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Bozzo M, Bellitto D, Amaroli A, Ferrando S, Schubert M, Candiani S. Retinoic Acid and POU Genes in Developing Amphioxus: A Focus on Neural Development. Cells 2023; 12:cells12040614. [PMID: 36831281 PMCID: PMC9953854 DOI: 10.3390/cells12040614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
POU genes are a family of evolutionarily conserved transcription factors with key functions in cell type specification and neurogenesis. In vitro experiments have indicated that the expression of some POU genes is controlled by the intercellular signaling molecule retinoic acid (RA). In this work, we aimed to characterize the roles of RA signaling in the regulation of POU genes in vivo. To do so, we studied POU genes during the development of the cephalochordate amphioxus, an animal model crucial for understanding the evolutionary origins of vertebrates. The expression patterns of amphioxus POU genes were assessed at different developmental stages by chromogenic in situ hybridization and hybridization chain reaction. Expression was further assessed in embryos subjected to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous RA signaling activity. In addition to a detailed description of the effects of these treatments on amphioxus POU gene expression, our survey included the first description of Pou2 and Pou6 expression in amphioxus embryos. We found that Pit-1, Pou2, Pou3l, and Pou6 expression are not affected by alterations of endogenous RA signaling levels. In contrast, our experiments indicated that Brn1/2/4 and Pou4 expression are regulated by RA signaling in the endoderm and the nerve cord, respectively. The effects of the treatments on Pou4 expression in the nerve cord revealed that, in developing amphioxus, RA signaling plays a dual role by (1) providing anteroposterior patterning information to neural cells and (2) specifying neural cell types. This finding is coherent with a terminal selector function of Pou4 for GABAergic neurons in amphioxus and represents the first description of RA-induced changes in POU gene expression in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Bozzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.B.); (S.C.); Tel.: +39-0103358043 (M.B.); +39-0103358051 (S.C.)
| | - Deianira Bellitto
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Andrea Amaroli
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Sara Ferrando
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Michael Schubert
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Simona Candiani
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.B.); (S.C.); Tel.: +39-0103358043 (M.B.); +39-0103358051 (S.C.)
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de Hoog E, Saba Echezarreta VE, Turgambayeva A, Foran G, Megaly M, Necakov A, Spencer GE. Molluscan RXR Transcriptional Regulation by Retinoids in a Drosophila CNS Organ Culture System. Cells 2022; 11:2493. [PMID: 36010570 PMCID: PMC9406730 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, is important for the appropriate development of the nervous system (e.g., neurite outgrowth) as well as for cognition (e.g., memory formation) in the adult brain. We have shown that many of the effects of retinoids are conserved in the CNS of the mollusc, Lymnaea stagnalis. RXRs are predominantly nuclear receptors, but the Lymnaea RXR (LymRXR) exhibits a non-nuclear distribution in the adult CNS, where it is also implicated in non-genomic retinoid functions. As such, we developed a CNS Drosophila organ culture-based system to examine the transcriptional activity and ligand-binding properties of LymRXR, in the context of a live invertebrate nervous system. The novel ligand sensor system was capable of reporting both the expression and transcriptional activity of the sensor. Our results indicate that the LymRXR ligand sensor mediated transcription following activation by both 9-cis RA (the high affinity ligand for vertebrate RXRs) as well as the vertebrate RXR synthetic agonist, SR11237. The LymRXR ligand sensor was also activated by all-trans RA, and to a much lesser extent by the vertebrate RAR synthetic agonist, EC23. This sensor also detected endogenous retinoid-like activity in the CNS of developing Drosophila larvae, primarily during the 3rd instar larval stage. These data indicate that the LymRXR sensor can be utilized not only for characterization of ligand activation for studies related to the Lymnaea CNS, but also for future studies of retinoids and their functions in Drosophila development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Gaynor E. Spencer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
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Abstract
Carotenoids constitute an essential dietary component of animals and other non-carotenogenic species which use these pigments in both their modified and unmodified forms. Animals utilize uncleaved carotenoids to mitigate light damage and oxidative stress and to signal fitness and health. Carotenoids also serve as precursors of apocarotenoids including retinol, and its retinoid metabolites, which carry out essential functions in animals by forming the visual chromophore 11-cis-retinaldehyde. Retinoids, such as all-trans-retinoic acid, can also act as ligands of nuclear hormone receptors. The fact that enzymes and biochemical pathways responsible for the metabolism of carotenoids in animals bear resemblance to the ones in plants and other carotenogenic species suggests an evolutionary relationship. We will explore some of the modes of transmission of carotenoid genes from carotenogenic species to metazoans. This apparent relationship has been successfully exploited in the past to identify and characterize new carotenoid and retinoid modifying enzymes. We will review approaches used to identify putative animal carotenoid enzymes, and we will describe methods used to functionally validate and analyze the biochemistry of carotenoid modifying enzymes encoded by animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander R Moise
- Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, ON, Canada; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology and Biomolecular Sciences Program, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.
