Sonic hedgehog acts cell-autonomously on muscle precursor cells to generate limb muscle diversity.

How muscle diversity is generated in the vertebrate body is poorly understood. In the limb, dorsal and ventral muscle masses constitute the first myogenic diversification, as each gives rise to distinct muscles. Myogenesis initiates after muscle precursor cells (MPCs) have migrated from the somites to the limb bud and populated the prospective muscle masses. Here, we show that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) from the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) drives myogenesis specifically within the ventral muscle mass. Shh directly induces ventral MPCs to initiate Myf5 transcription and myogenesis through essential Gli-binding sites located in the Myf5 limb enhancer. In the absence of Shh signaling, myogenesis is delayed, MPCs fail to migrate distally, and ventral paw muscles fail to form. Thus, Shh production in the limb ZPA is essential for the spatiotemporal control of myogenesis and coordinates muscle and skeletal development by acting directly to regulate the formation of specific ventral muscles.

FatJ acts via the Hippo mediator Yap1 to restrict the size of neural progenitor cell pools.

The size, composition and functioning of the spinal cord is likely to depend on appropriate numbers of progenitor and differentiated cells of a particular class, but little is known about how cell numbers are controlled in specific cell cohorts along the dorsoventral axis of the neural tube. Here, we show that FatJ cadherin, identified in a large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen of cadherin genes expressed in the neural tube, is localised to progenitors in intermediate regions of the neural tube. Loss of function of FatJ promotes an increase in dp4-vp1 progenitors and a concomitant increase in differentiated Lim1(+)/Lim2(+) neurons. Our studies reveal that FatJ mediates its action via the Hippo pathway mediator Yap1: loss of downstream Hippo components can rescue the defect caused by loss of FatJ. Together, our data demonstrate that RNAi screens are feasible in the chick embryonic neural tube, and show that FatJ acts through the Hippo pathway to regulate cell numbers in specific subsets of neural progenitor pools and their differentiated progeny.

Sonic hedgehog-dependent synthesis of laminin alpha1 controls basement membrane assembly in the myotome.

Basement membranes have essential structural and signalling roles in tissue morphogenesis during embryonic development, but the mechanisms that control their formation are still poorly understood. Laminins are key components of basement membranes and are thought to be essential for initiation of basement membrane assembly. Here, we report that muscle progenitor cells populating the myotome migrate aberrantly in the ventral somite in the absence of sonic hedgehog (Shh) signalling, and we show that this defect is due to the failure to form a myotomal basement membrane. We reveal that expression of Lama1, which encodes laminin alpha1, a subunit of laminin-111, is not activated in Shh(-/-) embryos. Recovery of Lama1 expression or addition of exogenous laminin-111 to Shh(-/-);Gli3(-/-) embryos restores the myotomal basement membrane, demonstrating that laminin-111 is necessary and sufficient to initiate assembly of the myotomal basement membrane. This study uncovers an essential role for Shh signalling in the control of laminin-111 synthesis and in the initiation of basement membrane assembly in the myotome. Furthermore, our data indicate that laminin-111 function cannot be compensated by laminin-511.

Expression analysis of TALE family transcription factors during avian development.

The TALE family of homeodomain containing transcription factors consists of the Meis, Prep and Tgif, and the Pbx subfamily of proteins. Several TALE orthologues have been identified in amniotes, but no comprehensive analysis of their expression pattern during embryogenesis has been performed. Here, we report on TALE gene expression in the avian embryo. During embryonic development, Pbx genes are predominantly expressed in the neural ectoderm and paraxial mesoderm, although Pbx3 is restricted to the intermediate and lateral mesoderm, and anterior central nervous system. Members of the Meis, Prep, and Tgif subfamilies are expressed at high levels in the paraxial mesoderm, and display differential expression along the anterior-posterior and dorsoventral axes of the developing neural tube. Overall the expression patterns reported in this study are consistent with the known function of the TALE gene family in controlling early patterning of limb, neural tube and paraxial mesoderm tissues during embryogenesis.

Basal lamina remodeling at the skeletal muscle stem cell niche mediates stem cell self-renewal.

A central question in stem cell biology is the relationship between stem cells and their niche. Although previous reports have uncovered how signaling molecules released by niche cells support stem cell function, the role of the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) within the niche is unclear. Here, we show that upon activation, skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells) induce local remodeling of the ECM and the deposition of laminin-α1 and laminin-α5 into the basal lamina of the satellite cell niche. Genetic ablation of laminin-α1, disruption of integrin-α6 signaling or blocking matrix metalloproteinase activity impairs satellite cell expansion and self-renewal. Collectively, our findings establish that remodeling of the ECM is an integral process of stem cell activity to support propagation and self-renewal, and may explain the effect laminin-α1-containing supports have on embryonic and adult stem cells, as well as the regenerative activity of exogenous laminin-111 therapy.

Sequence analyses to study the evolutionary history and cis-regulatory elements of Hedgehog genes.

