Dataset Information

Regulation of photoreceptor gene transcription via a highly conserved transcriptional regulatory element by vsx gene products.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:The photoreceptor conserved element-1 (PCE-1) sequence is found in the transcriptional regulatory regions of many genes expressed in photoreceptors. The retinal homeobox (Rx or Rax) gene product functions by binding to PCE-1 sites. However, other transcriptional regulators have also been reported to bind to PCE-1. One of these, vsx2, is expressed in retinal progenitor and bipolar cells. The purpose of this study is to identify Xenopus laevis vsx gene products and characterize vsx gene product expression and function with respect to the PCE-1 site. METHODS:X. laevis vsx gene products were amplified with PCR. Expression patterns were determined with in situ hybridization using whole or sectioned X. laevis embryos and digoxigenin- or fluorescein-labeled antisense riboprobes. DNA binding characteristics of the vsx gene products were analyzed with electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) using in vitro translated proteins and radiolabeled oligonucleotide probes. Gene transactivation assays were performed using luciferase-based reporters and in vitro transcribed effector gene products, injected into X. laevis embryos. RESULTS:We identified one vsx1 and two vsx2 gene products. The two vsx2 gene products are generated by alternate mRNA splicing. We verified that these gene products are expressed in the developing retina and that expression resolves into distinct cell types in the mature retina. Finally, we found that vsx gene products can bind the PCE-1 site in vitro and that the two vsx2 isoforms have different gene transactivation activities. CONCLUSIONS:vsx gene products are expressed in the developing and mature neural retina. vsx gene products can bind the PCE-1 site in vitro and influence the expression of a rhodopsin promoter-luciferase reporter gene. The two isoforms of vsx have different gene transactivation activities in this reporter gene system.

SUBMITTER: Pan Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5166794 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Regulation of photoreceptor gene transcription via a highly conserved transcriptional regulatory element by <i>vsx</i> gene products.

Pan Yi Y Comiskey Daniel F DF Kelly Lisa E LE Chandler Dawn S DS El-Hodiri Heithem M HM

Molecular vision 20161214

<h4>Purpose</h4>The photoreceptor conserved element-1 (PCE-1) sequence is found in the transcriptional regulatory regions of many genes expressed in photoreceptors. The <i>retinal homeobox (Rx or Rax)</i> gene product functions by binding to PCE-1 sites. However, other transcriptional regulators have also been reported to bind to PCE-1. One of these, <i>vsx2</i>, is expressed in retinal progenitor and bipolar cells. The purpose of this study is to identify <i>Xenopus laevis vsx</i> gene products ...[more]

PMID: 28003732

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Project description:Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an excellent model organism for the study of vertebrate development including skeletogenesis. Studies of mammalian cartilage formation were greatly advanced through the use of a cartilage specific regulatory element of the Collagen type II alpha 1 (Col2a1) gene. In an effort to isolate such an element in zebrafish, we compared the expression of two col2a1 homologues and found that expression of col2a1b, a previously uncharacterized zebrafish homologue, only partially overlaps with col2a1a. We focused our analysis on col2a1a, as it is expressed in both the stacked chondrocytes and the perichondrium. By comparing the genomic sequence surrounding the predicted transcriptional start site of col2a1a among several species of teleosts we identified a small highly conserved sequence (R2) located 1.7 kb upstream of the presumptive transcriptional initiation site. Interestingly, neither the sequence nor location of this element is conserved between teleost and mammalian Col2a1. We generated transient and stable transgenic lines with just the R2 element or the entire 1.7 kb fragment 5' of the transcriptional initiation site. The identified regulatory elements enable the tracking of cellular development in various tissues by driving robust reporter expression in craniofacial cartilage, ear, notochord, floor plate, hypochord and fins in a pattern similar to the expression of endogenous col2a1a. Using a reporter gene driven by the R2 regulatory element, we analyzed the morphogenesis of the notochord sheath cells as they withdraw from the stack of initially uniform cells and encase the inflating vacuolated notochord cells. Finally, we show that like endogenous col2a1a, craniofacial expression of these reporter constructs depends on Sox9a transcription factor activity. At the same time, notochord expression is maintained after Sox9a knockdown, suggesting that other factors can activate expression through the identified regulatory element in this tissue.

Project description:BACKGROUND: The MECP2 gene codes for methyl CpG binding protein 2 which regulates activities of other genes in the early development of the brain. Mutations in this gene have been associated with Rett syndrome, a form of autism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of evolutionarily conserved cis-elements in regulating the post-transcriptional expression of the MECP2 gene and to explore their possible correlations with a mutation that is known to cause mental retardation. RESULTS: A bioinformatics approach was used to map evolutionarily conserved cis-regulatory elements in the transcribed regions of the human MECP2 gene and its mammalian orthologs. Cis-regulatory motifs including G-quadruplexes, microRNA target sites, and AU-rich elements have gained significant importance because of their role in key biological processes and as therapeutic targets. We discovered in the 5'-UTR (untranslated region) of MECP2 mRNA a highly conserved G-quadruplex which overlapped a known deletion in Rett syndrome patients with decreased levels of MeCP2 protein. We believe that this 5'-UTR G-quadruplex could be involved in regulating MECP2 translation. We mapped additional evolutionarily conserved G-quadruplexes, microRNA target sites, and AU-rich elements in the key sections of both untranslated regions. Our studies suggest the regulation of translation, mRNA turnover, and development-related alternative MECP2 polyadenylation, putatively involving interactions of conserved cis-regulatory elements with their respective trans factors and complex interactions among the trans factors themselves. We discovered highly conserved G-quadruplex motifs that were more prevalent near alternative splice sites as compared to the constitutive sites of the MECP2 gene. We also identified a pair of overlapping G-quadruplexes at an alternative 5' splice site that could potentially regulate alternative splicing in a negative as well as a positive way in the MECP2 pre-mRNAs. CONCLUSIONS: A Rett syndrome mutation with decreased protein expression was found to be associated with a conserved G-quadruplex. Our studies suggest that MECP2 post-transcriptional gene expression could be regulated by several evolutionarily conserved cis-elements like G-quadruplex motifs, microRNA target sites, and AU-rich elements. This phylogenetic analysis has provided some interesting and valuable insights into the regulation of the MECP2 gene involved in autism.

Dataset Information

Regulation of photoreceptor gene transcription via a highly conserved transcriptional regulatory element by vsx gene products.

Publications

Regulation of photoreceptor gene transcription via a highly conserved transcriptional regulatory element by <i>vsx</i> gene products.

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