Disruption of the non-canonical Wnt gene PRICKLE2 leads to autism-like behaviors with evidence for hippocampal synaptic dysfunction.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been suggested to arise from abnormalities in the canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways. However, a direct connection between a human variant in a Wnt pathway gene and ASD-relevant brain pathology has not been established. Prickle2 (Pk2) is a post-synaptic non-canonical Wnt signaling protein shown to interact with post-synaptic density 95 (PSD-95). Here, we show that mice with disruption in Prickle2 display behavioral abnormalities including altered social interaction, learning abnormalities and behavioral inflexibility. Prickle2 disruption in mouse hippocampal neurons led to reductions in dendrite branching, synapse number and PSD size. Consistent with these findings, Prickle2 null neurons show decreased frequency and size of spontaneous miniature synaptic currents. These behavioral and physiological abnormalities in Prickle2 disrupted mice are consistent with ASD-like phenotypes present in other mouse models of ASDs. In 384 individuals with autism, we identified two with distinct, heterozygous, rare, non-synonymous PRICKLE2 variants (p.E8Q and p.V153I) that were shared by their affected siblings and inherited paternally. Unlike wild-type PRICKLE2, the PRICKLE2 variants found in ASD patients exhibit deficits in morphological and electrophysiological assays. These data suggest that these PRICKLE2 variants cause a critical loss of PRICKLE2 function. The data presented here provide new insight into the biological roles of Prickle2, its behavioral importance, and suggest disruptions in non-canonical Wnt genes such as PRICKLE2 may contribute to synaptic abnormalities underlying ASDs.

Mutation of serum response factor phosphorylation sites and the mechanism by which its DNA-binding activity is increased by casein kinase II.

Casein kinase II (CKII) phosphorylates the mammalian transcription factor serum response factor (SRF) on a serine residue(s) located within a region of the protein spanning amino acids 70 to 92, thereby enhancing its DNA-binding activity in vitro. We report here that serine 83 appears to be the residue phosphorylated by CKII but that three other serines in this region can also be involved in phosphorylation and the enhancement of DNA-binding activity. A mutant that contained glutamate residues in place of these serines had only low-level binding activity; however, when the serines were replaced with glutamates and further mutations were made that increased the negative charge of the region, the resulting mutant showed a constitutively high level of binding equal to that achieved by phosphorylation of wild-type SRF. We have investigated the mechanism by which phosphorylation of SRF increases its DNA-binding activity. We have ruled out the possibilities that phosphorylation affects SRF dimerization or relieves inhibition due to masking of the DNA-binding domain by an amino-terminal region of the protein. Rather, using partial proteolysis to probe SRF's structure, we find that the conformation of SRF's DNA-binding domain is altered by phosphorylation.

Phosphorylation of serum response factor by casein kinase II: evidence against a role in growth factor regulation of fos expression.

Serum response factor (SRF) is a transcription factor involved in the serum and growth factor regulation of the c-fos gene. SRF is phosphorylated by casein kinase II (CKII), which causes a large increase in its DNA-binding activity. CKII activity has been shown to be stimulated by growth factors and serum. Since c-fos transcription is induced by a number of the same agents that stimulate CKII activity, and since fos activation and CKII stimulation demonstrate similar rapid kinetics, a role was proposed for CKII in regulating fos expression via its phosphorylation of SRF. In this report, we provide evidence against this hypothesis by using several different strategies. First, by immunoprecipitation of SRF from cells, we show that the phosphorylation state of SRF does not change upon growth factor treatment. Second, by two-dimensional electrophoresis of lysates from a cell line that overexpresses SRF, we show that, although SRF exists in the cell in several different isoforms, there is no change in their relative amounts upon serum stimulation. Third, we tested the activity of an SRF mutant that binds DNA at constitutively high levels irrespective of CKII phosphorylation. If phosphorylation is regulatory, this mutant would be expected to constitutively activate (or repress) fos expression. However, when overexpressed stably in cells this mutant had no effect on endogenous c-fos expression, suggesting that CKII phosphorylation of SRF is not the limiting event for fos activation.

Microarray-based capture of novel expressed cell type-specific transfrags (CoNECT) to annotate tissue-specific transcription in Drosophila melanogaster.

Faithful annotation of tissue-specific transcript isoforms is important not only to understand how genes are organized and regulated but also to identify potential novel, unannotated exons of genes, which may be additional targets of mutation in disease states or while performing mutagenic screens. We have developed a microarray enrichment methodology followed by long-read, next-generation sequencing for identification of unannotated transcript isoforms expressed in two Drosophila tissues, the ovary and the testis. Even with limited sequencing, these studies have identified a large number of novel transcription units, including 5' exons and extensions, 3' exons and extensions, internal exons and exon extensions, gene fusions, and both germline-specific splicing events and promoters. Additionally, comparing our capture dataset with tiling array and traditional RNA-seq analysis, we demonstrate that our enrichment strategy is able to capture low-abundance transcripts that cannot readily be identified by the other strategies. Finally, we show that our methodology can help identify transcriptional signatures of minority cell types within the ovary that would otherwise be difficult to reveal without the CoNECT enrichment strategy. These studies introduce an efficient methodology for cataloging tissue-specific transcriptomes in which specific classes of genes or transcripts can be targeted for capture and sequence, thus reducing the significant sequencing depth normally required for accurate annotation. Ovary and testis isotigs over 200 bp have been deposited with the GenBank Transcriptome Shotgun Assembly Sequence Database as bioproject no.PRJNA89451 (accession nos. JV208106­JV230865).

