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Nurr1 co-localizes with EphB1 receptors in the developing ventral midbrain, and its expression is enhanced by the EphB1 ligand, ephrinB2.

Both ephrins and the transcription factor, Nurr1, are critically involved in CNS development and, particularly, in the ontogenesis of the nigro-striatal system. Here we examined whether the ephrin receptor, EphB1, and Nurr1 share a similar expression pattern in the embryonic brain and whether expression of Nurr1 is under the control of EphB1 activation. The transcripts of EphB1 receptor and Nurr1 showed a similar pattern of expression in the ventral midbrain of mice at early stages of embryonic development (E11.5 and E12.5). At later stages (E15.5), only Nurr1 mRNA could still be detected in significant amounts in the A9-A10 regions of the ventral midbrain, whereas the two transcripts still showed a similar pattern of expression in discrete regions of the hindbrain. To examine whether activation of EphB1 receptor could induce the expression of Nurr1 in the ventral midbrain, we applied the EphB1 ligand, ephrinB2, to explants of embryonic mouse ventral midbrain. Low concentrations of clustered ephrinB2 (0.25 microg/mL) enhanced Nurr1 mRNA and protein levels, whereas higher concentrations were inactive. We conclude that activation of EphB1 receptors by appropriate concentrations of its ligand ephrinB2 might contribute to the acquisition of a dopaminergic fate in developing midbrain ventral neurones.

Animals↗

Caveolin-1 is required for signaling and membrane targeting of EphB1 receptor tyrosine kinase.

Eph receptor tyrosine kinases are key players during the development of the embryonic vasculature; however, their role and regulation in adult angiogenesis remain to be defined. Caveolae are flask-shaped invaginations of the cell membrane; their major structural protein, caveolin-1, has been shown to regulate signaling molecules localized in these micro-domains. The interaction of caveolin-1 with several of these proteins is mediated by the binding of its scaffolding domain to a region containing hydrophobic amino acids within these proteins. The presence of such a motif within the EphB1 kinase domain prompted us to investigate the caveolar localization and regulation of EphB1 by caveolin-1. We report that EphB1 receptors are localized in caveolae, and directly interact with caveolin-1 upon ligand stimulation. This interaction, as well as EphB1-mediated activation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK), was abrogated by overexpression of a caveolin-1 mutant lacking a functional scaffolding domain. Interaction between Ephs and caveolin-1 is not restricted to the B-subclass of receptors, since we show that EphA2 also interacts with caveolin-1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the caveolin-binding motif within the kinase domain of EphB1 is primordial for its correct membrane targeting. Taken together, our findings establish caveolin-1 as an important regulator of downstream signaling and membrane targeting of EphB1.

Animals↗

Specification of distinct dopaminergic neural pathways: roles of the Eph family receptor EphB1 and ligand ephrin-B2.

Dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area project to the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens/olfactory tubercle, respectively, constituting mesostriatal and mesolimbic pathways. The molecular signals that confer target specificity of different dopaminergic neurons are not known. We now report that EphB1 and ephrin-B2, a receptor and ligand of the Eph family, are candidate guidance molecules for the development of these distinct pathways. EphB1 and ephrin-B2 are expressed in complementary patterns in the midbrain dopaminergic neurons and their targets, and the ligand specifically inhibits the growth of neurites and induces the cell loss of substantia nigra, but not ventral tegmental, dopaminergic neurons. These studies suggest that the ligand-receptor pair may contribute to the establishment of distinct neural pathways by selectively inhibiting the neurite outgrowth and cell survival of mistargeted neurons. In addition, we show that ephrin-B2 expression is upregulated by cocaine and amphetamine in adult mice, suggesting that ephrin-B2/EphB1 interaction may play a role in drug-induced plasticity in adults as well.

Animals↗

The EphA4 and EphB1 receptor tyrosine kinases and ephrin-B2 ligand regulate targeted migration of branchial neural crest cells.