| | - Sepalika Bandara
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Johannes von Lintig
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
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From Extrapolation to Precision Chemical Hazard Assessment: The Ecdysone Receptor Case Study. TOXICS 2021; 10:toxics10010006. [PMID: 35051048 PMCID: PMC8778615 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
Abstract
Hazard assessment strategies are often supported by extrapolation of damage probabilities, regarding chemical action and species susceptibilities. Yet, growing evidence suggests that an adequate sampling of physiological responses across a representative taxonomic scope is of paramount importance. This is particularly relevant for Nuclear Receptors (NR), a family of transcription factors, often triggered by ligands and thus, commonly exploited by environmental chemicals. Within NRs, the ligand-induced Ecdysone Receptor (EcR) provides a remarkable example. Long regarded as arthropod specific, this receptor has been extensively targeted by pesticides, seemingly innocuous to non-target organisms. Yet, current evidence clearly suggests a wider presence of EcR orthologues across metazoan lineages, with unknown physiological consequences. Here, we address the state-of-the-art regarding the phylogenetic distribution and functional characterization of metazoan EcRs and provide a critical analysis of the potential disruption of such EcRs by environmental chemical exposure. Using EcR as a case study, hazard assessment strategies are also discussed in view of the development of a novel "precision hazard assessment paradigm.
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Miglioli A, Canesi L, Gomes IDL, Schubert M, Dumollard R. Nuclear Receptors and Development of Marine Invertebrates. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12010083. [PMID: 33440651 PMCID: PMC7827873 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear Receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of transcription factors specific to metazoans that have the unique ability to directly translate the message of a signaling molecule into a transcriptional response. In vertebrates, NRs are pivotal players in countless processes of both embryonic and adult physiology, with embryonic development being one of the most dynamic periods of NR activity. Accumulating evidence suggests that NR signaling is also a major regulator of development in marine invertebrates, although ligands and transactivation dynamics are not necessarily conserved with respect to vertebrates. The explosion of genome sequencing projects and the interpretation of the resulting data in a phylogenetic context allowed significant progress toward an understanding of NR superfamily evolution, both in terms of molecular activities and developmental functions. In this context, marine invertebrates have been crucial for characterizing the ancestral states of NR-ligand interactions, further strengthening the importance of these organisms in the field of evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Miglioli
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Laura Canesi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Isa D. L. Gomes
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Michael Schubert
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Rémi Dumollard
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence:
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Bozzo M, Candiani S, Schubert M. Whole mount in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for studying retinoic acid signaling in developing amphioxus. Methods Enzymol 2020; 637:419-452. [PMID: 32359654 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2020.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) is a vitamin A-derived signaling molecule acting during development and in the adult. This chapter provides protocols to characterize the role of RA signaling during development of the invertebrate chordate amphioxus. As sister group to all other chordates and characterized by the most vertebrate-like RA signaling system of all invertebrates, amphioxus is an important model for studying the evolution of RA signaling. Focusing on the development of GABAergic neurons in the amphioxus central nervous system, we provide detailed protocols for maintaining and breeding adult animals, for performing pharmacological treatments of embryos and for analyzing the effects of these treatments by whole mount in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry coupled to confocal microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Bozzo
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Simona Candiani
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Michael Schubert
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.
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Fonseca E, Ruivo R, Borges D, Franco JN, Santos MM, C. Castro LF. Of Retinoids and Organotins: The Evolution of the Retinoid X Receptor in Metazoa. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10040594. [PMID: 32290525 PMCID: PMC7225927 DOI: 10.3390/biom10040594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) are transcription factors accomplishing a multiplicity of functions, essential for organismal homeostasis. Among their numerous members, the retinoid X receptor (RXR) is a central player of the endocrine system, with a singular ability to operate as a homodimer or a heterodimer with other NRs. Additionally, RXR has been found to be a critical actor in various processes of endocrine disruption resulting from the exposure to a known class of xenobiotics termed organotins (e.g., tributyltin (TBT)), including imposex in gastropod molluscs and lipid perturbation across different metazoan lineages. Thus, given its prominent physiological and endocrine role, RXR is present in the genomes of most extant metazoan species examined to date. Here, we expand on the phylogenetic distribution of RXR across the metazoan tree of life by exploring multiple next-generation sequencing projects of protostome lineages. By addressing amino acid residue conservation in combination with cell-based functional assays, we show that RXR induction by 9-cis retinoic acid (9cisRA) and TBT is conserved in more phyla than previously described. Yet, our results highlight distinct activation efficacies and alternative modes of RXR exploitation by the organotin TBT, emphasizing the need for broader species sampling to clarify the mechanistic activation of RXR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elza Fonseca
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.F.); (R.R.); (D.B.); (J.N.F.)
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, 2520-637 Peniche, Portugal
| | - Raquel Ruivo
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.F.); (R.R.); (D.B.); (J.N.F.)
| | - Débora Borges
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.F.); (R.R.); (D.B.); (J.N.F.)
| | - João N. Franco
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.F.); (R.R.); (D.B.); (J.N.F.)
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, 2520-637 Peniche, Portugal
| | - Miguel M. Santos
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.F.); (R.R.); (D.B.); (J.N.F.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (M.M.S.); (L.F.C.C.); Tel.: +351-223-401-800 (M.M.S. or L.F.C.C.)
| | - L. Filipe C. Castro
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.F.); (R.R.); (D.B.); (J.N.F.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (M.M.S.); (L.F.C.C.); Tel.: +351-223-401-800 (M.M.S. or L.F.C.C.)
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