The role of Pax-1 in axial skeleton development

Development ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 1109-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wallin ◽  
J. Wilting ◽  
H. Koseki ◽  
R. Fritsch ◽  
B. Christ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Proximal Part ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Intervertebral Discs ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Lumbar Region ◽  
Entire Axis ◽  
Mouse Mutants ◽  
Column Formation

Previous studies have identified a single amino-acid substitution in the transcriptional regulator Pax-1 as the cause of the mouse skeletal mutant undulated (un). To evaluate the role of Pax-1 in the formation of the axial skeleton we have studied Pax-1 protein expression in early sclerotome cells and during subsequent embryonic development, and we have characterized the phenotype of three different Pax-1 mouse mutants, un, undulated-extensive (unex) and Undulated short-tail (Uns). In the Uns mutation the whole Pax-1 locus is deleted, resulting in the complete absence of Pax-1 protein in these mice. The other two genotypes are interpreted as hypomorphs. We conclude that Pax-1 is necessary for normal vertebral column formation along the entire axis, although the severity of the phenotype is strongest in the lumbar region and the tail. Pax-1-deficient mice lack vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. The proximal part of the ribs and the rib homologues are also missing or severely malformed, whereas neural arches are nearly normal. Pax-1 is thus required for the development of the ventral parts of vertebrae. Embryonic analyses reveal that although sclerotomes are formed in mutant embryos, abnormalities can be detected from day 10.5 p.c. onwards. The phenotypic analyses also suggest that the notochord still influences vertebral body formation some days after the sclerotomes are formed. Furthermore, the notochord diameter is larger in mutant embryos from day 12 p.c., due to increased cell proliferation. In the strongly affected genotypes the notochord persists as a rod-like structure and the nucleus pulposus is never properly formed. Since the notochord is Pax-1-negative these findings suggest a bidirectional interaction between notochord and paraxial mesoderm. The availability of these Pax-1 mutant alleles permitted us to define an early role for Pax-1 in sclerotome patterning as well as a late role in intervertebral disc development. Our observations suggest that Pax-1 function is required for essential steps in ventral sclerotome differentiation, i.e. for the transition from the mesenchymal stage to the onset of chondrogenesis.

scholarly journals Redundant Roles of Tead1 and Tead2 in Notochord Development and the Regulation of Cell Proliferation and Survival

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 3177-3189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Sawada ◽  
Hiroshi Kiyonari ◽  
Kanako Ukita ◽  
Noriyuki Nishioka ◽  
Yu Imuta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Mouse Development ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Growth Defects ◽  
Mouse Mutants ◽  
Severe Growth

ABSTRACT Four members of the TEAD/TEF family of transcription factors are expressed widely in mouse embryos and adult tissues. Although in vitro studies have suggested various roles for TEAD proteins, their in vivo functions remain poorly understood. Here we examined the role of Tead genes by generating mouse mutants for Tead1 and Tead2. Tead2 −/− mice appeared normal, but Tead1 −/−; Tead2 −/− embryos died at embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) with severe growth defects and morphological abnormalities. At E8.5, Tead1 −/−; Tead2 −/− embryos were already small and lacked characteristic structures such as a closed neural tube, a notochord, and somites. Despite these overt abnormalities, differentiation and patterning of the neural plate and endoderm were relatively normal. In contrast, the paraxial mesoderm and lateral plate mesoderm were displaced laterally, and a differentiated notochord was not maintained. These abnormalities and defects in yolk sac vasculature organization resemble those of mutants for Yap, which encodes a coactivator of TEAD proteins. Moreover, we demonstrated genetic interactions between Tead1 and Tead2 and Yap. Finally, Tead1 −/−; Tead2 −/− embryos showed reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. These results suggest that Tead1 and Tead2 are functionally redundant, use YAP as a major coactivator, and support notochord maintenance as well as cell proliferation and survival in mouse development.

scholarly journals New insights on equid locomotor evolution from the lumbar region of fossil horses

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1829) ◽  
pp. 20152947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina Elizabeth Jones
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Lumbar Region ◽  
Scaling Effects ◽  
Classic Case ◽  
Strong Selection ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Joint Shape

The specialization of equid limbs for cursoriality is a classic case of adaptive evolution, but the role of the axial skeleton in this famous transition is not well understood. Extant horses are extremely fast and efficient runners, which use a stiff-backed gallop with reduced bending of the lumbar region relative to other mammals. This study tests the hypothesis that stiff-backed running in horses evolved in response to evolutionary increases in body size by examining lumbar joint shape from a broad sample of fossil equids in a phylogenetic context. Lumbar joint shape scaling suggests that stability of the lumbar region does correlate with size through equid evolution. However, scaling effects were dampened in the posterior lumbar region, near the sacrum, which suggests strong selection for sagittal mobility in association with locomotor–respiratory coupling near the lumbosacral joint. I hypothesize that small-bodied fossil horses may have used a speed-dependent running gait, switching between stiff-backed and flex-backed galloping as speed increased.

scholarly journals Segmentation of the zebrafish axial skeleton relies on notochord sheath cells and not on the segmentation clock

