1
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Grall E, Feregrino C, Fischer S, De Courten A, Sacher F, Hiscock TW, Tschopp P. Self-organized BMP signaling dynamics underlie the development and evolution of digit segmentation patterns in birds and mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2304470121. [PMID: 38175868 PMCID: PMC10786279 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304470121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Repeating patterns of synovial joints are a highly conserved feature of articulated digits, with variations in joint number and location resulting in diverse digit morphologies and limb functions across the tetrapod clade. During the development of the amniote limb, joints form iteratively within the growing digit ray, as a population of distal progenitors alternately specifies joint and phalanx cell fates to segment the digit into distinct elements. While numerous molecular pathways have been implicated in this fate choice, it remains unclear how they give rise to a repeating pattern. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial gene expression profiling, we investigate the transcriptional dynamics of interphalangeal joint specification in vivo. Combined with mathematical modeling, we predict that interactions within the BMP signaling pathway-between the ligand GDF5, the inhibitor NOGGIN, and the intracellular effector pSMAD-result in a self-organizing Turing system that forms periodic joint patterns. Our model is able to recapitulate the spatiotemporal gene expression dynamics observed in vivo, as well as phenocopy digit malformations caused by BMP pathway perturbations. By contrasting in silico simulations with in vivo morphometrics of two morphologically distinct digits, we show how changes in signaling parameters and growth dynamics can result in variations in the size and number of phalanges. Together, our results reveal a self-organizing mechanism that underpins amniote digit segmentation and its evolvability and, more broadly, illustrate how Turing systems based on a single molecular pathway may generate complex repetitive patterns in a wide variety of organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle Grall
- Zoology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel4051, Switzerland
| | - Christian Feregrino
- Zoology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel4051, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Fischer
- Zoology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel4051, Switzerland
| | - Aline De Courten
- Zoology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel4051, Switzerland
| | - Fabio Sacher
- Zoology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel4051, Switzerland
| | - Tom W. Hiscock
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, AberdeenAB25 2ZD, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Tschopp
- Zoology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel4051, Switzerland
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2
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Ramachandran J, Chen W, Lex RK, Windsor KE, Lee H, Wang T, Zhou W, Ji H, Vokes SA. The BAF chromatin complex component SMARCC1 does not mediate GLI transcriptional repression of Hedgehog target genes in limb buds. Dev Biol 2023; 504:128-136. [PMID: 37805104 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional responses to the Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway are primarily modulated by GLI repression in the mouse limb. Previous studies suggested a role for the BAF chromatin remodeling complex in mediating GLI repression. Consistent with this possibility, the core BAF complex protein SMARCC1 is present at most active limb enhancers including the majority of GLI enhancers. However, in contrast to GLI repression which reduces chromatin accessibility, SMARCC1 maintains chromatin accessibility at most enhancers, including those bound by GLI. Moreover, SMARCC1 binding at GLI-regulated enhancers occurs independently of GLI3. Consistent with previous studies, some individual GLI target genes are mis-regulated in Smarcc1 conditional knockouts, though most GLI target genes are unaffected. Moreover, SMARCC1 is not necessary for mediating constitutive GLI repression in HH mutant limb buds. We conclude that SMARCC1 does not mediate GLI3 repression, which we propose utilizes alternative chromatin remodeling complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janani Ramachandran
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street, Stop A5000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Wanlu Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Rachel K Lex
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Kathryn E Windsor
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street, Stop A5000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Hyunji Lee
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street, Stop A5000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Tingchang Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Weiqiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Steven A Vokes
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street, Stop A5000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
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3
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Ramachandran J, Chen W, Lex RK, Windsor KE, Lee H, Wang T, Zhou W, Ji H, Vokes SA. The BAF chromatin complex component SMARCC1 does not mediate GLI transcriptional repression of Hedgehog target genes in limb buds. bioRxiv 2023:2023.02.03.527038. [PMID: 36798239 PMCID: PMC9934545 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.03.527038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional responses to the Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway are primarily modulated by GLI repression in the mouse limb. Previous studies suggested a role for the BAF chromatin remodeling complex in mediating GLI repression. Consistent with this possibility, the core BAF complex protein SMARCC1 is present at most active limb enhancers including the majority of GLI enhancers. However, in contrast to GLI repression which reduces chromatin accessibility, SMARCC1 maintains chromatin accessibility at most enhancers, including those bound by GLI. Moreover, SMARCC1 binding at GLI-regulated enhancers occurs independently of GLI3. Consistent with previous studies, some individual GLI target genes are mis-regulated in Smarcc1 conditional knockouts, though most GLI target genes are unaffected. Moreover, SMARCC1 is not necessary for mediating constitutive GLI repression in HH mutant limb buds. We conclude that SMARCC1 does not mediate GLI3 repression, which we propose utilizes alternative chromatin remodeling complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janani Ramachandran
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street Stop A5000, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Wanlu Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Rachel K. Lex
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street Stop A5000, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Kathryn E. Windsor
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street Stop A5000, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Hyunji Lee
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street Stop A5000, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Tingchang Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Weiqiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Steven A. Vokes
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, 100 E 24th Street Stop A5000, Austin, TX 78712 USA
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4
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Márquez-Flórez K, Garzón-Alvarado DA, Carda C, Sancho-Tello M. Computational model of articular cartilage regeneration induced by scaffold implantation in vivo. J Theor Biol 2023; 561:111393. [PMID: 36572091 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Computational models allow to explain phenomena that cannot be observed through an animal model, such as the strain and stress states which can highly influence regeneration of the tissue. For this purpose, we have developed a simulation tool to determine the mechanical conditions provided by the polymeric scaffold. The computational model considered the articular cartilage, the subchondral bone, and the scaffold. All materials were modeled as poroelastic, and the cartilage had linear-elastic oriented collagen fibers. This model was able to explain the remodeling process that subchondral bone goes through, and how the scaffold allowed the conditions for cartilage regeneration. These results suggest that the use of scaffolds might lead the cartilaginous tissue growth in vivo by providing a better mechanical environment. Moreover, the developed computational model demonstrated to be useful as a tool prior experimental in vivo studies, by predicting the possible outcome of newly proposed treatments allowing to discard approaches that might not bring good results.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Márquez-Flórez
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Numerical Methods and Modeling Research Group (GNUM), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - D A Garzón-Alvarado
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Numerical Methods and Modeling Research Group (GNUM), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
| | - C Carda
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain; INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, Valencia, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Valencia, Spain
| | - M Sancho-Tello
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain; INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, Valencia, Spain
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5
