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Hijaze E, Gildor T, Seidel R, Layous M, Winter M, Bertinetti L, Politi Y, Ben-Tabou de-Leon S. ROCK and the actomyosin network control biomineral growth and morphology during sea urchin skeletogenesis. eLife 2024; 12:RP89080. [PMID: 38573316 PMCID: PMC10994658 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Biomineralization had apparently evolved independently in different phyla, using distinct minerals, organic scaffolds, and gene regulatory networks (GRNs). However, diverse eukaryotes from unicellular organisms, through echinoderms to vertebrates, use the actomyosin network during biomineralization. Specifically, the actomyosin remodeling protein, Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) regulates cell differentiation and gene expression in vertebrates' biomineralizing cells, yet, little is known on ROCK's role in invertebrates' biomineralization. Here, we reveal that ROCK controls the formation, growth, and morphology of the calcite spicules in the sea urchin larva. ROCK expression is elevated in the sea urchin skeletogenic cells downstream of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) signaling. ROCK inhibition leads to skeletal loss and disrupts skeletogenic gene expression. ROCK inhibition after spicule formation reduces the spicule elongation rate and induces ectopic spicule branching. Similar skeletogenic phenotypes are observed when ROCK is inhibited in a skeletogenic cell culture, indicating that these phenotypes are due to ROCK activity specifically in the skeletogenic cells. Reduced skeletal growth and enhanced branching are also observed under direct perturbations of the actomyosin network. We propose that ROCK and the actomyosin machinery were employed independently, downstream of distinct GRNs, to regulate biomineral growth and morphology in Eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman Hijaze
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Tsvia Gildor
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Ronald Seidel
- B CUBE Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Majed Layous
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Mark Winter
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics, Technische Universiteit DelftDelftNetherlands
| | - Luca Bertinetti
- B CUBE Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Yael Politi
- B CUBE Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
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Thapa N, Wen T, Cryns VL, Anderson RA. Regulation of Cell Adhesion and Migration via Microtubule Cytoskeleton Organization, Cell Polarity, and Phosphoinositide Signaling. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1430. [PMID: 37892112 PMCID: PMC10604632 DOI: 10.3390/biom13101430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The capacity for cancer cells to metastasize to distant organs depends on their ability to execute the carefully choreographed processes of cell adhesion and migration. As most human cancers are of epithelial origin (carcinoma), the transcriptional downregulation of adherent/tight junction proteins (e.g., E-cadherin, Claudin and Occludin) with the concomitant gain of adhesive and migratory phenotypes has been extensively studied. Most research and reviews on cell adhesion and migration focus on the actin cytoskeleton and its reorganization. However, metastasizing cancer cells undergo the extensive reorganization of their cytoskeletal system, specifically in originating/nucleation sites of microtubules and their orientation (e.g., from non-centrosomal to centrosomal microtubule organizing centers). The precise mechanisms by which the spatial and temporal reorganization of microtubules are linked functionally with the acquisition of an adhesive and migratory phenotype as epithelial cells reversibly transition into mesenchymal cells during metastasis remains poorly understood. In this Special Issue of "Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Cell Adhesion and Migration", we highlight cell adhesion and migration from the perspectives of microtubule cytoskeletal reorganization, cell polarity and phosphoinositide signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendra Thapa
- The Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (T.W.); (V.L.C.)
| | - Tianmu Wen
- The Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (T.W.); (V.L.C.)
| | - Vincent L. Cryns
- The Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (T.W.); (V.L.C.)
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Richard A. Anderson
- The Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (T.W.); (V.L.C.)
