Project description:The transcriptional events driving specification of the kidney have been well characterized. However, it remains undetermined how initial kidney field size is established, patterned, and proportioned. Lhx1 is a transcription factor expressed in the kidney anlage and is required for specification of the kidney field, but few Lhx1 interacting cofactors or downstream targets have been identified. By tandem-affinity purification, we isolated Furry (FRY), a multifunctional protein that acts as a transcriptional co-repressor of microRNAs. We found that Xenopus embryos depleted of fry exhibit loss of the kidney field, phenocopying the lhx1 depleted animals. In addition, we demonstrated synergism between Fry and Lhx1, identified candidate microRNAs regulated by the pair, and confirmed these microRNA clusters influence specification of the kidney field. Therefore, our data shows that a tissue-specific transcription factor, Lhx1, interacts with a broadly expressed microRNA repressor, Fry, to establish the kidney field.
Project description:The transcriptional events driving specification of the kidney field have been well characterized. However, it remains unknown how the initial field size is established, patterned, and proportioned. Lhx1 is a transcription factor expressed in the kidney anlage and is required for specification of the kidney field, but few Lhx1 interacting cofactors or downstream targets have been identified. By tandem-affinity purification, we isolated Furry (FRY), a multifunctional protein that acts as a transcriptional co-repressor of microRNAs. We found that Xenopus embryos depleted of fry exhibit loss of the kidney field, phenocopying the lhx1 depleted animals. In addition, we demonstrated a synergism between Fry and Lhx1, identified candidate microRNAs regulated by the protein pair, and show at least two microRNA clusters influence specification of the kidney field. Therefore, our data shows that a tissue-specific transcription factor, Lhx1, can interact with a broadly expressed microRNA repressor, Fry, to establish the kidney field.
Project description:The nephron, functional unit of the vertebrate kidney, is specialized in metabolic wastes excretion and body fluids osmoregulation. Given the high evolutionary conservation of gene expression and segmentation patterning between mammalian and amphibian nephrons, the Xenopus laevis pronephric kidney offers a simplified model for studying nephrogenesis. The Lhx1 transcription factor plays critical roles in kidney development, regulating target gene expression by forming multiprotein complexes with LIM binding protein 1 (Ldb1). However, few Lhx1-Ldb1 cofactors have been identified for this organ formation. By tandem- affinity purification from kidney-induced Xenopus animal caps, we identified single-stranded DNA binding protein 2 (Ssbp2) to interact with the Ldb1-Lhx1 complex. Ssbp2 is expressed in the Xenopus pronephros, and knockdown prevents normal morphogenesis and differentiation of the glomus and the convoluted renal tubules. We demonstrate a role for a member of the Ssbp family in kidney organogenesis and provide evidence of a fundamental function for the Ldb1-Lhx1-Ssbp transcriptional complexes in embryonic development.
Project description:Retinoic acid (RA) is required for pancreas specification in Xenopus and other vertebrates. However, the gene network that is directly induced by RA-signalling in this context remains to be defined. We identified the transcription factor Hnf1β and the Wnt-receptor Fzd4/Fzd4s as direct RA-target genes through RNA-sequencing of in vitro generated pancreatic explants. Functional analyses of Hnf1β and Fzd4/Fzd4s in programmed pancreatic explants and whole embryos revealed their requirement for pancreatic progenitor formation and differentiation. Hnf1β and Fzd4/Fzd4s thus appear to be involved in pre-patterning events of the embryonic endoderm allowing for pancreas formation.
Project description:A Molecular Atlas of the Developing Ectoderm Defines Neural, Neural Crest, Placode and Non-Neural Progenitor Identity in Vertebrates.