SCGI W1-5 Flashcards
days 0-6
oocyte release
12-24 hrs fertilisation - zygote formed
pronuclei fusion
30 hrs the 2-cell stage
3 days the morula
4 days advanced morula
4.5-6 days the blastocyst
potential to for dizygotic twins - 2 oocytes released and fertilised
Describe stages of development : blastocysts
4.5-6 days
Outer cell mass pumps fluid in forming the blastocyst
what is Oct4
The POU-domain transcription factor Oct4
- maintaining pluripotency in stem cells
- tightly regulated transcription factor associated with a number of target genes implicated in pluripotency maintenance.
- regulatory elements in target genes are in close vicinity of Sox2 binding sites
key factor in the transcriptional framework of self-renewing stem cells
Implication of Oct4 on a knockout blasotcyst
In the knockout blastocyst, if Oct4 isn’t expressed, there will not be a functional inner cell mass, and therefore, there will not be an epiblast or hypoblast stage. The epiblast is a single layer embryo, with the hypoblast surrounding it, and the placenta surrounding both.
What is fate of cells in the outer cell mass ?
The outer cells of the blastocyst form the placenta as trophoblasts
The outer cell mass pumps in fluid, forming the blastocyst cavity
By 6 days, the outer cells must differentiate into different cell types, such as fibrous structures, to implant in the uterine structure.
what do the synctiotrophoblast cells do
fuse together to form a single layer without intercellular boundaries. The cells directly below the syncytiotrophoblast form the cytotrophoblast, which consists of an irregular layer of ovoid, mono-nucleated cells.
what is the fate of the inner cell mass
Day 9
Becomes the epiblast and hypoblast.
What is the fate of the cells in the hypoblast ?
- Form part of the inner cell mass
- Become part of the inner layer of the developing embryo
Gastrulation regulators
cell migration and specification = controlled by FGF8 - synthesised by the primitive streak cells
FGF8 controls cell movement by downregualting E-cadherin
FGF8 controls specification into the mesoderm by regulating BRACHYURY (T) expression
primitive streak formation and gastrulation
day 15
the primitive streak and primitive node appear
the initiation of gastrulation
epiblast cells migrate to the primitive streak and slip below
- cells migrate btw the epiblast and the hypoblast - form the definitive mesoderm
- cells displace the cells of the hypoblast - form the definitive endoderm
the remaining cells form the ectoderm
What is the fate of cells in the epiblast?
Epiblast cells form the embryonic disk, which gives rise to the embryonic structures such as the amniotic cavity, embryonic disk, and eventually the fetus.
What is significance of primitive node and singalling molecules
- Releases signaling molecules that determine body axis and cell fate.
- NODAL, a member of the TGF-B family, maintains the primitive streak and allows signals to be passed out to other cells.
- The primitive node upregulates developmental genes, including BMP4, which stimulates the formation of skin.
- Chordin and Noggin block the action of BMP4 and stimulate the production of neural structures and cranial features.
What is significance of primitive streak
- Indicates gastrulation
- Controlled by FGF8 as cells of the epiblast migrate and slip beneath it
- Significant for the formation of the three germ layers.
Describe process of gastrulation
- Formation of the primitive streak from thickened epiblast cells
- Migration of epiblast cells towards the primitive streak and slipping beneath it
- Formation of the notochord - a rod-like structure that runs along the body axis and acts as a scaffold for the development of the nervous system
- Controlled by FGF8 signaling molecule
- Results in the formation of three germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm.
Describe the importance of the ectoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm
- Ectoderm: Forms skin, hair and nervous system * Mesoderm: Forms muscles, bones and connective tissue
*Endoderm: Forms GIT and respiratory system
and urinary tract .
Explain the importance of signalling molecules in embryonic development
- Directing cell differentiation, migration and growth.
These molecules include: NODAL, BMP4, Chordin, Noggin, FGF8
They regulate gene expression and help to establish the axes of the body and the formation of tissues and organs.
HOX transcription factor
Regulates gene expression during embryonic development
Controls the formation of the axial skeleton and segmentation of the body
Controls the differentiation of embryonic cells into specific tissue types and organs
Acts as a “master regulator” in early development and is crucial for proper formation and function of the body.
