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Wang H, Yu H, Li Q. Integrative analysis of single-nucleus RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq reveals germline cells development dynamics and niches in the Pacific oyster gonad. iScience 2024; 27:109499. [PMID: 38571762 PMCID: PMC10987912 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Gametogenesis drives the maturation of germ cell precursors into functional gametes, facilitated by interactions with the niche environment. However, the molecular mechanisms, especially in invertebrates, remain incompletely understood. In this study, the gonadal microenvironment and gametogenic processes in the Pacific oyster, a model for diffuse gonadal organization and periodic gametogenesis, are investigated. We combine single-nucleus RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq to analyze gonadal microenvironments in oysters. Twenty-three male and nineteen female gonadal cell clusters are identified, revealing four male and three female germ cell types, alongside follicular cells in females and Sertoli/Leydig cells in males. The NOTCH and BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) signaling pathways play a significant role in the male germline niche, suggesting similarities with mammalian germ cell microenvironment. This study offers valuable insights into germ cell developmental transitions and microenvironmental characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huihui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Hong Yu
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Qi Li
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
- Laboratory of Tropical Marine Germplasm Resources and Breeding Engineering, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya 572000, China
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2
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Nakamura M, Oguchi K, Sato DS, Kato S, Okanishi M, Hayashi Y, Aguado MT, Miura T. Morphological, histological and gene-expression analyses on stolonization in the Japanese Green Syllid, Megasyllis nipponica (Annelida, Syllidae). Sci Rep 2023; 13:19419. [PMID: 37993494 PMCID: PMC10665476 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46358-8] [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: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Benthic annelids belonging to the family Syllidae (Annelida, Errantia, Phyllodocida) exhibit a unique reproduction mode called "schizogamy" or "stolonization", in which the posterior body part filled with gametes detaches from the original body, as a reproductive unit (stolon) that autonomously swims and spawns. In this study, morphological and histological observations on the developmental processes during stolonization were carried out in Megasyllis nipponica. Results suggest that the stolon formation started with maturation of gonads, followed by the formation of a head ganglion in the anteriormost segment of the developing stolon. Then, the detailed stolon-specific structures such as stolon eyes and notochaetae were formed. Furthermore, expression profiles of genes involved in the anterior-posterior identity (Hox genes), head determination, germ-line, and hormone regulation were compared between anterior and posterior body parts during the stolonization process. The results reveal that, in the posterior body part, genes for gonadal development were up-regulated, followed by hormone-related genes and head-determination genes. Unexpectedly, Hox genes known to identify body parts along the anterior-posterior axis showed no significant temporal expression changes. These findings suggest that during stolonization, gonad development induces the head formation of a stolon, without up-regulation of anterior Hox genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayuko Nakamura
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa, 238-0225, Japan
| | - Kohei Oguchi
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa, 238-0225, Japan
| | - Daisuke S Sato
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa, 238-0225, Japan
| | - Sumika Kato
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa, 238-0225, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Masanori Okanishi
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa, 238-0225, Japan
- Faculty of Human Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Shudo University, Ozuka-Higashi, Asaminami, Hiroshima, 731-3195, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Hayashi
- Department of Biology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Yokohama, 223-8521, Japan
| | - M Teresa Aguado
- Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Toru Miura
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa, 238-0225, Japan.
