Uncovering gene regulatory networks during mouse fetal germ cell development

The commitment of germ cells to either oogenesis or spermatogenesis occurs during fetal gonad development: germ cells enter meiosis or mitotic arrest, depending on whether they reside within an ovary or a testis, respectively. Despite the critical importance of this step for sexual reproduction, gene networks underlying germ cell development have remained only partially understood. Taking advantage of the W(v) mouse model, in which gonads lack germ cells, we conducted a microarray study to identify genes expressed in fetal germ cells. In addition to distinguishing genes expressed by germ cells from those expressed by somatic cells within the developing gonads, we were able to highlight specific groups of genes expressed only in female or male germ cells. Our results provide an important resource for deciphering the molecular pathways driving proper germ cell development and sex determination and will improve our understanding of the etiology of human germ cell tumors that arise from dysregulation of germ cell differentiation.     

Characterization of mouse thrombospondin 2 sequence and expression during cell growth and development.

Thrombospondin (TSP) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein whose expression has been associated with a variety of cellular processes including growth and embryogenesis. The recent discovery of the existence of a second mouse TSP gene necessitates careful examination of the discrete biochemical and functional properties associated with each molecule. In this report, the primary structures of human TSP, mouse TSP1 (mTSP1), mouse TSP2 (mTSP2), and chicken TSP are compared; and the expression of mTSP1 and mTSP2 during embryogenesis and growth factor-mediated cell proliferation is examined. The cloning and sequencing of the entire coding regions of mTSP1 and mTSP2 revealed considerable conservation of residues critical for TSP structure and function; these data suggest that TSP2 is capable of trimer formation and many of the same cell-surface and ligand interactions that mediate TSP function. Comparison of the various TSP sequences also allowed the assignment based on sequence homology of previously reported human TSP as TSP1 and chicken TSP as TSP2. mTSP2, like mTSP1, was shown to be a primary response gene when quiescent Swiss 3T3 cells were stimulated with serum, platelet-derived growth factor BB, basic fibroblast growth factor, or interleukin-1 beta. Interestingly, TSP1 and TSP2 exhibited markedly different tissue- and stage-specific patterns of mRNA expression during mouse embryogenesis, implying that the two TSP molecules possess discrete functional properties important for development. Additionally, the TSP genes (Thbs1 and Thbs2) were mapped to single loci on mouse chromosomes 2 and 17, respectively.     

Properties of mouse retinal ganglion cell dendritic growth during postnatal development

The property of dendritic growth dynamics during development is a subject of intense interest. Here, we investigated the dendritic motility of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) during different developmental stages, using ex vivo mouse retina explant culture, Semliki Forest Virus transfection and time-lapse observations. The results illustrated that during development, the dendritic motility underwent a change from rapid growth to a relatively stable state, i.e., at P0 (day of birth), RGC dendrites were in a highly active state, whereas at postnatal 13 (P13) they were more stable, and at P3 and P8, the RGCs were in an intermediate state. At any given developmental stage, RGCs of different types displayed the same dendritic growth rate and extent. Since the mouse is the most popular mammalian model for genetic manipulation, this study provided a methodological foundation for further exploring the regulatory mechanisms of dendritic development.     

PI3K-AKT pathway mediates growth and survival signals during development of fetal mouse lung

We examined the roles of the PI3K-AKT signalling pathway in fetal lung development. By Western blotting, phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) was highly expressed in fetal days 12 and 14 with decreased expression thereafter. By immunohistochemistry, pAKT was expressed mainly in the respiratory epithelium of early fetal days. We examined the effects of fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1), PI3K inhibitors (LY294002 and wortmannin), MAPK inhibitor (PD98059) and both of FGF1 and each inhibitor on lung morphogenesis, BrdU incorporation and apoptosis. In the FGF1-treated explants, the number of terminal buds and BrdU-labelled cells increased significantly, while the LY294002-, wortmannin-, PD98059-treated explants demonstrated obvious decreases. The effects by FGF1 were inhibited by LY294002, wortmannin and PD98059. Regardless of the presence of FGF1, the LY294002-, wortmannin- and PD98059-treated explants increased apoptosis revealed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling assay in the mesenchyme of the explants. At the same time, the effect of LY294002, wortmannin, PD98059 on expression of surfactant apoprotein C (SPC) were also studied. The LY294002 and wortmannin treatments showed decreased expression of SPC. These findings suggest that the PI3K-AKT signalling pathway plays a pivotal role in mouse lung development through various biological processes.     

