scholarly journals EMX2 transcriptionally regulates Nfib expression in neural progenitor cells during early cortical development.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda J Richards ◽  
Jonathan W.C. Lim ◽  
Jens Bunt ◽  
Caitlin Bridges ◽  
Ching Moey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Progenitor Cells ◽  
Cortical Development ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Radial Glial Cells ◽  
Delayed Differentiation ◽  
Directional Control ◽  
Homeobox Transcription Factor ◽  
Cell Type Specific

The nuclear factor one (NFI) transcription factors play key roles in regulating the onset of both neuronal and glial differentiation during cortical development. Reduced NFI expression results in delayed differentiation, which is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in humans that include intellectual disability, agenesis of the corpus callosum and macrocephaly. Despite their importance, our understanding of how individual NFI family members are regulated during cortical development remains limited. Here, we demonstrate that in mice, the homeobox transcription factor EMX2 regulates Nfib expression in radial glial cells during cortical development. Using a combination of bioinformatics, molecular and histological approaches, we demonstrate that EMX2 is able to bind to the Nfib promoter to up-regulate Nfib expression. Unexpectedly, in vivo over-expression of EMX2 in wildtype animals does not further up-regulate NFIB but instead leads to its down-regulation. Therefore, our findings suggest that EMX2 is capable of both activating and repressing Nfib, in a context-dependent manner. This bi-directional control over Nfib expression enables fine-tuning of the total level of NFI proteins expressed and could be important for cell-type specific NFI functions.

scholarly journals Reelin transiently promotes N-cadherin–dependent neuronal adhesion during mouse cortical development

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (8) ◽  
pp. 2048-2053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Matsunaga ◽  
Mariko Noda ◽  
Hideki Murakawa ◽  
Kanehiro Hayashi ◽  
Arata Nagasaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Progenitor Cells ◽  
Adhesive Force ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Radial Glial Cells ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Rotation Culture ◽  
Neuronal Adhesion

Reelin is an essential glycoprotein for the establishment of the highly organized six-layered structure of neurons of the mammalian neocortex. Although the role of Reelin in the control of neuronal migration has been extensively studied at the molecular level, the mechanisms underlying Reelin-dependent neuronal layer organization are not yet fully understood. In this study, we directly showed that Reelin promotes adhesion among dissociated neocortical neurons in culture. The Reelin-mediated neuronal aggregation occurs in an N-cadherin–dependent manner, both in vivo and in vitro. Unexpectedly, however, in a rotation culture of dissociated neocortical cells that gradually reaggregated over time, we found that it was the neural progenitor cells [radial glial cells (RGCs)], rather than the neurons, that tended to form clusters in the presence of Reelin. Mathematical modeling suggested that this clustering of RGCs could be recapitulated if the Reelin-dependent promotion of neuronal adhesion were to occur only transiently. Thus, we directly measured the adhesive force between neurons and N-cadherin by atomic force microscopy, and found that Reelin indeed enhanced the adhesiveness of neurons to N-cadherin; this enhanced adhesiveness began to be observed at 30 min after Reelin stimulation, but declined by 3 h. These results suggest that Reelin transiently (and not persistently) promotes N-cadherin–mediated neuronal aggregation. When N-cadherin and stabilized β-catenin were overexpressed in the migrating neurons, the transfected neurons were abnormally distributed in the superficial region of the neocortex, suggesting that appropriate regulation of N-cadherin–mediated adhesion is important for correct positioning of the neurons during neocortical development.

scholarly journals Myelin basic protein enhances axonal regeneration from neural progenitor cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengjian Yan ◽  
Lei Chu ◽  
Xiaojiong Jia ◽  
Lu Lin ◽  
Si Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Myelin Basic Protein ◽  
Neurite Outgrowth ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Axonal Regeneration ◽  
Neural Progenitor Cells ◽  
Basic Protein ◽  
Neural Progenitor ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Cord Injury