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3
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Doyle DA, Burian FN, Aharoni B, Klinder AJ, Menzel MM, Nifras GCC, Shabazz-Henry AL, Palma BU, Hidalgo GA, Sottolano CJ, Ortega BM, Niepielko MG. Germ Granule Evolution Provides Mechanistic Insight into Drosophila Germline Development. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad174. [PMID: 37527522 PMCID: PMC10414811 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad174] [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: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The copackaging of mRNAs into biomolecular condensates called germ granules is a conserved strategy to posttranscriptionally regulate germline mRNAs. In Drosophila melanogaster, mRNAs accumulate in germ granules by forming homotypic clusters, aggregates containing multiple transcripts from the same gene. Nucleated by Oskar (Osk), homotypic clusters are generated through a stochastic seeding and self-recruitment process that requires the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of germ granule mRNAs. Interestingly, the 3' UTR belonging to germ granule mRNAs, such as nanos (nos), have considerable sequence variations among Drosophila species and we hypothesized that this diversity influences homotypic clustering. To test our hypothesis, we investigated the homotypic clustering of nos and polar granule component (pgc) in four Drosophila species and concluded that clustering is a conserved process used to enrich germ granule mRNAs. However, we discovered germ granule phenotypes that included significant changes in the abundance of transcripts present in species' homotypic clusters, which also reflected diversity in the number of coalesced primordial germ cells within their embryonic gonads. By integrating biological data with computational modeling, we found that multiple mechanisms underlie naturally occurring germ granule diversity, including changes in nos, pgc, osk levels and/or homotypic clustering efficacy. Furthermore, we demonstrated how the nos 3' UTR from different species influences nos clustering, causing granules to have ∼70% less nos and increasing the presence of defective primordial germ cells. Our results highlight the impact that evolution has on germ granules, which should provide broader insight into processes that modify compositions and activities of other classes of biomolecular condensate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique A Doyle
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | - Florencia N Burian
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | - Benjamin Aharoni
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | - Annabelle J Klinder
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | - Melissa M Menzel
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | | | | | - Bianca Ulrich Palma
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | - Gisselle A Hidalgo
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | - Christopher J Sottolano
- Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, NJ, USA
| | - Bianca M Ortega
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
| | - Matthew G Niepielko
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA
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4
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Cunningham CB, Shelby EA, McKinney EC, Schmitz RJ, Moore AJ, Moore PJ. The role of Dmnt1 during spermatogenesis of the insect Oncopeltus fasciatus. Epigenetics Chromatin 2023; 16:28. [PMID: 37393253 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-023-00496-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The function of DNA methyltransferase genes of insects is a puzzle, because an association between gene expression and methylation is not universal for insects. If the genes normally involved in cytosine methylation are not influencing gene expression, what might be their role? We previously demonstrated that gametogenesis of Oncopeltus fasciatus is interrupted at meiosis following knockdown of DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) and this is unrelated to changes in levels of cytosine methylation. Here, using transcriptomics, we tested the hypothesis that Dmnt1 is a part of the meiotic gene pathway. Testes, which almost exclusively contain gametes at varying stages of development, were sampled at 7 days and 14 days following knockdown of Dmnt1 using RNAi. RESULTS Using microscopy, we found actively dividing spermatocysts were reduced at both timepoints. However, as with other studies, we saw Dnmt1 knockdown resulted in condensed nuclei after mitosis-meiosis transition, and then cellular arrest. We found limited support for a functional role for Dnmt1 in our predicted cell cycle and meiotic pathways. An examination of a priori Gene Ontology terms showed no enrichment for meiosis. We then used the full data set to reveal further candidate pathways influenced by Dnmt1 for further hypotheses. Very few genes were differentially expressed at 7 days, but nearly half of all transcribed genes were differentially expressed at 14 days. We found no strong candidate pathways for how Dnmt1 knockdown was achieving its effect through Gene Ontology term overrepresentation analysis. CONCLUSIONS We, therefore, suggest that Dmnt1 plays a role in chromosome dynamics based on our observations of condensed nuclei and cellular arrest with no specific molecular pathways disrupted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily A Shelby
- Dept. of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | | | - Allen J Moore
- Dept. of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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5