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Fuiten AM, Yoshimoto Y, Shukunami C, Stadler HS. Digits in a dish: An in vitro system to assess the molecular genetics of hand/foot development at single-cell resolution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1135025. [PMID: 36994104 PMCID: PMC10040768 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1135025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro models allow for the study of developmental processes outside of the embryo. To gain access to the cells mediating digit and joint development, we identified a unique property of undifferentiated mesenchyme isolated from the distal early autopod to autonomously re-assemble forming multiple autopod structures including: digits, interdigital tissues, joints, muscles and tendons. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of these developing structures revealed distinct cell clusters that express canonical markers of distal limb development including: Col2a1, Col10a1, and Sp7 (phalanx formation), Thbs2 and Col1a1 (perichondrium), Gdf5, Wnt5a, and Jun (joint interzone), Aldh1a2 and Msx1 (interdigital tissues), Myod1 (muscle progenitors), Prg4 (articular perichondrium/articular cartilage), and Scx and Tnmd (tenocytes/tendons). Analysis of the gene expression patterns for these signature genes indicates that developmental timing and tissue-specific localization were also recapitulated in a manner similar to the initiation and maturation of the developing murine autopod. Finally, the in vitro digit system also recapitulates congenital malformations associated with genetic mutations as in vitro cultures of Hoxa13 mutant mesenchyme produced defects present in Hoxa13 mutant autopods including digit fusions, reduced phalangeal segment numbers, and poor mesenchymal condensation. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the in vitro digit system to recapitulate digit and joint development. As an in vitro model of murine digit and joint development, this innovative system will provide access to the developing limb tissues facilitating studies to discern how digit and articular joint formation is initiated and how undifferentiated mesenchyme is patterned to establish individual digit morphologies. The in vitro digit system also provides a platform to rapidly evaluate treatments aimed at stimulating the repair or regeneration of mammalian digits impacted by congenital malformation, injury, or disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M. Fuiten
- Research Center, Shriners Children’s, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Yuki Yoshimoto
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Chisa Shukunami
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - H. Scott Stadler
- Research Center, Shriners Children’s, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
- *Correspondence: H. Scott Stadler,
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6
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Ono SF, Cordeiro IR, Kishida O, Ochi H, Tanaka M. Air-breathing behavior underlies the cell death in limbs of Rana pirica tadpoles. Zoological Lett 2023; 9:2. [PMID: 36624534 PMCID: PMC9830891 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-022-00199-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Amphibians shape their limbs by differential outgrowth of digits and interdigital regions. In contrast, amniotes employ cell death, an additional developmental system, to determine the final shape of limbs. Previous work has shown that high oxygen availability is correlated with the induction of cell death in developing limbs. Given the diversity of life histories of amphibians, it is conceivable that some amphibians are exposed to a high-oxygen environment during the tadpole phase and exhibit cell death in their limbs. Here, we examined whether air-breathing behavior underlies the cell death in limbs of aquatic tadpoles of the frog species Rana pirica. Our experimental approach revealed that R. pirica tadpoles exhibit cell death in their limbs that is likely to be induced by oxidative stress associated with their frequent air-breathing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satomi F Ono
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8501, Japan
| | - Ingrid Rosenburg Cordeiro
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8501, Japan
| | - Osamu Kishida
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, 053-0035, Japan
| | - Haruki Ochi
- Institute for Promotion of Medical Science Research, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata, Yamagata, 990-9585, Japan
| | - Mikiko Tanaka
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8501, Japan.
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7
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Zhu J, Patel R, Trofka A, Harfe BD, Mackem S. Sonic hedgehog is not a limb morphogen but acts as a trigger to specify all digits in mice. Dev Cell 2022; 57:2048-2062.e4. [PMID: 35977544 PMCID: PMC9709693 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Limb patterning by Sonic hedgehog (Shh), via either graded spatial or temporal signal integration, is a paradigm for "morphogen" function, yet how Shh instructs distinct digit identities remains controversial. Here, we bypass the Shh requirement in cell survival during outgrowth and demonstrate that a transient, early Shh pulse is both necessary and sufficient for normal mouse limb development. Shh response is only short range and is limited to the Shh-expressing zone during this time window. Shh patterns digits 1-3, anterior to this zone, by an indirect mechanism rather than direct spatial or temporal signal integration. Using a genetic relay-signaling assay, we discover that Shh also specifies digit 1/thumb (thought to be exclusively Shh independent) indirectly, and this finding implicates Shh in a unique regulatory hierarchy for digit 1 evolutionary adaptations such as opposable thumbs. This study illuminates Shh as a trigger for an indirect downstream network that becomes rapidly self-sustaining, with mechanistic relevance for limb development, regeneration, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjian Zhu
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Rashmi Patel
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Anna Trofka
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Brian D Harfe
- College of Medicine, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and the Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Susan Mackem
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA.
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8
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Lancman JJ, Hasso SM, Suzuki T, Kherdjemil Y, Kmita M, Ferris A, Dong PDS, Ros MA, Fallon JF. Downregulation of Grem1 expression in the distal limb mesoderm is a necessary precondition for phalanx development. Dev Dyn 2022; 251:1439-1455. [PMID: 34719843 PMCID: PMC9054941 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The phalanges are the final skeletal elements to form in the vertebrate limb and their identity is regulated by signaling at the phalanx forming region (PFR) located at the tip of the developing digit ray. Here, we seek to explore the relationship between PFR activity and phalanx morphogenesis, which define the most distal limb skeletal elements, and signals associated with termination of limb outgrowth. RESULTS As Grem1 is extinguished in the distal chick limb mesoderm, the chondrogenesis marker Aggrecan is up-regulated in the metatarsals and phalanges. Fate mapping confirms that subridge mesoderm cells contribute to the metatarsal and phalanges when subridge Grem1 is down-regulated. Grem1 overexpression specifically blocks chick phalanx development by inhibiting PFR activity. PFR activity and digit development are also disrupted following overexpression of a Gli3 repressor, which results in Grem1 expression in the distal limb and downregulation of Bmpr1b. CONCLUSIONS Based on expression and fate mapping studies, we propose that downregulation of Grem1 in the distal limb marks the transition from metatarsal to phalanx development. This suggests that downregulation of Grem1 in the distal limb mesoderm is necessary for phalanx development. Grem1 downregulation allows for full PFR activity and phalanx progenitor cell commitment to digit fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph J Lancman
- Human Genetics Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Sean M Hasso
- Heat Biologics, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Takayuki Suzuki
- Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yacine Kherdjemil
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Marie Kmita
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrea Ferris
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - P Duc S Dong
- Human Genetics Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Marian A Ros
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Cantabria-Sociedad para al Desarrollo Cantabria, Santander, Spain
- Departamento de Anatomía y Biología Celular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - John F Fallon
- Department of Anatomy, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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9
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Parada C, Banavar SP, Khalilian P, Rigaud S, Michaut A, Liu Y, Joshy DM, Campàs O, Gros J. Mechanical feedback defines organizing centers to drive digit emergence. Dev Cell 2022; 57:854-866.e6. [PMID: 35413235 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
During embryonic development, digits gradually emerge in a periodic pattern. Although genetic evidence indicates that digit formation results from a self-organizing process, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we find that convergent-extension tissue flows driven by active stresses underlie digit formation. These active stresses simultaneously shape cartilage condensations and lead to the emergence of a compressive stress region that promotes high activin/p-SMAD/SOX9 expression, thereby defining digit-organizing centers via a mechanical feedback. In Wnt5a mutants, such mechanical feedback is disrupted due to the loss of active stresses, organizing centers do not emerge, and digit formation is precluded. Thus, digit emergence does not result solely from molecular interactions, as was previously thought, but requires a mechanical feedback that ensures continuous coupling between phalanx specification and elongation. Our work, which links mechanical and molecular signals, provides a mechanistic context for the emergence of organizing centers that may underlie various developmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Parada
- Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; CNRS UMR 3738, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Samhita P Banavar
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5070, USA
| | - Parisa Khalilian
- Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; CNRS UMR 3738, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Stephane Rigaud
- Image Analysis Hub, C2RT, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
| | - Arthur Michaut
- Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; CNRS UMR 3738, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Yucen Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5070, USA
| | - Dennis Manjaly Joshy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5070, USA
| | - Otger Campàs
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5070, USA; Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Jerome Gros
- Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; CNRS UMR 3738, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France.