Abstract Introduction Stem cell therapy using neural progenitor cells (NPCs) shows promise in mitigating the debilitating effects of spinal cord injury (SCI). Notably, myelin stimulates axonal regeneration from mammalian NPCs. This led us to hypothesize that myelin-associated proteins may contribute to axonal regeneration from NPCs. Methods We conducted an R-based bioinformatics analysis to identify key gene(s) that may participate in myelin-associated axonal regeneration from murine NPCs, which identified the serine protease myelin basic protein (Mbp). We employed E12 murine NPCs, E14 rat NPCs, and human iPSC-derived Day 1 NPCs (D1 hNPCs) with or without CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Mbp knockout in combination with rescue L1-70 overexpression, constitutively-active VP16-PPARγ2, or the PPARγ agonist ciglitazone. A murine dorsal column crush model of SCI utilizing porous collagen-based scaffolding (PCS)-seeded murine NPCs with or without stable Mbp overexpression was used to assess locomotive recovery and axonal regeneration in vivo. Results Myelin promotes axonal outgrowth from NPCs in an Mbp-dependent manner and that Mbp’s stimulatory effects on NPC neurite outgrowth are mediated by Mbp’s production of L1-70. Furthermore, we determined that Mbp/L1-70’s stimulatory effects on NPC neurite outgrowth are mediated by PPARγ-based repression of neuron differentiation-associated gene expression and PPARγ-based Erk1/2 activation. In vivo, PCS-seeded murine NPCs stably overexpressing Mbp significantly enhanced locomotive recovery and axonal regeneration in post-SCI mice. Conclusions We discovered that Mbp supports axonal regeneration from mammalian NPCs through the novel Mbp/L1cam/Pparγ signaling pathway. This study suggests that bioengineered, NPC-based interventions can promote axonal regeneration and functional recovery post-SCI.

scholarly journals Decoding the temporal nature of brain GR activity in the NFκB signal transition leading to depressive-like behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Min Han ◽  
Min Sun Kim ◽  
Juyeong Jo ◽  
Daiha Shin ◽  
Seung-Hae Kwon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Action ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Late Phase ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Middle Phase ◽  
Temporal Shift

AbstractThe fine-tuning of neuroinflammation is crucial for brain homeostasis as well as its immune response. The transcription factor, nuclear factor-κ-B (NFκB) is a key inflammatory player that is antagonized via anti-inflammatory actions exerted by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). However, technical limitations have restricted our understanding of how GR is involved in the dynamics of NFκB in vivo. In this study, we used an improved lentiviral-based reporter to elucidate the time course of NFκB and GR activities during behavioral changes from sickness to depression induced by a systemic lipopolysaccharide challenge. The trajectory of NFκB activity established a behavioral basis for the NFκB signal transition involved in three phases, sickness-early-phase, normal-middle-phase, and depressive-like-late-phase. The temporal shift in brain GR activity was differentially involved in the transition of NFκB signals during the normal and depressive-like phases. The middle-phase GR effectively inhibited NFκB in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner, but the late-phase GR had no inhibitory action. Furthermore, we revealed the cryptic role of basal GR activity in the early NFκB signal transition, as evidenced by the fact that blocking GR activity with RU486 led to early depressive-like episodes through the emergence of the brain NFκB activity. These results highlight the inhibitory action of GR on NFκB by the basal and activated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis during body-to-brain inflammatory spread, providing clues about molecular mechanisms underlying systemic inflammation caused by such as COVID-19 infection, leading to depression.

scholarly journals Genetic engineering for in vivo optical interrogation of neuronal responses to cell type-specific silencing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Firat Terzi ◽  
Johannes Knabbe ◽  
Sidney B. Cambridge
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Genetic Engineering ◽  
Transgene Expression ◽  
Neuronal Morphology ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Fluorescent Marker ◽  
Genetic Perturbations ◽  
Cell Type Specific

SummaryGenetic engineering of quintuple transgenic brain tissue was used to establish a low background, Cre-dependent version of the inducible Tet-On system for fast, cell type-specific transgene expression in vivo. Co-expression of a constitutive, Cre-dependent fluorescent marker selectively allowed single cell analyses before and after inducible, tet-dependent transgene expression. Here, we used this method for acute, high-resolution manipulation of neuronal activity in the living brain. Single induction of the potassium channel Kir2.1 produced cell type-specific silencing within hours that lasted for at least three days. Longitudinal in vivo imaging of spontaneous calcium transients and neuronal morphology demonstrated that prolonged silencing did not alter spine densities or synaptic input strength. Furthermore, selective induction of Kir2.1 in parvalbumin interneurons increased the activity of surrounding neurons in a distance-dependent manner. This high-resolution, inducible interference and interval imaging of individual cells (high I5, ‘HighFive’) method thus allows visualizing temporally precise, genetic perturbations of defined cells.

