The Retinal Determination Gene Network in Drosophila.

Organ development is directed by selector gene networks. Eye development in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is driven by the highly conserved selector gene network referred to as the “retinal determination gene network,” composed of approximately 20 factors, whose core comprises twin of eyeless (toy), eyeless (ey), sine oculis (so), dachshund (dac), and eyes absent (eya). These genes encode transcriptional regulators that are each necessary for normal eye development, and sufficient to direct ectopic eye development when misexpressed. While it is well documented that the downstream genes so, eya, and dac are necessary not only during early growth and determination stages but also during the differentiation phase of retinal development, it remains unknown how the retinal determination gene network terminates its functions in determination and begins to promote differentiation. Here, we identify a switch in the regulation of ey by the downstream retinal determination genes, which is essential for the transition from determination to differentiation. We found that central to the transition is a switch from positive regulation of ey transcription to negative regulation and that both types of regulation require so. Our results suggest a model in which the retinal determination gene network is rewired to end the growth and determination stage of eye development and trigger terminal differentiation. We conclude that changes in the regulatory relationships among members of the retinal determination gene network are a driving force for key transitions in retinal development.

The retinal determination (RD) gene network encodes a group of transcription factors and cofactors necessary for eye development. Transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of RD family members is achieved through interactions within the network and with extracellular signaling pathways, including epidermal growth factor receptor/RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), transforming growth factor beta/DPP, Wingless, Hedgehog, and Notch. Here we present the results of structure-function analyses that reveal novel aspects of Eyes absent (EYA) function and regulation. We find that the conserved C-terminal EYA domain negatively regulates EYA transactivation potential, and that GROUCHO-SINE OCULIS (SO) interactions provide another mechanism for negative regulation of EYA-SO target genes. We have mapped the transactivation potential of EYA to an internal proline-, serine-, and threonine-rich region that includes the EYA domain 2 (ED2) and two MAPK phosphorylation consensus sites and demonstrate that activation of the RAS/MAPK pathway potentiates transcriptional output of EYA and the EYA-SO complex in certain contexts. Drosophila S2 cell two-hybrid assays were used to describe a novel homotypic interaction that is mediated by EYA's N terminus. Our data suggest that EYA requires homo- and heterotypic interactions and RAS/MAPK signaling responsiveness to ensure context-appropriate RD gene network activity.

Master regulators in development: Views from the Drosophila retinal determination and mammalian pluripotency gene networks

BackgroundArachnids are important components of cave ecosystems and display many examples of troglomorphisms, such as blindness, depigmentation, and elongate appendages. Little is known about how the eyes of arachnids are specified genetically, let alone the mechanisms for eye reduction and loss in troglomorphic arachnids. Additionally, duplication of Retinal Determination Gene Network (RDGN) homologs in spiders has convoluted functional inferences extrapolated from single-copy homologs in pancrustacean models.ResultsWe investigated a sister species pair of Israeli cave whip spiders, Charinus ioanniticus and C. israelensis (Arachnopulmonata, Amblypygi), of which one species has reduced eyes. We generated embryonic transcriptomes for both Amblypygi species, and discovered that several RDGN homologs exhibit duplications. We show that duplication of RDGN homologs is systemic across arachnopulmonates (arachnid orders that bear book lungs), rather than being a spider-specific phenomenon. A differential gene expression (DGE) analysis comparing the expression of RDGN genes in field-collected embryos of both species identified candidate RDGN genes involved in the formation and reduction of eyes in whip spiders. To ground bioinformatic inference of expression patterns with functional experiments, we interrogated the function of three candidate RDGN genes identified from DGE using RNAi in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum. We provide functional evidence that one of these paralogs, sine oculis/Six1 A (soA), is necessary for the development of all arachnid eye types.ConclusionsOur work establishes a foundation to investigate the genetics of troglomorphic adaptations in cave arachnids, and links differential gene expression to an arthropod eye phenotype for the first time outside of Pancrustacea. Our results support the conservation of at least one RDGN component across Arthropoda and provide a framework for identifying the role of gene duplications in generating arachnid eye diversity.