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Lleras Forero ◽  
Rachna Narayanan ◽  
Leonie FA Huitema ◽  
Maaike VanBergen ◽  
Alexander Apschner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Paraxial Mesoderm ◽  
Segmentation Clock ◽  
Segmentation Process ◽  
First Time ◽  
Sheath Cells

Segmentation of the axial skeleton in amniotes depends on the segmentation clock, which patterns the paraxial mesoderm and the sclerotome. While the segmentation clock clearly operates in teleosts, the role of the sclerotome in establishing the axial skeleton is unclear. We severely disrupt zebrafish paraxial segmentation, yet observe a largely normal segmentation process of the chordacentra. We demonstrate that axial entpd5+ notochord sheath cells are responsible for chordacentrum mineralization, and serve as a marker for axial segmentation. While autonomous within the notochord sheath, entpd5 expression and centrum formation show some plasticity and can respond to myotome pattern. These observations reveal for the first time the dynamics of notochord segmentation in a teleost, and are consistent with an autonomous patterning mechanism that is influenced, but not determined by adjacent paraxial mesoderm. This behavior is not consistent with a clock-type mechanism in the notochord.

Pax1 and Pax9 synergistically regulate vertebral column development

Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 5399-5408 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Peters ◽  
B. Wilm ◽  
N. Sakai ◽  
K. Imai ◽  
R. Maas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Vertebral Column ◽  
Cell Lineage ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Intervertebral Discs ◽  
Potential Interaction ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Gradual Loss ◽  
Vertebral Bodies

The paralogous genes Pax1 and Pax9 constitute one group within the vertebrate Pax gene family. They encode closely related transcription factors and are expressed in similar patterns during mouse embryogenesis, suggesting that Pax1 and Pax9 act in similar developmental pathways. We have recently shown that mice homozygous for a defined Pax1 null allele exhibit morphological abnormalities of the axial skeleton, which is not affected in homozygous Pax9 mutants. To investigate a potential interaction of the two genes, we analysed Pax1/Pax9 double mutant mice. These mutants completely lack the medial derivatives of the sclerotomes, the vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs and the proximal parts of the ribs. This phenotype is much more severe than that of Pax1 single homozygous mutants. In contrast, the neural arches, which are derived from the lateral regions of the sclerotomes, are formed. The analysis of Pax9 expression in compound mutants indicates that both spatial expansion and upregulation of Pax9 expression account for its compensatory function during sclerotome development in the absence of Pax1. In Pax1/Pax9 double homozygous mutants, formation and anteroposterior polarity of sclerotomes, as well as induction of a chondrocyte-specific cell lineage, appear normal. However, instead of a segmental arrangement of vertebrae and intervertebral disc anlagen, a loose mesenchyme surrounding the notochord is formed. The gradual loss of Sox9 and Collagen II expression in this mesenchyme indicates that the sclerotomes are prevented from undergoing chondrogenesis. The first detectable defect is a low rate of cell proliferation in the ventromedial regions of the sclerotomes after sclerotome formation but before mesenchymal condensation normally occurs. At later stages, an increased number of cells undergoing apoptosis further reduces the area normally forming vertebrae and intervertebral discs. Our results reveal functional redundancy between Pax1 and Pax9 during vertebral column development and identify an early role of Pax1 and Pax9 in the control of cell proliferation during early sclerotome development. In addition, our data indicate that the development of medial and lateral elements of vertebrae is regulated by distinct genetic pathways.

Dermomyotomal origin of the ribs as revealed by extirpation and transplantation experiments in chick and quail embryos

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (17) ◽  
pp. 3437-3443 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kato ◽  
H. Aoyama
Keyword(s):  
Distal Part ◽  
Proximal Part ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Middle Part ◽  
Medial Part ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Intercostal Muscles ◽  
Transplantation Experiments ◽  
Chick And Quail Embryos

To elucidate role of the dermomyotome in the formation of the axial skeleton, we performed extirpation and transplantation experiments on the dermomyotomes in chick and quail embryos. When the thoracic dermomyotomes of chick embryos were removed, the intercostal muscles and the distal ribs were deficient, while the proximal ribs were more or less normal. Quail tissues including the dermomyotome, the ectoderm and the medial edge of lateral plate, were transplanted to replace chick dermomyotomes. In these chimeras, the ribs, which would be deficient without the back-transplantation, were recovered. The cells of the recovered part of the ribs as well as the intercostal muscles were derived from the quail transplants. These findings suggest that the distal rib originated from the dermomyotomes and not the sclerotome as previously believed. To localize the origin of the distal rib further, we removed restricted regions of the dermomyotomes along the mediolateral and the rostrocaudal axis. The more lateral the part of the dermomyotomes that we removed, the more distal the part of the ribs affected. On the contrary, when the rostral and caudal edges of the dermomyotomes were removed, only the vertebral ribs showed extensive deficiencies while removal of the middle part between the edges caused less deficiency. The sternal ribs were not deficient in either case, but were extensively affected when the entire lateral edge of dermomyotomes was included in the region removed. We conclude that the lateral edges of the dermomyotomes are the primordia of the sternal ribs, and the rostral and/or caudal edges of the medial part of dermomyotomes are the primordia of the distal part and not of the proximal part of the vertebral ribs.