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Hakes AC, Gavis ER. Plasticity of Drosophila germ granules during germ cell development. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002069. [PMID: 37053289 PMCID: PMC10128949 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Compartmentalization of RNAs and proteins into membraneless structures called granules is a ubiquitous mechanism for organizing and regulating cohorts of RNAs. Germ granules are ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assemblies required for germline development across the animal kingdom, but their regulatory roles in germ cells are not fully understood. We show that after germ cell specification, Drosophila germ granules enlarge through fusion and this growth is accompanied by a shift in function. Whereas germ granules initially protect their constituent mRNAs from degradation, they subsequently target a subset of these mRNAs for degradation while maintaining protection of others. This functional shift occurs through the recruitment of decapping and degradation factors to the germ granules, which is promoted by decapping activators and renders these structures P body-like. Disrupting either the mRNA protection or degradation function results in germ cell migration defects. Our findings reveal plasticity in germ granule function that allows them to be repurposed at different stages of development to ensure population of the gonad by germ cells. Additionally, these results reveal an unexpected level of functional complexity whereby constituent RNAs within the same granule type can be differentially regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C Hakes
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth R Gavis
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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6
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Heikes KL, Game M, Smith FW, Goldstein B. The embryonic origin of primordial germ cells in the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris. Dev Biol 2023; 497:42-58. [PMID: 36893882 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) give rise to gametes - cells necessary for the propagation and fertility of diverse organisms. Current understanding of PGC development is limited to the small number of organisms whose PGCs have been identified and studied. Expanding the field to include little-studied taxa and emerging model organisms is important to understand the full breadth of the evolution of PGC development. In the phylum Tardigrada, no early cell lineages have been identified to date using molecular markers. This includes the PGC lineage. Here, we describe PGC development in the model tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris. The four earliest-internalizing cells (EICs) exhibit PGC-like behavior and nuclear morphology. The location of the EICs is enriched for mRNAs of conserved PGC markers wiwi1 (water bear piwi 1) and vasa. At early stages, both wiwi1 and vasa mRNAs are detectable uniformly in embryos, which suggests that these mRNAs do not serve as localized determinants for PGC specification. Only later are wiwi1 and vasa enriched in the EICs. Finally, we traced the cells that give rise to the four PGCs. Our results reveal the embryonic origin of the PGCs of H. exemplaris and provide the first molecular characterization of an early cell lineage in the tardigrade phylum. We anticipate that these observations will serve as a basis for characterizing the mechanisms of PGC development in this animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira L Heikes
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Mandy Game
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Frank W Smith
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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7
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Tkemaladze J. Reduction, proliferation, and differentiation defects of stem cells over time: a consequence of selective accumulation of old centrioles in the stem cells? Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:2751-2761. [PMID: 36583780 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-08203-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND All molecules, structures, cells in organisms are subjected to destruction during the process of vital activities. In the organisms of most multicellular animals and humans, the regeneration process always takes place: destruction of old cells and their replacement with the new. The replacement of cells happens even if the cells are in perfect condition. The sooner the organism destroys the cells that emerged a certain time ago and replaces them with the new (i.e., the higher is the regeneration tempo), the younger the organism is. DISCUSSION Stem cells are progenitor cells of the substituting young cells. Asymmetric division of a mother stem cell gives rise to one, analogous to the mother, daughter cell, and to a second daughter cell that takes the path of further differentiation. Despite such asymmetric divisions, the pool of stem cells diminishes in its quantity over time. Moreover, intervals between stem cell divisions increase. The combination of these two processes causes the decline of regeneration tempo and aging of the organism. CONCLUSION During asymmetric stem cell divisions daughter cells, with preserved potency of the stem cell, selectively conserve mother (old) centrioles. In contrast with molecules of nuclear DNA, reparations do not take place in centrioles. Hypothetically, old centrioles are more subjected to destruction than other structures of a cell-which makes centrioles potentially the main structure of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaba Tkemaladze
- Free University of Tbilisi, 240 David Aghmashenebeli Alley, 0159, Tbilisi, Georgia.
