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Zon, Leonard

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Leonard

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Zon, Leonard
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Now showing 1 - 10 of 58
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    DNA methyltransferase 1 functions through C/ebpa to maintain hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in zebrafish
    (BioMed Central, 2015) Liu, Xiaohui; Jia, Xiaoe; Yuan, Hao; Ma, Ke; Chen, Yi; Jin, Yi; Deng, Min; Pan, Weijun; Chen, Saijuan; Chen, Zhu; de The, Hugues; Zon, Leonard; Zhou, Yi; Zhou, Jun; Zhu, Jun
    Background: DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) regulates expression of many critical genes through maintaining parental DNA methylation patterns on daughter DNA strands during mitosis. It is essential for embryonic development and diverse biological processes, including maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). However, the precise molecular mechanism of how Dnmt1 is involved in HSPC maintenance remains unexplored. Methods: An N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-based genetic screening was performed to identify putative mutants with defects in definitive HSPCs during hematopoiesis in zebrafish. The expression of hematopoietic markers was analyzed via whole mount in situ hybridization assay (WISH). Positional cloning approach was carried out to identify the gene responsible for the defective definitive hematopoiesis in the mutants. Analyses of the mechanism were conducted by morpholino-mediated gene knockdown, mRNA injection rescue assays, anti-phosphorylated histone H3 (pH3) immunostaining and TUNEL assay, quantitative real-time PCR, and bisulfite sequencing analysis. Results: A heritable mutant line with impaired HSPCs of definitive hematopoiesis was identified. Positional cloning demonstrated that a stop codon mutation was introduced in dnmt1 which resulted in a predicted truncated Dnmt1 lacking the DNA methylation catalytic domain. Molecular analysis revealed that expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/ebpa) was upregulated, which correlated with hypomethylation of CpG islands in the regulation regions of cebpa gene in Dnmt1 deficient HSPCs. Overexpression of a transcriptional repressive SUMO-C/ebpa fusion protein could rescue hematological defects in the dnmt1 mutants. Finally, dnmt1 and cebpa double null embryos exhibited no obvious abnormal hematopoiesis indicated that the HSPC defects triggered by dnmt1 mutation were C/ebpa dependent. Conclusions: Dnmt1 is required for HSPC maintenance via cebpa regulation during definitive hematopoiesis in zebrafish. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13045-015-0115-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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    EXTL3 mutations cause skeletal dysplasia, immune deficiency, and developmental delay
    (The Rockefeller University Press, 2017) Volpi, Stefano; Yamazaki, Yasuhiro; Brauer, Patrick M.; van Rooijen, Ellen; Hayashida, Atsuko; Slavotinek, Anne; Sun Kuehn, Hye; Di Rocco, Maja; Rivolta, Carlo; Bortolomai, Ileana; Du, Likun; Felgentreff, Kerstin; Ott de Bruin, Lisa; Hayashida, Kazutaka; Freedman, George; Marcovecchio, Genni Enza; Capuder, Kelly; Rath, Prisni; Luche, Nicole; Hagedorn, Elliott; Buoncompagni, Antonella; Royer-Bertrand, Beryl; Giliani, Silvia; Poliani, Pietro Luigi; Imberti, Luisa; Dobbs, Kerry; Poulain, Fabienne E.; Martini, Alberto; Manis, John; Linhardt, Robert J.; Bosticardo, Marita; Rosenzweig, Sergio Damian; Lee, Hane; Puck, Jennifer M.; Zúñiga-Pflücker, Juan Carlos; Zon, Leonard; Park, Pyong; Superti-Furga, Andrea; Notarangelo, Luigi D.
