Glomerular RNA comparison between wild-type and podocyte specific deletion of the PTIP gene in 1 month old kidneys. The PTIP gene was deleted using a floxed allele and a Podocin-Cre driver strain.
Altering a histone H3K4 methylation pathway in glomerular podocytes promotes a chronic disease phenotype.
Specimen part
View SamplesFetal and adult -globin gene expression is tightly regulated during human development. Fetal globin genes are transcriptionally silenced during embryogenesis through the process of hemoglobin switching. Efforts to understand the transcriptional mechanism(s) behind fetal globin silencing have led to novel strategies to derepress fetal globin expression in the adult, which could alleviate symptoms in hereditary b-globin disorders including sickle cell disease (SCD) and -thalassemia. We identified a novel zinc finger protein, pogo transposable element with zinc finger domain (Pogz), expressed in mouse and human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, which represses embryonic b-like globin gene expression in mice. Ablation of Pogz expression in adult hematopoietic cells in vivo results in persistence of embryonic b-like globin expression without significantly affecting erythroid development or mouse survival. Elevated embryonic -like globin expression correlates with reduced expression of Bcl11a, a known repressor of embryonic -like globin expression, in Pogz-/- fetal liver cells. Pogz binds to the Bcl11a promoter, and, to erythroid specific intragenic regulatory regions. Importantly, Pogz+/- mice develop normally, but show elevated embryonic b-like globin expression in peripheral blood cells, demonstrating that reducing Pogz levels results in persistence of embryonic b-like globin expression. Finally, knockdown of POGZ in primary human CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell derived erythroblasts, reduces BCL11A expression and increases fetal hemoglobin expression. These findings are significant since new therapeutic targets and strategies are needed to treat the increasing global burden of b-globin disorders.
POGZ Is Required for Silencing Mouse Embryonic β-like Hemoglobin and Human Fetal Hemoglobin Expression.
Specimen part
View SamplesTo examine the role of SPS1 in mammals, we generated a Sps1 knockout mouse and found that systemic SPS1 deficiency was embryonic lethal. Embryos were clearly underdeveloped by E8.5 and virtually reabsorbed by E14.5. Removal of Sps1 specifically in hepatocytes using Albumin-cre preserved viability, but significantly affected expression of a large number of mRNAs involved in cancer, embryonic development and the glutathione system. Particularly notable was the extreme deficiency of glutaredoxin 1 (GLRX1) and glutathione-S-transferase omega 1. To assess these phenotypes at the cellular level, we targeted the removal of SPS1 in F9 cells, a mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line, which recapitulated changes in the glutathione system proteins. We further found that several malignant characteristics of SPS1-deficient F9 cells were reversed, suggesting that SPS1 has a role in supporting and/or sustaining cancer. In addition, the increased ROS levels observed in F9 SPS1/GLRX1 deficient cells were reversed and became more like those in F9 SPS1 sufficient cells by overexpressing mouse or human GLRX1. The results suggest that SPS1 is an essential mammalian enzyme with roles in regulating redox homeostasis and controlling cell growth.
Selenophosphate synthetase 1 is an essential protein with roles in regulation of redox homoeostasis in mammals.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
CHOP induces activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) to trigger apoptosis in response to perturbations in protein homeostasis.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesEnvironmental stresses that disrupt protein homeostasis induce phosphorylation of eIF2, triggering repression of global protein synthesis coincident with preferential translation of ATF4, a transcriptional activator of the Integrated stress response (ISR). Depending on the extent of protein disruption, ATF4 may not be able to restore proteostatic control and instead switch to a terminal outcome that features elevated expression of the transcription factor CHOP (GADD153/DDIT3). The focus of this study was to define the mechanisms by which CHOP directs gene regulatory networks that determine cell fate. We find that in response to proteasome inhibition, CHOP induces the expression of a collection of genes encoding transcription regulators, including ATF5, which is preferentially translated during eIF2 phosphorylation. Transcriptional expression of ATF5 is directly activated by both CHOP and ATF4. Knock-down of ATF5 increased cell survival in response to proteasome inhibition, supporting the idea that both ATF5 and CHOP have pro-apoptotic functions. Transcriptome analyses of ATF5-dependent genes revealed targets involved in apoptosis, including, NOXA, which is important for inducing cell death during proteasome inhibition. This study suggests that the ISR features a feed-forward loop of stress induced transcriptional regulators, each subject to transcriptional and translational control that can switch cell fate towards apoptosis.
CHOP induces activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) to trigger apoptosis in response to perturbations in protein homeostasis.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesDisruptions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that perturb protein folding cause ER stress and elicit an unfolded protein response (UPR) that involves translational and transcriptional changes in gene expression aimed at expanding the ER processing capacity and alleviating cellular injury. Three ER stress sensors PERK, ATF6, and IRE1 implement the UPR. PERK phosphorylation of eIF2 during ER stress represses protein synthesis, which prevents further influx of ER client proteins, along with preferential translation of ATF4, a transcription activator of the integrated stress response. In this study we show that the PERK/eIF2~P/ATF4 pathway is required not only for translational control, but also activation of ATF6 and its target genes. The PERK pathway facilitates both the synthesis of ATF6 and trafficking of ATF6 from the ER to the Golgi for intramembrane proteolysis and activation of ATF6. As a consequence, liver-specific depletion of PERK significantly reduces both the translational and transcriptional phases of the UPR, leading to reduced protein chaperone expression, disruptions of lipid metabolism, and enhanced apoptosis. These findings show that the regulatory networks of the UPR are fully integrated, and helps explain the diverse pathologies associated with loss of PERK.
The eIF2 kinase PERK and the integrated stress response facilitate activation of ATF6 during endoplasmic reticulum stress.
Specimen part, Treatment
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