Project description:Fus is the gene for a member of the FET family of RNA-binding proteins often involved in chromosomal translocations to generate oncogenic fusion genes in human cancers. Fus participates in multiple cellular functions, including RNA processing and transport, transcriptional regulation, and genome integrity. We uncovered its critical role in the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Fus-/- fetal livers developed normally except for a mild reduction in numbers of colony-forming cells compared to the wild type. The proliferation and differentiation of Fus-/- hematopoietic progenitors were normal in vitro. However, the number of colony-forming cells present in long-term cocultures of Fus-/- hematopoietic progenitors and stromal cells was significantly reduced. Fus-/- HSCs had an impaired long-term repopulating capacity and failed to repopulate in tertiary recipient mice. Fus-/- HSCs were highly susceptible to radiation both in vitro and in vivo and showed retardation of radiation-induced DNA damage repair. These findings define Fus as a novel regulator of HSCs and implicate it in stress-resistance and maintenance of the genomic integrity of HSCs. Therefore, it would be of importance to analyze the gene expression profiles of Fus-knockout hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells to understand its role in HSCs. Purified wild-type and Fus–/– KSL cells from BM of recipient mice repopulated with wild-type and Fus–/– fetal liver cells were subjected to RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Data were obtained from dublicate samples.
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS. Microarray of Fus/Tls in 8 week mouse brain
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS. CLIP of Fus/Tls in 8 week mouse brain and adult human brain
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS. RNA-Seq of Fus/Tls in 8 week mouse brain
Project description:FUS/TLS is an RNA/DNA-binding protein associated with neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Previously, we found that a prion-like domain in the N-terminus of FUS/TLS mediates co-aggregation between FUS/TLS and mutant huntingtin, the gene product of Huntington's disease (HD). Here, we show that heterozygous knockout of FUS/TLS worsened the phenotypes of model mice of Huntington's disease (HD) but not spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). This difference was correlated with the degree of pathological association between disease proteins and FUS/TLS. Co-aggregation between FUS/TLS and mutant huntingtin resulted in the depletion of free FUS/TLS protein in HD mice that was detected as a monomer in SDS-PAGE analysis. Recently, we found that FUS/TLS paralogs, TAF15 and EWS, were up-regulated in homozygous FUS/TLS knockout mice. These two proteins were up-regulated in both HD and FUS/TLS heterozygote mice, and were further elevated in HD-TLS+/- double mutant mice, consistent with the functional impairment of FUS/TLS. These results suggest that FUS/TLS sequestration by co-aggregation is a rate-limiting factor of disease phenotypes of HD and that inclusions may have an adverse aspect, rather than being simply benign or protective. In addition, our results highlight inclusions as repositories of potential modifiers of neurodegeneration. Gene expression profiles were analyzed to examine the effects of FUS/TLS heterozygosity in mouse with or without the transgene of mutant androgen receptor.
Project description:Cytokines control the biology of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in part through the transcription factors STAT5a/b. CCN3/NOV has been reported as a positive regulator of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. We report microarray analyses of Lineage- Sca-1+ c-Kit+ (KSL) cells in the presence and absence of STAT5a/b. Expression of the ccn3 gene was induced over 100-fold in control, but not STAT5a/b-null cells, upon stimulation with a cocktail containing IL-3, IL-6, SCF, TPO and Flt3 ligand. Among the cytokines, IL-3 elevated ccn3 mRNA level in Lineage- c-Kit+ (KL) cells and 32D cells. ChIP assays using 32D cells revealed IL-3-induced binding of STAT5a/b to a GAS site in the ccn3 gene promoter. This is the first report to link two molecules with importance in the regulation of HSCs, CCN3 and STAT5a/b. We report that the regulation and expression of the ccn3 gene is directly controlled by IL-3 through the transcription factors STAT5a/b. Six Control and Six Stat5a/b-null KSL cells, including three biological replications, were unstimulated or stimulated with a cocktail containing IL-3, IL-6, SCF, TPO and FL.
Project description:FUS/TLS is an RNA/DNA-binding protein associated with neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Previously, we found that a prion-like domain in the N-terminus of FUS/TLS mediates co-aggregation between FUS/TLS and mutant huntingtin, the gene product of Huntington's disease (HD). Here, we show that heterozygous knockout of FUS/TLS worsened the phenotypes of model mice of Huntington's disease (HD) but not spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). This difference was correlated with the degree of pathological association between disease proteins and FUS/TLS. Co-aggregation between FUS/TLS and mutant huntingtin resulted in the depletion of free FUS/TLS protein in HD mice that was detected as a monomer in SDS-PAGE analysis. Recently, we found that FUS/TLS paralogs, TAF15 and EWS, were up-regulated in homozygous FUS/TLS knockout mice. These two proteins were up-regulated in both HD and FUS/TLS heterozygote mice, and were further elevated in HD-TLS+/- double mutant mice, consistent with the functional impairment of FUS/TLS. These results suggest that FUS/TLS sequestration by co-aggregation is a rate-limiting factor of disease phenotypes of HD and that inclusions may have an adverse aspect, rather than being simply benign or protective. In addition, our results highlight inclusions as repositories of potential modifiers of neurodegeneration. Gene expression profiles were analyzed to examine the effects of FUS/TLS heterozygosity in mouse with or without the transgene of mutant huntingtin exon 1.
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS.
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS.