Transcriptome Analysis of Honeybee (Apis Mellifera) Haploid and Diploid Embryos Reveals Early Zygotic Transcription during Cleavage

In honeybees, the haplodiploid sex determination system promotes a unique embryogenesis process wherein females develop from fertilized eggs and males develop from unfertilized eggs. However, the developmental strategies of honeybees during early embryogenesis are virtually unknown. Similar to most animals, the honeybee oocytes are supplied with proteins and regulatory elements that support early embryogenesis. As the embryo develops, the zygotic genome is activated and zygotic products gradually replace the preloaded maternal material. The analysis of small RNA and mRNA libraries of mature oocytes and embryos originated from fertilized and unfertilized eggs has allowed us to explore the gene expression dynamics in the first steps of development and during the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT). We localized a short sequence motif identified as TAGteam motif and hypothesized to play a similar role in honeybees as in fruit flies, which includes the timing of early zygotic expression (MZT), a function sustained by the presence of the zelda ortholog, which is the main regulator of genome activation. Predicted microRNA (miRNA)-target interactions indicated that there were specific regulators of haploid and diploid embryonic development and an overlap of maternal and zygotic gene expression during the early steps of embryogenesis. Although a number of functions are highly conserved during the early steps of honeybee embryogenesis, the results showed that zygotic genome activation occurs earlier in honeybees than in Drosophila based on the presence of three primary miRNAs (pri-miRNAs) (ame-mir-375, ame-mir-34 and ame-mir-263b) during the cleavage stage in haploid and diploid embryonic development.     

Expression analysis of zebrafish membrane type-2 matrix metalloproteinases during embryonic development

Membrane tethered matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) cleave a variety of extracellular matrix (ECM) and non-ECM targets and play important roles during embryonic development and tumor progression. Membrane tethered MMPs in particular are important regulators of both tissue invasion and morphogenesis. Much attention has been given to understanding the function of human and mouse MMP14 (also called membrane type-1 MMP, MT1-MMP) and our own data have linked zebrafish Mmp14 to the regulation of gastrulation cell movements. However, less is known regarding the expression and function of other membrane tethered MMPs. We report the cloning and gene expression analysis of zebrafish mmp15a and mmp15b (MT2-MMP) during early embryonic and larval development. Our data show that mmp15a exhibits limited expression prior to segmentation stages and is first detected in the tectum and posterior tailbud. At 24hours post-fertilization (hpf) mmp15a localizes to the caudal hematopoietic tissue, pectoral fin buds, and mandibular arch. By contrast, mmp15b is strongly expressed during gastrula stages before becoming restricted to the polster and anterior neural plate. From 24 to 48hpf, mmp15b expression is detected in the pharyngeal arches, fin buds, otic vesicle, pronephric ducts, proctodeum, tail epidermis, posterior lateral line primordia, and caudal notochord. During the larval period beginning at 72hpf, mmp15b expression becomes restricted to the brain ventricular zone, pharyngeal arches, pectoral fins, and the proctodeum. Many of the mmp15-expressing tissues have been shown to express genes encoding components of the ECM including collagens, fibronectin, and laminins. Our data thus provide a foundation for uncovering the role of Mmp15-dependent pericellular proteolysis during zebrafish embryonic development.     

Molecular studies of hemichordate development: a key to understanding the evolution of bilateral animals and chordates

