Induced Wnt5a expression perturbs embryonic outgrowth and intestinal elongation, but is well-tolerated in adult mice

Embryonic mesoangioblasts are the in vitro counterpart of vessel-associated progenitors, able to differentiate into different mesoderm cell types. To investigate signals recruiting these progenitors to a skeletal myogenic fate, we developed an in vitro assay, based upon co-culture of E11.5 dorsal aorta (from MLC3F-nLacZ transgenic embryos, expressing nuclear beta galactosidase only in striated muscle) with differentiating C2C12 or primary myoblasts. Under these conditions muscle differentiation from cells originating from the vessel can be quantified by counting the number of beta gal+nuclei. Results indicated that Noggin (but not Follistatin, Chordin or Gremlin) stimulates while BMP2/4 inhibits myogenesis from dorsal aorta progenitors; neutralizing antibodies and shRNA greatly reduce these effects. In contrast, TGF-β1, VEGF, Wnt7A, Wnt3A, bFGF, PDGF-BB and IGF1 have no effect. Sorting experiments indicated that the majority of these myogenic progenitors express the pericyte marker NG2. Moreover they are abundant in the thoracic segment at E10.5 and in the iliac bifurcation at E11.5 suggesting the occurrence of a cranio-caudal wave of competent cells along the aorta. BMP2 is expressed in the dorsal aorta and Noggin in newly formed muscle fibers suggesting that these two tissues compete to recruit mesoderm cells to a myogenic or to a perithelial fate in the developing fetal muscle.     

Defective vascular development in connexin 45-deficient mice

In order to reveal the biological function(s) of the gap-junction protein connexin 45 (Cx45), we generated Cx45-deficient mice with targeted replacement of the Cx45-coding region with the lacZ reporter gene. Heterozygous Cx45(+/)(-) mice showed strong expression of the reporter gene in vascular and visceral smooth muscle cells. Cx45-deficient embryos exhibited striking abnormalities in vascular development and died between embryonic day (E) 9.5 and 10.5. Differentiation and positioning of endothelial cells appeared to be normal, but subsequent development of blood vessels revealed impaired formation of vascular trees in the yolk sac, impaired allantoic mesenchymal ingrowth and capillary formation in the labyrinthine part of the placenta, and arrest of arterial growth, including a failure to develop a smooth muscle layer surrounding the major arteries of the embryo proper. As a consequence, the hearts of most Cx45-deficient embryos were dilated. The abnormal development of the vasculature in the yolk sac of Cx45(-)(/)(-) embryos could be caused by defective TGFbeta signalling, as the amount of TGF beta1 protein in the epithelial layer of the yolk sac was largely decreased in the E9.5 Cx45(-)(/)(-) embryo, compared with the wild-type embryo. The defective vascular development was accompanied by massive apoptosis, which began in some embryos at E8.5 and was abundant in virtually all tissues of the embryos at E9.5. We conclude that in Cx45(-)(/)(-) embryos, vasculogenesis was normal, but subsequent transformation into mature vessels was interrupted. Development of different types of vessels was impaired to a varying extent, which possibly reflects the complementation by other connexin(s).     

Kit ligand has a critical role in mouse yolk sac and aorta–gonad–mesonephros hematopoiesis

Few studies report on the in vivo requirement for hematopoietic niche factors in the mammalian embryo. Here, we comprehensively analyze the requirement for Kit ligand (Kitl) in the yolk sac and aorta–gonad–mesonephros (AGM) niche. In‐depth analysis of loss‐of‐function and transgenic reporter mouse models show that Kitl‐deficient embryos harbor decreased numbers of yolk sac erythro‐myeloid progenitor (EMP) cells, resulting from a proliferation defect following their initial emergence. This EMP defect causes a dramatic decrease in fetal liver erythroid cells prior to the onset of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)‐derived erythropoiesis, and a reduction in tissue‐resident macrophages. Pre‐HSCs in the AGM require Kitl for survival and maturation, but not proliferation. Although Kitl is expressed widely in all embryonic hematopoietic niches, conditional deletion in endothelial cells recapitulates germline loss‐of‐function phenotypes in AGM and yolk sac, with phenotypic HSCs but not EMPs remaining dependent on endothelial Kitl upon migration to the fetal liver. In conclusion, our data establish Kitl as a critical regulator in the in vivoAGM and yolk sac endothelial niche.     