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Kipryushina YO, Maiorova MA, Yakovlev KV. An approach to quantitate maternal transcripts localized in sea urchin egg cortex using RT-qPCR with accurate normalization. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0260831. [PMID: 35709154 PMCID: PMC9202947 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The sea urchin egg cortex is a peripheral region of eggs comprising a cell membrane and adjacent cytoplasm, which contains actin and tubulin cytoskeleton, cortical granules and some proteins required for early development. Method for isolation of cortices from sea urchin eggs and early embryos was developed in 1970s. Since then, this method has been reliable tool to study protein localization and cytoskeletal organization in cortex of unfertilized eggs and embryos during first cleavages. This study was aimed to estimate the reliability of RT-qPCR to analyze levels of maternal transcripts that are localized in egg cortex. Firstly, we selected seven potential reference genes, 28S, Cycb, Ebr1, GAPDH, Hmg1, Smtnl1 and Ubb, the transcripts of which are maternally deposited in sea urchin eggs. The candidate reference genes were ranked by five different algorithms (BestKeeper, CV, ΔCt, geNorm and NormFinder) based on calculated level of stability in both eggs as well as isolated cortices. Our results showed that gene ranking differs in total RNA and mRNA samples, though Ubb is most suitable reference gene in both cases. To validate feasibility of comparative analysis of eggs and isolated egg cortices, we selected Daglb-2 as a gene of interest, which transcripts are potentially localized in cortex according to transcriptome analysis, and observed increased level of Daglb-2 in egg cortices by RT-qPCR. This suggests that proposed RNA isolation method with subsequent quantitative RT-qPCR analysis can be used to determine cortical association of transcripts in sea urchin eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia O. Kipryushina
- Laboratory of Cytotechnology, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Mariia A. Maiorova
- Laboratory of Cytotechnology, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Konstantin V. Yakovlev
- Laboratory of Cytotechnology, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
- * E-mail:
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4
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Emura N, Yajima M. Micromere formation and its evolutionary implications in the sea urchin. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 146:211-238. [PMID: 35152984 PMCID: PMC8868499 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2021.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The micromeres of the sea urchin embryo are distinct from other blastomeres. After they arise through an asymmetric cell division at the 8- to 16-cell stage, micromeres immediately function as organizers. They also commit themselves to specific cell fates such as larval skeletogenic cells and primordial germ cells, while other blastomeres remain plastic and uncommitted at the 16-cell stage. In the phylum Echinodermata, only the sea urchin (class Echinoidea) embryo forms micromeres that serve as apparent organizers during early embryogenesis. Therefore, it is considered that micromeres are the derived features and that modification(s) of the developmental system allowed evolutionary introduction of this unique cell lineage. In this chapter, we summarize the both historic and recent observations that demonstrate unique properties of micromeres and discuss how this lineage of micromeres may have arisen during echinoderm evolution.
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Henson JH, Samasa B, Shuster CB, Wikramanayake AH. The nanoscale organization of the Wnt signaling integrator Dishevelled in the vegetal cortex domain of an egg and early embryo. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248197. [PMID: 34038442 PMCID: PMC8153439 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Canonical Wnt/β-catenin (cWnt) signaling is a crucial regulator of development and Dishevelled (Dsh/Dvl) functions as an integral part of this pathway by linking Wnt binding to the Frizzled:LRP5/6 receptor complex with β-catenin-stimulated gene expression. In many cell types Dsh has been localized to ill-defined cytoplasmic puncta, however in sea urchin eggs and embryos confocal fluorescence microscopy has shown that Dsh is localized to puncta present in a novel and development-essential vegetal cortex domain (VCD). In the present study, we used super-resolution light microscopy and platinum replica transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to provide the first views of the ultrastructural organization of Dsh within the sea urchin VCD. 3D structured illumination microscopy (SIM) imaging of isolated egg cortices demonstrated the graded distribution of Dsh in the VCD, whereas higher resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) imaging revealed that some individual Dsh puncta consisted of more than one fluorescent source. Platinum replica immuno-TEM localization showed that Dsh puncta on the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane consisted of aggregates of pedestal-like structures each individually labeled with the C-terminus specific Dsh antibody. These aggregates were resistant to detergent extraction and treatment with drugs that disrupt actin filaments or inhibit myosin II contraction, and coexisted with the first cleavage actomyosin contractile ring. These results confirm and extend previous studies and reveal, for the first time in any cell type, the nanoscale organization of plasma membrane tethered Dsh. Our current working hypothesis is that these Dsh pedestals represent a prepositioned scaffold organization that is important for the localized activation of the cWnt pathway at the sea urchin vegetal pole. These observations in sea urchins may also be relevant to the submembranous Dsh puncta present in other eggs and embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H. Henson
