UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Transcription factor 7-like 1 is involved in hypothalamo-pituitary axis development in mice and humans.

Gaston-Massuet, C; McCabe, MJ; Scagliotti, V; Young, RM; Carreno, G; Gregory, LC; Jayakody, SA; ... Martinez-Barbera, JP; + view all (2016) Transcription factor 7-like 1 is involved in hypothalamo-pituitary axis development in mice and humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U S A 10.1073/pnas.1503346113. Green open access

[thumbnail of accepted version.pdf]
Preview
Text
accepted version.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (6MB) | Preview

Abstract

Aberrant embryonic development of the hypothalamus and/or pituitary gland in humans results in congenital hypopituitarism (CH). Transcription factor 7-like 1 (TCF7L1), an important regulator of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway, is expressed in the developing forebrain and pituitary gland, but its role during hypothalamo-pituitary (HP) axis formation or involvement in human CH remains elusive. Using a conditional genetic approach in the mouse, we first demonstrate that TCF7L1 is required in the prospective hypothalamus to maintain normal expression of the hypothalamic signals involved in the induction and subsequent expansion of Rathke's pouch progenitors. Next, we reveal that the function of TCF7L1 during HP axis development depends exclusively on the repressing activity of TCF7L1 and does not require its interaction with β-catenin. Finally, we report the identification of two independent missense variants in human TCF7L1, p.R92P and p.R400Q, in a cohort of patients with forebrain and/or pituitary defects. We demonstrate that these variants exhibit reduced repressing activity in vitro and in vivo relative to wild-type TCF7L1. Together, our data provide support for a conserved molecular function of TCF7L1 as a transcriptional repressor during HP axis development in mammals and identify variants in this transcription factor that are likely to contribute to the etiology of CH.

Type: Article
Title: Transcription factor 7-like 1 is involved in hypothalamo-pituitary axis development in mice and humans.
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1503346113
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1503346113
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2016 National Academy of Sciences.
Keywords: Tcf7l1, WNT pathway, hypopituitarism, pituitary, septooptic dysplasia
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Institute of Ophthalmology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Cell and Developmental Biology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Developmental Biology and Cancer Dept
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Genetics and Genomic Medicine Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1474008
Downloads since deposit
161Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item