FGF signaling targets the pRb-related p107 and p130 proteins to induce chondrocyte growth arrest

Unregulated FGF signaling affects endochondral ossification and long bone growth, causing several genetic forms of human dwarfism. One major mechanism by which FGFs regulate endochondral bone growth is through their inhibitory effect on chondrocyte proliferation. Because mice with targeted mutations of the retinoblastoma (Rb)-related proteins p107 and p130 present severe endochondral bone defects with excessive chondrocyte proliferation, we have investigated the role of the Rb family of cell cycle regulators in the FGF response. Using a chondrocyte cell line, we found that FGF induced a rapid dephosphorylation of all three proteins of the Rb family (pRb, p107, and p130) and a blockade of the cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. This cell cycle block was reversed by inactivation of Rb proteins with viral oncoproteins such as polyoma large T (PyLT) antigen and Adenovirus E1A. Expression of a PyLT mutant that efficiently binds pRb, but not p107 and p130, allowed the cells to be growth inhibited by FGF, suggesting that pRb itself is not involved in the FGF response. To investigate more precisely the role of the individual Rb family proteins in FGF-mediated growth inhibition, we used chondrocyte micromass culture of limb bud cells isolated from mice lacking Rb proteins individually or in combination. Although wild-type as well as Rb-/- chondrocytes were similarly growth inhibited by FGF, chondrocytes null for p107 and p130 did not respond to FGF. Furthermore, FGF treatment of metatarsal bone rudiments obtained from p107-/-;p130-/- embryos failed to inhibit proliferation of growth plate chondrocytes, whereas rudiments from p107-null or p130-null embryos showed only a slight inhibition of growth. Our findings indicate that p107 and p130, but not pRb, are critical effectors of FGF-mediated growth inhibition in chondrocytes.     

Targeting autophagy for drug-induced hepatotoxicity

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway for bulk cytosolic proteins and damaged organelles, and is well known to act as a cell survival mechanism. Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose can cause liver injury in animals and humans by inducing necrosis due to mitochondrial damage. We recently found that pharmacological induction of autophagy by rapamycin protects against, whereas pharmacological suppression of autophagy by chloroquine exacerbates, APAP-induced liver injury in mice. Autophagy is induced to remove APAP-induced damaged mitochondria and thus attenuates APAP-induced hepatocyte necrosis. To our surprise, we found that liver-specific Atg5 knockout mice are not more susceptible, but are resistant to APAP-induced liver injury due to compensatory effects. Our work suggests that pharmacological modulation of autophagy is a novel therapeutic approach to ameliorate APAP-induced liver injury. Moreover, our work also suggests that caution needs to be exercised when using genetic autophagy gene knockout mice for pathophysiological studies.     

Macrophage lipoprotein lipase modulates the development of atherosclerosis but not adiposity

The role of macrophage lipoprotein lipase (LpL) in the development of atherosclerosis and adiposity was examined in macrophage LpL knockout (MLpLKO) mice. MLpLKO mice were generated using cre-loxP gene targeting. Loss of LpL in macrophages did not alter plasma LpL activity or lipoprotein levels. Incubation of apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-deficient β-VLDL with peritoneal macrophages from ApoE knockout mice lacking macrophage LpL (MLpLKO/ApoEKO) led to less cholesteryl ester formation than that found with ApoEKO macrophages. MLpLKO/ApoEKO macrophages had reduced intracellular triglyceride levels, with decreased CD36 and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 mRNA levels compared with ApoEKO macrophages, when incubated with VLDL. Although both MLpLKO/ApoEKO and ApoEKO mice developed comparable hypercholesterolemia in response to feeding with a Western-type diet for 12 weeks, atherosclerosis was less in MLpLKO/ApoEKO mice. Epididymal fat mass and gene expression levels associated with inflammation did not differ between the two groups. In conclusion, macrophage LpL plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis but not adiposity.     

