1
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Taguchi M, Minakata K, Tame A, Furukawa R. Establishment of the immunological self in juvenile Patiria pectinifera post-metamorphosis. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1056027. [PMID: 36561757 PMCID: PMC9763293 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1056027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ontogeny of the immune system is a fundamental immunology issue. One indicator of immune system maturation is the establishment of the immunological self, which describes the ability of the immune system to distinguish allogeneic individuals (allorecognition ability). However, the timing of immune system maturation during invertebrate ontogeny is poorly understood. In the sea star Patiria pectinifera, cells that have dissociated from the embryos and larvae are able to reconstruct larvae. This reconstruction phenomenon is possible because of a lack of allorecognition capability in the larval immune system, which facilitates the formation of an allogeneic chimera. In this study, we revealed that the adult immune cells of P. pectinifera (coelomocytes) have allorecognition ability. Based on a hypothesis that allorecognition ability is acquired before and after metamorphosis, we conducted detailed morphological observations and survival time analysis of metamorphosis-induced chimeric larvae. The results showed that all allogeneic chimeras died within approximately two weeks to one month of reaching the juvenile stage. In these chimeras, the majority of the epidermal cell layer was lost and the mesenchymal region expanded, but cell death appeared enhanced in the digestive tract. These results indicate that the immunological self of P. pectinifera is established post-metamorphosis during the juvenile stage. This is the first study to identify the timing of immune system maturation during echinodermal ontogenesis. As well as establishing P. pectinifera as an excellent model for studies on self- and non-self-recognition, this study enhances our understanding of the ontogeny of the immune system in invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mizuki Taguchi
- Department of Biology, Research and Education Center for Natural Sciences, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kota Minakata
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Akihiro Tame
- Department of Marine and Earth Sciences, Marine Works Japan Ltd., Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Ryohei Furukawa
- Department of Biology, Research and Education Center for Natural Sciences, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
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2
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Hiebert LS, Vieira LM, Tiozzo S, Simpson C, Grosberg RK, Migotto AE, Morandini AC, Brown FD. From the individual to the colony: Marine invertebrates as models to understand levels of biological organization. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2021; 336:191-197. [PMID: 33819384 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The developmental and evolutionary principles of coloniality in marine animals remain largely unexplored. Although many common traits have evolved independently in different groups of colonial animals, questions about their significance for colonial life histories remain unanswered. In 2018 (Nov. 25 - Dec. 8), the inaugural course on the Evolution of Coloniality and Modularity took place at the Center for Marine Biology of the University of São Paulo (CEBIMAR-USP), Brazil. During the intensive two-week graduate-level course, we addressed some of the historical ideas about animal coloniality by focal studies in bryozoans, tunicates, cnidarians, and sponges. We discussed many historical hypotheses and ways to test these using both extant and paleontological data, and we carried direct observations of animal colonies in the different phyla to address questions about coloniality. We covered topics related to multi-level selection theory and studied colonial traits, including modular miniaturization, polymorphism, brooding, and allorecognition. Course participants carried out short research projects using local species of animals to address questions on allorecognition and regeneration in ascidians and sponges, fusion and chimerism in anthoathecate hydrozoans, and evolution of polymorphism in bryozoans. Although many questions remain unanswered, this course served as a foundation to continue to develop a developmental and evolutionary synthesis of clonal and modular development in colonial marine organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel S Hiebert
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), Universidade de São Paulo, São Sebastião, Brazil
| | - Leandro M Vieira
- Laboratório de Estudos de Bryozoa (LAEBry), Departamento de Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, UFPE, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Brazil
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer (LBDV), Paris, France
| | - Carl Simpson
- Department of Geological Sciences and Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Colorado, USA
| | - Richard K Grosberg
- Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Alvaro E Migotto
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), Universidade de São Paulo, São Sebastião, Brazil
| | - Andre C Morandini
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), Universidade de São Paulo, São Sebastião, Brazil
| | - Federico D Brown
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), Universidade de São Paulo, São Sebastião, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Estudos Interdisciplinares e Transdisciplinares em Ecologia e Evolução (IN-TREE), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
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3
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Abstract
Most colonial marine invertebrates live as surface encrustations in benthic environments. As they grow, these animals frequently encounter other members of their own species. These encounters typically lead to conflict, in which the colonies aggressively compete for space, or co-existence, in which the colonies peacefully border each other. Sometimes, however, interacting colonies will engage in a form of cooperation in which they fuse together and actively share resources.
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4
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Vilanova E, Ciodaro PJ, Bezerra FF, Santos GRC, Valle-Delgado JJ, Anselmetti D, Fernàndez-Busquets X, Mourão PAS. Adhesion of freshwater sponge cells mediated by carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions requires low environmental calcium. Glycobiology 2020; 30:710-721. [PMID: 32080706 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwaa014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine ancestors of freshwater sponges had to undergo a series of physiological adaptations to colonize harsh and heterogeneous limnic environments. Besides reduced salinity, river-lake systems also have calcium concentrations far lower than seawater. Cell adhesion in sponges is mediated by calcium-dependent multivalent self-interactions of sulfated polysaccharide components of membrane-bound proteoglycans named aggregation factors. Cells of marine sponges require seawater average calcium concentration (10 mM) to sustain adhesion promoted by aggregation factors. We demonstrate here that the freshwater sponge Spongilla alba can thrive in a calcium-poor aquatic environment and that their cells are able to aggregate and form primmorphs with calcium concentrations 40-fold lower than that required by marine sponges cells. We also find that their gemmules need calcium and other micronutrients to hatch and generate new sponges. The sulfated polysaccharide purified from S. alba has sulfate content and molecular size notably lower than those from marine sponges. Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses indicated that it is composed of a central backbone of non- and 2-sulfated α- and β-glucose units decorated with branches of α-glucose. Assessments with atomic force microscopy/single-molecule force spectroscopy show that S. alba glucan requires 10-fold less calcium than sulfated polysaccharides from marine sponges to self-interact efficiently. Such an ability to retain multicellular morphology with low environmental calcium must have been a crucial evolutionary step for freshwater sponges to successfully colonize inland waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Vilanova
