Midkine Is Involved in Kidney Development and in Its Regulation by Retinoids

ABSTRACT. In the kidney, in which development depends on epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, it has been shown that retinoids modulate nephrogenesis in a dose-dependent manner in vivo and in vitro. Midkine (MK) is a retinoic acid responsive gene for a heparin-binding growth factor. The aim of the present study was therefore to quantify the expression of MK mRNA during renal development in the rat, to analyze the regulation of MK expression by retinoids in vivo and in vitro, and, finally, to study the role of MK in rat metanephric organ cultures. The spatiotemporal expression of MK in fetal kidney was studied. In control rats, MK expression is ubiquitous at gestational day 14, i.e., at the onset of nephrogenesis. On day 16, MK is expressed in the condensed mesenchyme and in early epithelialized mesenchymal derivatives. On gestational day 21, MK is rather localized in the nonmature glomeruli of the renal cortex. In utero exposure to vitamin A deficiency did not modify the specific spatial and temporal expression pattern of MK gene in the metanephros, although a decrease in mRNA expression occurred. In metanephroi explanted from 14-d-old fetuses and cultured in a defined medium, expression of MK mRNA was found to be stimulated when retinoic acid (100 nM) was added in the culture medium. Finally, in vitro nephrogenesis was strongly inhibited in the presence of neutralizing antibodies for MK: the number of nephrons formed in vitro was reduced by ∼50% without changes in ureteric bud branching morphogenesis. These results indicated that MK is implicated in the regulation of kidney development by retinoids. These results also suggested that MK plays an important role in the molecular cascade of the epithelial conversion of the metanephric blastema.

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Murine monoclonal antibodies against RBD of SARS-CoV-2 neutralize authentic wild type SARS-CoV-2 as well as B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 viruses and protect in vivo in a mouse model in a neutralization dependent manner

10.1101/2021.04.05.438547 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fatima Amanat ◽

Shirin Strohmeier ◽

Wen-Hsin Lee ◽

Sandhya Bangaru ◽

Andrew B Ward ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monoclonal Antibodies ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Receptor Binding Domain ◽

Wild Type ◽

Murine Monoclonal Antibodies

After first emerging in December 2019 in China, severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has since caused a pandemic leading to millions of infections and deaths worldwide. Vaccines have been developed and authorized but supply of these vaccines is currently limited. With new variants of the virus now emerging and spreading globally, it is essential to develop therapeutics that are broadly protective and bind conserved epitopes in the receptor binding domain (RBD) or the whole spike of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we have generated mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against different epitopes on the RBD and assessed binding and neutralization against authentic SARS-CoV-2. We have demonstrated that antibodies with neutralizing activity, but not non-neutralizing antibodies, lower viral titers in the lungs when administered in a prophylactic setting in vivo in a mouse challenge model. In addition, most of the mAbs cross-neutralize the B.1.351 as well as the B.1.1.7 variants in vitro.

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The role of fibroblast growth factor in early Xenopus development

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.107.supplement.141 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 107 (Supplement) ◽

