Defects in development of the kidney, heart and eye vasculature in mice homozygous for a hypomorphic Notch2 mutation

Development ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. McCright ◽  
X. Gao ◽  
L. Shen ◽  
J. Lozier ◽  
Y. Lan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Interaction ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Intercellular Signaling ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Transmembrane Receptors ◽  
Targeted Mutation ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Notch Gene ◽  
Glomerular Development

The Notch gene family encodes large transmembrane receptors that are components of an evolutionarily conserved intercellular signaling mechanism. To assess the in vivo role of the Notch2 gene, we constructed a targeted mutation, Notch2(del1). Unexpectedly, we found that alternative splicing of the Notch2(del1) mutant allele leads to the production of two different in-frame transcripts that delete either one or two EGF repeats of the Notch2 protein, suggesting that this allele is a hypomorphic Notch2 mutation. Mice homozygous for the Notch2(del1) mutation died perinatally from defects in glomerular development in the kidney. Notch2(del1)/Notch2(del1)mutant kidneys were hypoplastic and mutant glomeruli lacked a normal capillary tuft. The Notch ligand encoded by the Jag1 gene was expressed in developing glomeruli in cells adjacent to Notch2-expressing cells. We show that mice heterozygous for both the Notch2(del1) and Jag1(dDSL) mutations exhibit a glomerular defect similar to, but less severe than, that of Notch2(del1)/Notch2(del1)homozygotes. The co-localization and genetic interaction of Jag1 and Notch2 imply that this ligand and receptor physically interact, forming part of the signal transduction pathway required for glomerular differentiation and patterning. Notch2(del1)/Notch2(del1)homozygotes also display myocardial hypoplasia, edema and hyperplasia of cells associated with the hyaloid vasculature of the eye. These data identify novel developmental roles for Notch2 in kidney, heart and eye development.

scholarly journals Notch Signaling in Development, Tissue Homeostasis, and Disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 1235-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Siebel ◽  
Urban Lendahl
Keyword(s):  
Notch Signaling ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
The Body ◽  
Tissue Homeostasis ◽  
Cell Fates ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Transmembrane Receptors ◽  
Notch Gene ◽  
Broad Variety

Notch signaling is an evolutionarily highly conserved signaling mechanism, but in contrast to signaling pathways such as Wnt, Sonic Hedgehog, and BMP/TGF-β, Notch signaling occurs via cell-cell communication, where transmembrane ligands on one cell activate transmembrane receptors on a juxtaposed cell. Originally discovered through mutations in Drosophila more than 100 yr ago, and with the first Notch gene cloned more than 30 yr ago, we are still gaining new insights into the broad effects of Notch signaling in organisms across the metazoan spectrum and its requirement for normal development of most organs in the body. In this review, we provide an overview of the Notch signaling mechanism at the molecular level and discuss how the pathway, which is architecturally quite simple, is able to engage in the control of cell fates in a broad variety of cell types. We discuss the current understanding of how Notch signaling can become derailed, either by direct mutations or by aberrant regulation, and the expanding spectrum of diseases and cancers that is a consequence of Notch dysregulation. Finally, we explore the emerging field of Notch in the control of tissue homeostasis, with examples from skin, liver, lung, intestine, and the vasculature.

pygopusencodes a nuclear protein essential for Wingless/Wnt signaling

Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (17) ◽  
pp. 4089-4101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatyana Y. Belenkaya ◽  
Chun Han ◽  
Henrietta J. Standley ◽  
Xinda Lin ◽  
Douglas W. Houston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Nuclear Protein ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Transduction Pathway ◽  
Phd Finger ◽  
Nuclear Function ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Wnt Signal

The Wingless (Wg)/Wnt signal transduction pathway regulates many developmental processes through a complex of Armadillo(Arm)/β-catenin and the HMG-box transcription factors of the Tcf family. We report the identification of a new component, Pygopus (Pygo), that plays an essential role in the Wg/Wnt signal transduction pathway. We show that Wg signaling is diminished during embryogenesis and imaginal disc development in the absence of pygo activity. Pygo acts downstream or in parallel with Arm to regulate the nuclear function of Arm protein. pygo encodes a novel and evolutionarily conserved nuclear protein bearing a PHD finger that is essential for its activity. We further show that Pygo can form a complex with Arm in vivo and possesses a transcription activation domain(s). Finally, we have isolated a Xenopus homolog of pygo (Xpygo). Depletion of maternal Xpygo by antisense deoxyoligonucleotides leads to ventralized embryonic defects and a reduction of the expression of Wnt target genes. Together, these findings demonstrate that Pygo is an essential component in the Wg/Wnt signal transduction pathway and is likely to act as a transcription co-activator required for the nuclear function of Arm/β-catenin.