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10
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Towler OW, Shore EM. BMP signaling and skeletal development in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Dev Dyn 2022; 251:164-177. [PMID: 34133058 PMCID: PMC9068236 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an ultra-rare genetic disease caused by increased BMP pathway signaling due to mutation of ACVR1, a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) type 1 receptor. The primary clinical manifestation of FOP is extra-skeletal bone formation (heterotopic ossification) within soft connective tissues. However, the underlying ACVR1 mutation additionally alters skeletal bone development and nearly all people born with FOP have bilateral malformation of the great toes as well as other skeletal malformations at diverse anatomic sites. The specific mechanisms through which ACVR1 mutations and altered BMP pathway signaling in FOP influence skeletal bone formation during development remain to be elucidated; however, recent investigations are providing a clearer understanding of the molecular and developmental processes associated with ACVR1-regulated skeletal formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Will Towler
- The Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Eileen M. Shore
- The Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA,Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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11
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Huang BL, Mackem S. Rethinking positional information and digit identity: The role of late interdigit signaling. Dev Dyn 2021; 251:1414-1422. [PMID: 34811837 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Seminal work from John Fallon's lab has illuminated how digit identity determination involves ongoing late regulation and occurs progressively during phalanx formation. Complementary genetic analyses in mice and several papers in this special issue have begun to flesh out how interdigit signaling accomplishes this, but major questions remain unaddressed, including how uncommitted progenitors from which phalanges arise are maintained, and what factors set limits on digit extension and phalanx number, particularly in mammals. This review summarizes what has been learned in the two decades since control of digit identity by late interdigit signals was first identified and what remains poorly understood, and will hopefully spark renewed interest in a process that is critical to evolutionary limb adaptations but nevertheless remains enigmatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bau-Lin Huang
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, CCR, NCI, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Susan Mackem
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, CCR, NCI, Frederick, Maryland, USA
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12
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Trofka A, Huang BL, Zhu J, Heinz WF, Magidson V, Shibata Y, Shi YB, Tarchini B, Stadler HS, Kabangu M, Al Haj Baddar NW, Voss SR, Mackem S. Genetic basis for an evolutionary shift from ancestral preaxial to postaxial limb polarity in non-urodele vertebrates. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4923-4934.e5. [PMID: 34610275 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In most tetrapod vertebrates, limb skeletal progenitors condense with postaxial dominance. Posterior elements (such as ulna and fibula) appear prior to their anterior counterparts (radius and tibia), followed by digit-appearance order with continuing postaxial polarity. The only exceptions are urodele amphibians (salamanders), whose limb elements develop with preaxial polarity and who are also notable for their unique ability to regenerate complete limbs as adults. The mechanistic basis for this preaxial dominance has remained an enigma and has even been proposed to relate to the acquisition of novel genes involved in regeneration. However, recent fossil evidence suggests that preaxial polarity represents an ancestral rather than derived state. Here, we report that 5'Hoxd (Hoxd11-d13) gene deletion in mouse is atavistic and uncovers an underlying preaxial polarity in mammalian limb formation. We demonstrate this shift from postaxial to preaxial dominance in mouse results from excess Gli3 repressor (Gli3R) activity due to the loss of 5'Hoxd-Gli3 antagonism and is associated with cell-cycle changes promoting precocious cell-cycle exit in the anterior limb bud. We further show that Gli3 knockdown in axolotl results in a shift to postaxial dominant limb skeleton formation, as well as expanded paddle-shaped limb-bud morphology and ensuing polydactyly. Evolutionary changes in Gli3R activity level, which also played a key role in the fin-to-limb transition, appear to be fundamental to the shift from preaxial to postaxial polarity in formation of the tetrapod limb skeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Trofka
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Bau-Lin Huang
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jianjian Zhu
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - William F Heinz
- Optical Microscopy and Analysis Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Valentin Magidson
- Optical Microscopy and Analysis Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Yuki Shibata
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yun-Bo Shi
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - H Scott Stadler
- Division of Skeletal Biology, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Portland, OR, USA; Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Mirindi Kabangu
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Nour W Al Haj Baddar
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - S Randal Voss
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, and Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
| | - Susan Mackem
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD, USA.