scholarly journals Gene Deletion Mutants Reveal a Role for Semaphorin Receptors of the Plexin-B Family in Mechanisms Underlying Corticogenesis

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 764-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hirschberg ◽  
S. Deng ◽  
A. Korostylev ◽  
E. Paldy ◽  
M. R. Costa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Cortical Development ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Semaphorin 4D ◽  
Developing Neurons

ABSTRACT Semaphorins and their receptors, plexins, are emerging as key regulators of various aspects of neural and nonneural development. Semaphorin 4D (Sema4D) and B-type plexins demonstrate distinct expression patterns over critical time windows during the development of the murine neocortex. Here, analysis of mice genetically lacking plexin-B1 or plexin-B2 revealed the significance of Sema4D-plexin-B signaling in cortical development. Deficiency of plexin-B2 resulted in abnormal cortical layering and defective migration and differentiation of several subtypes of cortical neurons, including Cajal-Retzius cells, GABAergic interneurons, and principal cells in vivo. In contrast, a lack of plexin-B1 did not impact on cortical development in vivo. In various ex vivo assays on embryonic forebrain, Sema4D enhanced the radial and tangential migration of developing neurons in a plexin-B2-dependent manner. These results suggest that Sema4D-plexin-B2 interactions regulate mechanisms underlying cell specification, differentiation, and migration during corticogenesis.

scholarly journals tRNA-Derived Fragments Target the Ribosome and Function as Regulatory Non-Coding RNA inHaloferax volcanii

Archaea ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Gebetsberger ◽  
Marek Zywicki ◽  
Andrea Künzi ◽  
Norbert Polacek
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Ribosomal Subunit ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Transferase Activity ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Stress Dependent

Nonprotein coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules have been recognized recently as major contributors to regulatory networks in controlling gene expression in a highly efficient manner. These RNAs either originate from their individual transcription units or are processing products from longer precursor RNAs. For example, tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) have been identified in all domains of life and represent a growing, yet functionally poorly understood, class of ncRNA candidates. Here we present evidence that tRFs from the halophilic archaeonHaloferax volcaniidirectly bind to ribosomes. In the presented genomic screen of the ribosome-associated RNome, a 26-residue-long fragment originating from the 5′ part of valine tRNA was by far the most abundant tRF. The Val-tRF is processed in a stress-dependent manner and was found to primarily target the small ribosomal subunitin vitroandin vivo. As a consequence of ribosome binding, Val-tRF reduces protein synthesis by interfering with peptidyl transferase activity. Therefore this tRF functions as ribosome-bound small ncRNA capable of regulating gene expression inH. volcaniiunder environmental stress conditions probably by fine tuning the rate of protein production.

scholarly journals RhoG Promotes Neural Progenitor Cell Proliferation in Mouse Cerebral Cortex

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 4941-4950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Fujimoto ◽  
Manabu Negishi ◽  
Hironori Katoh
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Neural Progenitor Cells ◽  
Ventricular Zone ◽  
Cortical Development ◽  
Neural Progenitor Cell ◽  
Neural Progenitor ◽  
Brdu Incorporation ◽  
Progenitor Cell Proliferation

In early cortical development, neural progenitor cells (NPCs) expand their population in the ventricular zone (VZ), and produce neurons. Although a series of studies have revealed the process of neurogenesis, the molecular mechanisms regulating NPC proliferation are still largely unknown. Here we found that RhoG, a member of Rho family GTPases, was expressed in the VZ at early stages of cortical development. Expression of constitutively active RhoG promoted NPC proliferation and incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) in vitro, and the proportion of Ki67-positive cells in vivo. In contrast, knockdown of RhoG by RNA interference suppressed the proliferation, BrdU incorporation, and the proportion of Ki67-positive cells in NPCs. However, knockdown of RhoG did not affect differentiation and survival of NPC. The RhoG-induced promotion of BrdU incorporation required phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity but not the interaction with ELMO. Taken together, these results indicate that RhoG promotes NPC proliferation through PI3K in cortical development.

scholarly journals Cell-Type-Specific Circadian Bioluminescence Rhythms in Dbp Reporter Mice

2022 ◽  
pp. 074873042110694
Author(s):  
Ciearra B. Smith ◽  
Vincent van der Vinne ◽  
Eleanor McCartney ◽  
Adam C. Stowie ◽  
Tanya L. Leise ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Luciferase Expression ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Reporter Mice ◽  
Mouse Tissues ◽  
Cell Type Specific