pp. 141-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. M. W. Slack ◽

B. G. Darlington ◽

L. L. Gillespie ◽

S. F. Godsave ◽

H. V. Isaacs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Marginal Zone ◽

Specific Activity ◽

Progressive Increase ◽

Defined Medium ◽

Relative Molecular Mass ◽

Heparin Binding ◽

Cell Stage ◽

Animal Pole

In early amphibian development, the mesoderm is formed around the equator of the blastula in response to an inductive signal from the endoderm. A screen of candidate substances showed that a small group of heparin-binding growth factors (HBGFs) were active as mesoderm-inducing agents in vitro. The factors aFGF, bFGF, kFGF and ECDGF all show similar potency and can produce inductions at concentrations above about 100 pM. The product of the murine int-2 gene is also active, but with a lower specific activity. Above the induction threshold there is a progressive increase of muscle formation with dose. Single blastula ectoderm cells can be induced and will differentiate in a defined medium to form mesodermal tissues. All inner blastula cells are competent to respond to the factors but outer cells, bearing oocyte-derived membrane, are not. Inducing activity can be extracted from Xenopus blastulae and binds to heparin like the previously described HBGFs. Antibody neutralization and Western blotting experiments identify this activity as bFGF. The amounts present are small but would be sufficient to evoke inductions in vivo. It is not yet known whether the bFGF is localized to the endoderm, although it is known that inducing activity secreted by endodermal cells can be neutralized by heparin. The competence of ectoderm to respond to HBGFs rises from about the 128-cell stage and falls again by the onset of gastrulation. This change is paralleled by a rise and fall of binding of 125I-aFGF. Chemical cross-linking reveals that this binding is attributable to a receptor of relative molecular mass about 130 × 103. The receptor is present both in the marginal zone, which responds to the signal in vivo, and in the animal pole region, which is not induced in vivo but which will respond to HBGFs in vitro. In the embryo, the induction in the vicinity of the dorsal meridian is much more potent than that around the remainder of the marginal zone circumference. Dorsal inductions contain notochord and will dorsalize ventral mesoderm with which they are later placed in contact. This effect might be due to a local high bFGF concentration or, more likely, to the secretion in the dorsal region of an additional, synergistic factor. It is known that TGF-β-1 and -2 can greatly increase the effect of low doses of bFGF, although it has not yet been demonstrated that they are present in the embryo. Lithium salts have a dorsalizing effect on whole embryos or on explants from the ventral marginal zone, and also show potent synergism when applied together with HBGFs.

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Abstract 5566: Recovery of Erk Signaling Restores Defective Angiogenesis and Arteriogenesis in Synectin-Deficient Animals

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.118.suppl_18.s_576-a ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽

Author(s):

Bin Ren ◽

Arpita Mukhopadhyay* ◽

Anthony A Lanahan ◽

Zhen W Zhuang ◽

Karen L Moodie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endothelial Cells ◽

Branching Morphogenesis ◽

Erk Signaling ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Wild Type ◽

Erk Activation ◽

Arterial Development ◽

Constitutively Active

Background : Arterial morphogenesis is an important and poorly understood process. We have previously demonstrated that disruption of synectin gene expression in mice and zebrafish results in impaired arterial development and branching morphogenesis. Synectin null endothelial cells demonstrate reduced VEGF responsiveness in terms of migration, proliferation and differentiation and ERK-1/2 activation (Chittenden et al, Dev Cell 2006). Since ERK has been established as major participants in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation and Erk activation has been previously linked to arterial morphogenesis, we evaluated whether activation of Erk signaling in synectin disrupted mice and zebrafish as well as synectin KO arterial endothelial cells (ECs) would restore defective migration, arterial differentiation, angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. To stimulate ERK signaling we used partial inhibition of PI3-K activity to reduce Akt-dependent suppression of Raf1 activation or introduction of constitutively active ERK construct. Methods : In vitro studies were conducted with primary arterial ECs isolated from synectin wild type (WT) and knock out (KO) mice. In vivo studies were carried out in WT and synectin deficient mice and synectin knockdown zebrafish embryos. Results: Exposure of synectin −/− arterial EC to two selective PI3K inhibitors GS4898 or LY294002 in vitro restored ERK activation in a dose-dependent manner and returned cell migration and in vitro branching morphogenesis to wild type levels. Transduction of a constitutively active ERK construct in vitro or in a Matrigel model in vivo had similar effect. Systemic treatment of synectin −/− mice with GS4898 fully restored impaired angiogenesis and arterial morphogenesis in adult animals in the setting of hindlimb ischemia. Similar treatment nearly completely restored arterial development defects in zebrafish treated with a synectin morpholino. Conclusions: ERK activation plays a key role in arteriogenesis both in adult tissues and during embryonic development. Activation of compromised ERK-1/2 signaling may be a novel therapeutic intervention to stimulate arteriogenesis.

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Differential expression of collagen- and laminin-binding integrins mediates ureteric bud and inner medullary collecting duct cell tubulogenesis

AJP Renal Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajprenal.00015.2004 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 287 (4) ◽

pp. F602-F611 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Dong Chen ◽

Richard Roberts ◽

Martin Pohl ◽

Sanjay Nigam ◽

Jordan Kreidberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Collecting Duct ◽

Branching Morphogenesis ◽

Integrin Subunit ◽

Integrin Expression ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Ureteric Bud ◽