    We studied three patients with severe skeletal dysplasia, T cell immunodeficiency, and developmental delay. Whole-exome sequencing revealed homozygous missense mutations affecting exostosin-like 3 (EXTL3), a glycosyltransferase involved in heparan sulfate (HS) biosynthesis. Patient-derived fibroblasts showed abnormal HS composition and altered fibroblast growth factor 2 signaling, which was rescued by overexpression of wild-type EXTL3 cDNA. Interleukin-2–mediated STAT5 phosphorylation in patients’ lymphocytes was markedly reduced. Interbreeding of the extl3-mutant zebrafish (box) with Tg(rag2:green fluorescent protein) transgenic zebrafish revealed defective thymopoiesis, which was rescued by injection of wild-type human EXTL3 RNA. Targeted differentiation of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells showed a reduced expansion of lymphohematopoietic progenitor cells and defects of thymic epithelial progenitor cell differentiation. These data identify EXTL3 mutations as a novel cause of severe immune deficiency with skeletal dysplasia and developmental delay and underline a crucial role of HS in thymopoiesis and skeletal and brain development.
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    A chemical screen in zebrafish embryonic cells establishes that Akt activation is required for neural crest development
    (eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, 2017) Ciarlo, Christie; Kaufman, Charles K; Kinikoglu, Beste; Michael, Jonathan; Yang, Song; D′Amato, Christopher; Blokzijl-Franke, Sasja; den Hertog, Jeroen; Schlaeger, Thorsten M; Zhou, Yi; Liao, Eric; Zon, Leonard
    The neural crest is a dynamic progenitor cell population that arises at the border of neural and non-neural ectoderm. The inductive roles of FGF, Wnt, and BMP at the neural plate border are well established, but the signals required for subsequent neural crest development remain poorly characterized. Here, we conducted a screen in primary zebrafish embryo cultures for chemicals that disrupt neural crest development, as read out by crestin:EGFP expression. We found that the natural product caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) disrupts neural crest gene expression, migration, and melanocytic differentiation by reducing Sox10 activity. CAPE inhibits FGF-stimulated PI3K/Akt signaling, and neural crest defects in CAPE-treated embryos are suppressed by constitutively active Akt1. Inhibition of Akt activity by constitutively active PTEN similarly decreases crestin expression and Sox10 activity. Our study has identified Akt as a novel intracellular pathway required for neural crest differentiation.
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    NOTCH signaling specifies arterial-type definitive hemogenic endothelium from human pluripotent stem cells
    (Nature Publishing Group UK, 2018) Uenishi, Gene I.; Jung, Ho Sun; Kumar, Akhilesh; Park, Mi Ae; Hadland, Brandon K.; McLeod, Ethan; Raymond, Matthew; Moskvin, Oleg; Zimmerman, Catherine E.; Theisen, Derek J.; Swanson, Scott; J. Tamplin, Owen; Zon, Leonard; Thomson, James A.; Bernstein, Irwin D.; Slukvin, Igor I.
    NOTCH signaling is required for the arterial specification and formation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and lympho-myeloid progenitors in the embryonic aorta-gonad-mesonephros region and extraembryonic vasculature from a distinct lineage of vascular endothelial cells with hemogenic potential. However, the role of NOTCH signaling in hemogenic endothelium (HE) specification from human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) has not been studied. Here, using a chemically defined hPSC differentiation system combined with the use of DLL1-Fc and DAPT to manipulate NOTCH, we discover that NOTCH activation in hPSC-derived immature HE progenitors leads to formation of CD144+CD43−CD73−DLL4+Runx1 + 23-GFP+ arterial-type HE, which requires NOTCH signaling to undergo endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition and produce definitive lympho-myeloid and erythroid cells. These findings demonstrate that NOTCH-mediated arterialization of HE is an essential prerequisite for establishing definitive lympho-myeloid program and suggest that exploring molecular pathways that lead to arterial specification may aid in vitro approaches to enhance definitive hematopoiesis from hPSCs.