The Only Function of Grauzone Required for Drosophila Oocyte Meiosis Is Transcriptional Activation of the cortex Gene

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 155 (4) ◽  
pp. 1831-1839
Author(s):  
Emily Harms ◽  
Tehyen Chu ◽  
Gwénola Henrion ◽  
Sidney Strickland
Keyword(s):  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Extra Copy ◽  
Oocyte Meiosis ◽  
Zinc Finger Motifs ◽  
High Level ◽  
Transcriptional Pathway

Abstract The grauzone and cortex genes are required for the completion of meiosis in Drosophila oocytes. The grauzone gene encodes a C2H2-type zinc-finger transcription factor that binds to the cortex promoter and is necessary for high-level activation of cortex transcription. Here we define the region of the cortex promoter to which Grauzone binds and show that the binding occurs through the C-terminal, zinc-finger-rich region of the protein. Mutations in two out of the five grauzone alleles result in single amino acid changes within different zinc-finger motifs. Both of these mutations result in the inability of Grauzone to bind DNA effectively. To determine the mechanism by which Grauzone regulates meiosis, transgenic flies were produced with an extra copy of the cortex gene in homozygous grauzone females. This transgene rescued the meiosis arrest of embryos from these mutants and allowed their complete development, indicating that activation of cortex transcription is the primary role of Grauzone during Drosophila oogenesis. These experiments further define a new transcriptional pathway that controls the meiotic cell cycle in Drosophila oocytes.

scholarly journals Pro-Inflammatory and Neurotrophic Factor Responses of Cells Derived from Degenerative Human Intervertebral Discs to the Opportunistic Pathogen Cutibacterium acnes

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2347
Author(s):  
Manu N. Capoor ◽  
Anna Konieczna ◽  
Andrew McDowell ◽  
Filip Ruzicka ◽  
Martin Smrcka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Acne Vulgaris ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Intervertebral Discs ◽  
Disc Disease ◽  
Gene Target ◽  
Cutibacterium Acnes ◽  
Pre Treatment

Previously, we proposed the hypothesis that similarities in the inflammatory response observed in acne vulgaris and degenerative disc disease (DDD), especially the central role of interleukin (IL)-1β, may be further evidence of the role of the anaerobic bacterium Cutibacterium (previously Propionibacterium) acnes in the underlying aetiology of disc degeneration. To investigate this, we examined the upregulation of IL-1β, and other known IL-1β-induced inflammatory markers and neurotrophic factors, from nucleus-pulposus-derived disc cells infected in vitro with C. acnes for up to 48 h. Upon infection, significant upregulation of IL-1β, alongside IL-6, IL-8, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 4 (CCL4), nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), was observed with cells isolated from the degenerative discs of eight patients versus non-infected controls. Expression levels did, however, depend on gene target, multiplicity and period of infection and, notably, donor response. Pre-treatment of cells with clindamycin prior to infection significantly reduced the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. This study confirms that C. acnes can stimulate the expression of IL-1β and other host molecules previously associated with pathological changes in disc tissue, including neo-innervation. While still controversial, the role of C. acnes in DDD remains biologically credible, and its ability to cause disease likely reflects a combination of factors, particularly individualised response to infection.

scholarly journals The pathophysiologic role of the protein kinase Cδ pathway in the intervertebral discs of rabbits and mice: In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies

2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 1950-1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Ellman ◽  
Jae-Sung Kim ◽  
Howard S. An ◽  
Jeffrey S. Kroin ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Intervertebral Discs ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Protein Kinase Cδ

Regulation of Pax-3 expression in the dermomyotome and its role in muscle development

Development ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 957-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Goulding ◽  
A. Lumsden ◽  
A.J. Paquette
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Mouse Embryos ◽  
Related Gene ◽  
Paired Domain ◽  
Trunk Musculature ◽  
Somitic Mesoderm

The segmented mesoderm in vertebrates gives rise to a variety of cell types in the embryo including the axial skeleton and muscle. A number of transcription factors containing a paired domain (Pax proteins) are expressed in the segmented mesoderm during embryogenesis. These include Pax-3 and a closely related gene, Pax-7, both of which are expressed in the segmental plate and in the dermomyotome. In this paper, we show that signals from the notochord pattern the expression of Pax-3, Pax-7 and Pax-9 in somites and the subsequent differentiation of cell types that arise from the somitic mesoderm. We directly assess the role of the Pax-3 gene in the differentiation of cell types derived from the dermomyotome by analyzing the development of muscle in splotch mouse embryos which lack a functional Pax-3 gene. A population of Pax-3-expressing cells derived from the dermomyotome that normally migrate into the limb are absent in homozygous splotch embryos and, as a result, limb muscles are lost. No abnormalities were detected in the trunk musculature of splotch embryos indicating that Pax-3 is necessary for the development of the limb but not trunk muscle.

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