Developmental loss and resistance to MPTP toxicity of dopaminergic neurones in substantia nigra pars compacta of gamma-synuclein, alpha-synuclein and double alpha/gamma-synuclein null mutant mice

The growing body of evidence suggests that intermediate products of alpha-synuclein aggregation cause death of sensitive populations of neurones, particularly dopaminergic neurones, which is a critical event in the development of Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies. The role of two other members of the family, beta-synuclein and gamma-synuclein, in neurodegeneration is less understood. We studied the effect of inactivation of gamma-synuclein gene on mouse midbrain dopaminergic neurones. Reduced number of dopaminergic neurones was found in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) but not in ventral tegmental area (VTA) of early post-natal and adult gamma-synuclein null mutant mice. Similar reductions were revealed in alpha-synuclein and double alpha-synuclein/gamma-synuclein null mutant animals. However, in none of these mutants did this lead to significant changes of striatal dopamine or dopamine metabolite levels and motor dysfunction. In all three studied types of null mutants, dopaminergic neurones of SNpc were resistant to methyl-phenyl-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) toxicity. We propose that both synucleins are important for effective survival of SNpc neurones during critical period of development but, in the absence of these proteins, permanent activation of compensatory mechanisms allow many neurones to survive and become resistant to certain toxic insults.     

脂代谢相关基因在apoE基因缺失幼龄小鼠肝脏中的表达

本文旨在分析脂代谢相关基因在载脂蛋白E(apolipoprotein E,apoE)基因缺失(apoE-/-)幼龄小鼠肝脏中的表达特征及其与血脂紊乱和动脉粥样硬化(atherosclerosis,AS)早期病变的关系.利用半定量RT-PCR和荧光实时定量RT-PCR技术,分析14 d龄、1、2和3月龄apoE-/-小鼠及同龄野生型(wild type,WT)小鼠肝脏脂代谢相关基因的表达,并进行血生化指标及主动脉病理形态学榆测.apo-/-小鼠肝脏中apoAI、apoAIV表达在14d龄时即发生显著变化(P<0.05);在1月龄时apoB10G表达较同龄WT小鼠明显上调(P＜0.05);apoA V表达则在2月龄时较同龄WT小鼠上调(P＜0.05),此时可观察到apoE-/-小鼠主动脉内膜出现AS早期病变;Faf/CD36和Angptl 3表达在3月龄时较同龄WT小鼠上调(P＜0.05);实验中检测的其它基因的mRNA表达与同龄WT小鼠相比无显著性差异.apoE-/-小鼠血清总胆同醇、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇含量均高于同龄WT小鼠,并随年龄增长而升高.apoE-/-小鼠和同龄WT小鼠血清中apoB100蛋白浓度在14 d龄到3月龄问变化趋势与其在肝脏中mRNA表达及血清中低密度脂蛋白胆崮醇含量变化趋势基本一致.上述部分脂代谢相关基因表达在幼龄小鼠即发生改变,与血脂紊乱以及主动脉AS病变发生发展过程呈正相关,说明其可能在幼龄小鼠脂质代谢紊乱发生过程中起重要作用,从而引起动脉内皮细胞功能改变乃至AS早期病变的发生.     

简易高效的小鼠肝再生模型的建立

目的建立一种简易、高效的小鼠2/3肝切除方法。方法取3月龄健康昆明小鼠,进行肝顺次结扎切除手术,观察术后小鼠生存和肝组织再生状况。结果通过顺次结扎切除左小叶和中央小叶,可在15min内完成小鼠2/3肝脏切除手术,术后成活率为90%,术后42h时可见肝组织再生,术后7d肝脏可恢复75%以上的肝组织原质量。结论通过分叶顺次肝切除术,可准确量化肝脏切除的程度,简便易行、成功率高,为肝再生的机理研究提供了理想的动物模型。     

Tbx18对小鼠心脏冠状血管及室壁结构发育的影响

利用Tbx18谱系示踪小鼠模型及Tbx18条件性基因敲除小鼠模型,探讨转录因子Tbx18对小鼠心血管结构发育的影响.实验建立Tbx18-Cre/Rosa26R-EYFP和Tbx18-Cre/Rosa26R-Lac Z两种基因敲入谱系示踪小鼠模型和Tbx18:Cre/Cre基因敲除小鼠模型;通过免疫荧光及X-gal染色技术,示踪Tbx18在心血管系统结构形成中的命运;通过小鼠心脏整体血管免疫组化及切片HE染色、免疫组化、免疫荧光技术,比较Tbx18:Cre/Cre基因敲除小鼠与野生型对照小鼠心脏室壁结构及冠状血管结构发育情况.示踪结果提示,Tbx18参与小鼠冠状血管及室间隔结构的形成,并与冠脉平滑肌细胞共表达;对Tbx18基因敲除小鼠及野生型小鼠的心脏结构比较提示,Tbx18基因敲除后,仍能形成形态正常的冠状血管系统,小鼠心室肌及室间隔厚度较野生型无明显差异.结果表明,Tbx18参与小鼠心脏血管平滑肌及室间隔结构的形成,但其在小鼠心脏腔室结构及冠状血管结构形成过程中不是必需的.     

