Mcrs1 is required for branchial arch and cranial cartilage development

Authors

Stephanie Keer, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2300 I (eye) Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA.
Helene Cousin, Department of Animal Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Integrated Science Building, 661 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
Karyn Jourdeuil, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2300 I (eye) Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA.
Karen M. Neilson, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2300 I (eye) Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA.
Andre L. Tavares, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2300 I (eye) Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA.
Dominique Alfandari, Department of Animal Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Integrated Science Building, 661 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
Sally A. Moody, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2300 I (eye) Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA. Electronic address: samoody@gwu.edu.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-11-2022

Journal

Developmental biology

Volume

489

DOI

10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.06.002

Keywords

Branchial arch; Branchio-oto-renal syndrome; Meckel's; Neural crest; Otic; Placodes; Six1

Abstract

Mcrs1 is a multifunctional protein that is critical for many cellular processes in a wide range of cell types. Previously, we showed that Mcrs1 binds to the Six1 transcription factor and reduces the ability of the Six1-Eya1 complex to upregulate transcription, and that Mcrs1 loss-of-function leads to the expansion of several neural plate genes, reduction of neural border and pre-placodal ectoderm (PPR) genes, and pleiotropic effects on various neural crest (NC) genes. Because the affected embryonic structures give rise to several of the cranial tissues affected in Branchio-otic/Branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome, herein we tested whether these gene expression changes subsequently alter the development of the proximate precursors of BOR affected structures - the otic vesicles (OV) and branchial arches (BA). We found that Mcrs1 is required for the expression of several OV genes involved in inner ear formation, patterning and otic capsule cartilage formation. Mcrs1 knockdown also reduced the expression domains of many genes expressed in the larval BA, derived from either NC or PPR, except for emx2, which was expanded. Reduced Mcrs1 also diminished the length of the expression domain of tbx1 in BA1 and BA2 and interfered with cranial NC migration from the dorsal neural tube; this subsequently resulted in defects in the morphology of lower jaw cartilages derived from BA1 and BA2, including the infrarostral, Meckel's, and ceratohyal as well as the otic capsule. These results demonstrate that Mcrs1 plays an important role in processes that lead to the formation of craniofacial cartilages and its loss results in phenotypes consistent with reduced Six1 activity associated with BOR.

APA Citation

Keer, Stephanie; Cousin, Helene; Jourdeuil, Karyn; Neilson, Karen M.; Tavares, Andre L.; Alfandari, Dominique; and Moody, Sally A., "Mcrs1 is required for branchial arch and cranial cartilage development" (2022). GW Authored Works. Paper 1128.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/1128

Department

Anatomy and Regenerative Biology