Brown adipose tissue CoQ deficiency activates the integrated stress response and FGF21-dependent mitohormesis.

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is essential for mitochondrial respiration and required for thermogenic activity in brown adipose tissues (BAT). CoQ deficiency leads to a wide range of pathological manifestations, but mechanistic consequences of CoQ deficiency in specific tissues, such as BAT, remain poorly understood. Here, we show that pharmacological or genetic CoQ deficiency in BAT leads to stress signals causing accumulation of cytosolic mitochondrial RNAs and activation of the eIF2α kinase PKR, resulting in activation of the integrated stress response (ISR) with suppression of UCP1 but induction of FGF21 expression. Strikingly, despite diminished UCP1 levels, BAT CoQ deficiency displays increased whole-body metabolic rates at room temperature and thermoneutrality resulting in decreased weight gain on high-fat diets (HFD). In line with enhanced metabolic rates, BAT and inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) interorgan crosstalk caused increased browning of iWAT in BAT-specific CoQ deficient animals. This mitohormesis-like effect depends on the ATF4-FGF21 axis and BAT-secreted FGF21, revealing an unexpected role for CoQ in the modulation of whole-body energy expenditure with wide-ranging implications for primary and secondary CoQ deficiencies.

Identification of a heterogeneous and dynamic ciliome during embryonic development and cell differentiation.

Primary cilia are nearly ubiquitous organelles that transduce molecular and mechanical signals. Although the basic structure of the cilium and the cadre of genes that contribute to ciliary formation and function (the ciliome) are believed to be evolutionarily conserved, the presentation of ciliopathies with narrow, tissue-specific phenotypes and distinct molecular readouts suggests that an unappreciated heterogeneity exists within this organelle. Here, we provide a searchable transcriptomic resource for a curated primary ciliome, detailing various subgroups of differentially expressed genes within the ciliome that display tissue and temporal specificity. Genes within the differentially expressed ciliome exhibited a lower level of functional constraint across species, suggesting organism and cell-specific function adaptation. The biological relevance of ciliary heterogeneity was functionally validated by using Cas9 gene-editing to disrupt ciliary genes that displayed dynamic gene expression profiles during osteogenic differentiation of multipotent neural crest cells. Collectively, this novel primary cilia-focused resource will allow researchers to explore longstanding questions related to how tissue and cell-type specific functions and ciliary heterogeneity may contribute to the range of phenotypes associated with ciliopathies.

Assess Alzheimer's Disease via Plasma Extracellular Vesicle-derived mRNA.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder globally, has emerged as a significant health concern, particularly due to the increasing aging population. Recently, it has been revealed that extracellular vesicles (EVs) originating from neurons play a critical role in AD pathogenesis and progression. These neuronal EVs can cross the blood-brain barrier and enter peripheral circulation, offering a less invasive means for assessing blood-based AD biomarkers. In this study, we analyzed plasma EV-derived messenger RNA (mRNA) from 82 subjects, including individuals with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy controls, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to profile their gene expression for functional enrichment and pathway analysis. Based on the differentially expressed genes identified in both MCI and AD groups, we established a diagnostic model by implementing a machine learning classifier. The refined model demonstrated an average diagnostic accuracy over 98% and showed a strong correlation with different AD stages, suggesting the potential of plasma EV-derived mRNA as a promising non-invasive biomarker for early detection and ongoing monitoring of AD.

Pharmacological intervention of the FGF-PTH axis as a potential therapeutic for craniofacial ciliopathies.

Ciliopathies represent a disease class characterized by a broad range of phenotypes including polycystic kidneys and skeletal anomalies. Ciliopathic skeletal phenotypes are among the most common and most difficult to treat due to a poor understanding of the pathological mechanisms leading to disease. Using an avian model (talpid2) for a human ciliopathy with both kidney and skeletal anomalies (orofaciodigital syndrome 14), we identified disruptions in the FGF23-PTH axis that resulted in reduced calcium uptake in the developing mandible and subsequent micrognathia. Although pharmacological intervention with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pan-FGFR inhibitor AZD4547 alone rescued expression of the FGF target SPRY2, it did not significantly rescue micrognathia. In contrast, treatment with a cocktail of AZD4547 and teriparatide acetate, a PTH agonist and FDA-approved treatment for osteoporosis, resulted in molecular, cellular and phenotypic rescue of ciliopathic micrognathia in talpid2 mutants. Together, these data provide novel insight into pathological molecular mechanisms associated with ciliopathic skeletal phenotypes and a potential therapeutic strategy for a pleiotropic disease class with limited to no treatment options.

