Genetic evidence that the retinoid signal is transduced by heterodimeric RXR/RAR functional units during mouse development

Development ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kastner ◽  
M. Mark ◽  
N. Ghyselinck ◽  
W. Krezel ◽  
V. Dupe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Null Alleles ◽  
Mouse Development ◽  
Functional Specificity ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Retinoid Receptors ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Functional Units ◽  
Dependent Processes ◽  
Mutant Combination

We describe here the analysis of congenital malformations in compound mutant fetuses bearing null alleles in one RXR (alpha, beta or gamma) and one RAR (alpha, beta or gamma) isotype gene. A marked synergy was observed between the effects of mutations in RXR alpha and RARs, as a large number of developmental defects previously found mainly in RAR single and compound mutants were recapitulated in specific RXR alpha/RAR compound mutants. Several malformations were seen only in one type of RXR alpha/RAR mutant combination, whereas others were seen in several types of RXR alpha/RAR double mutants. No synergy was observed between the effects of mutations of either RXR beta or RXR gamma mutations and those of any of the RAR mutations. These genetic data suggest that RXR/RAR heterodimers are the functional units transducing the retinoid signal for a large number of RA-dependent processes, and furthermore, that RXR alpha is the main RXR implicated in the developmental functions of RARs. The significance of these observations is discussed with respect to the problem of functional specificity and redundancy among retinoid receptors in vivo.

scholarly journals Mice develop normally in the absence of Smad4 nucleocytoplasmic shuttling

2007 ◽  
Vol 404 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Biondi ◽  
Debipriya Das ◽  
Michael Howell ◽  
Ayesha Islam ◽  
Elizabeth K. Bikoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Nuclear Export ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Nuclear Export Signal ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling ◽  
Mouse Development ◽  
Developmental Defects

Smad4 in partnership with R-Smads (receptor-regulated Smads) activates TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β)-dependent signalling pathways essential for early mouse development. Smad4 null embryos die shortly after implantation due to severe defects in cell proliferation and visceral endoderm differentiation. In the basal state, Smad4 undergoes continuous shuttling between the cytoplasm and the nucleus due to the combined activities of an N-terminal NLS (nuclear localization signal) and an NES (nuclear export signal) located in its linker region. Cell culture experiments suggest that Smad4 nucleocytoplasmic shuttling plays an important role in TGF-β signalling. In the present study we have investigated the role of Smad4 shuttling in vivo using gene targeting to engineer two independent mutations designed to eliminate Smad4 nuclear export. As predicted this results in increased levels of Smad4 in the nucleus of homozygous ES cells (embryonic stem cells) and primary keratinocytes, in the presence or absence of ligand. Neither mutation affects Smad4 expression levels nor its ability to mediate transcriptional activation in homozygous cell lines. Remarkably mouse mutants lacking the Smad4 NES develop normally. Smad4 NES mutants carrying one copy of a Smad4 null allele also fail to display developmental defects. The present study clearly demonstrates that Smad4 nucleocytoplasmic shuttling is not required for embryonic development or tissue homoeostasis in normal, healthy adult mice.

scholarly journals The lysine demethylase dKDM2 is non-essential for viability, but regulates circadian rhythms in Drosophila

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yani Zheng ◽  
Yongbo Xue ◽  
Xingjie Ren ◽  
Xiao-Jun Xie ◽  
Mengmeng Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Histone Methylation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Abnormal Development ◽  
Null Alleles ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Chromatin Dynamics

