Project description:To characterize the molecular features of human and mouse nephron progenitors and stromal cells we performed intracellular labeling for SIX2 and/or MEIS1 antibodies, FACS, and RNA-seq. Mouse interstitial progenitors were isolated by Foxd1-Tdt transgenic line, FACS, and RNA-seq
Project description:SIX2 is expressed by the self-renewing nephron progenitors in the human fetal kidney. We have also discovered that SIX1 is expressed in nephron progenitor population of the human fetal kidney, which is in contrast to the mouse. We performed ChIP-seq of SIX1 and SIX2 in order to identify the target genes of each factor and compare the role that each factor plays in transcriptional regulation of the nephron progenitors. We additionally performed ChIP-seq for p300 and H3K27ac in order to identify active loci and complement the transcription factor data.
Project description:Nephron endowment is determined by the self-renewal and induction of a nephron progenitor pool established at the onset of kidney development. In the mouse, the related transcriptional regulators Six1 and Six2 play non-overlapping roles in nephron progenitors. Transient Six1 activity prefigures, and is essential for, active nephrogenesis. In contrast, Six2 maintains later progenitor self-renewal from the onset of nephrogenesis. We compared Six2’s regulatory actions in mouse and human nephron progenitors by chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq). Surprisingly, SIX1 was identified as a SIX2 target unique to the human nephron progenitors. Further, RNA-seq and immunostaining revealed overlapping SIX1 and SIX2 progenitor activity in the 16 week human fetal kidney. Human SIX1 ChIP-seq revealed a similar set of targets to SIX2, and predicted both factors bind DNA through an identical recognition site. In contrast to the mouse where Six2 binds its own enhancers but doesn’t interact with DNA around Six1, both human SIX1 and SIX2 bind homologous SIX2 enhancers and putative enhancers positioned around SIX1. Transgenic analysis of a putative human SIX1 enhancer in the mouse revealed a transient, mouse-like, pre-nephrogenic, Six1 regulatory pattern. Together, these data demonstrate a divergence in SIX-factor regulation between mouse and human nephron progenitors. In the human, an auto/cross-regulatory loop drives continued SIX1 and SIX2 expression during active nephrogenesis. In contrast, the mouse establishes only an auto-regulatory Six2 loop. It is tempting to speculate that differential SIX-factor regulation may contribute to species differences in the duration of progenitor programs and nephron output.
Project description:Nephron endowment is determined by the self-renewal and induction of a nephron progenitor pool established at the onset of kidney development. In the mouse, the related transcriptional regulators Six1 and Six2 play non-overlapping roles in nephron progenitors. Transient Six1 activity prefigures, and is essential for, active nephrogenesis. In contrast, Six2 maintains later progenitor self-renewal from the onset of nephrogenesis. We compared Six2’s regulatory actions in mouse and human nephron progenitors by chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq). Surprisingly, SIX1 was identified as a SIX2 target unique to the human nephron progenitors. Further, RNA-seq and immunostaining revealed overlapping SIX1 and SIX2 progenitor activity in the 16 week human fetal kidney. Human SIX1 ChIP-seq revealed a similar set of targets to SIX2, and predicted both factors bind DNA through an identical recognition site. In contrast to the mouse where Six2 binds its own enhancers but doesn’t interact with DNA around Six1, both human SIX1 and SIX2 bind homologous SIX2 enhancers and putative enhancers positioned around SIX1. Transgenic analysis of a putative human SIX1 enhancer in the mouse revealed a transient, mouse-like, pre-nephrogenic, Six1 regulatory pattern. Together, these data demonstrate a divergence in SIX-factor regulation between mouse and human nephron progenitors. In the human, an auto/cross-regulatory loop drives continued SIX1 and SIX2 expression during active nephrogenesis. In contrast, the mouse establishes only an auto-regulatory Six2 loop. It is tempting to speculate that differential SIX-factor regulation may contribute to species differences in the duration of progenitor programs and nephron output.
