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Cornil CA, Balthazart J. Contribution of birds to the study of sexual differentiation of brain and behavior. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105410. [PMID: 37567061 PMCID: PMC10543621 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105410] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral neuroendocrinology has largely relied on mammalian models to understand the relationship between hormones and behavior, even if this discipline has historically used a larger diversity of species than other fields. Recent advances revealed the potential of avian models in elucidating the neuroendocrine bases of behavior. This paper provides a review focused mainly on the contributions of our laboratory to the study of sexual differentiation in Japanese quail and songbirds. Quail studies have firmly established the role of embryonic estrogens in the sexual differentiation of male copulatory behavior. While most sexually differentiated features identified in brain structure and physiology result from the different endocrine milieu of adults, a few characteristics are organized by embryonic estrogens. Among them, a sex difference was identified in the number and morphology of microglia which is not associated with sex differences in the concentration/expression of neuroinflammatory molecules. The behavioral role of microglia and neuroinflammatory processes requires further investigations. Sexual differentiation of singing in zebra finches is not mediated by the same endocrine mechanisms as male copulatory behavior and "direct" genetic effect, i.e., not mediated by gonadal steroids have been identified. Epigenetic contributions have also been considered. Finally sex differences in specific aspects of singing behavior have been identified in canaries after treatment of adults with exogenous testosterone suggesting that these aspects of song are differentiated during ontogeny. Integration of quail and songbirds as alternative models has thus expanded understanding of the interplay between hormones and behavior in the control of sexual differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte A Cornil
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 15 Avenue Hippocrate (Bat. B36), 4000 Liège, Belgium.
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 15 Avenue Hippocrate (Bat. B36), 4000 Liège, Belgium
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Catalán A, Merondun J, Knief U, Wolf JBW. Chromatin accessibility, not 5mC methylation covaries with partial dosage compensation in crows. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010901. [PMID: 37747941 PMCID: PMC10575545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of genetic sex determination is often accompanied by degradation of the sex-limited chromosome. Male heterogametic systems have evolved convergent, epigenetic mechanisms restoring the resulting imbalance in gene dosage between diploid autosomes (AA) and the hemizygous sex chromosome (X). Female heterogametic systems (AAf Zf, AAm ZZm) tend to only show partial dosage compensation (0.5 < Zf:AAf < 1) and dosage balance (0.5
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Catalán
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Justin Merondun
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Ulrich Knief
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology,Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jochen B. W. Wolf
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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Park SHE, Ortiz AK, Konopka G. Corticogenesis across species at single-cell resolution. Dev Neurobiol 2022; 82:517-532. [PMID: 35932776 PMCID: PMC9481703 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22896] [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: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The neocortex (or pallium) consists of diverse cell types that are organized in a highly species-specific manner under strict spatiotemporal control during development. Many of the cell types are present transiently throughout development but contribute to permanent species-specific cortical features that are acquired through evolution. Therefore, capturing cell type-specific biological information has always been an important quest in the field of neurodevelopment. The progress in achieving fine cellular resolution has been slow due to technical challenges. However, with recent advancements in single-cell and multi-omics technologies, many laboratories have begun to successfully interrogate cellular and molecular mechanisms driving corticogenesis at single-cell resolution. In this review, we provide summarized results from many primary publications and several in-depth review articles that utilize or address single-cell genomics techniques to understand important topics, such as cellular and molecular mechanisms governing cortical progenitor proliferation, cell lineage progression, neuronal specification, and arealization, across multiple gyrencephalic (i.e., human and non-human primates) and lissencephalic species (i.e., mouse, reptiles, and songbirds). We also examine findings from recent studies involving epigenomic and posttranscriptional regulation of corticogenesis. In the discussion section, we provide our insights on the challenges the field currently faces as well as promising future applications of single cell technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seon Hye E Park
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Ana K Ortiz
