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Development of vertebrate embryos is characterized by early formation of the anterior tissues followed by the sequential extension of the axis at their posterior end to build the trunk and tail structures, first by the activity of the primitive streak and then of the tail bud. Embryological, molecular and genetic data demonstrate that head and trunk development are significantly different, indicating that the transition into the trunk formation stage involves changes in regulatory gene networks, that might include the acquisition of cell competence to respond to key regulatory factors. Herein, we explored the regulatory changes involved in this developmental transition by assessing the transcriptome and chromatin accessibility profiles from the posterior epiblast region of mouse embryos at embryonic day (E)7.5 and E8.5. We observed changes in various cell processes, including signaling pathways, ubiquitination, ion dynamics and metabolic processes involving lipids that could contribute to the functional switch in the progenitor region of the embryo. Our data also led to the identification of novel mechanisms controlling the differential Wnt functional requirements during head and trunk development. Moreover, we found substantial changes in chromatin accessibility mostly mapping to intergenic regions, indicating a significant switch in the regulatory elements controlling either head or trunk development. In addition, we tested the functional relevance of potential enhancers ofWnt5aandNr2f2, identified in the accessibility assays, that reproduced the expression profiles of the target genes. Deletion of these regions by genome editing had limited effect on the expression of those genes, suggesting the existence of redundant enhancers that guarantee robust expression patterns. Overall, this study provides new insights on the regulatory mechanisms that change during the transition from head to trunk development.Author SummaryVertebrate main body axis is generated sequentially from head to tail. The developmental processes building head and trunk structures are significantly different, and the transition between these two stages requires substantial changes in functional gene regulatory networks. Herein, we explored such changes through genome wide analyses in developing mouse embryos. We observed significant differences in several signaling pathways and in the basic cell machinery, which may interact promoting a functional switch in the differentiating progenitor cells. We also found substantial changes in the accessibility of regulatory elements controlling either head or trunk formation, which conditioned the binding activity of key developmental transcription factors. Overall, our study gives relevant insights into the mechanisms regulating the head to trunk transition that, if disrupted, can lead to embryonic developmental arrest.

The turtle carapace is an evolutionary novelty resulting from changes in the processes that build ribs and their associated muscles in most tetrapod species. Turtle embryos have several unique features that might play a role in this process, including the carapacial ridge, a Myf5 gene with shorter coding region that generates an alternative splice variant lacking exon 2, and unusual expression patterns of Lbx1 and HGF.We investigated these turtle-specific expression differences using genetic approaches in mouse embryos. At mid-gestation, mouse embryos producing Myf5 transcripts lacking exon 2 replicated some early properties of turtle somites, but still developed into viable and fertile mice. Extending Lbx1 expression into the hypaxial dermomyotomal lip of trunk somites to mimic the turtle Lbx1 expression pattern, produced fusions in the distal part of the ribs.Turtle-like Myf5 activity might generate a plastic state in developing trunk somites under which they can either enter carapace morphogenetic routes, possibly triggered by signals from the carapacial ridge, or still engage in the development of a standard tetrapod ribcage in the absence of those signals. In addition, trunk Lbx1 expression might play a later role in the formation of the lateral border of the carapace.

T-cell membrane scaffold proteins play important roles in T cell biology, functioning as multi-functional signaling hubs. CD6 assembles a large intracellular signalosome but, unlike typical membrane-attached scaffolds like LAT or PAG, it has a sizeable ectodomain that binds a well-characterized ligand, CD166. It is unclear whether CD6 has net inhibitory or costimulatory functions or how its ectodomain influences these activities. To explore these questions, we dissected the signaling functions of the extracellular and cytoplasmic regions of CD6. We found that CD6 was delivered to the immunological synapse and suppressed T cell responsivenessin vitrowholly dependently of its cytoplasmic domain, indicating that CD6 very potently imposes tonic inhibition, acting as a structural and signaling inhibitory hub. However, the cell-intrinsic suppression of autoimmunity by CD6in vivowas also impacted by extracellular interactions, demonstrated by the increased susceptibility of mice to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis after removal of the ligand binding region of the ectodomain of CD6. Our work identifies CD6 as a new class of ‘on/off switching’ scaffold-receptor that constrains immune responsiveness at two speeds. First, it sets signaling thresholds via tonic inhibition, functioning as a cytoplasmic membrane-bound scaffold and, second, by cycling between signaling-enabling and signalinginhibiting ectodomain isoforms it functions as an immune checkpoint.

