scholarly journals δ-EF1 is a negative regulator of Ihh in the developing growth plate

2009 ◽  
Vol 187 (5) ◽  
pp. 685-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Bellon ◽  
Frank P. Luyten ◽  
Przemko Tylzanowski

Indian hedgehog (Ihh) regulates proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in the growth plate. Although the biology of Ihh is currently well documented, its transcriptional regulation is poorly understood. δ-EF1 is a two-handed zinc finger/homeodomain transcriptional repressor. Targeted inactivation of mouse δ-EF1 leads to skeletal abnormalities including disorganized growth plates, shortening of long bones, and joint fusions, which are reminiscent of defects associated with deregulation of Ihh signaling. Here, we show that the absence of δ-EF1 results in delayed hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes and increased cell proliferation in the growth plate. Further, we demonstrate that δ-EF1 binds to the putative regulatory elements in intron 1 of Ihh in vitro and in vivo, resulting in down-regulation of Ihh expression. Finally, we show that δ-EF1 haploinsufficiency leads to a postnatal increase in trabecular bone mass associated with enhanced Ihh expression. In summary, we have identified δ-EF1 as an in vivo negative regulator of Ihh expression in the growth plate.

2006 ◽  
Vol 191 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bénédicte Rabier ◽  
Allan J Williams ◽  
Frederic Mallein-Gerin ◽  
Graham R Williams ◽  
O Chassande

The active thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3), binds to thyroid hormone receptors (TR) and plays an essential role in the control of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. Hypo- and hyperthyroidism alter the structure of growth plate cartilage and modify chondrocyte gene expression in vivo, whilst TR mutations or deletions in mice result in altered growth plate architecture. Nevertheless, the particular roles of individual TR isoforms in mediating T3 action in chondrocytes have not been studied and are difficult to determine in vivo because of complex cellular and molecular interactions that regulate growth plate maturation. Therefore, we studied the effects of TRα and TRβ on chondrocyte growth and differentiation in primary cultures of neonatal rib chondrocytes isolated from TRα- and TRβ-deficient mice. T3 decreased proliferation but accelerated differentiation of rib chondrocytes from wild-type mice. T3 treatment resulted in similar effects in TRα-deficient chondrocytes, but in TRβ-deficient chondrocytes, all T3 responses were abrogated. Furthermore, T3 increased TRβ1 expression in wild-type and TRα-deficient chondrocytes. These data indicate that T3-stimulated differentiation of primary rib chondrocytes in vitro requires TRβ and suggest that the TRβ1 isoform mediates important T3 actions in mouse rib chondrocytes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Khedgikar ◽  
Julia F Charles ◽  
Jessica A. Lehoczky

Leucine-rich repeat containing G-protein-coupled receptor 6 (LGR6) is a marker of osteoprogenitor cells and is dynamically expressed during in vitro osteodifferentation of mouse and human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). While the Lgr6 genomic locus has been associated with osteoporosis in human cohorts, the precise molecular function of LGR6 in osteogenesis and maintenance of bone mass are not yet known. In this study, we performed in vitro Lgr6 knockdown and overexpression experiments in murine osteoblastic cells and find decreased Lgr6 levels results in reduced osteoblast proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization. Consistent with these data, overexpression of Lgr6 in these cells leads to significantly increased proliferation and osteodifferentiation. To determine whether these findings are recapitulated in vivo, we performed microCT and ex vivo osteodifferentiation analyses using our newly generated CRISPR-Cas9 mediated Lgr6 mouse knockout allele (Lgr6-KO). We find that ex vivo osteodifferentiation of Lgr6-KO primary MSCs is significantly reduced, and 8 week-old Lgr6-KO mice have less trabecular bone mass as compared to Lgr6 wildtype controls, indicating that Lgr6 is necessary for normal osteogenesis and to attain peak bone mass. Toward mechanism, we analyzed in vitro signaling in the context of two LGR6 ligands, RSPO2 and MaR1. We find that RSPO2 stimulates LGR6-mediated WNT/B-catenin signaling whereas MaR1 stimulates LGR6-mediated cAMP activity, suggesting two ligand-dependent functions for LGR6 receptor signaling during osteogenesis. Collectively, this study reveals that Lgr6 is necessary for wildtype levels of proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts, and achieving peak bone mass.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4073
Author(s):  
Yifan Lai ◽  
Qingyuan Feng ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Jing Shang ◽  
Hui Zhong