Eyes Absent Mediates Cross-Talk between Retinal Determination Genes and the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Signaling Pathway

It is thought that retinal determination (RD) gene products define the response made to cell-cell signals in the field of eye development by binding to enhancers of genes that are also regulated by cell-cell signaling pathways. In Drosophila, RD genes, including eyeless, teashirt, eyes absent, dachsous, and sine oculis, are required for normal eye development and can induce ectopic eyes when mis-expressed. Characterization of the enhancers responsible for eye expression of the hedgehog, shaven, and atonal genes, as well as the dynamics of RD gene expression themselves, now suggest a multilayered network whereby transcriptional regulation by either RD genes or cell-cell signaling pathways can sometimes be indirect and mediated by other transcription factor intermediates. In this updated view of the interaction between extracellular information and cell intrinsic programs during development, regulation of individual genes might sometimes be several steps removed from either the RD genes or the cell-cell signaling pathways that nevertheless govern their expression.

BackgroundBreast cancer is the most diagnosed malignancy in females in the United States. The members of retinal determination gene network (RDGN) including DACH, EYA, as well as SIX families participate in the proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis of multiple tumors including breast cancer. A comprehensive predictive model of RDGN might be helpful to herald the prognosis of breast cancer patients.MethodsIn this study, the Gene Expression Ominibus (GEO) and Gene Set Expression Analysis (GSEA) algorithm were used to investigate the effect of RDGN members on downstream signaling pathways. Besides, based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we explored the expression patterns of RDGN members in tumors, normal tissues, and different breast cancer subtypes. Moreover, we estimated the relationship between RDGN members and the outcomes of breast cancer patients. Lastly, we constructed a RDGN-based predictive model by Cox proportional hazard regression and verified the model in two separate GEO datasets.ResultsThe results of GSEA showed that the expression of DACH1 was negatively correlated with cell cycle and DNA replication pathways. On the contrary, the levels of EYA2 and SIX1 were significantly positively correlated with DNA replication, mTOR, and Wnt pathways. Further investigation in TCGA database indicated that DACH1 expression was lower in breast cancers especially basal-like subtype. In the meanwhile, SIX1 was remarkably upregulated in breast cancers while EYA2 level was increased in Basal-like and Her-2 enriched subtypes. Survival analyses demonstrated that DACH1 was a favorable factor while EYA2 and SIX1 were risk factors for breast cancer patients. Given the results of Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, two members of RDGN were involved in the present predictive model and patients with high model index had poorer outcomes.ConclusionThis study showed that aberrant RDGN expression was an unfavorable factor for breast cancer. This RDGN-based comprehensively framework was meaningful for predicting the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Drosophila nemo (nmo) is the founding member of the Nemo-like kinase (Nlk) family of serine-threonine kinases. Previous work has characterized nmo's role in planar cell polarity during ommatidial patterning. Here we examine an earlier role for nmo in eye formation through interactions with the retinal determination gene network (RDGN). nmo is dynamically expressed in second and third instar eye imaginal discs, suggesting additional roles in patterning of the eyes, ocelli, and antennae. We utilized genetic approaches to investigate Nmo's role in determining eye fate. nmo genetically interacts with the retinal determination factors Eyeless (Ey), Eyes Absent (Eya), and Dachshund (Dac). Loss of nmo rescues ey and eya mutant phenotypes, and heterozygosity for eya modifies the nmo eye phenotype. Reducing nmo also rescues small-eye defects induced by misexpression of ey and eya in early eye development. nmo can potentiate RDGN-mediated eye formation in ectopic eye induction assays. Moreover, elevated Nmo alone can respecify presumptive head cells to an eye fate by inducing ectopic expression of dac and eya. Together, our genetic analyses reveal that nmo promotes normal and ectopic eye development directed by the RDGN.

