process, as these cells transition through sequential regulatory states before adopting their adult phenotype. Such changes are governed by a complex gene regulatory network (GRN) that integrates environmental and cell-intrinsic inputs to regulate cell identity. Studies of neural crest cells in a variety of vertebrate models have elucidated the function and regulation of dozens of the molecular players that are part of this network. The neural crest GRN has served as a platform to explore the molecular control of multipotency, cell differentiation, and the evolution of vertebrates. In this review, we employ this genetic program as a stepping-stone to explore the architecture and the regulatory principles of developmental GRNs. We also discuss how modern genomic approaches can further expand our understanding of genetic networks in this system and others. This article is categorized under: Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease Biological Mechanisms > Cell Fates Developmental Biology > Lineages Models of Systems Properties and Processes > Cellular Models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin S Hovland
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Megan Rothstein
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Marcos Simoes-Costa
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
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25
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Tankyrase inhibition preserves osteoarthritic cartilage by coordinating cartilage matrix anabolism via effects on SOX9 PARylation. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4898. [PMID: 31653858 PMCID: PMC6814715 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12910-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative disease, which involves progressive and irreversible destruction of cartilage matrix. Despite efforts to reconstruct cartilage matrix in osteoarthritic joints, it has been a difficult task as adult cartilage exhibits marginal repair capacity. Here we report the identification of tankyrase as a regulator of the cartilage anabolism axis based on systems-level factor analysis of mouse reference populations. Tankyrase inhibition drives the expression of a cartilage-signature matrisome and elicits a transcriptomic pattern that is inversely correlated with OA progression. Furthermore, tankyrase inhibitors ameliorate surgically induced OA in mice, and stem cell transplantation coupled with tankyrase knockdown results in superior regeneration of cartilage lesions. Mechanistically, the pro-regenerative features of tankyrase inhibition are mainly triggered by uncoupling SOX9 from a poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation)-dependent protein degradation pathway. Our findings provide insights into the development of future OA therapies aimed at reconstruction of articular cartilage. Osteoarthritis results from the progressive destruction of cartilage matrix. Here, Kim et al. identify tankyrase as a regulator of cartilage matrix anabolism, and find that tankyrase inhibition, by preventing SOX9 PARylation, protects from cartilage destruction in a mouse model of osteoarthritis.
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26
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SOX9 in cartilage development and disease. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2019; 61:39-47. [PMID: 31382142 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2019.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
SOX9 is a pivotal transcription factor in chondrocytes, a lineage essential in skeletogenesis. Its mandatory role in transactivating many cartilage-specific genes is well established, whereas its pioneer role in lineage specification, which along with transactivation defines master transcription factors, remains to be better defined. Abundant, but yet incomplete evidence exists that intricate molecular networks control SOX9 activity during the multi-step chondrogenesis pathway. They include a highly modular genetic regulation, post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications, and varying sets of functional partners. Fully uncovering SOX9 actions and regulation is fundamental to explain mechanisms underlying many diseases that directly or indirectly affect SOX9 activities and to design effective disease treatments. We here review current knowledge, highlight recent discoveries, and propose new research directions to answer remaining questions.
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Chen M, Wang J, Liu N, Cui W, Dong W, Xing B, Pan C. Pig SOX9: Expression profiles of Sertoli cell (SCs) and a functional 18 bp indel affecting testis weight. Theriogenology 2019; 138:94-101. [PMID: 31319268 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Sex determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9), an important member of the SRY- type HMGbox (SOX) gene family, plays an important role in the regulation of mammalian reproduction, including sex differentiation during the embryonic development stage and spermatogenesis after birth. To explore the roles of polymorphism and expression of the SOX9 gene in the development of testes, we analyzed the indel of SOX9 in pigs and the corresponding expression level of the SOX9 gene in 7-day and 5-month-old porcine Sertoli cells. Results revealed that the DD haplotype of SOX9 gene as well as the ID genotype were significantly associated with larger testicular weight, while the II haplotype was closely related to the smaller testicular weight. More importantly, the SOX9 gene expression of ID genotyped group was significantly higher than that in II genotyped group. Our results first revealed that the indel polymorphism and expression of SOX9 were significantly associated with pig reproduction traits indicating the critical roles of SOX9 gene in testes development. The study provides a new clue for understanding the regulation of animal reproductive activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
| | - Jing Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Breeding and Nutritional Regulation, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No.116 Huayuan road, Zhengzhou, 450002, People's Republic of China.
| | - Nuan Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
| | - Wenbo Cui
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
| | - Wuzi Dong
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
| | - Baosong Xing
- Henan Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Breeding and Nutritional Regulation, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No.116 Huayuan road, Zhengzhou, 450002, People's Republic of China.