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    Extensive Genetic Diversity and Substructuring Among Zebrafish Strains Revealed through Copy Number Variant Analysis
    (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012) Brown, Kim H.; Dobrinski, Kimberly P.; Lee, Arthur S.; Gokcumen, Omer; Mills, Ryan Edward; Shi, Xinghua; Chong, Wilson W. S.; Chen, Jin Yun Helen; Yoo, Paulo; David, Sthuthi; Peterson, Samuel M.; Raj, Towfique; Choy, Kwong Wai; Stranger, Barbara Elaine; Williamson, Robin E.; Zon, Leonard; Freeman, Jennifer L.; Lee, Charles
    Copy number variants (CNVs) represent a substantial source of genomic variation in vertebrates and have been associated with numerous human diseases. Despite this, the extent of CNVs in the zebrafish, an important model for human disease, remains unknown. Using 80 zebrafish genomes, representing three commonly used laboratory strains and one native population, we constructed a genome-wide, high-resolution CNV map for the zebrafish comprising 6,080 CNV elements and encompassing 14.6% of the zebrafish reference genome. This amount of copy number variation is four times that previously observed in other vertebrates, including humans. Moreover, 69% of the CNV elements exhibited strain specificity, with the highest number observed for Tubingen. This variation likely arose, in part, from Tubingen's large founding size and composite population origin. Additional population genetic studies also provided important insight into the origins and substructure of these commonly used laboratory strains. This extensive variation among and within zebrafish strains may have functional effects that impact phenotype and, if not properly addressed, such extensive levels of germ-line variation and population substructure in this commonly used model organism can potentially confound studies intended for translation to human diseases.
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    Hematopoietic Defects in rps29 Mutant Zebrafish Depend Upon p53 Activation
    (Elsevier BV, 2012) Taylor, Alison; Humphries, Jessica M.; White, Richard; Murphey, Ryan D.; Burns, Caroline; Zon, Leonard
    Disruption of ribosomal proteins is associated with hematopoietic phenotypes in cell culture and animal models. Mutations in ribosomal proteins are seen in patients with Diamond Black- fan anemia, a rare congenital disease characterized by red cell aplasia and distinctive cranio- facial anomalies. A zebrafish screen uncovered decreased hematopoietic stem cells in embryos with mutations in ribosomal protein rps29. Here, we determined that rps29L/L embryos also have red blood cell defects and increased apoptosis in the head. As the p53 pathway has been shown to play a role in other ribosomal protein mutants, we studied the genetic relationship of rps29 and p53. Transcriptional profiling revealed that genes upregulated in the rps29 mutant are enriched for genes upregulated by p53 after irradiation. p53 mutation near completely rescues the rps29 morphological and hematopoietic phenotypes, demonstrating that p53 medi- ates the effects of rps29 knockdown. We also identified neuronal gene orthopedia protein a (otpa) as one whose expression correlates with rps29 expression, suggesting that levels of expression of some genes are dependent on rps29 levels. Together, our studies demonstrate a role of p53 in mediating the cellular defects associated with rps29 and establish a role for rps29 and p53 in hematopoietic stem cells and red blood cell development.
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    Teleost Growth Factor Independence (Gfi) Genes Differentially Regulate Successive Waves of Hematopoiesis
    (Elsevier BV, 2013) Cooney, Jeffrey D.; Hildick-Smith, Gordon J.; Shafizadeh, Ebrahim; McBride, Paul F.; Carroll, Kelli Jane; Anderson, Heidi; Shaw, George C.; Tamplin, Owen J.; Branco, Diana S.; Dalton, Arthur J.; Shah, Dhvanit I; Wong, Clara; Gallagher, Patrick G.; Zon, Leonard; North, Trista; Paw, Barry Htin
    Growth Factor Independence (Gfi) transcription factors play essential roles in hematopoiesis, differentially activating and repressing transcriptional programs required for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) development and lineage specification. In mammals, Gfi1a regulates hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), myeloid and lymphoid populations, while its paralog, Gfi1b, regulates HSC, megakaryocyte and erythroid development. In zebrafish, gfi1aa is essential for primitive hematopoiesis; however, little is known about the role of gfi1aa in definitive hematopoiesis or about additional gfi factors in zebrafish. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of an additional hematopoietic gfi factor, gfi1b. We show that gfi1aa and gfi1b are expressed in the primitive and definitive sites of hematopoiesis in zebrafish. Our functional analyses demonstrate that gfi1aa and gfi1b have distinct roles in regulating primitive and definitive hematopoietic progenitors, respectively. Loss of gfi1aa silences markers of early primitive progenitors, scl and gata1. Conversely, loss of gfi1b silences runx-1, c-myb, ikaros and cd41, indicating that gfi1b is required for definitive hematopoiesis. We determine the epistatic relationships between the gfi factors and key hematopoietic transcription factors, demonstrating that gfi1aa and gfi1b join lmo2, scl, runx-1 and c-myb as critical regulators of teleost HSPC. Our studies establish a comparative paradigm for the regulation of hematopoietic lineages by gfi transcription factors.