BACKGROUND: During vertebrate head development, neural crest cells migrate from hindbrain segments to specific branchial arches, where they differentiate into distinct patterns of skeletal structures. The rostrocaudal identity of branchial neural crest cells appears to be specified prior to migration, so it is important that they are targeted to the correct destination. In Xenopus embryos, branchial neural crest cells segregate into four streams that are adjacent during early stages of migration. It is not known what restricts the intermingling of these migrating cell populations and targets them to specific branchial arches. Here, we investigated the role of Eph receptors and ephrins-mediators of cell-contact-dependent interactions that have been implicated in neuronal pathfinding-in this targeted migration. RESULTS: Xenopus EphA4 and EphB1 are expressed in migrating neural crest cells and mesoderm of the third arch, and third plus fourth arches, respectively. The ephrin-B2 ligand, which interacts with these receptors, is expressed in the adjacent second arch neural crest and mesoderm. Using truncated receptors, we show that the inhibition of EphA4/EphB1 function leads to abnormal migration of third arch neural crest cells into second and fourth arch territories. Furthermore, ectopic activation of these receptors by overexpression of ephrin-B2 leads to scattering of third arch neural crest cells into adjacent regions. Similar disruptions occur when the expression of ephrin-B2 or truncated receptors is targeted to the neural crest. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the complementary expression of EphA4/EphB1 receptors and ephrin-B2 is involved in restricting the intermingling of third and second arch neural crest and in targeting third arch neural crest to the correct destination. Together with previous work showing that Eph receptors and ligands mediate neuronal growth cone repulsion, our findings suggest that similar mechanisms are used for neural crest and axon pathfinding.

Animals↗

Origins and formation of microvasculature in the developing kidney.

Regulation of microvessel assembly in the developing kidney is not known and may occur through vasculogenic, angiogenic, or both processes. To examine this question, we grafted rat and mice embryonic (E) day 12 (E12) kidneys, which have only a rudimentary vasculature, into anterior eye chambers of mouse and rat hosts. Species-specific, monoclonal anti-basement membrane antibodies showed that glomerular basement membranes, mesangial matrices, and microvessel basement membranes were always derived from the graft. When wild-type E12 mouse kidneys were grafted into anterior chambers of ROSA26 mice, in which the beta-galactosidase transgene is expressed ubiquitously, glomerular and microvascular endothelial cells stemmed from the graft, even after maintenance of kidneys in organ culture for 6 days before grafting. Immunolabeling with antibodies against the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor, Flk1, the EphB1 receptor, and its ligand, ephrin-B1, labeled discrete mesenchymal cells in embryonic and newborn kidney cortex, as well as developing microvessel and glomerular endothelium. In adult kidneys, Flk1 labeled glomeruli weakly, other vascular structures were unlabeled. When wild-type E12 kidneys were grafted under renal capsules of adult ROSA26 hosts, endothelium developing within the graft again came from the implanted kidney. In contrast, when E12 kidneys were grafted into renal cortices of newborns, glomeruli within grafts now contained host-derived endothelium. Similarly, when ROSA26 E12 kidneys were implanted into newborn wild-type hosts, chimeric vessels containing graft- and host-derived endothelium were seen in nearby host tissue. Our results indicate that cells capable of forming the entire microvascular tree of grafted metanephroi are already present in the E12 kidney. We hypothesize that Flk1/VEGF and EphB1/ephrin-B1 mediate renal endothelial mitosis-motility and cell guidance-aggregation behavior, respectively.

Animals↗

Interactions between ephrin-B and metabotropic glutamate 1 receptors in brain tissue and cultured neurons.

