Development
Abstract
Three sisters, born from consanguineous parents, manifested a unique Mullerian anomaly characterized by uterine hypoplasia with thin estrogen-unresponsive endometrium, primary amenorrhea, but spontaneous tubal pregnancies. Through whole-exome sequencing followed by comprehensive genetic analysis, a missense variant was identified in the OSR1 gene. We therefore investigated OSR1/OSR1 expression in postpubertal human uteri, and the prenatal and postnatal expression pattern of Osr1/Osr1 in murine developing Mullerian ducts (MDs) and endometrium, respectively. We then investigated whether Osr1 deletion would affect MD development, using wild-type and genetically engineered mice. Human uterine OSR1/OSR1 expression was found primarily in the endometrium. Mouse Osr1 was expressed prenatally in MDs and Wolffian ducts (WDs), from rostral to caudal segments, in E13.5 embryos. MDs and WDs were absent on the left side and MDs were rostrally truncated on the right side of E13.5 Osr1-/- embryos. Postnatally, Osr1 was expressed in mouse uteri throughout lifespan, peaking at postnatal days 14 and 28. Osr1 protein was present primarily in uterine luminal and glandular epithelial cells and in the epithelial cells of mouse oviducts. Through this translational approach, we demonstrated that OSR1/Osr1 is important for MD development and endometrial receptivity and may be implicated in uterine factor infertility.
Authors
Adriana Lofrano-Porto, Sidney Alcântara Pereira, Andrew Dauber, Jordana C.B. Bloom, Audrey N. Fontes, Naomi Asimow, Olívia Laquis de Moraes, Petra Ariadne T. Araujo, Ana Paula Abreu, Michael H. Guo, Silviene F. De Oliveira, Han Liu, Charles Lee, Wendy Kuohung, Michella S. Coelho, Rona S. Carroll, Rulang Jiang, Ursula B. Kaiser
Abstract
Authors
Divya Vinayachandran, Saravana Karthikeyan Balasubramanian
Abstract
Authors
Kara N. Thomas, Destani D. Derrico, Michael C. Golding
Abstract
Authors
Kara N. Thomas, Nimisha Srikanth, Sanat S. Bhadsavle, Kelly R. Thomas, Katherine N. Zimmel, Alison Basel, Alexis N. Roach, Nicole A. Mehta, Yudhishtar S. Bedi, Michael C. Golding
Abstract
Authors
Alice E. Hughes, Elisa De Franco, Rachel M. Freathy, Sarah E. Flanagan, Andrew T. Hattersley
Abstract
Mutations of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) cause various human diseases, but the mechanistic details are limited. Here we establish p.E303K in the gene encoding the endothelin receptor type A (ETAR/EDNRA) as a recurrent mutation causing Mandibulofacial dysostosis with alopecia (MFDA), with craniofacial changes similar to those caused by p.Y129F. Mouse models carrying either of these missense mutations exhibit a partial maxillary-to-mandibular transformation, which is rescued by deleting the ligand endothelin 3 (ET3/EDN3). Pharmacological experiments confirmed the causative ETAR mutations as gain-of-function, dependent on ET3. To elucidate how an amino acid substitution far from the ligand binding site can increase ligand affinity, we used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. E303 is located at the intracellular end of transmembrane domain 6, and its replacement by a lysine increases flexibility of this portion of the helix, thus favoring G-protein binding and leading to G-protein-mediated enhancement of agonist affinity. The Y129F mutation located under the ligand binding pocket reduces the sodium-water network, thereby affecting the extracellular portion of helices in favor of ET3 binding. These findings provide insight into the pathogenesis of MFDA and into allosteric mechanisms regulating GPCR function, that may provide the basis for drug design targeting GPCRs.
Authors
Yukiko Kurihara, Toru Ekimoto, Christopher T. Gordon, Yasunobu Uchijima, Ryo Sugiyama, Taro Kitazawa, Akiyasu Iwase, Risa Kotani, Rieko Asai, Véronique Pingault, Mitsunori Ikeguchi, Jeanne Amiel, Hiroki Kurihara
Abstract
BACKGROUND. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies with unpredictable responses to chemotherapy. Approaches to assay patient tumors before treatment and identify effective treatment regimens based on tumor sensitivities are lacking. We developed an organoid-based platform (OBP) to visually quantify patient derived organoid (PDO) responses to drug treatments and associated tumor-stromal modulation for personalized PDAC therapy. METHODS. We retrospectively quantified apoptotic responses and tumor-stromal cell proportions in patient-derived organoids (PDOs) via 3D immunofluorescence imaging through annexin A5, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) levels. Simultaneously, an ex vivo organoid drug sensitivity assay (ODSA) was used to measure responses to standard of care (SOC) regimens. Differences between ODSA results and patient tumor responses were assessed by exact McNemar test. RESULTS. Immunofluorescent signals, organoid growth curves, and Ki-67 levels were measured and authenticated through the OBP for up to 14 days. ODSA drug responses were not different from patient tumor responses as reflected by CA19-9 reductions following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.99). PDOs demonstrated unique apoptotic and tumor-stromal modulation profiles (P < 0.0001). α-SMA/CK-19 ratio levels > 1.0 were associated with improved outcomes (P = 0.0179), and longer parental patient survival by Kaplan-Meier analysis (P = 0.0046). CONCLUSION. Heterogenous apoptotic drug responses and tumor-stromal modulation are present in PDOs after SOC chemotherapy. Ratios of α-SMA and CK-19 levels in PDOs are associated with patient survival and the OBP could aid in the selection of personalized therapies to improve the efficacy of systemic therapy in PDAC patients.