AbstractPost-translational modification of histones, such as histone methylation controlled by specific methyltransferases and demethylases, play critical roles in modulating chromatin dynamics and transcription in eukaryotes. Misregulation of histone methylation can lead to aberrant gene expression, thereby contributing to abnormal development and diseases such as cancer. As such, the mammalian lysine-specific demethylase 2 (KDM2) homologs, KDM2A and KDM2B, are either oncogenic or tumor suppressive, depending on specific pathological contexts. However, the role of KDM2 proteins during development in the whole organisms remains poorly understood. Unlike vertebrates, Drosophila has only one KDM2 homolog (dKDM2), but its functions in vivo remain elusive due to the complexities of the existing mutant alleles. To address this problem, we have generated two dKdm2 null alleles using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. These dKdm2 homozygous mutants are fully viable and fertile, with no developmental defects observed under laboratory conditions. However, the dKdm2 null mutant adults display defects in circadian rhythms. Most of the dKdm2 mutants become arrhythmic under constant darkness, while the circadian period of the rhythmic mutant flies is approximately one hour shorter than the control. Interestingly, opposite defects are observed when dKDM2 is overexpressed in circadian pacemaker neurons. Taken together, these results demonstrate that dKdm2 is not essential for viability; instead, dKDM2 protein plays important roles in regulating circadian rhythms in Drosophila. Further analyses of the molecular mechanisms of how dKDM2 and its orthologs in vertebrates regulate circadian rhythms will advance our understanding of the epigenetic regulations of circadian clocks.

The elongation factors Pandora/Spt6 and Foggy/Spt5 promote transcription in the zebrafish embryo

Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (7) ◽  
pp. 1623-1632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian R. Keegan ◽  
Jessica L. Feldman ◽  
Diana H. Lee ◽  
David S. Koos ◽  
Robert K. Ho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Elongation ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Cardiac Differentiation ◽  
Null Alleles ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Transcription Elongation Factor ◽  
On Line

Precise temporal and spatial control of transcription is a fundamental component of embryonic development. Regulation of transcription elongation can act as a rate-limiting step during mRNA synthesis. The mechanisms of stimulation and repression of transcription elongation during development are not yet understood. We have identified a class of zebrafish mutations (pandora, sk8 and s30) that cause multiple developmental defects, including discrete problems with pigmentation, tail outgrowth, ear formation and cardiac differentiation. We demonstrate that the pandora gene encodes a protein similar to Spt6, a proposed transcription elongation factor. Additionally, the sk8 and s30 mutations are null alleles of the foggy/spt5 locus, which encodes another transcription elongation factor. Through real-time RT-PCR analysis, we demonstrate that Spt6 and Spt5 are both required for efficient kinetics of hsp70 transcription in vivo. Altogether, our results suggest that Spt6 and Spt5 play essential roles of comparable importance for promoting transcription during embryogenesis. This study provides the first genetic evidence for parallel functions of Spt6 and Spt5 in metazoans and establishes a system for the future analysis of transcription elongation during development. Supplemental figure available on-line

scholarly journals The Poly(C) binding protein Pcbp2, and its retrotransposed derivative Pcbp1, are independently essential to mouse development.

2015 ◽  
pp. MCB.00936-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis R. Ghanem ◽  
Andrew Kromer ◽  
Ian M. Silverman ◽  
Priya Chatterji ◽  
Elizabeth Traxler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Null Alleles ◽  
Mouse Development ◽  
Wide Range

RNA-binding proteins participate in a complex array of post-transcriptional controls essential to cell-type specification and somatic development. Despite their detailed biochemical characterizations, the degree to which each RNA-binding protein impacts on mammalian embryonic development remains incompletely defined and the level of functional redundancy among subsets of these proteins remains open to question. The poly-(C) binding proteins, Pcbp's (αCPs, hnRNPEs), are encoded by a highly conserved and broadly expressed gene family. The two major Pcbp isoforms, Pcbp2 and Pcbp1, are robustly expressed in a wide range of tissues and exert both nuclear and cytoplasmic controls over gene expression. Here we report thatPcbp1-null embryos are rendered nonviable in the peri-implantation stage. In contrast,Pcbp2-null embryos undergo normal development until mid-gestation (12.5-13.5 days post coitum) at which time they undergo a dramatic loss in viability associated with combined cardiovascular and hematopoietic abnormalities. Mice heterozygous for either Pcbp1 or Pcbp2 null alleles display a mild and non-disruptive defect in initial post-partum weight gain. These data reveal thatPcbp1andPcbp2are individually essential for mouse embryonic development, have distinct impacts on embryonic viability, and that Pcpb2 has a nonredundantin vivorole in hematopoiesis. These data further provide direct evidence thatPcbp1, a retrotransposed derivative ofPcpb2, has evolved essential function(s) in the mammalian genome.