SUMMARY Using the Hawaiian acorn worm, Ptychodera flava, we began molecular studies on the development of hemichordates, a phylum previously unstudied at this level. Here we review results garnered from the examination of a few specific genes selected to help understand the evolution of vertebrate structures. These studies suggest new ideas about the evolution of developmental mechanisms in the deuterostomes. In a seminal observation, we noted an unexpected zone of expression of the Brachyury gene in the early anterior embryonic ectoderm where the mouth will form. Typically, the Brachyury gene is closely linked to development of the notochord and is expressed around the blastopore and in the posterior mesoderm in most animals. This first expression of Brachyury at the blastopore may represent a regulatory program associated with organizing the original animal head and gut opening, as suggested by the expression of Brachyury during hypostome formation in hydra. We believe that the anterior expression of Brachyury in deuterostomes represents the cooption of the program for organizing the original animal gut opening to form the deuterostome mouth. Recent data from the trochophore larva of a polychaete show that an anterior zone of expression of Brachyury is produced in this protostome by splitting of the Brachyury field during the formation of a gut with a mouth and anus by the lateral fusion of the sides of the blastopore. The ability to initiate independently a secondary regulatory program to organize the new mouth leading to an anterior field of Brachyury expression may be a signal event in the evolution of the deuterostomes. We also noted that the P. flava homolog of T‐brain/Eomes, a gene closely related by sequence and expression around the blastopore to Brachyury and associated with development of the vertebrate brain, also exhibits early posterior expression around the blastopore and a field of de novo anterior ectoderm expression during later embryogenesis. The tissue in the zone of de novo anterior ectoderm expression of Pf‐Tbrain produces the apical organ, a larval neural structure that has been touted as an evolutionary precursor of the chordate dorsal brain. The gene regulatory mechanisms responsible for initiating the anterior zone of de novo expression of T‐brain may represent a cooption to specify early neuroectoderm of the regulatory program evolved first to drive anterior Brachyury expression for deuterostome mouth formation. It will be interesting to examine the possibilities that an ability to initiate the de novo anterior expression of the program that includes T‐brain may be a key event in the evolution of the developmental mechanisms leading to the chordate dorsal nervous system.     

Embryonic stages from cleavage to gastrula in the loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus

Early developmental staging from the zygote stage to the gastrula is a basic step for studying embryonic development and biotechnology. We described the early embryonic development of the loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, based on morphological features and gene expression. Synchronous cleavage was repeated for 9 cycles about every 27 min at 20 degrees C after the first cleavage. After the 10th synchronous cleavage, asynchronous cleavage was observed 5.5 h post-fertilization (hpf), indicating the mid-blastula transition. The yolk syncytial layer (YSL) was formed at this time. Expressions of goosecoid and no tail were detected by whole-mount in situ hybridization from 6 hpf. This time corresponded to the late-blastula period. Thereafter, epiboly started and a blastoderm covered over the yolk cell at 8 hpf. At 10 hpf, the germ ring and the embryonic shield were formed, indicating the stage of early gastrula. Afterward, the epiboly advanced at the rate of 10% of the yolk cell each hour. The blastoderm covered the yolk cell completely at 15 hpf. The embryonic development of the loach resembled that of the zebrafish in terms of morphological change and gene expression. Therefore, it is possible that knowledge of the developmental stages of the zebrafish might be applicable to the loach.     

ZFPIP/Zfp462 is maternally required for proper early Xenopus laevis development

ZFPIP (Zinc Finger Pbx1 Interacting Protein) has been recently identified in our laboratory in a yeast two hybrid screen using an embryonic mouse cDNA library and PBX1 as a bait. This gene encodes a large protein (250 kDa) that contains a bipartite NLS, numerous C2H2 zinc fingers and is highly conserved amongst vertebrates. In order to address the role of ZFPIP during embryonic development, we analysed the expression pattern of the gene and performed morpholinos injections into Xenopus laevis embryos. We first showed that the ZFPIP protein was maternally present in oocytes. Then, ZFPIP was detected from morula to neurula stages in the nucleus of the cells, with a gradient from animal to vegetal pole. By injection of ZFPIP morpholinos, we showed that morphant embryos were unable to undergo proper gastrulation and subsequently exhibited a persistent opened blastopore. Analysis of molecular and cellular events that were altered in morphant embryos highlighted an impairment of cell division processes as illustrated by atypical mitosis with aberrant metaphase, anaphase or telophase, incomplete chromosome segregation or conjointed nuclei. The overall data presented here demonstrated that ZFPIP was a major developing gene that acts in the very first steps of embryonic development of Xenopuslaevis.     

mED2—A Novel Gene Involved in Mouse Embryonic Development

Dissection of new genes underlying embryonic development is important for our understanding of the molecular mechanism of vertebrate embryonic development. In this study, the expression pattern and functional analysis of a new gene, called mED2, originally cloned from mouse embryos using subtractive hybridization was reported. mED2 expression patterns were characterized by RT-PCR-Southern hybridization and in situ hybridization. The results showed that mED2 was mainly expressed in the embryonic nervous system and mesoderm-derived tissues and its expression varied depending on the embryonic developmental stages. The knockdown of mED2 activity by antisense RNA injection inhibited zygote cleavage and blastocyst formation during pre-implantation in mice. Subcellular localization of mED2-eGFP fusion protein revealed a pattern of nuclear membrane and juxta-/perinuclear location such as in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. This finding was supported by bioinformatics analysis, which indicated mED2 protein to be a transmembrane protein with partial homology to the thioredoxin family of proteins. It is inferred that mED2 gene can probably take part in early embryonic development in mouse and may be involved in target protein posttranslational modification, turnover, folding, and stability at the endoplasmic reticulum and/or the Golgi apparatus.     