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8
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Doyle DA, Burian FN, Aharoni B, Klinder AJ, Menzel MM, Nifras GCC, Shabazz-Henry AL, Palma BU, Hidalgo GA, Sottolano CJ, Ortega BM, Niepielko MG. Evolutionary changes in germ granule mRNA content are driven by multiple mechanisms in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.21.529147. [PMID: 36865184 PMCID: PMC9980053 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.21.529147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
The co-packaging of mRNAs into biomolecular condensates called germ granules is a conserved strategy to post-transcriptionally regulate mRNAs that function in germline development and maintenance. In D. melanogaster, mRNAs accumulate in germ granules by forming homotypic clusters, aggregates that contain multiple transcripts from a specific gene. Nucleated by Oskar (Osk), homotypic clusters in D. melanogaster are generated through a stochastic seeding and self-recruitment process that requires the 3' UTR of germ granule mRNAs. Interestingly, the 3' UTR belonging to germ granule mRNAs, such as nanos (nos), have considerable sequence variations among Drosophila species. Thus, we hypothesized that evolutionary changes in the 3' UTR influences germ granule development. To test our hypothesis, we investigated the homotypic clustering of nos and polar granule component (pgc) in four Drosophila species and concluded that homotypic clustering is a conserved developmental process used to enrich germ granule mRNAs. Additionally, we discovered that the number of transcripts found in nos and/or pgc clusters could vary significantly among species. By integrating biological data with computational modeling, we determined that multiple mechanisms underlie naturally occurring germ granule diversity, including changes in nos, pgc, osk levels, and/or homotypic clustering efficacy. Finally, we found that the nos 3' UTR from different species can alter the efficacy of nos homotypic clustering, resulting in germ granules with reduced nos accumulation. Our findings highlight the impact that evolution has on the development of germ granules and may provide insight into processes that modify the content of other classes of biomolecular condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique A. Doyle
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Florencia N. Burian
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Benjamin Aharoni
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Annabelle J. Klinder
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Melissa M. Menzel
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Gerard Carlo C. Nifras
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Ahad L. Shabazz-Henry
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Bianca Ulrich Palma
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Gisselle A. Hidalgo
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Christopher J. Sottolano
- Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
| | - Bianca M. Ortega
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
| | - Matthew G. Niepielko
- School of Integrative Science and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083, USA
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9
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Heikes KL, Game M, Smith FW, Goldstein B. The Embryonic Origin of Primordial Germ Cells in the Tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.02.522500. [PMID: 36824831 PMCID: PMC9948961 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.02.522500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) give rise to gametes â€" cells necessary for the propagation and fertility of diverse organisms. Current understanding of PGC development is limited to the small number of organisms whose PGCs have been identified and studied. Expanding the field to include little-studied taxa and emerging model organisms is important to understand the full breadth of the evolution of PGC development. In the phylum Tardigrada, no early cell lineages have been identified to date using molecular markers. This includes the PGC lineage. Here, we describe PGC development in the model tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris . The four earliest-internalizing cells (EICs) exhibit PGC-like behavior and nuclear morphology. The location of the EICs is enriched for mRNAs of conserved PGC markers wiwi1 (water bear piwi 1) and vasa . At early stages, both wiwi1 and vasa mRNAs are detectable uniformly in embryos, which suggests that these mRNAs do not serve as localized determinants for PGC specification. Only later are wiwi1 and vasa enriched in the EICs. Finally, we traced the cells that give rise to the four PGCs. Our results reveal the embryonic origin of the PGCs of H. exemplaris and provide the first molecular characterization of an early cell lineage in the tardigrade phylum. We anticipate that these observations will serve as a basis for characterizing the mechanisms of PGC development in this animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira L. Heikes
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Mandy Game
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Frank W. Smith
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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10
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Piccinini G, Milani L. Germline-related molecular phenotype in Metazoa: conservation and innovation highlighted by comparative transcriptomics. EvoDevo 2023; 14:2. [PMID: 36717890 PMCID: PMC9885605 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-022-00207-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Metazoa, the germline represents the cell lineage devoted to the transmission of genetic heredity across generations. Its functions intuitively evoke the crucial roles that it plays in organism development and species evolution, and its establishment is tightly tied to animal multicellularity itself. The molecular toolkit expressed in germ cells has a high degree of conservation between species, and it also shares many components with the molecular phenotype of some animal totipotent cell lineages, like planarian neoblasts and sponge archaeocytes. The present study stems from these observations and represents a transcriptome-wide comparative analysis between germline-related samples of 9 