GSC gene
needed for cranial development
goosecoid (HOX TF) can stimulate the production of cerberus
Formation of the neural plate
day 19
the presence of the notochord and prechordal mesoderm leads to the thickening of the overlying ectoderm, resulting in the formation of the neural plate.
formation of the somites
day 20
as the neural plate lengthens its lateral edges elevate to form neural folds and the depressed midregion forms the neural groove
Formation of the neural tube
day 22
neural folds approach each other in the midline where they fuse
fusion begins in the cervical region (fifth somite) and proceeds cranially and caudally
Formation and closure of neuropores
day 23 - formation
the cephalic and caudal ends of the neural tube communicate with the amniotic cavity by way of the anterior (cranial) and posterior (caudal) neuropores
days 25-28 - closure
what are the differentiation singals of the neural tube cell
sonic hedgehog (SHH) - patterns the ventral neural tube (F = floor plate cells)
bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) - pattern the dorsal neural tube (R = roof plate cells)
chordin, noggin - block the action f BMP4 stimulate formation of NS and cranial structures
What does the neural tube form
- cells on the ventral side of the blastula secrete proteins such as BMP4 - inducing the ectoderm above to become the epidermis
- noggin and chordin physically bind to BMP4 molecules in the extracellular space preventing BMP4 from binding to receptors on ectoderm cells causes the ectoderm cells to follow their intrinsic pathway forming the neural folds and the brain and spinal cord
blocks the action of BMP4 - causing the default pathway to be formed
How does sonic hedgehog differentiate and develop the spinal cord
The notochord releases SHH, which communicates with and patterns the ventral neural tube, leading to the differentiation and development of the spinal cord.
differentiation of mesoderm
day 20-21
1st phase = periodisation/segmentation
- segmented blocks of somites appear progressively from the anterior (carinal) end of the animal
mesoderm cells “epithelise” and become fibroblast like - these somite cells form donut shapes
lateral folding
dermatome –> dermis
sclerotome –> muscle
myotome –> tendon, cartilage, bone (vertebrae-ribs)
SHH, noggin -> sclerotome -> PAX1 -> vertebrae formation
BMP4, WNT, NT-3 -> PAX3 -> dermis
BMP, WNT -> MYF5, MyoD -> muscle
somite differentiation
dermatome –> dermis
sclerotome –> muscle
myotome –> tendon, cartilage, bone (vertebrae-ribs)
SHH, noggin -> sclerotome -> PAX1 -> vertebrae formation
BMP4, WNT, NT-3 -> PAX3 -> dermis
BMP, WNT -> MYF5, MyoD -> muscle
how does bone morphogenic protein differentiate and develop the spinal cord
- Expressed. by roof cells
- Pattern the dorsal neural tube
Bone morphogenic protein (BMP) plays a role in the differentiation and development of the spinal cord. BMP signals direct the differentiation of surrounding cells into specific spinal cord cell types, influencing the formation and patterning of the spinal cord.
Importance of notochord in differentiate and develop of spinal cord
: The notochord is a flexible rod-like structure found in the embryonic stage of all chordates, including vertebrates. It acts as a structural support and a signaling center
- either side of notochord are somites, the notochord communicates with floor plates od neural groove, the roof plates form the neural tube
- notochord releases SHH which communicates and patterns the ventral tube
Formation of notochord
-days 17-18
notocord formation occurs ina cranial to caudal sequence
important site of signal secretion for NS development
remains to become part of the invertebrate discs in the adult
Migration of neural crest cells
migrate to the ectoderm
migrate to the melanocytes and become the mesoderm the cells specify into:
- connective tissue and bonterm-22es of the face and skull/dermis in face and neck/odontoblasts
- cranial nerve ganglia/sympathetic ganglia/dorsal root ganglia/adrenal medulla/glial cells
How does developmental spinal bifida arise
Failure of proper neural tube closure: This results in an opening in the spinal column, exposing the spinal cord and surrounding tissues to the amniotic fluid.
Genetic and environmental factors: It is believed to be a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors such as maternal nutrition and exposure to toxins.
What is developmental spinal bifida
type of congenital birth defect that affects the proper development of the spinal cord and surrounding tissues. It results in the formation of a spinal cyst or an incomplete closure of the spinal column.
