Overexpression screen of chromosome 21 genes reveals modulators of Sonic hedgehog signaling relevant to Down syndrome

Trisomy 21 and mutations in the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway cause overlapping and pleiotropic phenotypes including cerebellar hypoplasia, craniofacial abnormalities, congenital heart defects and Hirschsprung disease. Trisomic cells derived from individuals with Down syndrome possess defic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disease models & mechanisms 2023-04, Vol.16 (4)
Main Authors: Moyer, Anna J, Fernandez, Fabian-Xosé, Li, Yicong, Klinedinst, Donna K, Florea, Liliana D, Kazuki, Yasuhiro, Oshimura, Mitsuo, Reeves, Roger H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aneuploidy
Animals
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 - genetics
down syndrome
Down Syndrome - genetics
gene dosage effects
genetic screen
Hedgehog Proteins - metabolism
HMGN1 Protein - genetics
HMGN1 Protein - metabolism
Humans
Mice
Signal Transduction
sonic hedgehog
trisomy 21
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Trisomy 21 and mutations in the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway cause overlapping and pleiotropic phenotypes including cerebellar hypoplasia, craniofacial abnormalities, congenital heart defects and Hirschsprung disease. Trisomic cells derived from individuals with Down syndrome possess deficits in SHH signaling, suggesting that overexpression of human chromosome 21 genes may contribute to SHH-associated phenotypes by disrupting normal SHH signaling during development. However, chromosome 21 does not encode any known components of the canonical SHH pathway. Here, we sought to identify chromosome 21 genes that modulate SHH signaling by overexpressing 163 chromosome 21 cDNAs in a series of SHH-responsive mouse cell lines. We confirmed overexpression of trisomic candidate genes using RNA sequencing in the cerebella of Ts65Dn and TcMAC21 mice, model systems for Down syndrome. Our findings indicate that some human chromosome 21 genes, including DYRK1A, upregulate SHH signaling, whereas others, such as HMGN1, inhibit SHH signaling. Individual overexpression of four genes (B3GALT5, ETS2, HMGN1 and MIS18A) inhibits the SHH-dependent proliferation of primary granule cell precursors. Our study prioritizes dosage-sensitive chromosome 21 genes for future mechanistic studies. Identification of the genes that modulate SHH signaling may suggest new therapeutic avenues for ameliorating Down syndrome phenotypes.
ISSN:1754-8403
1754-8411
DOI:10.1242/dmm.049712