| | - Chuanying Pan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
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28
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Abstract
SOX transcription factors participate in the specification, differentiation and activities of many cell types in development and beyond. The 20 mammalian family members are distributed into eight groups based on sequence identity, and while co-expressed same-group proteins often have redundant functions, different-group proteins typically have distinct functions. More than a handful of SOX proteins have pivotal roles in skeletogenesis. Heterozygous mutations in their genes cause human diseases, in which skeletal dysmorphism is a major feature, such as campomelic dysplasia (SOX9), or a minor feature, such as LAMSHF syndrome (SOX5) and Coffin-Siris-like syndromes (SOX4 and SOX11). Loss- and gain-of-function experiments in animal models have revealed that SOX4 and SOX11 (SOXC group) promote skeletal progenitor survival and control skeleton patterning and growth; SOX8 (SOXE group) delays the differentiation of osteoblast progenitors; SOX9 (SOXE group) is essential for chondrocyte fate maintenance and differentiation, and works in cooperation with SOX5 and SOX6 (SOXD group) and other types of transcription factors. These and other SOX proteins have also been proposed, mainly through in vitro experiments, to have key roles in other aspects of skeletogenesis, such as SOX2 in osteoblast stem cell self-renewal. We here review current knowledge of well-established and proposed skeletogenic roles of SOX proteins, their transcriptional and non-transcriptional actions, and their modes of regulation at the gene, RNA and protein levels. We also discuss gaps in knowledge and directions for future research to further decipher mechanisms underlying skeletogenesis in health and diseases and identify treatment options for skeletal malformation and degeneration diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique Lefebvre
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
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29
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Abstract
The bipotential nature of cell types in the early developing gonad and the process of sex determination leading to either testis or ovary differentiation makes this an interesting system in which to study transcriptional regulation of gene expression and cell fate decisions. SOX9 is a transcription factor with multiple roles during development, including being a key player in mediating testis differentiation and therefore subsequent male development. Loss of Sox9 expression in both humans and mice results in XY female development, whereas its inappropriate activation in XX embryonic gonads can give male development. Multiple cases of Disorders of Sex Development in human patients or sex reversal in mice and other vertebrates can be explained by mutations affecting upstream regulators of Sox9 expression, such as the product of the Y chromosome gene Sry that triggers testis differentiation. Other cases are due to mutations in the Sox9 gene itself, including its own regulatory region. Indeed, rearrangements in and around the Sox9 genomic locus indicate the presence of multiple critical enhancers and the complex nature of its regulation. Here we summarize what is known about the role of Sox9 and its regulation during gonad development, including recently discovered critical enhancers. We also discuss higher order chromatin organization and how this might be involved. We end with some interesting future directions that have the potential to further enrich our understanding on the complex, multi-layered regulation controlling Sox9 expression in the gonads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitzan Gonen
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
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30
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Ferguson J, Atit RP. A tale of two cities: The genetic mechanisms governing calvarial bone development. Genesis 2019; 57:e23248. [PMID: 30155972 PMCID: PMC7433025 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The skull bones must grow in a coordinated, three-dimensional manner to coalesce and form the head and face. Mammalian skull bones have a dual embryonic origin from cranial neural crest cells (CNCC) and paraxial mesoderm (PM) and ossify through intramembranous ossification. The calvarial bones, the bones of the cranium which cover the brain, are derived from the supraorbital arch (SOA) region mesenchyme. The SOA is the site of frontal and parietal bone morphogenesis and primary center of ossification. The objective of this review is to frame our current in vivo understanding of the morphogenesis of the calvarial bones and the gene networks regulating calvarial bone initiation in the SOA mesenchyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Ferguson
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106
- Department of Genetics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106
- Department of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106
| | - Radhika P. Atit
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106
- Department of Genetics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106
- Department of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106
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31
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Bhattacharya D, Rothstein M, Azambuja AP, Simoes-Costa M. Control of neural crest multipotency by Wnt signaling and the Lin28/ let-7 axis. eLife 2018; 7:40556. [PMID: 30520734 PMCID: PMC6301792 DOI: 10.7554/elife.40556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A crucial step in cell differentiation is the silencing of developmental programs underlying multipotency. While much is known about how lineage-specific genes are activated to generate distinct cell types, the mechanisms driving suppression of stemness are far less understood. To address this, we examined the regulation of the transcriptional network that maintains progenitor identity in avian neural crest cells. Our results show that a regulatory circuit formed by Wnt, Lin28a and let-7 miRNAs controls the deployment and the subsequent silencing of the multipotency program in a position-dependent manner. Transition from multipotency to differentiation is determined by the topological relationship between the migratory cells and the dorsal neural tube, which acts as a Wnt-producing stem cell niche. Our findings highlight a mechanism that rapidly silences complex regulatory programs, and elucidate how transcriptional networks respond to positional information during cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan Rothstein
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Ana Paula Azambuja
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Marcos Simoes-Costa
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
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32
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Gonen N, Futtner CR, Wood S, Garcia-Moreno SA, Salamone IM, Samson SC, Sekido R, Poulat F, Maatouk DM, Lovell-Badge R. Sex reversal following deletion of a single distal enhancer of Sox9. Science 2018; 360:1469-1473. [PMID: 29903884 DOI: 10.1126/science.aas9408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Cell fate decisions require appropriate regulation of key genes. Sox9, a direct target of SRY, is pivotal in mammalian sex determination. In vivo high-throughput chromatin accessibility techniques, transgenic assays, and genome editing revealed several novel gonadal regulatory elements in the 2-megabase gene desert upstream of Sox9 Although others are redundant, enhancer 13 (Enh13), a 557-base pair element located 565 kilobases 5' from the transcriptional start site, is essential to initiate mouse testis development; its deletion results in XY females with Sox9 transcript levels equivalent to those in XX gonads. Our data are consistent with the time-sensitive activity of SRY and indicate a strict order of enhancer usage. Enh13 is conserved and embedded within a 32.5-kilobase region whose deletion in humans is associated with XY sex reversal, suggesting that it is also critical in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitzan Gonen
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Chris R Futtner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Sophie Wood
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | | | - Isabella M Salamone
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Shiela C Samson
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ryohei Sekido
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Francis Poulat
- Department of Genetics and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS-University of Montpellier UMR9002, Montpellier, France
| | - Danielle M Maatouk
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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Tanaka A, Aoki F, Suzuki MG. Conserved Domains in the Transformer Protein Act Complementary to Regulate Sex-Specific Splicing of Its Own Pre-mRNA. Sex Dev 2018; 12:180-190. [PMID: 29804107 DOI: 10.1159/000489444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The transformer (tra) gene, which is a female-determining master gene in the housefly Musca domestica, acts as a memory device for sex determination via its auto-regulatory function, i.e., through the contribution of the TRA protein to female-specific splicing of its own pre-mRNA. The TRA protein contains 4 small domains that are specifically conserved among TRA proteins (domains 1-4). Domain 2, also named TRA-CAM domain, is the most conserved, but its function remains unknown. To examine whether these domains are involved in the auto-regulatory function, we performed in vitro splicing assays using a tra minigene containing a partial genomic sequence of the M. domestica tra (Mdtra) gene. Co-transfection of the Mdtra minigene and an MdTRA protein expression vector into cultured insect cells strongly induced female-specific splicing of the minigene. A series of deletion mutation analyses demonstrated that these domains act complementarily to induce female-specific splicing. Domain 1 and the TRA-CAM domain were necessary for the female-specific splicing when the MdTRA protein lacked both domains 3 and 4. In this situation, mutation of the well-conserved 3 amino acids (GEG) in the TRA-CAM domain significantly reduced the female-specific splicing activity of MdTRA. GST-pull down analyses demonstrated that the MdTRA protein specifically enriched on the male-specific exonic region (exon 2b), which contains the putative TRA/TRA-2 binding sites, and that the GEG mutation disrupts this enrichment. Since the MdTRA protein interacts with its own pre-mRNA through TRA-2, our findings suggest that the conserved amino acid residues in the TRA-CAM domain may be crucial for the interaction between MdTRA and TRA-2, enhancing MdTRA recruitment on its pre-mRNA to induce female-specific splicing of tra in the housefly.
