doi:10.1369/jhc.5A6810.2006
Volume 54 (5): 593-604, 2006 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. Hematopoietic Cells Are a Source of Nidogen-1 and Nidogen-2 during Mouse Liver Development
Department of Histology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany Correspondence to: Laurice Thierry Tomte, Department of Histology, University of Göttingen, Kreuzbergring 36, D-37075, Göttingen, Germany. E-mail: ltomte{at}gwdg.de
Nidogen-1 and -2 are key components of basement membranes (BMs). Despite the presence of nidogen molecules in the parenchyma of the developing liver, no BMs are formed therein. This suggests that, in the liver, nidogens may also have functions other than BM formation. As a first step toward the elucidation of the possible cell biological functions of nidogens in the developing liver, we aimed to study their cellular origin. We localized expression of nidogen-1 and nidogen-2 on prenatal days 12, 14, and 16 in the developing mouse liver using in situ hybridization at the light and electron microscopic level and light microscopic immunohistochemistry. Our results show that nidogens are produced both in portal anlagen and in the parenchyma during liver development. In the parenchyma, transcripts can be found in hepatocytes, precursors of stellate cells, endothelial cells and, most interestingly, hematopoietic cells. Using real-time PCR, we found that the gene expression for both proteins shows a decrease from day 14 to day 16 concomitant with a decrease in the hepatic hematopoiesis. We suggest that nidogens may, to some extent, take part in the regulation of hepatic hematopoiesis. (J Histochem Cytochem 54:593604, 2006)
Key Words: hematopoietic cells nidogen-1 nidogen-2 liver development
NIDOGENS are extracellular matrix components known to act as link molecules for the networks of laminins and type IV collagen, thus participating in the assembly of basement membranes (BMs) (Fox et al. 1991
mRNA Extraction For the extraction of RNA, five liver tissue samples were taken from New Mexico Research Institute (NMRI) mice from day 12, three samples from day 14, and two samples from day 16. For each developmental day, 30 mg was pooled and frozen in liquid nitrogen, pulverized with a mortar and pestle, mixed in TRIZOL (Biozol; Eching, Germany), and incubated for 10 min at room temperature. Following a centrifugation step, the aqueous phase was transferred to an RNAeasy mini-columm (RNAeasy Midi Kit; Qiagen, Hilden, Gemany) processed according to the manufacturer's instructions and treated with DNAfree (Ambion; Huntingdon, UK). The quality of the RNA was tested with an Agilent 200 Bioanalyser RNA chip (Agilent; Palo Alto, CA). RNA was reverse-transcribed into cDNA with the help of the Advantage RT-for-PCR kit (BD Bioscience; Palo Alto, CA) applying Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase and oligo (dT)18 primer.
Standard RT-PCR
Quantitative Real-time PCR
Embedding of the Tissue
In Situ Hybridization: Light and Electron Microscopy
Light Microscopic Immunohistochemistry
Real-time PCR RT-PCR was performed on days 12, 14, and 16 of mouse development. A clear band was seen for nidogen-1 at 243 bp on all days investigated. A similar pattern was observed for nidogen-2 at 183 bp at the same developmental stages (Figure 1A
). We then investigated, by means of real-time PCR, the relative amounts of nidogen-1 and nidogen-2 expression at these different time points of development. The transcripts investigated showed high real-time PCR efficiency rates for nidogen-1 (E = 2.08) and nidogen-2 (E = 2.04) in the investigated range of 2.5 to 250 ng input (n=3) (Pearson coefficient r = 0.99). Subsequently, the threshold cycle (ct), the cycle number at which the amount of amplified gene of interest reached a fixed threshold, was determined. Real-time PCR revealed for nidogen-1 on day 12 mean ct values of 24.33 ± 1.28, on day 14 values of 21.66 ± 0.19, and on day 16 values of 23.15 ± 0.54. For nidogen-2 on day 12 mean ct values were 23.33 ± 0.21, on day 14 they were 22.65 ± 0.25, and on day 16 values were 25.06 ± 0.20 (Figures 1B and 1C). Results of a relative quantification showed a relative increase in nidogen-1 mRNA expression compared with the total gene expression of the developing liver tissues from day 12 to day 14 (7.06 ± 1.2-fold) and a relative decrease from day 14 to day 16 (0.3 ± 0.1-fold). On the other hand, relative mRNA expression level for nidogen-2 was highest on day 12 and decreased continuously from day 12 to day 14 (1.6 ± 0.2-fold) and from day 14 to day 16 (0.1 ± 0.2-fold). Validity of the PCR results was confirmed by sequencing the PCR products and by the melting curves, as shown here for nidogen-1 (Figure 1D) and for nidogen-2 (Figure 1E).