What is neuralation?
days 15-18
prenotochordal cells invaginating in the primitive node move forward cranially in the midline until they reach the prechordal plate
formation of neural tube
stages of neurulation
- Ectoderm overlying the notochord and
somite regions becomes neural
ectoderm. - Tissue begins to fold, with the neural
plate in the middle and the neural folds
on the ends. - The folds fuse to give the neural tube.
- The cells at the tips of the folds migrate away and become neural crest cells.
- The remainder of the ectoderm (non-
neural) becomes epithelial and
forms the epidermis. - During neurula, the body elongates
- Anterior-posterior axis is particularly
obvious.
How do embryonic and adult stem cells differ?
both exhibit self-renewal and the capacity to differentiate
ES cells are derived from early embryos but don’t represent a cell the normally exists - have the potential to give rise to every cell type in the body
adult stem cells arise in the foetus and serve to maintain organs throughout life - have the potential to give rise to one to several different cell types depending on the organ from which they derive
Why is cell replacement necessary for tissues?
Cell replacement is necessary for tissues due to normal turnover and also disease or traumatic damage that may require new cells.
How do embryonic stem cells change during development?
The proportion of total cells that are stem cells decreases during development.
From stage 1-8, the stem cells are totipotent. Then, the morula is reached, and the cells change to a blastocyst, which contains inner mass cells that are pluripotent. They can go through gastrulation to form the embryo proper.
What is self-renewal, and how does it relate to stem cells?
Self-renewal is the ability to undergo symmetrical division without differentiation. It is a characteristic of stem cells.
What are the essential features of a stem cell
self-renewal and differentiation potential.
2 ways of dividing
- asymmetrically - maintenance - stem cells associated with tissues
- symmetrically - expansion - transient stem cells involved in development
quiescence
Embryonic stem cells: ICM isolation
isolate the inner cell mass (ICM) cells from IVF
feeders provide factors that maintain embryonic stem cell growth
- human ESCs cultured on foreskin fibroblasts that release the GFs and cytokines to maintain the stem cell niche
Embryonic stem cells: in vitro
differentiation triggered whey grown in suspension, embryoid body formation
different cells obtained spontaneously
specific growth factors can be used to direct the differentiation of ES cells into specific cells
How do embryonic and adult stem cells differ?
Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are derived from early embryos and have the potential to give rise to every cell in the body except for embryonic tissues such as placenta, while adult stem cells arise in the fetus and serve to maintain organs, and can give rise to one to several different cell types depending on the organ from which they are derived.
What are the different potentials of stem cells?
Stem cells can have different potentials, including totipotent, pluripotent, and multipotent.
What is a totipotent stem cell?
A totipotent stem cell is the most versatile stem cell
when the sperm and egg fuse the cell formed is totipotent - it has the potential to give rise to any cell in the human body
1 cell can give rise to an entire functional organism
post fertilisation the zygote divides in synchrony - each cell is totipotent up to the 8 cell stage
What is a pluripotent stem cell?
can give rise to all tissue types
they cannot give rise to the entire organism - don’t give rise to the extra-embryonic tissues
day 4 of development - the embryo forms 2 layers
- trophectoderm which forms the placenta
- inner cell mass which forms the embryo proper - all the tissues and organs of the developing human body
What is a multipotent stem cell?
less plastic and more differentiated
give rise to a limited range of cells within a tissue type
daughter cells become progenitors of cell lines e.g. blood/skin/nerve cells
become 1 of several cell types within a give organ
bi-potent - self renewal and 2 cell types
uni-potent - self renewal and 1 cell type
What is the difference between bi-potent and uni-potent stem cells?
Bi-potent stem cells can self-renew into two cell types, while uni-potent stem cells can only self-renew into one cell type.
How do embryonic stem cells change during development?
The proportion of total cells that are stem cells decreases during development. From stage 1-8, the stem cells are totipotent. Then, the morula is reached, and the cells change to a blastocyst, which contains inner mass cells that are pluripotent. They can go through gastrulation to form the embryo proper.
What triggers differentiation in stem cells?
Changing growth factors and media surrounding stem cells trigger differentiation.
Why is spontaneous cell differentiation bad when trying to maintain pluripotency?
Spontaneous cell differentiation can lead to loss of pluripotency in stem cells.
What is required for using stem cells therapeutically?
Stem cells must be seeded on human foreskin fibroblasts for therapeutic use.
What are transcription factors?
Transcription factors are proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences, controlling the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to RNA.
ESC- Oct3/4 and what is its function?