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Tan Z, Niu B, Tsang KY, Melhado IG, Ohba S, He X, Huang Y, Wang C, McMahon AP, Jauch R, Chan D, Zhang MQ, Cheah KSE. Synergistic co-regulation and competition by a SOX9-GLI-FOXA phasic transcriptional network coordinate chondrocyte differentiation transitions. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007346. [PMID: 29659575 PMCID: PMC5919691 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The growth plate mediates bone growth where SOX9 and GLI factors control chondrocyte proliferation, differentiation and entry into hypertrophy. FOXA factors regulate hypertrophic chondrocyte maturation. How these factors integrate into a Gene Regulatory Network (GRN) controlling these differentiation transitions is incompletely understood. We adopted a genome-wide whole tissue approach to establish a Growth Plate Differential Gene Expression Library (GP-DGEL) for fractionated proliferating, pre-hypertrophic, early and late hypertrophic chondrocytes, as an overarching resource for discovery of pathways and disease candidates. De novo motif discovery revealed the enrichment of SOX9 and GLI binding sites in the genes preferentially expressed in proliferating and prehypertrophic chondrocytes, suggesting the potential cooperation between SOX9 and GLI proteins. We integrated the analyses of the transcriptome, SOX9, GLI1 and GLI3 ChIP-seq datasets, with functional validation by transactivation assays and mouse mutants. We identified new SOX9 targets and showed SOX9-GLI directly and cooperatively regulate many genes such as Trps1, Sox9, Sox5, Sox6, Col2a1, Ptch1, Gli1 and Gli2. Further, FOXA2 competes with SOX9 for the transactivation of target genes. The data support a model of SOX9-GLI-FOXA phasic GRN in chondrocyte development. Together, SOX9-GLI auto-regulate and cooperate to activate and repress genes in proliferating chondrocytes. Upon hypertrophy, FOXA competes with SOX9, and control toward terminal differentiation passes to FOXA, RUNX, AP1 and MEF2 factors. In the development of the mammalian growth plate, while several transcription factors are individually well known for their key roles in regulating phases of chondrocyte differentiation, there is little information on how they interact and cooperate with each other. We took an unbiased genome wide approach to identify the transcription factors and signaling pathways that play dominant roles in the chondrocyte differentiation cascade. We developed a searchable library of differentially expressed genes, GP-DGEL, which has fine spatial resolution and global transcriptomic coverage for discovery of processes, pathways and disease candidates. Our work identifies a novel regulatory mechanism that integrates the action of three transcription factors, SOX9, GLI and FOXA. SOX9-GLI auto-regulate and cooperate to activate and repress genes in proliferating chondrocytes. Upon entry into prehypertrophy, FOXA competes with SOX9, and control of hypertrophy passes to FOXA, RUNX, AP1 and MEF2 factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijia Tan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ben Niu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Kwok Yeung Tsang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ian G. Melhado
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Shinsuke Ohba
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad-CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, W.M. Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Xinjun He
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad-CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, W.M. Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Yongheng Huang
- Genome Regulation Laboratory, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Andrew P. McMahon
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad-CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, W.M. Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Ralf Jauch
- Genome Regulation Laboratory, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Danny Chan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Michael Q. Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Systems Biology, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, TNLIST, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Kathryn S. E. Cheah
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- * E-mail:
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35
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Abstract
Mutations of the FOXP2 gene cause a severe speech and language disorder, providing a molecular window into the neurobiology of language. Individuals with FOXP2 mutations have structural and functional alterations affecting brain circuits that overlap with sites of FOXP2 expression, including regions of the cortex, striatum, and cerebellum. FOXP2 displays complex patterns of expression in the brain, as well as in non-neuronal tissues, suggesting that sophisticated regulatory mechanisms control its spatio-temporal expression. However, to date, little is known about the regulation of FOXP2 or the genomic elements that control its expression. Using chromatin conformation capture (3C), we mapped the human FOXP2 locus to identify putative enhancer regions that engage in long-range interactions with the promoter of this gene. We demonstrate the ability of the identified enhancer regions to drive gene expression. We also show regulation of the FOXP2 promoter and enhancer regions by candidate regulators - FOXP family and TBR1 transcription factors. These data point to regulatory elements that may contribute to the temporal- or tissue-specific expression patterns of human FOXP2. Understanding the upstream regulatory pathways controlling FOXP2 expression will bring new insight into the molecular networks contributing to human language and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Becker
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Paolo Devanna
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Simon E Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Sonja C Vernes
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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36
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Li H, Cai H, Deng J, Tu X, Sun Y, Huang Z, Ding Z, Dong L, Chen J, Zang Y, Zhang J. TGF-β-mediated upregulation of Sox9 in fibroblast promotes renal fibrosis. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2017; 1864:520-532. [PMID: 29158184 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2017.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
