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Summary: Triacylglyceride (TAG) synthesis in the small intestine determines the absorption of dietary fat, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be further studied. Here, we report that the RNA-binding protein HuR (ELAVL1) promotes TAG synthesis in the small intestine. HuR associates with the 3′ UTR of Dgat2 mRNA and intron 1 of Mgat2 pre-mRNA. Association of HuR with Dgat2 3′ UTR stabilizes Dgat2 mRNA, while association of HuR with intron 1 of Mgat2 pre-mRNA promotes the processing of Mgat2 pre-mRNA. Intestinal epithelium-specific HuR knockout reduces the expression of DGAT2 and MGAT2, thereby reducing the dietary fat absorption through TAG synthesis and mitigating high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obesity. Our findings highlight a critical role of HuR in promoting dietary fat absorption.

Acting as the most abundant and widely distributed volatile secondary metabolites in plants, terpenoids play crucial roles in diverse physiological regulations and metabolic processes. Terpene synthases play a decisive role in determining the composition and diversity of terpenoids. Though the regulation of terpene synthases has been extensively investigated across various plant species, limited studies have focused on the upstream transcriptional regulation of terpene synthases. In this study, we have identified linalool as the predominant volatile compound that is released gradually from Freesia hybrida flowers throughout flower blooming. In the context of the transcriptome, a typical MYB transcription factor, FhMYB108, was screened based on homologous gene comparison. FhMYB108 is capable of regulating the expression of FhTPS1, and both their expression levels showed gradual increase during flower opening. Moreover, FhMYB108 exerts a stimulatory effect on the transcription of Arabidopsis thaliana AtTPS14, while no significant increase in AtTPS14 expression is observed upon the stabilization of FhMYB108 in A. thaliana. The highly expressed AtMYC2 in A. thaliana could interact with FhMYB108 to suppress the activation of AtTPS14 by FhMYB108. The present study not only elucidates the regulatory mechanism underlying linalool synthesis but also discovers the synergistic effect of MYB and bHLH transcription factors in governing the biosynthesis of volatile terpenoids.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a unique renal disease setting characterized by early renal cellular injury and regulated cell death, and later renal fibrosis, of which the critical role and nature of ferroptosis are only partially understood. Here, we report that renal tubular epithelial ferroptosis caused by HDAC3 (histone deacetylase 3) aberration and the resultant GPX4 suppression drives AKI-CKD progression. In mouse models of AKI-CKD transition induced by nephrotoxic aristolochic acid (AA) and folic acid (FA), renal tubular epithelial ferroptosis occurred early that coincided with preferential HDAC3 elevation and marked suppression of a core anti-ferroptosis enzyme GPX4 (glutathione peroxidase 4). Intriguingly, genetic Hdac3 knockout or administration of a HDAC3-selective inhibitor RGFP966 effectively mitigated the GPX4 suppression, ferroptosis and the fibrosis-associated renal functional loss. In cultured tubular epithelial cells, HDAC3 over-expression or inhibition inversely affected GPX4 abundances. Further analysis revealed that Gpx4 promoter contains a typical binding motif of transcription factor KLF5 (Kruppel-like factor 5). HDAC3 and KLF5 inducibly associated and bound to Gpx4 promoter upon AA treatment, leading to local histone hypoacetylation and GPX4 transactivation inhibition, which was blocked by RGFP966 and a KLF5 inhibitor ML264, respectively, suggesting that KLF5 co-regulated the HDAC3-incurred Gpx4 transcription inhibition. More importantly, in AKI-CKD mice receiving a GPX4 inactivator RSL3, the anti-ferroptosis and renoprotective effects of RGFP966 were largely abrogated, indicating that GPX4 is an essential downstream mediator of the HDAC3 aberration and renal ferroptosis during AKI-CKD transition. Together, our study identified a critical epigenetic pathway of ferroptosis during AKI-CKD transition and suggested that the strategies preserving GPX4 by HDAC3 inhibition are potentially effective to reduce renal ferroptosis and slow AKI-CKD progression.

