An intrinsic genetic program for autonomous differentiation of muscle cells in the ascidian embryo.

The B-line presumptive muscle cells of ascidian embryos have extensive potential for self-differentiation dependent on determinants prelocalized in the myoplasm of fertilized eggs. Ascidian larval muscle cells therefore provide an experimental system with which to explore an intrinsic genetic program for autonomous specification of embryonic cells. Experiments with egg fragments suggested that maternal mRNAs are one of the components of muscle determinants. Expression of larval muscle actin genes begins as early as the 32-cell stage, prior to the developmental fate restriction of the cells. The timing of initiation of the actin gene expression proceeds the expression of an ascidian homologue of vertebrate MyoD by a few hours. Mutations in the proximal E-box of the 5' flanking region of the actin genes did not alter the promoter activity for muscle-specific expression of reporter gene. These results, together with results of deletion constructs of fusion genes, suggest that muscle determinants regulate directly, or indirectly via regulatory factors other than MyoD, the transcription of muscle-specific structural genes leading to the terminal differentiation.

Modular cis-regulatory organization of developmentally expressed genes: two genes transcribed territorially in the sea urchin embryo, and additional examples.

The cis-regulatory systems that control developmental expression of two sea urchin genes have been subjected to detailed functional analysis. Both systems are modular in organization: specific, separable fragments of the cis-regulatory DNA each containing multiple transcription factor target sites execute particular regulatory subfunctions when associated with reporter genes and introduced into the embryo. The studies summarized here were carried out on the CyIIIa gene, expressed in the embryonic aboral ectoderm and on the Endo16 gene, expressed in the embryonic vegetal plate, archenteron, and then midgut. The regulatory systems of both genes include modules that control particular aspects of temporal and spatial expression, and in both the territorial boundaries of expression depend on a combination of negative and positive functions. In both genes different regulatory modules control early and late embryonic expression. Modular cis-regulatory organization is widespread in developmentally regulated genes, and we present a tabular summary that includes many examples from mouse and Drosophila. We regard cis-regulatory modules as units of developmental transcription control, and also of evolution, in the assembly of transcription control systems.

Endothelin-B receptor is expressed by neural crest cells in the avian embryo.

Disruptions of the genes encoding endothelin 3 (EDN3) and its receptor endothelin-B receptor (EDNRB) in the mouse result in defects of two neural crest (NC)-derived lineages, the melanocytes, and the enteric nervous system. To assess the mechanisms through which the EDN3/EDNRB signaling pathway can selectively act on these NC derivatives, we have studied the spatiotemporal expression pattern of the EDNRB gene in the avian embryo, a model in which NC development has been extensively studied. For this purpose, we have cloned the quail homologue of the mammalian EDNRB cDNA. EDNRB transcripts are present in NC cells before and during their emigration from the neural tube at all levels of the neuraxis. At later developmental stages, the receptor remains abundantly expressed in the peripheral nervous system including the enteric nervous system. In a previous study, we have shown that EDN3 enhances dramatically the proliferation of NC cells when they are at the pluripotent stage. We propose that the selective effect of EDN3 or EDNRB gene inactivation is due to the fact that both melanocytes and enteric nervous system precursors have to colonize large embryonic areas (skin and bowel) from a relatively small population of precursors that have to expand considerably in number. It is therefore understandable that a deficit in one of the growth-promoting pathways of NC cells has more deleterious effects on long-range migrating cells than on the NC derivatives which develop close to the neural primordium like the sensory and sympathetic ganglia.

Identification and characterization of a RING zinc finger gene (C-RZF) expressed in chicken embryo cells.

To identify changes in gene expression that occur in chicken embryo brain (CEB) cells as a consequence of their binding to the extracellular matrix molecule cytotactin/tenascin (CT/TN), a subtractive hybridization cloning strategy was employed. One of the cDNA clones identified was predicted to encode 381 amino acids and although it did not resemble any known sequences in the nucleic acid or protein data bases, it did contain the sequence motif for the cysteine-rich C3HC4 type of zinc finger, also known as a RING-finger. This sequence was therefore designated the chicken-RING zinc finger (C-RZF). In addition to the RING-finger, the C-RZF sequence also contained motifs for a leucine zipper, a nuclear localization signal, and a stretch of acidic amino acids similar to the activation domains of some transcription factors. Southern analysis suggested that C-RZF is encoded by a single gene. Northern and in situ hybridization analyses of E8 chicken embryo tissues indicated that expression of the C-RZF gene was restricted primarily to brain and heart. Western analysis of the nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of chicken embryo heart cells and immunofluorescent staining of chicken embryo cardiocytes with anti-C-RZF antibodies demonstrated that the C-RZF protein was present in the nucleus. The data suggest that we have identified another member of the RING-finger family of proteins whose expression in CEB cells may be affected by CT/TN and whose nuclear localization and sequence motifs predict a DNA-binding function in the nucleus.

