Project description:Mammalian retinal metabolism favors aerobic glycolysis. However, the role of glycolytic metabolism in retinal morphogenesis remains unknown. We report that aerobic glycolysis is necessary for the early stages of retinal development. Taking advantage of an unbiased approach that combines the use of eye organoids and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identify specific glucose transporters and glycolytic genes in retinal progenitors. Next, we determine that the optic vesicle territory of mouse embryos displays elevated levels of glycolytic activity. At the functional level, we show that removal of Glucose transporter 1 and Lactate dehydrogenase A gene activity from developing retinal progenitors arrests eye morphogenesis. Surprisingly, we uncover that lactate-mediated upregulation of key eye-field transcription factors is controlled by the epigenetic modification of histone H3 acetylation through histone deacetylase activity. Our results identify an unexpected bioenergetic independent role of lactate as a signaling molecule necessary for mammalian eye morphogenesis.
Project description:Mammalian retinal metabolism favors aerobic glycolysis. However, the role of glycolytic metabolism in retinal morphogenesis remains unknown. We report that aerobic glycolysis is necessary for the early stages of retinal development. Taking advantage of an unbiased approach that combines the use of eye organoids and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identify specific glucose transporters and glycolytic genes in retinal progenitors. Next, we determine that the optic vesicle territory of mouse embryos displays elevated levels of glycolytic activity. At the functional level, we show that removal of Glucose transporter 1 and Lactate dehydrogenase A gene activity from developing retinal progenitors arrests eye morphogenesis. Surprisingly, we uncover that lactate-mediated upregulation of key eye-field transcription factors is controlled by the epigenetic modification of histone H3 acetylation through histone deacetylase activity. Our results identify an unexpected bioenergetic independent role of lactate as a signaling molecule necessary for mammalian eye morphogenesis.
Project description:Mammalian retinal metabolism favors aerobic glycolysis. However, the role of glycolytic metabolism in retinal morphogenesis remains unknown. We report that aerobic glycolysis is necessary for the early stages of retinal development. Taking advantage of an unbiased approach that combines the use of eye organoids and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identify specific glucose transporters and glycolytic genes in retinal progenitors. Next, we determine that the optic vesicle territory of mouse embryos displays elevated levels of glycolytic activity. At the functional level, we show that removal of Glucose transporter 1 and Lactate dehydrogenase A gene activity from developing retinal progenitors arrests eye morphogenesis. Surprisingly, we uncover that lactate-mediated upregulation of key eye-field transcription factors is controlled by the epigenetic modification of histone H3 acetylation through histone deacetylase activity. Our results identify an unexpected bioenergetic independent role of lactate as a signaling molecule necessary for mammalian eye morphogenesis.
Project description:L. plantarum is known to possess an L-lactate inducible lactate racemase activity (Goffin et al. 2005. J. Bacteriol. 187:6750). In the present study, microarrays were used in order to identify all genes that are up-regulated by L-lactate, but not by a racemic mixture of D- and L-lactate. A mutant of L. plantarum NCIMB8826 deficient for NAD-dependent L-lactate activity (TF101; Ferain et al. 1994. 176:596), and thus producing no L-lactate, was grown in MRS medium at 28°C until mid-exponential phase (OD600nm 0.75). The culture was then divided into 3 sub-cultures. Optically pure sodium L-lactate (200 mM) was added to the first sub-culture (TF101 + L-lac 200 mM). An equimolar mixture of sodium D- and L-lactate (100 mM each) was added to the second sub-culture (TF101 + L/D-lac 200 mM). The third sub-culture was not treated (TF101; reference sample). The three sub-cultures were further incubated at 28°C for 1h30 (a time known to be sufficient for induction of lactate racemase activity by L-lactate). Cells were harvested by centrifugation. Microarray data were used ot identify genes that are specifically induced by L-lactate (comparison of TF101 with TF101 + L-lac 200 mM), but not by DL-lactate (comparison of TF101 with T101 + L/D-lac 200 mM). There are no biological replicates.
Project description:The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway is essential for the patterning, growth, and morphogenesis of many tissues. During early eye development, Shh is critical for the formation of the two optic vesicles, which give rise to the retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and optic stalk. It also regulates the balance between cell proliferation and differentiation during retinal histogenesis, a key process in shaping the cellular architecture of the mature retina. Despite these well-established roles, the temporal dynamics, region-specific functions, and downstream consequences of Shh signaling during retinal development remain poorly understood. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of Shh signaling across multiple stages of retinal development using temporally and spatially controlled deletion of Smoothened (Smo), an essential transducer of the pathway. This approach uncovers context-dependent requirements for Shh signaling in eye patterning. We also show that Shh signaling coordinates neurogenesis by sustaining the retinal progenitor pool while also regulating progenitor competence, ensuring appropriate proportions of retinal cell types. Our data indicate that both proliferative capacity and the timing of cell fate specification are shaped by Shh pathway activity. Together, these findings establish new mechanistic links between Shh signaling, regional patterning, and temporal regulation of neurogenesis, providing novel insights into how morphogen signaling is repurposed across developmental time to orchestrate complex tissue architecture.