Abstract The G‐quadruplex (G4) sequences are short fragments of 4‐interval triple guanine (G) with frequent and ubiquitous distribution in the genome and RNA transcripts. The G4 sequences are usually folded into secondary “knot” structure via Hoogsteen hydrogen bond to exert negative regulation on a variety of biological processes, including DNA replication and transcription, mRNA translation, and telomere maintenance. Recent structural biological and mouse genetics studies have demonstrated that RHAU (DHX36) can bind and unwind the G4 “knots” to modulate embryonic development and postnatal organ function. Deficiency of RHAU gives rise to embryonic lethality, impaired organogenesis, and organ dysfunction. These studies uncovered the pivotal G4 resolvase function of RHAU to release the G4 barrier, which plays fundamental roles in development and physiological homeostasis. This review discusses the latest advancements and findings in deciphering RHAU functions using animal models.

Between 7 December 2022 and 28 February 2023, China experienced a new wave of COVID-19 that swept across the entire country and resulted in an increasing amount of respiratory infections and hospitalizations. The purpose of this study is to reveal the intensity and composition of coinfecting microbial agents. In total, 196 inpatients were recruited from The Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, and 169 respiratory and 73 blood samples were collected for metagenomic next-generation sequencing. The total “Infectome” was characterized and compared across different groups defined by the SARS-CoV-2 detection status, age groups, and severity of disease. Our results revealed a total of 22 species of pathogenic microbes (4 viruses, 13 bacteria, and 5 fungi), and more were discovered in the respiratory tract than in blood. The diversity of the total infectome was highly distinguished between respiratory and blood samples, and it was generally higher in patients that were SARS-CoV-2-positive, older in age, and with more severe disease. At the individual pathogen level, HSV-1 seemed to be the major contributor to these differences observed in the overall comparisons. Collectively, this study reveals the highly complex respiratory infectome and high-intensity coinfection in patients admitted to the hospital during the period of the 2023 COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Loss-of-function analysis and RNA Sequencing shows that Mediator subunit Med23 is important for angiogenesis during mouse cardiovascular development, in part by regulating angiopoietin2, an inducing factor for vascular network instability.

Interorganelle contacts and communications are increasingly recognized to play a vital role in cellular function and homeostasis. In particular, the mitochondria–endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane contact site (MAM) is known to regulate ion and lipid transfer, as well as signaling and organelle dynamics. However, the regulatory mechanisms of MAM formation and their function are still elusive. Here, we identify mitochondrial Lon protease (LonP1), a highly conserved mitochondrial matrix protease, as a new MAM tethering protein. The removal of LonP1 substantially reduces MAM formation and causes mitochondrial fragmentation. Furthermore, deletion of LonP1 in the cardiomyocytes of mouse heart impairs MAM integrity and mitochondrial fusion and activates the unfolded protein response within the ER (UPRER). Consequently, cardiac-specific LonP1 deficiency causes aberrant metabolic reprogramming and pathological heart remodeling. These findings demonstrate that LonP1 is a novel MAM-localized protein orchestrating MAM integrity, mitochondrial dynamics, and UPRER, offering exciting new insights into the potential therapeutic strategy for heart failure.

BackgroundHuman wellbeing has been linked with lifestyle factors such as physical activity, diet balance, sleep quality, depression, and anxiety. However, few studies illustrate the relationship between such lifestyle factors and HPV infection. In this study, we investigated the association between lifestyle factors, age, disease status and HPV infection.Participants and methodsParticipants were recruited through a digital eHealth platform in Shenzhen, Mainland China. Both lifestyle factors and cervicovaginal mucus (CVM) samples to test for HPV outcomes were collected from each participant as a cross-sectional study. In addition, the eHealth platform recorded age and current or history diseases, which were adjusted to apply for both univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Furthermore, lifestyle factors were categorized as different levels to conduct stratification analysis.ResultsWe recruited 149 HPV positive and 346 HPV negative participants through HPV detection. Physical activity and diet balance were significantly associated with HPV infection in lifestyle factors (P values < 0.001) after adjusting for age and current or history diseases. However, stratified analysis showed three factors were insignificant for HPV infection – namely, sleep quality, depression, and anxiety. Most HPV infections involved a sole HPV serotype (83%), and diet balance was the most significant difference between sole and multiple HPV infections.ConclusionsAmong lifestyle factors, physical inactivity or diet imbalance can significantly increase HPV infection risk. In particular, diet balance might be related to the number of HPV serotypes. Our results suggest that exercising and regulating diet may reduce the risk of HPV infection.

