Precise apposition of presynaptic and postsynaptic domains is a fundamental property of all neuronal circuits. Experiments in vitro suggest that Neuroligins and Neurexins function as key regulatory proteins in this process. In a genetic screen, we recovered several mutant alleles of Drosophila neuroligin 1 (dnlg1) that cause a severe reduction in bouton numbers at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). In accord with reduced synapse numbers, these NMJs show reduced synaptic transmission. Moreover, lack of postsynaptic DNlg1 leads to deficits in the accumulation of postsynaptic glutamate receptors, scaffold proteins, and subsynaptic membranes, while increased DNlg1 triggers ectopic postsynaptic differentiation via its cytoplasmic domain. DNlg1 forms discrete clusters adjacent to postsynaptic densities. Formation of these clusters depends on presynaptic Drosophila Neurexin (DNrx). However, DNrx binding is not an absolute requirement for DNlg1 function. Instead, other signaling components are likely involved in DNlg1 transsynaptic functions, with essential interactions organized by the DNlg1 extracellular domain but also by the cytoplasmic domain.

Limited responsiveness to inflammatory cytokines is a feature of adult hematopoietic stem cells and contributes to the relative quiescence and durability of the stem cell population in vivo. Here we report that the executioner Caspase, Caspase-3, unexpectedly participates in that process. Mice deficient in Caspase-3 had increased numbers of immunophenotypic long-term repopulating stem cells in association with multiple functional changes, most prominently cell cycling. Though these changes were cell autonomous, they reflected altered activation by exogenous signals. Caspase-3(-/-) cells exhibited cell type-specific changes in phosphorylated members of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK pathway in response to specific cytokines, while notably, members of other pathways, such as pSTAT3, pSTAT5, pAKT, pp38 MAPK, pSmad2, and pSmad3, were unaffected. Caspase-3 contributes to stem cell quiescence, dampening specific signaling events and thereby cell responsiveness to microenvironmental stimuli.

IntroductionZeb2 (also known as Sip1 and Zfhx1b) is a DNA-binding transcriptional regulator of the family of zinc-finger E-box-binding (ZEB) proteins. 1,2 Its expression and functioning during development have been associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs). 3 EMTs encompass a series of events in which polarized epithelial cells become round in shape, lose their cell-cell contacts, and acquire the motile, migratory properties of mesenchymal cells. 4 This physiologic process is essential for many developmental processes, including mesoderm formation during gastrulation and neural crest delamination and migration. Similar EMT-like changes in cellular morphology can be observed during tumor progression, allowing tumor cells to acquire the capacity to invade the surrounding tissue and ultimately metastasize to a distant site. Subsequent tissue colonization occurs via a reverse transitional mechanism called the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. Given the importance of EMT and the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition in developmental processes and disease, numerous studies have identified several EMT-inducing or EMT-regulating transcription factors, including Zeb2. 5 Recent studies of neoplastic tissues have demonstrated the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), tumor-initiating cells with a self-renewal capacity that exhibit an ability to induce new tumors when transplanted into nude and/or syngeneic mouse strains. 6 The existence of CSCs was initially discovered in leukemia samples, but they have also been identified in various solid tumor types. The origin of CSCs was until now unclear, but compelling results from Mani et al 7 now link EMT processes with the formation of CSCs. EMT induction in an immortalized human mammary epithelial cell line resulted in the acquisition of mesenchymal traits, the expression of stem cell markers, and an enhanced capacity to form mammospheres, a property previously and exclusively associated with mammary epithelial stem cells. 7 Suppression of the miR-200 family members, which together with miR-205 have previously been shown to negatively regulate Zeb family members, 8 not only elevates Zeb1 and/or Zeb2 expression, but also several stem cell factors (including Bmi), resulting in increased stemness and metastasisinitiating capacity. 9 These findings illustrate a potential direct link between EMT induction and the acquisition of stem cell properties.It is in this context that we analyzed the role of the EMT inducer Zeb2 in the formation of tissue-specific stem cells in vivo, specifically within the hematopoietic system. Mature blood cells arise from HSCs that are capable of generating every hematopoietic cell type, including the various lymphoid and myeloid lineages. Each HSC has the capacity to generate large numbers of mature hematopoietic cells throughout its life, and the HSC pool size in adults is regulated by finely tuned self-renewal and differentiation The online version of this article contains a data supplement.The publication costs of this article wer...

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) is critical for normal embryogenesis and effective postnatal wound healing, but is also associated with cancer metastasis. SNAIL, ZEB, and TWIST families of transcription factors are key modulators of the EMT process, but their precise roles in adult hematopoietic development and homeostasis remain unclear. Here we report that genetic inactivation of Zeb2 results in increased frequency of stem and progenitor subpopulations within the bone marrow (BM) and spleen and that these changes accompany differentiation defects in multiple hematopoietic cell lineages. We found no evidence that Zeb2 is critical for hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal capacity. However, knocking out Zeb2 in the BM promoted a phenotype with several features that resemble human myeloproliferative disorders, such as BM fibrosis, splenomegaly, and extramedullary hematopoiesis. Global gene expression and intracellular signal transduction analysis revealed perturbations in specific cytokine and cytokine receptor-related signaling pathways following Zeb2 loss, especially the JAK-STAT and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways. Moreover, we detected some previously unknown mutations within the human Zeb2 gene (ZFX1B locus) from patients with myeloid disease. Collectively, our results demonstrate that Zeb2 controls adult hematopoietic differentiation and lineage fidelity through widespread modulation of dominant signaling pathways that may contribute to blood disorders.

A decade of research on human embryonic stem cells (ESC) has paved the way for the discovery of alternative approaches to generating pluripotent stem cells.Combinatorial overexpression of a limited number of proteins linked to pluripotency in ESC was recently found to reprogram differentiated somatic cells back to a pluripotent state, enabling the derivation of isogenic (patientspecific) pluripotent stem cell lines. Current research is focusing on improving reprogramming protocols (e.g. circumventing the use of retroviral technology and oncoproteins), and on methods for differentiation into transplantable tissues of interest. In mouse ESC, we have previously shown that the embryonic morphogens BMP4 and Wnt3a direct blood formation via activation of Cdx and Hox genes. Ectopic expression of Cdx4 and HoxB4 enables the generation of mouse ESCderived hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) capable of multilineage reconstitution of lethally irradiated adult mice. Here, we explore hematopoietic development from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells generated in our laboratory. Our data show robust differentiation of iPS cells to mesoderm and to blood lineages, as shown by generation of CD34 + CD45 + cells, hematopoietic colony activity and gene expression data, and suggest conservation of blood patterning pathways between mouse and human hematopoietic development.