scholarly journals The SH2-Containing Inositol Polyphosphate 5-Phosphatase, Ship, Is Expressed During Hematopoiesis and Spermatogenesis

Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 2753-2759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiurong Liu ◽  
Fouad Shalaby ◽  
Jamie Jones ◽  
Denis Bouchard ◽  
Daniel J. Dumont
Keyword(s):  
Primitive Streak ◽  
Inositol Polyphosphate ◽  
Mouse Development ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Cell Culture Systems ◽  
Physiologic Function ◽  
T Cell Maturation

Ship is a recently identified SH2-containing inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase that has been implicated as an important signaling molecule in cell-culture systems. To understand the physiologic function of Ship in vivo, we performed expression studies of Ship during mouse development. Results of this study demonstrate the expression of ship to be in late primitive-streak stage embryos (7.5 days postcoitus [dpc]), when hematopoiesis is thought to begin, and the expression is restricted to the hematopoietic lineage in mouse embryo. In adult mice, Ship expression continues to be in the majority of cells from hematopoietic origin, including granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes, and is also found in the spermatids of the testis. Furthermore, the level of Ship expression is developmentally regulated during T-cell maturation. These results suggest a possible role for Ship in the differentiation and maintenance of the hematopoietic lineages and in spermatogenesis.

scholarly journals Alpha/Beta and Gamma Interferons Are Induced by Infection with Noncytopathic Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus In Vivo

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 923-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Charleston ◽  
L. S. Brackenbury ◽  
B. V. Carr ◽  
M. D. Fray ◽  
J. C. Hope ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Bovine Viral Diarrhea ◽  
Diarrhea Virus ◽  
Viral Diarrhea ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Interferon Responses ◽  
Viral Diarrhea Virus

ABSTRACT In contrast to the results of previous in vitro studies, experimental infection of calves with noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (ncpBVDV) was found to induce strong alpha/beta and gamma interferon responses in gnotobiotic animals. These responses were associated with depressed levels of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in serum. The results of this study indicate that the immunosuppression caused by ncpBVDV is not associated with low interferon responses or elevated levels of TGF-β.

scholarly journals Dosage-Dependent Effects of Akt1/Protein Kinase Bα (PKBα) and Akt3/PKBγ on Thymus, Skin, and Cardiovascular and Nervous System Development in Mice

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 10407-10418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong-Zhou Yang ◽  
Oliver Tschopp ◽  
Nicolas Di-Poï ◽  
Elisabeth Bruder ◽  
Anne Baudry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
System Development ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Nervous System Development ◽  
Mouse Development ◽  
Double Knockout ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Regulation Of Metabolism ◽  
Survival And Development

ABSTRACT Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) plays a critical role in the regulation of metabolism, transcription, cell migration, cell cycle progression, and cell survival. The existence of viable knockout mice for each of the three isoforms suggests functional redundancy. We generated mice with combined mutant alleles of Akt1 and Akt3 to study their effects on mouse development. Here we show that Akt1 − / − Akt3 +/ − mice display multiple defects in the thymus, heart, and skin and die within several days after birth, while Akt1 +/ − Akt3 − / − mice survive normally. Double knockout (Akt1 − / − Akt3 − / −) causes embryonic lethality at around embryonic days 11 and 12, with more severe developmental defects in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Increased apoptosis was found in the developing brain of double mutant embryos. These data indicate that the Akt1 gene is more essential than Akt3 for embryonic development and survival but that both are required for embryo development. Our results indicate isoform-specific and dosage-dependent effects of Akt on animal survival and development.

A spectrin-like protein from mouse brain membranes: phosphorylation of the 235,000-dalton subunit

1984 ◽  
Vol 247 (1) ◽  
pp. C61-C73 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. Goodman ◽  
I. S. Zagon ◽  
C. F. Whitfield ◽  
L. A. Casoria ◽  
S. B. Shohet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Brain ◽  
Beta Subunit ◽  
Beta Subunits ◽  
Mouse Erythrocyte ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Beta 2 ◽  
Independent Protein ◽  
Brain Spectrin