Around 60% of in vitro fertilized (IVF) human embryos irreversibly arrest before compaction between the 3- to 8-cell stage, posing a significant clinical problem. The mechanisms behind this arrest are unclear. Here, we show that the arrested embryos enter a senescent-like state, marked by cell cycle arrest, the down-regulation of ribosomes and histones and down-regulation of MYC and p53 activity. The arrested embryos can be divided into 3 types. Type I embryos fail to complete the maternal-zygotic transition, and Type II/III embryos have low levels of glycolysis and either high (Type II) or low (Type III) levels of oxidative phosphorylation. Treatment with the SIRT agonist resveratrol or nicotinamide riboside (NR) can partially rescue the arrested phenotype, which is accompanied by changes in metabolic activity. Overall, our data suggests metabolic and epigenetic dysfunctions underlie the arrest of human embryos.

Ca2+ is critical for cardiac electrical conduction and contractility, and aberrant Ca2+ homeostasis causes arrhythmia and heart failure. Chromatin remodeling modulates gene expression involved in cardiac sarcomere assembly and postnatal heart function. However, the chromatin-remodeling regulatory mechanism of cardiac Ca2+ homeostasis is unknown. Here, we found that Znhit1, a core subunit of the SRCAP remodeling complex, was essential for heart function. Deletion of Znhit1 in postnatal hearts of mice resulted in arrhythmia, idiopathic vacuolar cardiomyopathy, rapid heart failure, and premature sudden death. In addition, the level of Casq1, a sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ regulatory protein, was massively elevated while SERCA2a showed reduced protein level. Mechanistically, the Znhit1 modulated the expression of Casq1 and SERCA2a by depositing H2A.Z at their promoters. Deletion of Casq1 could substantially alleviate the vacuolar formation in Znhit1 Casq1 KO mice. These findings demonstrate that Znhit1 is required for postnatal heart function and maintains cardiac Ca2+ homeostasis and that accumulation of Casq1 might be a causative factor for vacuolar cardiomyopathy.

Previous work suggested that histone demethylase JMJD3 is detrimental to somatic cell reprogramming. Here, the authors show that while JMJD3 has a context-independent detrimental effect on early stages of reprogramming, during late stages it activates epithelial and pluripotency genes together with Klf4.

Human antigen R (HuR) is a RNA binding protein involved in the regulation of many cellular functions. Here the authors show that, hepatocyte specific deletion of HuR exacerbates high-fat diet-induced NAFLD in mice by regulating transcripts involved in lipid transport and ATP synthesis.