scholarly journals Notch Signaling during Oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingxia Xu ◽  
Thomas Gridley
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Notch Signaling ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Notch Pathway ◽  
Notch Signaling Pathway ◽  
Intercellular Signaling ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Stem Cell Maintenance ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Biochemical Mechanisms

The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved intercellular signaling mechanism that is required for embryonic development, cell fate specification, and stem cell maintenance. Discovered and studied initially in Drosophila melanogaster, the Notch pathway is conserved and functionally active throughout the animal kingdom. In this paper, we summarize the biochemical mechanisms of Notch signaling and describe its role in regulating one particular developmental pathway, oogenesis in Drosophila.

scholarly journals Notch signaling is essential for vascular morphogenesis in mice

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 1343-1352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke T. Krebs ◽  
Yingzi Xue ◽  
Christine R. Norton ◽  
John R. Shutter ◽  
Maureen Maguire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Notch Signaling ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Notch Signaling Pathway ◽  
Intercellular Signaling ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Vascular Morphogenesis ◽  
Targeted Mutation ◽  
Homozygous Mutant ◽  
Genes Encoding

The Notch gene family encodes large transmembrane receptors that are components of an evolutionarily conserved intercellular signaling mechanism. To assess the role of the Notch4 gene, we generatedNotch4-deficient mice by gene targeting. Embryos homozygous for this mutation developed normally, and homozygous mutant adults were viable and fertile. However, the Notch4 mutation displayed genetic interactions with a targeted mutation of the relatedNotch1 gene. Embryos homozygous for mutations of both theNotch4 and Notch1 genes often displayed a more severe phenotype than Notch1 homozygous mutant embryos. BothNotch1 mutant and Notch1/Notch4 double mutant embryos displayed severe defects in angiogenic vascular remodeling. Analysis of the expression patterns of genes encoding ligands for Notch family receptors indicated that only the Dll4gene is expressed in a pattern consistent with that expected for a gene encoding a ligand for the Notch1 and Notch4 receptors in the early embryonic vasculature. These results reveal an essential role for the Notch signaling pathway in regulating embryonic vascular morphogenesis and remodeling, and indicate that whereas theNotch4 gene is not essential during embryonic development, theNotch4 and Notch1 genes have partially overlapping roles during embryogenesis in mice.

scholarly journals A Region of the Myosin Rod Important for Interaction With Paramyosin in Caenorhabditis elegans Striated Muscle

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 156 (2) ◽  
pp. 631-643
Author(s):  
Pamela E Hoppe ◽  
Robert H Waterston
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Heavy Chain ◽  
Molecular Interaction ◽  
Striated Muscle ◽  
Genetic Interaction ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Thick Filament ◽  
Parallel Arrangement ◽  
Myosin Rod

Abstract The precise arrangement of molecules within the thick filament, as well as the mechanisms by which this arrangement is specified, remains unclear. In this article, we have exploited a unique genetic interaction between one isoform of myosin heavy chain (MHC) and paramyosin in Caenorhabditis elegans to probe the molecular interaction between MHC and paramyosin in vivo. Using chimeric myosin constructs, we have defined a 322-residue region of the MHC A rod critical for suppression of the structural and motility defects associated with the unc-15(e73) allele. Chimeric constructs lacking this region of MHC A either fail to suppress, or act as dominant enhancers of, the e73 phenotype. Although the 322-residue region is required for suppression activity, our data suggest that sequences along the length of the rod also play a role in the isoform-specific interaction between MHC A and paramyosin. Our genetic and cell biological analyses of construct behavior suggest that the 322-residue region of MHC A is important for thick filament stability. We present a model in which this region mediates an avid interaction between MHC A and paramyosin in parallel arrangement in formation of the filament arms.

