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Ghosal R, Borrego-Soto G, Eberhart JK. Embryonic ethanol exposure disrupts craniofacial neuromuscular integration in zebrafish larvae. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1131075. [PMID: 36824468 PMCID: PMC9941677 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1131075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Forming a vertebrate head involves the meticulous integration of multiple tissue types during development. Prenatal alcohol exposure is known to cause a variety of birth defects, especially to tissues in the vertebrate head. However, a systematic analysis of coordinated defects across tissues in the head is lacking. Here, we delineate the effects of ethanol on individual tissue types and their integration during craniofacial development. We found that exposure to 1% ethanol induced ectopic cranial muscle and nerve defects with only slight effects on skeletal pattern. Ectopic muscles were, however, unaccompanied by ectopic tendons and could be partially rescued by anesthetizing the larvae before muscle fibers appeared. This finding suggests that the ectopic muscles result from fiber detachment and are not due to an underlying muscle patterning defect. Interestingly, immobilization did not rescue the nerve defects, thus ethanol has an independent effect on each tissue even though they are linked in developmental time and space. Time-course experiments demonstrated an increase in nerve defects with ethanol exposure between 48hpf-4dpf. Time-lapse imaging confirmed the absence of nerve pathfinding or misrouting defects until 48hpf. These results indicate that ethanol-induced nerve defects occur at the time of muscle innervation and after musculoskeletal patterning. Further, we investigated the effect of ethanol on the neuromuscular junctions of the craniofacial muscles and found a reduced number of postsynaptic receptors with no significant effect on the presynaptic terminals. Our study shows that craniofacial soft tissues are particularly susceptible to ethanol-induced damage and that these defects appear independent from one another. Thus, the effects of ethanol on the vertebrate head appear highly pleiotropic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Johann K. Eberhart
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
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2
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Yang S, Ning G, Hou Y, Cao Y, Xu J, Wu J, Zhang T, Wang Q. Myoneurin regulates BMP signaling by competing with Ppm1a for Smad binding. iScience 2022; 25:104495. [PMID: 35712083 PMCID: PMC9194458 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A delicate balance of BMP activity is critical for tissue formation and organogenesis. However, the mechanical molecular details in ensuring the proper duration and intensity of BMP signaling have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we identified a zebrafish mutant with a disrupted gene encoding for the BTB/POZ and zinc finger protein myoneurin (Mynn). mynn−/− mutants exhibited severe loss of pharyngeal cartilage elements, owing to poor proliferation, blocked differentiation, and low viability of cranial neural crest cells. Depletion of mynn in both zebrafish embryos and mammalian cells led to a reduction of the BMP signal activity. Mechanistically, Mynn interacts with Smad proteins in the nucleus, thereby disrupting the association between Smad protein and the phosphatase Ppm1a. Ultimately, this interaction prevents Smad dephosphorylation. More broadly, our findings may provide a new strategy to balance BMP signal activity via competitive binding of Mynn and Ppm1a to Smad proteins during pharyngeal cartilage formation. mynn gene is essential for pharyngeal cartilage development mynn is required for the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of the CNCCs Mynn has an evolutionarily conserved function in supporting BMP signal Mynn maintains BMP signal activity by competing with Ppm1a for Smad binding
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3
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McCann T, Shrestha R, Graham A, Bloomekatz J. Using Live Imaging to Examine Early Cardiac Development in Zebrafish. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2438:133-145. [PMID: 35147940 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2035-9_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Visualizing dynamic cellular behaviors using live imaging is critical to the study of cell movement and to the study of cellular and embryonic polarity. Similarly, live imaging can be vital to elucidating the pathology of genetic disorders and diseases. Model systems such as zebrafish, whose in vivo development is accessible to both the microscope and genetic manipulation, are particularly well-suited to the use of live imaging. Here we describe an overall approach to conducting live-imaging experiments with a specific emphasis on investigating cell movements during the early stages of heart development in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess McCann
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Rabina Shrestha
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Alexis Graham
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Joshua Bloomekatz
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA.