To investigate a possible methodology of exploiting herbal medicine and design polytherapy for the treatment of skin depigmentation disorder, we have made use of Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd., a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been proven to be effective in treating vitiligo. Here, we report that the extract of Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd. effectively enhances melanogenesis responses in B16F10. In its compound library, we found three ingredients (butin, caffeic acid and luteolin) also have the activity of promoting melanogenesis in vivo and in vitro. They can reduce the accumulation of ROS induced by hydrogen peroxide and inflammatory response induced by sublethal concentrations of copper sulfate in wild type and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled leukocytes zebrafish larvae. The overall objective of the present study aims to identify which compatibility proportions of the medicines may be more effective in promoting pigmentation. We utilized the D-optimal response surface methodology to optimize the ratio among three molecules. Combining three indicators of promoting melanogenesis, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities, we get the best effect of butin, caffeic acid and luteolin at the ratio (butin:caffeic acid:luteolin = 7.38:28.30:64.32) on zebrafish. Moreover, the effect of melanin content recovery in the best combination is stronger than that of the monomer, which suggests that the three compounds have a synergistic effect on inducing melanogenesis. After simply verifying the result, we performed in situ hybridization on whole-mount zebrafish embryos to further explore the effects of multi-drugs combination on the proliferation and differentiation of melanocytes and the expression of genes (tyr, mitfa, dct, kit) related to melanin synthesis. In conclusion, the above three compatible compounds can significantly enhance melanogenesis and improve depigmentation in vivo.


1996 ◽  
Vol 313 (3) ◽  
pp. 745-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Françoise LEVAVASSEUR ◽  
Jocelyne LIÉTARD ◽  
Kohei OGAWA ◽  
Nathalie THÉRET ◽  
Peter D. BURBELO ◽  
...  

Laminin γ1 chain is present in all basement membranes and is expressed at high levels in various diseases, such as hepatic fibrosis. We have identified cis- and trans-acting elements involved in the regulation of this gene in normal rat liver, as well as in hepatocyte primary cultures and hepatoma cell lines. Northern-blot analyses showed that laminin γ1 mRNA was barely detectable in freshly isolated hepatocytes and expressed at high levels in hepatocyte primary cultures, as early as 4 h after liver dissociation. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide treatment in vivo and in vitro indicated that laminin γ1 overexpression in cultured hepatocytes was under the control of transcriptional mechanisms. Transfection of deletion mutants of the 5´ flanking region of murine LAMC1 gene in hepatoma cells that constitutively express laminin γ1 indicated that regulatory elements were located between -594 bp and -94 bp. This segment included GC- and CTC-containing motifs. Gel-shift analyses showed that two complexes were resolved with different affinity for the CTC sequence depending on the location of the GC box. The pattern of complex formation with nuclear factors from freshly isolated and cultured hepatocytes was different from that obtained with total liver and similar to that with hepatoma cells. Southwestern analysis indicated that several polypeptides bound the CTC-rich sequence. Affinity chromatography demonstrated that a Mr 60000 polypeptide was a major protein binding to the CTC motif. This polypeptide is probably involved in the transcriptional activation of various proto-oncogenes and extracellular matrix genes that are expressed at high levels in both hepatoma cells and early hepatocyte cultures.


Author(s):  
Thomas Quail ◽  
Stefan Golfier ◽  
Maria Elsner ◽  
Keisuke Ishihara ◽  
Vasanthanarayan Murugesan ◽  
...  

