Project description:We utilized quantitative analyses of the proteome, transcriptome, and ubiquitinome to study how ubiquitination and NEDD4 control neural crest cell survival and stem-cell-like properties. We report 276 novel NEDD4 targets in neural crest cells and show that loss of NEDD4 leads to a striking global reduction in specific ubiquitin lysine linkages.
Project description:Neural cest cells are a transient stem cell-like population appearing during vertebrate embryonic development. Generation of the cranial neural crest is known to require a balanced combination of FGF and BMP levels. However, it is poorly understood how the functions of such growth factors are controlled in the extracellular spaces. Here we identifiy the extracelluar matrix protein anosmin (Gga.14976.1.S1_at, clone ChEST132d10) as a novel molecule synthesized locally in the cranial neural crest of chicken embryos. Cranial neural folds (NF) and ventral neural plates (NP) were dissected from Hamburger & Hamilton stage 8 (HH8) embryos (80 to 14 embryos, n=4), and total RNA was analyzed using a GeneChip chicken genome arrays (Affymetrix)
Project description:Cells were isolated from mouse embryonic neural crest stem cells at culture day 2 (NCSC), from day 7 in vitro differentiated progeny (NCP) and day 2 epidermal neural crest stem cells from bulge explants of adult whisker follicles (EPI-NCSC). Keywords: LongSAGE embryonic neural crest stem cells at culture day 2 (NCSC), from day 7 in vitro differentiated progeny (NCP) and day 2 epidermal neural crest stem cells from bulge explants of adult whisker follicles (EPI-NCSC).
Project description:Neural crest development is orchestrated by a complex and still poorly understood gene regulatory network. Premigratory neural crest is induced at the lateral border of the neural plate by the combined action of signaling molecules and transcription factors such as AP2, Gbx2, Pax3 and Zic1. Among them, Pax3 and Zic1 are both necessary and sufficient to trigger a complete neural crest developmental program. However, their gene targets in the neural crest regulatory network remain unknown. Here, through a transcriptome analysis of frog microdissected neural border, we identified an extended gene signature for the premigratory neural crest, and we defined novel potential members of the regulatory network. This signature includes 34 novel genes, as well as 44 known genes expressed at the neural border. Using another microarray analysis which combined Pax3 and Zic1 gain-of-function and protein translation blockade, we uncovered 25 Pax3 and Zic1 direct targets within this signature. We demonstrated that the neural border specifiers Pax3 and Zic1 are direct upstream regulators of neural crest specifiers Snail1/2, Foxd3, Twist1, and Tfap2b. In addition, they may modulate the transcriptional output of multiple signaling pathways involved in neural crest development (Wnt, Retinoic Acid) through the induction of key pathway regulators (Axin2 and Cyp26c1). We also found that Pax3 could maintain its own expression through a positive autoregulatory feedback loop. These hierarchical inductions, feedback loops, and pathway modulation provide novel tools to understand the neural crest induction network. The transcriptomes of neural border samples (stage 14 and 18) were compared to the transcriptome of anterior neural fold (stage 18), early neural plate (stage 12), and animal cap explants (stage14) to identify genes expressed specifically in neural border samples. Tissue samples from Xenopus laevis embryos were dissected, then total RNA was extracted and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays. Selected tissue samples encompass the neural crest at different stages of its induction (early neural plate at stage 12, neural border at stage 14, neural border at stage 18), as well as reference tissues (anterior neural fold at stage 18, a tissue that belongs to the neural border but does not produce neural crest, and animal cap grown until stage 14 that differentiates into epidermis).
Project description:Neural cest cells are a transient stem cell-like population appearing during vertebrate embryonic development. Generation of the cranial neural crest is known to require a balanced combination of FGF and BMP levels. However, it is poorly understood how the functions of such growth factors are controlled in the extracellular spaces. Anosmin is an extracellular matrix protein implicated in FGF signaling and mutated in Kallmann syndrome. Here, we demonstrate that anosmin (Gga.14976.1.S1_at, clone ChEST132d10) is synthesized locally in the cranial neural crest of chicken embryos and is essential for cranial neural crest formation. Anosmin upregulates FGF8 and BMP5 gene expression; it also enhances FGF8 activity while inhibiting BMP5 and WNT3a signaling. Taken together, our data establish that the matrix protein anosmin is required for cranial neural crest formation, with funtional modulation of FGF, BMP, and WNT.