Sequence analysis and comparative genomics are powerful tools to gain knowledge on multiple aspects of gene and protein regulation and function. These have been widely used to understand the evolutionary history and the biochemistry of Hedgehog (Hh) proteins, and the molecular control of Hedgehog gene expression. Here, we report on some of the methods available to retrieve protein and genomic sequences. We describe how protein sequence comparison can produce information on the evolutionary history of Hh proteins. Moreover, we describe the use of genomic sequence analysis including phylogenetic footprinting and transcription factor-binding site search tools, techniques that allow for the characterization of cis-regulatory elements of developmental genes such as the Hedgehog genes.

Hedgehog signalling acts upstream of Laminin alpha1 transcription in the zebrafish paraxial mesoderm.

Laminin-111 (α1ß1γ1) is a member of the Laminin family of extra-cellular matrix proteins that comprises 16 members, components of basement membranes. Laminin-111, one of the first Laminin proteins synthesised during embryogenesis, is required for basement membrane deposition and has essential roles in tissue morphogenesis and patterning. Yet, the mechanisms controlling Laminin-111 expression are poorly understood. We generated a zebrafish transgenic reporter line that reproduces faithfully the expression pattern of lama1, the gene encoding Laminin α1, and we used this reporter line to investigate lama1 transcriptional regulation. Our findings established that lama1 expression is controlled by intronic enhancers, including an enhancer directing expression in the paraxial mesoderm, anterior spinal cord and hindbrain, located in intron 1. We show that Hedgehog signalling is necessary and sufficient for lama1 transcription in the paraxial mesoderm and identify putative Gli/Zic binding sites that may mediate this control. These findings uncover a conserved role for Hedgehog signalling in the control of basement membrane assembly via its transcriptional regulation of lama1, and provide a mechanism to coordinate muscle cell fate specification in the zebrafish embryo.

Asymmetric Distribution of Primary Cilia Allocates Satellite Cells for Self-Renewal.

Regeneration of vertebrate skeletal muscles requires satellite cells, a population of stem cells that are quiescent in normal conditions and divide, differentiate, and self-renew upon activation triggered by exercise, injury, and degenerative diseases. Satellite cell self-renewal is essential for long-term tissue homeostasis, and previous work has identified a number of external cues that control this process. However, little is known of the possible intrinsic control mechanisms of satellite cell self-renewal. Here, we show that quiescent satellite cells harbor a primary cilium, which is rapidly disassembled upon entry into the cell cycle. Contrasting with a commonly accepted belief, cilia reassembly does not occur uniformly in cells exiting the cell cycle. We found that primary cilia reassemble preferentially in cells committed to self-renew, and disruption of cilia reassembly causes a specific deficit in self-renewing satellite cells. These observations indicate that primary cilia provide an intrinsic cue essential for satellite cell self-renewal.

Expression of avian Groucho-related genes (Grgs) during embryonic development.

Groucho-related genes (Grgs) encode transcriptional co-repressors of Lef/Tcf and Hes proteins, which are mediators of Wnt and Notch signalling, respectively. Thus, they are important players in the developmental processes controlled by Wnt and Notch signalling, including lateral inhibition, segmentation and dorso-ventral patterning. We have cloned the avian homologues of Grg genes and examined their expression pattern by whole-mount in situ hybridisation between Hamburger-Hamilton (HH) stages 3 and 24. At HH stage 3, Grg gene expression is detected in the primitive streak and Hensen's node. Later, Grg genes are expressed at high levels in the developing head fold and by HH stage 11, throughout the anterior CNS and in the ventricular zone of the neural tube. In addition, Grg2, Grg4 and Grg5 are expressed in the notochord. In the paraxial mesoderm, Grg genes are activated as soon as somites form. As somites mature, Grg1 and Grg5/AES are expressed predominantly in the medial myotome and dermomyotome, whereas Grg2, Grg3 and Grg4 are expressed throughout the myotome. In HH stage 20 limbs, Grg1, Grg3 and Grg4 transcripts are more abundant in the posterior limb bud, whereas Grg2 and Grg5/AES are expressed throughout. By HH stage 24, Grg1, Grg2 and Grg3 become localized to the dorsal and ventral limb muscle masses, whereas Grg4 and Grg5/AES occupy a more central and ventro-proximal domain, respectively. Overall, our expression data are consistent with a role for Grg genes in Lef/Tcf and Wnt signalling during somitogenesis and with a role in Hes and Notch signalling in neurogenesis.

The myotomal basement membrane: insight into laminin-111 function and its control by Sonic hedgehog signaling.

The importance of laminin-containing basement membranes (BM) for adult muscle function is well established, in particular due to the severe phenotype of congenital muscular dystrophies in patients with mutations disrupting the BM-muscle cell interaction. Developing muscles in the embryo are also dependent on an intact BM. However, the processes controlled by BM-muscle cell interactions in the embryo are only beginning to be elucidated. In this review, we focus on the myotomal BM to illustrate the critical role of laminin-111 in BM assembly and function at the surface of embryonic muscle cells. The myotomal BM provides also an interesting paradigm to study the complex interplay between laminins-containing BM and growth factor-mediated signaling and activity.

