scholarly journals Three rare variants of SOX7 impairing its interaction with GATA4 may be a predisposing factor to complete AVSD

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baolei Li ◽  
Zhuoyan Li ◽  
Jianping Yang ◽  
Nanchao Hong ◽  
Lihui Jin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Atrioventricular septal defects (AVSD) are a complicated subtype of congenital heart defects for which the genetic basis is poorly understood. Many evidences have demonstrated that transcription factor SOX7 which can interact with GATA4 plays a pivotal role in the cardiovascular development. The critical role of GATA4 in the morphogenesis of atrioventricular septum implies SOX7 a potential involvement of AVSD. However, whether SOX7 variants are involved in the pathogenesis of AVSD needs to be explored. Methods 100 sporadic non-syndromic AVSD Chinese Han patients were recruited and the variants of SOX7 in 100 patients were screened by target sequencing. Functional assays were performed to testify the potential pathogenicity of nonsynonymous variants of SOX7 found in these AVSD patients. Results Through target sequencing, we identified three rare variants c.40C>G, c.542G>A, and c.743C>T of SOX7 in 100 sporadic non-syndromic AVSD Chinese Han patients. All mutant sites were highly conserved in mammals. Compared to the wildtype, these variants of SOX7 increased mRNA expression and decreased protein. In the developing murine hearts, SOX7 along with GATA4 expressed highly in the region of atrioventricular cushions. Moreover, SOX7 overexpression promoted the expression of GATA4 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay uncovered that SOX7 could directly bind to the region of GATA4 promoter. Luciferase assays demonstrated that SOX7 activated GATA4 promoter and the variants impaired the transcriptional activity of SOX7. Furthermore, the variants of SOX7 altered the regulation to the activity of GATA4 on its target genes. Conclusions Our studies provide evidence that deleterious variants in SOX7 are potential contributors to human AVSD and provide novel insights into the etiology of AVSD.

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1198-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Taniguchi ◽  
Yoshihide Asano ◽  
Kouki Nakamura ◽  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Ryosuke Saigusa ◽  
...  

Objective.CXCL6, a chemokine with proangiogenic property, is reported to be involved in vasculopathy associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc). We investigated the contribution of CXCL6 to SSc development by focusing on the association of friend leukemia virus integration 1 (Fli1) deficiency, a potential predisposing factor of SSc, with CXCL6 expression and clinical correlation of serum CXCL6 levels.Methods.mRNA levels of target genes and the binding of Fli1 to the CXCL6 promoter were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation, respectively. Serum CXCL6 levels were determined by ELISA.Results.FLI1 siRNA significantly enhanced CXCL6 mRNA expression in human dermal fibroblasts and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells, while Fli1 haploinsufficiency significantly suppressed CXCL6 mRNA expression in murine peritoneal macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Supporting a critical role of Fli1 deficiency to induce SSc-like phenotypes, CXCL6 mRNA expression was higher in SSc dermal fibroblasts than in normal dermal fibroblasts. Importantly, Fli1 bound to the CXCL6 promoter in dermal fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and THP-1 cells. In patients with SSc, serum CXCL6 levels correlated positively with the severity of dermal and pulmonary fibrosis and were elevated in association with cardiac and pulmonary vascular involvement and cutaneous vascular symptoms, including Raynaud phenomenon, digital ulcers (DU)/pitting scars, and telangiectasia. Especially, serum CXCL6 levels were associated with DU/pitting scars and heart involvement by multiple regression analysis.Conclusion.CXCL6 expression is upregulated by Fli1 deficiency in fibroblasts and endothelial cells, potentially contributing to the development of fibrosis and vasculopathy in the skin, lung, and heart of SSc.


Author(s):  
George C. Gabriel ◽  
William Devine ◽  
Bethany K. Redel ◽  
Kristin M. Whitworth ◽  
Melissa Samuel ◽  
...  