A limited collection of signaling networks and transcriptional effectors directs the full spectrum of cellular behaviors that comprise development. One mechanism to diversify regulatory potential is to combine multiple biochemical activities into the same protein. Exemplifying this principle of modularity, Eyes absent (Eya), originally identified as a transcriptional co-activator within the retinal determination gene network (RDGN), also harbors tyrosine and threonine phosphatase activities. Although mounting evidence argues for the importance of Eya’s phosphatase activities to mammalian biology, genetic rescue experiments in Drosophila have shown that the tyrosine phosphatase function is dispensable for normal development. In this study, we repeated these rescue experiments in genetically sensitized backgrounds in which the dose of one or more RDGN factor was reduced. Heterozygosity for sine oculis or dachshund, both core RDGN members, compromised the ability of phosphatase-dead eya, but not of the control wild type eya transgene, to rescue the retinal defects and reduced viability associated with eya loss. We speculate that Eya’s tyrosine phosphatase activity, although non-essential, confers robustness to RDGN output.

Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase (Hipk), the Drosophila homologue of mammalian HIPK2, plays several important roles in regulating differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and stress responses and acts as a mediator for signals of diverse pathways, such as Notch or Wingless signalling. The Paired box protein 6 (Pax6) has two Drosophila homologues, Twin of eyeless (Toy) and Eyeless (Ey). Both stand atop the retinal determination gene network (RDGN), which is essential for proper eye development in Drosophila. Here, we set Hipk and the master regulators Toy and Ey in an enzyme-substrate relationship. Furthermore, we prove a physical interaction between Toy and Hipk in vivo using bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Using in vitro kinase assays with different truncated Toy constructs and mutational analyses, we mapped four Hipk phosphorylation sites of Toy, one in the paired domain (Ser121 ) and three in the C-terminal transactivation domain of Toy (Thr395 , Ser410 and Thr452 ). The interaction and phosphorylation of the master regulator Toy by Hipk may be important for precise tuning of signalling within the RDGN and therefore for Drosophila eye development.

In Drosophila, eye development is coordinately regulated by the Retinal Determination Gene Network (RDGN), mainly consisting of dachshund (dac), eyes absent (eya), and sin oculis (so). The mammalian homologues are Dach, Eya, and Six, respectively. RDGN, although best known for its role in eye specification, is essential for the development of many organs including retinal, kidney, brain, and limb in both flies and mammals. Molecular mechanism studies support a model that Six functions as a DNA-binding factor and Dach/Eya are transcription co-factors. Eya was first characterized as a nuclear factor, interacting with Six and Dach to regulate gene expression in a context-dependent manner. Eya encodes intrinsic protein tyrosine phosphatase activity. Recently, altered expression of the DACH1/Eya/Six complex has been observed in human tumors. EYA and SIX genes are up-regulated and DACH genes are down-regulated. EYA expression was enhanced in breast, ovary and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. To elucidate the function of Eya in human breast cancer and identify the down-stream targets, we established several human breast cancer cell lines (SKBr3, MDA-MB-453 and BT474) stably expressing Eya1 or phosphatase-defective mutant Eya1D327A. In all three cell lines, expression of Eya1 promoted contact-dependent and contact-independent (soft agar assay) growth. MTT assays and growth curves (cell counting) demonstrated enhanced cellular proliferation upon expression of Eya1. In contrast, cells expressing phosphatase-defective mutant Eya1D327A repressed growth were observed. Western blot analysis demonstrated increased abundance of cell Cyclin D1 in EYA1 expressing cells. Quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated about 3-fold increase of cyclin D1 mRNA abundance in MDA-MB453 cells stably expressing wild type Eya1, but not phosphatase-defective EYA1 mutant. EYA1 induced the human cyclin D1 promoter activity evaluated by luciferase assay and the EYA1 phosphatase activity was required. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated association of Eya1 with endogenous Six1. As EYA does not have DNA binding ability and SIX1 is known to binds to the cyclin D1 promoter, we hypothesized model in which EYA1 up-regulates SIX1, and thus a EYA1/SIX1 complex activates Cyclin D1. Lentiviral shRNAs targeting human SIX1 or cyclin D1 were transduced into EYA1 over-expressing cells respectively. The growth curve, MTT assays and clone formation results indicated the pro-proliferate effect of EYA1 was abolished by knock down the expression of either cyclin D1 or Six1. Cyclin D1 abundance was reduced by shSIX1. Taken together, our study demonstrated that cyclin D1 is a key target of EYA1. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2942. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2942