- Department of Biology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Bakary Samasa
- Department of Biology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington, United States of America
| | - Charles B. Shuster
- Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States of America
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Pelletier JF, Field CM, Fürthauer S, Sonnett M, Mitchison TJ. Co-movement of astral microtubules, organelles and F-actin by dynein and actomyosin forces in frog egg cytoplasm. eLife 2020; 9:e60047. [PMID: 33284105 PMCID: PMC7759381 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
How bulk cytoplasm generates forces to separate post-anaphase microtubule (MT) asters in Xenopus laevis and other large eggs remains unclear. Previous models proposed that dynein-based, inward organelle transport generates length-dependent pulling forces that move centrosomes and MTs outwards, while other components of cytoplasm are static. We imaged aster movement by dynein and actomyosin forces in Xenopus egg extracts and observed outward co-movement of MTs, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, acidic organelles, F-actin, keratin, and soluble fluorescein. Organelles exhibited a burst of dynein-dependent inward movement at the growing aster periphery, then mostly halted inside the aster, while dynein-coated beads moved to the aster center at a constant rate, suggesting organelle movement is limited by brake proteins or other sources of drag. These observations call for new models in which all components of the cytoplasm comprise a mechanically integrated aster gel that moves collectively in response to dynein and actomyosin forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Pelletier
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Marine Biological LaboratoryWoods HoleUnited States
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Christine M Field
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Marine Biological LaboratoryWoods HoleUnited States
| | | | - Matthew Sonnett
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Timothy J Mitchison
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Marine Biological LaboratoryWoods HoleUnited States
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7
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Fagotto F. Tissue segregation in the early vertebrate embryo. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 107:130-146. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Bohnert KA, Rossi AM, Jin QW, Chen JS, Gould KL. Phosphoregulation of the cytokinetic protein Fic1 contributes to fission yeast growth polarity establishment. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs244392. [PMID: 32878942 PMCID: PMC7520453 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.244392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular polarization underlies many facets of cell behavior, including cell growth. The rod-shaped fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a well-established, genetically tractable system for studying growth polarity regulation. S. pombe cells elongate at their two cell tips in a cell cycle-controlled manner, transitioning from monopolar to bipolar growth in interphase when new ends established by the most recent cell division begin to extend. We previously identified cytokinesis as a critical regulator of new end growth and demonstrated that Fic1, a cytokinetic factor, is required for normal polarized growth at new ends. Here, we report that Fic1 is phosphorylated on two C-terminal residues, which are each targeted by multiple protein kinases. Endogenously expressed Fic1 phosphomutants cannot support proper bipolar growth, and the resultant defects facilitate the switch into an invasive pseudohyphal state. Thus, phosphoregulation of Fic1 links the completion of cytokinesis to the re-establishment of polarized growth in the next cell cycle. These findings broaden the scope of signaling events that contribute to regulating S. pombe growth polarity, underscoring that cytokinetic factors constitute relevant targets of kinases affecting new end growth.This article has an associated First Person interview with Anthony M. Rossi, joint first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Adam Bohnert
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Anthony M Rossi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Quan-Wen Jin
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Jun-Song Chen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Kathleen L Gould
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
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9