Transcriptional landscape of the human and fly genomes: nonlinear and multifunctional modular model of transcriptomes.

Regions of the genome not coding for proteins or not involved in cis-acting regulatory activities are frequently viewed as lacking in functional value. However, a number of recent large-scale studies have revealed significant regulated transcription of unannotated portions of a variety of plant and animal genomes, allowing a new appreciation of the widespread transcription of large portions of the genome. High-resolution mapping of the sites of transcription of the human and fly genomes has provided an alternative picture of the extent and organization of transcription and has offered insights for biological functions of some of the newly identified unannotated transcripts. Considerable portions of the unannotated transcription observed are developmental or cell-type-specific parts of protein-coding transcripts, often serving as novel, alternative 5' transcriptional start sites. These distal 5' portions are often situated at significant distances from the annotated gene and alternatively join with or ignore portions of other intervening genes to comprise novel unannotated protein-coding transcripts. These data support an interlaced model of the genome in which many regions serve multifunctional purposes and are highly modular in their utilization. This model illustrates the underappreciated organizational complexity of the genome and one of the functional roles of transcription from unannotated portions of the genome.

A class act: conservation of homeodomain protein functions.

Dramatic successes in identifying vertebrate homeobox genes closely related to their insect relatives have led to the recognition of classes within the homeodomain superfamily. To what extent are the homeodomain protein classes dedicated to specific functions during development? Although information on vertebrate gene functions is limited, existing evidence from mice and nematodes clearly supports conservation of function for the Hox genes. Less compelling, but still remarkable, is the conservation of other homeobox gene classes and of regulators of homeotic gene expression and function. It is too soon to say whether the cases of conservation are unique and exceptional, or the beginning of a profoundly unified view of gene regulation in animal development. In any case, new questions are raised by the data: how can the differences between mammals and insects be compatible with conservation of homeobox gene function? Did the evolution of animal form involve a proliferation of new homeodomain proteins, new modes of regulation of existing gene types, or new relationships with target genes, or is evolutionary change largely the province of other classes of genes? In this review, we summarize what is known about conservation of homeobox gene function.

Regulation of a decapentaplegic midgut enhancer by homeotic proteins.

The clustered homeotic genes encode transcription factors that regulate pattern formation in all animals, conferring cell fates by coordinating the activities of downstream 'target' genes. In the Drosophila midgut, the Ultrabithorax (Ubx) protein activates and the abdominalA (abd-A) protein represses transcription of the decapentaplegic (dpp) gene, which encodes a secreted signalling protein of the TGF beta class. We have identified an 813 bp dpp enhancer which is capable of driving expression of a lacZ gene in a correct pattern in the embryonic midgut. The enhancer is activated ectopically in the visceral mesoderm by ubiquitous expression of Ubx or Antennapedia but not by Sex combs reduced protein. Ectopic expression of abd-A represses the enhancer. Deletion analysis reveals regions required for repression and activation. A 419 bp subfragment of the 813 bp fragment also drives reporter gene expression in an appropriate pattern, albeit more weakly. Evolutionary sequence conservation suggests other factors work with homeotic proteins to regulate dpp. A candidate cofactor, the extradenticle protein, binds to the dpp enhancer in close proximity to homeotic protein binding sites. Mutation of either this site or another conserved motif compromises enhancer function. A 45 bp fragment of DNA from within the enhancer correctly responds to both UBX and ABD-A in a largely tissue-specific manner, thus representing the smallest in vivo homeotic response element (HOMRE) identified to date.

Casein kinase II enhances the DNA binding activity of serum response factor.

Serum response factor (SRF) is a mammalian transcription factor that binds to the serum response element in the enhancer of the c-fos proto-oncogene and thus may mediate serum-induction of c-fos transcription. We report here that the DNA binding activity of recombinant SRF made in Escherichia coli can be greatly enhanced by incubation of the protein with HeLa cell nuclear extract. The enhancing activity is ATP or GTP dependent and cofractionates with a protein kinase that phosphorylates SRF on a specific tryptic peptide. Coincubation with phosphatase blocks the enhancing activity, further suggesting that the enhanced binding activity is due to phosphorylation. The specific tryptic phosphopeptide phosphorylated in vitro is also phosphorylated in vivo, demonstrating that this phosphorylation is physiologically important. We have localized the phosphorylation site by a small deletion mutant. Finally, we show that the kinase activity is provided by casein kinase II (CKII) or a close variant. The potential role of CKII as either a regulatory or constitutive modifier of SRF in vivo will be discussed.

Ultrastructure of normal human parotid gland with special emphasis on myoepithelial distribution.

The myoepithelium in human parotid, unlike that in other species, is not limited to the acinar-intercalated ductal system but extends to the intra- and extralobular striated ducts. Myoepithelial cells of the striated ducts are smaller, fewer, and different in shape but they are similar in their relationships and ultrastructural morphology to the acinar-intercalated system. Distribution of myoepithelium is discussed with respect to its role and participation in the histogenesis of salivary gland tumours, especially those of intermediate and large duct cell origin.