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Results for “PAX6 Transcription Factor”

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PubMed2026

Small Copy Number Neutral Intrachromosomal Translocation of PAX6 and Aniridia.

IMPORTANCE: Approximately 5% to 10% of individuals with classic aniridia do not receive a molecular diagnosis after clinical testing for variants in PAX6 and its downstream regulatory region. OBJECTIVE: To apply optical genome mapping (OGM) and long-read whole-genome sequencing (lrWGS) to diagnose an individual with unexplained classic aniridia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: High-quality DNA was extracted from the blood of a 16-year-old male patient with classic aniridia and prior negative clinical test results that included sequencing and copy number analysis of PAX6 exons and downstream regulatory region as well as genomic analysis via short-read whole-genome sequencing (srWGS) and analyzed using OGM and lrWGS. All analyses were performed in a research laboratory in Wisconsin from January 2019 to September 2025. INTERVENTIONS: OGM and lrWGS. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Identification of a structural variant disrupting PAX6 expression in an individual with classic aniridia, following negative prior testing including srWGS. RESULTS: OGM identified a 55-kb deletion on 11p13 encompassing all PAX6 exons and exon 12 of ELP4, with insertion of this segment into 11q21. lrWGS delineated the exact breakpoints, confirming that the downstream regulatory region, required for normal PAX6 expression, remained at the 11p13 locus. Consequently, the translocated copy of PAX6 at 11q21 is expected to lack expression due to the loss of its essential regulatory elements. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings in an individual with classic aniridia harboring an intrachromosomal rearrangement at the PAX6 locus identified by OGM and lrWGS may represent the smallest reported structural variant to separate the PAX6 coding sequence from its downstream regulatory region. This structural variant may have fallen below the detection threshold of srWGS due to its balanced nature and small size, suggesting OGM and lrWGS would be needed for definitive identification.

Aniridia↗
PubMed2024

A conserved molecular logic for neurogenesis to gliogenesis switch in the cerebral cortex.

During development, neural stem cells in the cerebral cortex, also known as radial glial cells (RGCs), generate excitatory neurons, followed by production of cortical macroglia and inhibitory neurons that migrate to the olfactory bulb (OB). Understanding the mechanisms for this lineage switch is fundamental for unraveling how proper numbers of diverse neuronal and glial cell types are controlled. We and others recently showed that Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling promotes the cortical RGC lineage switch to generate cortical oligodendrocytes and OB interneurons. During this process, cortical RGCs generate intermediate progenitor cells that express critical gliogenesis genes Ascl1, Egfr, and Olig2. The increased Ascl1 expression and appearance of Egfr+ and Olig2+ cortical progenitors are concurrent with the switch from excitatory neurogenesis to gliogenesis and OB interneuron neurogenesis in the cortex. While Shh signaling promotes Olig2 expression in the developing spinal cord, the exact mechanism for this transcriptional regulation is not known. Furthermore, the transcriptional regulation of Olig2 and Egfr has not been explored. Here, we show that in cortical progenitor cells, multiple regulatory programs, including Pax6 and Gli3, prevent precocious expression of Olig2, a gene essential for production of cortical oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. We identify multiple enhancers that control Olig2 expression in cortical progenitors and show that the mechanisms for regulating Olig2 expression are conserved between the mouse and human. Our study reveals evolutionarily conserved regulatory logic controlling the lineage switch of cortical neural stem cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2016

Substituting mouse transcription factor Pou4f2 with a sea urchin orthologue restores retinal ganglion cell development.

Pou domain transcription factor Pou4f2 is essential for the development of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the vertebrate retina. A distant orthologue of Pou4f2 exists in the genome of the sea urchin (class Echinoidea) Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (SpPou4f1/2), yet the photosensory structure of sea urchins is strikingly different from that of the mammalian retina. Sea urchins have no obvious eyes, but have photoreceptors clustered around their tube feet disc. The mechanisms that are associated with the development and function of photoreception in sea urchins are largely unexplored. As an initial approach to better understand the sea urchin photosensory structure and relate it to the mammalian retina, we asked whether SpPou4f1/2 could support RGC development in the absence of Pou4f2. To answer this question, we replaced genomic Pou4f2 with an SpPou4f1/2 cDNA. In Pou4f2-null mice, retinas expressing SpPou4f1/2 were outwardly identical to those of wild-type mice. SpPou4f1/2 retinas exhibited dark-adapted electroretinogram scotopic threshold responses, indicating functionally active RGCs. During retinal development, SpPou4f1/2 activated RGC-specific genes and in S. purpuratus, SpPou4f2 was expressed in photoreceptor cells of tube feet in a pattern distinct from Opsin4 and Pax6. Our results suggest that SpPou4f1/2 and Pou4f2 share conserved components of a gene network for photosensory development and they maintain their conserved intrinsic functions despite vast morphological differences in mouse and sea urchin photosensory structures.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

TNFα-dependent modulation of WT1-MMP9 regulatory axis links developmental and inflammatory pathways in glaucoma.

Glaucomas are heterogeneous optic neuropathies associated with extracellular matrix dysregulation, abnormal ocular morphogenesis, and inflammatory signaling. Targeted deep sequencing of 586 primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) cases and 1,757 controls identified rare pathogenic variants in multiple genes, including WT1 and MMP9. Notably, WT1 variants clustered within the nuclear export sequence. Further, functional analyses showed that combined wt1-pax6 suppression in zebrafish disrupted ocular morphogenesis, highlighting developmental interdependence. In human trabecular meshwork cells, WT1 acted as a transcriptional repressor of MMP9, while TNF-α signaling triggered nitric oxide-dependent nuclear export of WT1, resulting in delayed MMP9 upregulation. This effect was reversible by inhibiting nuclear export or nitric oxide synthase. A patient-derived mutation in the nuclear-export region of WT1, disrupted this regulatory switch, causing abnormal MMP9 expression. These findings position WT1 as an important regulator linking developmental and inflammatory mechanisms in glaucoma pathogenesis.

anterior segment dysgenesis↗