scholarly journals The AF-6 Homolog Canoe Acts as a Rap1 Effector During Dorsal Closure of the Drosophila Embryo

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 165 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-169
Author(s):  
Benjamin Boettner ◽  
Phoebe Harjes ◽  
Satoshi Ishimaru ◽  
Michael Heke ◽  
Hong Qing Fan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Genetic Interaction ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Adherens Junction ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Drosophila Embryo ◽  
Dorsal Closure ◽  
Cell Sheets ◽  
Jnk Pathway

Abstract Rap1 belongs to the highly conserved Ras subfamily of small GTPases. In Drosophila, Rap1 plays a critical role in many different morphogenetic processes, but the molecular mechanisms executing its function are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Canoe (Cno), the Drosophila homolog of mammalian junctional protein AF-6, acts as an effector of Rap1 in vivo. Cno binds to the activated form of Rap1 in a yeast two-hybrid assay, the two molecules colocalize to the adherens junction, and they display very similar phenotypes in embryonic dorsal closure (DC), a process that relies on the elongation and migration of epithelial cell sheets. Genetic interaction experiments show that Rap1 and Cno act in the same molecular pathway during DC and that the function of both molecules in DC depends on their ability to interact. We further show that Rap1 acts upstream of Cno, but that Rap1, unlike Cno, is not involved in the stimulation of JNK pathway activity, indicating that Cno has both a Rap1-dependent and a Rap1-independent function in the DC process.

scholarly journals PLRG1 Is an Essential Regulator of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis during Vertebrate Development and Tissue Homeostasis

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 3173-3185 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Kleinridders ◽  
Hans-Martin Pogoda ◽  
Sigrid Irlenbusch ◽  
Neil Smyth ◽  
Csaba Koncz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Tissue Homeostasis ◽  
Mrna Splicing ◽  
Vertebrate Development ◽  
Adult Tissue ◽  
Serum Stimulation ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Proliferation And Apoptosis ◽  
Dependent Cell

ABSTRACT PLRG1, an evolutionarily conserved component of the spliceosome, forms a complex with Pso4/SNEV/Prp19 and the cell division and cycle 5 homolog (CDC5L) that is involved in both pre-mRNA splicing and DNA repair. Here, we show that the inactivation of PLRG1 in mice results in embryonic lethality at 1.5 days postfertilization. Studies of heart- and neuron-specific PLRG1 knockout mice further reveal an essential role of PLRG1 in adult tissue homeostasis and the suppression of apoptosis. PLRG1-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) fail to progress through S phase upon serum stimulation and exhibit increased rates of apoptosis. PLRG1 deficiency causes enhanced p53 phosphorylation and stabilization in the presence of increased γ-H2AX immunoreactivity as an indicator of an activated DNA damage response. p53 downregulation rescues lethality in both PLRG1-deficient MEFs and zebrafish in vivo, showing that apoptosis resulting from PLRG1 deficiency is p53 dependent. Moreover, the deletion of PLRG1 results in the relocation of its interaction partner CDC5L from the nucleus to the cytoplasm without general alterations in pre-mRNA splicing. Taken together, the results of this study identify PLRG1 as a critical nuclear regulator of p53-dependent cell cycle progression and apoptosis during both embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis.

scholarly journals Cleavage activates Dispatched for Sonic Hedgehog ligand release

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P Stewart ◽  
Suresh Marada ◽  
William J Bodeen ◽  
Ashley Truong ◽  
Sadie Miki Sakurada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sonic Hedgehog ◽  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Extracellular Loop ◽  
Site Mutation ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Processing Site

Hedgehog ligands activate an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway that provides instructional cues during tissue morphogenesis, and when corrupted, contributes to developmental disorders and cancer. The transmembrane protein Dispatched is an essential component of the machinery that deploys Hedgehog family ligands from producing cells, and is absolutely required for signaling to long-range targets. Despite this crucial role, regulatory mechanisms controlling Dispatched activity remain largely undefined. Herein, we reveal vertebrate Dispatched is activated by proprotein convertase-mediated cleavage at a conserved processing site in its first extracellular loop. Dispatched processing occurs at the cell surface to instruct its membrane re-localization in polarized epithelial cells. Cleavage site mutation alters Dispatched membrane trafficking and reduces ligand release, leading to compromised pathway activity in vivo. As such, convertase-mediated cleavage is required for Dispatched maturation and functional competency in Hedgehog ligand-producing cells.