Project description:When assembling a nephron during development a multipotent stem cell pool becomes restricted as differentiation ensues. A faulty differentiation arrest in this process leads to transformation and initiation of a Wilms' tumor. Mapping these transitions with respective surface markers affords accessibility to specific cell subpopulations. NCAM1 and CD133 have been previously suggested to mark human renal progenitor populations. Herein, using cell sorting, RNA sequencing, in vitro studies with serum-free media and in vivo xenotransplantation we demonstrate a sequential map that links human kidney development and tumorigenesis; In nephrogenesis, NCAM1+CD133- marks SIX2+ multipotent renal stem cells transiting to NCAM1+CD133+ differentiating segment-specific SIX2- epithelial progenitors and NCAM1-CD133+ differentiated nephron cells. In tumorigenesis, NCAM1+CD133- marks SIX2+ blastema that includes the ALDH1+ WT cancer stem/initiating cells, while NCAM1+CD133+ and NCAM1-CD133+ specifying early and late epithelial differentiation, are severely restricted in tumor initiation capacity and tumor self-renewal. Thus, negative selection for CD133 is required for defining NCAM1+ nephron stem cells in normal and malignant nephrogenesis. Human fetal kidney mRNA profiles of 3 cell populations (NCAM1+/CD133-, NCAM+/CD133+, NCAM-/CD133+) were generated by deep sequencing using Illumina HiSeq.
Project description:Early human kidney development is poorly documented due to tissue inaccessibility and a lack of genetic tractability. Here we combine reprogramming, CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing and organoid technologies to study the nephron lineage in a human context. We confirm the presence of a SIX2+ population in early kidney organoids with a transcriptional profile akin to human fetal nephron progenitors. Using lineage-tracing analyses, we show that SIX2-expressing cells contribute to nephron formation but not to the putative collecting duct epithelium. Labeling of SIX2+ cells at various time-points during organoid differentiation revealed a markedly reduced capacity for these cells to contribute to nephron formation over time. This suggests human kidney organoids lack a true nephron progenitor niche, as the developing kidney does in vivo, capable of both self-renewal and ongoing nephrogeneis. Nonetheless, human iPSC-derived kidney tissue maintains previously identified lineage relationships, which supports the utility of in vitro organoid models for interrogating the molecular and cellular basis of early human development.
Project description:Purpose: Bulk transcriptomics analysis of Wilms tumor SIX2+CITED1+ cells to compare and identify unique nephron progenitor transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) signature between unfavorable and favorable Wilms Tumors and against human fetal kidney Methods: Wilms tumor samples were collected and transported on ice at 4°C in RPMI-1640 and a single cell suspensions were prepared following mechanical and enzymatic dissociation as previously publication. Enzymatic dissociation was performed with 125 U/ml collagenase I in RPMI-1640 at 37 °C for 35 min. The digested cells were then passed through a 100-μm cell strainer and a 40-μm cell strainer with washes of 1x PBS. The cell suspension was than centrifuged at 1500 rpm for 5 min and erythrocytes were eliminated using a red blood cell lysis kit. WT SIX2+CITED1+ cells were isolated using SIX2-Cy5 and CITED1-Cy3 Smartflare RNA probes following manufacturer’s instructions and previous publication. Briefly, cells were incubated over night at 37 °C with both RNA probes diluted at 1:20 in PBS and 25ul/ml in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 5% FBS, and 0.2% antimicrobial agent Primocin. After 16-18 h, cells were dissociation using TrypLE 1x for 5 min, cells were centrifuged at 1500 rpm for 5 min and prepared for FACS. RNA extraction was performed immediately after FACS using the RNeasy Micro Kit following manufacturer’s recommendations. After cDNA production and construction of DNA libraries, the samples were run on an Illumina NextSep500 (Illumina). Differential gene expression was analyzed using ERCC ExFold probes with the Remove Unwanted Variation R/Bioconductor software package combined with edgeR Results: Transcriptomics analysis of Wilms Tumor SIX2+CITED1+ cells in comparison to different tumor types and human fetal kidneys confirmed the nephrogenic signature of hFK-SIX2+CITED1+ and WT-SIX2+CITED1+ cells but highlighted differences in expression of pluripotency and self renewal-related genes like OCT4, FOXO1, SALL, NANOG along with a lower expression of β-catenin, TCF, and other growth factors known to promote differentiation (BMPs, FGFs). Hierarchical clustering of gene expression showed shared similarities between Wilms tumor samples against human fetal kidney samples however, with major differences in gene expression between tumor-to-tumor type was also present. Conclusion: Our study represents the first transcriptomic characterization of Wilms Tumor cancer stem cells (SIX2+CITED1+) against human fetal kidney SIX2+CITED1+ cells. Identifying specify gene expression and signaling pathway profiles across different subtypes of Wilms Tumor and against human fetal kidney SIX2+CITED1+ cells.