Decapeptide from Potato Hydrolysate Induces Myogenic Differentiation and Ameliorates High Glucose-Associated Modulations in Protein Synthesis and Mitochondrial Biogenesis in C2C12 Cells.

Sarcopenia is characterized as an age-related loss of muscle mass that results in negative health consequences such as decreased strength, insulin resistance, slowed metabolism, increased body fat mass, and a substantially diminished quality of life. Additionally, conditions such as high blood sugar are known to further exacerbate muscle degeneration. Skeletal muscle development and regeneration following injury or disease are based on myoblast differentiation. Bioactive peptides are biologically active peptides found in foods that could have pharmacological functions. The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of decapeptide DI-10 from the potato alcalase hydrolysate on myoblast differentiation, muscle protein synthesis, and mitochondrial biogenesis in vitro. The treatment of C2C12 myoblasts with DI-10 (10 µg/mL) did not induce cell death. DI-10 treatment in C2C12 myoblast cells accelerates the phosphorylation of promyogenic kinases such as ERK, Akt and mTOR proteins in a dose-dependent manner. DI-10 improves myotubes differentiation and upregulates the expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) protein in myoblast cells under differentiation medium with high glucose. DI-10 effectively increased the phosphorylation of promyogenic kinases Akt, mTOR, and mitochondrial-related transcription factors AMPK and PGC1α expression under hyperglycemic conditions. Further, decapeptide DI-10 decreased the expression of Murf1 and MAFbx proteins, which are involved in protein degradation and muscle atrophy. Our reports support that decapeptide DI-10 could be potentially used as a therapeutic candidate for preventing muscle degeneration in sarcopenia.

Probing Insulin Sensitivity with Metabolically Competent Human Stem Cell-Derived White Adipose Tissue Microphysiological Systems.

Impaired white adipose tissue (WAT) function has been recognized as a critical early event in obesity-driven disorders, but high buoyancy, fragility, and heterogeneity of primary adipocytes have largely prevented their use in drug discovery efforts highlighting the need for human stem cell-based approaches. Here, human stem cells are utilized to derive metabolically functional 3D adipose tissue (iADIPO) in a microphysiological system (MPS). Surprisingly, previously reported WAT differentiation approaches create insulin resistant WAT ill-suited for type-2 diabetes mellitus drug discovery. Using three independent insulin sensitivity assays, i.e., glucose and fatty acid uptake and suppression of lipolysis, as the functional readouts new differentiation conditions yielding hormonally responsive iADIPO are derived. Through concomitant optimization of an iADIPO-MPS, it is abled to obtain WAT with more unilocular and significantly larger (≈40%) lipid droplets compared to iADIPO in 2D culture, increased insulin responsiveness of glucose uptake (≈2-3 fold), fatty acid uptake (≈3-6 fold), and ≈40% suppressing of stimulated lipolysis giving a dynamic range that is competent to current in vivo and ex vivo models, allowing to identify both insulin sensitizers and desensitizers.

CoQ Regulates Brown Adipose Tissue Respiration and Uncoupling Protein 1 Expression.

Coenzyme Q (CoQ, aka ubiquinone) is a key component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) and membrane-incorporated antioxidant. CoQ10 deficiencies encompass a heterogeneous spectrum of clinical phenotypes and can be caused by hereditary mutations in the biosynthesis pathway or result from pharmacological interventions such as HMG-CoA Reductase inhibitors, and statins, which are widely used to treat hypercholesterolemia and prevent cardiovascular disease. How CoQ deficiency affects individual tissues and cell types, particularly mitochondrial-rich ones such as brown adipose tissue (BAT), has remained poorly understood. Here we show that pharmacological and genetic models of BAT CoQ deficiency show altered respiration that can only in part be explained by classical roles of CoQ in the respiration chain. Instead, we found that CoQ strongly impacts brown and beige adipocyte respiration via the regulation of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression. CoQ deficiency in BAT robustly decreases UCP1 protein levels and uncoupled respiration unexpectedly, resulting in increased inner mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased ADP/ATP ratios. Suppressed UCP1 expression was also observed in a BAT-specific in vivo model of CoQ deficiency and resulted in enhanced cold sensitivity. These findings demonstrate an as yet unappreciated role of CoQ in the transcriptional regulation of key thermogenic genes and functions.