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and LIF receptor expression in human endometrium suggests a potential autocrine/paracrine function in regulating embryo implantation.

The uterine expression of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is essential for embryo implantation in the mouse. Here, we describe the expression of LIF, related members of this group of cytokines, oncostatin M and ciliary neurotrophic factor, and the LIF receptor beta and glycoprotein gp130 in normal human tissues and in the endometrium of fertile women. Our results show that LIF is the only one of these factors expressed at detectable levels in the endometrium of women of proven fertility. LIF expression is restricted to the endometrial glands during the secretory/postovulatory phase but is not present in the endometrium during the proliferative/preovulatory phase. The LIF receptor beta is expressed during the proliferative and secretory phases of the cycle and is restricted to the luminal epithelium. The associated signal-transducing component of the LIF receptor, gp130, is also expressed in both the luminal and glandular epithelium throughout the cycle. These results suggest that uterine expression of LIF in humans, like mice, may have a role in regulating embryo implantation, possibly through an autocrine/paracrine interaction between LIF and its receptor at the luminal epithelium.

A technique for detecting matrix proteins in the crystalline spicule of the sea urchin embryo.

The presence of proteins associated with the CaCO3-containing biocrystals found in a wide variety of marine organisms is well established. In these organisms, including the primitive skeleton (spicule) of the sea urchin embryo, the structural and functional role of these proteins either in the biomineralization process or in control of the structural features of the biocrystals is unclear. Recently, one of the matrix proteins of the sea urchin spicule, SM 30, has been shown to contain a carbohydrate chain (the 1223 epitope) that has been implicated in the process whereby Ca2+ is deposited as CaCo3. Because an understanding of the localization of this protein, as well as other proteins found within the spicule, is central to understanding their function, we undertook to develop methods to localize spicule matrix proteins in intact spicules, using immunogold techniques and scanning electron microscopy. Gold particles indicative of this matrix glycoprotein could not be detected on the surface of spicules that had been isolated from embryo homogenates and treated with alkaline hypochlorite to remove any associated membranous material. However, when isolated spicules were etched for 2 min with dilute acetic acid (10 mM) to expose more internal regions of the crystal, SM 30 and perhaps other proteins bearing the 1223 carbohydrate epitope were detected in the calcite matrix. These results, indicating that these two antigens are widely distributed in the spicule, suggest that this technique should be applicable to any matrix protein for which antibodies are available.

HLA-G expression during preimplantation human embryo development.

HLA-G is a nonclassical class I major histocompatibility complex molecule with a restricted pattern of expression that includes the placental extravillus cytotrophoblast cells in direct contact with maternal tissues. Circumstantial evidence suggests that HLA-G may play a role in protection of the semiallogeneic human fetus. We examined whether HLA-G is expressed during the critical period of preimplantation human development and whether expression of this molecule could be correlated with the cleavage rate of embryos. Using reverse transcription PCR on surplus human embryos and unfertilized oocytes from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization we detected HLA-G heavy chain mRNA in 40% of 148 of blastocysts tested. The presence of HLA-G mRNA was also detected in unfertilized oocytes and in early embryos, but not in control cumulus oophorus cells. beta 2-Microglobulin mRNA was also found in those embryos expressing HLA-G. In concordance with our mRNA data, a similar proportion of embryos stained positive for HLA-G utilizing a specific monoclonal antibody. Interestingly, expression of HLA-G mRNA was associated with an increased cleavage rate, as compared to embryos lacking HLA-G transcript. Thus, HLA-G could be a functional homologue of the mouse Qa-2 antigen, which has been implicated in differences in the rate of preimplantation embryo development. To our knowledge, the presence of HLA-G mRNA and protein in human preimplantation embryos and oocytes has not been reported previously. The correlation of HLA-G mRNA expression with cleavage rate suggests that this molecule may play an important role in human pre-embryo development.