TGF-β signaling plays a principal role in renal fibrosis, but the precise mechanisms and the downstream factors are still largely unknown. Sox9 exhibits diverse roles in regulating the production of extracellular matrix proteins. Here we found that Sox9 was induced by TGF-β in the kidney fibroblast and acted as an important downstream mediator of TGF-β signaling in promoting renal fibrosis. TGF-β/Smad signaling mediated the upregulation of Sox9 in kidney fibroblast by binding to a conserved enhancer. In different mouse models of renal fibrosis, as well as in the kidney biopsy tissue from patients with renal fibrosis, Sox9 expression significantly increased. Immunostaining confirmed the upregulation of Sox9 in the kidney fibroblast during renal fibrosis. Delivery of Sox9 knockdown plasmid to the kidney by ultrasound microbubble-mediated gene transfer suppressed the unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) or folic acid-induced mouse renal fibrosis, whereas ectopic expression of Sox9 aggravated renal fibrosis. In addition, we identified Sox9 as a direct target of miR-30. Notably, miR-30 expression was significantly inhibited by TGF-β1 in the kidney fibroblast and the downregulation of miR-30 was observed in renal fibrosis. Mechanistically, inhibition of miR-30 independently strengthened the effect of TGF-β/Smad signaling on Sox9 upregulation. Adenovirus-mediated ectopic expression of miR-30 in kidney fibroblast greatly reduced UUO-induced renal fibrosis by targeting Sox9. These findings link Sox9 to intrinsic mechanisms of TGF-β signaling in renal fibrosis and may have therapeutic potential for tissue fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Huimin Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Jia Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Xiaolong Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Yanyan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Zhen Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Zhi Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Lei Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Jiangning Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China.
| | - Yuhui Zang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China.
| | - Junfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China; Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for microRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing 210093, PR China.
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Barter MJ, Gomez R, Hyatt S, Cheung K, Skelton AJ, Xu Y, Clark IM, Young DA. The long non-coding RNA ROCR contributes to SOX9 expression and chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Development 2017; 144:4510-4521. [PMID: 29084806 PMCID: PMC5769619 DOI: 10.1242/dev.152504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are expressed in a highly tissue-specific manner and function in various aspects of cell biology, often as key regulators of gene expression. In this study, we established a role for lncRNAs in chondrocyte differentiation. Using RNA sequencing we identified a human articular chondrocyte repertoire of lncRNAs from normal hip cartilage donated by neck of femur fracture patients. Of particular interest are lncRNAs upstream of the master chondrocyte transcription factor SOX9 locus. SOX9 is an HMG-box transcription factor that plays an essential role in chondrocyte development by directing the expression of chondrocyte-specific genes. Two of these lncRNAs are upregulated during chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Depletion of one of these lncRNAs, LOC102723505, which we termed ROCR (regulator of chondrogenesis RNA), by RNA interference disrupted MSC chondrogenesis, concomitant with reduced cartilage-specific gene expression and incomplete matrix component production, indicating an important role in chondrocyte biology. Specifically, SOX9 induction was significantly ablated in the absence of ROCR, and overexpression of SOX9 rescued the differentiation of MSCs into chondrocytes. Our work sheds further light on chondrocyte-specific SOX9 expression and highlights a novel method of chondrocyte gene regulation involving a lncRNA. Summary: This study identified a chondrocyte repertoire of lncRNAs and discovered that ROCR (regulator of chondrogenesis RNA) is important for MSC chondrogenesis and cartilage gene expression by promoting the expression of SOX9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt J Barter
- Skeletal Research Group, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Rodolfo Gomez
- Musculoskeletal Pathology Group, Institute IDIS, Travesia choupana s/n, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain
| | - Sam Hyatt
- Institute of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Kat Cheung
- Skeletal Research Group, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Andrew J Skelton
- Skeletal Research Group, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Yaobo Xu
- Skeletal Research Group, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Ian M Clark
- Biomedical Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - David A Young
- Skeletal Research Group, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
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Symon A, Harley V. SOX9: A genomic view of tissue specific expression and action. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2017; 87:18-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2016] [Revised: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Reiprich S, Cantone M, Weider M, Baroti T, Wittstatt J, Schmitt C, Küspert M, Vera J, Wegner M. Transcription factor Sox10 regulates oligodendroglial Sox9 levels via microRNAs. Glia 2017; 65:1089-1102. [PMID: 28370559 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
During development of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system the two closely related transcription factors Sox9 and Sox10 play essential roles that are partly shared and partly unique. Whereas Sox9 primarily functions during oligodendroglial specification, Sox10 is uniquely required to induce terminal differentiation and myelination. During this process, Sox10 protein levels rise substantially. As this coincides with a reciprocal decrease in Sox9, we postulated that Sox10 influences Sox9 amounts in differentiating oligodendrocytes. Here we show that Sox9 levels are indeed inversely coupled to Sox10 levels such that Sox10 deletion in oligodendroglial cells evokes a reciprocal increase in Sox9. We furthermore provide evidence that this coupling involves upregulation of microRNAs miR335 and miR338 as direct transcriptional targets of Sox10. The two microRNAs in turn recognize the 3'-UTR of Sox9 mRNA and may thereby reduce Sox9 protein levels posttranscriptionally in oligodendroglial cells. Such a mechanism may enable oligodendroglial cells to adapt the ratio of both related Sox proteins in a manner required for successful lineage progression and differentiation. Mathematical modeling furthermore shows that the identified regulatory circuit has the potential to convert a transient stimulus into an irreversible switch of cellular properties and may thus contribute to terminal differentiation of oligodendrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Reiprich
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martina Cantone
- Department of Dermatology, Laboratory of Systems Tumor Immunology, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Matthias Weider
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Tina Baroti
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jan Wittstatt
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christian Schmitt
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Melanie Küspert
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Julio Vera
- Department of Dermatology, Laboratory of Systems Tumor Immunology, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Wegner
