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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

A cell-autonomous requirement for Cip/Kip cyclin-kinase inhibitors in regulating neuronal cell cycle exit but not differentiation in the developing spinal cord.

Control over cell cycle exit is fundamental to the normal generation of the wide array of distinct cell types that comprise the mature vertebrate CNS. Here, we demonstrate a critical role for Cip/Kip class cyclin-kinase inhibitory (CKI) proteins in regulating this process during neurogenesis in the embryonic spinal cord. Using immunohistochemistry, we show that all three identified Cip/Kip CKI proteins are expressed in both distinct and overlapping populations of nascent and post-mitotic neurons during early neurogenesis, with p27(Kip1) having the broadest expression, and both p57(Kip2) and p21(Cip1) showing transient expression in restricted populations. Loss- and gain-of-function approaches were used to establish the unique and redundant functions of these proteins in spinal cord neurogenesis. Using genetic lineage tracing, we provide evidence that, in the absence of p57, nascent neurons re-enter the cell cycle inappropriately but later exit to begin differentiation. Analysis of p57(Kip2);p27(Kip1) double mutants, where p21 expression is confined to only a small population of interneurons, demonstrates that Cip/Kip CKI-independent factors initiate progenitor cell cycle exit for the majority of interneurons generated in the developing spinal cord. Our studies indicate that p57 plays a critical cell-autonomous role in timing cell cycle exit at G1/S by opposing the activity of Cyclin D1, which promotes cell cycle progression. These studies support a multi-step model for neuronal progenitor cell cycle withdrawal that involves p57(Kip2) in a central role opposing latent Cyclin D1 and other residual cell cycle promoting activities in progenitors targeted for differentiation.

Animals↗

The function of Xenopus germ cell nuclear factor (xGCNF) in morphogenetic movements during neurulation.

The germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF, NR6A1) is a nuclear orphan receptor first described in the mouse testis and subsequently identified as an essential transcription factor in vertebrate embryogenesis. Here, we analyze the phenotype of Xenopus embryos after depletion of embryonic GCNF (xEmGCNF) protein using a specific morpholino antisense oligonucleotide. Morphological defects after xEmGCNF knockdown became obvious from neurulation onward. Among the abnormalities observed, defective formation of the neural tube and a short and curved main body axis were the most remarkable traits. Histological analysis, lineage tracing of injected blastomeres, and Keller sandwich explants revealed that xEmGCNF function is required for different patterns of cell intercalation during neurulation and consequently for the sequence of morphogenetic movements leading to formation of the neural tube. Further characterization of the phenotype at the molecular level showed an abnormal distribution of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin and a reduction in the expression level of the integrin subunits alpha5 and alpha6, the limiting components of the laminin and fibronectin receptors, respectively. We propose integrin-mediated cell-matrix interaction as a process that requires xEmGCNF function and provides, in concert with cadherins-mediated cell-cell interactions, a molecular basis for morphogenetic cell movements during neurulation.

Animals↗

Gyrodactylid developmental biology: historical review, current status and future trends.

In the viviparous gyrodactylids, embryos develop one inside another within the parental uterus, a phenomenon with major implications for the biology of this species-rich group. Development occurs via two routes: first-born daughters develop at the centre of an embryo cluster in utero, whereas all other daughters develop from oocytes. The resulting offspring are, however, morphologically indistinguishable. We review here the history of gyrodactylid embryology in the context of current knowledge and, present additional cytogenetic and ultrastructural observations of embryonic development. These progenetic parasites are highly modified for viviparity; oocyte maturation and sperm storage occur in a single chamber, the Egg Cell Forming Region, and a mature oocyte passes into the uterus after the birth of the preceding, fully developed offspring. The uterus has a syncytial lining derived from anterior and posterior cap cells. These cells are the first to differentiate in the female reproductive system and may be involved in controlling development. Embryos receive nutrients via the uterus rather than from vitelline cells. Traditionally, development of the first-born daughter has been considered a form of polyembryony, although paedogenesis has also been suggested. In contrast to previous studies, we could not trace lineage of the first-born daughter to a single quiescent macromere. However, only mitotic divisions have been conclusively observed in the intraembryonic generation, indicating an asexual origin. All other daughters are formed from meiotically derived oocytes by sexual reproduction or automictic parthenogenesis. The latter may involve pre-meiotic doubling of chromosomes, but the precise mechanism and the relative proportion of sexual and parthenogenetic offspring are unknown. Exceptionally, cleavage in Gyrodactylus spp. occurs by duets rather than quartets (a pattern previously only recorded in acoels) and is characterised by extensive cell rearrangements. Blastomeres may be connected by fine cytoplasmic processes or completely disassociated and are readily redistributed by the muscular actions of the parental uterus. This process resembles 'Blastomeren-Anarchie' of rhabdocoels but without the structural support of vitelline cells. It prevents generation of early cell fate maps and indicates regulative, rather than mosaic, development. Structures such as the gut and excretory system differentiate late, and are highlighted, together with the attachment apparatus, as examples of post-embryonic differentiation. Molecular and cellular techniques are now essential to further elucidate mechanisms of gyrodactylid reproduction, which will in turn contribute to current debates with animal embryology.