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    Zebrafish Globin Switching Occurs in Two Developmental Stages and Is Controlled by the LCR
    (Elsevier BV, 2012) Ganis, Jared Jason; Hsia, Nelson; Trompouki, Eirini; de Jong, Jill L.O.; DiBiase, Anthony; Lambert, Janelle S.; Jia, Zhiying; Sabo, Peter J.; Weaver, Molly; Sandstrom, Richard; Stamatoyannopoulos, John A.; Zhou, Yi; Zon, Leonard
    Globin gene switching is a complex, highly regulated process allowing expression of distinct globin genes at specific developmental stages. Here, for the first time, we have characterized all of the zebrafish globins based on the completed genomic sequence. Two distinct chromosomal loci, termed major (chromosome 3) and minor (chromosome 12), harbor the globin genes containing α/β pairs in a 5′–3′ to 3′–5′ orientation. Both these loci share synteny with the mammalian α-globin locus. Zebrafish globin expression was assayed during development and demonstrated two globin switches, similar to human development. A conserved regulatory element, the locus control region (LCR), was revealed by analyzing DNase I hypersensitive sites, H3K4 trimethylation marks and GATA1 binding sites. Surprisingly, the position of these sites with relation to the globin genes is evolutionarily conserved, despite a lack of overall sequence conservation. Motifs within the zebrafish LCR include CACCC, GATA, and NFE2 sites, suggesting functional interactions with known transcription factors but not the same LCR architecture. Functional homology to the mammalian α-LCR MCS-R2 region was confirmed by robust and specific reporter expression in erythrocytes of transgenic zebrafish. Our studies provide a comprehensive characterization of the zebrafish globin loci and clarify the regulation of globin switching.
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    DHODH modulates transcriptional elongation in the neural crest and melanoma
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2011) White, Richard Mark; Cech, Jennifer; Ratanasirintrawoot, Sutheera; Lin, Charles; Rahl, Peter B.; Burke, Christopher J.; Langdon, Erin; Tomlinson, Matthew L.; Mosher, Jack; Kaufman, Charles; Chen, Frank; Long, Hannah K.; Kramer, Martin; Datta, Sumon; Neuberg, Donna; Granter, Scott; Young, Richard; Morrison, Sean; Wheeler, Grant N.; Zon, Leonard
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    Nanog-like Regulates Endoderm Formation through the Mxtx2-Nodal Pathway
    (Elsevier, 2012) Xu, Cong; Fan, Zi Peng; Müller, Patrick; Fogley, Rachel; DiBiase, Anthony; Trompouki, Eirini; Unternaehrer, Juli; Xiong, Fengzhu; Torregroza, Ingrid; Evans, Todd; Megason, Sean; Daley, George; Schier, Alexander; Young, Richard A.; Zon, Leonard
    In mammalian embryonic stem cells, the acquisition of pluripotency is dependent on Nanog, but the in vivo analysis of Nanog has been hampered by its requirement for early mouse development. In an effort to examine the role of Nanog in vivo, we identi- fied a zebrafish Nanog ortholog and found that its knockdown impaired endoderm formation. Genome-wide transcription analysis revealed that nanog-like morphants fail to develop the extraembry- onic yolk syncytial layer (YSL), which produces Nodal, required for endoderm induction. We exam- ined the genes that were regulated by Nanog-like and identified the homeobox gene mxtx2, which is both necessary and sufficient for YSL induction. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and genetic studies indicated that Nanog-like directly activates mxtx2, which, in turn, specifies the YSL lineage by directly activating YSL genes. Our study identifies a Nanog-like-Mxtx2-Nodal pathway and establishes a role for Nanog-like in regulating the formation of the extraembryonic tissue required for endoderm induction.