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Item Cell non-autonomous requirement of p75 in the development of geniculate oral sensory neurons(Springer Nature, 2020-12-17) Tang, Tao; Donnelly, Christopher R.; Shah, Amol A.; Bradley, Robert M.; Mistretta, Charlotte M.; Pierchala, Brian A.; Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of MedicineDuring development of the peripheral taste system, oral sensory neurons of the geniculate ganglion project via the chorda tympani nerve to innervate taste buds in fungiform papillae. Germline deletion of the p75 neurotrophin receptor causes dramatic axon guidance and branching deficits, leading to a loss of geniculate neurons. To determine whether the developmental functions of p75 in geniculate neurons are cell autonomous, we deleted p75 specifically in Phox2b + oral sensory neurons (Phox2b-Cre; p75fx/fx) or in neural crest-derived cells (P0-Cre; p75fx/fx) and examined geniculate neuron development. In germline p75−/− mice half of all geniculate neurons were lost. The proportion of Phox2b + neurons, as compared to Phox2b-pinna-projecting neurons, was not altered, indicating that both populations were affected similarly. Chorda tympani nerve recordings demonstrated that p75−/− mice exhibit profound deficits in responses to taste and tactile stimuli. In contrast to p75−/− mice, there was no loss of geniculate neurons in either Phox2b-Cre; p75fx/fx or P0-Cre; p75fx/fx mice. Electrophysiological analyses demonstrated that Phox2b-Cre; p75fx/fx mice had normal taste and oral tactile responses. There was a modest but significant loss of fungiform taste buds in Phox2b-Cre; p75fx/fx mice, although there was not a loss of chemosensory innervation of the remaining fungiform taste buds. Overall, these data suggest that the developmental functions of p75 are largely cell non-autonomous and require p75 expression in other cell types of the chorda tympani circuit.Item Characterization of a novel RNAi yeast insecticide that silences mosquito 5-HT1 receptor genes(Springer Nature, 2023-12-15) Mysore, Keshava; Njoroge, Teresia M.; Stewart, Akilah T. M.; Winter, Nikhella; Hamid‑Adiamoh, Majidah; Sun, Longhua; Shui Feng, Rachel; James, Lester D.; Mohammed, Azad; Severson, David W.; Duman‑Scheel, Molly; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of MedicineG protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which regulate numerous intracellular signaling cascades that mediate many essential physiological processes, are attractive yet underexploited insecticide targets. RNA interference (RNAi) technology could facilitate the custom design of environmentally safe pesticides that target GPCRs in select target pests yet are not toxic to non-target species. This study investigates the hypothesis that an RNAi yeast insecticide designed to silence mosquito serotonin receptor 1 (5-HTR1) genes can kill mosquitoes without harming non-target arthropods. 5-HTR.426, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain that expresses an shRNA targeting a site specifically conserved in mosquito 5-HTR1 genes, was generated. The yeast can be heat-inactivated and delivered to mosquito larvae as ready-to-use tablets or to adult mosquitoes using attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs). The results of laboratory and outdoor semi-field trials demonstrated that consumption of 5-HTR.426 yeast results in highly significant mortality rates in Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex mosquito larvae and adults. Yeast consumption resulted in significant 5-HTR1 silencing and severe neural defects in the mosquito brain but was not found to be toxic to non-target arthropods. These results indicate that RNAi insecticide technology can facilitate selective targeting of GPCRs in intended pests without impacting GPCR activity in non-targeted organisms. In future studies, scaled production of yeast expressing the 5-HTR.426 RNAi insecticide could facilitate field trials to further evaluate this promising new mosquito control intervention.Item Combining Intravital Fluorescent Microscopy (IVFM) with Genetic Models to Study Engraftment Dynamics of Hematopoietic Cells to Bone Marrow Niches(Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2017-03-21) Wang, Lin; Kamocka, Malgorzata M.; Zollman, Amy; Carlesso, Nadia; Pediatrics, School of MedicineIncreasing evidence indicates that normal hematopoiesis is regulated by distinct microenvironmental cues in the BM, which include specialized cellular niches modulating critical hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) functions1,2. Indeed, a more detailed picture of the hematopoietic microenvironment is now emerging, in which the endosteal and the endothelial niches form functional units for the regulation of normal HSC and their progeny3,4,5. New studies have revealed the importance of perivascular cells, adipocytes and neuronal cells in maintaining and regulating HSC function6,7,8. Furthermore, there is evidence that cells from different lineages, i.e. myeloid and lymphoid cells, home and reside in specific niches within the BM microenvironment. However, a complete mapping of the BM microenvironment and its occupants is still in progress. Transgenic mouse strains expressing lineage specific fluorescent markers or mice genetically engineered to lack selected molecules in specific cells