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Huang CZ, Xu JH, Zhong W, Xia ZS, Wang SY, Cheng D, Li JY, Wu TF, Chen QK, Yu T. Sox9 transcriptionally regulates Wnt signaling in intestinal epithelial stem cells in hypomethylated crypts in the diabetic state. Stem Cell Res Ther 2017; 8:60. [PMID: 28279198 PMCID: PMC5345140 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-017-0507-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Distinctive structures called crypts harbor intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) which generate progenitor and terminally differentiated cells in the intestinal epithelium. Mammalian IESCs and their daughter cells require the participation of DNA methylation and the transcription factor Sox9 for proliferation and differentiation. However, the association between Sox9 and DNA methylation in this process remains elusive. Methods The DNA methylation of small intestinal epithelial crypts in db/db mice was detected via combining methylated DNA immunoprecipitation with microarray hybridization. DNA methylation of Sox9 promoter in crypts and IESCs was validated using bisulfite sequence analysis. The target sequence of the transcription factor Sox9 in IESCs was investigated via chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) combined with deep sequencing (ChIP-seq). Results Increased Sox9 expression is accompanied by the loss of methylation in its promoter in IESCs. Sox9 targets the enhancers of the Wnt signaling pathway-related genes. Sox9 predominantly acts as a transcriptional activator at proximal enhancers of Wnt4, Tab2, Sox4, and Fzd8, but also functions as a potential transcriptional inhibitor at a distant enhancer of Cdk1. Lack of Sox9 transcriptional activation in specific repressors of the Wnt signaling pathway leads to the loss of intrinsic inhibitory action and ultimately produces overactivation of this pathway in db/db mice. Conclusions Our study sheds light on the connections among DNA methylation, transcription factor modulation, and Wnt signaling in IESCs in the diabetic state. Hypomethylation in the Sox9 promoter is correlated to increased Sox9 expression in db/db IESCs. Although there is increased expression of Sox9 in db/db IESCs, the loss of Sox9 transcriptional activation in specific repressors of the Wnt signaling pathway might result in abnormalities in this pathway. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-017-0507-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can-Ze Huang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Ji-Hao Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Wa Zhong
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Zhong-Sheng Xia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Si-Yi Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Di Cheng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Jie-Yao Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Ting-Feng Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Qi-Kui Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China.
| | - Tao Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 107 Yan Jiang Xi Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China.
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41
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Hall MD, Murray CA, Valdez MJ, Perantoni AO. Mesoderm-specific Stat3 deletion affects expression of Sox9 yielding Sox9-dependent phenotypes. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006610. [PMID: 28166224 PMCID: PMC5319801 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
To date, mutations within the coding region and translocations around the SOX9 gene both constitute the majority of genetic lesions underpinning human campomelic dysplasia (CD). While pathological coding-region mutations typically result in a non-functional SOX9 protein, little is known about what mechanism(s) controls normal SOX9 expression, and subsequently, which signaling pathways may be interrupted by alterations occurring around the SOX9 gene. Here, we report the identification of Stat3 as a key modulator of Sox9 expression in nascent cartilage and developing chondrocytes. Stat3 expression is predominant in tissues of mesodermal origin, and its conditional ablation using mesoderm-specific TCre, in vivo, causes dwarfism and skeletal defects characteristic of CD. Specifically, Stat3 loss results in the expansion of growth plate hypertrophic chondrocytes and deregulation of normal endochondral ossification in all bones examined. Conditional deletion of Stat3 with a Sox9Cre driver produces palate and tracheal irregularities similar to those described in Sox9+/- mice. Furthermore, mesodermal deletion of Stat3 causes global embryonic down regulation of Sox9 expression and function in vivo. Mechanistic experiments ex vivo suggest Stat3 can directly activate the expression of Sox9 by binding to its proximal promoter following activation. These findings illuminate a novel role for Stat3 in chondrocytes during skeletal development through modulation of a critical factor, Sox9. Importantly, they further provide the first evidence for the modulation of a gene product other than Sox9 itself which is capable of modeling pathological aspects of CD and underscore a potentially valuable therapeutic target for patients with the disorder. Campomelic (Greek: “bent limb”) dysplasia is an often-lethal, autosomal-dominant genetic disorder. Typical clinical features include angular long bones, hypoplastic scapulae, cleft palate, clubbed feet, labored breathing and ambiguous external genitalia. To date, the only gene implicated in this disease is SOX9, a critical factor in chondrocyte development. Deleterious mutations within the coding region of SOX9 account for a majority of cases; however, chromosomal breakages or translocations mark a subset of cases, presumably by altering expression of SOX9. We have found that Stat3 loss-of-function mutant mice exhibit features consistent with campomelic dysplasia including dwarfism, bent limbs, cleft palate, laryngotracheomalacia and abnormal growth plate hypertrophic chondrocytes. Importantly, we also demonstrate that ablation of Stat3 from chondroprogenitors reduces the functional level of Sox9 in vivo. Finally, we show that Stat3 may directly regulate Sox9 expression by physically interacting with the promoter in response to stimulation. Taken in total, our findings demonstrate that non-coding region mutations in SOX9, which modulate the accessibility or functionality of Stat-binding elements, may result in decreased physiological levels of SOX9. Our model suggests for the first time, the modulation of a gene other than Sox9 that is capable of recapitulating a large subset of pathologies associated with campomelic dysplasia, which may be exploited for future therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Hall
- The Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Caroline A. Murray
- The Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Valdez
- The Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alan O. Perantoni
