RESUMO
Sensory stimuli drive the maturation and function of the mammalian nervous system in part through the activation of gene expression networks that regulate synapse development and plasticity. These networks have primarily been studied in mice, and it is not known whether there are species- or clade-specific activity-regulated genes that control features of brain development and function. Here we use transcriptional profiling of human fetal brain cultures to identify an activity-dependent secreted factor, Osteocrin (OSTN), that is induced by membrane depolarization of human but not mouse neurons. We find that OSTN has been repurposed in primates through the evolutionary acquisition of DNA regulatory elements that bind the activity-regulated transcription factor MEF2. In addition, we demonstrate that OSTN is expressed in primate neocortex and restricts activity-dependent dendritic growth in human neurons. These findings suggest that, in response to sensory input, OSTN regulates features of neuronal structure and function that are unique to primates.
Assuntos
Evolução Molecular , Proteínas Musculares/metabolismo , Neocórtex/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Transcriptoma , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Osso e Ossos/metabolismo , Dendritos/metabolismo , Elementos Facilitadores Genéticos/genética , Feminino , Humanos , Fatores de Transcrição MEF2/metabolismo , Macaca mulatta , Masculino , Camundongos , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Proteínas Musculares/genética , Músculos/metabolismo , Neocórtex/citologia , Neurônios/citologia , Especificidade de Órgãos , Especificidade da Espécie , Fatores de Transcrição/genéticaRESUMO
Neuronal activity-dependent gene expression is essential for brain development. Although transcriptional and epigenetic effects of neuronal activity have been explored in mice, such an investigation is lacking in humans. Because alterations in GABAergic neuronal circuits are implicated in neurological disorders, we conducted a comprehensive activity-dependent transcriptional and epigenetic profiling of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived GABAergic neurons similar to those of the early developing striatum. We identified genes whose expression is inducible after membrane depolarization, some of which have specifically evolved in primates and/or are associated with neurological diseases, including schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We define the genome-wide profile of human neuronal activity-dependent enhancers, promoters and the transcription factors CREB and CRTC1. We found significant heritability enrichment for ASD in the inducible promoters. Our results suggest that sequence variation within activity-inducible promoters of developing human forebrain GABAergic neurons contributes to ASD risk.
Assuntos
Encéfalo/metabolismo , Epigênese Genética , Neurônios GABAérgicos/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Estudo de Associação Genômica Ampla , Humanos , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Regiões Promotoras GenéticasRESUMO
Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling is critical in development and oncogenesis, but the mechanisms regulating this pathway remain unclear. Although protein phosphorylation clearly affects Shh signaling, little is known about phosphatases governing the pathway. Here, we conducted a small hairpin RNA (shRNA) screen of the phosphatome and identified Eya1 as a positive regulator of Shh signaling. We find that the catalytically active phosphatase Eya1 cooperates with the DNA-binding protein Six1 to promote gene induction in response to Shh and that Eya1/Six1 together regulate Gli transcriptional activators. We show that Eya1, which is mutated in a human deafness disorder, branchio-oto-renal syndrome, is critical for Shh-dependent hindbrain growth and development. Moreover, Eya1 drives the growth of medulloblastoma, a Shh-dependent hindbrain tumor. Together, these results identify Eya1 and Six1 as key components of the Shh transcriptional network in normal development and in oncogenesis.