There are currently 1527 known microRNAs (miRNAs) in human, each of which may regulate hundreds or thousands of target genes. miRNA expression levels vary between cell types; for example, miR- 302 ...and miR-290 families are highly enriched in embryonic stem cells, while miR-1 is a muscle specific miRNA. miRNA biosynthesis and function are highly regulated and this regulation may be cell type specific. The processing enzymes and factors that recognize features in sequence and secondary structure of the miRNA play key roles in regulating the production of mature miRNA. Mature miRNA enriched in stem cells control stem cell self-renewal as well as their differentiation. Though specific miRNAs have been shown to control differentiation towards various lineages such as neural or skin cells, some of the most well characterized miRNAs have been found in promoting the formation of cardiac cells. In addition, miRNAs also play a critical role in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, especially in a pathological context. Such miRNAs are predicted to be therapeutic targets for treating cardiovascular diseases. In this review we will discuss how miRNAs act to maintain the stem cell state and also explore the current knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate miRNAs. Furthermore, we will discuss the emerging roles of miRNAs using cardiomyocyte differentiation and maturation as a paradigm. Emphasis will also be given on some of the less ventured areas such as the role of miRNAs in the physiological maturation of cardiomyocytes. These potentially beneficial miRNAs are likely to improve cardiac function in both in vivo and in vitro settings and thus provide additional strategy to treat heart diseases and more importantly serve as a good model for understanding cardiomyocyte maturation in vitro.
To reveal how cells exit human pluripotency, we designed a CRISPR-Cas9 screen exploiting the metabolic and epigenetic differences between naïve and primed pluripotent cells. We identify the tumor ...suppressor, Folliculin(FLCN) as a critical gene required for the exit from human pluripotency. Here we show that FLCN Knock-out (KO) hESCs maintain the naïve pluripotent state but cannot exit the state since the critical transcription factor TFE3 remains active in the nucleus. TFE3 targets up-regulated in FLCN KO exit assay are members of Wnt pathway and ESRRB. Treatment of FLCN KO hESC with a Wnt inhibitor, but not ESRRB/FLCN double mutant, rescues the cells, allowing the exit from the naïve state. Using co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis we identify unique FLCN binding partners. The interactions of FLCN with components of the mTOR pathway (mTORC1 and mTORC2) reveal a mechanism of FLCN function during exit from naïve pluripotency.
Aberrant regulation of WNT/β-catenin signaling has a crucial role in the onset and progression of cancers, where the effects are not always predictable depending on tumor context. In melanoma, for ...example, models of the disease predict differing effects of the WNT/β-catenin pathway on metastatic progression. Understanding the processes that underpin the highly context-dependent nature of WNT/β-catenin signaling in tumors is essential to achieve maximal therapeutic benefit from WNT inhibitory compounds. In this study, we have found that expression of the tumor suppressor, phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), alters the invasive potential of melanoma cells in response to WNT/β-catenin signaling, correlating with differing metabolic profiles. This alters the bioenergetic potential and mitochondrial activity of melanoma cells, triggered through regulation of pro-survival autophagy. Thus, WNT/β-catenin signaling is a regulator of catabolic processes in cancer cells, which varies depending on the metabolic requirements of tumors.
One of the key characteristics of stem cells is their capacity to divide for long periods of time in an environment where most of the cells are quiescent. Therefore, a critical question in stem cell ...biology is how stem cells escape cell division stop signals. Here, we report the necessity of the microRNA (miRNA) pathway for proper control of germline stem cell (GSC) division in Drosophila melanogaster. Analysis of GSCs mutant for dicer-1 (dcr-1), the double-stranded RNaseIII essential for miRNA biogenesis, revealed a marked reduction in the rate of germline cyst production. These dcr-1 mutant GSCs exhibit normal identity but are defective in cell cycle control. On the basis of cell cycle markers and genetic interactions, we conclude that dcr-1 mutant GSCs are delayed in the G1 to S transition, which is dependent on the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Dacapo, suggesting that miRNAs are required for stem cells to bypass the normal G1/S checkpoint. Hence, the miRNA pathway might be part of a mechanism that makes stem cells insensitive to environmental signals that normally stop the cell cycle at the G1/S transition.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Since epigenetic modifications are a key driver for cellular differentiation, the regulation of these modifications is tightly controlled. Interestingly, recent studies have revealed metabolic ...regulation for epigenetic modifications in pluripotent cells. As metabolic differences are prominent between naive (pre-implantation) and primed (post-implantation) pluripotent cells, the epigenetic changes regulated by metabolites has become an interesting topic of analysis. In this review we discuss how combinatorial metabolic activities drive the developmental progression through early pluripotent stages.