A novel Gli3 enhancer controls the Gli3 spatiotemporal expression pattern through a TALE homeodomain protein binding site.

The zinc finger transcription factor Gli3 is an essential mediator of hedgehog signaling. Gli3 has a dynamic expression pattern during embryonic development. In the neural tube, Gli3 transcripts are patterned along the anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes such that the initial broad expression in the posterior neural tube becomes dorsally restricted as neurogenesis takes place. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate this dynamic expression. Here, we report on a phylogenetic analysis of the Gli3 locus that uncovered a novel regulatory element, HCNE1. HCNE1 contains a compound Pbx/Meis binding site that binds Pbx and Meis/Prep proteins in vitro and in vivo. We show that HCNE1 recapitulates Gli3 expression in the developing neural tube and that mutations in the Pbx/Meis binding site affect the spatiotemporal control of HCNE1 transcriptional activity. Ectopic expression or loss of function of Pbx and Meis/Prep proteins in the chick and mouse embryo results in aberrant expression of endogenous Gli3 transcripts. We propose a novel role for TALE proteins in establishing the correct spatiotemporal expression pattern of Gli3 in the vertebrate spinal cord, thus implicating TALE transcription factors in early embryonic patterning events controlled by Sonic hedgehog signaling.

Dystroglycan protein distribution coincides with basement membranes and muscle differentiation during mouse embryogenesis.

Using immunohistochemistry, we have examined beta-Dystroglycan protein distribution in the mouse embryo at embryonic stages E9.5 to E11.5. Our data show that Dystroglycan expression correlates with basement membranes in many tissues, such as the notochord, neural tube, promesonephros, and myotome. In the myotome, we describe the timing of Dystroglycan protein re-distribution at the surface of myogenic precursor cells as basement membrane assembles into a continuous sheet. We also report on non-basement-membrane-associated Dystroglycan expression in the floor plate and the myocardium. This distribution often corresponds to sites of expression previously reported in adults, suggesting that Dystroglycan is continuously produced during development.

Expression of avian C-terminal binding proteins (Ctbp1 and Ctbp2) during embryonic development.

C-terminal binding proteins (CtBPs) are transcriptional corepressors of mediators of Notch, Wnt, and other signalling pathways. Thus, they are potential players in the control of several developmentally important processes, including segmentation, somitogenesis, and neural tube and limb patterning. We have cloned the avian orthologues of Ctbp1 and Ctbp2 and examined their expression pattern by whole-mount in situ hybridization between Hamburger and Hamilton (HH) stages 3 and 24. Both Ctbp genes show similar expression patterns during embryonic development, and both are detected from HH stage 3 in the developing central nervous system, by HH stage 7 in the paraxial mesoderm and later in the limb bud. In most places, Ctbp1 and Ctbp2 are expressed in overlapping domains. However, there are interesting domains and/or temporal expression patterns that are specific to each Ctbp gene. For instance, Ctbp1 is predominantly expressed in the epiblast, whereas Ctbp2 is in the primitive streak at HH stage 3. However, by HH stage 4, both genes are found in the primitive streak and in the ectoderm. Similarly, although both genes display similar expression patterns in early somitogenesis, in mature somites, Ctbp1 transcripts are located in myotomal cells, whereas Ctbp2 transcripts are observed in dermomyotomal cells. Finally, we found that emigrating neural crest cells express Ctbp2, whereas dorsal root ganglia express Ctbp1. These data suggest that Ctbp1 and Ctbp2 may be functionally redundant in some tissues and have unique functions in other tissues.

Gli2 and Gli3 have redundant and context-dependent function in skeletal muscle formation.

The Gli family of zinc finger transcription factors are mediators of Shh signalling in vertebrates. In previous studies, we showed that Shh signalling, via an essential Gli-binding site in the Myf5 epaxial somite (ES) enhancer, is required for the specification of epaxial muscle progenitor cells. Shh signalling is also required for the normal mediolateral patterning of myogenic cells within the somite. In this study, we investigate the role and the transcriptional activities of Gli proteins during somite myogenesis in the mouse embryo. We report that Gli genes are differentially expressed in the mouse somite. Gli2 and Gli3 are essential for Gli1 expression in somites, establishing Gli2 and Gli3 as primary mediators and Gli1 as a secondary mediator of Shh signalling. Combining genetic studies with the use of a transgenic mouse line expressing a reporter gene under the control of the Myf5 epaxial somite enhancer, we show that Gli2 or Gli3 is required for Myf5 activation in the epaxial muscle progenitor cells. Furthermore, Gli3, but not Gli2 represses Myf5 transcription in a dose-dependent manner in the absence of Shh. Finally, we provide evidence that hypaxial and myotomal gene expression is mispatterned in Gli2-/-Gli3-/- and Gli3-/-Shh-/- somites. Together, our data demonstrate both positive and negative regulatory functions for Gli2 and Gli3 in the control of Myf5 activation in the epaxial muscle progenitor cells and in dorsoventral and mediolateral patterning of the somite.