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis and Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-913, Brazil
| | - Priscilla J Ciodaro
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis and Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-913, Brazil
| | - Francisco F Bezerra
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis and Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-913, Brazil
| | - Gustavo R C Santos
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis and Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-913, Brazil
| | - Juan J Valle-Delgado
- Departament of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Aalto FI-00076, Finland
| | - Dario Anselmetti
- Experimental Biophysics and Applied Nanoscience, Faculty of Physics, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld 33615, Germany
| | - Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona ES-08036, Spain.,Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona ES-08028, Spain
| | - Paulo A S Mourão
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis and Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-913, Brazil
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5
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Casso M, Tagliapietra D, Turon X, Pascual M. High fusibility and chimera prevalence in an invasive colonial ascidian. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15673. [PMID: 31666562 PMCID: PMC6821838 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51950-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of chimeric entities through colony fusion has been hypothesized to favour colonisation success and resilience in modular organisms. In particular, it can play an important role in promoting the invasiveness of introduced species. We studied prevalence of chimerism and performed fusion experiments in Mediterranean populations of the worldwide invasive colonial ascidian Didemnum vexillum. We analysed single zooids by whole genome amplification and genotyping-by-sequencing and obtained genotypic information for more than 2,000 loci per individual. In the prevalence study, we analysed nine colonies and identified that 44% of them were chimeric, composed of 2–3 different genotypes. In the fusion experiment 15 intra- and 30 intercolony pairs were assayed but one or both fragments regressed and died in ~45% of the pairs. Among those that survived for the length of the experiment (30 d), 100% isogeneic and 31% allogeneic pairs fused. Fusion was unlinked to global genetic relatedness since the genetic distance between fused or non-fused intercolony pairs did not differ significantly. We could not detect any locus directly involved in allorecognition, but we cannot preclude the existence of a histocompatibility mechanism. We conclude that chimerism occurs frequently in D. vexillum and may be an important factor to enhance genetic diversity and promote its successful expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Casso
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Catalonia, Spain.,Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, and IRBio, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Davide Tagliapietra
- CNR - National Research Council of Italy, ISMAR - Institute of Marine Sciences, Venice, Italy
| | - Xavier Turon
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marta Pascual
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, and IRBio, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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6
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Gianasi BL, Hamel JF, Mercier A. Full allogeneic fusion of embryos in a holothuroid echinoderm. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0339. [PMID: 29848645 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Whole-body chimaeras (organisms composed of genetically distinct cells) have been directly observed in modular/colonial organisms (e.g. corals, sponges, ascidians); whereas in unitary deuterostosmes (including mammals) they have only been detected indirectly through molecular analysis. Here, we document for the first time the step-by-step development of whole-body chimaeras in the holothuroid Cucumaria frondosa, a unitary deuterostome belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most derived unitary metazoan in which direct investigation of zygote fusibility has been undertaken. Fusion occurred among hatched blastulae, never during earlier (unhatched) or later (larval) stages. The fully fused chimaeric propagules were two to five times larger than non-chimaeric embryos. Fusion was positively correlated with propagule density and facilitated by the natural tendency of early embryos to agglomerate. The discovery of natural chimaerism in a unitary deuterostome that possesses large externally fertilized eggs provides a framework to explore key aspects of evolutionary biology, histocompatibility and cell transplantation in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno L Gianasi
- Department of Ocean Sciences (OSC), Memorial University, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1C 5S7
| | - Jean-François Hamel
- Society for the Exploration and Valuing of the Environment (SEVE), St Philip's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1M 2B7
| | - Annie Mercier
- Department of Ocean Sciences (OSC), Memorial University, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1C 5S7
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7
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Washing soda induced alteration of the differential cell count, nonself surface adhesion efficacy and nuclear morphology of the polyphenotypic cells of a freshwater sponge of India. Interdiscip Toxicol 2018; 11:155-168. [PMID: 31719787 PMCID: PMC6829681 DOI: 10.2478/intox-2018-0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Washing soda has been identified as a precarious contaminant of the freshwater ponds and lakes, the natural habitat of Eunapius carteri. Treatment of sublethal concentrations of washing soda for 384 hours exhibited a significant decrease in the densities of blast like cells, small and large amoebocytes. The percentage occurrence of granular cells and archaeocytes yielded a marked increase against the experimental concentrations of washing soda. Washing soda mediated alterations in the differential cell densities of E. carteri indicative of a state of physiological stress and an undesirable shift in the cellular homeostasis of the organism distributed in polluted environment. Experimental exposure of washing soda yielded a significant increase in the cellular dimensions of large amoebocytes and archaeocytes. Prolonged treatment with washing soda presented a gross reduction in nonself surface adhesion efficacy of E. carteri cells. Experimental concentrations of washing soda resulted in a dose dependent increment in the frequencies of binucleation and micronucleation in the cells of E. carteri. The data were indicative of a high level of genotoxicity of washing soda in E. carteri. The present investigation provides an important information base in understanding the toxin induced chemical stress on the archaic immune defense of a primitive urmetazoa.
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8
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Transcriptomic Profiling of the Allorecognition Response to Grafting in the Demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Mar Drugs 2017; 15:md15050136. [PMID: 28492509 PMCID: PMC5450542 DOI: 10.3390/md15050136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Sponges, despite their simple body plan, discriminate between self and nonself with remarkable specificity. Sponge grafting experiments simulate the effects of natural self or nonself contact under laboratory conditions. Here we take a transcriptomic approach to investigate the temporal response to self and nonself grafts in the marine demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Auto- and allografts were established, observed and sampled over a period of three days, over which time the grafts either rejected or accepted, depending on the identity of the paired individuals, in a replicable and predictable manner. Fourteen transcriptomes were generated that spanned the auto- and allograft responses. Self grafts fuse completely in under three days, and the process appears to be controlled by relatively few genes. In contrast, nonself grafting results in a complete lack of fusion after three days, and appears to involve a broad downregulation of normal biological processes, rather than the mounting of an intense defensive response.