Molecular mechanisms linking myocardial insulin resistance to diabetic cardiomyopathy are incompletely understood. Here the authors show that myocardial insulin resistance impairs a PKB-SPEG-SERCA2a signaling axis, which contributes to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Summary: Background: Oogenesis is a fundamental process of human reproduction, and mitochondria play crucial roles in oocyte competence. Mitochondrial ATP-dependent Lon protease 1 (LONP1) functions as a critical protein in maintaining mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis in somatic cells. However, the essential role of LONP1 in maintaining mammalian oogenesis is far from elucidated. Methods: Using conditional oocyte Lonp1-knockout mice, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and coimmunoprecipitation/liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (Co-IP/LC–MS) technology, we analysed the functions of LONP1 in mammalian oogenesis. Findings: Conditional knockout of Lonp1 in mouse oocytes in both the primordial and growing follicle stages impairs follicular development and causes progressive oocyte death, ovarian reserve loss, and infertility. LONP1 directly interacts with apoptosis inducing factor mitochondria-associated 1 (AIFM1), and LONP1 ablation leads to the translocation of AIFM1 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, causing apoptosis in mouse oocytes. In addition, women with pathogenic variants of LONP1 lack large antral follicles (>10 mm) in the ovaries, are infertile and present premature ovarian insufficiency. Interpretation: We demonstrated the function of LONP1 in regulating oocyte development and survival, and in-depth analysis of LONP1 will be crucial for elucidating the mechanisms underlying premature ovarian insufficiency. Funding: This work was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1004701), the National Nature Science Foundation of China (82001629, 81871128, 81571391, 81401166, 82030040), the Jiangsu Province Social Development Project (BE2018602), the Jiangsu Provincial Medical Youth Talent (QNRC2016006), the Youth Program of the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20200116) and Jiangsu Province Postdoctoral Research Funding (2021K277B).

Vaginal microbiota (VMB) is associated with changes in Human papilloma virus (HPV) status, which consequently influences the risk of cervical cancer. This association was often confounded by personal risk factors. This pilot research aimed to explore the relationship between vaginal microbiota, personal risk factors and their interactions with HPV status conversion to identify the vaginal microbiota that was associated with HPV clearance under heterogeneous personal risk factors. A total of 38 women participated by self-collecting a cervicovaginal mucus (CVM) sample that was sent for metagenomics sequencing. Most of the participants also filled in personal risk factors questionnaire through an eHealth platform and authorized the use of their previous HPV genotyping results stored in this eHealth platform. Based on the two HPV results, the participants were grouped into three cohorts, namely HPV negative, HPV persistent infection, and HPV status conversion. The relative abundance of VMB and personal factors were compared among these three cohorts. A correlation investigation was performed between VMB and the significant personal factors to characterize a robustness of the panel for HPV status change using R programming. At baseline, 12 participants were HPV-negative, and 22 were HPV-positive. Within one year, 18 women remained HPV-positive, 12 were HPV-negative and 4 participants showed HPV clearance. The factors in the eHealth questionnaire were systematically evaluated which identified several factors significantly associated with persistent HPV infection, including age, salary, history of reproductive tract infection, and the total number of sexual partners. Concurrent vaginal microbiome samples suggest that a candidate biomarker panel consisting of Lactobacillus gasseri, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Timona prevotella bacteria, which may be associated with HPV clearance. This pilot study indicates a stable HPV status-related vaginal microbe environment. To establish a robust biomarker panel for clinical use, larger cohorts will be recruited into follow-up studies.

Smoothened is a key receptor of the hedgehog pathway, but the roles of Smoothened in cardiac development remain incompletely understood. In this study, we found that the conditional knockout of Smoothened from the mesoderm impaired the development of the venous pole of the heart and resulted in hypoplasia of the atrium/inflow tract (IFT) and a low heart rate. The blockage of Smoothened led to reduced expression of genes critical for sinoatrial node (SAN) development in the IFT. In a cardiac cell culture model, we identified a Gli2–Tbx5–Hcn4 pathway that controls SAN development. In the mutant embryos, the endocardial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in the atrioventricular cushion failed, and Bmp signalling was downregulated. The addition of Bmp2 rescued the EndMT in mutant explant cultures. Furthermore, we analysed Gli2+ scRNAseq and Tbx5−/− RNAseq data and explored the potential genes downstream of hedgehog signalling in posterior second heart field derivatives. In conclusion, our study reveals that Smoothened-mediated hedgehog signalling controls posterior cardiac progenitor commitment, which suggests that the mutation of Smoothened might be involved in the aetiology of congenital heart diseases related to the cardiac conduction system and heart valves.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a primary feature of cardiovascular complications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). miRNA-30 is an important posttranscriptional regulator of LVH, but it is unknown whether miRNA-30 participates in the process of CKD-induced LVH. In the present study, we found that CKD not only resulted in LVH but also suppressed miRNA-30 expression in the myocardium. Rescue of cardiomyocyte-specific miRNA-30 attenuated LVH in CKD rats without altering CKD progression. Importantly, in vivo and in vitro knockdown of miRNA-30 in cardiomyocytes led to cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by upregulating the calcineurin signaling directly. Furthermore, CKD-related detrimental factors, such as fibroblast growth factor-23, uremic toxin, angiotensin II, and transforming growth factor–β, suppressed cardiac miRNA-30 expression, while miRNA-30 supplementation blunted cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by such factors. These results uncover a potentially novel mechanism of CKD-induced LVH and provide a potential therapeutic target for CKD patients with LVH.