scholarly journals Differential Expression of the CO2 Fixation Operons of Rhodobacter sphaeroides by the Prr/Reg Two-Component System during Chemoautotrophic Growth

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (23) ◽  
pp. 6654-6664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet L. Gibson ◽  
James M. Dubbs ◽  
F. Robert Tabita
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Cytochrome Oxidase ◽  
Rhodobacter Sphaeroides ◽  
Rhodobacter Capsulatus ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Pentose Phosphate ◽  
Bisphosphate Carboxylase

ABSTRACT In Rhodobacter sphaeroides, the two cbb operons encoding duplicated Calvin-Benson Bassham (CBB) CO2 fixation reductive pentose phosphate cycle structural genes are differentially controlled. In attempts to define the molecular basis for the differential regulation, the effects of mutations in genes encoding a subunit of Cbb3 cytochrome oxidase, ccoP, and a global response regulator, prrA (regA), were characterized with respect to CO2 fixation (cbb) gene expression by using translational lac fusions to the R. sphaeroides cbb I and cbbII promoters. Inactivation of the ccoP gene resulted in derepression of both promoters during chemoheterotophic growth, where cbb expression is normally repressed; expression was also enhanced over normal levels during phototrophic growth. The prrA mutation effected reduced expression of cbbI and cbbII promoters during chemoheterotrophic growth, whereas intermediate levels of expression were observed in a double ccoP prrA mutant. PrrA and ccoP1 prrA strains cannot grow phototrophically, so it is impossible to examine cbb expression in these backgrounds under this growth mode. In this study, however, we found that PrrA mutants of R. sphaeroides were capable of chemoautotrophic growth, allowing, for the first time, an opportunity to directly examine the requirement of PrrA for cbb gene expression in vivo under growth conditions where the CBB cycle and CO2 fixation are required. Expression from the cbbII promoter was severely reduced in the PrrA mutants during chemoautotrophic growth, whereas cbbI expression was either unaffected or enhanced. Mutations in ccoQ had no effect on expression from either promoter. These observations suggest that the Prr signal transduction pathway is not always directly linked to Cbb3 cytochrome oxidase activity, at least with respect to cbb gene expression. In addition, lac fusions containing various lengths of the cbbI promoter demonstrated distinct sequences involved in positive regulation during photoautotrophic versus chemoautotrophic growth, suggesting that different regulatory proteins may be involved. In Rhodobacter capsulatus, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RubisCO) expression was not affected by cco mutations during photoheterotrophic growth, suggesting that differences exist in signal transduction pathways regulating cbb genes in the related organisms.

scholarly journals Dimeric heat shock protein 40 binds radial spokes for generating coupled power strokes and recovery strokes of 9 + 2 flagella

2008 ◽  
Vol 180 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Yang ◽  
Heather A. Owen ◽  
Pinfen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Shock ◽  
Heat Shock Protein ◽  
Adenosine Triphosphatase ◽  
Stable Conformation ◽  
Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Radial Spokes ◽  
Cilia And Flagella ◽  
Hsp 40

T-shape radial spokes regulate flagellar beating. However, the precise function and molecular mechanism of these spokes remain unclear. Interestingly, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii flagella lacking a dimeric heat shock protein (HSP) 40 at the spokehead–spokestalk juncture appear normal in length and composition but twitch actively while cells jiggle without procession, resembling a central pair (CP) mutant. HSP40− cells begin swimming upon electroporation with recombinant HSP40. Surprisingly, the rescue doesn't require the signature DnaJ domain. Furthermore, the His-Pro-Asp tripeptide that is essential for stimulating HSP70 adenosine triphosphatase diverges in candidate orthologues, including human DnaJB13. Video microscopy reveals hesitance in bend initiation and propagation as well as irregular stalling and stroke switching despite fairly normal waveform. The in vivo evidence suggests that the evolutionarily conserved HSP40 specifically transforms multiple spoke proteins into stable conformation capable of mechanically coupling the CP with dynein motors. This enables 9 + 2 cilia and flagella to bend and switch to generate alternate power strokes and recovery strokes.

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