Project description:The discovery of functional long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) changed the initial concept of lncRNAs as transcriptional noise. Since then, a wide array of functions have been associated with lncRNAs, including changes in the chromatin state and gene expression, modulation of splicing, translation or degradation of mRNAs. Also, many lncRNAs are known to be deregulated in multiple diseases, including cancer and neurological disorders. However, functional studies of lncRNAs are hindered by the usual lack of phenotypes upon deletion or inhibition. Here, we used Drosophila imaginal discs as a model system to identify putatively functional lncRNAs involved in development and regeneration. We described the subset of lncRNAs expressed in the wing, eye and leg disc development. Also, we analyzed transcriptomic data from regenerating wing discs to profile the expression pattern of lncRNAs upon damage. Particularly, we focused on the intergenic lncRNA CR40469 whose expression is upregulated in regeneration. We generated fully viable CR40469 mutants that showed no visible developmental defects. However, these mutants experience a remarkable loss of their wing regeneration capacity upon the induction of cell death. Additionally, we describe a duplication of the CR40469 genomic sequence in the Drosophila genome, but it does not seem to be necessary for development or wing regeneration.
Project description:The histone modifying complexes PRC2 and TrxG/MLL play pivotal roles in determining the activation state of genes controlling pluripotency, lineage commitment, and cell differentiation. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can bind to either complex, and some have been shown to act as modulators of PRC2 or TrxG/MLL activity. Here we show that the lateral mesoderm-specific lncRNA Fendrr is essential for proper heart and body wall development in the mouse. Embryos lacking Fendrr displayed upregulation of several transcription factors controlling lateral plate or cardiac mesoderm differentiation, accompanied by a drastic reduction in PRC2 occupancy along with decreased H3K27 trimethylation and/or an increase in H3K4 trimethylation at their promoters. Fendrr binds to both the PRC2 and TrxG/MLL complexes, suggesting that it acts as modulator of chromatin signatures that define gene activity. Thus, our work identifies a lncRNA that plays an essential role in fine-tuning the regulatory networks which control the fate of lateral mesoderm derivatives. The transcriptomes of ventricles isolated from wildtype (WT) and Fendrr knock-out (KO) E12.5 embryos, obtained from tratraploid complementations of embryonic stem cells, were analyzed by strand-specific RNA-Seq of ribosomal RNA-depleted, total RNA.
Project description:In Drosophila, Piwi proteins associate with Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and protect the germline genome by silencing mobile genetic elements. This defense system acts in germline and gonadal somatic tissue to preserve germline development. Genetic control for these silencing pathways varies greatly between tissues of the gonad. Here, we identified Vreteno (Vret), a novel gonad-specific protein essential for germline development. Vret is required for piRNA-based transposon regulation in both germline and somatic gonadal tissues. We show that Vret, which contains Tudor domains, associates physically with Piwi and Aubergine (Aub), stabilizing these proteins via a gonad-specific mechanism, absent in other fly tissues. In the absence of vret, Piwi-bound piRNAs are lost without changes in piRNA precursor transcript production, supporting a role for Vret in primary piRNA biogenesis. In the germline, piRNAs can engage in an Aub/Argonaute 3 (AGO3)-dependent amplification in the absence of Vret, suggesting that Vret function can distinguish between primary piRNAs loaded into Piwi/Aub complexes and piRNAs engaged in the amplification cycle. We propose that Vret acts at an early step in primary piRNA processing where it plays an essential role in transposon regulation. These studies show that vreteno (vret) has a role in germline development and primary piRNA regulation in Drosophila. Transposable element expression profiles from Drosophila ovaries mutant for vreteno, piwi and aubergine were compared using genome-wide mRNA expression profiling by Affymetrix GeneChip arrays (Drosophila 2.0). Key targets were validated by qPCR experiments.
Project description:The histone modifying complexes PRC2 and TrxG/MLL play pivotal roles in determining the activation state of genes controlling pluripotency, lineage commitment, and cell differentiation. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can bind to either complex, and some have been shown to act as modulators of PRC2 or TrxG/MLL activity. Here we show that the lateral mesoderm-specific lncRNA Fendrr is essential for proper heart and body wall development in the mouse. Embryos lacking Fendrr displayed upregulation of several transcription factors controlling lateral plate or cardiac mesoderm differentiation, accompanied by a drastic reduction in PRC2 occupancy along with decreased H3K27 trimethylation and/or an increase in H3K4 trimethylation at their promoters. Fendrr binds to both the PRC2 and TrxG/MLL complexes, suggesting that it acts as modulator of chromatin signatures that define gene activity. Thus, our work identifies a lncRNA that plays an essential role in fine-tuning the regulatory networks which control the fate of lateral mesoderm derivatives.