Oct3/4 is a POU-domain transcription factor that maintains pluripotency in different types of stem cells. It is a tightly regulated transcription factor and is associated with a number of target genes implicated in pluripotency maintenance.
ESC- What is Sox2 and what is its function?
Sox2 is a transcription factor involved in embryonic development and determination of cell fate. It is necessary for embryonal development and to prevent ES cell differentiation. Many ES cell pluripotency-associated genes are coregulated by SOX2 and Oct4.
ESC- What is Nanog and what is its function?
Nanog is a unique homeobox transcription factor involved in self-renewal of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells.
- contains a homeobox domain
downstream effectors of signals of LIF and BMP
elevated levels excludes inclusion of LIF and feeder layer
works with other key factors including Oct4 and Sox2
What is LIF and what is its function?
LIF is a cytokine from the interleukin-6 family that is essential for maintaining pluripotency in vitro in the presence of serum. Binding of LIF to a heterodimeric receptor comprising of LIF-receptor and gp130 on the cell membrane results in activation of Jak/stat signal transduction pathway. Activated Stat3 maintains pluripotency.
How do mouse ES cells and human ES cells differ in terms of growth and differentiation?
Mouse ES cells grow adherently and require LIF for maintaining pluripotency. Human ES cells are grown in conditioned medium with bFGF and MEF-CM, and if bFGF is removed, the outside of the cell becomes jagged, and the colony differentiates.
How are stem cells identified?
appearance
- through analysis of the binding of labelled antibodies specific to cell surface proteins (not enough on its own)
function
- assays e.g in vitro self-renewal and differentiation
- serial transplantation into mice
identification of stem cells = an iterative process of subdivision based on appearance followed by functional testing by the most rigorous means possible
How are stem cells identified?
Through analysis of binding of labelled antibodies specific to cell surface proteins and a variety of assays may be employed including in vitro self-renewal and differentiation, but the gold standard test is serial transplantation into mice.
What must be provided to prevent spontaneous differentiation in stem cells?
a niche
What pushes stem cells down specific pathways?
Specific cytokines or growth factors.
What are some factors that must be considered when conducting a UV irradiation experiment?
Dosage, exposure time, and background reading.
What information about the cell line used must be provided in an experiment?
The specific cell line used, if it lies on a feeder layer, culture media, and culture parameters such as temperature and CO2.
How is gene expression studied in ES cells?
RNA is made into stable CDNA and checked for integrity on an agarose gel. Techniques such as RTPCR, Western blotting, and RNA sequencing can be used to identify controls.
Intestinal crypts as a stem cell niche
non-dividing differentiated Paneth cells at the bottom of the crypts
stem cells in the bottom of the crypts (cycle time = 24hrs)
rapidly dividing cells (cycle time = 12hrs)
non-dividing differentiated cells
epithelial cell migration from birth at the bottom of the crypt to loss at the top of the villus (transit time = 3-5days)
intestinal crypts: differentiated cell types
absorptive cell
goblet cell
paneth cell
enteroendocrine cell
intestinal crypts: lineage tracing
lineage tracing shows that the stemm cells in the crypt produce all the cells in the villus
mark cells using a reporter e.g. LacZ
marker can be activated in stem cells and expression remains in the daughter cells - daughter cells from one stem cell will all be marked
mechanism to generate cellular diversity
asymmetric division: sister cells are born different
symmetric division: sister cells become different as a result of influences acting on them after their birth
What techniques can be used to extract and measure protein in an experiment?
SDS page is used to extract protein and measure concentration, and the amount to be loaded onto the SDS-PAGE must also be determined.
What is the turnover rate of the intestinal epithelium in adults?
The entire epithelium turns over entirely every 3-5 days.
Where do slowly dividing stem cells reside in the intestine?
At the bottom of crypt.
What type of cells make up the crypt at the base of villi?
Absorptive brush border cells and mucus secreting goblet cells.
What is the importance of the balance between self renewal and differentiation in stem cells?
It is important for tissue maintenance, as too many stem cells can compromise the function of the tissue, and not enough can exhaust the niche.
How do stem cells choose their fate?
They can choose between self renewal and differentiation through asymmetrically localized determinants and signals from neighboring cells.
