Project description:The discovery of the first heart field (FHF) and the second heart field (SHF) led us to understand how cardiac lineages and structures arise during development. However, it remains unknown how they are specified. Here, we generate precardiac spheroids with pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) harboring GFP/RFP reporters under the control of FHF/SHF markers, respectively. GFP+ cells and RFP+ cells appear from two distinct areas and develop in a complementary fashion. Transcriptome analysis shows a high degree of similarities with embryonic FHF/SHF cells. Bmp and Wnt are among the most differentially regulated pathways, and gain- and loss-of-function studies reveal that Bmp specifies GFP+ cells and RFP+ cells via the Bmp/Smad pathway and Wnt signaling, respectively. FHF/SHF cells can be isolated without reporters by the surface protein Cxcr4. This study provides novel insights into understanding the specification of two cardiac origins, which can be leveraged for PSC-based modeling of heart field/chamber-specific disease.
Project description:The purpose of this study was to identify the source of Wnt signals that lead to development/proliferation of the heart fields, particularly the second heart field. To this end, we knocked out Wntless (Wls), which is necessary for Wnt secretion, in Mesp1+ lineage cells. We performed single cell RNA-seq to better identify the source of Wnt signals and the effects of the loss of Wnt secretion in mesoderm.
Project description:Analysis of mobilized peripheral blood CD34+ cells from a healthy volunteer under erythroid differentiation conditions with and without stimulation to the BMP or Wnt signaling pathways. For erythroid differentiation, expanded CD34+ cells were placed in Stemspan SFEM medium supplemented with 2% pen/strep, 20ng/ml SCF, 1U/ml Epo, 5ng/ml IL3, 2uM dexamethasone, and 1uM beta-estradiol. Arrays were performed 2 hours after addition of cytokines. For signaling pathway stimulation, cells were exposed to 0.5uM BIO (a GSK3 inhibitor) for Wnt pathway activation, 25ng/ml rhBMP4 for BMP pathway activation, or vehicle control for 2 hours. Three biological replicates were performed per treatment group. We used microarrays to detail the global program of gene expression changes after Wnt or BMP pathway stimulation in human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors under erythroid differentiation conditions. To investigate the changes to gene expression in human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors following stimulation of the Wnt or BMP pathways during the early stages of erythroid differentiation. Three biological replicates were performed per treatment group.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE29193: Genome-wide location analysis of BMP (SMAD1) in mouse erythroid progenitors co-occupted with lineage specific regulators (GATA1, GATA2) GSE29194: Genome-wide location analysis of WNT (Tcf7l2) and BMP (SMAD1) in human hematopoeitic progenitors co-occupied with lineage specific regulators (GATA1, GATA2) GSE29195: Genome-wide location analysis of WNT (Tcf7l2) and BMP (SMAD1) in human hematopoeitic cell lines co-occupied with lineage specific regulators (GATA1, GATA2, CEBPA) Refer to individual Series
Project description:Progenitor cells of the first and second heart fields (FHF and SHF) depend on cardiac-specific transcription factors for their differentiation. In mouse mutant embryos, we define the hierarchy of signaling events that controls the expression of cardiac-specific transcription factors during commitment of SHF progenitors at E9.25. Wnt and Bmp act downstream of Notch/RBPJ at this developmental stage. Mutation of Axin2, the negative regulator of canonical Wnt signaling, enhances Wnt and Bmp signals and suffices to rescue the cardiac differentiation arrest caused by loss of RBPJ. By analysis of isolated cardiac progenitors, embryo cultures in the presence of pharmacological inhibitors, and Bmp triple mutants, we could classify the expression of heart-specific transcription factors of SHF progenitors according to their dependence on either Wnt or Bmp signals, Nkx2-5, Isl1, Baf60c and Gata4, SRF, Mef2c, respectively. Total RNA from whole embryonic hearts of control mice was compared to MesP1-cre:RBPJlox/lox (KO), MesP1-cre:RBPJlox/lox//Axin2-/- (DKO), MesP1-cre:RBPJlox/+//Axin2-/- (hetDKO) and MesP1-cre:RBPJlox/lox//Axin2+/- (DKOhet) mutant mouse embryos.
Project description:Analysis of mobilized peripheral blood CD34+ cells from a healthy volunteer under erythroid differentiation conditions with and without stimulation to the BMP or Wnt signaling pathways. For erythroid differentiation, expanded CD34+ cells were placed in Stemspan SFEM medium supplemented with 2% pen/strep, 20ng/ml SCF, 1U/ml Epo, 5ng/ml IL3, 2uM dexamethasone, and 1uM beta-estradiol. Arrays were performed 2 hours after addition of cytokines. For signaling pathway stimulation, cells were exposed to 0.5uM BIO (a GSK3 inhibitor) for Wnt pathway activation, 25ng/ml rhBMP4 for BMP pathway activation, or vehicle control for 2 hours. Three biological replicates were performed per treatment group. We used microarrays to detail the global program of gene expression changes after Wnt or BMP pathway stimulation in human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors under erythroid differentiation conditions.
Project description:Progenitor cells of the first and second heart fields (FHF and SHF) depend on cardiac-specific transcription factors for their differentiation. In mouse mutant embryos, we define the hierarchy of signaling events that controls the expression of cardiac-specific transcription factors during commitment of SHF progenitors at E9.25. Wnt and Bmp act downstream of Notch/RBPJ at this developmental stage. Mutation of Axin2, the negative regulator of canonical Wnt signaling, enhances Wnt and Bmp signals and suffices to rescue the cardiac differentiation arrest caused by loss of RBPJ. By analysis of isolated cardiac progenitors, embryo cultures in the presence of pharmacological inhibitors, and Bmp triple mutants, we could classify the expression of heart-specific transcription factors of SHF progenitors according to their dependence on either Wnt or Bmp signals, Nkx2-5, Isl1, Baf60c and Gata4, SRF, Mef2c, respectively.
Project description:Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) is essential for lung development. To define its intracellular signaling mechanisms by which BMP4 regulates lung development, BMP-specific Smad1 or Smad5 was selectively knocked out in fetal mouse lung epithelial cells. Abrogation of lung epithelial-specific Smad1, but not Smad5, resulted in retardation of lung branching morphogenesis and reduced sacculation, accompanied by altered distal lung epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation, and consequently severe neonatal respiratory failure. By combining cDNA microarray with ChIP-chip analyses, Wnt inhibitory factor-1 (Wif1) was identified as a novel target gene of Smad1 in the developing mouse lung epithelial cells. Loss of Smad1 transcriptional activation of Wif1 expression was associated with reduced Wif1 expression and increased Wnt/beta-catenin signaling activity in lung epithelia, resulting in specific fetal lung abnormalities. Therefore, a novel regulatory loop of BMP4-Smad1-Wif1-Wnt/beta-catenin in coordinating BMP and Wnt pathways to control fetal lung development is suggested. mRNA profiling: Total RNA was isolated from left lobe lungs of three pair of E18.5 wild type and Smad1 lung epithelium-specific conditional knockout mice