Temporal and spatial expression of the Fox gene family in the Leech Helobdella austinensis

Abstract

The Forkhead box (Fox) gene family is an evolutionarily ancient gene family named after the Drosophila melanogaster forkhead gene (fkh). Fox genes are highly conserved transcription factors critical for embryogenesis and carcinogenesis. In the current study, we report a whole‐genome survey of Fox genes and their expression patterns in the leech Helobdella austienesis. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that some Fox genes of leeches are correlated with other Lophotrochozoa and vertebrate Fox genes. Here we have performed semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and whole‐mount in situ hybridization of Fox genes throughout the embryonic development of H. austinensis. We found that each one of the leech Fox genes (FoxA1, FoxA3, FoxC, FoxL2, FoxO1, and FoxO2) is expressed in a specific set of cells or tissue type. From Stages 9–11, Hau‐FoxA1 was expressed in the foregut of the anterior region, and Hau‐FoxL2 was expressed in mesodermal muscle fiber. Hau‐FoxA3 was temporally expressed in the ventral neuroectoderm. At Stage 11, Hau‐FoxC was expressed in the foregut. Hau‐FoxO genes have a ubiquitous expression. Our results provide more insight on the evolutionary linkage and role of the Fox gene function in Bilateria.

Clinical and whole-exome sequencing findings in Individuals from Yunnan Province with Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy

“…Keratins are a group of structural proteins in the epithelia of cornea [42]. In 1997, keratin 3 (KRT3) was first linked to mutations in Meesmann's corneal dystrophy [43].The gene family of Fork head box (Fox),which named after the Drosophila melanogaster fork head gene (fkh), is an evolutionarily ancient gene family [44]. The Forkhead Box L2 gene (FOXL2 )which encodes the fork head transcription factor FOXL2 and plays an important role in thedevelopment of the eyelids and ovary, is the primary gene that underlies Blepharophimosis Syndrome [45,46] .We found these mutations in these gened in families (pedigree Ⅳ-Ⅵ),with FEVR.…”

Spatiotemporal Expression of Anticoagulation Factor Antistasin in Freshwater Leeches

“…The genes are available under accession protein numbers 194,975 ( Hau-antistasin1 ), 107,888 ( Hau-antistasin2 ) and 192,448 ( Hau-antistasin3 ). The indicative information can be used to access the gene catalog based on the protein id via the JGI annotation pipeline [26,27]. Sequence information can be retrieved from the JGI genome portal.…”

“…All in situ hybridization (ISH) and fluorescent ISH procedures were performed as previously described [27,28]. We treated the samples with protease from Streptomyces griseus (Sigma-Aldrich, Saint Louis, MO, USA) in PBS, and rinsed three times with glycine dissolved in PBS at room temperature for 5 min.…”

The Fox gene repertoire in the annelid Owenia fusiformis reveals multiple expansions of the foxQ2 class in Spiralia

“…In Spiralia, however, studies on the function of Fox genes are scarce and mostly focused on certain classes, with just a handful of studies encompassing more than one major spiralian clade (Supplementary Table 1 and references therein). For example, foxA is consistently expressed in the developing foregut in many spiralians, including annelids, brachiopods, phoronids, and bryozoans (Arenas-Mena 2006; Martín-Durán et al 2016; Andrikou et al 2019; Vellutini et al 2017; Adler et al 2014; Boyle & Seaver 2008, 2010; Kwak et al 2018; Kostyuchenko et al 2019) and foxJ1 , foxQ2 and foxG are expressed in larval specific tissues in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii , the brachiopod Terebratalia transversa and the phoronid Phoronopsis harmerii (Marlow et al 2014; Santagata et al 2012; Gąsiorowski & Hejnol 2020). Similarly, the clustered classes foxC , foxL1 and foxF show mesodermal expression in all spiralian species studied to date, suggesting that coordinated activation of these Fox genes in a common germ layer might have contributed to the maintenance of their genetic linkage (Shimeld, Boyle, et al 2010; Passamaneck et al 2015; Martín-Durán et al 2016).…”

“…Other Fox gene classes, however, have only been studied in individual species, which prevents inferring an ancestral role for these genes in Spiralia. For example, foxL2 is a regulator of ovarian differentiation and development in molluscs (Liu et al 2012; Li et al 2016; Mei, Fei, Jun, Li, Yang, Xu, Liu, Que, Li & Zhang 2014; Teaniniuraitemoana et al 2015), foxB is expressed during late mesoderm development in the leech Helobdella austinensis (Kwak et al 2018), foxO controls tissue regeneration and cell death in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea (Pascual-Carreras et al 2021) and foxK1 is involved in ectodermal regeneration in that same planarian species (Coronel-córdoba et al 2022). Consequently, the repertoire and developmental functions of most Fox genes remain largely unexplored in Spiralia, and thus its study is not only important to discern the evolution of this gene family in animals, but also the contribution of these developmental regulators to the diversification of body plans and embryonic modes in this major animal group.…”