The vertebrate body is built during embryonic development by the sequential addition of new tissue as the embryo grows at its caudal end. During this process, progenitor cells within the neuromesodermal competent (NMC) region generate the postcranial neural tube and paraxial mesoderm. Here, we have applied a genetic strategy to recover the NMC cell population from mouse embryonic tissues and have searched their transcriptome for cell-surface markers that would give access to these cells without previous genetic modifications. We found that Epha1 expression is restricted to the axial progenitor-containing areas of the mouse embryo. Epha1-positive cells isolated from the mouse tailbud generate neural and mesodermal derivatives when cultured in vitro. This observation, together with their enrichment in the Sox2+/Tbxt+ molecular phenotype, indicates a direct association between Epha1 and the NMC population. Additional analyses suggest that tailbud cells expressing low Epha1 levels might also contain notochord progenitors, and that high Epha1 expression might be associated with progenitors entering paraxial mesoderm differentiation. Epha1 could thus be a valuable cell-surface marker for labeling and recovering physiologically active axial progenitors from embryonic tissues.

The global burden of sepsis, with an estimated 49 million cases and 11 million deaths in 2017, often passes unnoticed to the general public even though it is the direct cause of nearly 20% of all deaths worldwide. This unawareness is perhaps due to misconceptions, or miscoding in the reporting of the ultimate causes of death, as in many diseases it is not the actual infectious agent that causes the biggest harm. Rather, it is the uncontrolled inflammation leading to septic shock that is the most menacing manifestation associated with many infections, and becomes deadly serious once it has passed the stage where anti-microbial drugs no longer have any effect to inactivate or destroy the pathogen. Here we show that the combined anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) protein CD5L contribute to a remarkable therapeutic effect of the protein to fight sepsis, such that when exogenously administered in C57BL/6 mice with induced lethal-grade sepsis, it can be a very effective curative agent to treat this condition. The resistance conferred by CD5L to polybacterial-induced sepsis using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model is consistent with the reported observations that CD5L physically binds and inactivates diverse species and strains of bacteria. Accordingly, our CD5L-knockout mice are significantly more susceptible to experimentally-induced mid-grade CLP than wild-type animals. We show that CD5L is centered on promoting neutrophil recruitment and activation, overall contributing to reducing the bacteria burden of the animals. However, the dramatic susceptibility of CD5L-deficient animals is not necessarily correlated only with pathogen load, as these mice are also extremely susceptible to sterile sepsis induced by nonlethal doses of LPS. Notwithstanding the observed capacity of CD5L to directly bind to a broad range of pathogens, typical of many PRRs, our evidence suggests that the anti-inflammatory properties of the protein are at least as important as its pathogen-binding potential, and can, and should, be explored to treat the deadly inflammation storm that is sepsis.

Germ cells provide the cellular basis for sexual reproduction in multicellular animals. In males, germ cells differentiate into sperm, one of the most morphologically diverse eukaryotic cell types. Owing both to this remarkable diversity and to the rapid evolution of reproduction-related genes, the transcriptional program of male germ cells is widely regarded as divergent across species1,2. However, the possibility that these cells retain a distinctive evolutionarily-conserved genetic basis remains largely unexplored. Here we show, using phylostratigraphy, that the complex male germ cell transcriptome has an old evolutionary origin shared between vertebrate and invertebrate species. Through multilayer network analysis of the human, mouse and fruit fly meiotic transcriptome, we establish that old genes serve as a genetic scaffold from which complexity has evolved, and identify a core set of 79 ancient functional interactions at the heart of male germ cell identity. By silencing a cohort of 920 candidate genes likely to affect the acquisition and maintenance of this identity, we uncover 164 previously unknown spermatogenesis genes. Integrating this information with whole-exome sequencing data from azoospermic men reveals three novel genetic causes of human male infertility shared between species that have diverged for more than 600 million years. Our results redefine the importance of evolutionary history on human reproductive disease and illustrate the translational potential of a new synergy between comparative network biology and medical genetics. We anticipate that our open-access and easily-adaptable interdisciplinary research platform will be harnessed in the context of other cell types and diseases.