AbstractInteractions between liquids and surfaces generate forces1,2 that are crucial for many processes in biology, physics and engineering, including the motion of insects on the surface of water3, modulation of the material properties of spider silk4 and self-assembly of microstructures5. Recent studies have shown that cells assemble biomolecular condensates via phase separation6. In the nucleus, these condensates are thought to drive transcription7, heterochromatin formation8, nucleolus assembly9 and DNA repair10. Here we show that the interaction between liquid-like condensates and DNA generates forces that might play a role in bringing distant regulatory elements of DNA together, a key step in transcriptional regulation. We combine quantitative microscopy, in vitro reconstitution, optical tweezers and theory to show that the transcription factor FoxA1 mediates the condensation of a protein–DNA phase via a mesoscopic first-order phase transition. After nucleation, co-condensation forces drive growth of this phase by pulling non-condensed DNA. Altering the tension on the DNA strand enlarges or dissolves the condensates, revealing their mechanosensitive nature. These findings show that DNA condensation mediated by transcription factors could bring distant regions of DNA into close proximity, suggesting that this physical mechanism is a possible general regulatory principle for chromatin organization that may be relevant in vivo.


1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 5073-5080 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Kozak

The context requirements for recognition of an initiator codon were evaluated in vitro by monitoring the relative use of two AUG codons that were strategically positioned to produce long (pre-chloramphenicol acetyl transferase [CAT]) and short versions of CAT protein. The yield of pre-CAT initiated from the 5'-proximal AUG codon increased, and synthesis of CAT from the second AUG codon decreased, as sequences flanking the first AUG codon increasingly resembled the eucaryotic consensus sequence. Thus, under prescribed conditions, the fidelity of initiation in extracts from animal as well as plant cells closely mimics what has been observed in vivo. Unexpectedly, recognition of an AUG codon in a suboptimal context was higher when the adjacent downstream sequence was capable of assuming a hairpin structure than when the downstream region was unstructured. This finding adds a new, positive dimension to regulation by mRNA secondary structure, which has been recognized previously as a negative regulator of initiation. Translation of pre-CAT from an AUG codon in a weak context was not preferentially inhibited under conditions of mRNA competition. That result is consistent with the scanning model, which predicts that recognition of the AUG codon is a late event that occurs after the competition-sensitive binding of a 40S ribosome-factor complex to the 5' end of mRNA. Initiation at non-AUG codons was evaluated in vitro and in vivo by introducing appropriate mutations in the CAT and preproinsulin genes. GUG was the most efficient of the six alternative initiator codons tested, but GUG in the optimal context for initiation functioned only 3 to 5% as efficiently as AUG. Initiation at non-AUG codons was artifactually enhanced in vitro at supraoptimal concentrations of magnesium.


eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew R Bassett ◽  
Asifa Akhtar ◽  
Denise P Barlow ◽  
Adrian P Bird ◽  
Neil Brockdorff ◽  
...  

Although a small number of the vast array of animal long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have known effects on cellular processes examined in vitro, the extent of their contributions to normal cell processes throughout development, differentiation and disease for the most part remains less clear. Phenotypes arising from deletion of an entire genomic locus cannot be unequivocally attributed either to the loss of the lncRNA per se or to the associated loss of other overlapping DNA regulatory elements. The distinction between cis- or trans-effects is also often problematic. We discuss the advantages and challenges associated with the current techniques for studying the in vivo function of lncRNAs in the light of different models of lncRNA molecular mechanism, and reflect on the design of experiments to mutate lncRNA loci. These considerations should assist in the further investigation of these transcriptional products of the genome.


2008 ◽  
Vol 412 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ekerot ◽  
Marios P. Stavridis ◽  
Laurent Delavaine ◽  
Michael P. Mitchell ◽  
Christopher Staples ◽  
...  

