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B L Hogan

Publications and source records attributed to B L Hogan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Bone morphogenetic protein-6 is a marker of serous acinar cell differentiation in normal and neoplastic human salivary gland.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-6, also known as vegetal-pale-gene-related and decaplentaplegic-vegetal-related) is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily of multifunctional signaling molecules. BMP-6 appears to play various biological roles in developing tissues, including regulation of epithelial differentiation. To study the possible involvement of BMP-6 in normal and neoplastic human salivary glands, we compared its mRNA and protein expression in 4 fetal and 15 adult salivary glands and in 22 benign and 32 malignant salivary gland tumors. In situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis indicated that BMP-6 transcripts are expressed at low levels in acinar cells of adult submandibular glands but not in ductal or stromal cells. BMP-6 was immunolocated specifically in serous acini of parotid and submandibular glands. None was found in primitive fetal acini or any other types of cell in adult salivary glands, including mucous acini and epithelial cells of intercalated, striated, and excretory ducts. All 16 cases of acinic cell carcinoma consistently exhibited cytoplasmic BMP-6 staining in the acinar tumor cells. Other cell types in these tumors, including intercalated duct-like cells, clear, vacuolated cells, and nonspecific glandular cells, exhibited no cytoplasmic BMP-6 staining. Other benign and malignant salivary gland tumors lacked BMP-6 immunoreactivity, except in areas of squamous differentiation. The results indicate that in salivary glands, BMP-6 expression is uniquely associated with acinar cell differentiation and suggest that BMP-6 may play a role in salivary gland function. More importantly, our experience of differential diagnostic problems related to salivary gland tumors suggests that the demonstration of consistent and specific BMP-6 immunoreactivity in acinic cell carcinoma is likely to be of clinical value.

Adenolymphoma

Roles for the winged helix transcription factors MF1 and MFH1 in cardiovascular development revealed by nonallelic noncomplementation of null alleles.

The murine Mf1 and Mfh1 genes have overlapping patterns of expression in the embryo and encode forkhead/winged helix transcription factors with virtually identical DNA binding domains. Previous studies have shown that Mfh1 null mutants have severe cardiovascular defects, including interruptions and coarctations of the aortic arch and ventricular septal defects (Iida et al., Development 124, 4627-4638, 1997). Here, we show that Mf1(lacZ) homozygous null mutants also have a similar spectrum of cardiovascular abnormalities. Moreover, most embryos doubly heterozygous for Mfh1(tm1) and Mf1(lacZ) die before birth with interruptions and coarctations of the aortic arch, dysgenesis of the aortic and pulmonary valves, ventricular septal defects, and other cardiac anomalies. This nonallelic noncomplementation and the similar patterns of expression of the two genes in the mesenchyme and endothelial cells of the branchial arches, outflow tract, and heart suggest that Mf1 and Mfh1 play interactive roles in the morphogenesis of the cardiovascular system. Implications for the development of human congenital heart defects are discussed.

Alleles

The forkhead/winged-helix gene, Mf1, is necessary for the normal development of the cornea and formation of the anterior chamber in the mouse eye.

Mf1, which encodes a winged-helix/forkhead transcription factor, is the murine homolog of human FKHL7, mutated in individuals with autosomal dominant inherited dysgenesis of the anterior segment of the eye (Axenfeld-Reiger anomaly). Mouse embryos homozygous for null mutations in Mf1 (Mf1(lacZ) and Mf1(ch)) show severely abnormal development of the anterior segment. The cornea fails to separate from the lens, resulting in the complete absence of an anterior chamber. There is no differentiation of the inner corneal endothelial layer, as judged by electron microscopy and by absence of labeling with monoclonal antibody to zonula occludens protein 1, a normal component of occluding junctions in wild-type endothelial cells. In addition, the mutant corneal stroma is disorganized and the epithelium thicker than normal. The Mf1 gene is normally expressed in the periocular mesenchyme at E11.5 but is downregulated as the corneal endothelium differentiates. In contrast, Mf1(lacZ) expression persists longer in mutant corneal mesenchyme, and abnormal expression is also seen in the mutant corneal epithelium. Based on classical studies with the chick embryonic eye, a model is proposed for the differentiation of the mammalian corneal endothelium from mesenchyme in response to putative signals from the lens. Possible roles for Mf1 in this process are discussed.

