Kdm7a expression is spatiotemporally regulated in developing Xenopus laevis embryos, and its overexpression influences late retinal development

BACKGROUND: Post-translational histone modifications are among the most common epigenetic modifications that orchestrate gene expression, playing a pivotal role during embryonic development and in various pathological conditions. Among histone lysine demethylases, KDM7A, also known as KIAA1718 or JHDM1D, catalyzes the demethylation of H3K9me1/2 and H3K27me1/2, leading to transcriptional regulation. Previous data suggest that KDM7A plays a central role in several biological processes, including cell proliferation, commitment, differentiation, apoptosis, and maintenance. However, information on the expression pattern of KDM7A in whole organisms is limited, and its functional role is still unclear. RESULTS: In Xenopus development, kdm7a is expressed early, undergoing spatiotemporal regulation in various organs and tissues, including the central nervous system and the eye. Focusing on retinal development, we found that kdm7a overexpression does not affect the expression of genes critically involved in early neural development and eye-field specification, whereas unbalances the distribution of neural cell subtypes in the mature retina by disfavoring the development of ganglion cells while promoting that of horizontal cells. CONCLUSIONS: Kdm7a is dynamically expressed during embryonic development, and its overexpression influences late retinal development, suggesting a potential involvement in the molecular machinery regulating the spatiotemporally ordered generation of retinal neuronal subtypes.