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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Friedrich SR, Nevue AA, Andrade ALP, Velho TAF, Mello CV. Emergence of sex-specific transcriptomes in a sexually dimorphic brain nucleus. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111152. [PMID: 35926465 PMCID: PMC9385264 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111152] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the transcriptomic changes underlying the development of an extreme neuroanatomical sex difference. The robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) is a key component of the songbird vocal motor system. In zebra finch, the RA is initially monomorphic and then atrophies in females but grows up to 7-fold larger in males. Mirroring this divergence, we show here that sex-differential gene expression in the RA expands from hundreds of predominantly sex chromosome Z genes in early development to thousands of predominantly autosomal genes by the time sexual dimorphism asymptotes. Male-specific developmental processes include cell and axonal growth, synapse assembly and activity, and energy metabolism; female-specific processes include cell polarity and differentiation, transcriptional repression, and steroid hormone and immune signaling. Transcription factor binding site analyses support female-biased activation of pro-apoptotic regulatory networks. The extensive and sex-specific transcriptomic reorganization of RA provides insights into potential drivers of sexually dimorphic neurodevelopment. Friedrich et al. demonstrate extensive transcriptomic sex differences underlying the sexually dimorphic development of vocal nucleus RA in the songbird brain. They find sex-specific gene regulation linked to distinct biological processes, developmental shifts in the relative signal from sex chromosome to autosomal genes, and evidence of female-biased pro-apoptotic regulatory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R Friedrich
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Alexander A Nevue
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Abraão L P Andrade
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Tarciso A F Velho
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Claudio V Mello
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR 97239, USA.
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Zhang F, Luo H, Peng W, Wang L, Wang T, Xie Z, Zhang J, Dong W, Zheng X, Liu G, Zhu X, Kang Q, Tian X. Hypoxic condition induced H3K27me3 modification of the LncRNA Tmem235 promoter thus supporting apoptosis of BMSCs. Apoptosis 2022; 27:762-777. [PMID: 35779185 PMCID: PMC9482900 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-022-01747-8] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have strong regenerative potential and show good application prospects for treating clinical diseases. However, in the process of BMSC transplantation for treating ischemic and hypoxic diseases, BMSCs have high rates of apoptosis in the hypoxic microenvironment of transplantation, which significantly affects the transplantation efficacy. Our previous studies have confirmed the key role of long non-coding RNA Tmem235 (LncRNA Tmem235) in the process of hypoxia-induced BMSC apoptosis and its downstream regulatory mechanism, but the upstream mechanism by which hypoxia regulates LncRNA Tmem235 expression to induce BMSC apoptosis is still unclear. Under hypoxic conditions, we found that the level of LncRNA Tmem235 promoter histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation modification (H3K27me3) was significantly increased by CHIP-qPCR. Moreover, H3K27me3 cooperated with LncRNA Tmem235 promoter DNA methylation to inhibit the expression of LncRNA Tmem235 and promote apoptosis of BMSCs. To study the mechanism of hypoxia-induced modification of LncRNA Tmem235 promoter H3K27me3 in the hypoxia model of BMSCs, we detected the expression of H3K27 methylase and histone demethylase and found that only histone methylase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) expression was significantly upregulated. Knockdown of EZH2 significantly decreased the level of H3K27me3 modification in the LncRNA Tmem235 promoter. The EZH2 promoter region contains a hypoxia-responsive element (HRE) that interacts with hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α), which is overexpressed under hypoxic conditions, thereby promoting its overexpression. In summary, hypoxia promotes the modification of the LncRNA Tmem235 promoter H3K27me3 through the HIF-1α/EZH2 signaling axis, inhibits the expression of LncRNA Tmem235, and leads to hypoxic apoptosis of BMSCs. Our findings improve the regulatory mechanism of LncRNA Tmem235 during hypoxic apoptosis of BMSCs and provide a more complete theoretical pathway for targeting LncRNA to inhibit hypoxic apoptosis of BMSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Hong Luo
- School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Wuxun Peng
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China. .,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Tao Wang
- School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Zhihong Xie
- School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Wentao Dong
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Xiaohan Zheng
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Gang Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
| | - Xuesong Zhu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qinglin Kang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Xiaobin Tian
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China.,School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, China
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