Interactions between Cdx genes and retinoic acid modulate early cardiogenesis

Dev Biol. 2011 Jun 1;354(1):134-42. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.03.027. Epub 2011 Apr 3.

Abstract

Cdx transcription factors regulate embryonic positional identities and have crucial roles in anteroposterior patterning (AP) processes of all three germ layers. Previously we have shown that the zebrafish homologues cdx1a and cdx4 redundantly regulate posterior mesodermal derivatives inducing embryonic blood cell fate specification and patterning of the embryonic kidney. Here we hypothesize that cdx factors restrict formation of anterior mesodermal derivatives such as cardiac cells by imposing posterior identity to developing mesodermal cells. We show that ectopic expression of Cdx1 or Cdx4 applied during the brief window of mesoderm patterning in differentiating murine embryonic stem cell (ESC) strongly suppresses cardiac development as assayed by expression of cardiac genes and formation of embryoid bodies (EB) containing "beating" cell clusters. Conversely, in loss-of-function studies performed in cdx-deficient zebrafish embryos, we observed a dose-dependent expansion of tbx5a(+) anterior-lateral plate mesoderm giving rise to cardiac progenitors. However, further cardiac development of these mesodermal cells required additional suppression of the retinoic acid (RA) pathway, possibly due to differential activity of inhibitory RA signals in cdx mutants. Together, our data suggest that cdx proteins affect cardiogenesis by regulating the formation of cardiogenic mesoderm and together with the RA pathway control the early development of cardiac precursor cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Embryo, Mammalian / cytology
  • Embryo, Mammalian / metabolism
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian / metabolism
  • Embryoid Bodies / cytology
  • Embryoid Bodies / metabolism
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / cytology
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics*
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Male
  • Mesoderm / cytology
  • Mesoderm / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mutation
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / cytology
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / metabolism*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction
  • T-Box Domain Proteins / genetics
  • Transcription Factors
  • Tretinoin / metabolism*
  • Zebrafish / embryology
  • Zebrafish / genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
  • Cdx1 protein, mouse
  • Cdx4 protein, mouse
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Mesp1 protein, mouse
  • T-Box Domain Proteins
  • T-box transcription factor 5
  • Transcription Factors
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • cdx4 protein, zebrafish
  • Tretinoin