Histology In the liver parenchyma a conspicuous presence of hematopietic precursors intermingling with hepatic cells was already seen on day 12 (Figure 2A ). Clusters of various-size cells containing hepatic as well as hematopoietic precursors were visible on days 14 (Figure 2B) and 16 (Figure 2C) as well. Developing microvessels were seen among the parenchyma cell clusters in all stages. In some regions with a lower density of hematopoietic precursors, early trabecular organization of the hepatocytes could be visualized. However, cell density was mostly very high in liver parenchyma in all these stages and a precise distinction of the individual cell types and, particularly, among the individual hematopoietic precursors, was not always possible by means of light microscopy. Additionally, on day 16 the early portal anlagen were visible (Figure 2D). In contrast to the parenchymal areas, individual structures of the portal anlagen were clearly recognizable by light microscopy. Portal vein branches were surrounded by a thin sheath of connective tissue as well as by outer-limiting-plate hepatocytes and newly formed bile ducts (Figure 2D). At the ultrastructural level, after embedding in LR-Gold (Figure 2E), hepatocytes were mostly seen as irregular in shape with prolongations and only in later phases did they begin to show a polygonal form. Stellate cells were smaller and located in the proximity of microvessels. In early stages (Figure 2E) these were lined by continuous endothelial cells that showed the first signs of fenestrations on day 16. In all stages, hematopoietic precursors were roundish and surrounded the hepatocytes. Among the hematopoietic precursors, megakaryoblasts were easily recognized by their typical irregular profile and large dimension. Precursors of the red line had a round nucleus, whereas the nucleus of myelomonocytic cells showed a lateral indentation. A further distinction between granulocytic and monocytic precursors was not made because a clear differentiation of specific from unspecific granula is not possible after LR-Gold embedding.
Localization of Nidogen Gene Expression To establish the cellular origin of nidogen-1 and nidogen-2 in the mouse liver anlage on days 12, 14, and 16 of mouse development, we performed light and electron microscopic in situ hybridization. Localization of nidogen expression is summarized in Table 1 .
Light Microscopy On day 12, an irregular positive staining for nidogen-1 in the liver parenchyma was observed at this stage of development (Figure 3A ). In contrast, clear positive staining for nidogen-2 was seen in the entire parenchyma of the liver anlage (Figure 3C). Control reactions with sense probes showed no staining for either nidogen-1 (Figure 3B) or nidogen-2 (Figure 3D). On day 14, staining intensity for nidogen-1 was markedly increased in the liver parenchyma, and clear staining was now found throughout the parenchyma of the developing liver (Figure 3E). A similar staining pattern for nidogen-2 was observed light microscopically (Figure 3G). Controls with sense probes showed no reaction for either nidogen-1 (Figure 3F) or nidogen-2 (Figure 3H). On day 16, in situ hybridization with antisense probes showed that the mass of cells producing nidogen-1 (Figure 3I) and nidogen-2 (Figure 3K) in the liver parenchyma had clearly decreased. In the anlagen of the portal spaces also, developing bile ducts as well as mesenchymal cells and endothelial cells of the portal vessels showed clear gene expression for both nidogens. Control reactions with sense probes showed no staining for either nidogen-1 (Figure 3J) or nidogen-2 (Figure 3L).