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Kipryushina YO, Yakovlev KV. Maternal control of early patterning in sea urchin embryos. Differentiation 2020; 113:28-37. [PMID: 32371341 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2020.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Sea urchin development has been studied extensively for more than a century and considered regulative since the first experimental evidence. Further investigations have repeatedly supported this standpoint by revealing the presence of inductive mechanisms that alter cell fate decisions at early cleavage stages and flexibility of development in response to environmental conditions. Some features indicate that sea urchin development is not completely regulative, but actually includes determinative events. In 16-cell embryos, mesomeres and macromeres represent multipotency, while the cell fate of most vegetal micromeres is restricted. It is known that the mature sea urchin eggs are polarized by the asymmetrical distribution of some maternal mRNAs and proteins. Spatially-distributed maternal factors are necessary for the orientation of the primary animal-vegetal axis, which is established by both maternal and zygotic mechanisms later in development. The secondary dorsal-ventral axis is conditionally specified later in development. Dorsal-ventral polarity is very liable during the early cleavages, though more recent data argue that its direction may be oriented by maternal asymmetry. In this review, we focus on the role of maternal factors in initial embryonic patterning during the first cleavages of sea urchin embryos before activation of the embryonic genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia O Kipryushina
- Laboratory of Cytotechnology, National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Palchevsky St. 17, 690041, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Konstantin V Yakovlev
- Laboratory of Cytotechnology, National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Palchevsky St. 17, 690041, Vladivostok, Russia; Laboratory of Gene Expression Regulation in Development, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
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10
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Simulations of sea urchin early development delineate the role of oriented cell division in the morula-to-blastula transition. Mech Dev 2020; 162:103606. [PMID: 32165284 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2020.103606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The sea urchin morula to blastula transition has long been thought to require oriented cell divisions and blastomere adherence to the enveloping hyaline layer. In a computer simulation model, cell divisions constrained by a surface plane division rule are adequate to effect morphological transition. The hyaline membrane acts as an enhancer but is not essential. The model is consistent with the orientation of micromere divisions and the open blastulae of direct developing species. The surface plane division rule precedes overt epithelization of surface cells and acts to organize the developing epithelium. It is a universal feature of early metazoan development and simulations of non-echinoid cleavage patterns support its role throughout Metazoa. The surface plane division rule requires only local cues and cells need not reference global positional information or embryonic axes.
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Field CM, Pelletier JF, Mitchison TJ. Disassembly of Actin and Keratin Networks by Aurora B Kinase at the Midplane of Cleaving Xenopus laevis Eggs. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1999-2008.e4. [PMID: 31178324 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The large length scale of Xenopus laevis eggs facilitates observation of bulk cytoplasm dynamics far from the cortex during cytokinesis. The first furrow ingresses through the egg midplane, which is demarcated by chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) localized on microtubule bundles at the boundary between asters. Using an extract system, we found that local kinase activity of the Aurora B kinase (AURKB) subunit of the CPC caused disassembly of F-actin and keratin between asters and local softening of the cytoplasm as assayed by flow patterns. Beads coated with active CPC mimicked aster boundaries and caused AURKB-dependent disassembly of F-actin and keratin that propagated ∼40 μm without microtubules and much farther with microtubules present. Consistent with extract observations, we observed disassembly of the keratin network between asters in zygotes fixed before and during 1st cytokinesis. We propose that active CPC at aster boundaries locally reduces cytoplasmic stiffness by disassembling actin and keratin networks. Possible functions of this local disassembly include helping sister centrosomes move apart after mitosis, preparing a soft path for furrow ingression, and releasing G-actin from internal networks to build cortical networks that support furrow ingression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Field
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02153, USA; Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
| | - James F Pelletier
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02153, USA; Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Timothy J Mitchison
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02153, USA; Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
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12
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Akiyama M, Nonomura M, Tero A, Kobayashi R. Numerical study on spindle positioning using phase field method. Phys Biol 2018; 16:016005. [PMID: 30485253 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/aaee45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
A method of numerical simulation of cell division using phase fields is presented. The cell division plane is obtained as a result of the spindle position and orientation considered with the spatial distribution of the activated cortical force generators and the dividing cell shape. To exemplify the application of the proposed method, numerical simulations of the development of cysts and early embryos are performed. The numerical results demonstrate that the activated cortical force generators that are localized at the lateral cortices of the epithelial cells lead to the formation of a single central lumen. It is additionally shown that the linear distribution of the activated cortical force generators along the animal-vegetal axis of a spherical cell engenders a similar cell proliferation of the divided embryo generated by the 32 cell period in a sea cucumber.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Akiyama
