Hematopoietic stem cells develop in the absence of endothelial cadherin 5 expression.

Rare endothelial cells in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) transition into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) during embryonic development. Lineage tracing experiments indicate that HSCs emerge from cadherin 5 (Cdh5; vascular endothelial-cadherin)(+) endothelial precursors, and isolated populations of Cdh5(+) cells from mouse embryos and embryonic stem cells can be differentiated into hematopoietic cells. Cdh5 has also been widely implicated as a marker of AGM-derived hemogenic endothelial cells. Because Cdh5(-/-) mice embryos die before the first HSCs emerge, it is unknown whether Cdh5 has a direct role in HSC emergence. Our previous genetic screen yielded malbec (mlb(bw306)), a zebrafish mutant for cdh5, with normal embryonic and definitive blood. Using time-lapse confocal imaging, parabiotic surgical pairing of zebrafish embryos, and blastula transplantation assays, we show that HSCs emerge, migrate, engraft, and differentiate in the absence of cdh5 expression. By tracing Cdh5(-/-)green fluorescent protein (GFP)(+/+) cells in chimeric mice, we demonstrated that Cdh5(-/-)GFP(+/+) HSCs emerging from embryonic day 10.5 and 11.5 (E10.5 and E11.5) AGM or derived from E13.5 fetal liver not only differentiate into hematopoietic colonies but also engraft and reconstitute multilineage adult blood. We also developed a conditional mouse Cdh5 knockout (Cdh5(flox/flox):Scl-Cre-ER(T)) and demonstrated that multipotent hematopoietic colonies form despite the absence of Cdh5. These data establish that Cdh5, a marker of hemogenic endothelium in the AGM, is dispensable for the transition of hemogenic endothelium to HSCs.

Frequency of mutations in individuals with breast cancer referred for BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing using next-generation sequencing with a 25-gene panel.

BACKGROUND: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows for simultaneous sequencing of multiple cancer susceptibility genes and, for an individual, may be more efficient and less expensive than sequential testing. The authors assessed the frequency of deleterious germline mutations among individuals with breast cancer who were referred for BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) gene testing using a panel of 25 genes associated with inherited cancer predisposition. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using NGS in 2158 individuals, including 1781 who were referred for commercial BRCA1/2 gene testing (cohort 1) and 377 who had detailed personal and family history and had previously tested negative for BRCA1/2 mutations (cohort 2). RESULTS: Mutations were identified in 16 genes, most frequently in BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, ATM, and PALB2. Among the participants in cohort 1, 9.3% carried a BRCA1/2 mutation, 3.9% carried a mutation in another breast/ovarian cancer susceptibility gene, and 0.3% carried an incidental mutation in another cancer susceptibility gene unrelated to breast or ovarian cancer. In cohort 2, the frequency of mutations in breast/ovarian-associated genes other than BRCA1/2 was 2.9%, and an additional 0.8% had an incidental mutation. In cohort 1, Lynch syndrome-related mutations were identified in 7 individuals. In contrast to BRCA1/2 mutations, neither age at breast cancer diagnosis nor family history of ovarian or young breast cancer predicted for other mutations. The frequency of mutations in genes other than BRCA1/2 was lower in Ashkenazi Jews compared with non-Ashkenazi individuals (P=.026). CONCLUSIONS: Using an NGS 25-gene panel, the frequency of mutations in genes other than BRCA1/2 was 4.3%, and most mutations (3.9%) were identified in genes associated with breast/ovarian cancer.

ABCB6 mutations cause ocular coloboma.

Ocular coloboma is a developmental defect of the eye and is due to abnormal or incomplete closure of the optic fissure. This disorder displays genetic and clinical heterogeneity. Using a positional cloning approach, we identified a mutation in the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCB6 in a Chinese family affected by autosomal-dominant coloboma. The Leu811Val mutation was identified in seven affected members of the family and was absent in six unaffected members from three generations. A LOD score of 3.2 at θ = 0 was calculated for the mutation identified in this family. Sequence analysis was performed on the ABCB6 exons from 116 sporadic cases of microphthalmia with coloboma (MAC), isolated coloboma, and aniridia, and an additional mutation (A57T) was identified in three patients with MAC. These two mutations were not present in the ethnically matched control populations. Immunostaining of transiently transfected, Myc-tagged ABCB6 in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells showed that it localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus of RPE cells. RT-PCR of ABCB6 mRNA in human cell lines and tissue indicated that ABCB6 is expressed in the retinae and RPE cells. Using zebrafish, we show that abcb6 is expressed in the eye and CNS. Morpholino knockdown of abcb6 in zebrafish produces a phenotype characteristic of coloboma and replicates the clinical phenotype observed in our index cases. The knockdown phenotype can be corrected with coinjection of the wild-type, but not mutant, ABCB6 mRNA, suggesting that the phenotypes observed in zebrafish are due to insufficient abcb6 function. Our results demonstrate that ABCB6 mutations cause ocular coloboma.

Critical function for the Ras-GTPase activating protein RASA3 in vertebrate erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis.