DUSP6 (dual-specificity phosphatase 6), also known as MKP-3 [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) phosphatase-3] specifically inactivates ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2) in vitro and in vivo. DUSP6/MKP-3 is inducible by FGF (fibroblast growth factor) signalling and acts as a negative regulator of ERK activity in key and discrete signalling centres that direct outgrowth and patterning in early vertebrate embryos. However, the molecular mechanism by which FGFs induce DUSP6/MKP-3 expression and hence help to set ERK1/2 signalling levels is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate, using pharmacological inhibitors and analysis of the murine DUSP6/MKP-3 gene promoter, that the ERK pathway is critical for FGF-induced DUSP6/MKP-3 transcription. Furthermore, we show that this response is mediated by a conserved binding site for the Ets (E twenty-six) family of transcriptional regulators and that the Ets2 protein, a known target of ERK signalling, binds to the endogenous DUSP6/MKP-3 promoter. Finally, the murine DUSP6/MKP-3 promoter coupled to EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) recapitulates the specific pattern of endogenous DUSP6/MKP-3 mRNA expression in the chicken neural plate, where its activity depends on FGFR (FGF receptor) and MAPK signalling and an intact Ets-binding site. These findings identify a conserved Ets-factor-dependent mechanism by which ERK signalling activates DUSP6/MKP-3 transcription to deliver ERK1/2-specific negative-feedback control of FGF signalling.


2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 1059-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherri R. Davies ◽  
Shinji Sakano ◽  
Yong Zhu ◽  
Linda J. Sandell

The control of extracellular matrix (ECM) production is important for the development, maintenance, and repair of cartilage tissues. Matrix molecule synthesis is generally regulated by the rate of gene transcription determined by DNA transcription factors. We have shown that transcription factors Sox9, AP-2, and [delta]EF1 are able to alter the rate of CD-RAP transcription in vitro: Sox9 upregulates, AP-2 exhibits biphasic effects, and [delta]EF1 represses expression of the CD-RAP gene. To correlate these in vitro activities in vivo, transcription factors were co-immunolocalized with ECM proteins in three different cartilage tissues in which the rates of biosynthesis are quite different: articular, meniscal, and growth plate. Immunoreactivities of type II collagen and CD-RAP were higher in growth plate than in either the articular or meniscal cartilages and correlated positively with Sox9 protein. Sox9 staining decreased with hypertrophy and was low in articular and meniscal cartilages. In contrast, AP-2 and [delta]EF1 were low in proliferating chondrocytes but high in lower growth plate, articular, and meniscal cartilages. This increase was also accompanied by intense nuclear staining. These immunohistochemical results are the first to localize both [delta]EF1 and AP-2 to adult articular, meniscal, and growth plate cartilages and provide in vivo correlation of previous molecular biological studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. eabe3445
Author(s):  
Yicun Wang ◽  
Jinhui Wu ◽  
Hui Chen ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Chengwu Xiao ◽  
...  

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in tumorigenesis, recurrence, and therapy resistance. To identify critical regulators of sarcoma CSCs, we performed a reporter-based genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen and uncovered Kruppel-like factor 11 (KLF11) as top candidate. In vitro and in vivo functional annotation defined a negative role of KLF11 in CSCs. Mechanistically, KLF11 and YAP/TEAD bound to adjacent DNA sites along with direct interaction. KLF11 recruited SIN3A/HDAC to suppress the transcriptional output of YAP/TEAD, which, in turn, promoted KLF11 transcription, forming a negative feedback loop. However, in CSCs, this negative feedback was lost because of epigenetic silence of KLF11, causing sustained YAP activation. Low KLF11 was associated with poor prognosis and chemotherapy response in patients with sarcoma. Pharmacological activation of KLF11 by thiazolidinedione effectively restored chemotherapy response. Collectively, our study identifies KLF11 as a negative regulator in sarcoma CSCs and potential therapeutic target.


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