SUMMARYIn many organ systems such as the skin, gastrointestinal tract and hematopoietic system, homeostasis is dependent on the continuous generation of differentiated progeny from stem cells. The rodent incisor, unlike human teeth, grows throughout the life of the animal and provides a prime example of an organ that rapidly deteriorates if newly differentiated cells cease to form from adult stem cells. Hedgehog (Hh) signaling has been proposed to regulate self-renewal, survival, proliferation and/or differentiation of stem cells in several systems, but to date there is little evidence supporting a role for Hh signaling in adult stem cells. We used in vivo genetic lineage tracing to identify Hh-responsive stem cells in the mouse incisor and we show that sonic hedgehog (SHH), which is produced by the differentiating progeny of the stem cells, signals to several regions of the incisor. Using a hedgehog pathway inhibitor (HPI), we demonstrate that Hh signaling is not required for stem cell survival but is essential for the generation of ameloblasts, one of the major differentiated cell types in the tooth, from the stem cells. These results therefore reveal the existence of a positive-feedback loop in which differentiating progeny produce the signal that in turn allows them to be generated from stem cells.

Summary The molecular mechanisms regulating olfactory receptor (OR) expression in the mammalian nose are not yet understood. Here, we identify the transient expression of histone demethylase LSD1, and the OR-dependent expression of Adenylyl Cyclase 3 (Adcy3) as requirements for initiation and stabilization of OR expression. As a transcriptional co-activator, LSD1 is necessary for de-silencing and initiating OR transcription, but as a transcriptional co-repressor, it is incompatible with maintenance of OR expression and its downregulation is imperative for stable OR choice. Adcy3, a sensor of OR expression and a transmitter of an OR-elicited feedback, mediates the downregulation of LSD1 and promotes the differentiation of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). This novel, three-node signaling cascade locks the epigenetic state of the chosen OR, stabilizes its singular expression, and prevents the transcriptional activation of additional OR alleles for the life of the neuron.

Rodent incisors grow throughout adult life, but are prevented from becoming excessively long by constant abrasion, which is facilitated by the absence of enamel on one side of the incisor. Here we report that loss-of-function of sprouty genes, which encode antagonists of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, leads to bilateral enamel deposition, thus impeding incisor abrasion and resulting in unchecked tooth elongation. We demonstrate that sprouty genes function to ensure that enamel-producing ameloblasts are generated on only one side of the tooth by inhibiting the formation of ectopic ameloblasts from self-renewing stem cells, and that they do so by preventing the establishment of an epithelial-mesenchymal FGF signaling loop. Interestingly, although inactivation of Spry4 alone initiates ectopic ameloblast formation in the embryo, the dosage of another sprouty gene must also be reduced to sustain it after birth. These data reveal that the generation of differentiated progeny from a particular stem cell population can be differently regulated in the embryo and adult.

Highlights d Histone H1 is enriched in methylated DNA independently of methylation d H1 loss activates genes, alters nucleosome organization, and disperses heterochromatin d DNA methylation and H1 jointly silence transposons d DNA methylation suppresses intragenic antisense transcripts

Summary Olfactory receptor (OR) expression requires the transcriptional activation of one out of thousands of OR alleles and a feedback signal that preserves this transcriptional choice. The mechanism by which olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) detect ORs to signal to the nucleus remains elusive. Here, we show that OR proteins generate this feedback by activating the unfolded protein response (UPR). OR expression induces Perk-mediated phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eif2α causing selective translation of Activating Transcription Factor 5 (ATF5). ATF5 induces the transcription of Adenylyl Cyclase 3 (Adcy3), which relieves the UPR. Our data provide a novel role for the UPR in defining neuronal identity and cell fate commitment and support a two-step model for the feedback signal: first OR protein, as a stress stimulus, alters the translational landscape of the OSN and induces Adcy3 expression; then, Adcy3 relieves that stress, restores global translation and makes OR choice permanent.