Circadian rhythms are endogenously generated physiological and molecular rhythms with a cycle length of about 24 h. Bioluminescent reporters have been exceptionally useful for studying circadian rhythms in numerous species. Here, we report development of a reporter mouse generated by modification of a widely expressed and highly rhythmic gene encoding D-site albumin promoter binding protein ( Dbp). In this line of mice, firefly luciferase is expressed from the Dbp locus in a Cre recombinase-dependent manner, allowing assessment of bioluminescence rhythms in specific cellular populations. A mouse line in which luciferase expression was Cre-independent was also generated. The Dbp reporter alleles do not alter Dbp gene expression rhythms in liver or circadian locomotor activity rhythms. In vivo and ex vivo studies show the utility of the reporter alleles for monitoring rhythmicity. Our studies reveal cell-type-specific characteristics of rhythms among neuronal populations within the suprachiasmatic nuclei ex vivo. In vivo studies show Dbp-driven bioluminescence rhythms in the liver of Albumin-Cre;Dbp KI/+ “liver reporter” mice. After a shift of the lighting schedule, locomotor activity achieved the proper phase relationship with the new lighting cycle more rapidly than hepatic bioluminescence did. As previously shown, restricting food access to the daytime altered the phase of hepatic rhythmicity. Our model allowed assessment of the rate of recovery from misalignment once animals were provided with food ad libitum. These studies confirm the previously demonstrated circadian misalignment following environmental perturbations and reveal the utility of this model for minimally invasive, longitudinal monitoring of rhythmicity from specific mouse tissues.

scholarly journals miR-17~92 exerts stage-specific effects in adult V-SVZ neural stem cell lineages

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Favaloro ◽  
Annina DeLeo ◽  
Ana Delgado ◽  
Fiona Doetsch
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Neural Stem Cell ◽  
Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Cell Lineages ◽  
Conditional Deletion ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Cell Type Specific

In the adult mouse brain, neural stem cells (NSCs) in the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) generate neurons and glia throughout life. microRNAs are important regulators of cell states, frequently acting in a stage- or context-dependent manner. Here, miRNA profiling of FACS-purified populations identified miR-17~92 as highly upregulated in activated NSCs and transit amplifying cells (TACs) in comparison to quiescent NSCs. Conditional deletion of miR-17~92 in NSCs reduced stem cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, in TACs, miR-17~92 deletion caused a selective shift from neurogenic DLX2+ TACs towards oligodendrogenic OLIG2+ TACs, resulting in increased oligodendrogenesis to the corpus callosum. miR-17~92 deletion also decreased proliferation and maturation of intraventricular oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Together, these findings reveal stage- and cell-type- specific functions of the miR-17~92 cluster within adult V-SVZ neural stem cell lineages.

scholarly journals Dual Role of Rbpj in the Maintenance of Neural Progenitor Cells and Neuronal Migration in Cortical Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 6444-6457
Author(s):  
Alexander I Son ◽  
Shahid Mohammad ◽  
Toru Sasaki ◽  
Seiji Ishii ◽  
Satoshi Yamashita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Notch Signaling ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Neural Progenitor Cells ◽  
Cortical Development ◽  
Neural Progenitor ◽  
Dual Role

Abstract The development of the cerebral cortex is directed by a series of methodically precise events, including progenitor cell proliferation, neural differentiation, and cell positioning. Over the past decade, many studies have demonstrated the critical contributions of Notch signaling in neurogenesis, including that in the developing telencephalon. However, in vivo evidence for the role of Notch signaling in cortical development still remains limited partly due to the redundant functions of four mammalian Notch paralogues and embryonic lethality of the knockout mice. Here, we utilized the conditional deletion and in vivo gene manipulation of Rbpj, a transcription factor that mediates signaling by all four Notch receptors, to overcome these challenges and examined the specific roles of Rbpj in cortical development. We report severe structural abnormalities in the embryonic and postnatal cerebral cortex in Rbpj conditional knockout mice, which provide strong in vivo corroboration of previously reported functions of Notch signaling in neural development. Our results also provide evidence for a novel dual role of Rbpj in cell type-specific regulation of two key developmental events in the cerebral cortex: the maintenance of the undifferentiated state of neural progenitor cells, and the radial and tangential allocation of neurons, possibly through stage-dependent differential regulation of Ngn1.

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