animal species (7 phyla), comprehending also totipotent lineages classically considered somatic. RESULTS Differential expression analyses were performed for each species between germline-related and control somatic tissues. We then compared the different germline-related transcriptional profiles across the species without the need for an a priori set of genes. Through a phylostratigraphic analysis, we observed that the proportion of phylum- and Metazoa-specific genes among germline-related upregulated transcripts was lower than expected by chance for almost all species. Moreover, homologous genes related to proper DNA replication resulted the most common when comparing the considered species, while the regulation of transcription and post-transcriptional mechanisms appeared more variable, showing shared upregulated functions and domains, but very few homologous whole-length sequences. CONCLUSIONS Our wide-scale comparative analysis mostly confirmed previous molecular characterizations of specific germline-related lineages. Additionally, we observed a consistent signal throughout the whole data set, therefore comprehending both canonically defined germline samples (germ cells), and totipotent cell lineages classically considered somatic (neoblasts and archaeocytes). The phylostratigraphic analysis supported the less probable involvement of novel molecular factors in the germline-related transcriptional phenotype and highlighted the early origin of such cell programming and its conservation throughout evolution. Moreover, the fact that the mostly shared molecular factors were involved in DNA replication and repair suggests how fidelity in genetic material inheritance is a strong and conserved driver of germline-related molecular phenotype, while transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations appear differently tuned among the lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Piccinini
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Liliana Milani
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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11
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Shiguemoto GF, Coelho GCZ, López LS, Pessoa GP, Dos Santos SCA, Senhorini JA, Monzani PS, Yasui GS. Primordial germ cell identification and traceability during the initial development of the Siluriformes fish Pseudopimelodus mangurus. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2022; 48:1137-1153. [PMID: 35925505 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-022-01106-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are responsible for generating all germ cells. Therefore, they are essential targets to be used as a tool for the production of germline chimeras. The labeling and route of PGCs were evaluated during the initial embryonic development of Pseudopimelodus mangurus, using whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) and mRNA microinjection in zygotes. A specific antisense RNA probe constituted by a partial coding region from P. mangurus nanos3 mRNA was synthesized for the WISH method. RNA microinjection was performed using the GFP gene reporter regulated by translation regulatory P. mangurus buc and nanos3 3'UTR sequences, germline-specific markers used to describe in vivo migration of PGCs. Nanos3 and buc gene expression was evaluated in tissues for male and female adults and initial development phases and larvae from the first to seventh days post-hatching. The results from the WISH technique indicated the origin of PGCs in P. mangurus from the aggregations of nanos3 mRNA in the cleavage grooves and the signals obtained from nanos3 probes corresponded topographically to the migratory patterns of the PGCs reported for other fish species. Diffuse signals were observed in all blastomeres until the 16-cell stage, which could be related to the two sequences of the nanos3 3'UTR observed in the P. mangurus unfertilized egg transcriptome. Microinjection was not successful using GFP-Dr-nanos1 3'UTR mRNA and GFP-Pm-buc 3'UTR mRNA and allowed the identification of potential PGCs with less than 2% efficiency only and after hatching using GFP-Pm-nanos3 3'UTR. Nanos3 and buc gene expression was reported in the female gonads and from fertilized eggs until the blastula phase. These results provide information about the PGC migration of P. mangurus and the possible use of PGCs for the future generation of germline chimeras to be applied in the conservation efforts of Neotropical Siluriformes species. This study can contribute to establishing genetic banks, manipulating organisms, and assisting in biotechnologies such as transplanting germ cells in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Fonseca Shiguemoto
- Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Fish Biotechnology, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation /National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Aquatic Biodiversity, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Geovanna Carla Zacheo Coelho
- Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Fish Biotechnology, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation /National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Aquatic Biodiversity, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucia Suárez López
- Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Fish Biotechnology, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation /National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Aquatic Biodiversity, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Giselle Pessanha Pessoa
- Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Fish Biotechnology, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation /National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Aquatic Biodiversity, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | | | - José Augusto Senhorini
- Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Fish Biotechnology, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation /National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Aquatic Biodiversity, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo Sérgio Monzani
- Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
- Laboratory of Fish Biotechnology, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation /National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Aquatic Biodiversity, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil.