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9
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Grice LF, Gauthier ME, Roper KE, Fernàndez-Busquets X, Degnan SM, Degnan BM. Origin and Evolution of the Sponge Aggregation Factor Gene Family. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:1083-1099. [PMID: 28104746 PMCID: PMC5400394 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although discriminating self from nonself is a cardinal animal trait, metazoan allorecognition genes do not appear to be homologous. Here, we characterize the Aggregation Factor (AF) gene family, which encodes putative allorecognition factors in the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica, and trace its evolution across 24 sponge (Porifera) species. The AF locus in Amphimedon is comprised of a cluster of five similar genes that encode Calx-beta and Von Willebrand domains and a newly defined Wreath domain, and are highly polymorphic. Further AF variance appears to be generated through individualistic patterns of RNA editing. The AF gene family varies between poriferans, with protein sequences and domains diagnostic of the AF family being present in Amphimedon and other demosponges, but absent from other sponge classes. Within the demosponges, AFs vary widely with no two species having the same AF repertoire or domain organization. The evolution of AFs suggests that their diversification occurs via high allelism, and the continual and rapid gain, loss and shuffling of domains over evolutionary time. Given the marked differences in metazoan allorecognition genes, we propose the rapid evolution of AFs in sponges provides a model for understanding the extensive diversification of self-nonself recognition systems in the animal kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura F. Grice
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Marie E.A. Gauthier
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kathrein E. Roper
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets
- Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute (IN2UB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sandie M. Degnan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Bernard M. Degnan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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10
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Padua A, Leocorny P, Custódio MR, Klautau M. Fragmentation, Fusion, and Genetic Homogeneity in a Calcareous Sponge (Porifera, Calcarea). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL GENETICS AND PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 325:294-303. [PMID: 27194182 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Sessile marine invertebrates living on hard substrata usually present strategies such as size variations, longer life spans, fragmentation and fusion to occupy and compete for space. Calcareous sponges are usually small and short-lived, and some species are known to undergo frequent fragmentation and fusion events. However, whether fusion occurs only between genetically identical individuals remains unclear. We investigated the occurrence of chimaeras in the calcareous sponge Clathrina aurea by following the dynamics of fragmentation and fusion of 66 individuals in the field for up to 18 months and determined size variations and the life span of each individual. Microsatellites were used to determine whether fusion events occur among genetically different individuals. Growth and shrinkage of individuals were frequently observed, showing that size cannot be associated with age in C. aurea. The life span of the species ranged from 1 to 16 months (mean: 4.7 months). Short life spans and variable growth rates have been observed in other species of the class Calcarea. Fragmentation and fusion events were observed, but fusion events always occurred between genetically identical individuals, as has been suggested by graft experiments in adult Demospongiae and other Calcarea. These results suggest that at least C. aurea adults may have some mechanism to avoid chimaerism.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Padua
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro Leocorny
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Márcio Reis Custódio
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Fisiologia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Michelle Klautau
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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11
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Lavrov AI, Kosevich IA. Sponge cell reaggregation: Mechanisms and dynamics of the process. Russ J Dev Biol 2014. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360414040067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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12
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Karlep L, Reintamm T, Kelve M. Intragenomic Profiling Using Multicopy Genes: The rDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequences of the Freshwater Sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e66601. [PMID: 23825547 PMCID: PMC3688955 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicopy genes, like ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA), are widely used to describe and distinguish individuals. Despite concerted evolution that homogenizes a large number of rDNA gene copies, the presence of different gene variants within a genome has been reported. Characterization of an organism by defining every single variant of tens to thousands of rDNA repeat units present in a eukaryotic genome would be quite unreasonable. Here we provide an alternative approach for the characterization of a set of internal transcribed spacer sequences found within every rDNA repeat unit by implementing direct sequencing methodology. The prominent allelic variants and their relative amounts characterizing an individual can be described by a single sequencing electropherogram of the mixed amplicon containing the variants present within the genome. We propose a method for rational analysis of heterogeneity of multicopy genes by compiling a profile based on quantification of different sequence variants of the internal transcribed spacers of the freshwater sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis as an example. In addition to using conventional substitution analysis, we have developed a mathematical method, the proportion model method, to quantify the relative amounts of allelic variants of different length using data from direct sequencing of the heterogeneous amplicon. This method is based on determining the expected signal intensity values (corresponding to peak heights from the sequencing electropherogram) by sequencing clones from the same or highly similar amplicon and comparing hypothesized combinations against the values obtained by direct sequencing of the heterogeneous amplicon. This method allowed to differentiate between all specimens analysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisi Karlep
- Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Tõnu Reintamm
- Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Merike Kelve
- Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
- * E-mail:
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13
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Nydam ML, De Tomaso AW. The fester locus in Botryllus schlosseri experiences selection. BMC Evol Biol 2012; 12:249. [PMID: 23259925 PMCID: PMC3549757 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2012] [Accepted: 12/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Allorecognition, the ability of an organism to distinguish self from non-self, occurs throughout the entire tree of life. Despite the prevalence and importance of allorecognition systems, the genetic basis of allorecognition has rarely been characterized outside the well-known MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) in vertebrates and SI (Self-Incompatibility) in plants. Where loci have been identified, their evolutionary history is an open question. We have previously identified the genes involved in self/non-self recognition in the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri, and we can now begin to investigate their evolution. In B. schlosseri, colonies sharing 1 or more alleles of a gene called FuHC (Fusion Histocompatibility) will fuse. Protein products of a locus called fester, located ~300 kb from FuHC, have been shown to play multiple roles in the histocompatibility reaction, as activating and/or inhibitory receptors. We test whether the proteins encoded by this locus are evolving neutrally or are experiencing balancing, directional, or purifying selection. Results Nearly all of the variation in the fester locus resides within populations. The 13 housekeeping genes (12 nuclear genes and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I) have substantially more structure among populations within groups and among groups than fester. All polymorphism statistics (Tajima's D, Fu and Li's D* and F*) are significantly negative for the East Coast A-type alleles, and Fu and Li's F* statistic is significantly negative for the West Coast A-type alleles. These results are likely due to selection rather than demography, given that 10 of the housekeeping loci have no populations with significant values for any of the polymorphism statistics. The majority of codons in the fester proteins have ω values < 1, but 15–27 codons have > 95% posterior probability of ω values > 1. Conclusion Fester proteins are evolving non-neutrally. The polymorphism statistics are consistent with either purifying selection or directional selection. The ω statistics show that the majority of the protein is experiencing purifying selection (ω < 1), but that 15–27 codons are undergoing either balancing or directional selection: ω > 1 is compatible with either scenario. The distribution of variation within and among populations points towards balancing selection and away from directional selection. While these data do not provide unambiguous support for a specific type of selection, they contribute to our evolutionary understanding of a critical biological process by determining the forces that affect loci involved in allorecognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie L Nydam
- Division of Science and Mathematics, Centre College, Danville, KY 40422, USA.