Project description:Forkhead transcription factors are essential for diverse processes in early embryonic development and organogenesis. Foxd1 is required during kidney development and its inactivation results in failure of nephron progenitor cell differentiation. Foxd1 is expressed in interstitial cells adjacent to nephron progenitor cells, suggesting an essential role for the progenitor cell niche in nephrogenesis. To better understand how cortical interstitial cells in general, and FOXD1 in particular, influence the progenitor cell niche, we examined the differentiation states of two progenitor cell subtypes in Foxd1-/- tissue. We found that while nephron progenitor cells are retained in a primitive CITED1-expressing compartment, cortical interstitial cells prematurely differentiate. To identify pathways regulated by FOXD1, we used microarray analysis and screened for target genes by comparison of Foxd1 null and wild type tissues. We chose the E14.5 timepoint because at this stage nephron differentiation is present in wild type kidneys but absent from Foxd1 null kidneys. We examined genes that were upregulated or downregulated in the Foxd1 null compared to wild type. Embryonic kidneys were harvested from Foxd1-/- and wild type littermates from three E14.5 litters. Three biological replicates were generated per genotype, each containing two non-littermate kidney pairs. Sex of embryos was not determined.
Project description:mIRNA expression profiling of mouse embryonic nephron progenitors at embryonic day 14 isolated by GFP expression driven by Six2-TGC (transgenic mouse line), compared to whole embryonic kidney at day 14
Project description:Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with an abrupt loss of kidney function that results in significant morbidity and mortality. Considerable effort has focused around the identification of diagnostic biomarkers and the analysis of molecular events. Most studies have adopted organ-wide approaches that do not fully capture the interplay among different cell types in the pathophysiology of AKI. To extend our understanding of molecular and cellular events in AKI, we developed a mouse line that enables the identification of translational profiles in specific cell types by CRE recombinase-dependent activation of an eGFP-tagged L10a ribosomal protein subunit, and consequently, translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) of mRNA populations. By utilizing cell-type specific CRE-driver lines, in this study we identify distinct cellular responses in an ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) model of AKI. Cell-specific translational expression profiles were uncovered 24 hours after IRI from four populations enriched for distinct anatomical and cellular subgroups: nephron, interstitial cell populations, vascular endothelium, and macrophages/monocytes by Affymetrix microarray. A construct containing the CAGGS promoter driving eGFP-L10a, with a loxP-site flanked triple SV40 polyA cassette between promoter and eGFP-L10a cassette was targeted into the ubiquitously active Rosa26 locus. The upstream polyA cassette is designed to block activity of the downstream eGFP-L10a cassette. CRE-dependent removal of this transcriptional block activates eGFP::L10a production within the CRE-producing cell, and all of its descendants. Mice carrying the conditional eGFP-L10a allele, referred to as L10a, were maintained in a homozygous state. L10a mice were crossed to four CRE strains to activate eGFP::L10a expression in four predominantly non-overlapping cellular compartments in the kidney. A Six2-Tet-GFP::CRE allele is active exclusively within nephron progenitors; consequently, historical labeling results in eGFP::L10a expression throughout the main body of the nephron. A Foxd1-GFP::CRE allele is active in the progenitors of many of the interstitial cell lineages including those generating mesangial and non-glomerular pericytes. In addition, Foxd1 is normally expressed in podocytes. Cdh5-CRE is reported to be active throughout the vascular endothelium, and finally, Lyz2-CRE specifically labels cells of the myeloid lineage, notably macrophages, monocytes and dendritic cells. Mice carrying any CRE allele and the L10a allele are designated generically CRE-L10a. six2-L10a, foxd1-L10a, cdh5-L10a and lyz2-L10a denote specifically mice that are compound heterozygotes for the indicated CRE driver and L10a. CRE-L10a, L10a heterozygous littermates without CRE allele, C57BL/6 wild type mice were subjected to renal bilateral warm ischemia 28 minutes followed by 24-hour reperfusion when the kidney TRAP RNA and total RNA were isolated and subjected to Affymetrix microarray. Biological triplicates for each CRE-L10a line underwent no Surgery; sham Surgery and IRI treatment.