Ultrastructural Localization of Nidogen Expression in the Parenchyma of the Developing Liver On day 12, transcripts for nidogen-1 as well as for nidogen-2 were found in several cell types such as hepatocytes, endothelial cells, and in cells of all hematopoietic lineages. Precursors of stellate cells showed no specific labeling for either nidogen-1 or nidogen-2 mRNA. Controls for nidogen-1 and nidogen-2 with sense probes revealed only sparse labeling regarded as nonspecific background. An example of nidogen-1 expression in an erythropoietic cell (Figure 4A ) is shown.
On days 14 and 16, ultrastructural examination of parenchymal areas of the developing liver showed transcripts for nidogen-1 as well as for nidogen-2 in hepatocytes, endothelial cells, and myelomonocytic, erythropoietic, and thrombopoietic precursors, as well as in precursors of stellate cells. Controls for nidogen-1 and nidogen-2 with sense probes revealed only sparse labeling regarded as nonspecific background. Examples of expression for nidogen-1 on day 14 in a myelomonocytic cell (Figure 4B) and for nidogen-2 on day 14 in an erythropoietic cell and an endothelial cell (Figure 4C), as well as in a precursor of stellate cells (Figure 4D), are shown. Examples of nidogen-1 expression on day 16 in an erythropoietic cell after incubation with the antisense probe (Figure 5A ) and after incubation with the corresponding sense (Figure 5B) as well as in a myelomonocytic precursor (Figure 5C) are shown. Examples of nidogen-2 expression on day 16 in a thrombopoietic cell (Figure 5D), as well as in a myelomonocytic cell on day 16 after incubation with the antisense probe (Figure 5E) and after incubation with corresponding sense probes (Figure 5F), are also depicted in the figures.
Immunohistochemical Detection of Nidogens On day 12 of development, immunostaining of mouse liver sections showed only sparse nidogen-1 deposits mainly in the proximity of the microvessels (Figure 6A ). In contrast, staining for nidogen-2 on day 12 was more continuous and ubiquitous (Figure 6B). On day 14, immunostaining for nidogen-1 (Figure 6C) was increased in comparison to day 12. Extracellular deposits in the parenchyma were visible, which were clearer in the regions adjacent to the microvessels. The staining pattern for nidogen-2 on day 14 (Figure 6D) was similar to that of nidogen-1. On day 16, in the parenchyma, weak extracellular staining for nidogen-1 (Figure 6E), as well as for nidogen-2 (Figure 6F), was present. In the anlagen of the portal spaces, on day 16 staining for both nidogen-1 (Figure 6G) and nidogen-2 (Figure 6H) was similarly distributed. Nidogen deposits were observed adjacent to the outer-limiting-plate hepatocytes and to the newly formed early bile ducts. The mesenchyme of the periportal matrix, as well as the lining of the portal branches, also showed positive staining. Negative controls did not show any staining for either nidogen-1 or nidogen-2 in any developmental stage investigated.
In this study we investigated expression of nidogen-1 and nidogen-2 in liver development. We were able to show that transcripts for both proteins are present in developing liver parenchyma in all stages investigated. Also, in developing portal spaces first visible on day 16, expression for both nidogens was found in developing bile ducts, as well as in mesenchymal cells and endothelial cells. However, whereas the individual structures and cell types of the portal anlagen are also clearly recognizable light microscopically, in parenchymal areas the situation is different. Because of the strong hematopoietic activity of the developing liver already present on day 12, there are many densely packed cells in the parenchymal regions in which hepatic cells intermingle with hematopoietic precursors. Moreover, after light microscopic in situ hybridization, the cell limits do not always appear clearly delineated. However, on the basis of our light microscopic results, it is conceivable that hematopoietic precursors are involved in the production of both nidogens, as already postulated for nidogen-1 on day 12.5 (Thomas and Dziadek 1993
Using real-time PCR, we found that between days 14 and 16, the relative expression of the two nidogens showed a quantitative decrease that paralleled the decrease of the hepatic hematopoietic activity (Sasaki and Iwatzuki 1997 By means of immunohistochemistry, we also show that both proteins are also produced and deposited in the extracellular matrix of the parenchyma and of the portal anlagen during mouse liver development.