Laminin Receptors ◽

Temporal And Spatial

Inner medullary collecting ducts (IMCD) are terminally differentiated structures derived from the ureteric bud (UB). UB development is mediated by changes in the temporal and spatial expression of integrins and their respective ligands. We demonstrate both in vivo and in vitro that the UB expresses predominantly laminin receptors (α3β1-, α6β1-, and α6β4-integrins), whereas the IMCD expresses both collagen (α1β1- and α2β1-integrins) and laminin receptors. Cells derived from the IMCD, but not the UB, undergo tubulogenesis in collagen-I (CI) gels in an α1β1- and α2β1-dependent manner. UB cells transfected with the α2-integrin subunit undergo tubulogenesis in CI, suggesting that collagen receptors are required for branching morphogenesis in CI. In contrast, both UB and IMCD cells undergo tubulogenesis in CI/Matrigel gels. UB cells primarily utilize α3β1- and α6-integrins, whereas IMCD cells mainly employ α1β1 for this process. These results demonstrate a switch in integrin expression from primarily laminin receptors in the early UB to both collagen and laminin receptors in the mature IMCD, which has functional consequences for branching morphogenesis in three-dimensional cell culture models. This suggests that temporal and spatial changes in integrin expression could help organize the pattern of branching morphogenesis of the developing collecting system in vivo.

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β-Chemokines Enhance Parasite Uptake and Promote Nitric Oxide-Dependent Microbiostatic Activity in Murine Inflammatory Macrophages Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.67.9.4819-4826.1999 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 67 (9) ◽

pp. 4819-4826 ◽

Cited By ~ 101

Author(s):

Júlio C. S. Aliberti ◽

Fabiana S. Machado ◽

Janeusa T. Souto ◽

Ana P. Campanelli ◽

Mauro M. Teixeira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Specific Inhibitor ◽

No Production ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Macrophage Infection ◽

Parasite Replication ◽

Ifn Γ

ABSTRACT In the present study, we describe the ability of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes to stimulate the synthesis of β-chemokines by macrophages. In vivo infection with T. cruzi led to MIP-1α, RANTES, and JE/MCP1 mRNA expression by cells from peritoneal inflammatory exudate. In addition, in vitro infection with T. cruzi resulted in expression of β-chemokine MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, and JE mRNA by macrophages. The expression of the β-chemokine MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, and JE proteins by murine macrophages cultured with trypomastigote forms ofT. cruzi was confirmed by immunocytochemistry. Interestingly, macrophage infection with T. cruzi also resulted in NO production, which we found to be mediated mainly by β-chemokines. Hence, treatment with anti-β-chemokine-specific neutralizing antibodies partially inhibited NO release by macrophages incubated with T. cruzi parasites. Further, the addition of the exogenous β-chemokines MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, and JE/MCP-1 induced an increased T. cruzi uptake, leading to enhanced NO production and control of parasite replication in a dose-dependent manner. l-NMMA, a specific inhibitor of thel-arginine–NO pathway, caused a decrease in NO production and parasite killing when added to cultures of macrophages stimulated with β-chemokines. Among the β-chemokines tested, JE was more potent in inhibiting parasite growth, although it was much less efficient than gamma interferon (IFN-γ). Nevertheless, JE potentiates parasite killing by macrophages incubated with low doses of IFN-γ. Together, these results suggest that in addition to their chemotactic activity, murine β-chemokines may also contribute to enhancing parasite uptake and promoting control of parasite replication in macrophages and may play a role in resistance to T. cruziinfection.

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Regulation of c-ret expression by retinoic acid in rat metanephros: implication in nephron mass control

AJP Renal Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajprenal.1998.275.6.f938 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 275 (6) ◽

pp. F938-F945 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Evelyne Moreau ◽

José Vilar ◽

Martine Lelièvre-Pégorier ◽

Claudie Merlet-Bénichou ◽

Thierry Gilbert

Keyword(s):

Retinoic Acid ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Kidney Development ◽

Mrna Level ◽

Cell Surface Receptor ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

All Trans Retinoic Acid ◽

Surface Receptor ◽

Dose Dependent

Vitamin A and its derivatives have been shown to promote kidney development in vitro in a dose-dependent fashion. To address the molecular mechanisms by which all- trans-retinoic acid (RA) may regulate the nephron mass, rat kidneys were removed on embryonic day 14( E14) and grown in organ culture under standard or RA-stimulated conditions. By using RT-PCR, we studied the expression of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), its cell surface receptor-α (GDNFR-α), and the receptor tyrosine kinase c-ret, known to play a major role in renal organogenesis. Expression of GDNF and GDNFR-α transcripts was high at the time of explantation and remained unaffected in culture with or without RA. In contrast, c-ret mRNA level, which was low in E14 metanephros and dropped rapidly in vitro, was increased by RA in a dose-dependent manner. The same is true at the protein level. Exogenous GDNF barely promotes additional nephron formation in vitro. Thus the present data establish c-ret as a key target of retinoids during kidney organogenesis.