Phenotype-driven approaches to gene discovery using inbred mice have been instrumental in identifying genetic determinants of inherited blood dyscrasias. The recessive mutant scat (severe combined anemia and thrombocytopenia) alternates between crisis and remission episodes, indicating an aberrant regulatory feedback mechanism common to erythrocyte and platelet formation. Here, we identify a missense mutation (G125V) in the scat Rasa3 gene, encoding a Ras GTPase activating protein (RasGAP), and elucidate the mechanism producing crisis episodes. The mutation causes mislocalization of RASA3 to the cytosol in scat red cells where it is inactive, leading to increased GTP-bound Ras. Erythropoiesis is severely blocked in scat crisis mice, and ~94% succumb during the second crisis (~30 d of age) from catastrophic hematopoietic failure in the spleen and bone marrow. Megakaryopoiesis is also defective during crisis. Notably, the scat phenotype is recapitulated in zebrafish when rasa3 is silenced. These results highlight a critical, conserved, and nonredundant role for RASA3 in vertebrate hematopoiesis.

Dynamic kisspeptin receptor trafficking modulates kisspeptin-mediated calcium signaling.

Kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) signaling plays a critical role in the regulation of reproduction. We investigated the role of kisspeptin-stimulated KISS1R internalization, recycling, and degradation in the modulation of KISS1R signaling. Kisspeptin stimulation of Chinese hamster ovary or GT1-7 cells expressing KISS1R resulted in a biphasic increase in intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i), with a rapid acute increase followed by a more sustained second phase. In contrast, stimulation of the TRH receptor, another Gq/11-coupled receptor, resulted in a much smaller second-phase [Ca(2+)]i response. The KISS1R-mediated second-phase [Ca(2+)]i response was abolished by removal of kisspeptin from cell culture medium. Notably, the second-phase [Ca(2+)]i response was also inhibited by dynasore, brefeldin A, and phenylarsine oxide, which inhibit receptor internalization and recycling, suggesting that KISS1R trafficking contributes to the sustained [Ca(2+)]i response. We further demonstrated that KISS1R undergoes dynamic ligand-dependent and -independent recycling. We next investigated the fate of the internalized kisspeptin-KISS1R complex. Most internalized kisspeptin was released extracellularly in degraded form within 1 hour, suggesting rapid processing of the internalized kisspeptin-KISS1R complex. Using a biotinylation assay, we demonstrated that degradation of cell surface KISS1R was much slower than that of the internalized ligand, suggesting dissociated processing of the internalized kisspeptin-KISS1R complex. Taken together, our results suggest that the sustained calcium response to kisspeptin is dependent on the continued presence of extracellular ligand and is the result of dynamic KISS1R trafficking.

KISS1R signals independently of Gαq/11 and triggers LH secretion via the ß-arrestin pathway in the male mouse.

Hypothalamic GnRH is the master regulator of the neuroendocrine reproductive axis, and its secretion is regulated by many factors. Among these is kisspeptin (Kp), a potent trigger of GnRH secretion. Kp signals via the Kp receptor (KISS1R), a Gαq/11-coupled 7-transmembrane-spanning receptor. Until this study, it was understood that KISS1R mediates GnRH secretion via the Gαq/11-coupled pathway in an ERK1/2-dependent manner. We recently demonstrated that KISS1R also signals independently of Gαq/11 via ß-arrestin and that this pathway also mediates ERK1/2 activation. Because GnRH secretion is ERK1/2-dependent, we hypothesized that KISS1R regulates GnRH secretion via both the Gαq/11- and ß-arrestin-coupled pathways. To test this hypothesis, we measured LH secretion, a surrogate marker of GnRH secretion, in mice lacking either ß-arrestin-1 or ß-arrestin-2. Results revealed that Kp-dependent LH secretion was significantly diminished relative to wild-type mice (P < .001), thus supporting that ß-arrestin mediates Kp-induced GnRH secretion. Based on this, we hypothesized that Gαq/11-uncoupled KISS1R mutants, like L148S, will display Gαq/11-independent signaling. To test this hypothesis, L148S was expressed in HEK 293 cells. and results confirmed that, although strongly uncoupled from Gαq/11, L148S retained the ability to trigger significant Kp-dependent ERK1/2 phosphorylation (P < .05). Furthermore, using mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking ß-arrestin-1 and -2, we demonstrated that L148S-mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation is ß-arrestin-dependent. Overall, we conclude that KISS1R signals via Gαq/11 and ß-arrestin to regulate GnRH secretion. This novel and important finding could explain why patients bearing some types of Gαq/11-uncoupled KISS1R mutants display partial gonadotropic deficiency and even a reversal of the condition, idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Discovery of genes essential for heme biosynthesis through large-scale gene expression analysis.

Heme biosynthesis consists of a series of eight enzymatic reactions that originate in mitochondria and continue in the cytosol before returning to mitochondria. Although these core enzymes are well studied, additional mitochondrial transporters and regulatory factors are predicted to be required. To discover such unknown components, we utilized a large-scale computational screen to identify mitochondrial proteins whose transcripts consistently coexpress with the core machinery of heme biosynthesis. We identified SLC25A39, SLC22A4, and TMEM14C, which are putative mitochondrial transporters, as well as C1orf69 and ISCA1, which are iron-sulfur cluster proteins. Targeted knockdowns of all five genes in zebrafish resulted in profound anemia without impacting erythroid lineage specification. Moreover, silencing of Slc25a39 in murine erythroleukemia cells impaired iron incorporation into protoporphyrin IX, and vertebrate Slc25a39 complemented an iron homeostasis defect in the orthologous yeast mtm1Delta deletion mutant. Our results advance the molecular understanding of heme biosynthesis and offer promising candidate genes for inherited anemias.