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14
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Abstract
Sponges have become the focus of studies on molecular evolution and the evolution of animal body plans due to their ancient branching point in the metazoan lineage. Whereas our former understanding of sponge function was largely based on a morphological perspective, the recent availability of the first full genome of a sponge (Amphimedon queenslandica), and of the transcriptomes of other sponges, provides a new way of understanding sponges by their molecular components. This wealth of genetic information not only confirms some long-held ideas about sponge form and function but also poses new puzzles. For example, the Amphimedon sponge genome tells us that sponges possess a repertoire of genes involved in control of cell proliferation and in regulation of development. In vitro expression studies with genes involved in stem cell maintenance confirm that archaeocytes are the main stem cell population and are able to differentiate into many cell types in the sponge including pinacocytes and choanocytes. Therefore, the diverse roles of archaeocytes imply differential gene expression within a single cell ontogenetically, and gene expression is likely also different in different species; but what triggers cells to enter one pathway and not another and how each archaeocyte cell type can be identified based on this gene knowledge are new challenges. Whereas molecular data provide a powerful new tool for interpreting sponge form and function, because sponges are suspension feeders, their body plan and physiology are very much dependent on their physical environment, and in particular on flow. Therefore, in order to integrate new knowledge of molecular data into a better understanding the sponge body plan, it is important to use an organismal approach. In this chapter, we give an account of sponge body organization as it relates to the physiology of the sponge in light of new molecular data. We focus, in particular, on the structure of sponge tissues and review descriptive as well as experimental work on choanocyte morphology and function. Special attention is given to pinacocyte epithelia, cell junctions, and the molecules present in sponge epithelia. Studies describing the role of the pinacoderm in sensing, coordination, and secretion are reviewed. A wealth of recent work describes gene presence and expression patterns in sponge tissues during development, and we review this in the context of the previous descriptions of sponge morphology and physiology. A final section addresses recent findings of genes involved in the immune response. This review is far from exhaustive but intends rather to revisit for non-specialists key aspects of sponge morphology and physiology in light of new molecular data as a means to better understand and interpret sponge form and function today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally P Leys
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Nydam ML, De Tomaso AW. Creation and maintenance of variation in allorecognition Loci: molecular analysis in various model systems. Front Immunol 2011; 2:79. [PMID: 22566868 PMCID: PMC3342096 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2011.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 12/02/2011] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Allorecognition is the ability of an organism to differentiate self or close relatives from unrelated conspecifics. Effective allorecognition systems are critical to the survival of organisms; they prevent inbreeding and facilitate fusions between close relatives. Where the loci governing allorecognition outcomes have been identified, the corresponding proteins often exhibit exceptional polymorphism. Two important questions about this polymorphism remain unresolved: how is it created, and how is it maintained. Because the genetic bases of several allorecognition systems have now been identified, including alr1 and alr2 in Hydractinia, fusion histocompatibility in Botryllus, the het (vic) loci in fungi, tgrB1 and tgrC1 in Dictyostelium, and self-incompatibility (SI) loci in several plant families, we are now poised to achieve a clearer understanding of how these loci evolve. In this review, we summarize what is currently known about the evolution of allorecognition loci, highlight open questions, and suggest future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie L Nydam
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
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Kamerling JP, de Souza AC. Studying carbohydrate self-recognition in marine sponges using synthetic aggregation factor epitopes. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2011; 705:493-510. [PMID: 21618126 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7877-6_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Johannis P Kamerling
- Department of Bio-Organic Chemistry, Bijvoet Center, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Abstract
Nearly all colonial marine invertebrates are capable of allorecognition--the ability to distinguish between self and genetically distinct members of the same species. When two or more colonies grow into contact, they either reject each other and compete for the contested space or fuse and form a single, chimeric colony. The specificity of this response is conferred by genetic systems that restrict fusion to self and close kin. Two selective pressures, intraspecific spatial competition between whole colonies and competition between stem cells for access to the germline in fused chimeras, are thought to drive the evolution of extensive polymorphism at invertebrate allorecognition loci. After decades of study, genes controlling allorecognition have been identified in two model systems, the protochordate Botryllus schlosseri and the cnidarian Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus. In both species, allorecognition specificity is determined by highly polymorphic cell-surface molecules, encoded by the fuhc and fester genes in Botryllus, and by the alr1 and alr2 genes in Hydractinia. Here we review allorecognition phenomena in both systems, summarizing recent molecular advances, comparing and contrasting the life history traits that shape the evolution of these distinct allorecognition systems, and highlighting questions that remain open in the field.
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Windsor PJ, Leys SP. Wnt signaling and induction in the sponge aquiferous system: evidence for an ancient origin of the organizer. Evol Dev 2010; 12:484-93. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-142x.2010.00434.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Costantino V, Fattorusso E, Mangoni A, Teta R, Panza E, Ianaro A. Terpioside B, a difucosyl GSL from the marine sponge Terpios sp. is a potent inhibitor of NO release. Bioorg Med Chem 2010; 18:5310-5. [PMID: 20624608 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2010.05.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2010] [Revised: 05/14/2010] [Accepted: 05/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Terpioside B (2a), a unique glycolipid containing two fucose residues in the furanose form in its pentasaccharide chain, was isolated from the marine sponge Terpios sp. Its complete stereostructure was solved by interpretation of mass spectrometric and NMR data along with CD and GG-MS analyses of its degradation products. Terpioside B is a potent inhibitor against LPS-induced NO release, and is considerably more active than simpler glycosphingolipids such as terpioside A and monoglucosylceramide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Costantino
- The NeaNAT group, Dipartimento di Chimica delle Sostanze Naturali, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Fernandez-Busquets X, Kornig A, Bucior I, Burger MM, Anselmetti D. Self-Recognition and Ca2+-Dependent Carbohydrate-Carbohydrate Cell Adhesion Provide Clues to the Cambrian Explosion. Mol Biol Evol 2009; 26:2551-61. [DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msp170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Santos JI, Carvalho de Souza A, Cañada FJ, Martín-Santamaría S, Kamerling JP, Jiménez-Barbero J. Assessing carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions by NMR spectroscopy: the trisaccharide epitope from the marine sponge Microciona prolifera. Chembiochem 2009; 10:511-9. [PMID: 19123195 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.200800548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
WEAK RECOGNITION PROCESSES: Weak calcium-mediated carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions have been detected by DOSY and TRNOESY NMR methods by employing a gold glyconanoparticle as a multivalent system. In addition, 3D models of trisaccharide-Ca(II)-trisaccharide complexes based on results from molecular dynamics simulations are proposed. Diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY-NMR) and TR-NOESY-NMR experiments are used to detect ligand binding to macromolecular receptors. These techniques have been applied to detect weak carbohydrate-carbohydrate self-recognition in solution, making use of sugar-decorated gold nanoparticles as the "macromolecule" and the same carbohydrate as the ligand. Changes in the diffusion coefficient of the free carbohydrate in the presence of the glyconanoparticle (only with Ca(II) ions in the sample solution), as well as changes in the sign of the sugar NOE peaks--positive for the free sugar (in the presence or absence of Ca(II)) and negative for the sugar only in the simultaneous presence of the glyconanoparticle and Ca(II) ions--have been taken as proof of weak Ca(II)-mediated carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions in solution. Although different methods such as SPR, TEM, and AFM have been used in the past to detect carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions with the aid of gold nanoparticles and gold selfassembled monolayers, they are restricted to high-affinity ranges. The methods used in this study allow expansion of the number of techniques to tackle this relevant biological problem, also for approaching ligand-receptor interactions below the high-affinity range. Additionally, 3D models of trisaccharide-Ca(II)-trisaccharide complexes based on results from molecular dynamics simulations are proposed.