Project description:The molecular mechanisms by which stem cell proliferation is precisely controlled during the course of regeneration are poorly understood. Namely, how a damaged tissue senses when to terminate the regeneration process, inactivates stem cell mitotic activity, and organizes ECM integrity remain fundamental unanswered questions. The Drosophila midgut intestinal stem cell (ISC) offers an excellent model system to study the molecular basis for stem cell inactivation. Here we show that a novel gene, CG6967 or dMOV10, is induced at the termination stage of midgut regeneration, and shows an inhibitory effect on ISC proliferation. dMOV10 encodes a putative component of the microRNA (miRNA) gene silencing complex (miRISC). Our data, along with previous studies on the mammalian MOV10, suggest that dMOV10 is not a core member of miRISC, but modulates miRISC activity as an additional component. Further analyses identified direct target mRNAs of dMOV10-containing miRISC, including Daughter against Dpp (Dad), a known inhibitor of BMP/TGF-β signaling. We show that RNAi knockdown of Dad significantly impaired ISC division during regeneration. We also identified miRNAs that are induced at the termination stage and their potential target transcripts. We propose that miRNA-mediated gene regulation contributes to the precise control of Drosophila midgut regeneration.
Project description:The molecular mechanisms by which stem cell proliferation is precisely controlled during the course of regeneration are poorly understood. Namely, how a damaged tissue senses when to terminate the regeneration process, inactivates stem cell mitotic activity, and organizes ECM integrity remain fundamental unanswered questions. The Drosophila midgut intestinal stem cell (ISC) offers an excellent model system to study the molecular basis for stem cell inactivation. Here we show that a novel gene, CG6967 or dMOV10, is induced at the termination stage of midgut regeneration, and shows an inhibitory effect on ISC proliferation. dMOV10 encodes a putative component of the microRNA (miRNA) gene silencing complex (miRISC). Our data, along with previous studies on the mammalian MOV10, suggest that dMOV10 is not a core member of miRISC, but modulates miRISC activity as an additional component. Further analyses identified direct target mRNAs of dMOV10-containing miRISC, including Daughter against Dpp (Dad), a known inhibitor of BMP/TGF-β signaling. We show that RNAi knockdown of Dad significantly impaired ISC division during regeneration. We also identified miRNAs that are induced at the termination stage and their potential target transcripts. We propose that miRNA-mediated gene regulation contributes to the precise control of Drosophila midgut regeneration.
Project description:The molecular mechanisms by which stem cell proliferation is precisely controlled during the course of regeneration are poorly understood. Namely, how a damaged tissue senses when to terminate the regeneration process, inactivates stem cell mitotic activity, and organizes ECM integrity remain fundamental unanswered questions. The Drosophila midgut intestinal stem cell (ISC) offers an excellent model system to study the molecular basis for stem cell inactivation. Here we show that a novel gene, CG6967 or dMOV10, is induced at the termination stage of midgut regeneration, and shows an inhibitory effect on ISC proliferation. dMOV10 encodes a putative component of the microRNA (miRNA) gene silencing complex (miRISC). Our data, along with previous studies on the mammalian MOV10, suggest that dMOV10 is not a core member of miRISC, but modulates miRISC activity as an additional component. Further analyses identified direct target mRNAs of dMOV10-containing miRISC, including Daughter against Dpp (Dad), a known inhibitor of BMP/TGF-β signaling. We show that RNAi knockdown of Dad significantly impaired ISC division during regeneration. We also identified miRNAs that are induced at the termination stage and their potential target transcripts. We propose that miRNA-mediated gene regulation contributes to the precise control of Drosophila midgut regeneration.
Project description:The periosteum contains a highly osteogenic and neuro-vascular microenvironment that is essential for cortical bone formation and regeneration. Resident tissue macrophages (RTMs) are critical for maintaining tissue-specific niches and participating in tissue regeneration. However, the characteristics, origin and functions of periosteum-resident macrophages (PRMs) remain largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that PRMs are generated during embryonic hematopoiesis and are self-maintained locally during regeneration. Furthermore, by single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of periosteum myeloid cells, CX3CR1+CD45+ACE+ and CX3CR1+CD45+CD74+ cells were identified as vascular-associated and neuro-associated PRMs, respectively. Both cell types were found to arise from CX3CR1+CD168+CD45+ PRMs and shown to play critical roles in maintaining the periosteum neuro-vascular niche and promoting early-stage cortical bone regeneration. Importantly, the neuro-vascular characteristic of PRMs are directly modulated via Periostin, the essential ECM distributed in periosteum. These findings elucidate the characteristics and origins of PRMs and reveal their essential roles in maintaining the local niche and cortical bone regeneration as well as highlighting the potential value of PRMs as a therapeutic target in bone regeneration.