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Formation of organotypic testicular organoids in microwell culture†

Biology of Reproduction ◽

10.1093/biolre/ioz053 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 100 (6) ◽

pp. 1648-1660 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Sadman Sakib ◽

Aya Uchida ◽

Paula Valenzuela-Leon ◽

Yang Yu ◽

Hanna Valli-Pulaski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retinoic Acid ◽

Germ Cell ◽

Germ Cells ◽

Sertoli Cells ◽

Cell Interactions ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Tissue Architecture ◽

Cell Cell

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) organoids can serve as an in vitro platform to study cell–cell interactions, tissue development, and toxicology. Development of organoids with tissue architecture similar to testis in vivo has remained a challenge. Here, we present a microwell aggregation approach to establish multicellular 3D testicular organoids from pig, mouse, macaque, and human. The organoids consist of germ cells, Sertoli cells, Leydig cells, and peritubular myoid cells forming a distinct seminiferous epithelium and interstitial compartment separated by a basement membrane. Sertoli cells in the organoids express tight junction proteins claudin 11 and occludin. Germ cells in organoids showed an attenuated response to retinoic acid compared to germ cells in 2D culture indicating that the tissue architecture of the organoid modulates response to retinoic acid similar to in vivo. Germ cells maintaining physiological cell–cell interactions in organoids also had lower levels of autophagy indicating lower levels of cellular stress. When organoids were treated with mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), levels of germ cell autophagy increased in a dose-dependent manner, indicating the utility of the organoids for toxicity screening. Ablation of primary cilia on testicular somatic cells inhibited the formation of organoids demonstrating an application to screen for factors affecting testicular morphogenesis. Organoids can be generated from cryopreserved testis cells and preserved by vitrification. Taken together, the testicular organoid system recapitulates the 3D organization of the mammalian testis and provides an in vitro platform for studying germ cell function, testicular development, and drug toxicity in a cellular context representative of the testis in vivo.

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Murine clusterin: molecular cloning and mRNA localization of a gene associated with epithelial differentiation processes during embryogenesis

The Journal of Cell Biology ◽

10.1083/jcb.122.5.1119 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 122 (5) ◽

pp. 1119-1130 ◽

Cited By ~ 80

Author(s):

LE French ◽

A Chonn ◽

D Ducrest ◽

B Baumann ◽

D Belin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Epithelial Cells ◽

Cell Types ◽

Branching Morphogenesis ◽

Structural Features ◽

Heparin Binding ◽

Binding Domains ◽

Cell Layers

Clusterin is a broadly distributed glycoprotein constitutively expressed by various tissues and cell types, that has been shown to be involved in cell-cell adhesion and expressed during cellular differentiation in vitro. To assess the suggested participation of clusterin in these processes in vivo, we have cloned the cDNA encoding murine clusterin and studied the cellular distribution of clusterin mRNA during murine embryogenesis. Sequence analysis of the cDNA encoding murine clusterin revealed 92 and 75% sequence identity with the rat and human cDNAs, respectively, and conservation of the predicted structural features which include alpha-helical regions and heparin-binding domains. From 12.5 d of development onwards, the clusterin gene is widely expressed in developing epithelia, and selectively localized within the differentiating cell layers of tissues such as the developing skin, tooth, and duodenum where proliferating and differentiating compartments are readily distinguished. In addition, transient and localized clusterin gene expression was detected in certain morphogenetically active epithelia. In the lung, abundant gene transcripts were detected in cuboidal epithelial cells of the terminal lung buds during branching morphogenesis, and in the kidney, clusterin gene expression in the epithelial cells of comma and S-shaped bodies coincided with the process of polarization. Our results demonstrate the in vivo expression of the clusterin gene by differentiating epithelial cells during murine embryogenesis, and provide novel evidence suggesting that clusterin may be involved in the differentiation and morphogenesis of certain epithelia.

