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Studies of mammalian tissue culture cells indicate that the conserved and distinct NDR isoforms, NDR1 and NDR2, play essential cell biological roles. However, mice lacking either Ndr1 or Ndr2 alone develop normally. Here, we studied the physiological consequences of inactivating both NDR1 and NDR2 in mice, showing that the lack of both Ndr1/Ndr2 (called Ndr1/2-double null mutants) causes embryonic lethality. In support of compensatory roles for NDR1 and NDR2, total protein and activating phosphorylation levels of the remaining NDR isoform were elevated in mice lacking either Ndr1 or Ndr2. Mice retaining one single wild-type Ndr allele were viable and fertile. Ndr1/2-double null embryos displayed multiple phenotypes causing a developmental delay from embryonic day E8.5 onwards. While NDR kinases are not required for notochord formation, the somites of Ndr1/2-double null embryos were smaller, irregularly shaped and unevenly spaced along the anterior-posterior axis. Genes implicated in somitogenesis were down-regulated and the normally symmetric expression of Lunatic fringe, a component of the Notch pathway, showed a left-right bias in the last forming somite in 50% of all Ndr1/2-double null embryos. In addition, Ndr1/2-double null embryos developed a heart defect that manifests itself as pericardial edemas, obstructed heart tubes and arrest of cardiac looping. The resulting cardiac insufficiency is the likely cause of the lethality of Ndr1/2-double null embryos around E10. Taken together, we show that NDR kinases compensate for each other in vivo in mouse embryos, explaining why mice deficient for either Ndr1 or Ndr2 are viable. Ndr1/2-double null embryos show defects in somitogenesis and cardiac looping, which reveals their essential functions and shows that the NDR kinases are critically required during the early phase of organogenesis.

The first lineage specification of pluripotent mouse epiblast segregates neuroectoderm (NE) from mesoderm and definitive endoderm (ME) by mechanisms that are not well understood. Here we demonstrate that the induction of ME gene programs critically relies on the T-box transcription factors Eomesodermin (also known as Eomes ) and Brachyury , which concomitantly repress pluripotency and NE gene programs. Cells deficient in these T-box transcription factors retain pluripotency and differentiate to NE lineages despite the presence of ME-inducing signals transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/Nodal and Wnt. Pluripotency and NE gene networks are additionally repressed by ME factors downstream of T-box factor induction, demonstrating a redundancy in program regulation to safeguard mutually exclusive lineage specification. Analyses of chromatin revealed that accessibility of ME enhancers depends on T-box factor binding, whereas NE enhancers are accessible and already activation primed at pluripotency. This asymmetry of the chromatin landscape thus explains the default differentiation of pluripotent cells to NE in the absence of ME induction that depends on activating and repressive functions of Eomes and Brachyury . The T-box factors Eomes and Brachyury activate mesoderm and endoderm programs by establishing accessible chromatin at mesoderm and endoderm enhancers, and bind and repress enhancers of pluripotency and neuroectoderm genes.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The planning of continuing education policies in service according to Gatti (2014), is fundamental to promote quality in education. But educational managers are largely unaware of the professionals in the field: how was your initial education? What is your socioeconomic profile? How can these aspects interfere on your pedagogical performance? The importance of these reflections is broadened considering that most professionals working in early Childhood Education (CE) and Early Years of Elementary School (ES) have graduated in Pedagogy courses from private-market institutions created in the last two decades arising from a 'market' to train this professional at a higher level, opened by the Law of Guidelines and Bases (LDB) 1996 (SGUISSARDI, 2015). In view of this context, this research, developed in the Group of Studies and Research on Higher Education (GEPES) of the Graduate-Master Program in Education - Universidad Regional and Blumenau (FURB), aimed to characterize in this research, the socioeconomic and initial formation profile of the educators made by the Blumenau Municipal Education Network (RMEB) between 2011 and 2016, considering that these relate to the process of commodification of Graduate Education (GE) in the country and to the training of teachers according to the National Curriculum Guidelines for the Graduate Course in Pedagogy (DCNP/2006), which brought a new training profile for the pedagogue. Specific objectives were: (i) to characterize the socioeconomic profile of educators hired at RMEB from the competitions in the period between 2011 and 2016 - considering gender, age, marital status, number of dependents, salary, time of public service; (ii) characterize the training profile of the researched group - we analyzed the kind of institution attended (legal nature and academic organization), the course modality and the date of completion of the training. (iii) analyze the profile data in relation to the market expansion of higher education, identifying possible consequences for the formation to be offered by RMEB. The methodology, with a qualitative approach, used document analysis (legislation, public selection notices, appointment ordinances), as described by Céllard (2012), as well as quantitative data provided by the Municipality of Blumenau. We identified that the researched group represents 39.8% of the total educators working at RMEB. 41.5% of the teachers work in CE and 23.4% in the Early Years of the ES. Overall, respondents have the following socioeconomic profile: 41.4% are over 40 years (older than expected); 98.1% are female; 61.6% are married or indicated a stable union; 66.4% have monthly income around 3 and 4 minimum wages and 27.8% have lower income; 36.7% have around 3 and 4 dependents and 47.3% are from Blumenau. Regarding the training profile, the data indicated: 74.4% are graduated from private-mercantile institutions and 4.2% from private institutions; 72% completed their training at university centers and 77% graduated through distance learning. The data show significant differences between the Pedagogue acting in CE (majority competed from 2011) and in ES: we highlighted that the older pedagogue, when conducting the contest, opted for CE. Overall, the researched group showed a strong interface with the process of market expansion of GE, which led to democratization of access - most of them joined GE after the age of 30 and graduated by distance learning; many from cities of Santa Catarina countryside (other evidence in this sense). The results, however, also alert managers to the weaknesses pointed out by the specialized literature regarding training of graduates of courses with this profile: lack of internship, lack of extension projects, etc.