Development of the dendrobatid frog Colostethus machalilla

To provide a developmental correlate with other frogs, we prepared a normal table of development for the dendrobatid, Colostethus machalilla and analyzed the morphology of its early development. This frog reproduces in captivity and deposits moderately sized eggs (1.6 mm in diameter) in terrestrial nests. The father guards the embryos until tadpole hatching. We divided development until hatching into 25 stages and implemented methods for in vitro culture of the embryos. The external and internal morphology of embryos were evaluated by observations in whole mount and in sections. Neural, notochord and somite specific antibodies were used to analyze gene expression patterns by immunostaining of embryos. Embryonic development of C. machalilla is slow and deviates from Xenopus laevis. In C. machalilla the elongation of the notochord, neural plate and somite formation occur after blastopore closure, possibly due to a delay in the dorsal convergence and extension movements. The gastrula of C. machalilla also deviates from X. laevis. The archenteron remains small until blastopore closure, where small cells accumulate at the blastopore lips. Simultaneously, the blastocoel roof thins until it becomes a monolayer of cells. Although C. machalilla does not form an embryonic disk, its thick blastopore lips resemble the embryonic disk of the marsupial frog Gastrotheca riobambae and represent an interesting deviation from the gastrulation pattern observed in X. laevis.     

Cloning, embryonic expression, and functional characterization of two novel connexins from Xenopus laevis

Vertebrate gap junctions are constituted of connexin (Cx) proteins. In Xenopus laevis, only seven different Cxs have been described so far. Here, we identify two new Cxs from X. laevis. Cx28.6 displays >60% amino acid identity with human Cx25, Cx29 displays strong homology with mouse Cx26 and Cx30. Cx29 is expressed throughout embryonic development. Cx28.6 mRNA is only transiently found from stage 22 to 26 of development. While no Cx28.6 expression could be detected by whole mount in situ hybridization, expression of Cx29 was found in the developing endoderm, lateral mesoderm, liver anlage, pronephros, and proctodeum. Ectopic expression of Cx28.6 failed to produce functional gap-junctions. In contrast, ectopic expression of full-length Cx29 in HEK293 and COS-7 cells resulted in the formation of gap junction-like structures at the cell-cell interfaces. Ectopic expression of Cx29 in communication deficient N2A cell pairs led to functional electrical coupling.     

Dynamic regulation of LARG in blastopore closure and archenteron formation during Xenopus laevis gastrulation

Rho GTPases have important roles in regulating cell migration and are activated by Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RhoGEFs). However, the role of leukemia-associated RhoGEF (LARG), responding to G12/13 family, has not been studied in vertebrate development. Here, the in vivo biochemical function of LARG was examined during early embryonic development in African frog Xenopus laevis. Gain-of-function study was performed by injecting the RNA of full-length xLARG to 2 cell-stage embryos. The ectopic expression of this protein resulted in the defect of blastopore closure during early embryogenesis. Expression of the dominant-negative form caused the defect in cell movement and following archenteron formation during late gastrulation, which is represented by the blister formation in the ventral side of the embryos. The phenotype was rescued by co-expressing the mutant with Rho or wild type xLARG, confirming the specificity of the dominant-negative activity of xLARG mutant. In this study, I showed for the first time that the spatiotemporal expression of xLARG is very dynamic and specifically regulated in early Xenopus embryonic development and xLARG may mediate Gα₁₃ signal to activate Rho to exert its function in gastrulation movement and archenteron formation. My results implicate that the dynamic regulation of maternal and zygotic xLARG expression and its biochemical activity is necessary for proper gastrulation.     

HISTONE PROTEIN TRANSITION IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER : II. Changes During Early Embryonic Development

Employing cytochemical methods it was found that during the early embryonic development of Drosophila melanogaster the nuclei contain in sequence two kinds of chromosomal proteins. The cleavage nuclei (as also the pronuclei), until shortly before the blastoderm stage, contain an atypical (or juvenile) histone, stainable with bromophenol blue but not with alkaline fast green. The typical fast green-positive histone appears at the close of the period of the synchronized cleavage mitoses, just before blastulation, when nucleoli are first produced. The amount of DNA of the cleavage nuclei, as determined cytophotometrically, is nearly constant; therefore, the DNA moiety of the nucleohistone complex seems to remain unaffected by the protein shift during embryonic development. The implications of the protein shift in relation to the histone control of gene expression are discussed.     