Project description:The lysine methyltransferase NSD3 is required for the expression of key neural crest transcription factors and the migration of neural crest cells. Nevertheless, a complete view of the genes dependent upon NSD3 for expression and the developmental processes impacted by NSD3 in the neural crest was lacking. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to profile transcripts differentially expressed after NSD3 knockdown in chick premigratory neural crest cells, identifying 674 genes. Gene Ontology and gene set enrichment analyses further support a requirement for NSD3 during neural crest development and show that NSD3 knockdown also upregulates ribosome biogenesis. To validate our results, we selected three genes not previously associated with neural crest development, Astrotactin-1 (Astn1), Dispatched-3 (Disp3), and Tropomyosin-1 (Tpm1). Using whole mount in situ hybridization, we show that premigratory neural crest cells express these genes and that NSD3 knockdown downregulates (Astn1 and Disp3) and upregulates (Tpm1) their expression, consistent with RNA-seq results. Altogether, this study identifies novel putative regulators of neural crest development and provides insight into the transcriptional consequences of NSD3 in the neural crest, with implications for cancer.
Project description:The amino acid homocysteine increases in the serum when there is insufficient folic acid or vitamin B12, or with certain mutations in enzymes important in methionine metabolism. Elevated homocysteine is related to increased risk for cardiovascular and other diseases in adults and elevated maternal homocysteine increases the risk for certain congenital defects, especially those that result from abnormal development of the neural crest and neural tube. Experiments with the avian embryo model have shown that elevated homocysteine perturbs neural crest / neural tube migration in vitro and in vivo. While there have been numerous studies of homocysteine-induced changes in gene expression in adult cells, there is no previous report of a homocysteine-responsive transcriptome in the embryonic neural crest. We treated neural crest cells in vitro with exogenous homocysteine in a protocol that induces significant changes in neural crest cell migration. We used microarray analysis and expression profiling to identify 65 transcripts of genes of known function that were altered by homocysteine. The largest set of effected genes (19) included those with a role in cell migration and adhesion. Other major groups were genes involved in metabolism (13); DNA / RNA interaction (11); cell proliferation / apoptosis (10); and transporter / receptor (6). Although the genes identified in this experiment were consistent with prior observations of the effect of homocysteine upon neural crest cell function, none had been identified previously as response to homocysteine in adult cells. Keywords: homocysteine ● microarray ● expression profiling ● embryo ● neural crest
Project description:Neural crest development is orchestrated by a complex and still poorly understood gene regulatory network. Premigratory neural crest is induced at the lateral border of the neural plate by the combined action of signaling molecules and transcription factors such as AP2, Gbx2, Pax3 and Zic1. Among them, Pax3 and Zic1 are both necessary and sufficient to trigger a complete neural crest developmental program. However, their gene targets in the neural crest regulatory network remain unknown. Here, through a transcriptome analysis of frog microdissected neural border, we identified an extended gene signature for the premigratory neural crest, and we defined novel potential members of the regulatory network. This signature includes 34 novel genes, as well as 44 known genes expressed at the neural border. Using another microarray analysis which combined Pax3 and Zic1 gain-of-function and protein translation blockade, we uncovered 25 Pax3 and Zic1 direct targets within this signature. We demonstrated that the neural border specifiers Pax3 and Zic1 are direct upstream regulators of neural crest specifiers Snail1/2, Foxd3, Twist1, and Tfap2b. In addition, they may modulate the transcriptional output of multiple signaling pathways involved in neural crest development (Wnt, Retinoic Acid) through the induction of key pathway regulators (Axin2 and Cyp26c1). We also found that Pax3 could maintain its own expression through a positive autoregulatory feedback loop. These hierarchical inductions, feedback loops, and pathway modulation provide novel tools to understand the neural crest induction network. Transcriptomes of animal caps overexpressing Pax3+/-Zic1 in the presence/absence of cycloheximide, a translation inhibitor, were compared to control animal caps to identify direct Pax3 and Zic1 targets 2-4 cells stage embryos were injected with inducible Pax3-GR+/-Zic1-GR constructs. Animal caps were cut at stage 9. Cycloheximide (Chx, 0.1mg/ml) was then applied to the healed animal caps, from stage 10 to 10.5 (i.e. for 30 min at 23*C), then dexamethasone (Dex) was added at stage 10.5 to the cycloheximide-containing medium. Explants were rinced and lysed after two additional hours at 23*C, i.e. when sibling embryos reached stage 11.5-12. Total RNA was then extracted and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays. Transcriptomes were compared to determine Pax3 and Zic1 targets.
Project description:The aim of the dataset was to study on genome-wide level the effect of Notch inhibition in gene expression on neural crest differentiation of human embryonic stem cells under chemically defined conditions. Total RNA from hESCs, hESC-derived neural crest, hESC-derived neural crest+DAPT, and hESC-derived neural stem cells was collected and compared at their global gene expression level. Samples from 3 biological replicates were analysed.