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Lakkis FG, Dellaporta SL, Buss LW. Allorecognition and chimerism in an invertebrate model organism. Organogenesis 2008; 4:236-40. [PMID: 19337403 PMCID: PMC2634328 DOI: 10.4161/org.4.4.7151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2008] [Accepted: 10/08/2008] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of highly specific histocompatibility reactions in colonial marine invertebrates that lack adaptive immune systems (such as the sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans and ascidians) provides a unique opportunity to investigate the evolutionary roots of allorecognition and to explore whether homologous innate recognition systems exist in vertebrates. Conspecific interactions among adult animals in these groups are regulated by highly specific allorecognition systems that restrict somatic fusion to self or close kin. In Hydractinia (Cnidaria:Hydrozoa), fusion/rejection responses are controlled by two linked genetic loci. Alleles at each locus are co-dominantly inherited. Colonies fuse if they share at least one haplotype, reject if they share no haplotypes, and display transitory fusion if they share only one allele in a haplotype-a pattern that echoes natural killer cell responses in mice and humans. Allorecognition in Hydractinia and other marine invertebrates serves as a safeguard against stem cell or germline parasitism thus, limiting chimerism to closely related individuals. These animals fail to become tolerant even if exposed during early development to cells from a histoincompatible individual. Detailed analysis of the structure and function of molecules responsible for allorecognition in basal marine invertebrates could provide clues to the innate mechanisms by which higher animals respond to organ and cell allografts, including embryonic tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fadi G Lakkis
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute; Departments of Surgery and Immunology; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
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Sabella C, Faszewski E, Himic L, Colpitts KM, Kaltenbach J, Burger MM, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Cyclosporin A Suspends Transplantation Reactions in the Marine SpongeMicrociona prolifera. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2007; 179:5927-35. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.179.9.5927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Abstract
As the most ancient extant metazoans, glass sponges (Hexactinellida) have attracted recent attention in the areas of molecular evolution and the evolution of conduction systems but they are also interesting because of their unique histology: the greater part of their soft tissue consists of a single, multinucleate syncytium that ramifies throughout the sponge. This trabecular syncytium serves both for transport and as a pathway for propagation of action potentials that trigger flagellar arrests in the flagellated chambers. The present chapter is the first comprehensive modern account of this group and covers work going back to the earliest work dealing with taxonomy, gross morphology and histology as well as dealing with more recent studies. The structure of cellular and syncytial tissues and the formation of specialised intercellular junctions are described. Experimental work on reaggregation of dissociated tissues is also covered, a process during which histocompatibility, fusion and syncytialisation have been investigated, and where the role of the cytoskeleton in tissue architecture and transport processes has been studied in depth. The siliceous skeleton is given special attention, with an account of discrete spicules and fused silica networks, their diversity and distribution, their importance as taxonomic features and the process of silication. Studies on particle capture, transport of internalised food objects and disposal of indigestible wastes are reviewed, along with production and control of the feeding current. The electrophysiology of the conduction system coordinating flagellar arrests is described. The review covers salient features of hexactinellid ecology, including an account of habitats, distribution, abundance, growth, seasonal regression, predation, mortality, regeneration, recruitment and symbiotic associations with other organisms. Work on the recently discovered hexactinellid reefs of Canada's western continental shelf, analogues of long-extinct Jurassic sponge reefs, is given special attention. Reproductive biology is another area that has benefited from recent investigations. Seasonality, gametogenesis, embryogenesis, differentiation and larval biology are now understood in broad outline, at least for some species. The process whereby the cellular early larva becomes syncytial is described. A final section deals with the classification of recent and fossil glass sponges, phylogenetic relationships within the Hexactinellida and the phylogenetic position of the group within the Porifera. Palaeontological aspects are covered in so far as they are relevant to these topics.