Animals↗

Pancreatic cells and their progenitors.

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients would greatly benefit from transplantation of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells; however, a severe shortage of transplantable beta cells is a major current limitation in the use of such therapy. Understanding the mechanisms by which beta cells are naturally formed is therefore a central challenge for modern pancreas biology, in the hope that insights will be applicable for regenerative cell therapy strategies for diabetes. In particular, the cellular origins of pancreatic beta cells pose an important problem, with significant basic and therapeutic implications. This chapter discusses the current controversy regarding the identity of the cells that give rise to new beta cells in the adult mammal. Whereas numerous models suggest that beta cells can originate from adult stem cells, proposed to reside in the pancreas or in other locations, more recent work indicates that the major source for new beta cells during adult life is the proliferation of preexisting, differentiated beta cells. We present these different views, with emphasis on the methodologies employed. In particular, we focus on genetic lineage tracing using the Cre-lox system in transgenic mice, a technique considered the "gold standard" for addressing in vivo problems of cellular origins.

Adult Stem Cells↗

The winged helix transcription factor Hfh2 is expressed in neural crest and spinal cord during mouse development.

The embryonic neural crest is a unique group of cells that gives rise to the peripheral nervous system as well as many other cell types. Most of the work describing the behavior and specification of these cells has been done in the avian system, a system amenable to experimental manipulations such as tissue grafting, cell transplantation and lineage tracing. This work has been greatly facilitated by the use of molecular markers of neural crest cells such as HNK-1 and slug, markers that are not yet available for the study of mouse neural crest. Here we demonstrate that Hfh2 (HNF3 forkhead homologue 2), a member of the 'winged helix' or 'forkhead' transcription factor gene family, is expressed in premigratory and migrating neural crest cells in the early mouse embryo and in motorneuron progenitors in the developing spinal cord. Using linkage analysis we have localized the Hfh2 gene to chromosome 4 at 44.91 cM from the centromere.

Animals↗

Signaling and transcriptional control of pancreatic organogenesis.

The results of several new studies encourage a revision of fundamental hypotheses concerning the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pancreatic morphogenesis and cell differentiation in the embryo. The roles of FGF- and BMP-signaling indicate a fundamental difference in the induction of the dorsal and the ventral pancreatic anlage. Final commitment to the pancreatic fate requires the action of several transcriptional regulators including IPF1/PDX1, PBX1 and PTF1-P48 after the onset of pancreatic bud formation. Two, largely independent endocrine cell lineages develop during the formation of the embryonic pancreas. Lineage tracing has begun to refine our understanding of the origins of the acinar, ductal and islet cells.

Animals↗

Vertebrate craniofacial development: novel approaches and new dilemmas.

Unexpected patterns of neuroblast, angioblast and myoblast movement and tissue organization have been defined using lineage tracing and transplantation methods. The most novel and enigmatic new data derive from analyses of genes in the Hox- and Pax-gene families. In addition to the characterization of expression patterns, the effects of Hox-gene knock-out and retinoic acid treatment have been assessed. These basic studies are complemented by the identification of correlations between inherited craniofacial anomalies, for example Waardenburg's syndrome, and the function of specific genes.

Animals↗

Fate mapping of the mouse midbrain-hindbrain constriction using a site-specific recombination system.