Animals

Bmp4 is required for the generation of primordial germ cells in the mouse embryo.

In many organisms the allocation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) is determined by the inheritance of maternal factors deposited in the egg. However, in mammals, inductive cell interactions are required around gastrulation to establish the germ line. Here, we show that Bmp4 homozygous null embryos contain no PGCs. They also lack an allantois, an extraembryonic mesodermal tissue derived, like the PGCs, from precursors in the proximal epiblast. Heterozygotes have fewer PGCs than normal, due to a reduction in the size of the founding population and not to an effect on its subsequent expansion. Analysis of beta-galactosidase activity in Bmp4(lacZneo) embryos reveals that prior to gastrulation, Bmp4 is expressed in the extraembryonic ectoderm. Later, Bmp4 is expressed in the extraembryonic mesoderm, but not in PGCs. Chimera analysis indicates that it is the Bmp4 expression in the extraembryonic ectoderm that regulates the formation of allantois and primordial germ cell precursors, and the size of the founding population of PGCs. The initiation of the germ line in the mouse therefore depends on a secreted signal from the previously segregated, extraembryonic, trophectoderm lineage.

Allantois

Morphogenesis.

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Animals

Attenuated host resistance against Mycobacterium bovis BCG infection in mice lacking osteopontin.

Expression of the cytokine osteopontin (OPN) is elevated in granulomas caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We tested the hypothesis that OPN contributes to host protection in a mouse model of mycobacterial infection. When infected with Mycobacterium bovis BCG, mice lacking a functional OPN gene had more severe infections characterized by heavier bacterial loads and a delayed clearance of the bacteria. The OPN-null mice had greater granuloma burdens consistent with the elevated bacterial load. The ability of osteopontin to facilitate the clearance of mycobacteria was most pronounced early after infection and appeared to be independent of known mediators of resistance to infection by mycobacteria: antigen-specific T-cell immunity, gamma interferon production, and nitric oxide production. BCG grew more rapidly in macrophages derived from OPN-null mice than in those from wild-type mice, demonstrating that the null phenotype was due to an intrinsic macrophage defect. These results indicate that osteopontin augments the host response against a mycobacterial infection and that it acts independently from other antimycobacterial resistance mechanisms.

Animals

The mammalian Tolloid-like 1 gene, Tll1, is necessary for normal septation and positioning of the heart.

Mammalian Tolloid-like 1 (mTLL-1) is an astacin-like metalloprotease, highly similar in domain structure to the morphogenetically important proteases bone morphogenetic protein-1 (BMP-1) and Drosophila Tolloid. To investigate possible roles for mTLL-1 in mammalian development, we have used gene targeting in ES cells to produce mice with a disrupted allele for the corresponding gene, Tll1. Homozygous mutants were embryonic lethal, with death at mid-gestation from cardiac failure and a unique constellation of developmental defects that were apparently confined solely to the heart. Constant features were incomplete formation of the muscular interventricular septum and an abnormal and novel positioning of the heart and aorta. Consistent with roles in cardiac development, Tll1 expression was specific to precardiac tissue and endocardium in 7.5 and 8.5 days p.c. embryos, respectively. Tll1 expression was also high in the developing interventricular septum, where expression of the BMP-1 gene, Bmp1, was not observed. Cardiac structures that were not affected in Tll1-/- embryos either showed no Tll1 expression (atrio-ventricular cushions) or showed overlapping expression of Tll1 and Bmp1 (aortico-pulmonary septum), suggesting that products of the Bmp1 gene may be capable of functionally substituting for mTLL-1 at sites in which they are co-expressed. Together, the various data show that mTLL-1 plays multiple roles in formation of the mammalian heart and is essential for formation of the interventricular septum.

