ABSTRACT
Heterozygous mutations in dynamin 2 (DNM2) have been linked to dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy and centronuclear myopathy. We report the first homozygous mutation in the DNM2 protein p.Phe379Val, in three consanguineous patients with a lethal congenital syndrome associating akinesia, joint contractures, hypotonia, skeletal abnormalities, and brain and retinal hemorrhages. In vitro membrane tubulation, trafficking and GTPase assays are consistent with an impact of the DNM2p.Phe379Val mutation on endocytosis. Although DNM2 has been previously implicated in axonal and muscle maintenance, the clinical manifestation in our patients taken together with our expression analysis profile during mouse embryogenesis and knockdown approaches in zebrafish resulting in defects in muscle organization and angiogenesis support a pleiotropic role for DNM2 during fetal development in vertebrates and humans.
Subject(s)
Congenital Abnormalities/genetics , Dynamin II/genetics , Homozygote , Mutation, Missense/genetics , Amino Acid Sequence , Amino Acid Substitution/genetics , Animals , Base Sequence , Conserved Sequence/genetics , DNA Mutational Analysis , Dynamin II/chemistry , Dynamin II/metabolism , Embryonic Development/genetics , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental , Heterozygote , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Mice , Molecular Sequence Data , Pedigree , Pregnancy , SyndromeABSTRACT
Ascertaining when and where genes are expressed is of crucial importance to understanding or predicting the physiological role of genes and proteins and how they interact to form the complex networks that underlie organ development and function. It is, therefore, crucial to determine on a genome-wide level, the spatio-temporal gene expression profiles at cellular resolution. This information is provided by colorimetric RNA in situ hybridization that can elucidate expression of genes in their native context and does so at cellular resolution. We generated what is to our knowledge the first genome-wide transcriptome atlas by RNA in situ hybridization of an entire mammalian organism, the developing mouse at embryonic day 14.5. This digital transcriptome atlas, the Eurexpress atlas (http://www.eurexpress.org), consists of a searchable database of annotated images that can be interactively viewed. We generated anatomy-based expression profiles for over 18,000 coding genes and over 400 microRNAs. We identified 1,002 tissue-specific genes that are a source of novel tissue-specific markers for 37 different anatomical structures. The quality and the resolution of the data revealed novel molecular domains for several developing structures, such as the telencephalon, a novel organization for the hypothalamus, and insight on the Wnt network involved in renal epithelial differentiation during kidney development. The digital transcriptome atlas is a powerful resource to determine co-expression of genes, to identify cell populations and lineages, and to identify functional associations between genes relevant to development and disease.
Subject(s)
Databases, Genetic , Gene Expression Profiling , Mice/anatomy & histology , Mice/genetics , Animals , Atlases as Topic , Embryo, Mammalian , Internet , Mice/embryology , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Organ SpecificityABSTRACT
The transcription factor Otx2 is required to determine mesencephalic versus metencephalic (cerebellum/pons) territory during embryogenesis. This function of Otx2 primarily involves positioning and maintaining the mid-hindbrain organizer at the border between midbrain and anterior hindbrain. Otx2 expression is maintained long after this organizer is established. We therefore generated conditional mutants of Otx2 using the Cre/loxP system to study later roles during rostral brain development. For inactivation of Otx2 in neuronal progenitor cells, we crossed Otx2(flox/flox) animals with Nestin-Cre transgenic animals. In Nestin-Cre/+; Otx2(flox/flox) embryos, Otx2 activity was lost from the ventral midbrain starting at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5). In these mutant embryos, the mid-hindbrain organizer was properly positioned at E12.5, although Otx2 is absent from the midbrain. Hence, the Nestin-Cre/+; Otx2(flox/flox) animals represent a novel mouse model for studying the role of Otx2 in the midbrain, independently of abnormal development of the mid-hindbrain organizer. Our data demonstrate that Otx2 controls the development of several neuronal populations in the midbrain by regulating progenitor identity and neurogenesis. Dorsal midbrain progenitors ectopically expressed Math1 and generate an ectopic cerebellar-like structure. Similarly, Nkx2.2 ectopic expression ventrally into tegmentum progenitors is responsible for the formation of serotonergic neurons and hypoplasia of the red nucleus in the midbrain. In addition, we discovered a novel role for Otx2 in regulating neurogenesis of dopaminergic neurons. Altogether, these results demonstrate that Otx2 is required from E10.5 onward to regulate neuronal subtype identity and neurogenesis in the midbrain.