Alcalase Potato Protein Hydrolysate-PPH902 Enhances Myogenic Differentiation and Enhances Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis under High Glucose Condition in C2C12 Cells.

Sarcopenia is an aging associated disorder involving skeletal muscle atrophy and a reduction in muscle strength, and there are no pharmaceutical interventions available thus far. Moreover, conditions such as hyperglycaemia are known to further intensify muscle degradation. Therefore, novel strategies to attenuate skeletal muscle loss are essential to enhance muscle function and thereby improve the quality of life in diabetic individuals. In this study, we have investigated the efficiency of a potato peptide hydrolysate PPH902 for its cytoprotective effects in skeletal muscle cells. PPH902 treatment in C2C12 cells showed the dose-dependent activation of the Akt/mTOR signalling pathway that is involved in skeletal myogenesis. According to Western blotting analysis, PPH902 induced the phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR proteins and induced the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts in a differentiation medium. The phosphorylation myogenic transcription factor Foxo3A was also found to be increased in the cells treated with PPH902. In addition, treatment with PPH902 ameliorated the high glucose induced reduction in cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the number of myotubes in a differentiation medium reduced upon high glucose challenge, but treatment with PPH902 increased the number of differentiated myotubes. Further, the phosphorylations of AMPK and mitochondrial-related transcription factors such as PGC-1α were suppressed upon high glucose challenge but PPH902 treatment restored the protein levels. We demonstrate, for the first time, that a specific potato peptide has a therapeutic effect against sarcopenia. In addition, PPH902 improved the myogenic differentiation and their mitochondrial biogenesis and further improved myogenic protein and inhibited muscle protein degradation in C2C12 cells challenged under a high glucose condition.

Centriolar Protein C2cd3 Is Required for Craniofacial Development.

The primary cilium is a ubiquitous, microtubule-based cellular organelle. Primary cilia dysfunction results in a group of disorders termed ciliopathies. C2 domain containing 3 centriole elongation regulator (C2cd3), encodes a centriolar protein essential for ciliogenesis. Mutations in human C2CD3 are associated with the human ciliopathy Oral-Facial-Digital syndrome type 14 (OFD14). In order to better understand the etiology of ciliopathies including OFD14, we generated numerous murine models targeting C2cd3. Initial analysis revealed several tissue-specific isoforms of C2cd3, and while the loss of C2cd3 has previously been reported to result in exencephaly, tight mesencephalic flexure, pericardial edema, abnormal heart looping and a twisted body axis, further analysis revealed that genetic background may also contribute to phenotypic variation. Additional analyses of a conditional allelic series targeting C-terminal PKC-C2 domains or the N-terminal C2CD3N-C2 domain of C2cd3 revealed a variable degree of phenotypic severity, suggesting that while the N-terminal C2CD3N-C2 domain was critical for early embryonic development as a whole, there was also a craniofacial specific role for the C2CD3N-C2 domains. Together, through generation of novel models and evaluation of C2cd3 expression, these data provide valuable insight into mechanisms of pathology for craniofacial ciliopathies that can be further explored in the future.

CXCL14 Maintains hESC Self-Renewal through Binding to IGF-1R and Activation of the IGF-1R Pathway.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have important roles in regenerative medicine, but only a few studies have investigated the cytokines secreted by hESCs. We screened and identified chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 14 (CXCL14), which plays crucial roles in hESC renewal. CXCL14, a C-X-C motif chemokine, is also named as breast and kidney-expressed chemokine (BRAK), B cell and monocyte-activated chemokine (BMAC), and macrophage inflammatory protein-2γ (MIP-2γ). Knockdown of CXCL14 disrupted the hESC self-renewal, changed cell cycle distribution, and further increased the expression levels of mesoderm and endoderm differentiated markers. Interestingly, we demonstrated that CXCL14 is the ligand for the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), and it can activate IGF-1R signal transduction to support hESC renewal. Currently published literature indicates that all receptors in the CXCL family are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This report is the first to demonstrate that a CXCL protein can bind to and activate a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), and also the first to show that IGF-1R has another ligand in addition to IGFs. These findings broaden our understanding of stem cell biology and signal transduction.