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4
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Pini J, Kueper J, Hu YD, Kawasaki K, Yeung P, Tsimbal C, Yoon B, Carmichael N, Maas RL, Cotney J, Grinblat Y, Liao EC. ALX1-related frontonasal dysplasia results from defective neural crest cell development and migration. EMBO Mol Med 2020; 12:e12013. [PMID: 32914578 PMCID: PMC7539331 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202012013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A pedigree of subjects presented with frontonasal dysplasia (FND). Genome sequencing and analysis identified a p.L165F missense variant in the homeodomain of the transcription factor ALX1 which was imputed to be pathogenic. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) were derived from the subjects and differentiated to neural crest cells (NCC). NCC derived from ALX1L165F/L165F iPSC were more sensitive to apoptosis, showed an elevated expression of several neural crest progenitor state markers, and exhibited impaired migration compared to wild-type controls. NCC migration was evaluated in vivo using lineage tracing in a zebrafish model, which revealed defective migration of the anterior NCC stream that contributes to the median portion of the anterior neurocranium, phenocopying the clinical presentation. Analysis of human NCC culture media revealed a change in the level of bone morphogenic proteins (BMP), with a low level of BMP2 and a high level of BMP9. Soluble BMP2 and BMP9 antagonist treatments were able to rescue the defective migration phenotype. Taken together, these results demonstrate a mechanistic requirement of ALX1 in NCC development and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Pini
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Janina Kueper
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
- Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Yiyuan David Hu
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenta Kawasaki
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pan Yeung
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Casey Tsimbal
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Baul Yoon
- Departments of Integrative Biology, Neuroscience, and Genetics Ph.D. Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Nikkola Carmichael
- Department of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Richard L Maas
- Department of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Justin Cotney
- Genetics and Genome Sciences, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Yevgenya Grinblat
- Departments of Integrative Biology, Neuroscience, and Genetics Ph.D. Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Eric C Liao
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
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5
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Buckley DM, Sidik A, Kar RD, Eberhart JK. Differentially sensitive neuronal subpopulations in the central nervous system and the formation of hindbrain heterotopias in ethanol-exposed zebrafish. Birth Defects Res 2019; 111:700-713. [PMID: 30793540 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A cardinal feature of prenatal ethanol exposure is CNS damage, resulting in a continuum of neurological and behavioral impairments that are described by the term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASDs are variable and depend on several factors, including the amount, timing, and duration of prenatal ethanol exposure. To enhance interventions for CNS dysfunction, it is necessary to identify ethanol-sensitive neuronal populations and expand the understanding of factors that modify ethanol teratogenesis. METHODS To investigate the susceptibility of different neuronal subtypes, we exposed transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) to several ethanol concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0%), at different hours post fertilization (hpf; 0, 6, or 24 hpf), for various durations (0-24, 0-48, 4-24, 6-24, 6-48,or 24-48 hpf). Following exposure, embryo survival rates were determined, and CNS neurogenesis, differentiation, and patterning were assessed. RESULTS Embryo survival rates decrease as ethanol concentrations increase and drastically decline when exposed from 0-24 hpf compared to 4-24 hpf. Abnormal tangential migration of facial motor neurons is observed in isl1:gfp embryos exposed to ethanol concentrations as low as 0.25%, and the formation of IVth ventricle heterotopias are revealed by embryos exposed to ≥1.0% ethanol. Whereas, expression of olig2:dsred and ptf1a:gfp in the cerebellum and spinal cord are largely unaffected. While levels of etv4 mRNA are overtly resistant to ethanol, we observe significant reductions in ptch2 mRNA levels. CONCLUSIONS These data show differentially sensitive CNS neuron subpopulations with susceptibility to low levels of ethanol. In addition, these data reveal the formation of ethanol-induced hindbrain heterotopias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desire M Buckley
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Alfire Sidik
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Ranjeet D Kar
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Johann K Eberhart
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Schumacher LJ, Kulesa PM, McLennan R, Baker RE, Maini PK. Multidisciplinary approaches to understanding collective cell migration in developmental biology. Open Biol 2017; 6:rsob.160056. [PMID: 27278647 PMCID: PMC4929938 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mathematical models are becoming increasingly integrated with experimental efforts in the study of biological systems. Collective cell migration in developmental biology is a particularly fruitful application area for the development of theoretical models to predict the behaviour of complex multicellular systems with many interacting parts. In this context, mathematical models provide a tool to assess the consistency of experimental observations with testable mechanistic hypotheses. In this review, we showcase examples from recent years of multidisciplinary investigations of neural crest cell migration. The neural crest model system has been used to study how collective migration of cell populations is shaped by cell–cell interactions, cell–environmental interactions and heterogeneity between cells. The wide range of emergent behaviours exhibited by neural crest cells in different embryonal locations and in different organisms helps us chart out the spectrum of collective cell migration. At the same time, this diversity in migratory characteristics highlights the need to reconcile or unify the array of currently hypothesized mechanisms through the next generation of experimental data and generalized theoretical descriptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus J Schumacher
- Mathematics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Department of Life Sciences and Centre for Integrative Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Paul M Kulesa
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 60114, USA
| | - Rebecca McLennan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 60114, USA
