Cyclin D1 promotes neurogenesis in the developing spinal cord in a cell cycle-independent manner

Neural stem and progenitor cells undergo an important transition from proliferation to differentiation in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The mechanisms coordinating this transition are incompletely understood. Cyclin D proteins promote proliferation in G1 and typically are down-regulated before differentiation. Here we show that motoneuron progenitors in the embryonic spinal cord persistently express Cyclin D1 during the initial phase of differentiation, while down-regulating Cyclin D2. Loss-of-function and gain-offunction experiments indicate that Cyclin D1 (but not D2) promotes neurogenesis in vivo, a role that can be dissociated from its cell cycle function. Moreover, reexpression of Cyclin D1 can restore neurogenic capacity to D2-expressing glial-restricted progenitors. The neurogenic function of Cyclin D1 appears to be mediated, directly or indirectly, by Hes6, a proneurogenic basic helic-loop-helix transcription factor. These data identify a cell cycle-independent function for Cyclin D1 in promoting neuronal differentiation, along with a potential genetic pathway through which this function is exerted

Smad3 Deficiency in Mice Protects Against Insulin Resistance and Obesity Induced by a High-Fat Diet

OBJECTIVE-Obesity and associated pathologies are major global health problems. Transforming growth factor-beta/Smad3 signaling has been implicated in various metabolic processes, including adipogenesis, insulin expression, and pancreatic beta-cell function. However, the systemic effects of Smad3 deficiency on adiposity and insulin resistance in vivo remain elusive. This study investigated the effects of Smad3 deficiency on whole-body glucose and lipid homeostasis and its contribution to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-We compared various metabolic profiles of Smad3-knockout and wild-type mice. We also determined the mechanism by which Smad3 deficiency affects the expression of genes involved in adipogenesis and metabolism. Mice were then challenged with a high-fat diet to study the impact of Smad3 deficiency on the development of obesity and insulin resistance.RESULTS-Smad3-knockout mice exhibited diminished adiposity with improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that Smad3 deficiency increased CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta-C/EBP homologous protein 10 interaction and exerted a differential regulation on proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta and proliferator-activated receptor gamma expression in adipocytes. Focused gene expression profiling revealed an altered expression of genes involved in adipogenesis, lipid accumulation, and fatty acid beta-oxidation, indicative of altered adipose physiology. Despite reduced physical activity with no modification in food intake, these mutant mice were resistant to obesity and insulin resistance induced by a high-fat diet.CONCLUSIONS-Smad3 is a multifaceted regulator in adipose physiology and the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes, suggesting that Smad3 may be a potential target for the treatment of obesity and its associated disorders

Adverse prognosis of epigenetic inactivation in RUNX3 gene at 1p36 in human pancreatic cancer

Alteration in transforming growth factor-β signalling pathway is one of the main causes of pancreatic cancer. The human runt-related transcription factor 3 gene (RUNX3) is an important component of this pathway. RUNX3 locus 1p36 is commonly deleted in a variety of human cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Therefore, we examined genetic and epigenetic alterations of RUNX3 in human pancreatic cancer. Thirty-two patients with pancreatic cancer were investigated in this study. We examined the methylation status of RUNX3 promoter region, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 1p36, and conducted a mutation analysis. The results were compared with clinicopathological data. Promoter hypermethylation was detected in 20 (62.5%) of 32 pancreatic cancer tissues, confirmed by sequence of bisulphite-treated DNA. Loss of heterozygosity was detected in 11 (34.3%) of 32 pancreatic cancers. In comparison with clinicopathological data, hypermethylation showed a relation with a worse prognosis (P=0.0143). Hypermethylation and LOH appear to be common mechanisms for inactivation of RUNX3 in pancreatic cancer. Therefore, RUNX3 may be an important tumour suppressor gene related to pancreatic cancer

Transforming growth factor-β-regulated miR-24 promotes skeletal muscle differentiation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been proposed as a versatile class of molecules involved in regulation of a variety of biological processes. However, the role of miRNAs in TGF-β-regulated biological processes is poorly addressed. In this study, we found that miR-24 was upregulated during myoblast differentiation and could be inhibited by TGF-β1. Using both a reporter assay and Northern blot analysis, we showed that TGF-β1 repressed miR-24 transcription which was dependent on the presence of Smad3 and a Smads binding site in the promoter region of miR-24. TGF-β1 was unable to inhibit miR-24 expression in Smad3-deficient myoblasts, which exhibited accelerated myogenesis. Knockdown of miR-24 led to reduced expression of myogenic differentiation markers in C2C12 cells, while ectopic expression of miR-24 enhanced differentiation, and partially rescued inhibited myogenesis by TGF-β1. This is the first study demonstrating a critical role for miRNAs in modulating TGF-β-dependent inhibition of myogenesis, and provides a novel mechanism of the genetic regulation of TGF-β signaling during skeletal muscle differentiation