Rho mediates cytokinesis and epiboly via ROCK in zebrafish

To study the regulation of embryonic development by Rho, we microinjected Clostridium botulinum C3-exoenzyme (C3) into zebrafish embryos. We found that C3 inhibited cytokinesis during early cleavages. C3 inhibition appeared to be specific on RhoA, since the constitutively active RhoA could partially rescued the C3-induced defects. Distributions of actin and the cleavage furrow associated beta-catenin were disrupted by C3. Belbbistatin, a myosin II inhibitor, also caused blastomeres disintegration. It suggested that Rho mediates cytokinesis via cleavage furrow protein assembly and actomyosin ring constriction. Furthermore, C3 blocked cellular movements during epiboly and gastrulation as evident by the impairment on no tail and goosecoid expression in blastoderm front runner cells and the dorsal lip of blastopore, respectively. Y-27632, an antagonist of Rho-associated kinase (ROK/ROCK), had the similar inhibitory effects on zebrafish development as the C3 treatments. Taken together, these results suggest that Rho mediates cleavage furrow protein assembly during cytokinesis and cellular migration during epiboly and gastrulation via a ROK/ROCK-dependent pathway.     

Developmental transformations in a normal series of embryos of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus (Linnaeus)

Lamprey development is of interest to evolutionary biologists because it can inform our understanding of primitive vertebrate developmental patterns. In this study, we describe and illustrate some of the principle landmarks of organogenesis in the embryonic sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus L. at different chronological ages. We examined 63 fixed embryos spanning Piavis developmental stages 11-18+ (5-70 days postfertilization) by gross observation and histology. This period begins at late neurulation stages and ends with the formation of the larva (ammocoete). A significant difference with some previous accounts is that the anus develops not from a persistent blastopore, but by secondary canalization and proctodeum formation at the former site of the blastopore. Further, we show that the ciliated bands of the pharyngeal roof originate in the esophagus, distinguishing it from the intestine. We clarify the epithelialization of the gut, showing that the secondary gut cavity is progressively epithelialized from each end. We identify possible germ cells in the coelomic and cloacal walls. Balfour's "subnotochordal rod" is lacking in our specimens; we suggest that he may have misinterpreted the corpus adiposum. Our study is of potential value to the growing number of biologists interested in lamprey development and provides a character set that will be used : 1) in a phylogenetic study of vertebrate development, and 2) to prepare a staging series for the lamprey based on parsimony analysis.     

aproctous,a locus that is necessary for the development of the proctodeum in Drosophila embryos,encodes a homolog of the vertebrate Brachyury gene

The proctodeum of the Drosophila embryo originates from the posterior end of the blastoderm and forms the hindgut. By enhancer-trap mutagenesis, using a P-element-lacZ vector, we identified a mutation that caused degeneration of the proctodeum during shortening of the germ band and named it aproctous (apro). Expression of the lacZ reporter gene, which was assumed to represent expression of the apro gene, began at the cellular blastoderm stage in a ring that encompassed about 10–15% of the egg's length (EL) and included the future proctodeum, anal pads, and posterior-most part of the visceral mesoderm. In later stages, strong expression of lacZ was detected in the developing hindgut and anal pads. Expression continued in the anal pads and epithelium of the hindgut of larvae; the epithelium of the hindgut of the adult fly also expressed lacZ. The spatial patterns of the expression of lacZ in various mutants suggested that the embryonic expression of apro was regulated predominantly by two gap genes, tailless (tll) and huckebein (hkb): tll is necessary for the activation of apro, while hkb suppressed the expression of apro in the region posterior to 10% EL. Cloning and sequencing of the apro cDNA revealed that apro was identical to the T-related gene (Trg) that is a Drosophila homolog of the vertebrate Brachyury gene. apro appears to play a key role in the development of tissues derived from the proctodeum.     