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13
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de Bakker MAG, van der Vos W, de Jager K, Chung WY, Fowler DA, Dondorp E, Spiekman SNF, Chew KY, Xie B, Jiménez R, Bickelmann C, Kuratani S, Blazek R, Kondrashov P, Renfree MB, Richardson MK. Selection on phalanx development in the evolution of the bird wing. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:4222-4237. [PMID: 34164688 PMCID: PMC8476175 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The frameshift hypothesis is a widely-accepted model of bird wing evolution. This hypothesis postulates a shift in positional values, or molecular-developmental identity, that caused a change in digit phenotype. The hypothesis synthesised developmental and palaeontological data on wing digit homology. The 'most anterior digit' (MAD) hypothesis presents an alternative view based on changes in transcriptional regulation in the limb. The molecular evidence for both hypotheses is that the most anterior digit expresses Hoxd13 but not Hoxd11 and Hoxd12. This digit I 'signature' is thought to characterise all amniotes. Here, we studied Hoxd expression patterns in a phylogenetic sample of 18 amniotes. Instead of a conserved molecular signature in digit I, we find wide variation of Hoxd11, Hoxd12 and Hoxd13 expression in digit I. Patterns of apoptosis, and Sox9 expression, a marker of the phalanx-forming region, suggest that phalanges were lost from wing digit IV because of early arrest of the phalanx-forming region followed by cell death. Finally, we show that multiple amniote lineages lost phalanges with no frameshift. Our findings suggest that the bird wing evolved by targeted loss of phalanges under selection. Consistent with our view, some recent phylogenies based on dinosaur fossils eliminate the need to postulate a frameshift in the first place. We suggest that the phenotype of the Archaeopteryx lithographica wing is also consistent with phalanx loss. More broadly, our results support a gradualist model of evolution based on tinkering with developmental gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merijn A G de Bakker
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72
| | - Wessel van der Vos
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72.,Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kaylah de Jager
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72
| | - Wing Yu Chung
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72
| | - Donald A Fowler
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72
| | - Esther Dondorp
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2300 RA Leiden, PO Box 9517, The Netherlands
| | - Stephan N F Spiekman
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Keng Yih Chew
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72
| | - Bing Xie
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72
| | - Rafael Jiménez
- Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Granada, Lab 127 Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Avenida del Conocimiento S/N, 1810018016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Constanze Bickelmann
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Shigeru Kuratani
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Morphology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan.,RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Kobe, Japan
| | - Radim Blazek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Kvetna, 603 65, Czech Republic 8, Brno
| | - Peter Kondrashov
- Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, A. T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville, 63501, MO USA)
| | - Marilyn B Renfree
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Michael K Richardson
- Animal Science & Health, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, 2333BE Leiden, the Netherlands Sylviusweg 72
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14
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Sun L, Cao Y, Kong Q, Huang X, Yu Z, Sun D, Ren W, Yang G, Xu S. Over-expression of the bottlenose dolphin Hoxd13 gene in zebrafish provides new insights into the cetacean flipper formation. Genomics 2021; 113:2925-2933. [PMID: 34166750 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2021.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Cetaceans have evolved elongated soft-tissue flipper with digits made of hyperphalangy. Cetaceans were found to have 2-3 more alanine residues in Hoxd13 than other mammals, which were suggested to be related to their flipper. However, how Hoxd13 regulates other genes and induces hyperphalangy in cetaceans remain poorly understood. Here, we overexpressed the bottlenose dolphin Hoxd13 in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Combined with transcriptome data and evolutionary analyses, our results revealed that the Wingless/Integrated (Wnt) and Hedgehog signaling pathways and multiple genes might regulate hyperphalangy development in cetaceans. Meanwhile, the Notch and mitogen-activated protein kinase (Mapk) signaling pathways and Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (Fgfr1) are probably correlated with interdigital tissues retained in the cetacean flipper. In conclusion, this is the first study to use a transgenic zebrafish to explore the molecular evolution of Hoxd13 in cetaceans, and it provides new insights into cetacean flipper formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linxia Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Qian Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zhenpeng Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Di Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Wenhua Ren
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Guang Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Shixia Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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15
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Suzuki T, Fallon JF. The dynamic spatial and temporal relationships between the phalanx‐forming region and the interdigits determine digit identity in the chick limb autopod. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1318-1329. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Suzuki
- Avian Bioscience Research Center Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University Nagoya Japan
| | - John F. Fallon
- Avian Bioscience Research Center Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University Nagoya Japan
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16
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Beccari L, Jaquier G, Lopez-Delisle L, Rodriguez-Carballo E, Mascrez B, Gitto S, Woltering J, Duboule D. Dbx2 regulation in limbs suggests interTAD sharing of enhancers. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1280-1299. [PMID: 33497014 PMCID: PMC8451760 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During tetrapod limb development, the HOXA13 and HOXD13 transcription factors are critical for the emergence and organization of the autopod, the most distal aspect where digits will develop. Since previous work had suggested that the Dbx2 gene is a target of these factors, we set up to analyze in detail this potential regulatory interaction. RESULTS We show that HOX13 proteins bind to mammalian-specific sequences at the vicinity of the Dbx2 locus that have enhancer activity in developing digits. However, the functional inactivation of the DBX2 protein did not elicit any particular phenotype related to Hox genes inactivation in digits, suggesting either redundant or compensatory mechanisms. We report that the neighboring Nell2 and Ano6 genes are also expressed in distal limb buds and are in part controlled by the same Dbx2 enhancers despite being localized into two different topologically associating domains (TADs) flanking the Dbx2 locus. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that Hoxa13 and Hoxd genes cooperatively activate Dbx2 expression in developing digits through binding to mammalian specific regulatory sequences in the Dbx2 neighborhood. Furthermore, these enhancers can overcome TAD boundaries in either direction to co-regulate a set of genes located in distinct chromatin domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Beccari
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institut NeuroMyoGène, CNRS UMR 5310, INSERM U1217, University Claude Bernard Lyon1, Lyon, France
| | - Gabriel Jaquier
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Eddie Rodriguez-Carballo
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Joost Woltering
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Life Sciences, Federal School of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Collège de France, Paris, France
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17
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Fontanarrosa G, Abdala V, Dos Santos DA. Morphospace analysis leads to an evo-devo model of digit patterning. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2021; 336:341-351. [PMID: 33476480 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Biological forms occupy a constrained portion of theoretical morphospaces. Developmental models accounting for empirical morphospaces are necessary to achieve a better understanding of this phenomenon. We analyzed the phalangeal formulas (PFs) in lizards and relatives' hands by comparing them with a set of simulated PFs that compose a theoretical morphospace. We detected that: (1) the empirical morphospace is severely limited in size, (2) the PFs comply with two properties of phalangeal count per digit, namely the ordering rule (DI ≤ DII ≤ DIII ≤ DIV ≥ DV), and the contiguity relationship (neighbor digits differ on average in one phalanx), (3) the totality of the PFs can be categorized into four categories of hands aligned along a feasibility gradient. We also reconstructed the evolution of PFs and found a stepwise trajectory from the plesiomorphic PF towards reduced conditions. Finally, we propose a developmental model as the generative mechanism behind the PFs. It is consistent with the bulk of evidence managed and involves an ordered digit primordia initialization timed with periodic signals of joint formation coming from digit tips. Our approach is also useful to address the study of other meristic sequences in nature such as dental, floral, and branchial formulas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Fontanarrosa
- Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Virginia Abdala
- Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniel A Dos Santos
- Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
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18
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Farrera-Hernández A, Marín-Llera JC, Chimal-Monroy J. WNT5A-Ca 2+-CaN-NFAT signalling plays a permissive role during cartilage differentiation in embryonic chick digit development. Dev Biol 2021; 469:86-95. [PMID: 33058830 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
During digit development, the correct balance of chondrogenic signals ensures the recruitment of undifferentiated cells into the cartilage lineage or the maintenance of cells at the undifferentiated stage. WNT/β catenin maintains the pool of progenitor cells, whereas TGFβ signalling promotes cartilage differentiation by inducing Sox9 expression. Moreover, WNT5A promotes the degradation of β catenin during mouse limb development. Although these mechanisms are well established, it is still unknown whether the signalling pathway downstream WNT5A is also involved in early chondrogenesis during digit formation. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the role of WNT5A during the recruitment of progenitor cells during digit development. Our results showed that WNT5A activated calcium (Ca2+) release in the undifferentiated region during digit development. Further, the blockade of Ca2+ release or calcineurin (CaN) or nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) functions resulted in an inhibition of cartilage differentiation. Together, our results demonstrate that non canonical WNT5A-Ca2+-CaN-NFAT signalling plays a key role during embryonic digit development in vivo promoting the competence for chondrogenic signals and also acts as a permissive factor for chondrogenesis independently of cell death mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Farrera-Hernández
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad Universitaria, Apartado Postal 70228, Mexico
| | - Jessica Cristina Marín-Llera
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad Universitaria, Apartado Postal 70228, Mexico
| | - Jesús Chimal-Monroy
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad Universitaria, Apartado Postal 70228, Mexico.
