Turn it down a notch

In the developing vertebrate embryo, segmentation initiates through the formation of repeated segments, or somites, on either side of the posterior neural tube along the anterior to posterior axis. The periodicity of somitogenesis is regulated by a molecular oscillator, the segmentation clock, driving cyclic gene expression in the unsegmented paraxial mesoderm, from which somites derive. Three signaling pathways underlie the molecular mechanism of the oscillator: Wnt, FGF, and Notch. In particular, Notch has been demonstrated to be an essential piece in the intricate somitogenesis regulation puzzle. Notch is required to synchronize oscillations between neighboring cells, and is moreover necessary for somite formation and clock gene oscillations. Following ligand activation, the Notch receptor is cleaved to liberate the active intracellular domain (NICD) and during somitogenesis NICD itself is produced and degraded in a cyclical manner, requiring tightly regulated, and coordinated turnover. It was recently shown that the pace of the segmentation clock is exquisitely sensitive to levels/stability of NICD. In this review, we focus on what is known about the mechanisms regulating NICD turnover, crucial to the activity of the pathway in all developmental contexts. To date, the regulation of NICD stability has been attributed to phosphorylation of the PEST domain which serves to recruit the SCF/Sel10/FBXW7 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex involved in NICD turnover. We will describe the pathophysiological relevance of NICD-FBXW7 interaction, whose defects have been linked to leukemia and a variety of solid cancers

Notch Ankyrin Repeat Domain Variation Influences Leukemogenesis and Myc Transactivation

, cell-based and structural analyses to compare the abilities of activated Notch1-4 to support T cell development, induce T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL), and maintain T-ALL cell growth and survival., a direct Notch target that has an important role in Notch-associated T-ALL.We conclude that the leukemogenic potentials of Notch receptors vary, and that this functional difference stems in part from divergence among the highly conserved ankyrin repeats, which influence the transactivation of specific target genes involved in leukemogenesis

Hematopoietic stem cell development requires transient Wnt/beta-catenin activity

Understanding how hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are generated and the signals that control this process is a crucial issue for regenerative medicine applications that require in vitro production of HSC. HSCs emerge during embryonic life from an endothelial-like cell population that resides in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region. We show here that beta-catenin is nuclear and active in few endothelial nonhematopoietic cells closely associated with the emerging hematopoietic clusters of the embryonic aorta during mouse development. Importantly, Wnt/beta-catenin activity is transiently required in the AGM to generate long-term HSCs and to produce hematopoietic cells in vitro from AGM endothelial precursors. Genetic deletion of beta-catenin from the embryonic endothelium stage (using VE-cadherin-Cre recombinase), but not from embryonic hematopoietic cells (using Vav1-Cre), precludes progression of mutant cells toward the hematopoietic lineage; however, these mutant cells still contribute to the adult endothelium. Together, those findings indicate that Wnt/beta-catenin activity is needed for the emergence but not the maintenance of HSCs in mouse embryos

Impaired embryonic haematopoiesis yet normal arterial development in the absence of the Notch ligand Jagged1

Specific deletion of Notch1 and RBPjk in the mouse results in abrogation of definitive haematopoiesis concomitant with the loss of arterial identity at embryonic stage. As prior arterial determination is likely to be required for the generation of embryonic haematopoiesis, it is difficult to establish the specific haematopoietic role of Notch in these mutants. By analysing different Notch-ligand-null embryos, we now show that Jagged1 is not required for the establishment of the arterial fate but it is required for the correct execution of the definitive haematopoietic programme, including expression of GATA2 in the dorsal aorta. Moreover, successful haematopoietic rescue of the Jagged1-null AGM cells was obtained by culturing them with Jagged1-expressing stromal cells or by lentiviral-mediated transduction of the GATA2 gene. Taken together, our results indicate that Jagged1-mediated activation of Notch1 is responsible for regulating GATA2 expression in the AGM, which in turn is essential for definitive haematopoiesis in the mouse

Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Common Hypertriglyceridemia Genetic Variants in Patients with Systemic Erythematosus Lupus

Abstract Background and aims: SLE is a systemic autoimmune disease associated with an increased cardiovascular risk which is related with the characteristic dyslipidemia of SLE. This consists of an alteration of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein metabolism and an increased concentration of apoB containing particles. The objective of this study is to know the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis and to analyze its relationship with dyslipidemia and its related genetic factors in a population of SLE patients.Methods: Seventy-one SLE female were recruited. A carotid ultrasound was performed to evaluate the presence of atheromatous plaques and cIMT. Lipid profile and analysis of ZPR1, APOA5 and GCKR genes were carried out. SLE patients were analyzed according to the presence or absence of carotid plaques. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between lipid parameters and these allelic variants involved in triglyceride metabolism.Results: SLE patients with carotid plaque had higher concentrations of plasma triglyceride than SLE patients without carotid plaque (1.5 vs 0.9 mmol/L, respectively, p=0.001), Non-HDLC (3.5 vs 3.1 mmol/L, p= 0.025) and apoB (1.0 vs 0.9 g/L, p=0.010). GCKR (c.1337C&gt;T) C-allele was observed in 83.3% and 16.7% (p=0.047) of patients with and without carotid plaque, respectively. The GCKR (c.1337C&gt;T) CC genotype (OR= 0.03; [95% CI] [0.002 to 0.53], p=0.016), and triglyceride concentrations (OR= 7.57; [95% CI] [1.43 to 40.19], p=0.017) were independently associated with the diagnosis of carotid plaque.Conclusions: plasma triglyceride concentration and CGKR CC homozygosity for CGKR gene are independent predictive factors of carotid atherosclerosis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.Keywords: triglycerides, CGKR gene, Non-HDLC, atherosclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus.</jats:p