BackgroundThe turtle carapace is an evolutionary novelty resulting from changes in the processes that build ribs and their associated muscles in most tetrapod species. Turtle embryos have several unique features that might play a role in this process, including the carapacial ridge, a Myf5 gene with shorter coding region that generates an alternative splice variant lacking exon 2, and unusual expression patterns of Lbx1 and HGF.ResultsWe generated Myf5 alleles reproducing the Myf5 turtle expression features. At mid gestation, mouse embryos expressing Myf5 lacking exon 2 reproduced some early properties of turtle somites, but still developed into viable and fertile mice. Extending Lbx1 expression into the hypaxial dermomyotomal lip of trunk somites to mimic the turtle Lbx1 expression pattern, produced fusions in the distal part of the ribs.ConclusionsTurtle-like Myf5 activity might generate a plastic state in developing trunk somites under which they can either enter carapace morphogenetic routes, possibly triggered by signals from the carapacial ridge, or still engage in the development of a standard tetrapod ribcage in the absence of those signals. In addition, trunk Lbx1 expression might play a later role in the formation of the lateral border of the carapace.

Understanding the regulatory interactions that control gene expression during the development of novel tissues is a key goal of evolutionary developmental biology. Here, we show that Mbnl3 has undergone a striking process of evolutionary specialization in eutherian mammals resulting in the emergence of a novel placental function for the gene. Mbnl3 belongs to a family of RNA-binding proteins whose members regulate multiple aspects of RNA metabolism. We find that, in eutherians, while both Mbnl3 and its paralog Mbnl2 are strongly expressed in placenta, Mbnl3 expression has been lost from nonplacental tissues in association with the evolution of a novel promoter. Moreover, Mbnl3 has undergone accelerated protein sequence evolution leading to changes in its RNA-binding specificities and cellular localization. While Mbnl2 and Mbnl3 share partially redundant roles in regulating alternative splicing, polyadenylation site usage and, in turn, placenta maturation, Mbnl3 has also acquired novel biological functions. Specifically, Mbnl3 knockout (M3KO) alone results in increased placental growth associated with higher Myc expression. Furthermore, Mbnl3 loss increases fetal resource allocation during limiting conditions, suggesting that location of Mbnl3 on the X chromosome has led to its role in limiting placental growth, favoring the maternal side of the parental genetic conflict. The research has been funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia (BFU2017-89201-P and PID2020-115040GB-I00 to M.I.), the ‘Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017’(SEV-2012-0208 to the Centre for Genomic Regulation), and the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under REA grant agreement n° 608959 to T.S.

Graphical abstract, Genetically modified model organisms are valuable tools for probing gene function, dissecting complex signaling networks, studying human disease, and more. CRISPR/Cas9 technology has significantly democratized and reduced the time and cost of generating genetically modified models to the point that small gene edits are now routinely and efficiently generated in as little as two months. However, generation of larger and more sophisticated gene-modifications continues to be inefficient. Alternative ways to provide the replacement DNA sequence, method of Cas9 delivery, and tethering the template sequence to Cas9 or the guide RNA (gRNA) have all been tested in an effort to maximize homology-directed repair for precise modification of the genome. We present two CRISPR/Cas9 methods that have been used to successfully generate large and complex gene-edits in mouse. In the first method, the Cas9 enzyme is used in conjunction with two sgRNAs and a long single-stranded DNA (lssDNA) template prepared by an alternative protocol. The second method utilizes a tethering approach to couple a biotinylated, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) template to a Cas9-streptavidin fusion protein. • Alternative method for generating long, single-stranded DNA templates for CRISPR/Cas9 editing. • Demonstration that using two sgRNAs with Cas9-streptavidin/biotinylated-dsDNA is feasible for large DNA modifications.