Alterations in lung basement membrane during fetal growth and type 2 cell development

We studied basement membrane development in the late fetal and in the neonatal rat lung, from the 18th day of gestation (term = 22 days) through the 8th postnatal day, with particular emphasis on the gas-exchange region of the lung. In the periphery of the lung, as type 2 cells differentiate, the continuous basement membrane develops openings beneath these cells. Basal cytoplasmic foot processes extend through these discontinuities into the underlying interstitium, often approaching interstitial cells closely. These discontinuities and extensive foot processes are associated only with type 2 epithelial cells and not with either differentiated airway cells or with the type 1 alveolar lining cells derived from type 2 cells. The type 2 cell basement membrane discontinuities and penetrating foot processes are maximal in the perinatal period and decrease in the week after birth. The appearance of openings in type 2 cell basement membrane and changes in distribution, linear density, and ruthenium red staining of anionic sites suggest that the epithelial basement membrane undergoes continuous remodeling throughout development, particularly in association with type 2 cell differentiation and growth of lung surface area. Epithelial cell foot processes may interact with underlying interstitial cells and affect the coordination of lung surface growth with the development of its connective tissue framework.     

Abnormal development of genetically normal fetal hematopoietic stem cells in steel mutant mouse fetuses

The role and possible transplantability of the early hematopoietic microenvironment was investigated by transplacental inoculation of fetal liver cells from normal donors into steel mutant early fetuses. Donor hematopoietic stem cells were able to lodge in the livers of recipients and to progress to the bone marrow postnatally. However, self-renewal of stem cells and production of differentiated blood cells was very limited in extent and duration after transplantation into mildly anemic steel as compared with Wv/+ heterozygotes. The microenvironmental defect known to exist (albeit undefined) in steel and not in W mutants thus adversely affects proliferation and differentiation of stem cells from the very inception of hepatic hematopoiesis and is not correctable by introducing normal stromal cells under the conditions of the experiment.     

Immunocytochemical localization of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase during fetal development of mouse kidney

In the fully developed kidney, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase is localized predominantly to the apical plasma membrane of the proximal tubules. The appearance of this activity during murine fetal nephrogenesis was quantitated using a sensitive fluorometric assay, and development of membrane polarity was assessed by immunocytochemistry. Specific activity of the transpeptidase in 13-day fetal kidney was approximately 1 mU/mg protein. Between 13-21 days of gestation, total transpeptidase activity increased 7500-fold, whereas specific activity increased 50-fold. At 13 days of gestation, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase immunoreactivity is localized to the apical surfaces of developing renal vesicles and the proximal segment of the S-shaped tubules. The organized cell structures have tight tubular junctions but lack a well-defined brush-border membrane. By 15 days of gestation, immunostaining of the apical surface of developing proximal segments is more prominent, and slight reactivity of the basolateral membrane is evident. By 17 days of gestation, the kidney is organized into discrete zones. The large increase in gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity correlates with the appearance of increased immunostaining of the developing brush-border membranes of the proximal tubules contained in the inner cortex. A very similar although somewhat delayed pattern of appearance of transpeptidase activity and immunostaining was observed in metanephric organ culture. Induction of proximal tubular cyst formation had no effect on the increase in transpeptidase activity that occurred during organotypic nephrogenesis.     

Control of cell migration during Caenorhabditis elegans development.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, cell migration is guided by localized cues, including molecules such as EGL-17/FGF and UNC-6/netrin. These external cues are linked to an intracellular response to migrate, at least in part, by CED-5, a homolog of DOCK180/MBC, and MIG-2, a Rac-like GTPase. In addition, metalloproteases are required for a cell migration that controls organ shape.     

Somatic and germ cell interactions during histogenetic aggregation of mouse fetal testes.

In the present study we examined the capacity of somatic and germ cells dissociated from fetal mouse testes at various stages to reform seminiferous cords in culture. We found that after 12 h in culture, seminiferous cords became segregated from stromal cells. Although Sertoli cells were incorporated into seminiferous cords at all stages studied, the germ cells dramatically changed their histogenetic behavior with age. Most germ cells which had been dissociated at 12.5 days postcoitum (dpc) were incorporated into the seminiferous cords, whereas at 14.5 dpc or later the majority remained among the stromal cells or as clusters on the surface of the aggregates. We considered three possible causes for this change in behavior of germ cells: (i) Failure to deposit some extracellular matrix components in the aggregates. (ii) Decrease in adhesiveness of prospermatogonia to either extracellular matrix components or Sertoli cells. (iii) A change in adhesiveness of Sertoli cells to germ cells with age. We found that laminin and fibronectin were similarly deposited in aggregates at 12.5 and 15.5 dpc. When prospermatogonia at 15.5 dpc labeled with colloidal gold were reaggregated with somatic cells at 12.5 dpc, 50% were incorporated into seminiferous cords. Moreover, [3H]thymidine-labeled Sertoli cells at 15.5 dpc formed heterochronic seminiferous cords with Sertoli cells at 12.5 dpc. These results suggest that mouse Sertoli cells change their surface property which is essential for binding to germ cells when they enter the mitotic resting stage (T-prospermatogonia).     