The mouse midbrain-hindbrain constriction is centrally involved in patterning of the midbrain and anterior hindbrain (cerebellum), as revealed by recent genetic studies using mice and embryological studies in chick (reviewed in [1,2]). This region can act as an organizer region to induce midbrain and cerebellar development. Genes such as Engrailed-1, Pax-2 and Pax-5, which are expressed in the embryonic cells that will form the midbrain and the cerebellum, are required for development of these regions. Fate-mapping experiments at early somite stages in chick have revealed that the cerebellar primordium is located both anterior and posterior to the midbrain-hindbrain constriction, whereas midbrain precursors lie more anteriorly. Fate mapping in mice has been complicated by the inaccessibility of the postimplantation embryo. Here, we report the use of a new in vivo approach involving the Cre-IoxP site-specific recombination system [3] to map the fate of cells in the mouse midbrain-hindbrain constriction. We show that cells originating in the mouse dorsal midbrain-hindbrain constriction during embryonic days 9-12 contribute significantly to the medial cerebellum and colliculi. Our data demonstrate the feasibility of using a recombinase-based lineage-tracing system for fate mapping in the mouse.

Animals↗

The first cleavage of the mouse zygote predicts the blastocyst axis.

One of the unanswered questions in mammalian development is how the embryonic-abembryonic axis of the blastocyst is first established. It is possible that the first cleavage division contributes to this process, because in most mouse embryos the progeny of one two-cell blastomere primarily populate the embryonic part of the blastocyst and the progeny of its sister populate the abembryonic part. However, it is not known whether the embryonic-abembryonic axis is set up by the first cleavage itself, by polarity in the oocyte that then sets the first cleavage plane with respect to the animal pole, or indeed whether it can be divorced entirely from the first cleavage and established in relation to the animal pole. Here we test the importance of the orientation of the first cleavage by imposing an elongated shape on the zygote so that the division no longer passes close to the animal pole, marked by the second polar body. Non-invasive lineage tracing shows that even when the first cleavage occurs along the short axis imposed by this experimental treatment, the progeny of the resulting two-cell blastomeres tend to populate the respective embryonic and abembryonic parts of the blastocyst. Thus, the first cleavage contributes to breaking the symmetry of the embryo, generating blastomeres with different developmental characteristics.

Animals↗

Single hematopoietic stem cells generate skeletal muscle through myeloid intermediates.

Recent studies have shown that cells from the bone marrow can give rise to differentiated skeletal muscle fibers. However, the mechanisms and identities of the cell types involved have remained unknown, and the validity of the observation has been questioned. Here, we use transplantation of single CD45+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to demonstrate that the entire circulating myogenic activity in bone marrow is derived from HSCs and their hematopoietic progeny. We also show that ongoing muscle regeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration are required for HSC-derived contribution, which does not occur through a myogenic stem cell intermediate. Using a lineage tracing strategy, we show that myofibers are derived from mature myeloid cells in response to injury. Our results indicate that circulating myeloid cells, in response to inflammatory cues, migrate to regenerating skeletal muscle and stochastically incorporate into mature myofibers.

Animals↗

Beta cell-derived cholecystokinin drives obesity-associated pancreatic adenocarcinoma development.

Pancreatic endocrine-exocrine crosstalk plays a key role in normal physiology and disease and can be altered by host metabolic states, such as obesity. Classically, endocrine islet beta (β) cell secretion of insulin is thought to promote the development of obesity-associated pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), an exocrine cell-derived tumor. Here, we show that β cell expression of the peptide hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) is necessary and sufficient for obesity-associated PDAC progression in mice and that CCK expression - rather than insulin - correlates strongly with enhanced tumorigenesis. Single-cell RNA-sequencing, in silico latent-space archetypal and trajectory analysis, and experimental lineage tracing in vivo reveal that obesity induces the expansion of postnatal immature β cells, which adapt to express CCK via stress-responsive JNK/cJun signaling. Finally, obesity perturbs CCK-dependent peri-islet exocrine cell transcriptional states and enhances islet-proximal tumor formation. These results define endocrine-exocrine CCK signaling as a bona fide driver of obesity-associated PDAC development and uncover avenues to target the endocrine pancreas to subvert exocrine tumorigenesis.