In Drosophila, eye development is coordinately regulated by the retinal determination gene network (RDGN), mainly consisting of dachshund (dac), eyes absent (eya), and sin oculis (so). The mammalian homologues are Dach, Eya, and Six, respectively. RDGN, although best known for its role in eye specification, is essential for the development of many organs including retinal, kidney, brain, and limb in both flies and mammals. Recently, coordinate abnormal expression of the DACH1/Eya/Six complex has been observed in human tumors supporting a tumor promoting role of Six and Eya family members, and a tumor-suppressor function of DACH. Oncogenes sustain host-cell interactions, promoting invasiveness, recruiting inflammatory mediators and developing angiogenic networks. Ras and Myc promote tumor angiogenesis through up-regulation of VEGF and the inflammatory mediator, interleukin-8(IL-8) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Our previous studies demonstrate DACH1 inhibits migration of MCF10A cells transformed with distinct oncogenes (Ha-Ras, c-Raf, c-Myc, and ErbB2) as well as the highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. An unbiased proteomic approach to identify candidate proteins regulated by DACH1 expression, using antibody array analysis, demonstrated DACH1 expression correlated with reduced secretion of IL-8 and the related chemokines IL-1, IL-6, GRO, and MIP1 (α, β, γ) from Ras or c-Myc transformed MCF-10A cells and repressed IL-8 promoter activity. Altered expressions of the IL-6 and IL-8 genes are seen in many cancers including prostate cancer. Hormone-resistant prostate carcinoma cell lines produce large amounts of IL-6 and IL-8 compared to hormone responsive prostate cancer cell lines. The expression of IL-8 and IL-6 are linked to poor prognosis and metastatic phenotype in prostate cancer. Recent finding demonstrated that IL-6 regulates the dynamic equilibrium between cancer stem cells and non-stem cancer cells in human breast and prostate cancer. IL-6 alone can transform non-tumorigenic benign prostate epithelial cells and further progress to invasive phenotype. To explore the role of DACH1 in androgen resistant prostate cancer, PC3 cells stably expressing DACH1 were established. DACH1 inhibited proliferation evaluated by MTT assay and growth curve. Microarray analyses demonstrated DACH1 inhibited mRNA expression of GRO, IL-6, IL-8 by 75%, 80% and 90%, respectively. However, there was no change of mRNA expression for IL-6 and IL-8 receptor. It has been reported that stable expression IL-6 in SV40T immortalized non-tumorigenic prostate epithelial cell line p69 induced EMT and acquired malignant phenotypes through autocrine loop IL6 and IGF-1R signaling. To further test the functional interaction of DACH1 with IL-6, a table cells expressing IL-6 alone or IL-6 with DACH1 were deployed. Ectopic expression of DACH1 attenuated activation of IGF-1 R by IL-6 as evaluated by phosphorylation of IGF-1R. Subcutaneous implantation study showed a 60% inhibition of in vivo tumor growth by DACH1. Together, our studies suggest that loss expression of DACH1 is an important cause of prostate tumorigenesis and restoration of DACH1 expression provides a potential therapeutic application. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2011 Sep 14-18; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(18 Suppl):Abstract nr A21.

Hipk promotes photoreceptor differentiation through the repression of Twin of eyeless and Eyeless expression

Probing the Drosophila retinal determination gene network in Tribolium ( II): The Pax6 genes eyeless and twin of eyeless

Nemo phosphorylates Eyes absent and enhances output from the Eya-Sine oculis transcriptional complex during Drosophila retinal determination