Background Modeling cardiovascular diseases in mice has provided invaluable insights into the cause of congenital heart disease. However, the small size of the mouse heart has precluded translational studies. Given current high‐efficiency gene editing, congenital heart disease modeling in other species is possible. The pig is advantageous given its cardiac anatomy, physiology, and size are similar to human infants. We profiled pig cardiovascular development and generated genetically edited pigs with congenital heart defects. Methods and Results Pig conceptuses and fetuses were collected spanning 7 stages (day 20 to birth at day 115), with at least 3 embryos analyzed per stage. A combination of magnetic resonance imaging and 3‐dimensional histological reconstructions with episcopic confocal microscopy were conducted. Gross dissections were performed in late‐stage or term fetuses by using sequential segmental analysis of the atrial, ventricular, and arterial segments. At day 20, the heart has looped, forming a common atria and ventricle and an undivided outflow tract. Cardiac morphogenesis progressed rapidly, with atrial and outflow septation evident by day 26 and ventricular septation completed by day 30. The outflow and atrioventricular cushions seen at day 20 undergo remodeling to form mature valves, a process continuing beyond day 42. Genetically edited pigs generated with mutation in chromatin modifier SAP130 exhibited tricuspid dysplasia, with tricuspid atresia associated with early embryonic lethality. Conclusions The major events in pig cardiac morphogenesis are largely complete by day 30. The developmental profile is similar to human and mouse, indicating gene edited pigs may provide new opportunities for preclinical studies focused on outcome improvements for congenital heart disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junming Luo ◽  
Xiaoqin Luo ◽  
Zhili Duan ◽  
Wenbin Bai ◽  
Xiaoming Che ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is thought to be the most prevalent chronic joint disease, especially in Tibet of China. Here, we aimed to explore the integrative lncRNA and mRNA landscape between the OA patients of Tibet and Han. Methods The lncRNA and mRNA expression microarray profiling was performed by SurePrint G3 Human Gene Expression 8x60K v2 Microarray in articular cartilage samples from OA patients of Han nationality and Tibetans, followed by GO, KEGG, and trans-regulation and cis-regulation analysis of lncRNA and mRNA. Results We found a total of 117 lncRNAs and 297 mRNAs differently expressed in the cartilage tissues of Tibetans (n = 5) comparing with those of Chinese Han (n = 3), in which 49 lncRNAs and 158 mRNAs were upregulated, and 68 lncRNAs and 139 mRNAs were downregulated. GO and KEGG analysis showed that several unreported biological processes and signaling pathways were particularly identified. LncRNA-mRNA co-expression analysis revealed a remarkable lncRNA-mRNA relationship, in which OTOA may play a critical role in the different mechanisms of the OA progression between Tibetans and Chinese Han. Conclusion This study identified different lncRNA/mRNA expression profiling between OA patients of Tibetans and Han, which were involved in many characteristic biological processes and signaling pathways.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunlong Pan ◽  
Qing Wu ◽  
Li Qin ◽  
Jiye Cai ◽  
Bin Du

The early stages of angiogenesis can be divided into three steps: endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered the most important proangiogenic factor; in particular, VEGF165plays a critical role in angiogenesis. Here, we evaluated whether gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) could inhibit the VEGF165-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration and tube formation. AuNPs and VEGF165were coincubated overnight at 4°C, after which the effects on cell migration and tube formation were assessed. Cell migration was assessed using a modified wound-healing assay and a transwell chamber assay; tube formation was assessed using a capillary-like tube formation assay and a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. We additionally detected the cell surface morphology and ultrastructure using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, Akt phosphorylation downstream of VEGFR-2/PI3K in HUVECs was determined in a Western blot analysis. Our study demonstrated that AuNPs significantly inhibited VEGF165-induced HUVEC migration and tube formation by affecting the cell surface ultrastructure, cytoskeleton and might have inhibited angiogenesis via the Akt pathway.


2015 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianhao Zhao ◽  
Yili Chen ◽  
Longlun Peng ◽  
Rui Gao ◽  
Nian Liu ◽  
...  

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 827
Author(s):  
Lisa J. Martin ◽  
D Woodrow Benson

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are malformations present at birth that occur during heart development. Increasing evidence supports a genetic origin of CHD, but in the process important challenges have been identified. This review begins with information about CHD and the importance of detailed phenotyping of study subjects. To facilitate appropriate genetic study design, we review DNA structure, genetic variation in the human genome and tools to identify the genetic variation of interest. Analytic approaches powered for both common and rare variants are assessed. While the ideal outcome of genetic studies is to identify variants that have a causal role, a more realistic goal for genetic analytics is to identify variants in specific genes that influence the occurrence of a phenotype and which provide keys to open biologic doors that inform how the genetic variants modulate heart development. It has never been truer that good genetic studies start with good planning. Continued progress in unraveling the genetic underpinnings of CHD will require multidisciplinary collaboration between geneticists, quantitative scientists, clinicians, and developmental biologists.


Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (12) ◽  
pp. 4161-4170 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.L. Johnson ◽  
J.K. Grenier ◽  
M.P. Scott

The membrane protein, Patched, plays a critical role in patterning embryonic and imaginal tissues in Drosophila. patched constitutively inactivates the transcription of target genes such as wingless, decapentaplegic, and patched itself. The secreted protein, Hedgehog, induces transcription of target genes by opposing the Patched signaling pathway. Using the Gal4 UAS system we have overexpressed patched in wing imaginal discs and found that high Patched levels, expressed in either normal or ectopic patterns, result in loss of wing vein patterning in both compartments centering at the anterior/posterior border. In addition, patched inhibits the formation of the mechanosensory neurons, the campaniform sensilla, in the wing blade. The patched wing vein phenotype is modulated by mutations in hedgehog and cubitus interruptus (ci). Patched overexpression inhibits transcription of patched and decapentaplegic and post-transcriptionally decreases the amount of Ci protein at the anterior/posterior boundary. In hedgehogMrt wing discs, which express ectopic hedgehog, Ci levels are correspondingly elevated, suggesting that hedgehog relieves patched repression of Ci accumulation. Protein kinase A also regulates Ci; protein kinase A mutant clones in the anterior compartment have increased levels of Ci protein. Thus patched influences wing disc patterning by decreasing Ci protein levels and inactivating hedgehog target genes in the anterior compartment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlin Touma ◽  
Xuedong Kang ◽  
Fuying Gao ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
Reshma Biniwale ◽  
...  