Down-regulation of ATF1 leads to early neuroectoderm differentiation of human embryonic stem cells by increasing the expression level of SOX2.

We reveal by high-throughput screening that activating transcription factor 1 (ATF1) is a novel pluripotent regulator in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The knockdown of ATF1 expression significantly up-regulated neuroectoderm (NE) genes but not mesoderm, endoderm, and trophectoderm genes. Of note, down-regulation or knockout of ATF1 with short hairpin RNA (shRNA), small interfering RNA (siRNA), or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) was sufficient to up-regulate sex-determining region Y-box (SOX)2 and paired box 6 (PAX6) expression under the undifferentiated or differentiated conditions, whereas overexpression of ATF1 suppressed NE differentiation. Endogenous ATF1 was spontaneously down-regulated after d 1-3 of neural induction. By double-knockdown experiments, up-regulation of SOX2 was critical for the increase of PAX6 and SOX1 expression in shRNA targeting Atf1 hESCs. Using the luciferase reporter assay, we identified ATF1 as a negative transcriptional regulator of Sox2 gene expression. A novel function of ATF1 was discovered, and these findings contribute to a broader understanding of the very first steps in regulating NE differentiation in hESCs.-Yang, S.-C., Liu, J.-J., Wang, C.-K., Lin, Y.-T., Tsai, S.-Y., Chen, W.-J., Huang, W.-K., Tu, P.-W. A., Lin, Y.-C., Chang, C.-F., Cheng, C.-L., Lin, H., Lai, C.-Y., Lin, C.-Y., Lee, Y.-H., Chiu, Y.-C., Hsu, C.-C., Hsu, S.-C., Hsiao, M., Schuyler, S. C., Lu, F. L., Lu, J. Down-regulation of ATF1 leads to early neuroectoderm differentiation of human embryonic stem cells by increasing the expression level of SOX2.

Clonal derivation of white and brown adipocyte progenitor cell lines from human pluripotent stem cells.

BACKGROUND: The role of brown fat in non-shivering thermogenesis and the discovery of brown fat depots in adult humans has made it the subject of intense research interest. A renewable source of brown adipocyte (BA) progenitors would be highly valuable for research and therapy. Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells to white or brown adipocytes is limited by lack of cell purity and scalability. Here we describe an alternative approach involving the identification of clonal self-renewing human embryonic progenitor (hEP) cell lines following partial hPS cell differentiation and selection of scalable clones. METHODS: We screened a diverse panel of hPS cell-derived clonal hEP cell lines for adipocyte markers following growth in adipocyte differentiation medium. The transcriptome of the human hES-derived clonal embryonic progenitor cell lines E3, C4ELS5.1, NP88, and NP110 representing three class of definitive adipocyte progenitors were compared to the relatively non-adipogenic line E85 and adult-derived BAT and SAT-derived cells using gene expression microarrays, RT-qPCR, metabolic analysis and immunocytochemistry. Differentiation conditions were optimized for maximal UCP1 expression. RESULTS: Many of the differentiated hEP cell lines expressed the adipocyte marker, FAPB4, but only a small subset expressed definitive adipocyte markers including brown adipocyte marker, UCP1. Class I cells (i.e., E3) expressed CITED1, ADIPOQ, and C19orf80 but little to no UCP1. Class II (i.e., C4ELS5.1) expressed CITED1 and UCP1 but little ADIPOQ and LIPASIN. Class III (i.e., NP88, NP110) expressed CITED1, ADIPOQ, C19orf80, and UCP1 in a similar manner as fetal BAT-derived (fBAT) cells. Differentiated NP88 and NP110 lines were closest to fBAT cells morphologically in adiponectin and uncoupling protein expression. But they were more metabolically active than fBAT cells, had higher levels of 3-hydroxybutyrate, and lacked expression of fetal/adult marker, COX7A1. The hEP BA progenitor lines were scalable to 17 passages without loss of differentiation capacity and could be readily rederived. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these data demonstrate that self-renewing adipocyte progenitor cells can be derived from hES cells and that they are functionally like BAT cells but with unique properties that might be advantageous for basic research and for development of cell-based treatments for metabolic diseases.