Authors
Ya'an Kang, Jenying Deng, Jianhua Ling, Xinqun Li, Yi-Ju Chiang, Eugene J. Koay, Huamin Wang, Jared K. Burks, Paul J. Chiao, Mark W. Hurd, Manoop S. Bhutani, Jeffrey H. Lee, Brian R. Weston, Anirban Maitra, Naruhiko Ikoma, Ching-Wei D. Tzeng, Jeffrey E. Lee, Ronald A. DePinho, Robert A. Wolff, Shubham Pant, Florencia McAllister, Matthew H.G. Katz, Jason B. Fleming, Michael P. Kim
Abstract
Infantile (fetal and neonatal) megakaryocytes have a distinct phenotype consisting of hyperproliferation, limited morphogenesis, and low platelet production capacity. These properties contribute to clinical problems that include thrombocytopenia in neonates, delayed platelet engraftment in recipients of cord blood stem cell transplants, and inefficient ex vivo platelet production from pluripotent stem cell-derived megakaryocytes. The infantile phenotype results from deficiency of the actin-regulated coactivator, MKL1, which programs cytoskeletal changes driving morphogenesis. As a strategy to complement this molecular defect, we screened pathways with potential to affect MKL1 function and found that Dyrk1a kinase inhibition dramatically enhanced megakaryocyte morphogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Dyrk1 inhibitors rescued enlargement, polyploidization, and thrombopoiesis in human neonatal megakaryocytes. Megakaryocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells responded in a similar manner. Progenitors undergoing Dyrk1 inhibition demonstrated filamentous actin assembly, MKL1 nuclear translocation, and modulation of MKL1 target genes. Loss of function studies confirmed MKL1 involvement in this morphogenetic pathway. Ablim2, a stabilizer of filamentous actin, increased with Dyrk1 inhibition, and Ablim2 knockdown abrogated the actin, MKL1, and morphogenetic responses to Dyrk1 inhibition. These results thus delineate a pharmacologically tractable morphogenetic pathway whose manipulation may alleviate clinical problems associated with the limited thrombopoietic capacity of infantile megakaryocytes.
Authors
Kamaleldin E. Elagib, Ashton Brock, Cara M. Clementelli, Gohar Mosoyan, Lorrie L. Delehanty, Ranjit K. Sahu, Alexandra Pacheco-Benichou, Corinne Fruit, Thierry Besson, Stephan W. Morris, Koji Eto, Chintan Jobaliya, Deborah L. French, Paul Gadue, Sandeep Singh, Xinrui Shi, Fujun Qin, Robert Cornelison, Hui Li, Camelia Iancu-Rubin, Adam N. Goldfarb
Abstract
The PRDM13 (PR Domain containing 13) putative chromatin modifier and transcriptional regulator functions downstream of the transcription factor PTF1A, which controls GABAergic fate in the spinal cord and neurogenesis in the hypothalamus. Here, we report a novel, recessive syndrome associated with PRDM13 mutation. Patients exhibited intellectual disability, ataxia with cerebellar hypoplasia, scoliosis and delayed puberty with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH). Expression studies revealed Prdm13/PRDM13 transcripts in the developing hypothalamus and cerebellum in mouse and human. An analysis of hypothalamus and cerebellum development in mice homozygous for a Prdm13 mutant allele revealed a significant reduction in the number of Kisspeptin (Kiss1) neurons in the hypothalamus and PAX2+ progenitors emerging from the cerebellar ventricular zone. The latter was accompanied by ectopic expression of the glutamatergic lineage marker TLX3. Prdm13-deficient mice displayed cerebellar hypoplasia, normal gonadal structure, but delayed pubertal onset. Together, these findings identify PRDM13 as a critical regulator of GABAergic cell fate in the cerebellum and of hypothalamic kisspeptin neuron development, providing a mechanistic explanation for the co-occurrence of CHH and cerebellar hypoplasia in this syndrome. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence linking disrupted PRDM13-mediated regulation of Kiss1 neurons to CHH in humans.
Authors
Danielle E. Whittaker, Roberto Oleari, Louise C. Gregory, Polona Le Quesne Stabej, Hywel J. Williams, John G. Torpiano, Nancy Formosa, Mario J. Cachia, Daniel Field, Antonella Lettieri, Louise A. Ocaka, Alyssa J.J. Paganoni, Sakina H. Rajabali, Kimberley L.H. Riegman, Lisa B. De Martini, Taro Chaya, Iain C. Robinson, Takahisa Furukawa, Anna Cariboni, M. Albert Basson, Mehul T. Dattani
Abstract
CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is an early onset, neurodevelopmental syndrome associated with pathogenic variants in the X-linked gene encoding cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5). CDKL5 has been implicated in neuronal synapse maturation, yet its postdevelopmental necessity and the reversibility of CDD-associated impairments remain unknown. We temporally manipulated endogenous Cdkl5 expression in male mice and found that postdevelopmental loss of CDKL5 disrupts numerous behavioral domains, hippocampal circuit communication, and dendritic spine morphology, demonstrating an indispensable role for CDKL5 in the adult brain. Accordingly, restoration of Cdkl5 after the early stages of brain development using a conditional rescue mouse model ameliorated CDD-related behavioral impairments and aberrant NMDA receptor signaling. These findings highlight the requirement of CDKL5 beyond early development, underscore the potential for disease reversal in CDD, and suggest that a broad therapeutic time window exists for potential treatment of CDD-related deficits.
Authors
Barbara Terzic, M. Felicia Davatolhagh, Yugong Ho, Sheng Tang, Yu-Ting Liu, Zijie Xia, Yue Cui, Marc V. Fuccillo, Zhaolan Zhou
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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)