Synergism between UV-B radiation and a pathogen magnifies amphibian embryo mortality in nature.

Previous research has shown that amphibians have differential sensitivity to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. In some species, ambient levels of UV-B radiation cause embryonic mortality in nature. The detrimental effects of UV-B alone or with other agents may ultimately affect amphibians at the population level. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a synergistic effect between UV-B radiation and a pathogenic fungus in the field that increases the mortality of amphibian embryos compared with either factor alone. Studies investigating single factors for causes of amphibian egg mortality or population declines may not reveal the complex factors involved in declines.

The rotated hypoblast of the chicken embryo does not initiate an ectopic axis in the epiblast.

In the amniotes, two unique layers of cells, the epiblast and the hypoblast, constitute the embryo at the blastula stage. All the tissues of the adult will derive from the epiblast, whereas hypoblast cells will form extraembryonic yolk sac endoderm. During gastrulation, the endoderm and the mesoderm of the embryo arise from the primitive streak, which is an epiblast structure through which cells enter the interior. Previous investigations by others have led to the conclusion that the avian hypoblast, when rotated with regard to the epiblast, has inductive properties that can change the fate of competent cells in the epiblast to form an ectopic embryonic axis. Thus, it has been suggested that the hypoblast normally induces the epiblast to form a primitive streak at a specific locus. In the work reported here, an attempt was made to reexamine the issue of induction. In contrast to previous reports, it was found that the rotated hypoblast of the chicken embryo does not initiate formation of an ectopic axis in the epiblast. The embryonic axis always initiates and develops according to the basic polarity of the epiblast layer. These results provoke a reinterpretation of the issues of mesoderm induction and primitive streak initiation in the avian embryo.

The preimplantation mouse embryo is a target for cannabinoid ligand-receptor signaling.

Using a reverse transcription-coupled PCR, we demonstrated that both brain and spleen type cannabinoid receptor (CB1-R and CB2-R, respectively) mRNAs are expressed in the preimplantation mouse embryo. The CB1-R mRNA expression was coincident with the activation of the embryonic genome late in the two-cell stage, whereas the CB2-R mRNA was present from the one-cell through the blastocyst stages. The major psychoactive component of marijuana (-)-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [(-)-THC] inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP generation in the blastocyst, and this inhibition was prevented by pertussis toxin. However, the inactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) failed to influence this response. These results suggest that cannabinoid receptors in the embryo are coupled to inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding proteins. Further, the oviduct and uterus exhibited the enzymatic capacity to synthesize the putative endogenous cannabinoid ligand arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide). Synthetic and natural cannabinoid agonists [WIN 55,212-2, CP 55,940, (-)-THC, and anandamide], but not CBD or arachidonic acid, arrested the development of two-cell embryos primarily between the four-cell and eight-cell stages in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Anandamide also interfered with the development of eight-cell embryos to blastocysts in culture. The autoradiographic studies readily detected binding of [3H]anandamide in embryos at all stages of development. Positive signals were present in one-cell embryos and all blastomeres of two-cell through four-cell embryos. However, most of the binding sites in eight-cell embryos and morulae were present in the outer cells. In the blastocyst, these signals were primarily localized in the mural trophectoderm with low levels of signals in the polar trophectoderm, while little or no signals were noted in inner cell mass cells.These results establish that the preimplantation mouse embryo is a target for cannabinoid ligands. Consequently, many of the adverse effects of cannabinoids observed during pregnancy could be mediated via these cannabinoid receptors. Although the physiological significance of the cannabinoid ligand-receptor signaling in normal preimplantation embryo development is not yet clear, the regulation of embryonic cAMP and/or Ca2+ levels via this signaling pathway may be important for normal embryonic development and/or implantation.

Homeobox-containing gene transiently expressed in a spatially restricted pattern in the early sea urchin embryo.