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Affiliation(s)
- S P Leys
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
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Chakravarti R, Adams JC. Comparative genomics of the syndecans defines an ancestral genomic context associated with matrilins in vertebrates. BMC Genomics 2006; 7:83. [PMID: 16620374 PMCID: PMC1464127 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-7-83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2006] [Accepted: 04/18/2006] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The syndecans are the major family of transmembrane proteoglycans in animals and are known for multiple roles in cell interactions and growth factor signalling during development, inflammatory response, wound-repair and tumorigenesis. Although syndecans have been cloned from several invertebrate and vertebrate species, the extent of conservation of the family across the animal kingdom is unknown and there are gaps in our knowledge of chordate syndecans. Here, we develop a new level of knowledge for the whole syndecan family, by combining molecular phylogeny of syndecan protein sequences with analysis of the genomic contexts of syndecan genes in multiple vertebrate organisms. RESULTS We identified syndecan-encoding sequences in representative Cnidaria and throughout the Bilateria. The C1 and C2 regions of the cytoplasmic domain are highly conserved throughout the animal kingdom. We identified in the variable region a universally-conserved leucine residue and a tyrosine residue that is conserved throughout the Bilateria. Of all the genomes examined, only tetrapod and fish genomes encode multiple syndecans. No syndecan-1 was identified in fish. The genomic context of each vertebrate syndecan gene is syntenic between human, mouse and chicken, and this conservation clearly extends to syndecan-2 and -3 in T. nigroviridis. In addition, tetrapod syndecans were found to be encoded from paralogous chromosomal regions that also contain the four members of the matrilin family. Whereas the matrilin-3 and syndecan-1 genes are adjacent in tetrapods, this chromosomal region appears to have undergone extensive lineage-specific rearrangements in fish. CONCLUSION Throughout the animal kingdom, syndecan extracellular domains have undergone rapid change and elements of the cytoplasmic domains have been very conserved. The four syndecan genes of vertebrates are syntenic across tetrapods, and synteny of the syndecan-2 and -3 genes is apparent between tetrapods and fish. In vertebrates, each of the four family members are encoded from paralogous genomic regions in which members of the matrilin family are also syntenic between tetrapods and fish. This genomic organization appears to have been set up after the divergence of urochordates (Ciona) and vertebrates. The syndecan-1 gene appears to have been lost relatively early in the fish lineage. These conclusions provide the basis for a new model of syndecan evolution in vertebrates and a new perspective for analyzing the roles of syndecans in cells and whole organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritu Chakravarti
- Dept. of Cell Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Josephine C Adams
- Dept. of Cell Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Dept. of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
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Abstract
Fertilization calcium waves are introduced, and the evidence from which we can infer general mechanisms of these waves is presented. The two main classes of hypotheses put forward to explain the generation of the fertilization calcium wave are set out, and it is concluded that initiation of the fertilization calcium wave can be most generally explained in invertebrates by a mechanism in which an activating substance enters the egg from the sperm on sperm-egg fusion, activating the egg by stimulating phospholipase C activation through a src family kinase pathway and in mammals by the diffusion of a sperm-specific phospholipase C from sperm to egg on sperm-egg fusion. The fertilization calcium wave is then set into the context of cell cycle control, and the mechanism of repetitive calcium spiking in mammalian eggs is investigated. Evidence that calcium signals control cell division in early embryos is reviewed, and it is concluded that calcium signals are essential at all three stages of cell division in early embryos. Evidence that phosphoinositide signaling pathways control the resumption of meiosis during oocyte maturation is considered. It is concluded on balance that the evidence points to a need for phosphoinositide/calcium signaling during resumption of meiosis. Changes to the calcium signaling machinery occur during meiosis to enable the production of a calcium wave in the mature oocyte when it is fertilized; evidence that the shape and structure of the endoplasmic reticulum alters dynamically during maturation and after fertilization is reviewed, and the link between ER dynamics and the cytoskeleton is discussed. There is evidence that calcium signaling plays a key part in the development of patterning in early embryos. Morphogenesis in ascidian, frog, and zebrafish embryos is briefly described to provide the developmental context in which calcium signals act. Intracellular calcium waves that may play a role in axis formation in ascidian are discussed. Evidence that the Wingless/calcium signaling pathway is a strong ventralizing signal in Xenopus, mediated by phosphoinositide signaling, is adumbrated. The central role that calcium channels play in morphogenetic movements during gastrulation and in ectodermal and mesodermal gene expression during late gastrulation is demonstrated. Experiments in zebrafish provide a strong indication that calcium signals are essential for pattern formation and organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Whitaker
- Institute of Cell & Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.
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Garcia-Manyes S, Bucior I, Ros R, Anselmetti D, Sanz F, Burger MM, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Proteoglycan mechanics studied by single-molecule force spectroscopy of allotypic cell adhesion glycans. J Biol Chem 2005; 281:5992-9. [PMID: 16373355 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m507878200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Early Metazoans had to evolve the first cell adhesion system addressed to maintaining stable interactions between cells constituting different individuals. As the oldest extant multicellular animals, sponges are good candidates to have remnants of the molecules responsible for that crucial innovation. Sponge cells associate in a species-specific process through multivalent calcium-dependent interactions of carbohydrate structures on an extracellular membrane-bound proteoglycan termed aggregation factor. Single-molecule force spectroscopy studies of the mechanics of aggregation factor self-binding indicate the existence of intermolecular carbohydrate adhesion domains. A 200-kDa aggregation factor glycan (g200) involved in cell adhesion exhibits interindividual differences in size and epitope content which suggest the existence of allelic variants. We have purified two of these g200 distinct forms from two individuals of the same sponge species. Comparison of allotypic versus isotypic g200 binding forces reveals significant differences. Surface plasmon resonance measurements show that g200 self-adhesion is much stronger than its binding to other unrelated glycans such as chondroitin sulfate. This adhesive specificity through multiple carbohydrate binding domains is a type of cooperative interaction that can contribute to explain some functions of modular proteoglycans in general. From our results it can be deduced that the binding strength/surface area between two aggregation factor molecules is comparable with that of focal contacts in vertebrate cells, indicating that strong carbohydrate-based cell adhesions evolved at the very start of Metazoan history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergi Garcia-Manyes
- Research Center for Bioelectronics and Nanobioscience, Barcelona Science Park, University of Barcelona, Josep Samitier 1-5, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
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Carvalho de Souza A, Halkes KM, Meeldijk JD, Verkleij AJ, Vliegenthart JFG, Kamerling JP. Gold Glyconanoparticles as Probes to Explore the Carbohydrate-Mediated Self-Recognition of Marine Sponge Cells. Chembiochem 2005; 6:828-31. [PMID: 15770624 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.200400380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Carvalho de Souza
- Bijvoet Center, Department of Bio-Organic Chemistry, Section of Glycoscience and Biocatalysis, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Kelley J, Walter L, Trowsdale J. Comparative genomics of major histocompatibility complexes. Immunogenetics 2004; 56:683-95. [PMID: 15605248 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-004-0717-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2004] [Accepted: 07/28/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a gene dense region found in all jawed vertebrates examined to date. The MHC contains a high percentage of immune genes, in particular genes involved in antigen presentation, which are generally highly polymorphic. The region plays an important role in disease resistance. The clustering of MHC genes could be advantageous for co-evolution or regulation, and its study in many species is desirable. Even though some linkage of MHC genes is apparent in all gnathostomes, the genomic organization can differ greatly by species, suggesting rapid evolution of MHC genes after divergence from a common ancestor. Previous reviews of comparative MHC organization have been written when relatively fragmentary sequence and mapping data were available on many species. This review compares maps of MHC gene orders in commonly studied species, where extensive sequencing has been performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Kelley
- Immunology Division, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK.