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19
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Towler OW, Kaplan FS, Shore EM. The Developmental Phenotype of the Great Toe in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:612853. [PMID: 33364240 PMCID: PMC7753048 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.612853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare genetic disorder in which extensive heterotopic ossification (HO) begins to form during early childhood and progresses throughout life. Although HO does not occur during embryonic development, children who carry the ACVR1R206H mutation that causes most cases of FOP characteristically exhibit malformation of their great toes at birth, indicating that the mutation acts during embryonic development to alter skeletal formation. Despite the high prevalence of the great toe malformation in the FOP population, it has received relatively little attention due to its clinically benign nature. In this study, we examined radiographs from a cohort of 41 FOP patients ranging from 2 months to 48 years of age to provide a detailed analysis of the developmental features, progression, and variability of the great toe malformation of FOP, which include absent skeletal structures, malformed epiphyses, ectopic ossification centers, malformed first metatarsals and phalangeal fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Will Towler
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,The Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States
| | - Frederick S Kaplan
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,The Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States.,Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Eileen M Shore
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,The Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States.,Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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20
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Towler OW, Peck SH, Kaplan FS, Shore EM. Dysregulated BMP signaling through ACVR1 impairs digit joint development in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Dev Biol 2020; 470:136-146. [PMID: 33217406 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The development of joints in the mammalian skeleton depends on the precise regulation of multiple interacting signaling pathways including the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway, a key regulator of joint development, digit patterning, skeletal growth, and chondrogenesis. Mutations in the BMP receptor ACVR1 cause the rare genetic disease fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) in which extensive and progressive extra-skeletal bone forms in soft connective tissues after birth. These mutations, which enhance BMP-pSmad1/5 pathway activity to induce ectopic bone, also affect skeletal development. FOP can be diagnosed at birth by symmetric, characteristic malformations of the great toes (first digits) that are associated with decreased joint mobility, shortened digit length, and absent, fused, and/or malformed phalanges. To elucidate the role of ACVR1-mediated BMP signaling in digit skeletal development, we used an Acvr1R206H/+;Prrx1-Cre knock-in mouse model that mimics the first digit phenotype of human FOP. We have determined that the effects of increased Acvr1-mediated signaling by the Acvr1R206H mutation are not limited to the first digit but alter BMP signaling, Gdf5+ joint progenitor cell localization, and joint development in a manner that differently affects individual digits during embryogenesis. The Acvr1R206H mutation leads to delayed and disrupted joint specification and cleavage in the digits and alters the development of cartilage and endochondral ossification at sites of joint morphogenesis. These findings demonstrate an important role for ACVR1-mediated BMP signaling in the regulation of joint and skeletal formation, show a direct link between failure to restrict BMP signaling in the digit joint interzone and failure of joint cleavage at the presumptive interzone, and implicate impaired, digit-specific joint development as the proximal cause of digit malformation in FOP.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Will Towler
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States; Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Sun H Peck
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States; Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Frederick S Kaplan
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States; Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States; Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Eileen M Shore
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States; Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Boulevard, Clinical Research Building, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States; Center for Research in FOP & Related Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, 309A Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
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21
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Cordeiro IR, Yu R, Tanaka M. Regulation of the limb shape during the development of the Chinese softshell turtles. Evol Dev 2020; 22:451-462. [PMID: 32906209 PMCID: PMC7757393 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Interdigital cell death is an important mechanism employed by amniotes to shape their limbs; inhibiting this process leads to the formation of webbed fingers, as seen in bats and ducks. The Chinese softshell turtle Pelodiscus sinensis (Reptilia: Testudines: Trionychidae) has a distinctive limb morphology: the anterior side of the limbs has partially webbed fingers with claw‐like protrusions, while the posterior fingers are completely enclosed in webbings. Here, P. sinensis embryos were investigated to gain insights on the evolution of limb‐shaping mechanisms in amniotes. We found cell death and cell senescence in their interdigital webbings. Spatial or temporal modulation of these processes were correlated with the appearance of indentations in the webbings, but not a complete regression of this tissue. No differences in interdigital cell proliferation were found. In subsequent stages, differential growth of the finger cartilages led to a major difference in limb shape. While no asymmetry in bone morphogenetic protein signaling was evident during interdigital cell death stages, some components of this pathway were expressed exclusively in the clawed digit tips, which also had earlier ossification. In addition, a delay and/or truncation in the chondrogenesis of the posterior digits was found in comparison with the anterior digits of P. sinensis, and also when compared with the previously published pattern of digit skeletogenesis of turtles without posterior webbings. In conclusion, modulation of cell death, as well as a heterochrony in digit chondrogenesis, may contribute to the formation of the unique limbs of the Chinese softshell turtles. Cell death and senescence shape the interdigital webbings of Pelodiscus sinensis. Delayed chondrogenesis/ossification and truncated tips are found in posterior digits, as well as differential expression of bone morphogenetic proteins and Msh homeobox 1 transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid R Cordeiro
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Reiko Yu
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Mikiko Tanaka
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
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22
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Cordeiro IR, Tanaka M. Environmental Oxygen is a Key Modulator of Development and Evolution: From Molecules to Ecology. Bioessays 2020; 42:e2000025. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Rosenburg Cordeiro
- Department of Life Science and Technology Tokyo Institute of Technology B‐17, 4259 Nagatsuta‐cho, Midori‐ku Yokohama 226‐8501 Japan
| | - Mikiko Tanaka
- Department of Life Science and Technology Tokyo Institute of Technology B‐17, 4259 Nagatsuta‐cho, Midori‐ku Yokohama 226‐8501 Japan
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Fowler DA, Larsson HCE. The tissues and regulatory pattern of limb chondrogenesis. Dev Biol 2020; 463:124-134. [PMID: 32417169 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Initial limb chondrogenesis offers the first differentiated tissues that resemble the mature skeletal anatomy. It is a developmental progression of three tissues. The limb begins with undifferentiated mesenchyme-1, some of which differentiates into condensations-2, and this tissue then transforms into cartilage-3. Each tissue is identified by physical characteristics of cell density, shape, and extracellular matrix composition. Tissue specific regimes of gene regulation underlie the diagnostic physical and chemical properties of these three tissues. These three tissue based regimes co-exist amid a background of other gene regulatory regimes within the same tissues and time-frame of limb development. The bio-molecular indicators of gene regulation reveal six identifiable patterns. Three of these patterns describe the unique bio-molecular indicators of each of the three tissues. A fourth pattern shares bio-molecular indicators between condensation and cartilage. Finally, a fifth pattern is composed of bio-molecular indicators that are found in undifferentiated mesenchyme prior to any condensation differentiation, then these bio-molecular indicators are upregulated in condensations and downregulated in undifferentiated mesenchyme. The undifferentiated mesenchyme that remains in between the condensations and cartilage, the interdigit, contains a unique set of bio-molecular indicators that exhibit dynamic behaviour during chondrogenesis and therefore argue for its own inclusion as a tissue in its own right and for more study into this process of differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald A Fowler
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal, QC, H3A 0C4, Canada; Department of Biology, McGill University, Stewart Biology Building, 1205 Docteur Penfield, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada.
| | - Hans C E Larsson
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal, QC, H3A 0C4, Canada.