It is conceivable that nidogens may be involved in the regulation of hepatic hematopoiesis. In fact, during embryogenesis the liver is one of the major organs of hematopoiesis (Asano et al. 1987
We also report that both hepatocytes and bile duct epithelium also express both nidogens. Nidogen expression was, for a long time, believed to be restricted to cells of mesenchymal origin (Thomas and Dziadek 1993
Sinusoidal endothelial cells from adult liver were previously shown in vitro to produce several matrix components including nidogen molecules (Neubauer et al. 1999
Another possible explanation for the significance of the widespread expression of nidogens in the developing liver is that nidogen molecules could be released into the blood in the embryo and fetus, thus acting as plasma protein. This could be conceivable if one assumes that the matrix content in the parenchymal areas of the liver can be relatively limited and mainly restricted to the space of Disse, which during development is very narrow (Enzan et al. 1997 Our results clearly show that both nidogens are produced, deposited in the matrix, and ubiquitously expressed in the developing liver, and that all hematopoietic cell lineages constitute a significant source of these glycoproteins. It will be of considerable interest to further examine the role of nidogens in hepatic hematopoiesis, as well as in other hematopoietic organs such as spleen and bone marrow, to gain further insight into the possible role of nidogens in the regulation of hematopoiesis and the switch from the hepatolineal phase of hematopoiesis to hematopoiesis in the bone marrow.
We dedicate this article to the memory of our Director and mentor Prof. Rainer Herken, who passed away unexpectedly during the period of submission of this article. We have lost a special person and feel an immense sorrow. We also thank Berti Manshausen, Christina Zelent, Elke Heyder, Sonja Schwoch, and Rod Dungan for their excellent technical support and Cyrilla Maelicke, B.Sc., for editing the manuscript.
1 Deceased November 3, 2005. Received for publication August 11, 2005; accepted December 24, 2005
Amenta PS, Harrison D (1997) Expression and potential role of the extracellular matrix in hepatic ontogenesis. Microsc Res Tech 39:372386[CrossRef][Medline] Asano H, Kobayashi M, Hoshino T (1987) The hemopoietic microenvironment in the fetal liver of mice: Relationship between developing hepatocytes and erythroblasts. J Electron Microsc (Tokyo) 36:1525 Aumailley M, Battaglia C, Mayer U, Reinhardt D, Nischt R, Timpl R, Fox JW (1993) Nidogen mediates the formation of ternary complexes of basement membrane components. Kidney Int 43:712[Medline] Baloch Z, Klapper J, Buchanan L, Schwartz M, Amenta PS (1992) Ontogenesis of the murine hepatic extracellular matrix: an immunohistochemical study. Differentiation 51:209218[Medline] Chung AE (1993) Biological functions of entactin. Kidney Int 43:1319[Medline] Clark BR, Gallahager JT, Dexter M (1992) Cell adhesion in the stromal regulation of haemopoeisis. Baillieres Clin Haematol 5:619652[Medline] Ekblom P, Ekblom M, Fecker L, Klein G, Zhang HY, Kadoya Y, Chu ML, et al. (1994) Role of mesenchymal nidogen for epithelial morphogenesis in vitro. Development 120:20032014[Abstract] Enzan H, Hara H, Yamashita Y, Ohkita T, Yamane T (1983) Fine structure of hepatic sinusoids and their development in human embryos and fetuses. Acta Pathol Jpn 33:447466[Medline] Enzan H, Himeno H, Hiroi M, Kiyoku H, Saibara T, Onishi S (1997) Development of the hepatic sinusoidal structure with special reference to the Ito cells. Microsc Res Tech 39:336349[CrossRef][Medline] Fox JW, Mayer U, Nischt R, Aumailley M, Reinhardt D, Wiedemann H, Timpl R, et al. (1991) Recombinant nidogen consists of three globular domains and mediates binding of laminin to collagen