In the sea urchin embryo, the lineage founder cells whose polyclonal progenies will give rise to five different territories are segregated at the sixth division. To investigate the mechanisms by which the fates of embryonic cells are first established, we looked for temporal and spatial expression of homeobox genes in the very early cleavage embryos. We report evidence that PlHbox12, a paired homeobox-containing gene, is expressed in the embryo from the 4-cell stage. The abundance of the transcripts reaches its maximum when the embryo has been divided into the five polyclonal territories--namely at the 64-cell stage--and it abruptly declines at later stages of development. Blastomere dissociation experiments indicate that maximal expression of PlHbox12 is dependent on intercellular interactions, thus suggesting that signal transduction mechanisms are responsible for its transcriptional activation in the early cleavage embryo. Spatial expression of PlHbox12 was determined by whole-mount in situ hybridization. PlHbox12 transcripts in embryos at the fourth, fifth, and sixth divisions seem to be restricted to the conditionally specified ectodermal lineages. These results suggest a possible role of the PlHbox12 gene in the early events of cell specification of the presumptive ectodermal territories.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs cause apoptosis and induce cyclooxygenases in chicken embryo fibroblasts.

Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is an intrinsic part of organismal development and aging. Here we report that many nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cause apoptosis when applied to v-src-transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs). Cell death was characterized by morphological changes, the induction of tissue transglutaminase, and autodigestion of DNA. Dexamethasone, a repressor of cyclooxygenase (COX) 2, neither induced apoptosis nor altered the NSAID effect. Prostaglandin E2, the primary eicosanoid made by CEFs, also failed to inhibit apoptosis. Expression of the protooncogene bcl-2 is very low in CEFs and is not altered by NSAID treatment. In contrast, p20, a protein that may protect against apoptosis when fibroblasts enter G0 phase, was strongly repressed. The NSAID concentrations used here transiently inhibit COXs. Nevertheless, COX-1 and COX-2 mRNAs and COX-2 protein were induced. In some cell types, then, chronic NSAID treatment may lead to increased, rather than decreased, COX activity and, thus, exacerbate prostaglandin-mediated inflammatory effects. The COX-2 transcript is a partially spliced and nonfunctional form previously described. Thus, these findings suggest that COXs and their products play key roles in preventing apoptosis in CEFs and perhaps other cell types.

In Vivo screening and discovery of novel candidate thalidomide analogs in the zebrafish embryo and chicken embryo model systems

This study was supported by a Wellcome Trust-NIH PhD Studentship to SB, WDF and NV. Grant number 098252/Z/12/Z. SB, CHC and WDF are supported by the Intramural Research Program, NCI, NIH. NHG and WL are supported by the Intramural Research Program, NIA, NIH.

Plasma membrane dynamics in the Drosophila embryo

ABSTRACT Convergent extension is a highly conserved process among mammals, in which the tissue narrows in one axis, and extends across another. Tissue elongation is directed by the regulation of cell interface behaviors, which guides cell intercalation and rosette formation. Rosette formation occurs through the contraction of vertically oriented cell interfaces, and the subsequent elongation of new horizontal interfaces. It has been shown that actomyosin-generated tension functions to direct rosette formation. In this thesis, I have tested the function of regulators of F-actin networks, as well as endocytic and exocytic mechanisms, to identify new components that control interface behaviors and cell shape. I have performed a screen of F-actin regulators and nucleators, and pinpointed the specific actin nucleator dPod-1 as a candidate protein that is localized to vertical interfaces during tissue elongation. Furthermore, I have probed the function of endocytosis using the Shibire mutation, and demonstrated that endocytosis is required for vertical interface shrinking. Finally, I have used mutations in components of the Exocyst Complex and the associated protein RalA to inhibit exocytic mechanisms, in order to address their function in directing cell and tissue morphologies.

Immunocytochemical study on the triple origin of the sphincter iris in the chick embryo

The ontogenic development of the sphincter iris has been studied by immunocytochemistry and standard staining on chick embryos from stage 25 HH to the time of hatching. We have used the monoclonal antibody 13F4, a highly specific marker of muscular cells. We have observed three different regions in the iris. Tn the pupillary region, immunoreactive cells are in continuous contact with the inner epithelium of the pupillary margin. In the intermediate region, the outer epithelium forms buds of pigmented cells that emigrate toward the stroma. In this epithelium cells that are totally or partially unpigmented exist, and they are 13F4 positive. In the sphincter we have observed 13F4 positive cells with melanin granules. In the ciliary region, the immunoreactivity appears in dispersed mesenchymal cells. The present findings are consistent with a triple origin of the sphincter iris in the chick embryo. This muscle is derived from the inner epithelium of the pupillary margin, the intermediate region of the outer epithelium, and from the mesenchymal cells. The cells of the inner epithelium of the pupillary margin are differentiated into smooth muscle cells, and the remaining cells form striated muscle cells.