Stem cell-derived 3D-gastruloids show a remarkable capacity of self-organisation and recapitulate many aspects of gastrulation stage mammalian development. Gastruloids can be rapidly generated and offer several experimental advantages, such as scalability, observability, and accessibility for manipulation. Here, we present approaches to further expand the experimental potency of murine 3D-gastruloids by utilizing functional genetics in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) to generate chimeric gastruloids. In chimeric gastruloids fluorescently labelled cells of different genotypes harbouring inducible gene-expression, or loss-of-function alleles, are combined with wildtype cells. We showcase this experimental approach in chimeric gastruloids of mESCs carrying homozygous deletions of the Tbx transcription factors Brachyury, or inducible expression of Eomes. Resulting chimeric gastruloids recapitulate reported Eomes and Brachyury functions, such as instructing cardiac fate and promoting posterior axial extension, respectively. Additionally, chimeric gastruloids revealed previously unrecognized phenotypes such as tissue sorting preference of Brachyury-deficient cells to endoderm, and cell non-autonomous effects of Brachyury-deficiency on Wnt3a-patterning along the embryonic axis, demonstrating some of the advantages of chimeric gastruloids as efficient tool for studies of mammalian gastrulation.

During mammalian gastrulation cells of the primary germ layers are generated in anterior-to-posterior sequence employing different morphogenetic modes. Initial gastrulation is characterized by cell ingression through the early primitive streak, followed by posterior embryonic axis elongation via cell recruitment from progenitor pools. Molecular details of different genetic programs controlling early and late gastrulation remain ill described. Here, we employed stem cell-based mouse gastruloids to reveal two consecutively acting regulatory modules that orchestrate spatiotemporal progression of gastrulation. The early anterior module consists of the Tbx transcription factor Eomes, and signalling molecules Nodal and Wnt3 that initiate gastrulation and generate anterior mesoderm and definitive endoderm from the early streak. The anterior module represses the second, Tbxt/Wnt3a posterior regulatory module controlling axial extension at trunk levels. Both circuitries are self-reinforcing while mutually repressing the counteracting module at multiple levels as the molecular basis for the spatiotemporal progression of gastrulation along the AP axis.