Mouse placenta is a major hematopoietic organ

Placenta and yolk sac from 8- to 17-day-old (E8-E17) mouse embryos/fetuses were investigated for the presence of in vitro clonogenic progenitors. At E8-E9, the embryonic body from the umbilicus caudalwards was also analysed. Fetal liver was analysed beginning on E10. At E8, between five and nine somite pairs (sp), placenta, yolk sac and embryonic body yielded no progenitors. The first progenitors appeared at E8.5 at the stage of 15 sp in the yolk sac, 18 sp in the embryonic body, 20 sp in the placenta and only at E12 in the fetal liver (absent at E10, at E11 not determined). Progenitors with a high proliferation potential that could be replated for two months, as well as the whole range of myeloid progenitors, were found at all stages in all organs. However, the earliest of these progenitors (these yielding large, multilineage colonies) were 2-4 times more frequent in the placenta than in the yolk sac or fetal liver. In the fetal liver, late progenitors were more frequent and the cellularity increased steeply with developmental age. Thus, the fetal liver, which is a recognized site for amplification and commitment, has a very different hematopoietic developmental profile from placenta or yolk sac. Placentas were obtained from GFP transgenic embryos in which only the embryonic contribution expressed the transgene. 80% of the colonies derived from these placental cells were GFP+, and so originated from the fetal component of the placenta. These data point to the placenta as a major hematopoietic organ that is active during most of pregnancy.     

Pericytes of human skeletal muscle are myogenic precursors distinct from satellite cells

Cells derived from blood vessels of human skeletal muscle can regenerate skeletal muscle, similarly to embryonic mesoangioblasts. However, adult cells do not express endothelial markers, but instead express markers of pericytes, such as NG2 proteoglycan and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and can be prospectively isolated from freshly dissociated ALP(+) cells. Unlike canonical myogenic precursors (satellite cells), pericyte-derived cells express myogenic markers only in differentiated myotubes, which they form spontaneously with high efficiency. When transplanted into severe combined immune deficient-X-linked, mouse muscular dystrophy (scid-mdx) mice, pericyte-derived cells colonize host muscle and generate numerous fibres expressing human dystrophin. Similar cells isolated from Duchenne patients, and engineered to express human mini-dystrophin, also give rise to many dystrophin-positive fibres in vivo. These data show that myogenic precursors, distinct from satellite cells, are associated with microvascular walls in the human skeletal muscle, may represent a correlate of embryonic 'mesoangioblasts' present after birth and may be a promising candidate for future cell-therapy protocols in patients.     

The meso-angioblast: a multipotent,self-renewing cell that originates from the dorsal aorta and differentiates into most mesodermal tissues

We have previously reported the origin of a class of skeletal myogenic cells from explants of dorsal aorta. This finding disagrees with the known origin of all skeletal muscle from somites and has therefore led us to investigate the in vivo origin of these cells and, moreover, whether their fate is restricted to skeletal muscle, as observed in vitro under the experimental conditions used. To address these issues, we grafted quail or mouse embryonic aorta into host chick embryos. Donor cells, initially incorporated into the host vessels, were later integrated into mesodermal tissues, including blood, cartilage, bone, smooth, skeletal and cardiac muscle. When expanded on a feeder layer of embryonic fibroblasts, the clonal progeny of a single cell from the mouse dorsal aorta acquired unlimited lifespan, expressed hemo-angioblastic markers (CD34, Flk1 and Kit) at both early and late passages, and maintained multipotency in culture or when transplanted into a chick embryo. We conclude that these newly identified vessel-associated stem cells, the meso-angioblasts, participate in postembryonic development of the mesoderm, and we speculate that postnatal mesodermal stem cells may be derived from a vascular developmental origin.     

Blood-forming potential of vascular endothelium in the human embryo

Hematopoietic cells arise first in the third week of human ontogeny inside yolk sac developing blood vessels, then, one week later and independently, from the wall of the embryonic aorta and vitelline artery. To address the suggested derivation of emerging hematopoietic stem cells from the vessel endothelium, endothelial cells have been sorted by flow cytometry from the yolk sac and aorta and cultured in the presence of stromal cells that support human multilineage hematopoiesis. Embryonic endothelial cells were most accurately selected on CD34 or CD31 surface expression and absence of CD45, which guaranteed the absence of contaminating hematopoietic cells. Yet, rigorously selected endothelial cells yielded a progeny of myelo-lymphoid cells in culture. The frequency of hemogenic endothelial cells in the yolk sac and aorta reflected the actual blood-forming activity of these tissues, as a function of developmental age. Even less expected, a subset of endothelial cells sorted similarly from the embryonic liver and fetal bone marrow also exhibited blood-forming potential. These results suggest that a part at least of emerging hematopoietic cells in the human embryo and fetus originate in vascular walls.     