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24
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Abstract
Iterative joints are a hallmark of the tetrapod limb, and their positioning is a key step during limb development. Although the molecular regulation of joint formation is well studied, it remains unclear what controls the location, number and orientation (i.e. the pattern) of joints within each digit. Here, we propose the dot-stripe mechanism for joint patterning, comprising two coupled Turing systems inspired by published gene expression patterns. Our model can explain normal joint morphology in wild-type limbs, hyperphalangy in cetacean flippers, mutant phenotypes with misoriented joints and suggests a reinterpretation of the polydactylous Ichthyosaur fins as a polygonal joint lattice. By formulating a generic dot-stripe model, describing joint patterns rather than molecular joint markers, we demonstrate that the insights from the model should apply regardless of the biological specifics of the underlying mechanism, thus providing a unifying framework to interrogate joint patterning in the tetrapod limb.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tom W Hiscock
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
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25
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Bastida MF, Pérez-Gómez R, Trofka A, Zhu J, Rada-Iglesias A, Sheth R, Stadler HS, Mackem S, Ros MA. The formation of the thumb requires direct modulation of Gli3 transcription by Hoxa13. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:1090-6. [PMID: 31896583 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1919470117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In the tetrapod limb, the digits (fingers or toes) are the elements most subject to morphological diversification in response to functional adaptations. However, despite their functional importance, the mechanisms controlling digit morphology remain poorly understood. Here we have focused on understanding the special morphology of the thumb (digit 1), the acquisition of which was an important adaptation of the human hand. To this end, we have studied the limbs of the Hoxa13 mouse mutant that specifically fail to form digit 1. We show that, consistent with the role of Hoxa13 in Hoxd transcriptional regulation, the expression of Hoxd13 in Hoxa13 mutant limbs does not extend into the presumptive digit 1 territory, which is therefore devoid of distal Hox transcripts, a circumstance that can explain its agenesis. The loss of Hoxd13 expression, exclusively in digit 1 territory, correlates with increased Gli3 repressor activity, a Hoxd negative regulator, resulting from increased Gli3 transcription that, in turn, is due to the release from the negative modulation exerted by Hox13 paralogs on Gli3 regulatory sequences. Our results indicate that Hoxa13 acts hierarchically to initiate the formation of digit 1 by reducing Gli3 transcription and by enabling expansion of the 5'Hoxd second expression phase, thereby establishing anterior-posterior asymmetry in the handplate. Our work uncovers a mutual antagonism between Gli3 and Hox13 paralogs that has important implications for Hox and Gli3 gene regulation in the context of development and evolution.
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26
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Zuniga A, Zeller R. Dynamic and self-regulatory interactions among gene regulatory networks control vertebrate limb bud morphogenesis. Curr Top Dev Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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27
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Grall E, Tschopp P. A sense of place, many times over ‐ pattern formation and evolution of repetitive morphological structures. Dev Dyn 2019; 249:313-327. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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28
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Fowler DA, Larsson HCE. The benefits differential equations bring to limb development. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Dev Biol 2019; 9:e364. [PMID: 31637866 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Systems biology is a large field, offering a number of advantages to a variety of biological disciplines. In limb development, differential-equation based models can provide insightful hypotheses about the gene/protein interactions and tissue differentiation events that form the core of limb development research. Differential equations are like any other communicative tool, with misuse and limitations that can come along with their advantages. Every theory should be critically analyzed to best ascertain whether they reflect the reality in biology as well they claim. Differential equation-based models have consistent features which researchers have drawn upon to aid in more realistic descriptions and hypotheses. Nine features are described that highlight these trade-offs. The advantages range from more detailed descriptions of gene interactions and their consequence and the capacity to model robustness to the incorporation of tissue size and shape. The drawbacks come with the added complication that additional genes and signaling pathways that require additional terms within the mathematical model. They also come in the translation between the mathematical terms of the model, values and matrices, to the real world of genes, proteins, and tissues that constitute limb development. A critical analysis is necessary to ensure that these models effectively expand the understanding of the origins of a diversity of limb anatomy, from evolution to teratology. This article is categorized under: Vertebrate Organogenesis > Musculoskeletal and Vascular Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Regulatory Mechanisms Establishment of Spatial and Temporal Patterns > Repeating Patterns and Lateral Inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald A Fowler
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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29
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Chijimatsu R, Saito T. Mechanisms of synovial joint and articular cartilage development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:3939-3952. [PMID: 31201464 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03191-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Articular cartilage is formed at the end of epiphyses in the synovial joint cavity and permanently contributes to the smooth movement of synovial joints. Most skeletal elements develop from transient cartilage by a biological process known as endochondral ossification. Accumulating evidence indicates that articular and growth plate cartilage are derived from different cell sources and that different molecules and signaling pathways regulate these two kinds of cartilage. As the first sign of joint development, the interzone emerges at the presumptive joint site within a pre-cartilage tissue. After that, joint cavitation occurs in the center of the interzone, and the cells in the interzone and its surroundings gradually form articular cartilage and the synovial joint. During joint development, the interzone cells continuously migrate out to the epiphyseal cartilage and the surrounding cells influx into the joint region. These complicated phenomena are regulated by various molecules and signaling pathways, including GDF5, Wnt, IHH, PTHrP, BMP, TGF-β, and FGF. Here, we summarize current literature and discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying joint formation and articular development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Chijimatsu
- Bone and Cartilage Regenerative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | - Taku Saito
- Sensory and Motor System Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
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Cordeiro IR, Kabashima K, Ochi H, Munakata K, Nishimori C, Laslo M, Hanken J, Tanaka M. Environmental Oxygen Exposure Allows for the Evolution of Interdigital Cell Death in Limb Patterning. Dev Cell 2019; 50:155-166.e4. [PMID: 31204171 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Amphibians form fingers without webbing by differential growth between digital and interdigital regions. Amniotes, however, employ interdigital cell death (ICD), an additional mechanism that contributes to a greater variation of limb shapes. Here, we investigate the role of environmental oxygen in the evolution of ICD in tetrapods. While cell death is restricted to the limb margin in amphibians with aquatic tadpoles, Eleutherodactylus coqui, a frog with terrestrial-direct-developing eggs, has cell death in the interdigital region. Chicken requires sufficient oxygen and reactive oxygen species to induce cell death, with the oxygen tension profile itself being distinct between the limbs of chicken and Xenopus laevis frogs. Notably, increasing blood vessel density in X. laevis limbs, as well as incubating tadpoles under high oxygen levels, induces ICD. We propose that the oxygen available to terrestrial eggs was an ecological feature crucial for the evolution of ICD, made possible by conserved autopod-patterning mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Rosenburg Cordeiro
