Project description:We report the transcriptomic profile of uterine tissues obtained from the control (Wnk1f/f) and Wnk1 cKO (PGRCre/+;Wnk1f/f) mice during pseudopregnancy day 4.5.
Project description:The appropriate development of myeloid progenitors into macrophages, the body’s professional phagocyte, is essential for organismal development, especially in mammals1. This dependence is exemplified by the observation that loss-of-function mutation in colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) results in multiple tissue abnormalities including osteopetrosis2. Despite this importance, little is known about the molecular and cell biological regulation of macrophage development. Here, we report the surprising finding that the chloride-sensing kinase With-no-lysine 1 (WNK1) is required for embryonic development of tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs). Myeloid-specific deletion of Wnk1 caused a dramatic loss of TRMs and subsequently disrupted organ development, induced systemic neutrophilia, and resulted in mortality between 3 and 4 weeks of age. Specifically, we observed that WNK1 absence stalled macrophage differentiation at the myeloid multipotent progenitor (MPP) stage, instead skewing MPP differentiation towards granulopoiesis. Mechanistically, the cognate CSF1R cytokine, macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), triggers macropinocytosis in myeloid progenitors, which in turn induces phosphorylation of WNK1. Importantly, macropinocytosis by myeloid progenitors increases cytosolic chloride, which is directly sensed by WNK1. Perturbing chloride flux during macropinocytosis, inhibiting WNK1 chloride-sensing, and blocking macropinocytosis each skew progenitor differentiation from macrophage lineage to granulocyte lineage. Thus, we have uncovered a novel mechanism that links a cell biological process to a molecular circuit whereby WNK1 chloride-sensing and chloride flux act downstream of M-CSF-induced macropinocytosis by multipotent progenitors to ensure macrophage lineage fidelity.
Project description:The kinase protein WNK1 is highly expressed and phosphorylated in the testis, suggesting possible functions in regulating male fertility. Indeed, conditional pachytene-spermatocyte Wnk1 knock-out mice generated using the novel Wnt7a-Cre failed to produce functional sperm which resulted from the primary spermatogenic arrest during mid-pachynema. Global transcriptomic approaches identified ‘translation’ as one of the impacted events in Wnk1-depleted spermatocytes.
Project description:RNAseq was used to analyse transcriptional changes occuring in WNK1-expressing or WNK1-deficient DN3 thymocytes following injection of anti-CD3e
Project description:Transcription termination and mRNA export from the nucleus are closely regulated and coordinated processes. Nuclear export factors are recruited to actively transcribed genes through their interactions with protein complexes associated with transcription and co-transcriptional pre-mRNA processing. We determine a new role for the kinase WNK1 in the cross-talk of transcription termination and mRNA export. WNK1 was previously attributed a cytoplasmic role as a regulator of ion transport. However, we now show a nuclear function for this kinase where it is required for efficient mRNA export along with the transcription termination factor PCF11. Finally, we identify the phosphorylation of the CID domain of PCF11 as an important step for the release of the mRNA from the transcription locus, thus allowing efficient mRNA export to the cytoplasm.
Project description:Phosphatase PP2A expression level is positively correlated to the clinical severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and IL17A cytokine overproduction, indicating a potential role of PP2A in controlling TH17 differentiation and inflammation. By generating a mouse strain with the ablation of the catalytic subunit α of PP2A in peripheral mature T cells (PP2A cKO), we provide evidence here that PP2A complex is essential in TH17 differentiation. Hence, PP2A cKO mice exhibited a selective reduction of TH17 cell numbers and an attenuated disease severity in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model. Importantly, PP2A deficiency ablated c-terminal phosphorylation of SMAD2 whereas increased c-terminal phosphorylation of SMAD3. Through direct binding to and regulating the activity of RORγt, the phosphorylational changes of these R-SMADs subsequently reduced Il17a transcription. Finally, PP2A inhibitors recapitulated the phenotype of PP2A cKO mice, i.e., inhibiting TH17 differentiation and protecting mice from EAE. Together, the current study proves that phosphatase PP2A is essential for TH17 differentiation, and inhibition of PP2A could be a possible therapeutic approach for the controlling of TH17-driven autoimmune diseases.
Project description:We report the transcriptomic profile of primary human endometrial stromal cells subjected to 48-hour transfection with control non-targeting siRNA or siRNA targeting WNK1 followed by 3-day in vitro decidualization treatment.