A revised fate map for amphioxus and the evolution of axial patterning in chordates

The chordates include vertebrates plus two groups of invertebrates(the cephalochordates and tunicates). Previous embryonic fatemaps of the cephalochordate amphioxus (Branchiostoma) were influencedby preconceptions that early development in amphioxus and ascidiantunicates should be fundamentally the same and that the earlyamphioxus embryo, like that of amphibians, should have ventralmesoderm. Although detailed cell lineage tracing in amphioxushas not been done because of limited availability of the embryosand because cleavage is radial and holoblastic with the blastomeresnearly equal in size and not tightly adherent until the mid-blastulastage, a compilation of data from gene expression and function,blastomere isolation and dye labeling allows a more realisticfate map to be drawn. The revised fate map is substantiallydifferent from that of ascidians. It shows (1) that the anteriorpole of the amphioxus embryo is offset dorsally from the animalpole only by about 20°, (2) that the ectoderm/mesendodermboundary (the future rim of the blastopore) is at the equatorof the blastula, which approximately coincides with the 3rdcleavage plane, and (3) that there is no ventral mesoderm duringthe gastrula stage. Involution or ingression of cells over theblastopore lip is negligible, and the blastopore, which is posterior,closes centripetally as if by a purse string. During the gastrulastage, the animal pole shifts ventrally, coming to lie about20° ventral to the anterior tip of the late gastrula/earlyneurula. Comparisons of the embryos of amphioxus and vertebratesindicate that in spite of large differences in the mechanicsof cleavage and gastrulation, anterior/posterior and dorsal/ventralpatterning occur by homologous genetic mechanisms. Therefore,the small, nonyolky embryo of amphioxus is probably a reasonableapproximation of the basal chordate embryo before the evolutionof determinate cleavage in the tunicates and the evolution largeamounts of yolk in basal vertebrates.     

Effect of ATM and HDAC Inhibition on Etoposide-Induced DNA Damage in Porcine Early Preimplantation Embryos

Oocyte maturation and embryonic development are sensitive to DNA damage. Compared with somatic cells or oocytes, little is known about the response to DNA damage in early preimplantation embryos. In this study, we examined DNA damage checkpoints and DNA repair mechanisms in parthenogenetic preimplantation porcine embryos. We found that most of the etoposide-treated embryos showed delay in cleavage and ceased development before the blastocyst stage. In DNA-damaged embryos, the earliest positive TUNEL signals were detected on Day 5 of in vitro culture. Caffeine, which is an ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) and ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein) kinase inhibitor, and KU55933, which is an ATM kinase inhibitor, were equally effective in rescuing the etoposide-induced cell-cycle blocks. This indicates that ATM plays a central role in the regulation of the checkpoint mechanisms. Treating the embryos with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) increased embryonic development and reduced etoposide-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs). The mRNA expression of genes involved in non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR) pathways for DSB repair was reduced upon HDACi treatment in 5-day-old embryos. Furthermore, HDACi treatment increased the expression levels of pluripotency-related genes (OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG) and decreased the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (CASP3 and BAX). These results indicate that early embryonic cleavage and development are disturbed by etoposide-induced DNA damage. ATMi (caffeine or KU55933) treatment bypasses the checkpoint while HDACi treatment improves the efficiency of DSB repair to increase the cleavage and blastocyst rate in porcine early preimplantation embryos.     

多组学大数据整合分析揭示早期胚胎发育过程中基因表达调控信息的变化规律

摘要 目的：探究哺乳动物早期胚胎发育过程中基因表达调控信息的变化规律。方法：收集小鼠早期胚胎发育各时期的RNA-seq,ATAC-seq,MethylC-Seq和H3K4me3 ChIP-seq数据进行整合分析,观察小鼠早期胚胎发育各时期转录因子表达量的变化,计算各时期基因表达量与转录因子结合位点数量及染色质可及性的相关性,筛选各时期表达量前10%的基因,统计其表达量和转录因子占比,并进行启动子可及性分析。根据前期报道的转录因子三节点调控网络,对早期胚胎各时期转录因子调控网络的富集模式进行分析。根据多组学数据分析结果,推测早期胚胎发育调控过程中转录因子和表观遗传修饰信息的共调控模型。结果：转录因子数量和调控关系变化以及染色质可及性、DNA甲基化修饰、组蛋白修饰等表观遗传修饰共同调控早期胚胎发育各时期的基因表达,这些因素在不同时期发挥不同程度的调控作用。结论：转录因子和表观遗传修饰在早期胚胎发育过程中动态调控基因表达。