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Prorenin receptor controls renal branching morphogenesis via Wnt/β-catenin signaling

AJP Renal Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajprenal.00563.2016 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 312 (3) ◽

pp. F407-F417 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Renfang Song ◽

Adam Janssen ◽

Yuwen Li ◽

Samir El-Dahr ◽

Ihor V. Yosypiv

Keyword(s):

Kidney Development ◽

Collecting Duct ◽

Terminal Differentiation ◽

Molecular Transport ◽

Branching Morphogenesis ◽

Primary Role ◽

Prorenin Receptor ◽

Accessory Subunit

The prorenin receptor (PRR) is a receptor for renin and prorenin, and an accessory subunit of the vacuolar proton pump H+-ATPase. Renal branching morphogenesis, defined as growth and branching of the ureteric bud (UB), is essential for mammalian kidney development. Previously, we demonstrated that conditional ablation of the PRR in the UB in PRRUB−/− mice causes severe defects in UB branching, resulting in marked kidney hypoplasia at birth. Here, we investigated the UB transcriptome using whole genome-based analysis of gene expression in UB cells, FACS-isolated from PRRUB−/−, and control kidneys at birth (P0) to determine the primary role of the PRR in terminal differentiation and growth of UB-derived collecting ducts. Three genes with expression in UB cells that previously shown to regulate UB branching morphogenesis, including Wnt9b, β-catenin, and Fgfr2, were upregulated, whereas the expression of Wnt11, Bmp7, Etv4, and Gfrα1 was downregulated. We next demonstrated that infection of immortalized UB cells with shPRR in vitro or deletion of the UB PRR in double-transgenic PRRUB−/−/ BatGal+ mice, a reporter strain for β-catenin transcriptional activity, in vivo increases β-catenin activity in the UB epithelia. In addition to UB morphogenetic genes, the functional groups of differentially expressed genes within the downregulated gene set included genes involved in molecular transport, metabolic disease, amino acid metabolism, and energy production. Together, these data demonstrate that UB PRR performs essential functions during UB branching and collecting duct morphogenesis via control of a hierarchy of genes that control UB branching and terminal differentiation of the collecting duct cells.

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Matrix Metalloproteinases MMP2 and MMP9 Are Produced in Early Stages of Kidney Morphogenesis but Only MMP9 Is Required for Renal Organogenesis In Vitro

The Journal of Cell Biology ◽

10.1083/jcb.136.6.1363 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 136 (6) ◽

pp. 1363-1373 ◽

Cited By ~ 112

Author(s):

Brigitte Lelongt ◽

Germain Trugnan ◽

Gillian Murphy ◽

Pierre M. Ronco

Keyword(s):

Laser Scanning ◽

Branching Morphogenesis ◽

Tissue Inhibitor Of Metalloproteinase ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Concentration Dependent Manner ◽

Embryonic Mouse ◽

Kidney Morphogenesis ◽

Renal Organogenesis

We analyzed matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production by 11-d embryonic mouse kidneys and the effects of these enzymes on subsequent renal organogenesis. In vivo, immunolocalization of metalloproteinases by laser scanning confocal microscopy and zymograms of kidney lysates showed that the mesenchyme of embryonic kidneys synthesized both MMP9 and MMP2 enzymes. In vitro, embryonic kidneys also secreted both enzymes when cultured in a medium devoid of hormone, growth factor, and serum for 24 h during which T-shaped branching of the ureter bud appeared. We then evaluated the role of MMP2 and MMP9 in kidney morphogenesis by adding anti-MMP2 or anti-MMP9 IgGs to the culture medium of 11-d kidneys for 24 or 72 h. Although it inhibited activity of the mouse enzyme, anti-MMP2 IgGs had no effect on kidney morphogenesis. In contrast, anti-MMP9 IgGs with enzyme-blocking activity impaired renal morphogenesis, in a concentration-dependent manner, by inhibiting T-shaped branching and further divisions of the ureter bud. This effect was irreversible, still observed after inductive events and reproduced by exogenous tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1), the natural inhibitor of MMP9. These data provide the first demonstration of MMP9 and MMP2 production in vivo by 11-d embryonic kidneys and further show that MMP9 is required in vitro for branching morphogenesis of the ureter bud.

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