Drosophila melanogaster provides a powerful platform with which researchers can dissect complex genetic questions and biochemical pathways relevant to a vast array of human diseases and disorders. Of ...particular interest, much work has been done with flies to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle degeneration diseases. The fly is particularly useful for modeling muscle degeneration disorders because there are no identified satellite muscle cells to repair adult muscle following injury. This allows for the identification of endogenous processes of muscle degeneration as discrete events, distinguishable from phenotypes due to the lack of stem cell-based regeneration. In this review, we will discuss the ways in which the fruit fly provides a powerful platform with which to study human muscle degeneration disorders.
In many developmental processes, polyploid cells are generated by a variation of the normal cell cycle called the endocycle in which cells increase their genomic content without dividing. How the ...transition from the normal mitotic cycle to endocycle is regulated is poorly understood. We show that the transition from mitotic cycle to endocycle in the Drosophila follicle cell epithelium is regulated by the Notch pathway. Loss of Notch function in follicle cells or its ligand Delta function in the underlying germline disrupts the normal transition of the follicle cells from mitotic cycle to endocycle, mitotic cycling continues, leading to overproliferation of these cells. The regulation is at the transcriptional level, as Su(H), a downstream transcription factor in the pathway, is also required cell autonomously in follicle cells for proper transitioning to the endocycle. One target of Notch and Su(H) is likely to be the G2/M cell cycle regulator String, a phosphatase that activates Cdc2 by dephosphorylation. String is normally repressed in the follicle cells just before the endocycle transition, but is expressed when Notch is inactivated. Analysis of the activity of String enhancer elements in follicle cells reveals the presence of an element that promotes expression of String until just before the onset of polyploidy in wild-type follicle cells but well beyond this stage in Notch mutant follicle cells. This suggests that it may be the target of the endocycle promoting activity of the Notch pathway. A second element that is insensitive to Notch regulation promotes String expression earlier in follicle cell development, which explains why Notch, while active at both stages, represses String only at the mitotic cycle-endocycle transition.
One of the key characteristics of stem cells is their capacity for self-renewal for long periods of time. In this respect, stem cells are similar to cancer cells, which also have the ability to ...escape cell cycle stop signals. Therefore, a critical question in stem cell and cancer biology is how cell division is regulated in these cell types. In this review, we summarize recent progress and describe future challenges to understanding the role the microRNA pathway plays in regulating mechanisms controlling stem cell division.
Stem cells and RNA silencing have emerged as areas of intense interest for both basic and clinical research. Recently these fields have converged with reports implicating small regulatory RNAs in the ...maintenance and pluripotency of stem cells.
A hallmark of germline cells across the animal kingdom is the presence of perinuclear, electron-dense granules called nuage. In many species examined, Vasa, a DEAD-box RNA helicase, is found in these ...morphologically distinct particles. Despite its evolutionary conservation, the function of nuage remains obscure. We have characterized a null allele of maelstrom ( mael ) and shown that Maelstrom protein is localized to nuage in a Vasa-dependent manner. By phenotypic characterization, we have defined maelstrom as a spindle -class gene that affects Vasa modification. In a nuclear transport assay, we have determined that Maelstrom shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm, which may indicate a nuclear origin for nuage components. Interestingly, Maelstrom, but not Vasa, depends on two genes involved in RNAi phenomena, aubergine and spindle-E ( spn-E ), for its nuage localization. Furthermore, maelstrom mutant ovaries show mislocalization of two proteins involved in the microRNA and/or RNAi pathways, Dicer and Argonaute2, suggesting a potential connection between nuage and the microRNA-pathway.
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