Sustaining efficacious T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses in the tumor tissues is the key to the success of cancer immunotherapy. Current strategies leverage altering the signals T cells sense in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Checkpoint inhibitor-based approaches block inhibitory signals such as PD-1 whereas cytokine-based therapies increase the level of immune-stimulatory cytokines such as IL-2. Besides extrinsic signals, the genetic circuit within T cells also participates in determining the nature and trajectory of antitumor immune responses. Here, we showed that efficacy of the IL33-based tumor immunotherapy was greatly enhanced in mice with T cell-specific Eomes deficiency. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that Eomes deficient mice had diminished proportions of exhausted/dysfunctional CD8+ T cells but increased percentages of tissue resident and stem-like CD8+ T cells in the TME. In addition, the IFNγ+TCF1+ CD8+ T cell subset was markedly increased in the Eomes deficient mice. We further demonstrated that Eomes bound directly to the transcription regulatory regions of exhaustion and tissue residency genes. In contrast to its role in inhibiting T cell immune responses at the tumor site, Eomes promoted generation of central memory T cells in the peripheral lymphoid system and memory recall responses against tumor growth at a distal tissue site. Finally, we showed that Eomes deficiency in T cells also resulted in increased efficacy of PD-1-blockade tumor immunotherapy. In all, our study indicates that Eomes plays a critical role in restricting prolonged T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses in the TME whereas promoting adaptive immunity in peripheral lymphoid organs.

Abstract 3-Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) is a pivotal regulator in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signaling pathway that have been shown to play key roles in the functional development of B and T cells via activation of AGC protein kinases during hematopoiesis. However, the role of PDK1 in HSCs has not been fully defined. Here we specifically deleted the PDK1 gene in the hematopoietic system and found that PDK1-deficient HSCs exhibited impaired function and defective lineage commitment abilities. Lack of PDK1 caused HSCs to be less quiescent and to produce a higher number of phenotypic HSCs and fewer progenitors. PDK1-deficient HSCs were also unable to reconstitute the hematopoietic system. Notably, HSC function was more dependent on PDK1 than on mTORC2, which indicates that PDK1 plays a dominant role in the Akt-mediated regulation of HSC function. PDK1-deficient HSCs also exhibited reduced ROS levels, and treatment of PDK1-deficient HSCs with L-butathioninesulfoximine in vitro elevated the low ROS level and promoted colony formation. Therefore, PDK1 appears to contribute to HSC function partially via regulating ROS levels.

The transition from hemogenic endothelial cells (HECs) to hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HS/PCs), or endothelial to hematopoietic transition (EHT), is a critical step during hematopoiesis. However, little is known about the molecular determinants of HECs due to the challenge in defining HECs. We report here the generation of GATA2w/eGFP reporter in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to mark cells expressing GATA2, a critical gene for EHT. We show that during differentiation, functional HECs are almost exclusively GATA2/eGFP+. We then constructed a regulatory network for HEC determination and also identified a panel of positive or negative surface markers for discriminating HECs from non-hemogenic ECs. Among them, ITGB3 (CD61) precisely labeled HECs both in hESC differentiation and embryonic day 10 mouse embryos. These results not only identify a reliable marker for defining HECs, but also establish a robust platform for dissecting hematopoiesis in vitro, which might lead to the generation of HSCs in vitro.

RNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) play important roles in RNA biology. However, the function and regulation of mRNA G-quadruplexes in embryonic development remain elusive. Previously, we identified RHAU (DHX36, G4R1) as an RNA helicase that resolves mRNA G-quadruplexes. Here, we find that cardiac deletion of Rhau leads to heart defects and embryonic lethality in mice. Gene expression profiling identified Nkx2-5 mRNA as a target of RHAU that associates with its 5′ and 3′ UTRs and modulates its stability and translation. The 5′ UTR of Nkx2-5 mRNA contains a G-quadruplex that requires RHAU for protein translation, while the 3′ UTR of Nkx2-5 mRNA possesses an AU-rich element (ARE) that facilitates RHAU-mediated mRNA decay. Thus, we uncovered the mechanisms underlying Nkx2-5 post-transcriptional regulation during heart development. Meanwhile, this study demonstrates the function of mRNA 5′ UTR G-quadruplex-mediated protein translation in organogenesis.

Decreased expression but increased activity of PDK1 has been observed in neurodegenerative disease. To study in vivo function of PDK1 in neuron survival during cortical development, we generate forebrain-specific PDK1 conditional knockout (cKO) mice. We demonstrate that PDK1 cKO mice display striking neuron loss and increased apoptosis. We report that PDK1 cKO mice exhibit deficits on several behavioral tasks. Moreover, PDK1 cKO mice show decreased activities for Akt and mTOR. These results highlight an essential role of endogenous PDK1 in the maintenance of neuronal survival during cortical development.

Ras homologue enriched in brain 1 (Rheb1) plays an important role in a variety of cellular processes. In this study, we investigate the role of Rheb1 in the post-natal heart. We found that deletion of the gene responsible for production of Rheb1 from cardiomyocytes of post-natal mice resulted in malignant arrhythmias, heart failure, and premature death of these mice. In addition, heart growth impairment, aberrant metabolism relative gene expression, and increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis were observed in Rheb1-knockout mice prior to the development of heart failure and arrhythmias. Also, protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) signaling was enhanced in Rheb1-knockout mice, and removal of phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten) significantly prolonged the survival of Rheb1-knockouts. Furthermore, signaling via the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) was abolished and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and phosphorylation levels of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were increased in Rheb1 mutant mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Rheb1 is important for maintaining cardiac function in post-natal mice via regulation of mTORC1 activity and stress on the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, activation of Akt signaling helps to improve the survival of mice with advanced heart failure. Thus, this study provides direct evidence that Rheb1 performs multiple important functions in the heart of the post-natal mouse. Enhancing Akt activity improves the survival of infant mice with advanced heart failure.

The AGC protein kinase family regulates multiple cellular functions. 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) is involved in the pathogenesis of arrhythmia, and its downstream factor, Forkhead box O1 (Foxo1), negatively regulates the expression of the cardiac sodium channel, Nav1.5. Mice are known to die suddenly after PDK1 deletion within 11 weeks, but the underlying electrophysiological bases are unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential mechanisms between PDK1 signaling pathway and cardiac sodium current.Using patch clamp and western blotting techniques, we investigated the role of the PDK1-Foxo1 pathway in PDK1 knockout mice and cultured cardiomyocytes. We found that PDK1 knockout mice undergo slower heart rate, prolonged QRS and QTc intervals and abnormal conduction within the first few weeks of birth. Furthermore, the peak sodium current is decreased by 33% in cells lacking PDK1. The phosphorylation of Akt (308T) and Foxo1 (24T) and the expression of Nav1.5 in the myocardium of PDK1-knockout mice are decreased, while the nuclear localization of Foxo1 is increased. The role of the PDK1-Foxo1 pathway in regulating Nav1.5 levels and sodium current density was verified using selective PDK1, Akt and Foxo1 inhibitors and isolated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.These results indicate that PDK1 participates in the dysregulation of electrophysiological basis by regulating the PDK1-Foxo1 pathway, which in turn regulates the expression of Nav1.5 and cardiac sodium channel function.