- The Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Smyk M, Akdemir KC, Stankiewicz P. SOX9 chromatin folding domains correlate with its real and putative distant cis-regulatory elements. Nucleus 2017; 8:182-187. [PMID: 28085555 DOI: 10.1080/19491034.2017.1279776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary conserved transcription factor SOX9, encoded by the dosage sensitive SOX9 gene on chromosome 17q24.3, plays an important role in development of multiple organs, including bones and testes. Heterozygous point mutations and genomic copy-number variant (CNV) deletions involving SOX9 have been reported in patients with campomelic dysplasia (CD), a skeletal malformation syndrome often associated with male-to-female sex reversal. Balanced and unbalanced structural genomic variants with breakpoints mapping up to 1.3 Mb up- and downstream to SOX9 have been described in patients with milder phenotypes, including acampomelic campomelic dysplasia, sex reversal, and Pierre Robin sequence. Based on the localization of breakpoints of genomic rearrangements causing different phenotypes, 5 genomic intervals mapping upstream to SOX9 have been defined. We have analyzed the publically available database of high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) in multiple cell lines in the genomic regions flanking SOX9. Consistent with the literature data, chromatin domain boundaries in the SOX9 locus exhibit conservation across species and remain largely constant across multiple cell types. Interestingly, we have found that chromatin folding domains in the SOX9 locus associate with the genomic intervals harboring real and putative regulatory elements of SOX9, implicating that variation in intra-domain interactions may be critical for dynamic regulation of SOX9 expression in a cell type-specific fashion. We propose that tissue-specific enhancers for other transcription factor genes may similarly utilize chromatin folding sub-domains in gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Smyk
- a Department of Medical Genetics , Institute of Mother and Child , Warsaw , Poland
| | - Kadir Caner Akdemir
- b Genomic Medicine Department , MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Paweł Stankiewicz
- c Department of Molecular and Human Genetics , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , TX , USA
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43
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Abstract
SOX9 is a pivotal transcription factor in developing and adult cartilage. Its gene is expressed from the multipotent skeletal progenitor stage and is active throughout chondrocyte differentiation. While it is repressed in hypertrophic chondrocytes in cartilage growth plates, it remains expressed throughout life in permanent chondrocytes of healthy articular cartilage. SOX9 is required for chondrogenesis: it secures chondrocyte lineage commitment, promotes cell survival, and transcriptionally activates the genes for many cartilage-specific structural components and regulatory factors. Since heterozygous mutations within and around SOX9 were shown to cause the severe skeletal malformation syndrome called campomelic dysplasia, researchers around the world have worked assiduously to decipher the many facets of SOX9 actions and regulation in chondrogenesis. The more we learn, the more we realize the complexity of the molecular networks in which SOX9 fulfills its functions and is regulated at the levels of its gene, RNA, and protein, and the more we measure the many gaps remaining in knowledge. At the same time, new technologies keep giving us more means to push further the frontiers of knowledge. Research efforts must be pursued to fill these gaps and to better understand and treat many types of cartilage diseases in which SOX9 has or could have a critical role. These diseases include chondrodysplasias and cartilage degeneration diseases, namely osteoarthritis, a prevalent and still incurable joint disease. We here review the current state of knowledge of SOX9 actions and regulation in the chondrocyte lineage, and propose new directions for future fundamental and translational research projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique Lefebvre
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH
| | - Mona Dvir-Ginzberg
- Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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44
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Lee S, Lee CM, Kim SC. Adult human pancreas-derived cells expressing stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 differentiate into Sox9-expressing and Ngn3-expressing pancreatic ducts in vivo. Stem Cell Res Ther 2016; 7:162. [PMID: 27836003 PMCID: PMC5105312 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-016-0422-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Revised: 09/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells are found in various adult tissues and may have the capacity for lineage-specific differentiation, facilitating applications in autologous transplantation. Stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA-4), an early embryonic glycolipid antigen, is expressed in cells derived from adult human pancreas exocrine tissue. Here, we examined the characteristics and lineage-specific differentiation capacity of SSEA-4+ cells. Methods Human adult partial pancreas tissues were obtained from different donors and cultured in vitro. SSEA-4+ and CA19-9+ cells were isolated from adult human pancreas exocrine cells using magnetic-activated cell sorting, and gene expression was validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To confirm in-vivo differentiation, SSEA-4+ and CA19-9+ cells were transplanted into the dorsal subcutaneous region of mice. Finally, morphological features of differentiated areas were confirmed by immunostaining and morphometric analysis. Results SSEA-4-expressing cells were detected in isolated pancreas exocrine cells from adult humans. These SSEA-4+ cells exhibited coexpression of CA19-9, a marker of pancreatic duct cells, but not amylase expression, as shown by immunostaining and flow cytometry. SSEA-4+ cells exhibited higher relative expression of Oct4, Nanog, Klf4, Sox2, and c-Myc mRNAs than CA19-9+ cells. Pancreatic intralobular ducts (PIDs) were generated from SSEA-4+ or CA19-9+ cells in vivo at 5 weeks after transplantation. However, newly formed PIDs from CA19-9+ cells were less abundant and showed an incomplete PID morphology. In contrast, newly formed PIDs from SSEA-4+ cells were abundant in the transplanted area and showed a crowded morphology, typical of PIDs. Sox9 and Ngn3, key transcription factors associated with pancreatic development and regeneration, were expressed in PIDs from SSEA-4+ cells. Conclusions SSEA-4-expressing cells in the adult human pancreas may have the potential for regeneration of the pancreas and may be used as a source of stem/progenitor cells for pancreatic cell lineage-specific differentiation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-016-0422-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Lee
- Asan Institute for Life Science, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Surgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Chan Mi Lee
- Asan Institute for Life Science, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Surgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Song Cheol Kim
- Asan Institute for Life Science, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Surgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, South Korea.
