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Highlights: [•] The Snai1 and Snai2 genes are important for cartilage development. [•] These genes function redundantly in mice in vivo. [•] The SNAI1 and SNAI2 proteins bind both their own and each other’s promoter. [•] These results help provide an explanation for this genetic redundancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the mouse ovary, oocytes initially develop in clusters termed germ-cell nests. Shortly after birth, these germ-cell nests break apart, and the oocytes individually become surrounded by somatic granulosa cells to form primordial follicles. Notch signaling plays essential roles during oogenesis in Drosophila, and recent studies have suggested that Notch signaling also plays an essential role during oogenesis and ovary development in mammals. However, no in vivo loss-of-function studies have been performed to establish whether Notch family receptors have an essential physiological role during normal ovarian development in mutant mice Results: Female mice with conditional deletion of the Notch2 gene in somatic granulosa cells of the ovary exhibited reduced fertility, accompanied by the formation of multi-oocyte follicles, which became hemorrhagic by 7 weeks of age. Formation of multi-oocyte follicles resulted from defects in breakdown of the primordial germ-cell nests. The ovaries of the Notch2 conditional mutant mice had increased numbers of oocytes, but decreased numbers of primordial follicles. Oocyte numbers in the Notch2 conditional mutants were increased not by excess or extended cellular proliferation, but as a result of decreased oocyte apoptosis. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates that Notch2-mediated signaling in the somatic-cell lineage of the mouse ovary regulates oocyte apoptosis non-cell autonomously, and is essential for regulating breakdown of germ-cell nests and formation of primordial follicles. This model provides a new resource for studying the developmental and physiological roles of Notch signaling during mammalian reproductive biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors focus on the laser surgery on mice which are subjected to genetic testing. In order to accelerate phenotype analysis, mutant mice from embryonic stem cells are being generated. The eight cell microinjection procedure in two approaches is being suggested for production of homozygotes. The authors conclude that the need for cost effectiveness for breeding, phenotyping and maintaining the mice will be met by laser surgery.

Background: Alagille syndrome is a developmental disorder caused predominantly by mutations in the Jagged1 (JAG1) gene, which encodes a ligand for Notch family receptors. A characteristic feature of Alagille syndrome is intrahepatic bile duct paucity. We described previously that mice doubly heterozygous for Jag1 and Notch2 mutations are an excellent model for Alagille syndrome. However, our previous study did not establish whether bile duct paucity in Jag1/Notch2 double heterozygous mice resulted from impaired differentiation of bile duct precursor cells, or from defects in bile duct morphogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we characterize embryonic biliary tract formation in our previously described Jag1/Notch2 double heterozygous Alagille syndrome model, and describe another mouse model of bile duct paucity resulting from liver-specific deletion of the Notch2 gene. Conclusions/Significance: Our data support a model in which bile duct paucity in Notch pathway loss of function mutant mice results from defects in bile duct morphogenesis rather than cell fate specification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Notch receptors are involved in cell fate decisions through the process of lateral inhibition or inductive signalling. Jagged2 belongs to the family of transmembrane proteins that serve as the ligands for Notch receptors. We have analysed the expression of the Jagged2 gene in developing mouse teeth. Jagged2 expression is restricted in inner enamel epithelial cells that give rise to the ameloblasts. We have also examined the role of Jagged2 in tooth development using mutant mice that lack the domain of the Jagged2 protein required for interaction with the Notch receptors (DSL domain). Homozygous mutant mice die after birth, exhibit abnormal tooth morphology and fusions between the palatal and mandibular shelves. These results demonstrate that Notch signalling plays an essential role in tooth development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

HSCs either self-renew or differentiate to give rise to multipotent cells whose progeny provide blood cell precursors. However, surprisingly little is known about the factors that regulate this choice of self-renewal versus differentiation. One candidate is the Notch signaling pathway, with ex vivo studies suggesting that Notch regulates HSC differentiation, although a functional role for Notch in HSC self-renewal in vivo remains controversial. Here, we have shown that Notch2, and not Notch1, inhibits myeloid differentiation and enhances generation of primitive Sca-1(+)c-kit(+) progenitors following in vitro culture of enriched HSCs with purified Notch ligands. In mice, Notch2 enhanced the rate of formation of short-term repopulating multipotential progenitor cells (MPPs) as well as long-term repopulating HSCs, while delaying myeloid differentiation in BM following injury. However, consistent with previous reports, once homeostasis was achieved, neither Notch1 nor Notch2 affected repopulating cell self-renewal. These data indicate a Notch2-dependent role in assuring orderly repopulation by HSCs, MPPs, myeloid cells, and lymphoid cells during BM regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notch has been linked to β-catenin-dependent tumorigenesis; however, the mechanisms leading to Notch activation and the contribution of the Notch pathway to colorectal cancer is not yet understood. By microarray analysis, we have identified a group of genes downstream of Wnt/β-catenin (down-regulated when blocking Wnt/βcatenin) that are directly regulated by Notch (repressed by γ-secretase inhibitors and up-regulated by active Notchi in the absence of β-catenin signaling). We demonstrate that Notch is downstream of Wnt in colorectal cancer cells through β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activation of the Notch-ligand Jaggedi. Consistently, expression of activated Notchi partially reverts the effects of blocking Wnt/β-catenin pathway in tumors implanted s.c. in nude mice. Crossing APC[supMinl]with Jagged1[sup+/Δ] miceis sufficient to significantly reduce the size of the polyps arising in the APC mutant background indicating that Notch is an essential modulator of tumorigenesis induced by nuclear β-catenin. We show that this mechanism is operating in human tumors from Familial Adenomatous Polyposis patients. We conclude that Notch activation, accomplished by β-catenin-mediated up-regulation of Jagged1, is required for tumorigenesis in the intestine. The Notch-specific genetic signature is sufficient to block differentiation and promote vasculogenesis in tumors whereas proliferation depends on both pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L5Jcs1 is a perinatal lethal mutation uncovered in a screen for ENU-induced mutations on mouse chromosome 5. L5Jcs1 homozygotes exhibit posterior-to-anterior transformations of the vertebral column midsection, similar to mice deficient for Hoxc8 and Hoxc9. Positional cloning efforts identified a mutation in a novel, evolutionarily conserved, and ubiquitously expressed gene dubbed Tapt1 (Transmembrane anterior posterior transformation 1). TAPT1 is predicted to contain several transmembrane domains, and part of the gene is orthologous to an unusual alternatively spliced human transcript encoding the cytomegalovirus gH receptor. We speculate that TAPT1 is a downstream effector of HOXC8 that may act by transducing or transmitting extracellular information required for axial skeletal patterning during development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Notch signaling pathway is essential for embryonic vascular development in vertebrates. Here we show that mouse embryos heterozygous for a targeted mutation in the gene encoding the DLL4 ligand exhibit haploinsufficient lethality because of defects in vascular remodeling. We also describe vascular defects in embryos homozygous for a mutation in the Rbpsuh gene, which encodes the primary transcriptional mediator of Notch signaling. Conditional inactivation of Rpbsuh function demonstrates that Notch activation is essential in the endothelial cell lineage. Notch pathway mutant embryos exhibit defects in arterial specification of nascent blood vessels and develop arteriovenous malformations. These results demonstrate that vascular remodeling in the mouse embryo is sensitive to Dll4 gene dosage and that Notch activation in endothelial cells is essential for embryonic vascular remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]