scholarly journals Decision letter: HIPPO signaling resolves embryonic cell fate conflicts during establishment of pluripotency in vivo

2018 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Frum ◽  
Tayler Murphy ◽  
Amy Ralston

AbstractDuring mammalian development, the challenge for the embryo is to override intrinsic cellular plasticity to drive cells to distinct fates. Here, we unveil novel roles for the HIPPO signaling pathway segregates pluripotent and extraembryonic fates by controlling cell positioning as well as expression of Sox2, the first marker of pluripotency in the mouse early embryo. We show that maternal and zygotic YAP1 and WWTR1 repress Sox2 while promoting expression of the trophectoderm gene Cdx2 in parallel. Yet, Sox2 is more sensitive than Cdx2 to Yap1/Wwtr1 dosage, leading cells to a state of conflicted cell fate when YAP1/WWTR1 activity is moderate. Remarkably, HIPPO signaling activity resolves conflicted cell fate by repositioning cells to the interior of the embryo, independent of its role in regulating Sox2 expression. Rather, HIPPO antagonizes apical localization of Par complex components PARD6B and aPKC. Thus, negative feedback between HIPPO and Par complex components ensure robust lineage segregation.


eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Frum ◽  
Tayler M Murphy ◽  
Amy Ralston

During mammalian development, the challenge for the embryo is to override intrinsic cellular plasticity to drive cells to distinct fates. Here, we unveil novel roles for the HIPPO signaling pathway in controlling cell positioning and expression of Sox2, the first marker of pluripotency in the mouse early embryo. We show that maternal and zygotic YAP1 and WWTR1 repress Sox2 while promoting expression of the trophectoderm gene Cdx2 in parallel. Yet, Sox2 is more sensitive than Cdx2 to Yap1/Wwtr1 dosage, leading cells to a state of conflicted cell fate when YAP1/WWTR1 activity is moderate. Remarkably, HIPPO signaling activity resolves conflicted cell fate by repositioning cells to the interior of the embryo, independent of its role in regulating Sox2 expression. Rather, HIPPO antagonizes apical localization of Par complex components PARD6B and aPKC. Thus, negative feedback between HIPPO and Par complex components ensure robust lineage segregation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Shindo ◽  
Amanda A. Amodeo

AbstractThe early embryos of many species undergo a switch from rapid, reductive cleavage divisions to slower, cell fate-specific division patterns at the Mid-Blastula Transition (MBT). The maternally loaded histone pool is used to measure the increasing ratio of nuclei to cytoplasm (N/C ratio) to control MBT onset, but the molecular mechanism of how histones regulate the cell cycle has remained elusive. Here, we show that excess histone H3 inhibits the DNA damage checkpoint kinase Chk1 to promote cell cycle progression in the Drosophila embryo. We find that excess H3-tail that cannot be incorporated into chromatin is sufficient to shorten the embryonic cell cycle and reduce the activity of Chk1 in vitro and in vivo. Removal of the Chk1 phosphosite in H3 abolishes its ability to regulate the cell cycle. Mathematical modeling quantitatively supports a mechanism where changes in H3 nuclear concentrations over the final cell cycles leading up to the MBT regulate Chk1-dependent cell cycle slowing. We provide a novel mechanism for Chk1 regulation by H3, which is crucial for proper cell cycle remodeling during early embryogenesis.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 712
Author(s):  
Ji-Hea Yu ◽  
Bae-Geun Nam ◽  
Min-Gi Kim ◽  
Soonil Pyo ◽  
Jung-Hwa Seo ◽  
...  

White matter atrophy has been shown to precede the massive loss of striatal GABAergic neurons in Huntington’s disease (HD). This study investigated the effects of in vivo expression of reprogramming factor octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) on neural stem cell (NSC) niche activation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and induction of cell fate specific to the microenvironment of HD. R6/2 mice randomly received adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-OCT4, AAV9-Null, or phosphate-buffered saline into both lateral ventricles at 4 weeks of age. The AAV9-OCT4 group displayed significantly improved behavioral performance compared to the control groups. Following AAV9-OCT4 treatment, the number of newly generated NSCs and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) significantly increased in the SVZ, and the expression of OPC-related genes and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) significantly increased. Further, amelioration of myelination deficits in the corpus callosum was observed through electron microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging, and striatal DARPP32+ GABAergic neurons significantly increased in the AAV9-OCT4 group. These results suggest that in situ expression of the reprogramming factor OCT4 in the SVZ induces OPC proliferation, thereby attenuating myelination deficits. Particularly, GDNF released by OPCs seems to induce striatal neuroprotection in HD, which explains the behavioral improvement in R6/2 mice overexpressing OCT4.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 931
Author(s):  
Jihyun Lee ◽  
Yujin Jung ◽  
Seo won Jeong ◽  
Ga Hee Jeong ◽  
Gue Tae Moon ◽  
...  

The Hippo signaling pathway plays a key role in regulating organ size and tissue homeostasis. Hippo and two of its main effectors, yes-associated protein (YAP) and WWTR1 (WW domain-containing transcription regulator 1, commonly listed as TAZ), play critical roles in angiogenesis. This study investigated the role of the Hippo signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of rosacea. We performed immunohistochemical analyses to compare the expression levels of YAP and TAZ between rosacea skin and normal skin in humans. Furthermore, we used a rosacea-like BALB/c mouse model induced by LL-37 injections to determine the roles of YAP and TAZ in rosacea in vivo. We found that the expression levels of YAP and TAZ were upregulated in patients with rosacea. In the rosacea-like mouse model, we observed that the clinical features of rosacea, including telangiectasia and erythema, improved after the injection of a YAP/TAZ inhibitor. Additionally, treatment with a YAP/TAZ inhibitor reduced the expression levels of YAP and TAZ and diminished vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunoreactivity in the rosacea-like mouse model. Our findings suggest that YAP/TAZ inhibitors can attenuate angiogenesis associated with the pathogenesis of rosacea and that both YAP and TAZ are potential therapeutic targets for patients with rosacea.


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