type IV. EMBO J 10:31373146[Medline] Gu Y, Sorokin L, Durbeej M, Hjalt T, Jönsson J-I, Ekblom M (1999) Characterization of bone marrow laminins and identification of Gu Y-C, Talts JF, Gullberg D, Timpl R, Ekblom M (2001) Glucocorticoids down-regulated the extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin, fibulin1 and fibulin 2 in bone marrow stroma. Eur J Haematol 67:176184[CrossRef][Medline] Hirsch E, Iglesias A, Potocknick AJ, Hartmann U, Fässler R (1996) Impaired migration but not differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells in the absence of ß1 integrin. Nature 380:171175[CrossRef][Medline] Johnson GR, Metcalf D (1978) Characterization of mouse fetal liver granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells using velocity sedimentation. Exp Hematol 6:246256[Medline] Johnson GR, Moore MA (1975) Role of stem cell migration in initiation of mouse foetal liver hemopoiesis. Nature 258:726728[CrossRef][Medline] Kelemen EM, Calvo W, Fliedner TM (1979) Atlas of Human Hematopoietic Development. New York, Springer Verlag, 1299. Kelemen EM, Janossa M (1980) Macrophages are the first differentiated blood cells formed in human embryonic liver. Exp Hematol 8:9961000[Medline] Kimura N, Toyoshima T, Kojima T, Shimane M (1998) Entactin-2: a new member of basement membrane proteins with homology to entactin/nidogen. Exp Cell Res 241:3645[CrossRef][Medline] Klein G (1995) The extracellular matrix of the hemopoietic microenvironment. Experientia 51:914926[CrossRef][Medline] Klein G, Müller CA, Tillet E, Chu M-L, Timpl R (1995) Collagen type VI in the human bone marrow microenvironment: a strong cytoadhesive component. Blood 86:17401748 Kohfeldt E, Sasaki T, Göhring W, Timpl R (1998) Nidogen 2: a basement membrane protein with diverse binding properties. J Mol Biol 282:99109[CrossRef][Medline] Krengel S, Gotz W, Herken R (1996) Expression pattern of type II collagen mRNA during early human vertebral development in the human embryo. Anat Embryol (Berl) 19:4351 Li D, Friedman SL (1999) Liver fibrogenesis and role of hepatic stellate cells: new insights and prospects for therapy. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 14:618633[CrossRef][Medline] Mann K, Deutzmann R, Aumailley M, Timpl R, Raimondi L, Yamada Y, Pan TC, et al. (1989) Amino acid sequence of mouse nidogen, a multidomain basement membrane protein with binding activity for laminin, collagen type IV and cells. EMBO J 8:6572[Medline] Mayani H, Guilbert LJ, Wieczorek J (1992) Biology of the hematopoietic microenvironment. Eur J Haematol 49:225233[Medline] Mayer U, Timpl R (1994) Nidogen: a versatile binding protein of basement membranes. In Yurchenco PD, Birk DE, Mecham RP, eds. Extracellular Matrix Assembly and Structures. San Diego, Academic Press, 389416 Medlock ES, Haar JL (1983) The liver hemopoietic environment. I. Developing hepatocytes and their role in fetal hemopoiesis. Anat Rec 207:3141[CrossRef][Medline] Milani S, Herbst H, Schuppan D, Grappone C, Heinrichs OE (1995) Cellular sources of extracellular matrix proteins in normal and fibrotic liver. Studies of gene expression by in situ hybridization. J Hepatol 22:7176[CrossRef][Medline] Miosge N (2001) The ultrastructural composition of basement membranes in vivo. Histol Histopathol 16:12391248[Medline] Miosge N, Köther F, Heinemann S, Kohfeldt E, Herken R, Timpl R (2000b) Ultrastructural colocalization of nidogen-1 and nidogen-2 with laminin-1 in murine kidney basement membranes. Histochem Cell Biol 113:115124[CrossRef][Medline] Miosge N, Quondamatteo F, Klenczar C, Herken R (2000a) Nidogen-1. Expression and ultrastructural localization during the onset of mesoderm formation in the early mouse embryo. J Histochem Cytochem 48:229238 Moore MA, Metcalf D (1970) Ontogeny of the haemopoietic system: yolk sac origin of in vivo