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 12, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido 060-0812, Japan. These authors contributed equally to this work
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13
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Nakama AB, Chou HC, Schneider SQ. The asymmetric cell division machinery in the spiral-cleaving egg and embryo of the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. BMC DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2017; 17:16. [PMID: 29228898 PMCID: PMC5725810 DOI: 10.1186/s12861-017-0158-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over one third of all animal phyla utilize a mode of early embryogenesis called 'spiral cleavage' to divide the fertilized egg into embryonic cells with different cell fates. This mode is characterized by a series of invariant, stereotypic, asymmetric cell divisions (ACDs) that generates cells of different size and defined position within the early embryo. Astonishingly, very little is known about the underlying molecular machinery to orchestrate these ACDs in spiral-cleaving embryos. Here we identify, for the first time, cohorts of factors that may contribute to early embryonic ACDs in a spiralian embryo. RESULTS To do so we analyzed stage-specific transcriptome data in eggs and early embryos of the spiralian annelid Platynereis dumerilii for the expression of over 50 candidate genes that are involved in (1) establishing cortical domains such as the partitioning defective (par) genes, (2) directing spindle orientation, (3) conveying polarity cues including crumbs and scribble, and (4) maintaining cell-cell adhesion between embryonic cells. In general, each of these cohorts of genes are co-expressed exhibiting high levels of transcripts in the oocyte and fertilized single-celled embryo, with progressively lower levels at later stages. Interestingly, a small number of key factors within each ACD module show different expression profiles with increased early zygotic expression suggesting distinct regulatory functions. In addition, our analysis discovered several highly co-expressed genes that have been associated with specialized neural cell-cell recognition functions in the nervous system. The high maternal contribution of these 'neural' adhesion complexes indicates novel general adhesion functions during early embryogenesis. CONCLUSIONS Spiralian embryos are champions of ACD generating embryonic cells of different size with astonishing accuracy. Our results suggest that the molecular machinery for ACD is already stored as maternal transcripts in the oocyte. Thus, the spiralian egg can be viewed as a totipotent yet highly specialized cell that evolved to execute fast and precise ACDs during spiral cleaving stages. Our survey identifies cohorts of factors in P. dumerilii that are candidates for these molecular mechanisms and their regulation, and sets the stage for a functional dissection of ACD in a spiral-cleaving embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aron B. Nakama
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, 503 Science Hall II, Ames, IA 50011 USA
| | - Hsien-Chao Chou
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, 503 Science Hall II, Ames, IA 50011 USA
- current address: Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - Stephan Q. Schneider
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, 503 Science Hall II, Ames, IA 50011 USA
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Stepicheva NA, Dumas M, Kobi P, Donaldson JG, Song JL. The small GTPase Arf6 regulates sea urchin morphogenesis. Differentiation 2017; 95:31-43. [PMID: 28188999 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Revised: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The small GTPase Arf6 is a conserved protein that is expressed in all metazoans. Arf6 remodels cytoskeletal actin and mediates membrane protein trafficking between the plasma membrane in its active form and endosomal compartments in its inactive form. While a rich knowledge exists for the cellular functions of Arf6, relatively little is known about its physiological role in development. This study examines the function of Arf6 in mediating cellular morphogenesis in early development. We dissect the function of Arf6 with a loss-of-function morpholino and constitutively active Arf6-Q67L construct. We focus on the two cell types that undergo active directed migration: the primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) that give rise to the sea urchin skeleton and endodermal cells that form the gut. Our results indicate that Arf6 plays an important role in skeleton formation and PMC migration, in part due to its ability to remodel actin. We also found that embryos injected with Arf6 morpholino have gastrulation defects and embryos injected with constitutively active Arf6 have endodermal cells detached from the gut epithelium with decreased junctional cadherin staining, indicating that Arf6 may mediate the recycling of cadherin. Thus, Arf6 impacts cells that undergo coordinated movement to form embryonic structures in the developing embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezda A Stepicheva
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Megan Dumas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Priscilla Kobi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Julie G Donaldson
- Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Jia L Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
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