of the BM niche are now available. Knock-out and lineage tracking models, in combination with transplantation approaches, provide the opportunity to refine the knowledge on the role of specific "niche" cells for defined hematopoietic populations, such as HSC, B-cells, T-cells, myeloid cells and erythroid cells. This strategy can be further potentiated by merging the use of two-photon microscopy of the calvarium. By providing in vivo high resolution imaging and 3-D rendering of the BM calvarium, we can now determine precisely the location where specific hematopoietic subsets home in the BM and evaluate the kinetics of their expansion over time. Here, Lys-GFP transgenic mice (marking myeloid cells)9 and RBPJ knock-out mice (lacking canonical Notch signaling)10 are used in combination with IVFM to determine the engraftment of myeloid cells to a Notch defective BM microenvironment.Item CRISPR-Cas9-mediated insertion of a short artificial intron for the generation of conditional alleles in mice(Elsevier, 2023) Cassidy, Annelise; Pelletier, Stephane; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of MedicineIn this protocol, we describe the generation of conditional alleles in mice using the DECAI (DEgradation based on Cre-regulated Artificial Intron) approach. We detail steps for the CRISPR-mediated insertion of the short DECAI cassette within exon 3 of Scyl1 and the functional validation of alleles at genomic, transcriptomic, and protein levels. This strategy simplifies the process of generating mice with conditional alleles.Item Developmental Biology: An Introduction and Invitation(MDPI, 2020-06-28) Conway, Simon J.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineItem Epicardial HDAC3 Promotes Myocardial Growth Through a Novel MicroRNA Pathway(American Heart Association, 2022) Jang, Jihyun; Song, Guang; Pettit, Sarah M.; Li, Qinshan; Song, Xiaosu; Cai, Chen-Leng; Kaushal, Sunjay; Li, Deqiang; Pediatrics, School of MedicineBackground: Establishment of the myocardial wall requires proper growth cues from nonmyocardial tissues. During heart development, the epicardium and epicardium-derived cells instruct myocardial growth by secreting essential factors including FGF (fibroblast growth factor) 9 and IGF (insulin-like growth factor) 2. However, it is poorly understood how the epicardial secreted factors are regulated, in particular by chromatin modifications for myocardial formation. The current study is to investigate whether and how HDAC (histone deacetylase) 3 in the developing epicardium regulates myocardial growth. Methods: Various cellular and mouse models in conjunction with biochemical and molecular tools were employed to study the role of HDAC3 in the developing epicardium. Results: We deleted Hdac3 in the developing murine epicardium, and mutant hearts showed ventricular myocardial wall hypoplasia with reduction of epicardium-derived cells. The cultured embryonic cardiomyocytes with supernatants from Hdac3 knockout (KO) mouse epicardial cells also showed decreased proliferation. Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis revealed that Fgf9 and Igf2 were significantly downregulated in Hdac3 KO mouse epicardial cells. We further found that Fgf9 and Igf2 expression is dependent on HDAC3 deacetylase activity. The supplementation of FGF9 or IGF2 can rescue the myocardial proliferation defects treated by Hdac3 KO supernatant. Mechanistically, we identified that microRNA (miR)-322 and miR-503 were upregulated in Hdac3 KO mouse epicardial cells and Hdac3 epicardial KO hearts. Overexpression of miR-322 or miR-503 repressed FGF9 and IGF2 expression, while knockdown of miR-322 or miR-503 restored FGF9 and IGF2 expression in Hdac3 KO mouse epicardial cells. Conclusions: Our findings reveal a critical signaling pathway in which epicardial HDAC3 promotes compact myocardial growth by stimulating FGF9 and IGF2 through repressing miR-322 or miR-503, providing novel insights in elucidating the etiology of congenital heart defects and conceptual strategies to promote myocardial regeneration.Item Extracellular matrix protein composition dynamically changes during murine forelimb development(Elsevier, 2024-01-09) Jacobson, Kathryn R.; Saleh, Aya M.; Lipp, Sarah N.; Tian, Chengzhe; Watson, Audrey R.; Luetkemeyer, Callan M.; Ocken, Alexander R.; Spencer, Sabrina L.; Kinzer-Ursem, Tamara L.; Calve, Sarah; Medicine, School of MedicineThe extracellular matrix (ECM) is an integral part of multicellular organisms, connecting different cell layers and tissue types. During morphogenesis and growth, tissues undergo substantial reorganization. While it is intuitive that the ECM remodels in concert, little is known regarding how matrix composition and organization change during development. Here, we quantified ECM protein dynamics in the murine forelimb during appendicular musculoskeletal morphogenesis (embryonic days 11.5-14.5) using tissue fractionation, bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging, and mass spectrometry. Our analyses indicated that ECM protein (matrisome) composition in the embryonic forelimb changed as a function of development and growth, was distinct from other developing organs (brain), and was altered in a model of disease (osteogenesis imperfecta murine). Additionally, the tissue distribution for select matrisome was assessed via immunohistochemistry in the wild-type embryonic and postnatal musculoskeletal system. This resource will guide future research investigating the role of the matrisome during complex tissue development.Item Naa12 compensates for Naa10 in mice in the amino-terminal acetylation pathway(eLife Sciences Publications, 2021-08-06) Kweon, Hyae Yon; Lee, Mi-Ni; Dorfel, Max; Seo, Seungwoon; Gottlieb, Leah; PaPazyan, Thomas; McTiernan, Nina; Ree, Rasmus; Bolton, David; Garcia, Andrew; Flory, Michael; Crain, Jonathan; Sebold, Alison; Lyons, Scott; Ismail, Ahmed; Marchi, Elaine; Sonn, Seong-keun; Jeong, Se-Jin; Jeon, Sejin; Ju, Shinyeong; Conway, Simon J.; Kim, Taesoo; Kim, Hyun-Seok; Lee, Cheolju; Roh, Tae-Young; Arnesen, Thomas; Marmorstein, Ronen; Oh, Goo Taeg; Lyon, Gholson J.