Venous identity requires BMP signalling through ALK3

Venous endothelial cells are molecularly and functionally distinct from their arterial counterparts. Although veins are often considered the default endothelial state, genetic manipulations can modulate both acquisition and loss of venous fate, suggesting that venous identity is the result of active transcriptional regulation. However, little is known about this process. Here we show that BMP signalling controls venous identity via the ALK3/BMPR1A receptor and SMAD1/SMAD5. Perturbations to TGF-β and BMP signalling in mice and zebrafish result in aberrant vein formation and loss of expression of the venous-specific gene Ephb4, with no effect on arterial identity. Analysis of a venous endothelium-specific enhancer for Ephb4 shows enriched binding of SMAD1/5 and a requirement for SMAD binding motifs. Further, our results demonstrate that BMP/SMAD-mediated Ephb4 expression requires the venous-enriched BMP type I receptor ALK3/BMPR1A. Together, our analysis demonstrates a requirement for BMP signalling in the establishment of Ephb4 expression and the venous vasculature

Signalling pathways mediating specific synergistic interactions between GDF9 and BMP15

Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) are two proteins selectively expressed in the oocyte which are essential for normal fertility. Both of these proteins are members of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily and as such are produced as pre-proproteins, existing after proteolytic processing as a complex of the respective pro and mature regions. Previous work has shown that these two proteins interact both at the genetic and cellular signalling levels. In this study, our aim was to determine if the purified mature regions of GDF9 and BMP15 exhibit synergistic interactions on granulosa cells and to determine if such interactions are specific to these two proteins. We have used primary cultures of murine granulosa cells and [3H]-thymidine incorporation or transcriptional reporter assays as our readouts. We observed clear synergistic interactions between the mature regions of GDF9 and BMP15 when either DNA synthesis or SMAD3 signalling were examined. GDF9/BMP15 synergistic interactions were specific such that neither factor could be replaced by an analogous TGF-β superfamily member. The GDF9/BMP15 synergistic signalling response was inhibited by the SMAD2/3 phosphorylation inhibitor SB431542, as well as inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinase or rous sarcoma oncogene (SRC) signalling pathways, but not the nuclear factor kappa B pathway. In this study, we show that purified mature regions of GDF9 and BMP15 synergistically interact in a specific manner which is not dependent on the presence of a pro-region. This synergistic interaction is targeted at the SMAD3 pathway, and is dependent on ERK1/2 and SRC kinase signalling.David G. Mottershead, Lesley J. Ritter and Robert B. Gilchris

Involvement of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) in pituitary prolactinoma pathogenesis through a Smad/estrogen receptor crosstalk

Pituitary tumor development involves clonal expansion stimulated by hormones and growth factors/cytokines. Using mRNA differential display, we found that the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) inhibitor noggin is down-regulated in prolactinomas from dopamine D2-receptor-deficient mice. BMP-4 is overexpressed in prolactinomas taken from dopamine D2-receptor-deficient female mice, but expression of the highly homologous BMP-2 does not differ in normal pituitary tissue and prolactinomas. BMP-4 is overexpressed in other prolactinoma models, including estradiol-induced rat prolactinomas and human prolactinomas, compared with normal tissue and other pituitary adenoma types (Western blot analysis of 48 tumors). BMP-4 stimulates, and noggin blocks, cell proliferation and the expression of c-Myc in human prolactinomas, whereas BMP-4 has no action in other human pituitary tumors. GH3 cells stably transfected with a dominant negative of Smad4 (Smad4dn; a BMP signal cotransducer) or noggin have reduced tumorigenicity in nude mice. Tumor growth recovered in vivo when the Smad4dn expression was lost, proving that BMP-4/Smad4 are involved in tumor development in vivo. BMP-4 and estrogens act through overlapping intracellular signaling mechanisms on GH3 cell proliferation and c-myc expression: they had additive effects at low concentrations but not at saturating doses, and their action was inhibited by blocking either pathway with the reciprocal antagonist (i.e., BMP-4 with ICI 182780 or 17β-estradiol with Smad4dn). Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that under BMP-4 stimulation Smad4 and Smad1 physically interact with the estrogen receptor. This previously undescribed prolactinoma pathogenesis mechanism may participate in tumorigenicity in other cells where estrogens and the type β transforming growth factor family have important roles

A FoxO–Smad synexpression group in human keratinocytes

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signals through activation of Smad transcription factors. Activated Smad proteins associate with different DNA-binding cofactors for the recognition and regulation of specific target genes. Members of the forkhead box O family (FoxO1, FoxO3, and FoxO4) play such a role in the induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p15Ink4b and p21Cip1. To delineate the organization of the TGF-β response in human keratinocytes, we defined the set of genes whose activation by TGF-β requires both FoxO and Smad functions. FoxO factors are shown to be essential for 11 of the 115 immediate gene activation responses to TGF-β in these cells. FoxO1, FoxO3, and FoxO4 act redundantly as mediators of these effects. Smad4, which functions as a partner of receptor-phosphorylated Smad2/3, is required for all of these responses. These results define a FoxO–Smad synexpression group or group of genes that are jointly induced by a common mechanism in response to TGF-β. In addition to p15INK4b and p21CIP1, these genes include mediators of stress responses (GADD45A, GADD45B, and IER1) and adaptive cell signaling responses (CTGF, JAG1, LEMD3, SGK, CDC42EP3, and OVOL1). Bioinformatic analysis of the promoter region of these genes reveals diverse configurations of Smad and FoxO binding elements, implying differences in the regulatory properties of this group of genes. Indeed, a subset of FoxO/Smad-dependent TGF-β gene responses additionally require the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β. The composition of the FoxO–Smad synexpression group suggests that stress reactions and adaptive functions accompany the cytostatic response of keratinocytes to TGF-β