LISBOA-01?0145-FEDER-030254 SCML-MC-60-2014 LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-022170 PD/BD/128426/2017 PD/BD/128437/2017 MR/S008799/1 MR/ K011200/1 DEV-170806 Formation of the vertebrate postcranial body axis follows two sequential but distinct phases. The first phase generates pre-sacral structures (the so-called primary body) through the activity of the primitive streak on axial progenitors within the epiblast. The embryo then switches to generate the secondary body (post-sacral structures), which depends on axial progenitors in the tail bud. Here we show that the mammalian tail bud is generated through an independent functional developmental module, concurrent but functionally different from that generating the primary body. This module is triggered by convergent Tgfbr1 and Snai1 activities that promote an incomplete epithelial to mesenchymal transition on a subset of epiblast axial progenitors. This EMT is functionally different from that coordinated by the primitive streak, as it does not lead to mesodermal differentiation but brings axial progenitors into a transitory state, keeping their progenitor activity to drive further axial body extension. publishersversion published

Formation of the vertebrate postcranial body axis follows two sequential but distinct phases. The first phase generates pre-sacral structures (the so-called primary body) through the activity of the primitive streak (PS) on axial progenitors within the epiblast. The embryo then switches to generate the secondary body (post-sacral structures), which depends on axial progenitors in the tail bud. Here we show that the mammalian tail bud is generated through an independent developmental module, concurrent but functionally different to that generating the primary body. This module is triggered by convergent TgfβRI and Snai1 activities that promote an incomplete epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) on a subset of epiblast axial progenitors. This EMT is functionally different to that coordinated by the PS, as it does not lead to mesodermal differentiation but brings axial progenitors into a transitory state, keeping their progenitor activity to drive further axial body extension.

The vertebrate body is built during embryonic development by the sequential addition of new tissue as the embryo grows at its caudal end. During this process, the neuro-mesodermal progenitors (NMPs) generate the postcranial neural tube and paraxial mesoderm. Recently, several approaches have been designed to determine their molecular fingerprint but a simple method to isolate NMPs from embryos without the need for transgenic markers is still missing. We isolated NMPs using a genetic strategy that exploits their self-renew properties, and searched their transcriptome for cell surface markers. We found a distinct Epha1 expression profile in progenitor-containing areas of the mouse embryo, consisting of two cell subpopulations with different Epha1 expression levels. We show that Sox2+/T+cells are preferentially associated with the Epha1 compartment, indicating that NMPs might be contained within this cell pool. Transcriptional profiling showed enrichment of high Epha1-expressing cells in known NMP and early mesoderm markers. Also, tail bud cells with lower Epha1 levels contained a molecular signature suggesting the presence of notochord progenitors. Our results thus indicate that Epha1 could represent a valuable cell surface marker for different subsets of axial progenitors, most particularly for NMPs taking mesodermal fates.

Within land vertebrate species, snakes display extreme variations in their body plan, characterized by the absence of limbs and an elongated morphology. Such a particular interpretation of the basic vertebrate body architecture has often been associated with changes in the function or regulation of Hox genes. Here, we use an interspecies comparative approach to investigate different regulatory aspects at the snake HoxD locus. We report that, unlike in other vertebrates, snake mesoderm-specific enhancers are mostly located within the HoxD cluster itself rather than outside. In addition, despite both the absence of limbs and an altered Hoxd gene regulation in external genitalia, the limb-associated bimodal HoxD chromatin structure is maintained at the snake locus. Finally, we show that snake and mouse orthologous enhancer sequences can display distinct expression specificities. These results show that vertebrate morphological evolution likely involved extensive reorganisation at Hox loci, yet within a generally conserved regulatory framework. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16087.001, eLife digest Animals with a backbone can look remarkably different from one another, like fish and birds, for example. Nevertheless, these animals – which are also known as vertebrates – have many genes in common that shape their bodies during development. These genes include a family called the Hox genes, which control how an animal’s body parts develop from its head to its tail and are needed to shape the animal’s limbs. Hox genes are found clustered in groups within a vertebrate’s DNA, and large regions of DNA on either side of a Hox cluster can, in some cases, physically interact with the Hox genes to regulate their expression. So how do the same genes produce different body shapes? Different vertebrates regulate where and when their Hox genes are switched off and on in different ways. As such, it is likely that differences in gene regulation, rather than in the genes themselves, lead embryos to develop into the distinct shapes seen across the animal kingdom. Snakes – for example – evolved from a lizard-like ancestor into elongated limbless animals as they have adapted to a burrowing lifestyle. However, it was not known if changes in how Hox genes are regulated have played a role in shaping the distinct body plan of snakes. Guerreiro et al. have now compared how Hox genes are regulated in snakes, mice and other vertebrates, focusing on corn snakes and one particular cluster of Hox genes called the HoxD cluster. The comparison revealed that these Hox genes are regulated differently in developing snakes than in other vertebrate embryos. This is particularly the case for tissues that show the most differences when compared with other animals (such as the torso and genitals) or that are absent (such as the limbs). Although Hoxd genes are activated at different times and places in snakes than in other vertebrates, snake Hox genes appear to be regulated using the same general mechanisms as mouse Hox genes. Guerreiro et al. suggest that changes to Hoxd gene regulation have contributed to the evolution of the snake’s shape and have most likely influenced the body shapes of other vertebrates as well. However, the findings also suggest that these gene regulatory changes have been constrained by an existing regulatory mechanism that has been maintained throughout evolution. It remains for future work to address whether these changes in Hox gene regulation are a cause or a consequence of the snake’s extreme body shape, or indeed a combination of the two. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16087.002