Planar cell polarity regulators in asymmetric organogenesis during development and disease

The phenomenon of planar cell polarity is critically required for a myriad of morphogenetic processes in metazoan and is accurately controlled by several conserved modules. Six “core” proteins, including Frizzled, Flamingo (Celsr), Van Gogh (Vangl), Dishevelled, Prickle, and Diego (Ankrd6), are major components of the Wnt/planar cell polarity pathway. The Fat/Dchs protocadherins and the Scrib polarity complex also function to instruct cellular polarization. In vertebrates, all these pathways are essential for tissue and organ morphogenesis, such as neural tube closure, left–right symmetry breaking, heart and gut morphogenesis, lung and kidney branching, stereociliary bundle orientation, and proximal–distal limb elongation. Mutations in planar polarity genes are closely linked to various congenital diseases. Striking advances have been made in deciphering their contribution to the establishment of spatially oriented pattern in developing organs and the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. The challenge remains to clarify the complex interplay of different polarity pathways in organogenesis and the link of cell polarity to cell fate specification. Interdisciplinary approaches are also important to understand the roles of mechanical forces in coupling cellular polarization and differentiation. This review outlines current advances on planar polarity regulators in asymmetric organ formation, with the aim to identify questions that deserve further investigation.     

Dynamics of muscle fibre growth during postnatal mouse development

Background  

Postnatal growth in mouse is rapid, with total skeletal muscle mass increasing several-fold in the first few weeks. Muscle growth can be achieved by either an increase in muscle fibre number or an increase in the size of individual myofibres, or a combination of both. Where myofibre hypertrophy during growth requires the addition of new myonuclei, these are supplied by muscle satellite cells, the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle.     

Glycosaminoglycans enhance megakaryocytopoiesis by modifying the activities of hematopoietic growth regulators

We have previously reported that heparin is capable of stimulating in vitro and in vivo megakaryocytopoiesis in mice and has a thrombopoietic effect when given in chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura and that heparin and several other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) promote the growth of human megakaryoblastic cell lines in the presence of serum. We show here that GAGs, including heparan sulfate (HS), chondroitin sulfate (CS), dermantan sulfate (DS), and hyaluronic acid (HA), also stimulate in vitro growth of murine megakaryocyte progenitors and augment the diameter of individual megakaryocytes in the presence of serum. However, in a serum-free agar system, the GAGs alone had no effect on megakaryocyte colony formation, suggesting that GAGs cooperate with some serum factor(s) to exert their activity. We also show that heparin significantly potentiates the megakaryocytopoietic activity of C-Mpl ligand and interleukin (IL)-6 but not IL3, GM-CSF, SCF, and Epo. In addition, the GAGs significantly neutralize the inhibitory action of platelet factor 4 (PF4) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) on megakaryocyte colony growth. These results demonstrate a stimulating activity of GAGs on megakaryocytopoiesis by modifying the activity of several growth-regulating factors. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Control of cell proliferation during plant development

Knowledge of the control of cell division in eukaryotes has increased tremendously in recent years. The isolation and characterization of the major players from a number of systems and the study of their interactions have led to a comprehensive understanding of how the different components of the cell cycle apparatus are brought together and assembled in a fine-tuned machinery. Many parts of this machine are highly conserved in organisms as evolutionary distant as yeast and animals. Some key regulators of cell division have also been identified in higher plants and have been shown to be functional homologues of the yeast or animal proteins. Although still in its early days, investigations into the regulation of these molecules have provided some clues on how cell division is coupled to plant development.     

T lymphocyte development from fetal hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are isolated from bone marrow and fetal liver as Thy-1^lo Lin^- Sca-1⁺ cells. Both adult and fetal HSCs have similar stem cell activities. However, fetal HSCs differentiate more efficiently than adult HSCs into Vγ3 and Vγ4 cells without N nucleotide insertion in the fetal thymic microenvironment. Thus HSC themselves may lose some of their developmental potential during ontogeny. It is possible that only fetal, but not adult, HSCs can differentiate into the fetal types of hematopoietic cells, including Vγ3, Vγ4 T cells, CD5 B cells, and fetal type erythrocytes.     