Spontaneous and induced myogenesis in cell cultures from rat fetal liver

Fetal liver stroma consists of different cell populations. We found that the liver of 17- and 20-day rat fetuses contained skeletal muscle precursors that expressed MyoD. In primary cultures of liver cells from 15-, 17- and 20-day fetuses, spontaneous myotube formation was observed. The antigenic profile of these myogenic elements assayed by immunocytochemistry and PCR unambiguously indicated their skeletal muscle nature. Examination of major myogenic gene expression demonstrated that myogenic potencies cells from liver depended on the stage of fetal development cell cultivation. It was shown that fetal liver MSCs were capable of myotube formation in induction medium with 5-azacytidine. The results of our study show that 15- to 20-day prenatal rat liver contains mainly preexisting skeletal muscle precursors expressing MyoD and, probably, inducible muscle precursors.     

Human fetal aorta-derived vascular progenitor cells: identification and potential application in ischemic diseases

Vasculogenesis, the formation of blood vessels in embryonic or fetal tissue mediated by immature vascular cells (i.e., angioblasts), is poorly understood. Here we report a summary of our recent studies on the identification of a population of vascular progenitor cells (VPCs) in human fetal aorta. These undifferentiated mesenchymal cells co-express endothelial and myogenic markers (CD133+, CD34+, KDR+, desmin+) and are localized in outer layer of the aortic stroma of 11–12 weeks old human fetuses. Under stimulation with VEGF-A or PDGF-BB, VPCs give origin to a mixed population of mature endothelial and mural cells, respectively. When embedded in a three-dimensional collagen gel, VPCs organize into cohesive cellular cords that resembled mature vascular structures. The therapeutic efficacy of a small number of VPCs transplanted into ischemic limb muscle was demonstrated in immunodeficient mice. Investigation of the effect of VPCs on experimental heart ischemia and on diabetic ischemic ulcers in mice is in progress and seems to confirm their efficacy. On the whole, fetal aorta represents an important source for the investigation of phenotypic and functional features of human vascular progenitor cells.     

Spontaneous and induced myogenesis in cell culture from rat fetal liver

Fetal liver stroma consists of different cell populations that are studied insufficiently. We have found skeletal muscle precursors that express MyoD in liver of 17 day and 20 day rat fetuses. Spontaneous myotube formation was observed in primary cultures of liver cells of 15, 17 and 20 day fetuses. Estimating antigenic profiles of these myogenic elements by immunocytochemistry and PCR methods unambiguously indicated their skeletal muscle nature. Comparative study of major myogenic gene expression demonstrated dependence of the myogenic potencies of liver cells on both the stage of fetal development and the duration of cell cultivation. It was shown that fetal liver MSCs were capable of myotube formation in the induction medium with 5-azacitidin. The results of our study, thereby, indicate that 15-20 day prenatal rat liver contains pre-existing skeletal muscle precursors expressing MyoD and, probably, inducible muscle precursors.     

The production of fluorescent transgenic trout to study <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> myogenic cell differentiation

Background  

Fish skeletal muscle growth involves the activation of a resident myogenic stem cell population, referred to as satellite cells, that can fuse with pre-existing muscle fibers or among themselves to generate a new fiber. In order to monitor the regulation of myogenic cell differentiation and fusion by various extrinsic factors, we generated transgenic trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) carrying a construct containing the green fluorescent protein reporter gene driven by a fast myosin light chain 2 (MlC2f) promoter, and cultivated genetically modified myogenic cells derived from these fish.     

Apolipoprotein B-related gene expression and ultrastructural characteristics of lipoprotein secretion in mouse yolk sac during embryonic development.