The deposited article version is a post-print version (final draft post-refereeing) and included supplementary information. Vertebrates exhibit a remarkably broad variation in trunk and tail lengths. However, the evolutionary and developmental origins of this diversity remain largely unknown. Posterior Hox genes were proposed to be major players in trunk length diversification in vertebrates, but functional studies have so far failed to support this view. Here we identify the pluripotency factor Oct4 as a key regulator of trunk length in vertebrate embryos. Maintaining high Oct4 levels in axial progenitors throughout development was sufficient to extend trunk length in mouse embryos. Oct4 also shifted posterior Hox gene-expression boundaries in the extended trunks, thus providing a link between activation of these genes and the transition to tail development. Furthermore, we show that the exceptionally long trunks of snakes are likely to result from heterochronic changes in Oct4 activity during body axis extension, which may have derived from differential genomic rearrangements at the Oct4 locus during vertebrate evolution. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia grants: ( PTDC/BEX-BID/0899/2014, SFRH/BD/51876/2012); Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa grant: (SCML-MC-60-2014); Howard Hughes Medical; HHMI international graduate student research fellowship. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Formation of the vertebrate axial skeleton requires coordinated Hox gene activity. Hox group 6 genes are involved in the formation of the thoracic area owing to their unique rib-promoting properties. Here we show that the linker region (LR) connecting the homeodomain and the hexapeptide is essential for Hoxb6 rib-promoting activity in mice. The LR-defective Hoxb6 protein was still able to bind a target enhancer together with Pax3, producing a dominant-negative effect, indicating that the LR brings additional regulatory factors to target DNA elements. We also found an unexpected association between Hoxb6 and segmentation in the paraxial mesoderm. In particular, Hoxb6 can disturb somitogenesis and anterior-posterior somite patterning by dysregulation of Lfng expression. Interestingly, this interaction occurred differently in thoracic versus more caudal embryonic areas, indicating functional differences in somitogenesis before and after the trunk-to-tail transition. Our results suggest the requirement of precisely regulated Hoxb6 expression for proper segmentation at tailbud stages. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia grant: (PTDC/SAU-BID/110640/2009); FCT postdoctoral fellowship: (SFRH/BPD/89500/2012).

SummaryHox and Cdx transcription factors regulate embryonic positional identities. Cdx mutant mice display posterior body truncations of the axial skeleton, neuraxis, and caudal urorectal structures. We show that trunk Hox genes stimulate axial extension, as they can largely rescue these Cdx mutant phenotypes. Conversely, posterior (paralog group 13) Hox genes can prematurely arrest posterior axial growth when precociously expressed. Our data suggest that the transition from trunk to tail Hox gene expression successively regulates the construction and termination of axial structures in the mouse embryo. Thus, Hox genes seem to differentially orchestrate posterior expansion of embryonic tissues during axial morphogenesis as an integral part of their function in specifying head-to-tail identity. In addition, we present evidence that Cdx and Hox transcription factors exert these effects by controlling Wnt signaling. Concomitant regulation of Cyp26a1 expression, restraining retinoic acid signaling away from the posterior growth zone, may likewise play a role in timing the trunk-tail transition.