We examined the interaction between ephrins and metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors in the developing brain and cultured neurons. EphrinB2 coimmunoprecipitated with mGlu1a receptors, in all of the brain regions examined, and with mGlu5 receptors in the corpus striatum. In striatal slices, activation of ephrinB2 by a clustered form of its target receptor, EphB1, amplified the mGlu receptor-mediated stimulation of polyphosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis. This effect was abolished in slices treated with mGlu1 or NMDA receptor antagonists but was not affected by pharmacological blockade of mGlu5 receptors. An interaction among ephrinB2, mGlu1 receptor, and NMDA was supported by the following observations: (1) the NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors coimmunoprecipitated with mGlu1a receptors and ephrinB2 in striatal lysates; (2) clustered EphB1 amplified excitatory amino acid-stimulated PI hydrolysis in cultured granule cells grown under conditions that favored the expression of mGlu1a receptors; and (3) clustered EphB1 amplified the enhancing effect of mGlu receptor agonists on NMDA toxicity in cortical cultures, and its action was sensitive to mGlu1 receptor antagonists. Finally, fluorescence resonance energy transfer and coclustering analysis in human embryonic kidney 293 cells excluded a physical interaction between ephrinB2 and mGlu1a (or mGlu5 receptors). A functional interaction between ephrinB and mGlu1 receptors, which likely involves adaptor or scaffolding proteins, might have an important role in the regulation of developmental plasticity.

Analysis of Variance↗

Renal microvascular assembly and repair: power and promise of molecular definition.

Developmental assembly of the renal microcirculation is a precise and coordinated process now accessible to experimental scrutiny. Although definition of the cellular and molecular determinants is incomplete, recent findings have reframed concepts and questions about the origins of vascular cells in the glomerulus and the molecules that direct cell recruitment, specialization and morphogenesis. New findings illustrate principles that may be applied to defining critical steps in microvascular repair following glomerular injury. Developmental assembly of endothelial, mesangial and epithelial cells into glomerular capillaries requires that a coordinated, temporally defined series of steps occur in an anatomically ordered sequence. Recent evidence shows that both vasculogenic and angiogenic processes participate. Local signals direct cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, cell-cell recognition, formation of intercellular connections, and morphogenesis. Growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases on vascular cells are important mediators of many of these events. Cultured cell systems have suggested that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promote endothelial cell proliferation, migration or morphogenesis, while genetic deletion experiments have defined an important role for PDGF beta receptors and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) B in glomerular development. Receptor tyrosine kinases that convey non-proliferative signals also contribute in kidney and other sites. The EphB1 receptor, one of a diverse class of Eph receptors implicated in neural cell targeting, directs renal endothelial migration, cell-cell recognition and assembly, and is expressed with its ligand in developing glomeruli. Endothelial TIE2 receptors bind angiopoietins (1 and 2), the products of adjacent supportive cells, to signals direct capillary maturation in a sequence that defines cooperative roles for cells of different lineages. Ultimately, definition of the cellular steps and molecular sequence that direct microvascular cell assembly promises to identify therapeutic targets for repair and adaptive remodeling of injured glomeruli.

Animals↗

Mapping labels in the human developing visual system and the evolution of binocular vision.

Topographic representation of visual fields from the retina to the brain is a central feature of vision. The development of retinotopic maps has been studied extensively in model organisms and is thought to be controlled in part by molecular labels, including ephrin/Eph axon guidance molecules, displayed in complementary gradients across the retina and its targeting areas. The visual system in these organisms is primarily monocular, with each retina mapping topographically to its contralateral target. In contrast, mechanisms of retinal mapping in binocular species such as primates, characterized by the congruent, aligned mapping of both retinas onto the same brain target, remain completely unknown. Here, we show that the distribution of ephrin/Eph genes in the human developing visual system is fundamentally different from what is known in model organisms. In the human embryonic retina, EphA receptors are displayed along two gradients, sloping down from the center of the retina to its periphery. The EphB1 receptor, which controls the ipsilateral routing of retinal axons in the mouse, is expressed throughout the human temporal retina in coordination with the changes in EphA gene expression. In the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, ephrin-A/EphAs are displayed along complementary retinotopic gradients. Our data point to an evolutionary model in which the coordinated divergence of the distribution of the receptors controlling retinal guidance and retinal mapping enabled the emergence of a fully binocular system. They also indicate that ephrin/Eph signaling plays a potentially major role in the development of neuronal connectivity in humans.