In mice, the yolk sac appears to play a crucial role in nourishing the developing embryo, especially during embryonic days (E) 7;-10. Lipoprotein synthesis and secretion may be essential for this function: embryos lacking apolipoprotein (apo) B or microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), both of which participate in the assembly of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, are apparently defective in their ability to export lipoproteins from yolk sac endoderm cells and die during mid-gestation. We therefore analyzed the embryonic expression of apoB, MTP, and alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (alpha-TTP), which have been associated with the assembly and secretion of apoB-containing lipoproteins in the adult liver, at different developmental time points. MTP expression or activity was found in the yolk sac and fetal liver, and low levels of activity were detected in E18.5 placentas. alpha-TTP mRNA and protein were detectable in the fetal liver, but not in the yolk sac or placenta. Ultrastructural analysis of yolk sac visceral endoderm cells demonstrated nascent VLDL within the luminal spaces of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus at E7.5 and E8.5. The particles were reduced in diameter at E13.5 and reduced in number at E18.5;-19.The data support the hypothesis that the yolk sac plays a vital role in providing lipids and lipid-soluble nutrients to embryos during the early phases (E7;-10) of mouse development. secretion in mouse yolk sac during embryonic development.     

Transdifferentiation of esophageal smooth to skeletal muscle is myogenic bHLH factor-dependent

Previously, coexpression of smooth and skeletal differentiation markers, but not myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), was observed from E16.5 mouse fetuses in a small percentage of diaphragm level esophageal muscle cells, suggesting that MRFs are not involved in the process of initiation of developmentally programmed transdifferentiation in the esophagus. To investigate smooth-to-skeletal esophageal muscle transition, we analyzed Myf5nlacZ knock-in mice, MyoD-lacZ and myogenin-lacZ transgenic embryos with a panel of the antibodies reactive with myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) and smooth and skeletal muscle markers. We observed that lacZ-expressing myogenic precursors were not detected in the esophagus before E15.5, arguing against the hypothesis that muscle precursor cells populate the esophagus at an earlier stage of development. Rather, the expression of the MRFs initiated in smooth muscle cells in the upper esophagus of E15.5 mouse embryos and was immediately followed by the expression of skeletal muscle markers. Moreover, transdifferentiation was markedly delayed or absent only in the absence of Myf5, suggesting that appropriate initiation and progression of smooth-to-skeletal muscle transdifferentiation is Myf5-dependent. Accordingly, the esophagus of Myf5(-/-):MyoD(-/-)embryos completely failed to undergo skeletal myogenesis and consisted entirely of smooth muscle. Lastly, extensive proliferation of muscularis precursor cells, without programmed cell death, occurred concomitantly with esophageal smooth-to-skeletal muscle transdifferentiation. Taken together, these results indicate that transdifferentiation is the fate of all smooth muscle cells in the upper esophagus and is normally initiated by Myf5.     

Embryonic macrophages of early rat yolk sac: Immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure with reference to endodermal cell layer

Macrophages are multifunctional cells that participate in numerous biological processes; they actively phagocytose foreign particles and cell debris. Embryonic tissue macrophages are present at early stages of mammalian development; their ontogeny and function is still under investigation. Our study used immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy to investigate early rat yolk sac macrophages using mouse antirat macrophage monoclonal antibodies (mAb) Mar 1 and Mar 3 produced by our laboratory. Mar 3 mAb revealed the first emergence of immature macrophages in the rat yolk sac at fetal day nine coinciding with the beginning of yolk sac haemopoiesis that consisted mainly of erythropoiesis, while Mar 1 mAb detected specifically rat yolk sac macrophages at about the 13th to 14th day of gestation. Immunoreactivity against Mar mAbs was mainly located in the yolk sac endodermal cell layer, which may signify endodermal origin of the yolk sac macrophages. Ultrastructurally mature yolk sac macrophages contained numerous endocytic vesicles or vacuoles, well-developed Golgi saccules and many electron dense granules in their cytoplasm and a number of microvillous projections from the cell surface. After establishment of the circulation between yolk sac and embryo, Mar 3 positive cells were also demonstrated inside fetal undifferentiated mesenchymal tissue at fetal day 12. The study demonstrated the first emergence of immature yolk sac macrophages being among the earliest haemopoietic cells formed in mammalian development. Thus, Mar mAbs managed to detect macrophage differentiation antigens through their development early in the rat yolk sac.     