Animals

Bmp signaling regulates proximal-distal differentiation of endoderm in mouse lung development.

In the mature mouse lung, the proximal-distal (P-D) axis is delineated by two distinct epithelial subpopulations: the proximal bronchiolar epithelium and the distal respiratory epithelium. Little is known about the signaling molecules that pattern the lung along the P-D axis. One candidate is Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 (Bmp4), which is expressed in a dynamic pattern in the epithelial cells in the tips of growing lung buds. Previous studies in which Bmp4 was overexpressed in the lung endoderm (Bellusci, S., Henderson, R., Winnier, G., Oikawa, T. and Hogan, B. L. M. (1996) Development 122, 1693-1702) suggested that this factor plays an important role in lung morphogenesis. To further investigate this question, two complementary approaches were utilized to inhibit Bmp signaling in vivo. The Bmp antagonist Xnoggin and, independently, a dominant negative Bmp receptor (dnAlk6), were overexpressed using the surfactant protein C (Sp-C) promoter/enhancer. Inhibiting Bmp signaling results in a severe reduction in distal epithelial cell types and a concurrent increase in proximal cell types, as indicated by morphology and expression of marker genes, including the proximally expressed hepatocyte nuclear factor/forkhead homologue 4 (Hfh4) and Clara cell marker CC10, and the distal marker Sp-C. In addition, electron microscopy demonstrates the presence of ciliated cells, a proximal cell type, in the most peripheral regions of the transgenic lungs. We propose a model in which Bmp4 is a component of an apical signaling center controlling P-D patterning. Endodermal cells at the periphery of the lung, which are exposed to high levels of Bmp4, maintain or adopt a distal character, while cells receiving little or no Bmp4 signal initiate a proximal differentiation program.

Animals

BMP4 is essential for lens induction in the mouse embryo.

Vertebrate lens development is a classical model system for studying embryonic tissue interactions. Little is known, however, about the molecules mediating such inductive events. Here, we show that Bmp4, which is expressed strongly in the optic vesicle and weakly in the surrounding mesenchyme and surface ectoderm, has crucial roles during lens induction. In Bmp4(tm1) homozygous null mutant embryos, lens induction is absent, but the process can be rescued by exogenous BMP4 protein applied into the optic vesicle in explant cultures. This is associated with rescue of ectodermal expression of Sox2, an early lens placode marker. Substituting the optic vesicle in explant cultures with BMP4-carrying beads, however, does not lead to lens induction, indicating that other factors produced by the optic vesicle are involved. BMP4 appears to regulate expression of a putative downstream gene, Msx2, in the optic vesicle. No change in Pax6 expression is seen in Bmp4(tm1) mutant eyes, and Bmp4 expression appears unaffected in the eyes of homozygous Pax6(Sey-1Neu), suggesting that PAX6 and BMP4 function independently. Based on these results we propose that BMP4 is required for the optic vesicle to manifest its lens-inducing activity, by regulating downstream genes and/or serving as one component of multiple inductive signals.

Animals

Angiotensin induces the urinary peristaltic machinery during the perinatal period.

The embryonic development of mammalian kidneys is completed during the perinatal period with a dramatic increase in urine production, as the burden of eliminating nitrogenous metabolic waste shifts from the placenta to the kidney. This urine is normally removed by peristaltic contraction of the renal pelvis, a smooth muscle structure unique to placental mammals. Mutant mice completely lacking angiotensin type 1 receptor genes do not develop a renal pelvis, resulting in the buildup of urine and progressive kidney damage. In mutants the ureteral smooth muscle layer is hypoplastic and lacks peristaltic movements. We show that angiotensin can induce the ureteral smooth muscles in organ cultures of wild-type, but not mutant, ureteral tissues and that, in wild-type mice, expression of both renal angiotensin and the receptor are transiently upregulated at the renal outlet at birth. These results reveal a new role for angiotensin in the unique cellular adaptations of the mammalian kidney to the physiological stresses of postnatal life.