Biological Evolution↗

Grb7 in intracellular signaling and its role in cell regulation.

Grb7 is an adaptor molecule that mediates signal transduction from multiple cell surface receptors to various downstream signaling pathways. Grb7 and its related family member Grb10 and Grb14 share a conserved molecular architecture including an amino-terminal proline-rich region, a central segment termed the GM region (for Grb and Mig) which includes a PH domain and shares sequence homology with the Caenorhabditis elegans protein, Mig-10, and a carboxyl-terminal SH2 domain. Grb7/10/14 family proteins are phosphorylated on serine/threonine as well as tyrosine residues, although the functional significance of such phosphorylation is incompletely understood. Grb7/10/14 family proteins are mainly localized in the cytoplasm, but have been observed at the plasma membrane, focal contacts, or mitochondria under certain conditions. A large number of receptor tyrosine kinases and other signaling molecules can associate with Grb7/10/14 family proteins, mostly through the SH2 domains, although the functional consequences of such interactions have not been well characterized in most cases. Recent studies have suggested that various isoforms of Grb10 play important roles in mediating insulin/insulin-like growth factor regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis, whereas Grb7 mediates signaling pathways from FAK and EphB1 receptor to regulate cell migration, which is also implicated in tumor progression. This review will discuss the current understanding of Grb7 mediated signal transduction pathways and their role in the regulation of various cellular functions.

Animals↗

Magnitude of binocular vision controlled by islet-2 repression of a genetic program that specifies laterality of retinal axon pathfinding.

Pathfinding of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons at the midline optic chiasm determines whether RGCs project to ipsilateral or contralateral brain visual centers, critical for binocular vision. Using Isl2tau-lacZ knockin mice, we show that the LIM-homeodomain transcription factor Isl2 marks only contralaterally projecting RGCs. The transcription factor Zic2 and guidance receptor EphB1, required by RGCs to project ipsilaterally, colocalize in RGCs distinct from Isl2 RGCs in the ventral-temporal crescent (VTC), the source of ipsilateral projections. Isl2 knockout mice have an increased ipsilateral projection originating from significantly more RGCs limited to the VTC. Isl2 knockouts also have increased Zic2 and EphB1 expression and significantly more Zic2 RGCs in the VTC. We conclude that Isl2 specifies RGC laterality by repressing an ipsilateral pathfinding program unique to VTC RGCs and involving Zic2 and EphB1. This genetic hierarchy controls binocular vision by regulating the magnitude and source of ipsilateral projections and reveals unique retinal domains.

Animals↗

Generating X: formation of the optic chiasm.

At the optic chiasm, axons from either eye meet and decide whether to cross contralaterally or turn back ipsilaterally. Here, the guidance ligand Slit and its receptor Robo control not whether axons cross (as in other midline decisions), but where the chiasm forms. Whether axons cross is instead controlled by the transcription factor Zic2 and the guidance receptor EphB1, as shown by two papers in the current issues of Neuron and Cell (Herrera et al. and Williams et al.). Surprisingly, this mechanism is conserved evolutionarily from frogs to mammals.

Animals↗

Emx2 and Pax6 function in cooperation with Otx2 and Otx1 to develop caudal forebrain primordium that includes future archipallium.