We show here that expression of Hoxa10 in the presomitic mesoderm is sufficient to confer a Hox group 10 patterning program to the somite, producing vertebrae without ribs, an effect not achieved when Hoxa10 is expressed in the somites. In addition, Hox group 11-dependent vertebral sacralization requires Hoxa11 expression in the presomitic mesoderm, while their caudal differentiation requires that Hoxa11 is expressed in the somites. Therefore, Hox gene patterning activity is different in the somites and presomitic mesoderm, the latter being very prominent for Hox gene-mediated patterning of the axial skeleton. This is further supported by our finding that inactivation of Gbx2, a homeobox-containing gene expressed in the presomitic mesoderm but not in the somites, produced Hox-like phenotypes in the axial skeleton without affecting Hox gene expression.

Metaphase chromosome protein 1 (MCP1) is a nuclear autoantigen that is associated with condensed chromosomes throughout mitosis. During interphase, this antigen shows a speckle distribution in the nucleus, excluding the nucleolus. Additionally, MCP1 binds tightly to the scaffold/matrix component of nuclei and isolated chromosomes. In order to determine the in-vivo localization of the antigen, we have expressed MCP1 fused to EGFP in tissue culture cells. The results demonstrate that MCP1 is located in the nucleus during interphase and during mitosis associates tightly to condensed chromosomes. Furthermore, microinjection of specific antibody confirms these results. We have used a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb 402) against MCP1 to assess the function of this antigen during cell cycle progression. HeLa and Ptk-2 cells that were microinjected into the nucleus and/or cytoplasm at G1/S and very early S phase were not able to progress and complete DNA replication. However, injection of mAb 402 at mid or late S phase does not prevent completion of DNA replication and subsequent progression into mitosis. Microinjection of mAb 402 in Ptk-2 cells synchronized in mitosis did not interfere with progression of mitosis and cells divided. Our results suggest that MCP1 is required at the G1/S transition and during early S phase.

Extension of the vertebrate body results from the concerted activity of many signals in the posterior embryonic end. Among them, Wnt3a has been shown to play relevant roles in the regulation of axial progenitor activity, mesoderm formation and somitogenesis. However, its impact on axial growth remains to be fully understood. Using a transgenic approach in the mouse, we found that the effect of Wnt3a signaling varies depending on the target tissue. High levels of Wnt3a in the epiblast prevented formation of neural tissues, but did not impair axial progenitors from producing different mesodermal lineages. These mesodermal tissues maintained a remarkable degree of organization, even within a severely malformed embryo. However, from the cells that failed to take a neural fate, only those that left the epithelial layer of the epiblast activated a mesodermal program. The remaining tissue accumulated as a folded epithelium that kept some epiblast-like characteristics. Together with previously published observations, our results suggest a dose-dependent role for Wnt3a in regulating the balance between renewal and selection of differentiation fates of axial progenitors in the epiblast. In the paraxial mesoderm, appropriate regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling was required not only for somitogenesis, but also for providing proper anterior-posterior polarity to the somites. Both processes seem to rely on mechanisms with different requirements for feedback modulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, once segmentation occurred in the presence of high levels of Wnt3a in the presomitic mesoderm, but not after permanent expression of a constitutively active form of β-catenin. Together, our findings suggest that Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling plays sequential roles during posterior extension, which are strongly dependent on the target tissue. This provides an additional example of how much the functional output of signaling systems depends on the competence of the responding cells. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia: (PTDC/BIA-BCM/110638/2009, PTDC/SAU-BID/110640/2009, SFRH/BD/33562/2008, SFRH/BD/51876/2012).