Angiotensin II

The forkhead/winged helix gene Mf1 is disrupted in the pleiotropic mouse mutation congenital hydrocephalus.

Mf1 encodes a forkhead/winged helix transcription factor expressed in many embryonic tissues, including prechondrogenic mesenchyme, periocular mesenchyme, meninges, endothelial cells, and kidney. Homozygous null Mf1lacZ mice die at birth with hydrocephalus, eye defects, and multiple skeletal abnormalities identical to those of the classical mutant, congenital hydrocephalus. We show that congenital hydrocephalus involves a point mutation in Mf1, generating a truncated protein lacking the DNA-binding domain. Mesenchyme cells from Mf1lacZ embryos differentiate poorly into cartilage in micromass culture and do not respond to added BMP2 and TGFbeta1. The differentiation of arachnoid cells in the mutant meninges is also abnormal. The human Mf1 homolog FREAC3 is a candidate gene for ocular dysgenesis and glaucoma mapping to chromosome 6p25-pter, and deletions of this region are associated with multiple developmental disorders, including hydrocephaly and eye defects.

Amino Acid Sequence

Mice deficient for the secreted glycoprotein SPARC/osteonectin/BM40 develop normally but show severe age-onset cataract formation and disruption of the lens.

SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine, also known as osteonectin/BM40) is a secreted Ca2+-binding glycoprotein that interacts with a range of extracellular matrix molecules, including collagen IV. It is widely expressed during embryogenesis, and in vitro studies have suggested roles in the regulation of cell adhesion and proliferation, and in the modulation of cytokine activity. In order to analyse the function of this protein in vivo, the endogenous Sparc locus was disrupted by homologous recombination in murine embryonic stem cells. SPARC-deficient mice (Sparctm1Cam) appear normal and fertile until around 6 months of age, when they develop severe eye pathology characterized by cataract formation and rupture of the lens capsule. The first sign of lens pathology occurs in the equatorial bow region where vacuoles gradually form within differentiating epithelial cells and fibre cells. The lens capsule, however, shows no qualitative changes in the major basal lamina proteins laminin, collagen IV, perlecan or entactin. These mice are an excellent resource for further studies on how SPARC affects cell behaviour in vivo.

Age of Onset

Altered wound healing in mice lacking a functional osteopontin gene (spp1).

Osteopontin (OPN) is an arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD)- containing glycoprotein encoded by the gene secreted phosphoprotein 1 (spp1). spp1 is expressed during embryogenesis, wound healing, and tumorigenesis; however, its in vivo functions are not well understood. Therefore, OPN null mutant mice were generated by targeted mutagenesis in embryonic stem cells. In OPN mutant mice, embryogenesis occurred normally, and mice were fertile. Since OPN shares receptors with vitronectin (VN), we tested for compensation by creating mice lacking both OPN and VN. The double mutants were also viable, suggesting that other RGD-containing ligands replace the embryonic loss of both proteins. We tested the healing of OPN mutants after skin incisions, where spp1 was upregulated as early as 6 h after wounding. Although the tensile properties of the wounds were unchanged, ultrastructural analysis showed a significantly decreased level of debridement, greater disorganization of matrix, and an alteration of collagen fibrillogenesis leading to small diameter collagen fibrils in the OPN mutant mice. These data indicate a role for OPN in tissue remodeling in vivo, and suggest physiological functions during matrix reorganization after injury.

Animals

Cloning and characterization of developmental endothelial locus-1: an embryonic endothelial cell protein that binds the alphavbeta3 integrin receptor.