One of the central issues in developmental neurobiology is how the forebrain is organized ontogenetically. The traditional view is that the anterior neuroectoderm first develops into mesencephalic and prosencephalic vesicles; the latter vesicle subsequently develops into the diencephalon and secondary prosencephalon, of which dorsal parts protrude to generate the telencephalon. The diencephalon yields the pretectum, thalamus, and prethalamus, and the telencephalon produces the archipallium, neopallium, and ganglionic eminences. By identifying cell descendants that once expressed Emx2 with use of the Cre knock-in mutant into the Emx2 locus and analyzing phenotypes of double mutants between Emx2 and Otx2/Otx1 and between Emx2 and Pax6, we propose that at the 3-6 somite stage, the anterior neuroectoderm develops into three primordia: midbrain, caudal forebrain, and rostral forebrain. The caudal forebrain primordium generates not only the pretectum, thalamus, and prethalamus but also the archipallium, cortical hem, choroid plexus, choroidal roof, and eminentia thalami. The primordium corresponds to the Emx2- or Pax6-positive region at the 3-6 somite stage that most probably does not include the future neopallium or commissural plate. Otx2 and Otx1 that are expressed in the entire future forebrain and midbrain cooperate with this Emx2 and Pax6 expression in the development of the caudal forebrain primordium; Emx2 and Pax6 functions are redundant. In the embryonic day 9.5 Emx2-/-Pax6-/- double mutant, the caudal forebrain remained unspecified and subsequently transformed into tectum in a mirror image of the endogenous one.

Animals↗

Eph receptor deficiencies lead to altered cochlear function.

Ephrins and Eph receptors are a family of molecules that have been implicated in many developmental processes including neuronal network formation, guidance of cell migration, and axonal pathfinding. These molecules exhibit the ability to send bidirectional signals following ligand-receptor interactions resulting from cell-cell contacts. Gene-targeted knockout mice of B-class ephrins and Eph receptors have been shown to display phenotypic responses that correlate with anatomical defects. For example, disruption of the EphB2 receptor leads to defects of the vestibular system, including pathfinding abnormalities in efferent axons and reduced endolymph production. Such developmental distortions lead to deficiencies in ionic homeostasis and repetitive circling behaviors. The present study demonstrates that B-class ephrins and Eph receptors are expressed in cochlear tissues, suggesting that they may play some role in auditory function. To determine whether ephrins and Eph receptors have a functional role in the peripheral auditory system, distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) levels, collected across a broad frequency range, were compared between groups of mice expressing different Eph receptor genotypes. In particular, EphB1 and EphB3 receptor knockout mice exhibited significantly diminished DPOAE levels as compared to wild-type littermates, indicating that these specific Eph receptors are necessary for normal cochlear function.

Aging↗

The kinase-null EphB6 receptor undergoes transphosphorylation in a complex with EphB1.

Uniquely for the Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases, the EphB6 receptor is catalytically inactive due to the alteration of several critical residues in its kinase domain. This has cast doubt upon its ability to participate in cytoplasmic signaling events. We show here that despite its lack of kinase activity, EphB6 undergoes inducible tyrosine phosphorylation upon stimulation with the Eph-B receptor subfamily ligand ephrin-B1. We also demonstrate, for the first time, evidence of cross-talk between Eph receptors. Overexpression of a catalytically active member of the Eph-B subfamily, EphB1, resulted in increased EphB6 phosphorylation. EphB1-induced EphB6 phosphorylation was ligand-dependent and required the functional catalytic activity of EphB1. EphB1 not only transphosphorylated EphB6, but together they also formed a stable hetero-complex. In addition, we identify the proto-oncogene c-Cbl as an EphB6-binding protein. Although EphB6-Cbl association appeared to be constitutive, Cbl required a functional phosphotyrosine binding domain in order to bind the receptor, whereas its RING finger motif ubiquitin-transfer domain was not necessary. Our findings demonstrate that EphB6 is an actively signaling receptor that undergoes transphosphorylation upon ligand binding and that can initiate specific cytoplasmic signaling events.

Animals↗

The receptor tyrosine kinase EphB4 and ephrin-B ligands restrict angiogenic growth of embryonic veins in Xenopus laevis.

