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A Hedgehog-FGF signaling axis patterns anterior mesoderm during gastrulation

ABSTRACT: Single cell technologies hold promise for resolving complex early developmental phenotypes. Here we define a novel Hedgehog (Hh)-Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signaling axis for the formation of anterior mesoderm lineages during gastrulation. Single-cell transcriptome analysis of Hh-deficient mesoderm revealed selective deficits in anterior mesoderm populations—culminating in defects to anterior embryonic structures including the pharyngeal arches, heart, and anterior somites. Transcriptional profiling of Hh-deficient mesoderm during gastrulation revealed disruptions to both transcriptional patterning of the mesoderm and FGF signaling for mesoderm migration. Mesoderm-specific Fgf4/Fgf8 double mutants recapitulated anterior mesoderm defects and Hh-dependent GLI transcription factors modulated enhancers at FGF gene loci. Cellular migration defects during gastrulation induced by Hh pathway antagonism were mitigated by FGF4 protein. These findings implicate a multicomponent signaling hierarchy activated by Hh ligands from the embryonic node and executed by FGF signals in nascent mesoderm to control anterior mesoderm patterning.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE149335 | GEO | 2020/06/23

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Mammalian genomes are subjected to epigenetic modifications, including cytosine methylation by DNA methyltransferases (Dnmt) and further oxidation by Ten-eleven-translocation (Tet) family of dioxygenases. Cytosine methylation plays key roles in multiple processes such as genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation. However, the functional significance of cytosine methylation and the further oxidation has remained undetermined in mouse embryogenesis. Here we show that global inactivation of all three Tet genes in mice led to consistent defects in gastrulation. The defects include reduced specification of the axial mesoderm and paraxial mesoderm, mimicking phenotypes in embryos with gain-of-function Nodal signaling, a cardinal cue for gastrulation. Introduction of a single mutant allele of Nodal in the Tet mutant background partially restored patterning, suggesting that hyperactive Nodal signaling is a leading cause for the gastrulation failure of Tet mutants. Increased Nodal signaling is likely due to diminished expression of the Lefty1 and Lefty2 genes, inhibitors of Nodal signaling. Moreover, reduction in the Lefty gene expression can be ascribed to elevated DNA methylation as both Lefty-Nodal signaling and normal morphogenesis are largely restored in Tet-deficient embryos when the Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b genes are disrupted. Additionally, specific inactivation of Tet by point mutations abolishing the dioxygenase activity causes similar molecular and gastrulation abnormalities. Taken together, our results show that Tet-mediated DNA oxidation modulates the Lefty-Nodal signaling by promoting demethylation of the shared target genes with Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b. These findings reveal a fundamental epigenetic mechanism featuring dynamic DNA methylation and demethylation and their role in the regulation of key signaling in body plan formation during early embryogenesis. Examine RNA expression and DNA methylation differences between Tet-null and wild type samples of mouse epiblast in E6.5.

Project description:Activation of Map kinase/Erk signalling downstream of fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) tyrosine kinase receptors regulates gene expression required for mesoderm induction and patterning of the anteroposterior axis during Xenopus development. We have proposed that a subset of Fgf target genes are activated in the embyo in response to inhibition of a transcriptional repressor. Here we investigate the hypothesis that Cic (Capicua), which was originally identified as a transcriptional repressor negatively regulated by receptor tyrosine kinase/Erk signalling in Drosophila, is involved in regulating Fgf target gene expression in Xenopus. We characterise Xenopus Cic and show that it is widely expressed in the embryo. Fgf overexpression or ectodermal wounding, both of which potently activate Erk, reduce Cic protein levels in embryonic cells. A similar mechanism of Cic protein degradation downstream of the Torso receptor tyrosine kinase receptor negatively regulates Cic activity in Drosophila. In keeping with our hypothesis, we show that Cic knockdown and Fgf overexpression have overlapping effects on embryo development and gene expression. Transcriptomic analysis identifies a cohort of genes that are up-regulated by Fgf overexpression and Cic knockdown. We investigate two of these genes, fos and rasl11b, which, respectively, encode a leucine zipper transcription factor and a ras family GTPase, as putative targets of the proposed Fgf/Erk/Cic axis. We identify Cic consensus binding sites in a highly conserved region of intron 1 in the fos gene and Cic sites in the upstream regions of several other Fgf/Cic co-regulated genes, including rasl11b. We show that expression of fos and rasl11b is blocked in the early mesoderm when Fgf and Erk signalling is inhibited. In addition, we show that fos and rasl11b expression is associated with the Fgf independent activation of Erk at the site of ectodermal wounding. Our data support a role for a Fgf/Erk/Cic axis in regulating a subset of Fgf target genes during gastrulation and is suggestive that Erk signalling is involved in regulating Cic target genes at the site of ectodermal wounding.

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A Hedgehog-FGF signaling axis patterns anterior mesoderm during gastrulation

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