The vertebrate body is made by progressive addition of new tissue from progenitors at the posterior embryonic end. Axial extension involves different mechanisms that produce internal organs in the trunk but not in the tail. We show that Gdf11 signaling is a major coordinator of the trunk-to-tail transition. Without Gdf11 signaling, the switch from trunk to tail is significantly delayed, and its premature activation brings the hindlimbs and cloaca next to the forelimbs, leaving extremely short trunks. Gdf11 activity includes activation of Isl1 to promote formation of the hindlimbs and cloaca-associated mesoderm as the most posterior derivatives of lateral mesoderm progenitors. Gdf11 also coordinates reallocation of bipotent neuromesodermal progenitors from the anterior primitive streak to the tail bud, in part by reducing the retinoic acid available to the progenitors. Our findings provide a perspective to understand the evolution of the vertebrate body plan. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia grants: (PTDC/BIA-BCM/110638/2009, PTDC/SAU-BID/110640/2009); FCT PhD fellowships: (SFRH/BD/33562/2008, SFRH/BD/51876/2012, SFRH/BD/51879/2012).

Development of the vertebrate axial skeleton requires the concerted activity of several Hox genes. Among them, Hox genes belonging to the paralog group 10 are essential for the formation of the lumbar region of the vertebral column, owing to their capacity to block rib formation. In this work, we explored the basis for the rib-repressing activity of Hox10 proteins. Because genetic experiments in mice demonstrated that Hox10 proteins are strongly redundant in this function, we first searched for common motifs among the group members. We identified the presence of two small sequences flanking the homeodomain that are phylogenetically conserved among Hox10 proteins and that seem to be specific for this group. We show here that one of these motifs is required but not sufficient for the rib-repressing activity of Hox10 proteins. This motif includes two potential phosphorylation sites, which are essential for protein activity as their mutation to alanines resulted in a total loss of rib-repressing properties. Our data indicates that this motif has a significant regulatory function, modulating interactions with more N-terminal parts of the Hox protein, eventually triggering the rib-repressing program. In addition, this motif might also regulate protein activity by alteration of the protein's DNA-binding affinity through changes in the phosphorylation state of two conserved tyrosine residues within the homeodomain.

This study evaluates metaphase chromosome protein 1 (MCP1), a nuclear antigen, as a diagnostic marker for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Reactivity of sera from 114 Portuguese patients with autoimmune rheumatic disease or from healthy blood donors (HBD), against MCP1, produced in bacteria (bact-MCP1) or in its native form (native-MCP1), was determined by immunoblotting. Predictive and discriminative power of MCP1 reactivity for SLE diagnosis in disease-control groups was evaluated by logistic regression, its diagnostic value determined by receiver-operating characteristic analysis and compared with similar analysis of antinuclear antibody and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). We demonstrated that native-MCP1, in contrast to bact-MCP1, reacts with SLE sera with significant predictive and discriminative power versus other autoimmune diseases (odds ratio [OR] ≤3.537 and ≥3.265; area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve [AUC] ≤0.643 and ≥0.636) or versus HBD (OR = 5.006; AUC = 0.671), showing a good diagnostic power with high specificity (82.1% versus HBD) and low sensitivity for SLE, similar to those of dsDNA. The reactivity of SLE sera with native-MCP1 was shown to be dependent on the presence of phosphorylated residues. Native-MCP1 was shown to have diagnostic value as a specific marker for SLE diagnosis and, therefore, is a suitable substrate for a new antibody test. The widely reported importance of phosphorylated epitopes as targets for autoantibodies in SLE could also be confirmed for native-MCP1.