Animals↗

Hypoxia-activated scleraxis a mediates epicardial progenitor differentiation into a unique cardiac perivascular cell type.

The epicardium provides progenitor cells and paracrine signals essential for heart development and regeneration, yet the mechanisms regulating epicardial cell fate remain poorly understood. Here, we identify the transcription factor Scleraxis a (scxa) as a key regulator of epicardial progenitor differentiation in zebrafish. Single-cell transcriptomics, genetic lineage tracing, and cardiac injury models reveal transient scxa expression in activated epicardial progenitor cells (aEPCs) during developmental coronary angiogenesis and heart regeneration. scxa+ epicardial cells predominantly differentiate into a previously uncharacterized col18a1a+ perivascular population, termed epicardial-derived perivascular mesenchymal cells (Epi-PMCs), which is distinct from pericytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, and mammalian adventitial fibroblasts. Epi-PMCs closely associate with coronary vessels and may contribute to vascular stabilization and remodeling, potentially through collagen XVIII. Loss of scxa increases coronary vessel density. Hypoxia and Hif signaling induce scxa expression, identifying a hypoxia-responsive mechanism that promotes epicardial differentiation toward a vascular-supportive fate during heart development and regeneration.

Animals↗

[From the primitive to the definitive aorta: angioblasts and hemangioblasts during aorta-associated haematopoiesis].

Intra-aortic haematopoiesis is a transient phenomenon, present in all the vertebrate species examined. Aorta-associated haematopoiesis produces Haematopoietic Stem Cells (HSC) that emerge from the ventral aortic endothelium through endothelial cells (EC) that switch to HSC. HSC emergence is followed by the colonization of definitive haematopoietic organs. Since intra-aortic haematopoiesis is born from EC of the aortic floor, we wondered how vascular integrity was maintained during haematopoietic production. Transplantation experiments have brought about evidence according to which two distinct endothelial lineages contribute to the embryonic vasculature. One comes from the splanchnic mesoderm and gives rise to EC and haematopoietic cells (HC). The other originates from the somite and is restricted to EC differentiation. We have used interspecific quail/chick grafts to study aortic organogenesis during the course of haematopoiesis. We demonstrate that: 1) before haematopoiesis, the aorta, originally entirely of splanchnic origin, is colonized by EC from the somite. This colonization contributes to create a new roof and sides, which are hence formed by somite-derived EC whereas the floor is contributed by splanchnopleural-derived EC; 2) as haematopoiesis proceeds, somite-derived EC begin to colonize the aortic floor and are found beneath HSC clusters; 3) after haematopoiesis, aortic hemangioblasts disappear from the endothelium and are replaced by somite-derived EC. At this stage, the whole aortic endothelium is derived from somitic cells; 4) we have identified a new cell population from the somite that contributes to the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). This population appears distinct from the somite-derived EC. Using lineage tracing with non-replicative retroviral vectors, we show that EC do not give rise to VSMC as previously thought. Taken together, our results bring about new lights on aorta morphogenesis and the time-restricted production of haematopoiesis.

Aorta↗

Transient expression of the bHLH factor neurogenin-2 marks a subpopulation of neural crest cells biased for a sensory but not a neuronal fate.

Lineage-tracing experiments have indicated that some premigratory neural crest cells (NCCs) are pleuripotent, generating sensory and sympathetic neurons and their associated glia. Using an inducible Cre recombinase-based fate mapping system, we have permanently marked a subpopulation of NCCs that expresses Ngn2, a bHLH transcription factor required for sensory neurogenesis, and compared its fate to the bulk NCC population marked by expression of Wnt1. Ngn2(+) progenitors were four times more likely than Wnt1(+) NCCs to contribute to sensory rather than sympathetic ganglia. Within dorsal root ganglia, however, both Ngn2- and Wnt1-expressing cells were equally likely to generate neurons or glia. These data suggest that Ngn2 marks an NCC subpopulation with a predictable fate bias, early in migration. Taken together with previous work, these data suggest that NCCs become restricted to sensory or autonomic sublineages before becoming committed to neuronal or glial fates.

Animals↗

Asymmetric development and function of paired sperm-storage organs in Drosophila melanogaster.