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45
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Wodziak D, Dong A, Basin MF, Lowe AW. Anterior Gradient 2 (AGR2) Induced Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Signaling Is Essential for Murine Pancreatitis-Associated Tissue Regeneration. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164968. [PMID: 27764193 PMCID: PMC5072742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
A recently published study identified Anterior Gradient 2 (AGR2) as a regulator of EGFR signaling by promoting receptor presentation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface. AGR2 also promotes tissue regeneration in amphibians and fish. Whether AGR2-induced EGFR signaling is essential for tissue regeneration in higher vertebrates was evaluated using a well-characterized murine model for pancreatitis. The impact of AGR2 expression and EGFR signaling on tissue regeneration was evaluated using the caerulein-induced pancreatitis mouse model. EGFR signaling and cell proliferation were examined in the context of the AGR2-/-null mouse or with the EGFR-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, AG1478. In addition, the Hippo signaling coactivator YAP1 was evaluated in the context of AGR2 expression during pancreatitis. Pancreatitis-induced AGR2 expression enabled EGFR translocation to the plasma membrane, the initiation of cell signaling, and cell proliferation. EGFR signaling and tissue regeneration were partially inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor AG1478, but absent in the AGR2-/-null mouse. AG1478-treated and AGR2-/-null mice with pancreatitis died whereas all wild-type controls recovered. YAP1 activation was also dependent on pancreatitis-induced AGR2 expression. AGR2-induced EGFR signaling was essential for tissue regeneration and recovery from pancreatitis. The results establish tissue regeneration as a major function of AGR2-induced EGFR signaling in adult higher vertebrates. Enhanced AGR2 expression and EGFR signaling are also universally present in human pancreatic cancer, which support a linkage between tissue injury, regeneration, and cancer pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Wodziak
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Aiwen Dong
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Michael F. Basin
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Anson W. Lowe
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Hong X, Liu W, Song R, Shah JJ, Feng X, Tsang CK, Morgan KM, Bunting SF, Inuzuka H, Zheng XFS, Shen Z, Sabaawy HE, Liu L, Pine SR. SOX9 is targeted for proteasomal degradation by the E3 ligase FBW7 in response to DNA damage. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:8855-8869. [PMID: 27566146 PMCID: PMC5062998 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
SOX9 encodes a transcription factor that governs cell fate specification throughout development and tissue homeostasis. Elevated SOX9 is implicated in the genesis and progression of human tumors by increasing cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. We found that in response to UV irradiation or genotoxic chemotherapeutics, SOX9 is actively degraded in various cancer types and in normal epithelial cells, through a pathway independent of p53, ATM, ATR and DNA-PK. SOX9 is phosphorylated by GSK3β, facilitating the binding of SOX9 to the F-box protein FBW7α, an E3 ligase that functions in the DNA damage response pathway. The binding of FBW7α to the SOX9 K2 domain at T236-T240 targets SOX9 for subsequent ubiquitination and proteasomal destruction. Exogenous overexpression of SOX9 after genotoxic stress increases cell survival. Our findings reveal a novel regulatory mechanism for SOX9 stability and uncover a unique function of SOX9 in the cellular response to DNA damage. This new mechanism underlying a FBW7-SOX9 axis in cancer could have implications in therapy resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehui Hong
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Wenyu Liu
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
| | - Ruipeng Song
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Jamie J Shah
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
| | - Xing Feng
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Radiation Oncology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Chi Kwan Tsang
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Pharmacology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Katherine M Morgan
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
| | - Samuel F Bunting
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Inuzuka
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - X F Steven Zheng
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Pharmacology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Shen
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Radiation Oncology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Hatem E Sabaawy
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0019, USA
| | - LianXin Liu
- Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Sharon R Pine
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Department of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0019, USA
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47
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Spitz F. Gene regulation at a distance: From remote enhancers to 3D regulatory ensembles. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 57:57-67. [PMID: 27364700 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Large-scale identification of elements associated with gene expression revealed that many of them are located extremely far from gene transcriptional start sites. We review here the growing evidence that show that distal cis-acting elements provide key instructions to genes, as genetic variation affecting them is growingly identified as an importance source of phenotypic diversity and disease. We discuss the different mechanisms that allow these elements to exert their regulatory functions, in a robust and specific manner, despite the large genomic distances separating them from their target genes. We particularly focus on the role of the structural organization of the genome in guiding such regulatory interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Spitz
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany; Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Developmental Biology and Stem Cells, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
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48