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Duncan KM, Mukherjee K, Cornell RA, Liao EC. Zebrafish models of orofacial clefts. Dev Dyn 2017; 246:897-914. [PMID: 28795449 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish is a model organism that affords experimental advantages toward investigating the normal function of genes associated with congenital birth defects. Here we summarize zebrafish studies of genes implicated in orofacial cleft (OFC). The most common use of zebrafish in this context has been to explore the normal function an OFC-associated gene product in craniofacial morphogenesis by inhibiting expression of its zebrafish ortholog. The most frequently deployed method has been to inject embryos with antisense morpholino oligonucleotides targeting the desired transcript. However, improvements in targeted mutagenesis strategies have led to widespread adoption of CRISPR/Cas9 technology. A second application of zebrafish has been for functional assays of gene variants found in OFC patients; such in vivo assays are valuable because the success of in silico methods for testing allele severity has been mixed. Finally, zebrafish have been used to test the tissue specificity of enhancers that harbor single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with risk for OFC. We review examples of each of these approaches in the context of genes that are implicated in syndromic and non-syndromic OFC. Developmental Dynamics 246:897-914, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaylia M Duncan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Molecular and Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Kusumika Mukherjee
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert A Cornell
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Molecular and Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Eric C Liao
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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8
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Brooks EP, Nichols JT. Shifting Zebrafish Lethal Skeletal Mutant Penetrance by Progeny Testing. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 28892034 DOI: 10.3791/56200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish mutant phenotypes are often incompletely penetrant, only manifesting in some mutants. Interesting phenotypes that inconsistently appear can be difficult to study, and can lead to confounding results. The protocol described here is a straightforward breeding paradigm to increase and decrease penetrance in lethal zebrafish skeletal mutants. Because lethal mutants cannot be selectively bred directly, the classic selective breeding strategy of progeny testing is employed. This method also includes protocols for Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) genotyping zebrafish and staining larval zebrafish cartilage and bone. Applying the husbandry strategy described here can increase the penetrance of an interesting skeletal phenotype enabling more reproducible results in downstream applications. In addition, decreasing the mutant penetrance through this selective breeding strategy can reveal the developmental processes that most crucially require the function of the mutated gene. While the skeleton is specifically considered here, we propose that this methodology will be useful for all zebrafish mutant lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliott P Brooks
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
| | - James T Nichols
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus;
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9
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Williams AL, Bohnsack BL. Multi-Photon Time Lapse Imaging to Visualize Development in Real-time: Visualization of Migrating Neural Crest Cells in Zebrafish Embryos. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 28829423 DOI: 10.3791/56214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital eye and craniofacial anomalies reflect disruptions in the neural crest, a transient population of migratory stem cells that give rise to numerous cell types throughout the body. Understanding the biology of the neural crest has been limited, reflecting a lack of genetically tractable models that can be studied in vivo and in real-time. Zebrafish is a particularly important developmental model for studying migratory cell populations, such as the neural crest. To examine neural crest migration into the developing eye, a combination of the advanced optical techniques of laser scanning microscopy with long wavelength multi-photon fluorescence excitation was implemented to capture high-resolution, three-dimensional, real-time videos of the developing eye in transgenic zebrafish embryos, namely Tg(sox10:EGFP) and Tg(foxd3:GFP), as sox10 and foxd3 have been shown in numerous animal models to regulate early neural crest differentiation and likely represent markers for neural crest cells. Multi-photon time-lapse imaging was used to discern the behavior and migratory patterns of two neural crest cell populations contributing to early eye development. This protocol provides information for generating time-lapse videos during zebrafish neural crest migration, as an example, and can be further applied to visualize the early development of many structures in the zebrafish and other model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antionette L Williams
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan
| | - Brenda L Bohnsack
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan;
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Lovely CB, Swartz ME, McCarthy N, Norrie JL, Eberhart JK. Bmp signaling mediates endoderm pouch morphogenesis by regulating Fgf signaling in zebrafish. Development 2016; 143:2000-11. [PMID: 27122171 DOI: 10.1242/dev.129379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The endodermal pouches are a series of reiterated structures that segment the pharyngeal arches and help pattern the vertebrate face. Multiple pathways regulate the complex process of endodermal development, including the Bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) pathway. However, the role of Bmp signaling in pouch morphogenesis is poorly understood. Using genetic and chemical inhibitor approaches, we show that pouch morphogenesis requires Bmp signaling from 10-18 h post-fertilization, immediately following gastrulation. Blocking Bmp signaling during this window results in morphological defects to the pouches and craniofacial skeleton. Using genetic chimeras we show that Bmp signals directly to the endoderm for proper morphogenesis. Time-lapse imaging and analysis of reporter transgenics show that Bmp signaling is necessary for pouch outpocketing via the Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) pathway. Double loss-of-function analyses demonstrate that Bmp and Fgf signaling interact synergistically in craniofacial development. Collectively, our analyses shed light on the tissue and signaling interactions that regulate development of the vertebrate face.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ben Lovely
- Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Mary E Swartz
- Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Neil McCarthy
- Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | | | - Johann K Eberhart
- Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Abstract
The formation of the face and skull involves a complex series of developmental events mediated by cells derived from the neural crest, endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. Although vertebrates boast an enormous diversity of adult facial morphologies, the fundamental signaling pathways and cellular events that sculpt the nascent craniofacial skeleton in the embryo have proven to be highly conserved from fish to man. The zebrafish Danio rerio, a small freshwater cyprinid fish from eastern India, has served as a popular model of craniofacial development since the 1990s. Unique strengths of the zebrafish model include a simplified skeleton during larval stages, access to rapidly developing embryos for live imaging, and amenability to transgenesis and complex genetics. In this chapter, we describe the anatomy of the zebrafish craniofacial skeleton; its applications as models for the mammalian jaw, middle ear, palate, and cranial sutures; the superior imaging technology available in fish that has provided unprecedented insights into the dynamics of facial morphogenesis; the use of the zebrafish to decipher the genetic underpinnings of craniofacial biology; and finally a glimpse into the most promising future applications of zebrafish craniofacial research.
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