Regulation of myogenic progenitor proliferation in human fetal skeletal muscle by BMP4 and its antagonist Gremlin

Skeletal muscle side population (SP) cells are thought to be "stem"-like cells. Despite reports confirming the ability of muscle SP cells to give rise to differentiated progeny in vitro and in vivo, the molecular mechanisms defining their phenotype remain unclear. In this study, gene expression analyses of human fetal skeletal muscle demonstrate that bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) is highly expressed in SP cells but not in main population (MP) mononuclear muscle-derived cells. Functional studies revealed that BMP4 specifically induces proliferation of BMP receptor 1a-positive MP cells but has no effect on SP cells, which are BMPR1a-negative. In contrast, the BMP4 antagonist Gremlin, specifically up-regulated in MP cells, counteracts the stimulatory effects of BMP4 and inhibits proliferation of BMPR1a-positive muscle cells. In vivo, BMP4-positive cells can be found in the proximity of BMPR1a-positive cells in the interstitial spaces between myofibers. Gremlin is expressed by mature myofibers and interstitial cells, which are separate from BMP4-expressing cells. Together, these studies propose that BMP4 and Gremlin, which are highly expressed by human fetal skeletal muscle SP and MP cells, respectively, are regulators of myogenic progenitor proliferation.     

Hedgehog is required for murine yolk sac angiogenesis.

Blood islands, the precursors of yolk sac blood vessels, contain primitive erythrocytes surrounded by a layer of endothelial cells. These structures differentiate from extra-embryonic mesodermal cells that underlie the visceral endoderm. Our previous studies have shown that Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is expressed in the visceral endoderm both in the visceral yolk sac in vivo and in embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived embryoid bodies. Differentiating embryoid bodies form blood islands, providing an in vitro model for studying vasculogenesis and hematopoiesis. A role for Ihh in yolk sac function is suggested by the observation that roughly 50% of Ihh(-/-) mice die at mid-gestation, potentially owing to vascular defects in the yolk sac. To address the nature of the possible vascular defects, we have examined the ability of ES cells deficient for Ihh or smoothened (Smo), which encodes a receptor component essential for all hedgehog signaling, to form blood islands in vitro. Embryoid bodies derived from these cell lines are unable to form blood islands, and express reduced levels of both PECAM1, an endothelial cell marker, and alpha-SMA, a vascular smooth muscle marker. RT-PCR analysis in the Ihh(-/-) lines shows a substantial decrease in the expression of Flk1 and Tal1, markers for the hemangioblast, the precursor of both blood and endothelial cells, as well as Flt1, an angiogenesis marker. To extend these observations, we have examined the phenotypes of embryo yolk sacs deficient for Ihh or SMO: Whereas Ihh(-/-) yolk sacs can form blood vessels, the vessels are fewer in number and smaller, perhaps owing to their inability to undergo vascular remodeling. Smo(-/-) yolk sacs arrest at an earlier stage: the endothelial tubes are packed with hematopoietic cells, and fail to undergo even the limited vascular remodeling observed in the Ihh(-/-) yolk sacs. Our study supports a role for hedgehog signaling in yolk sac angiogenesis.     

Afp::mCherry, a red fluorescent transgenic reporter of the mouse visceral endoderm

Live imaging of genetically encoded fluorescent protein reporters is increasingly being used to investigate details of the cellular behaviors that underlie the large-scale tissue rearrangements that shape the embryo. However, the majority of mouse fluorescent reporter strains are based on the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Mouse reporter strains expressing fluorescent colors other than GFP are therefore valuable for co-visualization studies with GFP, where relative positioning and relationship between two different tissues or compartments within cells are being investigated. Here, we report the generation and characterization of a transgenic Afp::mCherry mouse strain in which cis-regulatory elements from the Alpha-fetoprotein (Afp) locus were used to drive expression of the monomeric Cherry red fluorescent protein. The Afp::mCherry transgene is based on and recapitulates reporter expression of a previously described Afp::GFP strain. However, we note that perdurance of mCherry protein is not as prolonged as GFP, making the Afp::mCherry line a more faithful reporter of endogenous Afp expression. Afp::mCherry transgenic mice expressed mCherry specifically in the visceral endoderm and its derivatives, including the visceral yolk sac, gut endoderm, fetal liver, and pancreas of the embryo. The Afp::mCherry reporter was also noted to be expressed in other documented sites of Afp expression including hepatocytes as well as in pancreas, digestive tract, and brain of postnatal mice.