Glycosaminoglycans are important regulators of multiple signaling pathways. As a major constituent of the heart extracellular matrix, glycosaminoglycans are implicated in cardiac morphogenesis through interactions with different signaling morphogens. Ext1 is a glycosyltransferase responsible for heparan sulfate synthesis. Here, we evaluate the function of Ext1 in heart development by analyzing Ext1 hypomorphic mutant and conditional knockout mice. Outflow tract alignment is sensitive to the dosage of Ext1. Deletion of Ext1 in the mesoderm induces a cardiac phenotype similar to that of a mutant with conditional deletion of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase, a key enzyme responsible for synthesis of all glycosaminoglycans. The outflow tract defect in conditional Ext1 knockout(Ext1f/f:Mesp1Cre) mice is attributable to the reduced contribution of second heart field and neural crest cells. Ext1 deletion leads to downregulation of FGF signaling in the pharyngeal mesoderm. Exogenous FGF8 ameliorates the defects in the outflow tract and pharyngeal explants. In addition, Ext1 expression in second heart field and neural crest cells is required for outflow tract remodeling. Our results collectively indicate that Ext1 is crucial for outflow tract formation in distinct progenitor cells, and heparan sulfate modulates FGF signaling during early heart development.

Background: Hematopoiesis is a progressive process collectively controlled by an elaborate network of transcription factors (TFs). Among these TFs, GATA2 has been implicated to be critical for regulating multiple steps of hematopoiesis in mouse models. However, whether similar function of GATA2 is conserved in human hematopoiesis, especially during early embryonic development stage, is largely unknown. Results: To examine the role of GATA2 in human background, we generated homozygous GATA2 knockout human embryonic stem cells (GATA2−/− hESCs) and analyzed their blood differentiation potential. Our results demonstrated that GATA2−/− hESCs displayed attenuated generation of CD34+CD43+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), due to the impairment of endothelial to hematopoietic transition (EHT). Interestingly, GATA2−/− hESCs retained the potential to generate erythroblasts and macrophages, but never granulocytes. We further identified that SPI1 downregulation was partially responsible for the defects of GATA2−/− hESCs in generation of CD34+CD43+ HPCs and granulocytes. Furthermore, we found that GATA2−/− hESCs restored the granulocyte potential in the presence of Notch signaling. Conclusion: Our findings revealed the essential roles of GATA2 in EHT and granulocyte development through regulating SPI1, and uncovered a role of Notch signaling in granulocyte generation during hematopoiesis modeled by human ESCs.

The Twist1-family basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors including Twist1, Hand1 and Hand2, play an essential role in heart development and are implicated in pathological heart remodeling. Previously, it was reported that these bHLH transcription factors can be regulated by phosphorylation within the basic-helix I domain, which is involved in developmental processes such as limb formation and trophoblast differentiation. However, how phosphorylation of Twist1 family functions in post-natal heart is elusive.Here, we generated transgenic mice with over-expression of Hand1 and Twist1 mutants (to mimic or to abolish phosphorylation) in cardiomyocytes and found pathological cardiac remodeling leading to heart failure and sudden death. Gene expression profile analysis revealed up-regulation of growth-promoting genes and down-regulation of metabolic genes. It is well known that aberrant activation of Akt signaling causes pathological cardiac remodeling and results in heart failure. The basic-helix I domain of Twist1 family members contain Akt substrate consensus motif and may be downstream targets of Akt signaling. Using biochemical analysis, we demonstrated that Hand1 and Twist1 were phosphorylated by Akt in the basic-helix I domain. Phosphorylation of Hand1 regulated its transcriptional activation of luciferase reporter genes and DNA binding ability.This study provides novel insights into the regulation of Twist1 family in cardiac remodeling and suggests that the Twist1 family can be regulated by Akt signaling.