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineAmino-terminal acetylation is catalyzed by a set of N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs). The NatA complex (including X-linked Naa10 and Naa15) is the major acetyltransferase, with 40-50% of all mammalian proteins being potential substrates. However, the overall role of amino-terminal acetylation on a whole-organism level is poorly understood, particularly in mammals. Male mice lacking Naa10 show no globally apparent in vivo amino-terminal acetylation impairment and do not exhibit complete embryonic lethality. Rather Naa10 nulls display increased neonatal lethality, and the majority of surviving undersized mutants exhibit a combination of hydrocephaly, cardiac defects, homeotic anterior transformation, piebaldism, and urogenital anomalies. Naa12 is a previously unannotated Naa10-like paralog with NAT activity that genetically compensates for Naa10. Mice deficient for Naa12 have no apparent phenotype, whereas mice deficient for Naa10 and Naa12 display embryonic lethality. The discovery of Naa12 adds to the currently known machinery involved in amino-terminal acetylation in mice.Item PGC-1α in the myofibers regulates the balance between myogenic and adipogenic progenitors affecting muscle regeneration(Elsevier, 2022-11-02) Beltrà, Marc; Pin, Fabrizio; Costamagna, Domiziana; Duelen, Robin; Renzini, Alessandra; Ballarò, Riccardo; Garcia-Castillo, Lorena; Iannuzzi, Ambra; Moresi, Viviana; Coletti, Dario; Sampaolesi, Maurilio; Penna, Fabio; Costelli, Paola; Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, School of MedicineSkeletal muscle repair is accomplished by satellite cells (MuSCs) in cooperation with interstitial stromal cells (ISCs), but the relationship between the function of these cells and the metabolic state of myofibers remains unclear. This study reports an altered proportion of MuSCs and ISCs (including adipogenesis-regulatory cells; Aregs) induced by the transgenic overexpression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) in the myofibers (MCK-PGC-1α mice). Although PGC-1α-driven increase of MuSCs does not accelerate muscle regeneration, myogenic progenitors isolated from MCK-PGC-1α mice and transplanted into intact and regenerating muscles are more prone to fuse with recipient myofibers than those derived from wild-type donors. Moreover, both young and aged MCK-PGC-1α animals exhibit reduced perilipin-positive areas when challenged with an adipogenic stimulus, demonstrating low propensity to accumulate adipocytes within the muscle. Overall, these results unveil that increased PGC-1α expression in the myofibers favors pro-myogenic and anti-adipogenic cell populations in the skeletal muscle.Item Potential role of histone deacetylases in the development of the chick and murine retina(2014-09-04) Saha, Ankita; Belecky-Adams, Teri; Stocum, David L.; Meyer, Jason S.; Atkinson, SimonThe epigenetic state of any cell is, in part, regulated by the interaction of DNA with nuclear histones. Histone tails can be modified in a number of ways that impact on the availability of DNA to interact with transcriptional complexes, including methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquituination, and sumoylation. Histones are acetylated by a large family of enzymes, histone acetyl transferases (HATs), and deacetylated by the histone deacetylases (HDACs). Acetylated histones are generally considered markers of genomic regions that are actively being transcribed, whereas deacetylated and methylated histones are generally markers of regions that are inactive. The goal of the present study was to 1) study the epigenetic state with regard to the presence of euchromatin and heterochromatin in the developing chick and murine retina, 2) study and compare the localization patterns of the classical HDACs in the developing chick and murine retina with respect retinal progenitors and early differentiated cell types 3) to test the hypothesis that overall HDAC activity is required for dividing retinal progenitors to leave the cell cycle and differentiate. Our results showed that the classical HDACs were ubiquitously expressed in the developing chick and murine retinas. Species specific differences as well as stage dependent variations were observed in the localization of the HDACs in the cell types that were studied in the chick and murine retina. Our preliminary results also showed that HDAC inhibition may lead to the inability of the cell types to leave the cell cycle and a subsequent increase in the number of progenitor cells present in the developing chick retina.