Project description:Microcephaly and medulloblastoma result from mutations that compromise genomic stability. We report that Atr, which is mutated in the microcephalic disorder Seckel syndrome, is required to maintain chromosomal integrity during postnatal cerebellar neurogenesis. Atr deletion in cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs) induced proliferation-associated DNA damage, p53 activation, apoptosis, and cerebellar hypoplasia. Co-deletions of either Bax and Bak or p53 prevented apoptosis in Atr-deleted CGNPs, but failed to fully rescue cerebellar growth. Atr-deficient CGNPs showed impaired cell cycle checkpoint function and continued to proliferate, accumulating chromosomal abnormalities. RNA-Seq demonstrated that the transcriptional response to Atr-deficient proliferation was p53-driven. Acute Atr inhibition in vivo by nanoparticle-formulated VE-822 reproduced the disruptions seen with Atr deletion. Our data show that p53-driven apoptosis and senescence, and non-apoptotic cell death redundantly limit growth in Atr-deficient progenitors. These overlapping mechanisms that suppress growth in Atr-disrupted CGNPs may be exploited for treatment of CGNP-derived medulloblastoma using Atr inhibition.
Project description:Microcephaly and medulloblastoma result from mutations that compromise genomic stability. We report that Atr, which is mutated in the microcephalic disorder Seckel syndrome, is required to maintain chromosomal integrity during postnatal cerebellar neurogenesis. Atr deletion in cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs) induced proliferation-associated DNA damage, p53 activation, apoptosis, and cerebellar hypoplasia. Co-deletions of either Bax and Bak or p53 prevented apoptosis in Atr-deleted CGNPs, but failed to fully rescue cerebellar growth. Atr-deficient CGNPs showed impaired cell cycle checkpoint function and continued to proliferate, accumulating chromosomal abnormalities. RNA-Seq demonstrated that the transcriptional response to Atr-deficient proliferation was p53-driven. Acute Atr inhibition in vivo by nanoparticle-formulated VE-822 reproduced the disruptions seen with Atr deletion. Our data show that p53-driven apoptosis and senescence, and non-apoptotic cell death redundantly limit growth in Atr-deficient progenitors. These overlapping mechanisms that suppress growth in Atr-disrupted CGNPs may be exploited for treatment of CGNP-derived medulloblastoma using Atr inhibition.
Project description:Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 GeneChip microarrays were used to analyze murine neocortical and cerbellar astrocytes generated from postnatal (PN) day 1 wild-type (ICR) pups. Keywords: neocortical astrocyte, cerebellar astrocyte, murine, postnatal day 1
Project description:The cerebellum is a brain structure involved in motor and cognitive functions. The development of the cerebellar cortex (the external part of the cerebellum) is under the control of numerous factors. Among these factors, neuropeptides including PACAP or somatostatin modulate the survival, migration and/or differentiation of cerebellar granule cells. Interestingly, such peptides contributing to cerebellar ontogenesis usually exhibit a specific transient expression profile with a low abundance at birth, a high expression level during the developmental processes, which take place within the first two postnatal weeks in rodents, and a gradual decline toward adulthood. Thus, to identify new peptides transiently expressed in the cerebellum during development, rat cerebella were sampled from birth to adulthood, and analyzed by a semi-quantitative peptidomic approach. A total of 33 peptides were found to be expressed in the cerebellum. Among these 33 peptides, 8 had a clear differential expression pattern during development, 4 of them i.e. cerebellin 2, nociceptin, somatostatin and VGF [353-372], exhibiting a high expression level during the first two postnatal weeks followed by a significative decrease at adulthood. A focus by a genomic approach on nociceptin, confirmed that the precursor mRNA is transiently expressed during the first week of life in granule neurons within the internal granule cell layer of the cerebellum, and showed that the nociceptin receptor is also actively expressed between P8 and P16 by the same neurons. Finally, functional studies revealed a new role for nociceptin, acting as a neurotrophic peptide able to promote the survival and differentiation of developing cerebellar granule neurons.