The cues and signaling systems that guide the formation of embryonic blood vessels in tissues and organs are poorly understood. Members of the Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases and their cell membrane-anchored ligands, the ephrins, have been assigned important roles in the control of cell migration during embryogenesis, particularly in axon guidance and neural crest migration. Here we investigated the role of EphB receptors and their ligands during embryonic blood vessel development in Xenopus laevis. In a survey of tadpole-stage Xenopus embryos for EphB receptor expression, we detected expression of EphB4 receptors in the posterior cardinal veins and their derivatives, the intersomitic veins. Vascular expression of other EphB receptors, including EphB1, EphB2 or EphB3, could however not be observed, suggesting that EphB4 is the principal EphB receptor of the early embryonic vasculature of Xenopus. Furthermore, we found that ephrin-B ligands are expressed complementary to EphB4 in the somites adjacent to the migratory pathways taken by intersomitic veins during angiogenic growth. We performed RNA injection experiments to study the function of EphB4 and its ligands in intersomitic vein development. Disruption of EphB4 signaling by dominant negative EphB4 receptors or misexpression of ephrin-B ligands in Xenopus embryos resulted in intersomitic veins growing abnormally into the adjacent somitic tissue. Our findings demonstrate that EphB4 and B-class ephrins act as regulators of angiogenesis possibly by mediating repulsive guidance cues to migrating endothelial cells.

Animals↗

Regulation of EphB1 expression by dopamine signaling.

The Eph family tyrosine kinase receptors and their ligands have been implicated in axon guidance and neuronal migration during development of the nervous system. In the current study, we aim to characterize the nature of changes in EphB1 receptor expression following increases or decreases in dopamine activity. Neonatal mice (P3) were injected with 6-hydroxydopamine and allowed 13 days to recover. These animals show a profound depletion of dopamine in all areas assayed, with a corresponding dose-dependent decrease in EphB1 expression. Day 3 pups were also injected either chronically (P3-P16) or acutely (P3 only) with cocaine to determine how enhancing dopamine signaling would affect EphB1 signal density. It was found that both treatments significantly increased expression of EphB1 in the cortex, striatum and substantia nigra. Finally, animals were treated prenatally (E15-E17) with cocaine and sacrificed on P7. These animals also showed an increase in EphB1 signal density, but only in the dopaminergic terminal areas in the cortex and striatum. These studies indicate that dopamine activity regulates developmental expression of the tyrosine kinase receptor EphB1.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

EphB receptor-binding peptides identified by phage display enable design of an antagonist with ephrin-like affinity.

The Eph receptor tyrosine kinases are overexpressed in many pathologic tissues and have therefore emerged as promising drug target candidates. However, there are few molecules available that can selectively bind to a single Eph receptor and not other members of this large receptor family. Here we report the identification by phage display of peptides that bind selectively to different receptors of the EphB class, including EphB1, EphB2, and EphB4. Peptides with the same EphB receptor specificity compete with each other for binding, suggesting that they have partially overlapping binding sites. In addition, several of the peptides contain amino acid motifs found in the G-H loop of the ephrin-B ligands, which is the region that mediates high-affinity interaction with the EphB receptors. Consistent with targeting the ephrin-binding site, the higher affinity peptides antagonize ephrin binding to the EphB receptors. We also designed an optimized EphB4-binding peptide with affinity comparable with that of the natural ligand, ephrin-B2. These peptides should be useful as selective inhibitors of the pathological activities of EphB receptors and as targeting agents for imaging probes and therapeutic drugs.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Reverse endocytosis of transmembrane ephrin-B ligands via a clathrin-mediated pathway.

Eph/ephrin receptors and ligands mediate cell-cell interaction through reciprocal signaling upon juxtacrine contact, and play a critical role in embryonic patterning, neuronal targeting, and vascular assembly. To study transmembrane ephrin-B ligand trafficking, we determined the cellular localization of ephrin-B1-GFP upon engagement by EphB1. Under normal culture conditions ephrin-B1-GFP is localized to the plasma membrane, mostly at the lateral cell borders. Addition of soluble EphB1-Fc receptor induces ephrin-B1-GFP clustering on the cell surface and subsequent internalization, as judged by biochemical studies, electron microscopy, and co-localization with endosomal markers. A dominant-negative mutant of dynamin or potassium depletion blocks ephrin-B1 endocytosis. These results suggest that ephrin-B1 internalization is an active receptor-mediated process that utilizes the clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway.

Animals↗