Background: Fetal to neonatal transition of heart involves major changes in cardiomyocytes (CMC) including proliferative capacity. However, the chamber specific CMC proliferation programs of remain poorly understood. Elucidating the mechanisms involved is critical to develop chamber specific therapies for newborn infants with single ventricle physiology and other congenital heart defects (CHDs). Methods: Transcriptomes of mouse left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) were analyzed by RNA-seq at postnatal days 0 (P0), P3 and P7. R package and Ingenuity suite were used for weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and gene ontology studies. Mechanistic analysis was conducted using gain and loss of function approaches. Results: Mouse neonatal cardiac transcriptome was mostly affected by developmental stage. WGCNA revealed 5 LV and 8 RV modules that were significantly correlated with maturation stage and highly preserved between both ventricles at P0 and P7. In contrast, P3 specific gene modules exhibited the largest chamber specific variations in cell signaling, involving proliferation in LV and Wnt signaling molecules, including Wnt11, in RV. Importantly, Wnt11 expression significantly decreased in cyanotic CHDs phenotypes and correlated with O2 saturation levels in hypoxemic infants with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Notably, Perinatal hypoxia treatment in mice suppressed Wnt11 expression, induced CMC proliferation, downregulated Rb1 expression and enhanced Rb1 phosphorylation more robustly in RV vs. LV. Remarkably, Wnt11 inactivation was sufficient to induce myocyte proliferation in perinatal mouse heart and reduced Rb1 expression and phosphorylation in primary neonatal CMC. Importantly, downregulated Wnt11 in hypoxemic TOF infantile heart was also associated with Rb1 suppression and inversely correlated with proliferation marker Plk1 in human. Conclusion: Using integrated systems genomic and functional biology analyses of perinatal cardiac transcriptome, we revealed a previously uncharacterized function for Wnt11 in chamber specific growth and cyanotic CHD. Reduction of Wnt11 expression by hypoxia plays a critical role in neonatal CMC proliferation via modulating Rb1 expression and activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Xu ◽  
Yantao Zhu ◽  
Yanfeng Zhang ◽  
Jianxia Jiang ◽  
Liyong Yang ◽  
...  

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes play vital roles in crops. However, the genetic variations in miRNA-targeted sites that affect miRNA cleavage efficiency and their correlations with agronomic traits in crops remain unexplored. On the basis of a genome-wide DNA re-sequencing of 210 elite rapeseed (Brassica napus) accessions, we identified the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (INDELs) in miRNA-targeted sites complementary to miRNAs. Variant calling revealed 7.14 million SNPs and 2.89 million INDELs throughout the genomes of 210 rapeseed accessions. Furthermore, we detected 330 SNPs and 79 INDELs in 357 miRNA target sites, of which 33.50% were rare variants. We also analyzed the correlation between the genetic variations in miRNA target sites and 12 rapeseed agronomic traits. Eleven SNPs in miRNA target sites were significantly correlated with phenotypes in three consecutive years. More specifically, three correlated SNPs within the miRNA-binding regions of BnSPL9-3, BnSPL13-2, and BnCUC1-2 were in the loci associated with the branch angle, seed weight, and silique number, respectively; expression profiling suggested that the variation at these 3 miRNA target sites significantly affected the expression level of the corresponding target genes. Taken together, the results of this study provide researchers and breeders with a global view of the genetic variations in miRNA-targeted sites in rapeseed and reveal the potential effects of these genetic variations on elite agronomic traits.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Guo ◽  
Jianping Zou ◽  
Ling Zhou ◽  
Yan He ◽  
Miao Feng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background:Nucleolar and spindle associated protein (NUSAP1) is involved in tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. However, there are limited studies regarding the role of NUSAP1 in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: The expression profile and clinical significance of NUSAP1 in GC were analysed in online database using GEPIA, Oncomine and KM plotter, which was further confirmed in clinical specimens.The functional role of NUSAP1 were detected utilizing in vitro and in vivo assays. Western blotting, qRT-PCR, the cycloheximide-chase, immunofluorescence staining and Co-immunoprecipitaion (Co-IP) assays were performed to explore the possible molecular mechanism by which NUSAP1 stabilizes YAP protein. Results:In this study, we found that the expression of NUSAP1 was upregulated in GC tissues and correlates closely with progression and prognosis. Additionally, abnormal NUSAP1 expression promoted malignant behaviors of GC cells in vitro and in a xenograft model. Mechanistically, we discovered that NUSAP1 physically interacts with YAP and furthermore stabilizes YAP protein expression, which induces the transcription of Hippo pathway downstream target genes. Furthermore, the effects of NUSAP1 on GC cell growth, migration and invasion were mainly mediated by YAP. Conclusions:Our data demonstrates that the novel NUSAP1-YAP axis exerts an critical role in GC tumorigenesis and progression, and therefore could provide a novel therapeutic target for GC treatment.


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