Molly J. Ahrens

New role of bone morphogenetic protein 7 in brown adipogenesis and energy expenditure

Adipose tissue is central to the regulation of energy balance. Two functionally different types of fat are present in mammals: white adipose tissue, the primary site of triglyceride storage, and brown adipose tissue, which is specialized in energy expenditure and can counteract obesity. Factors that specify the developmental fate and function of white and brown adipose tissue remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that whereas some members of the family of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) support white adipocyte differentiation, BMP7 singularly promotes differentiation of brown preadipocytes even in the absence of the normally required hormonal induction cocktail. BMP7 activates a full program of brown adipogenesis including induction of early regulators of brown fat fate PRDM16 (PR-domain-containing 16; ref. 4) and PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) coactivator-1α; ref. 5), increased expression of the brown-fat-defining marker uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and adipogenic transcription factors PPARγ and CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBPs), and induction of mitochondrial biogenesis via p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-(also known as Mapk14) and PGC-1-dependent pathways. Moreover, BMP7 triggers commitment of mesenchymal progenitor cells to a brown adipocyte lineage, and implantation of these cells into nude mice results in development of adipose tissue containing mostly brown adipocytes. Bmp7 knockout embryos show a marked paucity of brown fat and an almost complete absence of UCP1. Adenoviral-mediated expression of BMP7 in mice results in a significant increase in brown, but not white, fat mass and leads to an increase in energy expenditure and a reduction in weight gain. These data reveal an important role of BMP7 in promoting brown adipocyte differentiation and thermogenesis in vivo and in vitro, and provide a potential new therapeutic approach for the treatment of obesity.

Convergent extension movements in growth plate chondrocytes require gpi-anchored cell surface proteins

Proteins that are localized to the cell surface via glycosylphosphatidylinositol (gpi) anchors have been proposed to regulate cell signaling and cell adhesion events involved in tissue patterning. Conditional deletion of Piga, which encodes the catalytic subunit of an essential enzyme in the gpi-biosynthetic pathway, in the lateral plate mesoderm results in normally patterned limbs that display chondrodysplasia. Analysis of mutant and mosaic Piga cartilage revealed two independent cell autonomous defects. First, loss of Piga function interferes with signal reception by chondrocytes as evidenced by delayed maturation. Second, the proliferative chondrocytes, although present, fail to flatten and arrange into columns. We present evidence that the abnormal organization of mutant proliferative chondrocytes results from errors in cell intercalation. Collectively, our data suggest that the distinct morphological features of the proliferative chondrocytes result from a convergent extension-like process that is regulated independently of chondrocyte maturation.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity regulates the proliferative potential of growth plate chondrocytes

For tissues that develop throughout embryogenesis and into postnatal life, the generation of differentiated cells to promote tissue growth is at odds with the requirement to maintain the stem cell/progenitor cell population to preserve future growth potential. In the growth plate cartilage, this balance is achieved in part by establishing a proliferative phase that amplifies the number of progenitor cells prior to terminal differentiation into hypertrophic chondrocytes. Here, we show that endogenous calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CamkII, also known as Camk2) activity is upregulated prior to hypertrophy and that loss of CamkII function substantially blocks the transition from proliferation to hypertrophy. Wnt signaling and Pthrp-induced phosphatase activity negatively regulate CamkII activity. Release of this repression results in activation of multiple effector pathways, including Runx2- and β-catenin-dependent pathways. We present an integrated model for the regulation of proliferation potential by CamkII activity that has important implications for studies of growth control and adult progenitor/stem cell populations.

Loss of the cytoskeletal protein Pdlim7 predisposes mice to heart defects and hemostatic dysfunction

The actin-associated protein Pdlim7 is essential for heart and fin development in zebrafish; however, the expression and function of this PDZ-LIM family member in the mammal has remained unclear. Here, we show that Pdlim7 predominantly localizes to actin-rich structures in mice including the heart, vascular smooth muscle, and platelets. To test the requirement for Pdlim7 in mammalian development and function, we analyzed a mouse strain with global genetic inactivation of Pdlim7. We demonstrate that Pdlim7 loss-of-function leads to significant postnatal mortality. Inactivation of Pdlim7 does not disrupt cardiac development, but causes mild cardiac dysfunction in adult mice. Adult Pdlim7 -/- mice displayed increased mitral and tricuspid valve annulus to body weight ratios. These structural aberrations in Pdlim7 -/- mice were supported by three-dimensional reconstructions of adult cardiac valves, which revealed increased surface area to volume ratios for the mitral and tricuspid valve leaflets. Unexpectedly, we found that loss of Pdlim7 triggers systemic venous and arterial thrombosis, leading to significant mortality shortly after birth in Pdlim7 +/- (11/60) and Pdlim7 -/- (19/35) mice. In line with a prothrombotic phenotype, adult Pdlim7 -/- mice exhibit dramatically decreased tail bleed times compared to controls. These findings reveal a novel and unexpected function for Pdlim7 in maintaining proper hemostasis in neonatal and adult mice.

A re-evaluation of two key reagents for in vivo studies of Wnt signaling.

Conditional mutations and transcription‐based reporters are important new tools for exploring the dynamic functions of biological pathways in vivo. While studying the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in cartilage, we observed that the β‐catenin‐dependent reporter TOPGAL was expressed in chondrocytes in which β‐catenin was conditionally inactivated using a Col2a1::cre driver. Here we show that in these embryos recombination is complete and full‐length β‐catenin protein is absent in chondrocytes. Although a null allele in this context, the recombined β‐catenin locus produces a stable transcript that encodes a truncated protein. The truncated protein alone fails to activate TOPFLASH, but strongly potentiates reporter activity in the presence of expressed β‐catenin or Tcf4. Together, these data show that each mouse model exhibits specific undesirable properties, findings that strongly suggest the need for specific standards to ensure proper validation of this new generation of genetic tools. Developmental Dynamics 240:2060–2068, 2011.

Chemical Pretreatment of Growth Plate Cartilage Increases Immunofluorescence Sensitivity

Immunofluorescence detection of proteins in growth plate cartilage is often unsuccessful because of innate autofluorescence, fixative-induced fluorescence, and dense cartilage matrix, which can inhibit antibody penetration. To overcome these limitations, the authors have tested various chemical pretreatments, including the autofluorescence quencher sodium borohydride, the antigen retrieval method of boiling sodium citrate, sugar-degrading enzymes (hyaluronidase, heparinase, and chondroitinase), and the proteolytic enzyme protease XXIV. Here the authors show that, in most cases, background fluorescence in cartilage is the primary obstacle to high-quality imaging. Blocking intrinsic fluorescence of the specimen in combination with specific pretreatments allows visualization using antibodies that previously did not generate a robust signal in the growth plate. Each antibody requires a specific combination of chemical pretreatments that must be empirically determined to achieve optimal staining levels. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.