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Kaori Kabashima
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Haruki Ochi
- Institute for Promotion of Medical Science Research, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan
| | - Keijiro Munakata
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Chika Nishimori
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Mara Laslo
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - James Hanken
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Mikiko Tanaka
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, B-17, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
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31
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Reinhardt R, Gullotta F, Nusspaumer G, Ünal E, Ivanek R, Zuniga A, Zeller R. Molecular signatures identify immature mesenchymal progenitors in early mouse limb buds that respond differentially to morphogen signaling. Development 2019; 146:dev.173328. [PMID: 31076486 PMCID: PMC6550019 DOI: 10.1242/dev.173328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The key molecular interactions governing vertebrate limb bud development are a paradigm for studying the mechanisms controlling progenitor cell proliferation and specification during vertebrate organogenesis. However, little is known about the cellular heterogeneity of the mesenchymal progenitors in early limb buds that ultimately contribute to the chondrogenic condensations prefiguring the skeleton. We combined flow cytometric and transcriptome analyses to identify the molecular signatures of several distinct mesenchymal progenitor cell populations present in early mouse forelimb buds. In particular, jagged 1 (JAG1)-positive cells located in the posterior-distal mesenchyme were identified as the most immature limb bud mesenchymal progenitors (LMPs), which crucially depend on SHH and FGF signaling in culture. The analysis of gremlin 1 (Grem1)-deficient forelimb buds showed that JAG1-expressing LMPs are protected from apoptosis by GREM1-mediated BMP antagonism. At the same stage, the osteo-chondrogenic progenitors (OCPs) located in the core mesenchyme are already actively responding to BMP signaling. This analysis sheds light on the cellular heterogeneity of the early mouse limb bud mesenchyme and on the distinct response of LMPs and OCPs to morphogen signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Reinhardt
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabiana Gullotta
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gretel Nusspaumer
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Development and Evolution, Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Erkan Ünal
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Bioinformatics Core Facility, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Robert Ivanek
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Bioinformatics Core Facility, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Aimée Zuniga
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Zeller
- Developmental Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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32
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Through precise implementation of distinct cell type specification programs, differentially regulated in both space and time, complex patterns emerge during organogenesis. Thanks to its easy experimental accessibility, the developing chicken limb has long served as a paradigm to study vertebrate pattern formation. Through decades' worth of research, we now have a firm grasp on the molecular mechanisms driving limb formation at the tissue-level. However, to elucidate the dynamic interplay between transcriptional cell type specification programs and pattern formation at its relevant cellular scale, we lack appropriately resolved molecular data at the genome-wide level. Here, making use of droplet-based single-cell RNA-sequencing, we catalogue the developmental emergence of distinct tissue types and their transcriptome dynamics in the distal chicken limb, the so-called autopod, at cellular resolution. RESULTS Using single-cell RNA-sequencing technology, we sequenced a total of 17,628 cells coming from three key developmental stages of chicken autopod patterning. Overall, we identified 23 cell populations with distinct transcriptional profiles. Amongst them were small, albeit essential populations like the apical ectodermal ridge, demonstrating the ability to detect even rare cell types. Moreover, we uncovered the existence of molecularly distinct sub-populations within previously defined compartments of the developing limb, some of which have important signaling functions during autopod pattern formation. Finally, we inferred gene co-expression modules that coincide with distinct tissue types across developmental time, and used them to track patterning-relevant cell populations of the forming digits. CONCLUSIONS We provide a comprehensive functional genomics resource to study the molecular effectors of chicken limb patterning at cellular resolution. Our single-cell transcriptomic atlas captures all major cell populations of the developing autopod, and highlights the transcriptional complexity in many of its components. Finally, integrating our data-set with other single-cell transcriptomics resources will enable researchers to assess molecular similarities in orthologous cell types across the major tetrapod clades, and provide an extensive candidate gene list to functionally test cell-type-specific drivers of limb morphological diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabio Sacher
- DUW Zoology, University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Oren Parnas
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
- Present address: The Concern Foundation Laboratories at the Lautenberg Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research, IMRIC, Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Patrick Tschopp
- DUW Zoology, University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland
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33
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Abstract
Synovial joints enable movement and protect the integrity of the articular cartilage. Joints form within skeletal condensations destined to undergo chondrogenesis. The suppression of this chondrogenic program in the interzone is the first morphological sign of joint formation. While we have a fairly good understanding of the essential roles of BMP and TGFβ family members in promoting chondrogenic differentiation in developing skeletal elements, we know very little about how BMP activity is suppressed specifically within the interzone, a crucial step in joint development. The function of the BMP ligand Gdf5 has been especially difficult to decipher. On the one hand, Gdf5 is required to promote chondrogenesis of articular elements. On the other hand, Gdf5 is highly expressed in the joint interzone where chondrogenesis must be suppressed for the formation of many joints. Here we review the evidence that BMP signaling must be suppressed within the joint interzone for joint morphogenesis to progress, and consider how Gdf5 exerts its divergent effects on chondrogenesis and joint formation. We also consider how TGFβ signaling impacts formation of the interzone. Finally, we propose a model whereby Gdf5 exerts distinct effects in the interzone vs. surrounding cartilage based on the repertoire of BMP receptors available in these tissues. Understanding how BMP antagonists and counteracting TGFβ signals intersect with Gdf5 to sculpt the joint interzone is essential for understanding the origin of osteoarthritis and other diseases of joint tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Lyons
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Vicki Rosen
- Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, United States.