We have taken advantage of an enhancer trap event in a line of transgenic mice to identify a unique developmentally regulated endothelial cell locus (Del1). The protein encoded in this locus contains three EGF-like repeats homologous to those in Notch and related proteins, including an EGF-like repeat that contains an RGD motif, and two discoidin I-like domains. Del1 is shown to be a matrix protein and to promote adhesion of endothelial cells through interaction with the alphavbeta3 integrin receptor. Embryonic endothelial-like yolk sac cells expressing recombinant Del1 protein, or grown on an extracellular matrix containing Del1 protein, are inhibited from forming vascular-like structures. Expression of Del1 protein in the chick chorioallantoic membrane leads to loss of vascular integrity and promotes vessel remodeling. Del1 is thus a new ligand for the alphavbeta3 integrin receptor and may function to regulate vascular morphogenesis or remodeling in embryonic development.

Amino Acid Sequence

Mice lacking Bmp6 function.

Bmp6, a member of the 60A subgroup of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), is expressed in diverse sites in the developing mouse embryo from preimplantation stages onwards. To evaluate roles for Bmp6 signaling in vivo, gene targeting was used to generate a null mutation at the Bmp6 locus. The resulting Bmp6 mutant mice are viable and fertile, and show no overt defects in tissues known to express Bmp6 mRNA. The skeletal elements of newborn and adult mutants are indistinguishable from wild-type. However, careful examination of skeletogenesis in late gestation embryos reveals a consistent delay in ossification strictly confined to the developing sternum. In situ hybridization studies in the developing long bones and sternum show that other BMP family members are expressed in overlapping domains. In particular we find that Bmp2 and Bmp6 are coexpressed in hypertrophic cartilage, suggesting that Bmp2 may functionally compensate in Bmp6 null mice. The defects in sternum development in Bmp6 null mice are likely to be associated with a transient early expression of Bmp6 in the sternal bands, prior to ossification. These sternal defects are slightly exacerbated in Bmp5/6 double mutant animals.

Animals

Skeletal abnormalities in doubly heterozygous Bmp4 and Bmp7 mice.

Analysis of the skeletal phenotypes caused by the genetic inactivation of individual Bmps, along with the study of their expression patterns, suggest possible functional redundancy of these molecules. To investigate the effect on skeleton development of the combined absence of some Bmp genes expressed in the same areas, we have intercrossed heterozygous Bmp7 mice with Bmp2 +/-, Bmp4 +/-, or Bmp5 +/- animals. Bmp2/7 and Bmp5/7 double heterozygous animals do not present with any abnormalities. In contrast, Bmp4/7 double heterozygotes develop minor defects in two restricted areas of the skeleton, the rib cage, and the distal part of the limbs. In the ribs, Bmp4 and Bmp7 seem to act in the same pathway to assure proper guidance of mesenchymal condensations of the ribs extending toward the sternum. In the limbs, these molecules appear to play a similar role in controlling digit number, possibly through induction of apoptosis in the interdigital and anterior mesenchyme.

Animals

Mouse Mesenchyme forkhead 2 (Mf2): expression, DNA binding and induction by sonic hedgehog during somitogenesis.

Cloning and sequencing of mouse Mf2 (mesoderm/mesenchyme forkhead 2) cDNAs revealed an open reading frame encoding a putative protein of 492 amino acids which, after in vitro translation, binds to a DNA consensus sequence. Mf2 is expressed at high levels in the ventral region of newly formed somites, in sclerotomal derivatives, in lateral plate and cephalic mesoderm and in the first and second branchial arches. Other regions of mesodermal expression include the developing tongue, meninges, nose, whiskers, kidney, genital tubercule and limb joints. In the nervous system Mf2 is transcribed in restricted regions of the mid- and forebrain. In several tissues, including the early somite, Mf2 is expressed in cell populations adjacent to regions expressing sonic hedgehog (Shh) and in explant cultures of presomitic mesoderm Mf2 is induced by Shh secreted by COS cells. These results suggest that Mf2, like other murine forkhead genes, has multiple roles in embryogenesis, possibly mediating the response of cells to signaling molecules such as SHH.

Amino Acid Sequence