A mouse brain spectrin-like protein, which was an immunoreactive analogue of erythrocyte spectrin, has been isolated from demyelinated membranes. This spectrin analogue was a 10.5 S, 972,000 molecular weight (Mr) (alpha beta)2 tetramer containing subunits of 240,000 (alpha) and 235,000 (beta) Mr. We demonstrated that in vivo only the 235,000 Mr beta subunit of the mouse brain spectrin-like protein was phosphorylated, which was an analogous situation to mouse erythrocyte spectrin in which only the 220,000 Mr beta subunit was phosphorylated. Incubation of isolated membrane fractions with [gamma-32P]ATP +/- adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) indicated that mouse brain spectrin-like protein, mouse erythrocyte spectrin, and human erythrocyte spectrin's beta subunits were all phosphorylated in vitro by membrane-associated cAMP-independent protein kinases.

Functional specificity of jejunal brush-border pteroylpolyglutamate hydrolase in pig

1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (6) ◽  
pp. G865-G872 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Chandler ◽  
D. A. Harrison ◽  
C. A. Buffington ◽  
N. A. Santiago ◽  
C. H. Halsted
Keyword(s):  
Brush Border ◽  
Protein Band ◽  
Major Protein ◽  
Functional Specificity ◽  
Major Protein Band ◽  
Regional Location ◽  
Minor Protein ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Hydrolysis Of

To determine the functional specificity of intestinal brush-border pteroylpolyglutamate hydrolase (PPH), we compared the regional location of in vivo hydrolysis of pteroyltriglutamate (PteGlu3) with the location of activity and immunoreactivity of the enzyme in the pig. After in vivo incubations, PteGlu3 hydrolytic products were recovered from intestinal segments in the jejunum but not from the ileum. Brush-border PPH activity in fractionated mucosa was 10-fold greater in the jejunum than in the ileum, whereas the activity of intracellular PPH was increased in the distal ileum. Antibodies to purified brush-border PPH identified a major protein band at 120 kDa and a minor protein band at 195 kDa in solubilized jejunal brush border. Immunohistochemistry identified the enzyme only on the brush-border surface of the jejunum, whereas an immunoblot of solubilized brush-border membranes identified brush-border PPH in the jejunum but not in the ileum. The parallel of the regional location of in vivo hydrolysis of PteGlu3 with the location of brush-border PPH activity and immunoreactivity demonstrates the functional specificity of this enzyme in folate digestion.

scholarly journals Nuclear condensates of the Polycomb protein chromobox 2 (CBX2) assemble through phase separation

2018 ◽  
Vol 294 (5) ◽  
pp. 1451-1463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roubina Tatavosian ◽  
Samantha Kent ◽  
Kyle Brown ◽  
Tingting Yao ◽  
Huy Nguyen Duc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Heterochromatin Formation ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Polycomb Protein ◽  
Condensate Formation

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins repress master regulators of development and differentiation through organization of chromatin structure. Mutation and dysregulation of PcG genes cause developmental defects and cancer. PcG proteins form condensates in the cell nucleus, and these condensates are the physical sites of PcG-targeted gene silencing via formation of facultative heterochromatin. However, the physiochemical principles underlying the formation of PcG condensates remain unknown, and their determination could shed light on how these condensates compact chromatin. Using fluorescence live-cell imaging, we observed that the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) protein chromobox 2 (CBX2), a member of the CBX protein family, undergoes phase separation to form condensates and that the CBX2 condensates exhibit liquid-like properties. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the conserved residues of CBX2 within the intrinsically disordered region (IDR), which is the region for compaction of chromatin in vitro, promote the condensate formation both in vitro and in vivo. We showed that the CBX2 condensates concentrate DNA and nucleosomes. Using genetic engineering, we report that trimethylation of Lys-27 at histone H3 (H3K27me3), a marker of heterochromatin formation produced by PRC2, had minimal effects on the CBX2 condensate formation. We further demonstrated that the CBX2 condensate formation does not require CBX2–PRC1 subunits; however, the condensate formation of CBX2–PRC1 subunits depends on CBX2, suggesting a mechanism underlying the assembly of CBX2–PRC1 condensates. In summary, our results reveal that PcG condensates assemble through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and suggest that phase-separated condensates can organize PcG-bound chromatin.

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