The appendicular skeletal system represents a paradigm for development of skeletal elements with unique shapes and locations. Moreover, this system provides a platform to study how bone/cartilage in the same position develops into distinct shapes in two types of limbs, namely the forelimbs and hindlimbs. Elucidating how these skeletal elements are generated from progenitor cells is crucial for understanding the development of the appendicular skeletal system. During embryonic development, the posterior growth zone, the structure located at the posterior of the body, grows and posteriorly extends the body. This process, called the body extension, progressively generates progenitor cells for various tissues, including the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). Cells in the LPM give rise to the limb bud mesenchyme, which expand and undergo region-specific growth and differentiation, leading to progressive morphogenesis of skeletal elements from the most proximal (stylopod) to the middle (zeugopod) and distal (autopod) region. We obtained preliminary data supporting the idea that genetic systems earlier than limb bud formation regulate generation and expansion of progenitor cells for subsequent development of the appendicular skeletons. Conditional inactivation of Sall4, which encodes a zinc finger containing protein, prior to limb outgrowth, resulted in the loss of proximal-anterior skeletal elements only in the hindlimb, such as the femur, tibia and anterior digits. We also obtained preliminary data, suggesting that cells expressing Isl1, encoding a LIM homeodomain protein, in the hindlimb-forming region contribute to the formation of posterior-distal skeletal elements in hindlimbs, such as fibula and posterior digits. These results suggest that genetic systems by Isl1 and Sall4 operate in the LPM and regulate hindlimb progenitor cells to develop into specific skeletal elements. Furthermore, our preliminary data suggest that, in an earlier, upstream event, combined function of Sall4 and its homolog, Sall1, regulates body extension to generate hindlimb progenitors. The goal of the proposal is to determine the genetic and molecular mechanisms of Sall4, Isl1 and Sall1 operating in progenitor cells. We will have three specific aims for this goal.
Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that Sall4 regulates proliferation and survival of hindlimb progenitors through regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor genes.
Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that distinct regulation of ss-catenin by Sall4 and Isl1 controls proliferation and/or survival of hindlmb progenitor cells.
Aim 3 will test the hypothesis that the combined function of Sall1 and Sall4 controls the formation of the hindlimb progenitors in the LPM through regulation of body extension. Completion of this project will reveal a novel concept that genetic systems regulate the expansion of progenitors in the LPM for development of the appendicular skeletal system in later stages. Elucidating this novel mechanism that regulates appendicular skeletal development will significantly advance our current understanding of appendicular skeletogenesis

Public Health Relevance

Congenital limb malformations, whose major causes are abnormal genetic programming, are common birth defects occurring in one in every 500 to 1,000 human live births. Identification of the genetic mechanisms that regulate skeletal development in the limb is important for understanding human health as well as for developing accurate information for genetic counseling.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AR064195-03
Application #
8836975
Study Section
Skeletal Biology Development and Disease Study Section (SBDD)
Program Officer
Tyree, Bernadette
Project Start
2013-04-01
Project End
2016-03-31
Budget Start
2015-04-01
Budget End
2016-03-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
555917996
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455
Tahara, Naoyuki; Kawakami, Hiroko; Zhang, Teng et al. (2018) Temporal changes of Sall4 lineage contribution in developing embryos and the contribution of Sall4-lineages to postnatal germ cells in mice. Sci Rep 8:16410
Kawakami, Hiroko; Johnson, Austin; Fujita, Yu et al. (2018) Characterization of cis-regulatory elements for Fgf10 expression in the chick embryo. Dev Dyn 247:1253-1263
Tahara, Naoyuki; Akiyama, Ryutaro; Theisen, Joshua W M et al. (2018) Gata6 restricts Isl1 to the posterior of nascent hindlimb buds through Isl1 cis-regulatory modules. Dev Biol 434:74-83
Tao, Hirotaka; Kawakami, Yasuhiko; Hui, Chi-Chung et al. (2017) The two domain hypothesis of limb prepattern and its relevance to congenital limb anomalies. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Dev Biol 6:
Ungewitter, Erica; Rotgers, Emmi; Bantukul, Tanika et al. (2017) From the Cover: Teratogenic Effects of in Utero Exposure to Di-(2-Ethylhexyl)-Phthalate (DEHP) in B6:129S4 Mice. Toxicol Sci 157:8-19
Yu, Xiaodan; Kawakami, Hiroko; Tahara, Naoyuki et al. (2017) Expression of Noggin and Gremlin1 and its implications in fine-tuning BMP activities in mouse cartilage tissues. J Orthop Res 35:1671-1682
Yokoyama, Shigetoshi; Furukawa, Soichi; Kitada, Shoya et al. (2017) Analysis of transcription factors expressed at the anterior mouse limb bud. PLoS One 12:e0175673
Baik, June; Magli, Alessandro; Tahara, Naoyuki et al. (2016) Endoglin integrates BMP and Wnt signalling to induce haematopoiesis through JDP2. Nat Commun 7:13101
Hayashi, Shinichi; Akiyama, Ryutaro; Wong, Julia et al. (2016) Gata6-Dependent GLI3 Repressor Function is Essential in Anterior Limb Progenitor Cells for Proper Limb Development. PLoS Genet 12:e1006138
Tahara, Naoyuki; Brush, Michael; Kawakami, Yasuhiko (2016) Cell migration during heart regeneration in zebrafish. Dev Dyn 245:774-87

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