Early fetal hematopoietic development from in vitro differentiated embryonic stem cells.

In this report we describe the efficient hematopoietic differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells in vitro. When cultured in semisolid medium two of five ES cell lines efficiently generated embryoid bodies (EBs) containing blood islands in which hematopoietic cells from all six myeloid lineages could be detected. Among a variety of growth factors tested, only erythropoietin significantly increased blood island formation. We directly demonstrate the presence of hematopoietic progenitors in the EBs by employing an in vitro precursor assay. Colony-forming cells (CFC) of all myeloid lineages as well as bi- and multipotent (CFC-MIX) progenitors were readily identified, and a detailed time-course analysis of their appearance was performed. Despite a high frequency of CFC-MIX in vitro, we did not observe any spleen colony-forming cells (CFU-S) in vivo. We conclude that hematopoietic differentiation of ES cells under these conditions reflects formation of the complete range of blood cells found in the yolk sac of the early fetus. Therefore this system provides a unique model in which to study the earliest events of hematopoietic development in vitro.     

A novel ganglioside expressed by mouse hematopoietic cell lines.

Mouse progenitor T cell-derived cell lines were established by fusion of cells of hematopoietic organs such as bone marrow and fetal liver with T lymphoma (BW5147) to determine their characteristic cell-surface components. The hybridomas with the phenotype of Thy-1+, CD3-, CD4-, CD8- and expression of T cell receptor gene mRNA (BM216 and FL339) were selected for progenitor T cell-derived cell lines, and their ganglioside compositions were studied. A ganglioside component with a mobility slightly faster than that of bovine brain GD1a on high-performance thin-layer chromatography was found in the cell extracts of these cell lines as one of the most abundant components and was absent in the extract of the parental cell line (BW5147). The structure of the ganglioside was determined to be: NeuAc alpha-Gal beta-Gal beta-Gal alpha-Gal beta-Glc beta-ceramide. Gangliosides with such a sequence have never been found before, suggesting the possibility that the ganglioside is expressed as a surface marker of the cells in hematopoietic organs committed to a specific cell lineage, presumably to T cell lineage. cells in hematopoietic organs committed to a specific     

The human placenta is a hematopoietic organ during the embryonic and fetal periods of development

We studied the potential role of the human placenta as a hematopoietic organ during embryonic and fetal development. Placental samples contained two cell populations—CD34⁺⁺CD45^low and CD34⁺CD45^low—that were found in chorionic villi and in the chorioamniotic membrane. CD34⁺⁺CD45^low cells express many cell surface antigens found on multipotent primitive hematopoietic progenitors and hematopoietic stem cells. CD34⁺⁺CD45^low cells contained colony-forming units culture (CFU-C) with myeloid and erythroid potential in clonogenic in vitro assays, and they generated CD56⁺ natural killer cells and CD19⁺CD20⁺sIgM⁺ B cells in polyclonal liquid cultures. CD34⁺CD45^low cells mostly comprised erythroid- and myeloid-committed progenitors, while CD34⁻ cells lacked CFU-C. The placenta-derived precursors were fetal in origin, as demonstrated by FISH using repeat-sequence chromosome-specific probes for X and Y. The number of CD34⁺⁺CD45^low cells increased with gestational age, but their density (cells per gram of tissue) peaked at 5-8 wk, decreasing more than sevenfold at the onset of the fetal phase (9 wk of gestation). In addition to multipotent progenitors, the placenta contained myeloid- and erythroid-committed progenitors indicative of active in situ hematopoiesis. These data suggest that the human placenta is an important hematopoietic organ, raising the possibility of banking placental hematopoietic stem cells along with cord blood for transplantation.     

Cardiac-muscle hypertrophy. Differentiation and growth of the heart cell during development.

An experimental model for the study of the control of tissue growth by cell proliferation (hyperplasia) and cell enlargement (hypertropht) is proposed. The model is constructed on the basis of the fact that, when DNA replication and cell proliferation cease in cardiac muscle during neonatal development, subsequent growth of the ventricular tissue is due to cell enlargement. The time period during development when this change in growth pattern occurs is documented with the cessation of DNA replication and the synthesis and accumulation of myosin as biochemical parameters. It is suggested that adrenergic innervation of the heart may be the physiological signal that changes the growth pattern of the muscle from hyperplasia to hypertrophy.