What are the 4 main types of signal transduction pathways?
paracrine signalling
juxtacrine signalling
endocrine signalling
autocrine signalling
What is juxtracrine signalling: notch pathway
A type of signaling in which the signal remains bound to the cell membrane of the signaling cell, meaning only cells in direct contact with the signaling cell can be activated.
- notch is a cell surface protein with extracellular and intracellular domain
notch binds either delta or serrate - membrane proteins with an extracellular domain and a minimal intracellular domain
notch contains 36 EGF-like repeats
binding to notch requires EGF repeats 11 and 12
juxtacrine singalling: notch cleaving
notch engagement causes 2 sequential proteolytic cleavage events
which liberate the notch intracellular domain (ICD)
1st cleavage in the extracellular domain by TACE
2nd cleavage in the transmembrane domain by y-secretase
juxtacrine signalling: notch transcriptional activation
notch ICD traffics to the nucleus form the cell membrane
in the nucleus the ICD binds to the transcription factor CSL
unstimulated cells CSL binds a co-repressor NCoR and represses transcription
ICD-binding to CSL displaces co-repressors and recruits co-activators to activate transcription
What genes are turned on by notch signaling?
HES genes.
What are HES gene products?
transcription repressors that are basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors with an N-terminal bHLH domain. They bind as homo- or heterodimers with other HES proteins and recognize the E-box sequence. The basic amino acids at the N-terminus of the first helix bind to DNA.
juxtacrine signalling: recruitment of co-repressors
C-terminal WRPW motif recruits the co-repressor Groucho
HES genes are transcriptional repressors
juxtacrine signalling: transcriptional repression
notch activation ultimately represses transcription
notch signalling controls gut cell diversification and helps maintain the stem-cell blocks
juxtacrine signalling: notch and specialisation
mediates competitive cell interactions that limit specialisation
notch mediates lateral inhibition
delta on 1 cell binds notch on neighbouring cells activating the notch pathway and repressing delta
cells compete forming mutually repressive loop
1 cell wins and maintains delta activating the notch pathway in its neighbours and blocking their differentiation
singularised cell fates in an equivalence feild
can be biased/influenced by
- asymmetrically segregated products
- differential delta expression
- post-translational modification of the notch receptor
juxtacrine signalling: notch and gut cell diversification
notch used at 2 stages
1. paneth cells next to ISCs in the crypts express notch ligand delta
- activates notch pathway in ISCs in contact with the paneth cells
- preserves the stem cell state
- when a daughter cell divides 1 daughter cell loses contact with the paneth cell and differentiates
2. lateral inhibition via notch
- used to space differentiated structures in an initially equivalent field of cells
paracrine signaling
allows signal gradients (morphogen gradients)
secreted molecule (morphogen) diffuses from its site of synthesis (source) to its site of degradation (sink)
a concentration gradient forms from the source to the sink
if cells respond differently according to the level of the morphogen different cell fates can be achieved across the gradient
paracrine signalling: Wnts
Wnts are morphogens that maintain the gut stem-cell compartment
Wnt signalling pathway
- activation of wingless signalling pathway occurs by inhibition of an inhibitor (in this case GSK3)
- a DNA-binding TF (TCF) is converted from a transcriptional repressor to an activator by changes in protein associations
- activation is by relief of repression
Wnt can control proliferation
Wnt is secrete by Paneth cells at the base of the crypt
lateral inhibition
Lateral inhibition is a process used to space differentiated structures in an initially equivalent field of cells by controlling the appearance of specialised cells from a field of initially equivalent cells.
Notch mediates lateral inhibition by activating in equivalently spaced cells, resulting in selective activation of Notch, and the cells become specialised and acquire specific fate as a result of Notch activation.
paracrine signalling: Wnt signalling cascade
signal - ligand: Wnt
receptor: frizzleds
transducers: beta-catenin
targets: genes and cytoskeleton
What are the essential elements of any signalling cascade?
The essential elements of any signalling cascade include signal (ligand), receptor, transducer, and targets.
paracrine signalling: properties of the Wnt proteins and their receptors?
proteins : secreted proteins of 350-400 amino acids
act over 1-5 cell diameters
gradients of action
multiple Wnts
Receptors : receptor is composed of frizzled and co-receptor LRP
frizzled:
- the core receptor
- a seven-pass transmembrane protein
- multiple frizzled family members (10 human)
LRP:
- a co-receptor for wingless
- a single-pass transmembrane protein