Paired structures often have similar forms and functions, but the processes underlying their formation can differ. They may originate from a common source or from parallel sources, or arise from distinct precursors that follow separate developmental pathways, ultimately converging on comparable structures and roles. When asymmetries emerge and persist through development, members of the pair can specialize in ways that might increase fitness. Here, we report that the Drosophila melanogaster female's pair of spermathecae, which appear similar and have the common role of sperm storage, derive from different developmental compartments defined by expression of lineage-tracing markers corresponding, respectively, to the key patterning genes engrailed and wingless. We further find that the two spermathecae show significant differences in size, secretory activity, and calcium levels and, perhaps as a consequence, sperm retention dynamics. These results open broad avenues for understanding how developmental, physiological, and behavioral asymmetries arise and impact reproductive success.

Animals↗

Targeted gene expression without a tissue-specific promoter: creating mosaic embryos using laser-induced single-cell heat shock.

We have developed a method to target gene expression in the Drosophila embryo to a specific cell without having a promoter that directs expression in that particular cell. Using a digitally enhanced imaging system to identify single cells within the living embryo, we apply a heat shock to each cell individually by using a laser microbeam. A 1- to 2-min laser treatment is sufficient to induce a heat-shock response but is not lethal to the heat-shocked cells. Induction of heat shock was measured in a variety of cell types, including neurons and somatic muscles, by the expression of beta-galactosidase from an hsp26-lacZ reporter construct or by expression of a UAS target gene after induction of hsGAL4. We discuss the applicability of this technique to ectopic gene expression studies, lineage tracing, gene inactivation studies, and studies of cells in vitro. Laser heat shock is a versatile technique that can be adapted for use in a variety of research organisms and is useful for any studies in which it is desirable to express a given gene in only a distinct cell or clone of cells, either transiently or constitutively, at a time point of choice.

Animals↗

Expression of mutated Nck SH2/SH3 adaptor respecifies mesodermal cell fate in Xenopus laevis development.

Nck is a widely expressed SH2/SH3 adaptor protein containing one SH2 and three SH3 domains. Although Nck is assumed to mediate the formation of protein-protein complexes during signaling, little is currently known about its specific function. We have constructed a series of Nck SH3 and SH2 domain mutants, expressed them in Xenopus laevis embryos, and monitored injected embryos for developmental abnormalities. This approach allows correlation of developmental phenotypes with the presence or absence of specific Nck protein-binding domains. We show that microinjection of RNA-encoding Nck with an inactivating mutation in the third SH3 domain (NckK229) into dorsal blastomeres of early embryos caused anterior truncation with high frequency, and membrane localization of both the first and second SH3 domains together was sufficient to induce this anterior-truncation phenotype. Molecular marker analysis of explants revealed that the expression of NckK229 ventralized dorsal mesoderm. Lineage tracing experiments demonstrated that the expression of Nck K229 in dorsal blastomeres affected the migratory properties of mesoderm cells in gastrulation and led to the adoption of a more posterior fate. These data suggest that protein(s) that bind the first and second SH3 domains of Nck can affect the response to signals that establish dorso-ventral patterning, and that protein(s) that bind the third SH3 domain antagonize the ventralizing effect of the first two SH3 domains.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Progenitor cells and glioma formation.

The gliomas are a collection of tumors that arise within the central nervous system and have characteristics similar to astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, or their precursors. Whether or not the glial characteristics of these tumors mean that they arise from the differentiated glia that they resemble or their precursors has been debated. Even under normal circumstances the cells within the central nervous system of an adult can trans-differentiate to other cell types. In addition, mutations found in gliomas further destabilize the differentiation status of these cells making a determination of what cell type gives rise to a given tumor histology difficult. Lineage tracing studies in animals can be used to correlate some specific cell characteristics with the histology of gliomas that arise from these cells. From these experiments it appears that undifferentiated cells are more sensitive to the oncogenic effects of certain signaling abnormalities than are differentiated cells, but that with the appropriate genetic abnormalities differentiated astrocytes can act as the cell-of-origin for gliomas. These data imply that small molecules that promote differentiation may be a rational component of glioma therapy in combination with other drugs aimed at specific molecular signaling targets.

Cell Transformation, Neoplastic↗