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Matsumoto Y, Sato S, Maeda T, Kishino M, Toyosawa S, Usami Y, Iwai SI, Nakazawa M, Yura Y, Ogawa Y. Transcription factors related to chondrogenesis in pleomorphic adenoma of the salivary gland: a mechanism of mesenchymal tissue formation. J Transl Med 2016; 96:16-24. [PMID: 26501866 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2015.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In salivary gland pleomorphic adenoma, expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) substances indicates that tumor epithelial cells are becoming chondrogenic and will produce cartilage-like mesenchymal tissues. Sox9, the master transcription factor of chondrogenesis, is expressed in mouse salivary gland cells. To clarify the mechanism behind chondrogenesis in tumor epithelial cells, we examined the expression of transcription factors related to chondrogenesis in tumors and salivary glands. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative real-time RT-PCR, and immunostaining were performed on pleomorphic adenoma tissues, salivary gland tissues, and human submandibular gland (HSG) cells. The mRNAs of essential transcription factors for chondrogenesis-Sox9, Sox6, and Sox5-were detected in both tumor and salivary gland tissues. The mRNAs of aggrecan and type II collagen-cartilage-specific ECM substances-were detected only in tumors. Sox9 and Sox6 proteins were colocalized in many epithelial cells in tumors and salivary glands. Tumor epithelial cells also possessed aggrecan protein and occasionally type II collagen protein. Moreover, mRNAs for transcription repressors of chondrogenesis δEF1 and AP-2α were detected in both tumors and salivary glands, whereas Twist1 mRNA was detected only in salivary glands and was at significantly low-to-undetectable levels in tumors. Twist1 protein was localized in the Sox9-expressing salivary gland cells. HSG cells expressed Sox9, Sox6, and Twist1, but not aggrecan or type II collagen, and thus were similar to salivary gland cells. Twist1 depletion by Twist1 siRNA led to the upregulation of aggrecan and type II collagen mRNA expression in HSG cells. In contrast, forced expression of Twist1, using Twist1 cDNA, resulted in the downregulation of both these genes. Taken together, these results indicate that salivary gland cells have a potential for chondrogenesis, and Twist1 depletion concomitant with neoplastic transformation, which would permit tumor epithelial cells to produce cartilage-like mesenchymal tissues in salivary gland pleomorphic adenoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Matsumoto
- Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery II, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Sunao Sato
- Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takashi Maeda
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mitsunobu Kishino
- Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satoru Toyosawa
- Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yu Usami
- Clinical Laboratory, Osaka University Dental Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - So-ichi Iwai
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery II, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Nakazawa
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery II, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Yura
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery II, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuzo Ogawa
- Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Nursing and Health Care, Baika Women's University, Osaka, Japan
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49
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Brenig B, Duan Y, Xing Y, Ding N, Huang L, Schütz E. Porcine SOX9 Gene Expression Is Influenced by an 18 bp Indel in the 5'-Untranslated Region. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139583. [PMID: 26430891 PMCID: PMC4592210 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) is an important regulator of sex and skeletal development and is expressed in a variety of embryonal and adult tissues. Loss or gain of function resulting from mutations within the coding region or chromosomal aberrations of the SOX9 locus lead to a plethora of detrimental phenotypes in humans and animals. One of these phenotypes is the so-called male-to-female or female-to-male sex-reversal which has been observed in several mammals including pig, dog, cat, goat, horse, and deer. In 38,XX sex-reversal French Large White pigs, a genome-wide association study suggested SOX9 as the causal gene, although no functional mutations were identified in affected animals. However, besides others an 18bp indel had been detected in the 5′-untranslated region of the SOX9 gene by comparing affected animals and controls. We have identified the same indel (Δ18) between position +247bp and +266bp downstream the transcription start site of the porcine SOX9 gene in four other pig breeds; i.e., German Large White, Laiwu Black, Bamei, and Erhualian. These animals have been genotyped in an attempt to identify candidate genes for porcine inguinal and/or scrotal hernia. Because the 18bp segment in the wild type 5′-UTR harbours a highly conserved cAMP-response element (CRE) half-site, we analysed its role in SOX9 expression in vitro. Competition and immunodepletion electromobility shift assays demonstrate that the CRE half-site is specifically recognized by CREB. Both binding of CREB to the wild type as well as the absence of the CRE half-site in Δ18 reduced expression efficiency in HEK293T, PK–15, and ATDC5 cells significantly. Transfection experiments of wild type and Δ18 SOX9 promoter luciferase constructs show a significant reduction of RNA and protein levels depending on the presence or absence of the 18bp segment. Hence, the data presented here demonstrate that the 18bp indel in the porcine SOX9 5′-UTR is of functional importance and may therefore indeed be a causative variation in SOX9 associated traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertram Brenig
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Georg-August-University, Burckhardtweg 2, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Yanyu Duan
- Key Laboratory for Animal Biotechnology of Jiangxi Province and the Ministry of Agriculture of China, Jiangxi Agricultural University, 330045, Nanchang, China
| | - Yuyun Xing
- Key Laboratory for Animal Biotechnology of Jiangxi Province and the Ministry of Agriculture of China, Jiangxi Agricultural University, 330045, Nanchang, China
| | - Nengshui Ding
- Key Laboratory for Animal Biotechnology of Jiangxi Province and the Ministry of Agriculture of China, Jiangxi Agricultural University, 330045, Nanchang, China
| | - Lusheng Huang
- Key Laboratory for Animal Biotechnology of Jiangxi Province and the Ministry of Agriculture of China, Jiangxi Agricultural University, 330045, Nanchang, China
| | - Ekkehard Schütz
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Georg-August-University, Burckhardtweg 2, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
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50
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A Gene Regulatory Network Cooperatively Controlled by Pdx1 and Sox9 Governs Lineage Allocation of Foregut Progenitor Cells. Cell Rep 2015; 13:326-36. [PMID: 26440894 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.08.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Revised: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 08/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The generation of pancreas, liver, and intestine from a common pool of progenitors in the foregut endoderm requires the establishment of organ boundaries. How dorsal foregut progenitors activate pancreatic genes and evade the intestinal lineage choice remains unclear. Here, we identify Pdx1 and Sox9 as cooperative inducers of a gene regulatory network that distinguishes the pancreatic from the intestinal lineage. Genetic studies demonstrate dual and cooperative functions for Pdx1 and Sox9 in pancreatic lineage induction and repression of the intestinal lineage choice. Pdx1 and Sox9 bind to regulatory sequences near pancreatic and intestinal differentiation genes and jointly regulate their expression, revealing direct cooperative roles for Pdx1 and Sox9 in gene activation and repression. Our study identifies Pdx1 and Sox9 as important regulators of a transcription factor network that initiates pancreatic fate and sheds light on the gene regulatory circuitry that governs the development of distinct organs from multi-lineage-competent foregut progenitors.
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