and in vitro colony-forming cells in the developing mouse embryo. Br J Haematol 18:279296[Medline] Neubauer K, Kruger M, Quondamatteo F, Knittel T, Saile B, Ramadori G (1999) Transforming growth factor-ß1 stimulates the synthesis of basement membrane proteins laminin, collagen type IV and entactin in rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. J Hepatol 31:692702[CrossRef][Medline] Ohta M, Sakai T, Saga Y, Aizawa S, Saito M (1998) Suppression of hematopoietic activity in tenascin C-deficient mice. Blood 91:40744083 Palis J, Yoder MC (2001) Yolk-sac hematopoiesis: the first blood cells of mouse and man. Exp Hematol 29:927936[CrossRef][Medline] Pfaffl MW (2001) A new mathematical model for relative quantification in real-time PCR. Nucleic Acids Res 29:e45 Quondamatteo F (2002) Assembly, stability and integrity of basement membranes in vivo. Histochem J 34:369381[CrossRef][Medline] Quondamatteo F, Kempkensteffen C, Miosge N, Sonnenberg A, Herken R (2004) Ultrastructural localization of integrin subunits Quondamatteo F, Scherf C, Miosge N, Herken R (1999) Immunohistochemical localization of laminin, nidogen, and type IV collagen during the early development of human liver. Histochem Cell Biol 111:3947[Medline] Ramadori G, Saile B (2004) Inflammation, damage repair, immune cells, and liver fibrosis: specific or nonspecific, this is the question. Gastroenterology 73:291296 Sasaki K, Iwatzuki H (1997) Origin and fate of the central macrophages of erythroblastic islands in the fetal and neonatal mouse liver. Microsc Res Tech 39:398405[CrossRef][Medline] Sasaki K, Sonoda Y (2000) Histometrical and three-dimensional analyses of liver hematopoiesis in the mouse embryo. Arch Histol Cytol 63:137146[CrossRef][Medline] Schaffner F, Popper H (1963) Capillarization of the hepatic sinusoids in man. Gastroenterology 4:239242 Schaffner F, Sternlieb I, Barka T, Popper H (1962) Hepatocellular changes in Wilson's disease. Histochemical and electron microscopic studies. Am J Pathol 41:315328[Medline] Schwoegler S, Neubauer K, Knittel T, Chung AE, Ramadori G (1994) Entactin gene expression in normal and fibrotic rat liver cells. Lab Invest 70:525536[Medline] Siler U, Seiffert M, Push S, Richards A, Torok Storb B, Müller CA, Sorokin L, et al. (2000) Characterization and functional analysis of laminin isoforms in human bone marrow. Blood 96:41944203 Thomas T, Dziadek M (1993) Genes coding for basement membrane glycoproteins laminin, nidogen and collagen IV are differentially expressed in the nervous system and by epithelial, endothelial, and mesenchymal cells of the mouse embryo. Exp Cell Res 208:5467[CrossRef][Medline] Timens W, Kamps WA (1997) Hemopoiesis in human fetal and embryonic liver. Microsc Res Tech 39:387397[CrossRef][Medline] Verfaillie CM, Hurley R, Bhatia R, McCarthy JB (1994) Role of bone marrow matrix in normal and abnormal hematopoiesis. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 16:201224[Medline] Wolf NS, Bertoncello I, Jiang D, Priestley G (1995) Developmental hemopoiesis from prenatal to young-adult life in the mouse model. Exp Hematol 23:142146[Medline] Wu C, Chung AE (1991) Potential role of entactin in hemostasis. Specific interaction with fibrinogen A alpha and B beta chains. J Biol Chem 266:1880218807 Yokota T, Oritani K, Mitsuti A, Aoyama K, Ishikawa J, Sughara H, Matsumura I, et al. (1998) Growth-supporting activities of fibronectin on hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in vitro: structural requirement for fibronectin activities of CSI and cell-binding domains. Blood 91:32633273 Yoshikawa H, Sakiyama Y (1996) Costimulation of fibronectin receptor promotes Fc gamma R-mediated rescue of IL-3-dependent bone marrow-derived cells from apoptosis. J Immunol 156:18321840[Abstract]
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||