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Gould SJ, Hildreth JEK, Booth AM. The Evolution of Alloimmunity and the Genesis of Adaptive Immunity. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2004; 79:359-82. [PMID: 15669770 DOI: 10.1086/426088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Infectious agents select for host immune responses that destroy infectious nonself yet maintain tolerance to self. Here we propose that retroviruses and other host-antigen associated pathogens (HAAPs) select for the genetic, biochemical, and cell biological properties of alloimmunity, also known as the histocompatibility or tissue rejection response. This hypothesis predicts the major observations regarding histocompatibility responses, including: (i) their existence in animals as diverse as sponges and humans; (ii) extreme polymorphism and balanced allele frequencies at histocompatibility loci, including the human MHC and blood group loci; (iii) the frequency dependent selection of histocompatibility alleles; (iv) the ancient age of many alloantigenic polymorphisms; (v) the high ratio of nonsynonymous mutations to synonymous mutations at histocompatibility loci; (vi) disassortative mating based on MHC alleles; (vii) the inability to explain the existence and continuing selection of histocompatibility alleles by other more conventional biochemical and genetic paradigms; and (viii) the susceptibility of HAAPs, particularly retroviruses such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), to histocompatibility reactions. In addition, the hypothesis that HAAPs select the forms and molecules of alloimmunity offers simple explanations for the evolution of histocompatibility systems over time, the initial selection of hypervariable immune mechanisms, and the genesis of adaptive immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Gould
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
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de Souza A, Halkes K, Meeldijk J, Verkleij A, Vliegenthart J, Kamerling J. Synthesis of Gold Glyconanoparticles: Possible Probes for the Exploration of Carbohydrate-Mediated Self-Recognition of Marine Sponge Cells. European J Org Chem 2004. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.200400255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Müller WEG, Müller IM. Analysis of the sponge [Porifera] gene repertoire: implications for the evolution of the metazoan body plan. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR AND SUBCELLULAR BIOLOGY 2003; 37:1-33. [PMID: 15825638 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-55519-0_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Sponges [phylum Porifera] form the basis of the metazoan kingdom and represent the evolutionary earliest phylum still extant. Hence, as living fossils, they are the taxon closest related to the hypothetical ancestor of all Metazoa, the Urmetazoa. Until recently, it was still unclear whether sponges are provided with a defined body plan. Only after the cloning, expression and functional studies of characteristic metazoan genes, could it be demonstrated that these animals comprise the structural elements which allow the sponge cells to organize themselves according to a body plan. Adhesion molecules involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions have been identified. Among the cell-cell adhesion molecules the aggregation factor (AF) is the prominent particle. It is composed of a core protein that is associated with the adhesion molecules, a 36 kDa as well as a 86 kDa polypeptide. A galectin functions as a linker of the AF to the cell-membrane-associated receptor, the aggregation receptor (AR). The most important extracellular matrix molecules are collagen- and fibronectin-like molecules. These proteins interact with the cell-membrane receptors, the integrins. In addition, a neuronal receptor has been identified, which--together with the identified neuroactive molecules--indicate the existence of a primordial neuronal network already in Porifera. The primmorph system, aggregated cells that retain the capacity to proliferate and differentiate, has been used to demonstrate that a homeobox-containing gene, Iroquois, is expressed during canal formation in primmorphs. The formation of a body plan in sponges is supported by skeletal elements, the spicules, which are composed in Demospongiae as well as in Hexactinellida of amorphous, noncrystalline silica. In Demospongiae the spicule formation is under enzymic control of silicatein. Already at least one morphogen has been identified in sponges, myotrophin, which is likely to be involved in the axis formation. Taken together, these elements support the recent conclusions that sponges are not merely nonorganized cell aggregates, but already complex animals provided with a defined body plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- W E G Müller
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Duesbergweg 6, 55099 Mainz, Germany
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Müller WEG, Wiens M, Müller IM, Schröder HC. The Chemokine Networks in Sponges: Potential Roles in Morphogenesis, Immunity and Stem Cell Formation. INVERTEBRATE CYTOKINES AND THE PHYLOGENY OF IMMUNITY 2003; 34:103-43. [PMID: 14979666 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-18670-7_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Porifera (sponges) are now well accepted as the phylum which branched off first from the common ancestor of all metazoans, the Urmetazoa. The transition to the Metazoa became possible because during this phase, cell-cell as well as cell-matrix adhesion molecules evolved which allowed the formation of a colonial stage of animals. The next prerequisite for the evolution to the Urmetazoa was the establishment of an effective immune system which, flanked by apoptosis, allowed the formation of a first level of individuation. In sponges (with the model Suberites domuncula and Geodia cydonium), the main mediators of the immune responses are the chemokines. Since sponges lack a vascular system and consequently blood cells (in the narrow sense), we have used the term chemokines (in a broad sense) to highlight that the complex network of intercellular mediators initiates besides differentiation processes also cell movement. In the present review, the cDNAs encoding the following chemokines were described and the roles of their deduced proteins during self-self and nonself recognition outlined: the allograft inflammatory factor, the glutathione peroxidase, the endothelial-monocyte-activating polypeptide, the pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor and the myotrophin as well as an enzyme, the (2-5)A synthetase, which is involved in cytokine response in vertebrates. A further step required to reach the evolutionary step of the integrated stage of the Urmetazoa was the acquisition of a stem cell system. In this review, first markers for stem cells (mesenchymal stem cell-like protein) as well as for chemokines involved in the maintenance of stem cells (noggin and glia maturation factor) are described at the molecular level, and a first functional analysis is approached. Taken together, it is outlined that the chemokine network was essential for the establishment of metazoans, which evolved approximately 600 to 800 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- W E G Müller
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Duesbergweg 6, 55099 Mainz, Germany
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Fernàndez-Busquets X, Kuhns WJ, Simpson TL, Ho M, Gerosa D, Grob M, Burger MM. Cell adhesion-related proteins as specific markers of sponge cell types involved in allogeneic recognition. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2002; 26:313-323. [PMID: 11888646 DOI: 10.1016/s0145-305x(01)00079-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Sponge immunocyte identification is of interest to comparative immunologists since characterizing these cells will allow investigations into the mechanisms of non-self recognition in the oldest animal phylum. Here, we report that polyclonal antibodies raised against the core protein of a proteoglycan involved in cell adhesion in the marine sponge Microciona prolifera are specific markers for archaeocytes, the totipotent sponge cells. Archaeocytes are mobilized upon allogeneic contact and they accumulate in the contact zone. A second type of cell, the gray cells, are specifically recognized by monoclonal antibodies raised against CD44, a hyaluronan receptor. Gray cells do also accumulate in the contact area. Specific staining of a third sponge cell type, the rhabdiferous cells, shows that these do not accumulate upon allografting. These specific cell markers allow tracking of archaeocytes and gray cells, and show that they play an active role in sponge allogeneic reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franqués 1, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain.
