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Gene expression dynamics in deer antler: mesenchymal differentiation toward chondrogenesis

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Abstract

Annual re-growth of deer antler represents a unique example of complete organ regeneration. Because antler mesenchymal cells retain their embryonic capacity to develop into cartilage or bone, studying antler development provides a natural system to follow gene expression changes during mesenchymal differentiation toward chondrogenic/osteogenic lineage. To identify novel genes involved either in early events of mesenchymal cell specialization or in robust bone development, we have introduced a 3 K heterologous microarray set-up (deer cDNA versus mouse template). Fifteen genes were differentially expressed; genes for housekeeping, regulatory functions (components of different signaling pathways, including FGF, TGFβ, Wnt), and genes encoding members of the Polycomb group were represented. Expression dynamics for genes are visualized by an expression logo. The expression profile of the gene C21orf70 of unknown function is described along with the effects when over-expressed; furthermore the nuclear localization of the cognate protein is shown. In this report, we demonstrate the particular advantage of the velvet antler model in bone research for: (1) identification of mesenchymal and precartilaginous genes and (2) targeting genes upregulated in robust cartilage development.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to János Nagy for providing access to deer fetuses and developing antler samples; to Magdolna Tóth Péli, Csilla Sánta Török, Kornélia Szóráth Gálné, and Erzsébet Kusz for excellent technical assistance. Thanks are due to Balazs Bender for mice breeding; to Julianna Kobolak for MEF cells and electroporation facility (both of them at Agricultural Biotechnology Center); to János Kósa for his help in Real-time PCR analyses; to Tibor Vellai and Szabolcs Semsey for critical reading of the manuscript, and to Sankar Adhya (NIH), László Sugár, and János Szabad for their constant interest. This work was supported by grants OTKA T032205 to L.O. and T032255 to P.P., T034729 and T60659 to F.D., OM 0028/2001, OM 0278/2001 to L.O. and P.P., OM 0320/2004 to L.O., OM 255/2002 to F.D. from the National Research and Development Program NKFP; MTA/TKI/AKT-F 2003-2006 to L.O. from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; 454/2003 from the Ministry of Health, Social and Family Affairs to L.O and 76-a/2000, 31/a/2001 from the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development to L.O.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Genetics, Agricultural Biotechnology Center, Szent-Györgyi Albert u 4, 2101, Gödöllő, Hungary

    István Gyurján Jr, Andrea Molnár, Adrienn Borsy, Viktor Stéger, Péter Papp & László Orosz

  2. Department of Genetics, Eötvös Loránd University and Research Group for Molecular Genetics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Pázmány P. I/C, 1117, Budapest, Hungary

    István Gyurján Jr, Andrea Molnár, Adrienn Borsy, Viktor Stéger & László Orosz

  3. Laboratory of Functional Genomics, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 521, 6701, Szeged, Hungary

    László Hackler Jr & László G. Puskás

  4. Department of Fish and Pet Animal Breeding, Faculty of Animal Science, University of Kaposvár, P.O. Box 16, 7401, Kaposvár, Hungary

    Zoltán Zomborszky

  5. Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 521, 6701, Szeged, Hungary

    Ernő Duda & Ferenc Deák

  6. First Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University Medical School, Korányi S. 2/a, 1083, Budapest, Hungary

    Péter Lakatos

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  1. István Gyurján Jr
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  2. Andrea Molnár
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  3. Adrienn Borsy
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  4. Viktor Stéger
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  5. László Hackler Jr
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  6. Zoltán Zomborszky
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  7. Péter Papp
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  8. Ernő Duda
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  10. Péter Lakatos
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  11. László G. Puskás
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  12. László Orosz
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Correspondence to László Orosz.

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Communicated by P. Ruiz.

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Gyurján , I., Molnár, A., Borsy, A. et al. Gene expression dynamics in deer antler: mesenchymal differentiation toward chondrogenesis. Mol Genet Genomics 277, 221–235 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-006-0190-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-006-0190-0

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