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Rafipay A, Berg ALR, Erskine L, Vargesson N. Expression analysis of limb element markers during mouse embryonic development. Dev Dyn 2018; 247:1217-1226. [PMID: 30225906 PMCID: PMC6282987 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: While data regarding expression of limb element and tissue markers during normal mouse limb development exist, few studies show expression patterns in upper and lower limbs throughout key limb development stages. A comparison to normal developmental events is essential when analyzing development of the limb in mutant mice models. Results: Expression patterns of the joint marker Gdf5, tendon and ligament marker Scleraxis, early muscle marker MyoD1, and blood vessel marker Cadherin5 (Cdh5) are presented during the most active phases of embryonic mouse limb patterning. Anti‐neurofilament staining of developing nerves in the fore‐ and hindlimbs and cartilage formation and progression also are described. Conclusions: This study demonstrates and describes a range of key morphological markers and methods that together can be used to assess normal and abnormal limb development. Developmental Dynamics 247:1217–1226, 2018. © 2018 The Authors. Developmental Dynamics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Anatomists Expression patterns of molecular markers throughout both fore‐ and hindlimb development ‐ which can be used to assess normal and abnormal development. Detailled description of innervation during fore‐ and hindlimb development confirming innervation first seen after limb patterning events have begun. Description of cartilage development and progression indicates alizarin red staining not seen until E15.5 in both fore‐ and hindlimbs. Hindlimb lags behind forelimb molecularly and morphologically until E14.5. Detailled description of methods used to study fore‐ and hindlimb development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Rafipay
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen
| | - Amanda L R Berg
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen
| | - Lynda Erskine
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen
| | - Neil Vargesson
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen
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35
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Abstract
The developing limbs of chicken embryos have served as pioneering models for understanding pattern formation for over a century. The ease with which chick wing and leg buds can be experimentally manipulated, while the embryo is still in the egg, has resulted in the discovery of important developmental organisers, and subsequently, the signals that they produce. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is produced by mesenchyme cells of the polarizing region at the posterior margin of the limb bud and specifies positional values across the antero-posterior axis (the axis running from the thumb to the little finger). Detailed experimental embryology has revealed the fundamental parameters required to specify antero-posterior positional values in response to Shh signaling in chick wing and leg buds. In this review, the evolution of the avian wing and leg will be discussed in the broad context of tetrapod paleontology, and more specifically, ancestral theropod dinosaur paleontology. How the parameters that dictate antero-posterior patterning could have been modulated to produce the avian wing and leg digit patterns will be considered. Finally, broader speculations will be made regarding what the antero-posterior patterning of chick limbs can tell us about the evolution of other digit patterns, including those that were found in the limbs of the earliest tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Towers
- Department of Biomedical ScienceThe Bateson Centre, University of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldS10 2TNUnited Kingdom
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36
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Cooper LN, Sears KE, Armfield BA, Kala B, Hubler M, Thewissen JGM. Review and experimental evaluation of the embryonic development and evolutionary history of flipper development and hyperphalangy in dolphins (Cetacea: Mammalia). Genesis 2017; 56. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Noelle Cooper
- Department of Anatomy and NeurobiologyNEOMEDRootstown OH44272‐0095
- Department of Anatomy and NeurobiologyMusculoskeletal Biology Research Group at NEOMEDRootstown OH44272‐0095
| | - Karen E. Sears
- Department of Animal BiologyUniversity of IllinoisUrbana IL61801
- University of Illinois, Institute for Genomic BiologyUrbana IL61801
| | - Brooke A. Armfield
- Molecular Genetics and MicrobiologyUniversity of FloridaGainesville FL32610
| | - Bhavneet Kala
- Department of Anatomy and NeurobiologyNEOMEDRootstown OH44272‐0095
| | - Merla Hubler
- Department of Animal BiologyUniversity of IllinoisUrbana IL61801
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37
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Abstract
Critical steps in forming the vertebrate limb include the positioning of digits and the positioning of joints within each digit. Recent studies have proposed that the iterative series of digits is established by a Turing-like mechanism generating stripes of chondrogenic domains. However, re-examination of available data suggest that digits are actually patterned as evenly spaced spots, not stripes, which then elongate into rod-shaped digit rays by incorporating new cells at their tips. Moreover, extension of the digit rays and the patterning of the joints occur simultaneously at the distal tip, implying that an integrated model is required to fully understand these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom W Hiscock
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Patrick Tschopp
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Clifford J Tabin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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38
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Abstract
The gene encoding the secreted protein Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is expressed in the polarizing region (or zone of polarizing activity), a small group of mesenchyme cells at the posterior margin of the vertebrate limb bud. Detailed analyses have revealed that Shh has the properties of the long sought after polarizing region morphogen that specifies positional values across the antero-posterior axis (e.g., thumb to little finger axis) of the limb. Shh has also been shown to control the width of the limb bud by stimulating mesenchyme cell proliferation and by regulating the antero-posterior length of the apical ectodermal ridge, the signaling region required for limb bud outgrowth and the laying down of structures along the proximo-distal axis (e.g., shoulder to digits axis) of the limb. It has been shown that Shh signaling can specify antero-posterior positional values in limb buds in both a concentration- (paracrine) and time-dependent (autocrine) fashion. Currently there are several models for how Shh specifies positional values over time in the limb buds of chick and mouse embryos and how this is integrated with growth. Extensive work has elucidated downstream transcriptional targets of Shh signaling. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how antero-posterior positional values are encoded and then interpreted to give the particular structure appropriate to that position, for example, the type of digit. A distant cis-regulatory enhancer controls limb-bud-specific expression of Shh and the discovery of increasing numbers of interacting transcription factors indicate complex spatiotemporal regulation. Altered Shh signaling is implicated in clinical conditions with congenital limb defects and in the evolution of the morphological diversity of vertebrate limbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryll Tickle
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of BathBath, UK,*Correspondence: Cheryll Tickle
| | - Matthew Towers
- Department of Biomedical Science, The Bateson Centre, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, UK,Matthew Towers
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39
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Al-Qattan MM, Shamseldin HE, Salih MA, Alkuraya FS. GLI3-related polydactyly: a review. Clin Genet 2017; 92:457-466. [PMID: 28224613 DOI: 10.1111/cge.12952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
GLI3 mutations are known to be associated with nine syndromes/conditions in which polydactyly is a feature. In this review, the embryology, pathogenesis, and animal models of GLI3-related polydactyly are discussed first. This is followed by a detailed review of the genotype-phenotype correlations. Based on our review of the literature and our clinical experiences, we recommend viewing GLI3-related syndromes/conditions as four separate entities; each characterized by a specific pattern of polydactyly. These four entities are: the preaxial polydactyly type IV-Greig-acrocallosal spectrum, postaxial polydactyly types A/B, Pallister-Hall syndrome (PHS), and oral-facial-digital overlap syndrome. We also provide illustrative clinical examples from our practice including a family with a novel GLI3 mutation causing PHS. The review also introduces the term 'Forme Fruste' preaxial polydactyly and gives several conclusions/recommendations including the recommendation to revise the current criteria for the clinical diagnosis of PHS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Al-Qattan
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - H E Shamseldin
- Department of Genetics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - M A Salih
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - F S Alkuraya
- Department of Genetics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Zhu J, Mackem S. John Saunders' ZPA, Sonic hedgehog and digit identity - How does it really all work? Dev Biol 2017; 429:391-400. [PMID: 28161524 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 01/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Among John Saunders' many seminal contributions to developmental biology, his discovery of the limb 'zone of polarizing activity' (ZPA) is arguably one of the most memorable and ground-breaking. This discovery introduced the limb as a premier model for understanding developmental patterning and promoted the concept of patterning by a morphogen gradient. In the 50 years since the discovery of the ZPA, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) has been identified as the ZPA factor and the basic components of the signaling pathway and many aspects of its regulation have been elucidated. Although much has also been learned about how it regulates growth, the mechanism by which Shh patterns the limb, how it acts to instruct digit 'identity', nevertheless remains an enigma. This review focuses on what has been learned about Shh function in the limb and the outstanding puzzles that remain to be solved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjian Zhu
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, CCR, NCI, Frederick, MD 21702, United States
| | - Susan Mackem
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, CCR, NCI, Frederick, MD 21702, United States.
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