Decrease in Cdx dosage in an allelic series of mouse Cdx mutants leads to progressively more severe posterior vertebral defects. These defects are corrected by posterior gain of function of the Wnt effector Lef1. Precocious expression of Hox paralogous 13 genes also induces vertebral axis truncation by antagonizing Cdx function. We report here that the phenotypic similarity also applies to patterning of the caudal neural tube and uro-rectal tracts in Cdx and Wnt3a mutants, and in embryos precociously expressing Hox13 genes. Cdx2 inactivation after placentation leads to posterior defects, including incomplete uro-rectal septation. Compound mutants carrying one active Cdx2 allele in the Cdx4-null background (Cdx2/4), transgenic embryos precociously expressing Hox13 genes and a novel Wnt3a hypomorph mutant all manifest a comparable phenotype with similar uro-rectal defects. Phenotype and transcriptome analysis in early Cdx mutants, genetic rescue experiments and gene expression studies lead us to propose that Cdx transcription factors act via Wnt signaling during the laying down of uro-rectal mesoderm, and that they are operative in an early phase of these events, at the site of tissue progenitors in the posterior growth zone of the embryo. Cdx and Wnt mutations and premature Hox13 expression also cause similar neural dysmorphology, including ectopic neural structures that sometimes lead to neural tube splitting at caudal axial levels. These findings involve the Cdx genes, canonical Wnt signaling and the temporal control of posterior Hox gene expression in posterior morphogenesis in the different embryonic germ layers. They shed a new light on the etiology of the caudal dysplasia or caudal regression range of human congenital defects. [KEYWORDS: Animals, Cell Shape, Embryo, Mammalian/ metabolism, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Hedgehog Proteins/metabolism, Homeodomain Proteins/genetics/ metabolism, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Neural Tube/cytology/ metabolism, Signal Transduction, Transcription Factors/genetics/ metabolism, Tretinoin/metabolism, Wnt Proteins/genetics/ metabolism, Wnt3 Protein, Wnt3A Protein]

Hox genes are essential for the patterning of the axial skeleton. Hox group 10 has been shown to specify the lumbar domain by setting a rib-inhibiting program in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM). We have now produced mice with ribs in every vertebra by ectopically expressing Hox group 6 in the PSM, indicating that Hox genes are also able to specify the thoracic domain. We show that the information provided by Hox genes to specify rib-containing and rib-less areas is first interpreted in the myotome through the regional-specific control of Myf5 and Myf6 expression. This information is then transmitted to the sclerotome by a system that includes FGF and PDGF signaling to produce vertebrae with or without ribs at different axial levels. Our findings offer a new perspective of how Hox genes produce global patterns in the axial skeleton and support a redundant nonmyogenic role of Myf5 and Myf6 in rib formation. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia grants: (PTDC/BIA-BCM/71619/2006, POCTI-ISFL-4-664, SFRH/BD/27306/2006, SFRH/BPD/26668/2006).

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is essential for neural crest development in several vertebrates. Genetic experiments in the mouse have shown that Bmp2 is essential for the genesis of migratory neural crest cells. Using several markers and a transgenic reporter approach, we now show that neural crest cells are induced in Bmp2 null mutant embryos, but that these cells fail to migrate out of the neural tube. The absence of migratory neural crest cells in these mutants is not due to their elimination by cell death. The neuroectoderm of Bmp2-/- embryos fail to close and create abnormal folds both along the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral axes, which are associated with an apparent medio-lateral expansion of the neural tube. Finally, our data suggest that the molecular cascade downstream of BMP signaling in early neural crest development may be different in mouse and avian embryos.

Tbx1 belongs to the family of T-box containing transcription factors. In humans, TBX1 is implicated in the etiology of the DiGeorge syndrome. Inactivation of the Tbx1 gene in mice produces a variety of malformations including abnormal branching of the heart outflow tract, deficiencies in the branchial arch derivatives, agenesis of pharyngeal glands and abnormal development of the auditory system. We analyze here the middle and inner ear phenotypes of the Tbx1 null mice. The middle ear is strongly affected. Its skeletal components are malformed to varying degrees, some being slightly hypoplastic and others completely absent. However, a seemingly normal-looking tympanic membrane can still be recognized. Middle ear anomalies are associated with other skeletal deficiencies in the branchial arch-derived skeleton. These phenotypes derive from a combination of the failure of the posterior branchial arches to develop and the misrouting of neural crest cells. The inner ears of Tbx1 −/− animals are hypoplastic. No vestibular or cochlear structures are detectable, but the endolymphatic duct, the cochleovestibular ganglia and residual sensory patches are still identifiable. Molecular analyses revealed a seemingly normal spatial distribution of a variety of patterning markers in the otic vesicles of Tbx1 null mutants at E9.0. However, 1 day later, several of these markers presented altered domains of expression in the otocysts of these mutant embryos, suggesting that Tbx1 is not required for the establishment of spatial patterns in the otocyst, but rather for their maintenance. The inability of the Tbx1 −/− embryos to keep properly segregated functional domains in the otocyst is likely the cause of the strong inner ear phenotypes observed in these mutants.