Summary paragraph Different cell types are determined by cell lineage-specific transcriptional programmes and by epigenetic regulation of chromatin1, 2. Yet, the functional relationships between dynamically expressed transcription factors (TFs) and chromatin changes guiding lineage specification often remain elusive3. First mammalian embryonic lineages segregate when pluripotent cells become committed to either Mesoderm and Endoderm (ME) or Neuroectoderm (NE). NE forms by default in the absence of signalling-induced ME specification4, 5, resulting from global asymmetries in chromatin state favouring NE gene programme activation as recently demonstrated6–8. In this study, we unravel the initiation of ME lineage specification by the genome-wide, de novo formation of chromatin accessibility at ME enhancers that epigenetically deflects pluripotent cells from default NE differentiation. The Tbx TF Eomes, previously considered a transcriptional regulator, acts as global chromatin organizer that establishes ME lineage competence. EOMES recruits the canonical ATP-dependent chromatin remodelling complex SWI/SNF to broadly generate the chromatin- accessible ME enhancer landscape. This lineage competence is generated independently of ME gene transcription that fully depends on ME-inducing signalling pathways including Wnts and TGFβ/NODAL9. This study thus resolves the successive steps of ME lineage differentiation by globally establishing chromatin accessibility for lineage competence, followed by signal-encoded transcriptional regulation of different ME lineage-defining gene programmes.

Mammalian specification of mesoderm and definitive endoderm (DE) is instructed by the two related Tbx transcription factors (TFs) Eomesodermin (Eomes) and Brachyury sharing partially redundant functions. Gross differences of mutant embryonic phenotypes suggest specific functions of each TF. To date, the molecular details of separated lineage-specific gene-regulation by Eomes and Brachyury remain poorly understood. Here, we combine embryonic and stem cell-based analyses to delineate the non-overlapping, lineage-specific transcriptional activities. On a genome-wide scale binding of both TFs overlaps at promoters of target genes, but shows specificity for distal enhancer regions, that is conferred by differences in Tbx DNA-binding motifs. The unique binding to enhancer sites instructs the specification of anterior mesoderm (AM) and DE by Eomes and caudal mesoderm by Brachyury. Remarkably, EOMES antagonizes BRACHYURY gene-regulatory functions in co-expressing cells during early gastrulation to ensure the proper sequence of early AM and DE lineage specification followed by posterior mesoderm derivatives. Detailed comparative analysis of the two critical developmental regulators Eomes and Brachyury in mouse embryos and differentiating embryonic stem cells Tbx factors EOMES and BRACHYURY control distinct gene programs to specify different mesoderm and endoderm subsets Program specificity is conferred by binding to non-overlapping enhancers with distinct binding motifs EOMES restricts the activities of BRACHYURY thus ensuring the proper sequence of mesoderm and endoderm lineage specification

Background Gingival overgrowth (GO) is a common side effect of the chronic use of cyclosporine (CsA), an immunosuppressant widely used to prevent rejection in transplant patients. Recent studies have reported elevated levels of specific cytokines in gingival overgrowth tissue, particularly TGF-beta, suggesting that this growth factor plays a role in the accumulation of extracellular matrix materials. The effectiveness of azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, in the regression of this undesirable side effect has also been demonstrated. Methods In this study, we created an experimental model for assessing the therapeutic effect of roxithromycin in GO and the expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta2) through immunohistochemistry. We used four groups of rats totaling 32 individuals. GO was induced during five weeks and drug treatment was given on the 6th week as follows: group 1 received saline; group 2 received CsA and was treated with saline on the 6th week; group 3 received CsA and, on the 6th week, ampicilin; and group 4 received CsA during 5 weeks and, on the 6th week, was treated with roxithromycin. Results The results demonstrated that roxithromycin treatment was effective in reducing cyclosporine-induced GO in rats. Both epithelial and connective tissue showed a decrease in thickness and a significant reduction in TGF-beta2 expression, with a lower number of fibroblasts, reduction in fibrotic areas and decrease in inflammatory infiltrate. Conclusion The present data suggest that the down-regulation of TGF-beta2 expression may be an important mechanism of action by which roxithromycin inhibits GO.

Anterior mesoderm (AM) and definitive endoderm (DE) progenitors represent the earliest embryonic cell types that are specified during germ layer formation at the primitive streak (PS) of the mouse embryo. Genetic experiments indicate that both lineages segregate from Eomes expressing progenitors in response to different NODAL signaling levels. However, the precise spatiotemporal pattern of the emergence of these cell types and molecular details of lineage segregation remain unexplored. We combined genetic fate labeling and imaging approaches with scRNA-seq to follow the transcriptional identities and define lineage trajectories of Eomes dependent cell types. All cells moving through the PS during the first day of gastrulation express Eomes. AM and DE specification occurs before cells leave the PS from discrete progenitor populations that are generated in distinct spatiotemporal patterns. Importantly, we don not find evidence for the existence of progenitors that co-express markers of both cell lineages suggesting an immediate and complete separation of AM and DE lineages.