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Abstract
The extracellular matrix is vital for tissue organisation in multicellular organisms. Cells attach to the extracellular matrix at discrete points on the cell surface, termed cell-matrix contacts. In general molecular terms, these contacts are assembled from large multiprotein complexes. However, many forms of matrix contacts can be distinguished by microscopy or by biochemical criteria, and these fulfil a diverse range of roles associated with cell adhesion, guidance, migration, matrix assembly, differentiation and survival. Two major functional categories are the protrusive and contractile matrix contacts. I describe contexts for the formation of protrusive or contractile contacts and discuss recent information on the molecular processes by which these contacts are specified, coordinated and regulated at a cellular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Clare Adams
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Schütze J, Krasko A, Diehl-Seifert B, Müller WE. Cloning and expression of the putative aggregation factor from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium. J Cell Sci 2001; 114:3189-98. [PMID: 11590245 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.114.17.3189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sponges (phylum Porifera) have extensively been used as a model system to study cell-cell interaction on molecular level. Recently, we identified and cloned the putative aggregation receptor (AR) of the sponge Geodia cydonium, which interacts in a heterophilic way with the aggregation factor (AF) complex. In the present study, antibodies against this complex have been raised that abolish the adhesion function of the enriched sponge AF, the AF-Fraction 6B. Using this antibody as a tool, a complete 1.7 kb long cDNA, GEOCYAF, could be isolated from a cDNA library that encodes the putative AF. Its deduced aa sequence in the N-terminal section comprises high similarity to amphiphysin/BIN1 sequences found in Protostomia and Deuterostomia. However, the C-terminal portion of the sponge sequence lacks the SH3 domain characteristic for amphiphysin/BIN1. The polypeptide with a calculated size of 47 kDa was expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant, soluble 36 kDa putative AF was prepared and found to compete with the AF complex-associated adhesion protein of the AF-Fraction 6B for the binding sites at the cell surface. Furthermore, the recombinant putative AF was recognized by the antibody used to screen the cDNA library by western blotting. In addition, there is evidence that the recombinant putative AF binds to the G. cydonium galectin. It is concluded that the putative G. cydonium AF - a further autapomorphic molecule characteristic for Metazoa - binds to the AR present on the cell surface in association with the homologous galectin.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Schütze
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Duesbergweg 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
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Jarchow J, Fritz J, Anselmetti D, Calabro A, Hascall VC, Gerosa D, Burger MM, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Supramolecular structure of a new family of circular proteoglycans mediating cell adhesion in sponges. J Struct Biol 2000; 132:95-105. [PMID: 11162731 DOI: 10.1006/jsbi.2000.4309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Aggregationfactors are the molecules responsible for species-specific cell adhesion in sponges. Here, we present the structure of the aggregation factor from the marine sponge Microciona prolifera, which constitutes the first description of a circular proteoglycan. We have analyzed chemically dissociated and enzymatically digested aggregation factor with atomic force microscopy, agarose gel electrophoresis, and Western blots using antibodies against the protein and carbohydrate moieties. Twenty units from each of two N-glycosylated proteins, MAFp3 and MAFp4, form the central ring and radiating arms, respectively, stabilized by a hyaluronidase-sensitive component. MAFp3 carries a 200-kDa glycan involved in homologous self-interactions between aggregation factor molecules, whereas MAFp4 carries a 6-kDa glycan that binds cell surface receptors. A 68-kDa lectin found in cell membranes of several sponge species binds the aggregation factor and its protein-free glycans, as well as chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan. Here, we show that despite their lack of clear sequence homologies with other known proteoglycan structures, the protein and carbohydrate components of sponge aggregation factors assemble to form a supramolecular complex remarkably similar to classical proteoglycans.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Jarchow
- Friedrich Miescher-Institut, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
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Hodor PG, Illies MR, Broadley S, Ettensohn CA. Cell-substrate interactions during sea urchin gastrulation: migrating primary mesenchyme cells interact with and align extracellular matrix fibers that contain ECM3, a molecule with NG2-like and multiple calcium-binding domains. Dev Biol 2000; 222:181-94. [PMID: 10885756 DOI: 10.1006/dbio.2000.9696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The migratory primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) of the sea urchin embryo are a model experimental system for the analysis of cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. Although the behavior of PMCs during gastrulation has been analyzed in considerable detail, it has proven difficult to identify specific substrate molecules with which these cells interact. Here, using a new monoclonal antibody (2.5C4) generated by an in vitro immunization procedure, we show that migrating PMCs interact with a distinct class of ECM fiber. The 2.5C4-positive fibers are distributed in a vegetal (high) to animal (low) gradient on the basal surface of the ectoderm. Three observations indicate that PMC filopodia interact directly with the fibers: (1) During gastrulation, 2.5C4-positive fibers gradually become oriented in a prominent circumferential belt that corresponds precisely to the position of the subequatorial PMC ring. (2) This fiber pattern is blocked by microsurgical removal of PMCs but is restored if PMCs are reintroduced into the embryo. (3) Examination of immunostained embryo whole mounts by confocal microscopy reveals a striking association between PMC filopodial roots and foci of fiber bundling. Double-immunostaining experiments using 2.5C4 and antibodies against previously identified matrix constituents show that the protein ECM3 is a component of the fibers. We have determined the complete amino acid sequence of ECM3 and find that this large protein (3103 amino acids) consists of an N-terminal domain similar to the mammalian chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan core protein NG2, a central region composed of five tandem repeats of a domain contained within the regulatory Ca2+-binding loop of Na+-Ca2+ exchange proteins, and a C-terminal region with no homology to known proteins. The general structure of ECM3 is similar in several respects to that of a sponge protein, MAFp4. MAFp4 is a major component of aggregation factor, an ECM complex that mediates the calcium-dependent, species-specific sorting of sponge cells. These studies establish ECM3 as a strong candidate for a PMC substrate molecule and point to several possible mechanisms by which interactions between PMC filopodia and ECM3-containing fibers could provide guidance information to migrating PMCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- P G Hodor
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
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