A tissue-specific role for intraflagellar transport genes during craniofacial development.

Primary cilia are nearly ubiquitous, cellular projections that function to transduce molecular signals during development. Loss of functional primary cilia has a particularly profound effect on the developing craniofacial complex, causing several anomalies including craniosynostosis, micrognathia, midfacial dysplasia, cleft lip/palate and oral/dental defects. Development of the craniofacial complex is an intricate process that requires interactions between several different tissues including neural crest cells, neuroectoderm and surface ectoderm. To understand the tissue-specific requirements for primary cilia during craniofacial development we conditionally deleted three separate intraflagellar transport genes, Kif3a, Ift88 and Ttc21b with three distinct drivers, Wnt1-Cre, Crect and AP2-Cre which drive recombination in neural crest, surface ectoderm alone, and neural crest, surface ectoderm and neuroectoderm, respectively. We found that tissue-specific conditional loss of ciliary genes with different functions produces profoundly different facial phenotypes. Furthermore, analysis of basic cellular behaviors in these mutants suggests that loss of primary cilia in a distinct tissue has unique effects on development of adjacent tissues. Together, these data suggest specific spatiotemporal roles for intraflagellar transport genes and the primary cilium during craniofacial development.

Efficient Generation of Chemically Induced Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

Human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent and currently undergoing hundreds of clinical trials for disease treatments. To date, no studies have generated induced MSCs from skin fibroblasts with chemicals or growth factors. Here, we established the first chemical method to convert primary human dermal fibroblasts into multipotent, induced MSC-like cells (iMSCs). The conversion method uses a defined cocktail of small molecules and growth factors, and it can achieve efficient conversion with an average rate of 38% in 6 days. The iMSCs have much higher clonogenicity than fibroblasts, and they can be maintained and expanded in regular MSC medium for at least 8 passages and further differentiated into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. Moreover, the iMSCs can suppress LPS-mediated acute lung injury as effectively as bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. This finding may greatly benefit stem cell biology, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine.

Unique spatiotemporal requirements for intraflagellar transport genes during forebrain development.

Primary cilia are organelles extended from virtually all cells and are required for the proper regulation of a number of canonical developmental pathways. The role in cortical development of proteins important for ciliary form and function is a relatively understudied area. Here we have taken a genetic approach to define the role in forebrain development of three intraflagellar transport proteins known to be important for primary cilia function. We have genetically ablated Kif3a, Ift88, and Ttc21b in a series of specific spatiotemporal domains. The resulting phenotypes allow us to draw several conclusions. First, we conclude that the Ttc21b cortical phenotype is not due to the activity of Ttc21b within the brain itself. Secondly, some of the most striking phenotypes are from ablations in the neural crest cells and the adjacent surface ectoderm indicating that cilia transduce critical tissue-tissue interactions in the developing embryonic head. Finally, we note striking differences in phenotypes from ablations only one embryonic day apart, indicating very discrete spatiotemporal requirements for these three genes in cortical development.

Cilia-dependent GLI processing in neural crest cells is required for tongue development.

Ciliopathies are a class of diseases caused by the loss of a ubiquitous, microtubule-based organelle called a primary cilium. Ciliopathies commonly result in defective development of the craniofacial complex, causing midfacial defects, craniosynostosis, micrognathia and aglossia. Herein, we explored how the conditional loss of primary cilia on neural crest cells (Kif3af/f;Wnt1-Cre) generated aglossia. On a cellular level, our data revealed that aglossia in Kif3af/f;Wnt1-Cre embryos was due to a loss of mesoderm-derived muscle precursors migrating into and surviving in the tongue anlage. To determine the molecular basis for this phenotype, we performed RNA-seq, in situ hybridization, qPCR and Western blot analyses. We found that transduction of the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway, rather than other pathways previously implicated in tongue development, was aberrant in Kif3af/f;Wnt1-Cre embryos. Despite increased production of full-length GLI2 and GLI3 isoforms, previously identified GLI targets important for mandibular and glossal development (Foxf1, Foxf2, Foxd1 and Foxd2) were transcriptionally downregulated in Kif3af/f;Wnt1-Cre embryos. Genetic removal of GLI activator (GLIA) isoforms in neural crest cells recapitulated the aglossia phenotype and downregulated Fox gene expression. Genetic addition of GLIA isoforms in neural crest cells partially rescued the aglossia phenotype and Fox gene expression in Kif3af/f;Wnt1-Cre embryos. Together, our data suggested that glossal development requires primary cilia-dependent GLIA activity in neural crest cells. Furthermore, these data, in conjunction with our previous work, suggested prominence specific roles for GLI isoforms; with development of the frontonasal prominence relying heavily on the repressor isoform and the development of the mandibular prominence/tongue relying heavily on the activator isoform.

