The major aims of this proposal are to identify mechanisms underlying midface development that are controlled by PDGF signaling. Loss of the PDGFRa or of its ligands PDGFA and PDGFC lead to facial clefting and improper development of the frontonasal process, whereas hypomorphic mutations in this pathway result in cleft palate. This application proposes: 1. To characterize the processes regulated by PDGFRa in cranial neural crest cells and craniofacial development. Loss of PDGFRa signaling affects two distinct processes, the development of the frontonasal masses and fusion at the midline. We will assess the ability of cranial neural crest cells to populate the frontonasal mass in PDGFRa conditional and hypomorphic mutants, using in vivo Cre lineage tracing and in vitro chemotaxis assays and cranial neural crest cell explants. We will also examine in detail the development of the frontonasal masses and midline fusion. 2. To investigate the pathways that operate downstream of PDGF engaged PI3K/AKT signaling in craniofacial development. Our previous genetic experiments have assigned a central role to the PI3K signaling pathway in mediating PDGF activity in craniofacial development, but further downstream pathways remain unknown. We will identify by mass spectroscopy the phosphorylation targets of PI3K/AKT in primary palatal mesenchyme cells. Genetic epistasis experiments between PDGFRa and phosphorylation target mutants will be conducted to identify their role in craniofacial development. 3. To establish a genetic pathway that instructs craniofacial patterning downstream of PDGF signaling. We have identified a number of transcriptional targets of PDGF in primary palatal mesenchymal cells, which are involved in cell migration and pattern specification in the frontonasal process and the palate. A selection of these PDGF target genes will be used to isolate mouse mutants. Phenotyping will be performed in null or conditional target gene mutants to determine changes in the frontonasal process and the palate. Genetic interactions with PDGFRa mutants will be performed to establish a genetic pathway operating downstream of PDGF in craniofacial development. Among growth factor signaling pathways, PDGF signaling has been exquisitely analyzed at a molecular and cellular level, and the proposed studies are anticipated to have significant impact in craniofacial biology because of the insight provided by this detailed knowledge. This proposal will thus open new directions for the prevention of craniofacial birth defects.

Public Health Relevance

Craniofacial developmental diseases including cleft lip or palate are the most prevalent birth defects in the human population worldwide. The major aims of this proposal are to identify mechanisms controlled by PDGF signaling that underlie normal development of the midface. We will investigate how PDGF controls neural crest cell migration, identify downstream intracellular signaling pathways involved in midline development, and characterize the transcriptional targets that mediate these processes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DE022363-02
Application #
8383096
Study Section
Skeletal Biology Development and Disease Study Section (SBDD)
Program Officer
Scholnick, Steven
Project Start
2011-12-01
Project End
2016-11-30
Budget Start
2012-12-01
Budget End
2013-11-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$670,874
Indirect Cost
$271,932
Name
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
078861598
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10029
Soriano, Philippe (2018) Intersectional gene inactivation: there is more to conditional mutagenesis than Cre. Sci China Life Sci 61:1115-1117
Dinsmore, Colin J; Soriano, Philippe (2018) MAPK and PI3K signaling: At the crossroads of neural crest development. Dev Biol :
He, Fenglei; Soriano, Philippe (2017) Dysregulated PDGFR? signaling alters coronal suture morphogenesis and leads to craniosynostosis through endochondral ossification. Development 144:4026-4036
Fantauzzo, Katherine A; Soriano, Philippe (2016) PDGFR? regulates craniofacial development through homodimers and functional heterodimers with PDGFR?. Genes Dev 30:2443-2458
Vasudevan, Harish N; Soriano, Philippe (2016) A Thousand and One Receptor Tyrosine Kinases: Wherein the Specificity? Curr Top Dev Biol 117:393-404
He, Fenglei; Soriano, Philippe (2015) Sox10ER(T2) CreER(T2) mice enable tracing of distinct neural crest cell populations. Dev Dyn 244:1394-403
Fantauzzo, Katherine A; Soriano, Philippe (2015) Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling: regulating neural crest development one phosphate at a time. Curr Top Dev Biol 111:135-82
Vasudevan, Harish N; Mazot, Pierre; He, Fenglei et al. (2015) Receptor tyrosine kinases modulate distinct transcriptional programs by differential usage of intracellular pathways. Elife 4:
Vasudevan, Harish N; Soriano, Philippe (2014) SRF regulates craniofacial development through selective recruitment of MRTF cofactors by PDGF signaling. Dev Cell 31:332-344
Fantauzzo, Katherine A; Soriano, Philippe (2014) PI3K-mediated PDGFR? signaling regulates survival and proliferation in skeletal development through p53-dependent intracellular pathways. Genes Dev 28:1005-17

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