Roles for Laminin in Embryogenesis: Exencephaly,Syndactyly, and Placentopathy in Mice Lacking the Laminin α5 Chain

Laminins are the major noncollagenous glycoproteins of all basal laminae (BLs). They are α/β/γ heterotrimers assembled from 10 known chains, and they subserve both structural and signaling roles. Previously described mutations in laminin chain genes result in diverse disorders that are manifested postnatally and therefore provide little insight into laminin''s roles in embryonic development. Here, we show that the laminin α5 chain is required during embryogenesis. The α5 chain is present in virtually all BLs of early somite stage embryos and then becomes restricted to specific BLs as development proceeds, including those of the surface ectoderm and placental vasculature. BLs that lose α5 retain or acquire other α chains. Embryos lacking laminin α5 die late in embryogenesis. They exhibit multiple developmental defects, including failure of anterior neural tube closure (exencephaly), failure of digit septation (syndactyly), and dysmorphogenesis of the placental labyrinth. These defects are all attributable to defects in BLs that are α5 positive in controls and that appear ultrastructurally abnormal in its absence. Other laminin α chains accumulate in these BLs, but this compensation is apparently functionally inadequate. Our results identify new roles for laminins and BLs in diverse developmental processes.     

Essential mesenchymal role of small GTPase Rac1 in interdigital programmed cell death during limb development

Developing vertebrate limbs are often utilized as a model for studying pattern formation and morphogenetic cell death. Herein, we report that conditional deletion of Rac1, a member of the Rho family of proteins, in mouse limb bud mesenchyme led to skeletal deformities in the autopod and soft tissue syndactyly, with the latter caused by a complete absence of interdigital programmed cell death. Furthermore, the lack of interdigital programmed cell death and associated syndactyly was related to down-regulated gene expression of Bmp2, Bmp7, Msx1, and Msx2, which are known to promote apoptosis in the interdigital mesenchyme. Our findings from Rac1 conditional mutants indicate crucial roles for Rac1 in limb bud morphogenesis, especially interdigital programmed cell death.     

Hippo信号通路与肝脏稳态调控及疾病发生

肝脏是人体最重要的器官之一,乙肝等病毒性与酒精等非病毒性因素诱发的肝损伤引起肝脏功能衰竭、再生重塑障碍、肝癌等疾病是我国重大社会健康问题,因此,研究肝脏稳态的调控机制对肝病的预防和临床治疗至关重要。Hippo信号通路参与了哺乳动物多种细胞和器官的稳态调控。最近研究表明,Hippo信号通路在肝脏发育、肝细胞命运决定、肝脏再生和癌症发生发展等过程中都发挥了非常重要的作用。因此,Hippo信号通路可成为肝脏相关疾病的治疗提供了新的靶点。本文综述了Hippo信号通路与肝脏稳态调控的相关研究及最新进展,以期为研究肝脏发育和肝脏相关疾病的治疗提供新的思路和策略。     

肝脏发育相关信号通路

肝脏发育从肝芽的出现开始,到肝祖细胞的形成,接着肝祖细胞的增殖、分化和迁移,直至最后器官的形成,经历了复杂的细胞信号调控过程。本文综述了肝脏发育过程中常见的信号调控作用,包括成纤维生长因子(fibroblast growth factor,FGF)、骨形态发生蛋白(bone morphogenetic protein,BMP)、β-转化生长因子(transforming growth factor-β,TGF-β)、肝细胞生长因子(hepatocyte growth factor,HGF)和Wnt等信号通路,并重点讨论了在胚胎阶段调控肝脏发育的信号途径以及肝细胞和胆管细胞发育成熟过程中的信号因子作用,最后对肝脏再生相关的信号调控进行了简要介绍。