Engineered human pluripotent-stem-cell-derived intestinal tissues with a functional enteric nervous system.

The enteric nervous system (ENS) of the gastrointestinal tract controls many diverse functions, including motility and epithelial permeability. Perturbations in ENS development or function are common, yet there is no human model for studying ENS-intestinal biology and disease. We used a tissue-engineering approach with embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) to generate human intestinal tissue containing a functional ENS. We recapitulated normal intestinal ENS development by combining human-PSC-derived neural crest cells (NCCs) and developing human intestinal organoids (HIOs). NCCs recombined with HIOs in vitro migrated into the mesenchyme, differentiated into neurons and glial cells and showed neuronal activity, as measured by rhythmic waves of calcium transients. ENS-containing HIOs grown in vivo formed neuroglial structures similar to a myenteric and submucosal plexus, had functional interstitial cells of Cajal and had an electromechanical coupling that regulated waves of propagating contraction. Finally, we used this system to investigate the cellular and molecular basis for Hirschsprung's disease caused by a mutation in the gene PHOX2B. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of human-PSC-derived intestinal tissue with a functional ENS and how this system can be used to study motility disorders of the human gastrointestinal tract.

Craniofacial Ciliopathies Reveal Specific Requirements for GLI Proteins during Development of the Facial Midline.

Ciliopathies represent a broad class of disorders that affect multiple organ systems. The craniofacial complex is among those most severely affected when primary cilia are not functional. We previously reported that loss of primary cilia on cranial neural crest cells, via a conditional knockout of the intraflagellar transport protein KIF3a, resulted in midfacial widening due to a gain of Hedgehog (HH) activity. Here, we examine the molecular mechanism of how a loss of primary cilia can produce facial phenotypes associated with a gain of HH function. We show that loss of intraflagellar transport proteins (KIF3a or IFT88) caused aberrant GLI processing such that the amount of GLI3FL and GLI2FL was increased, thus skewing the ratio of GLIFL to GLIR in favor of the FL isoform. Genetic addition of GLI3R partially rescued the ciliopathic midfacial widening. Interestingly, despite several previous studies suggesting midfacial development relies heavily on GLI3R activity, the conditional loss of GLI3 alone did not reproduce the ciliopathic phenotype. Only the combined loss of both GLI2 and GLI3 was able to phenocopy the ciliopathic midfacial appearance. Our findings suggest that ciliopathic facial phenotypes are generated via loss of both GLI3R and GLI2R and that this pathology occurs via a de-repression mechanism. Furthermore, these studies suggest a novel role for GLI2R in craniofacial development.

Utilizing the chicken as an animal model for human craniofacial ciliopathies.

The chicken has been a particularly useful model for the study of craniofacial development and disease for over a century due to their relatively large size, accessibility, and amenability for classical bead implantation and transplant experiments. Several naturally occurring mutant lines with craniofacial anomalies also exist and have been heavily utilized by developmental biologist for several decades. Two of the most well known lines, talpid(2) (ta(2)) and talpid(3) (ta(3)), represent the first spontaneous mutants to have the causative genes identified. Despite having distinct genetic causes, both mutants have recently been identified as ciliopathic. Excitingly, both of these mutants have been classified as models for human craniofacial ciliopathies: Oral-facial-digital syndrome (ta(2)) and Joubert syndrome (ta(3)). Herein, we review and compare these two models of craniofacial disease and highlight what they have revealed about the molecular and cellular etiology of ciliopathies. Furthermore, we outline how applying classical avian experiments and new technological advances (transgenics and genome editing) with naturally occurring avian mutants can add a tremendous amount to what we currently know about craniofacial ciliopathies.