| | - George Shigueki Yasui
- Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Fish Biotechnology, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation /National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Aquatic Biodiversity, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
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12
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Rostam N, Goloborodko A, Riemer S, Hertel A, Riedel D, Vorbrüggen G, Dosch R. The germ plasm is anchored at the cleavage furrows through interaction with tight junctions in the early zebrafish embryo. Development 2022; 149:275789. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.200465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The zebrafish germline is specified during early embryogenesis by inherited maternal RNAs and proteins collectively called germ plasm. Only the cells containing germ plasm will become part of the germline, whereas the other cells will commit to somatic cell fates. Therefore, proper localization of germ plasm is key for germ cell specification and its removal is crucial for the development of the soma. The molecular mechanism underlying this process in vertebrates is largely unknown. Here, we show that germ plasm localization in zebrafish is similar to that in Xenopus but distinct from Drosophila. We identified non muscle myosin II (NMII) and tight junction (TJ) components, such as ZO2 and claudin-d (Cldn-d) as interaction candidates of Bucky ball (Buc), which is the germ plasm organizer in zebrafish. Remarkably, we also found that TJ protein ZO1 colocalizes with germ plasm, and electron microscopy of zebrafish embryos uncovered TJ-like structures at the cleavage furrows where the germ plasm is anchored. In addition, injection of the TJ receptor Cldn-d produced extra germ plasm aggregates, whereas expression of a dominant-negative version inhibited germ plasm aggregate formation. Our findings support for the first time a role for TJs in germ plasm localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Rostam
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center 1 , 37073 Göttingen , Germany
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Göttingen Center of Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen 2 Department of Developmental Biology , , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
| | - Alexander Goloborodko
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center 3 , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
| | - Stephan Riemer
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center 3 , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
| | - Andres Hertel
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry 4 Department of Molecular Developmental Biology , , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
| | - Dietmar Riedel
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry 5 Laboratory of Electron Microscopy , , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
| | - Gerd Vorbrüggen
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Göttingen Center of Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen 2 Department of Developmental Biology , , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry 4 Department of Molecular Developmental Biology , , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
| | - Roland Dosch
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center 1 , 37073 Göttingen , Germany
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center 3 , 37077 Göttingen , Germany
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13
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A Krüppel-like factor is required for development and regeneration of germline and yolk cells from somatic stem cells in planarians. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001472. [PMID: 35839223 PMCID: PMC9286257 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexually reproducing animals segregate their germline from their soma. In addition to gamete-producing gonads, planarian and parasitic flatworm reproduction relies on yolk cell–generating accessory reproductive organs (vitellaria) supporting development of yolkless oocytes. Despite the importance of vitellaria for flatworm reproduction (and parasite transmission), little is known about this unique evolutionary innovation. Here, we examine reproductive system development in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, in which pluripotent stem cells generate both somatic and germ cell lineages. We show that a homolog of the pluripotency factor Klf4 is expressed in primordial germ cells (PGCs), presumptive germline stem cells (GSCs), and yolk cell progenitors. Knockdown of this klf4-like (klf4l) gene results in animals that fail to specify or maintain germ cells; surprisingly, they also fail to maintain yolk cells. We find that yolk cells display germ cell–like attributes and that vitellaria are structurally analogous to gonads. In addition to identifying a new proliferative cell population in planarians (yolk cell progenitors) and defining its niche, our work provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that flatworm germ cells and yolk cells share a common evolutionary origin.
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14
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Liu L, Liu T, Wu S, Li Y, Wei H, Zhang L, Shu Y, Yang Y, Xing Q, Wang S, Zhang L. Discovery of Nanos1 and Nanos2/3 as Germ Cell Markers During Scallop Gonadal Development. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 24:408-416. [PMID: 35362875 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-022-10124-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nanos are conserved genes involved in germline cell specification and differentiation. However, little is known about the role of different members of Nanos family in germ cell development in mollusks. In the present study, we conducted genome-wide identification of Nanos family in an economically important scallop Patinopecten yessoensis, and detected their expression in adult tissues and during early development. Two Nanos genes (PyNanos1, PyNanos2/3) were identified, both of which have the N-terminal NOT1-interacting motif and C-terminal (CCHC)2 zinc finger domain. Expression profiles showed that PyNanos1 and PyNanos2/3 were primarily expressed in the gonads, with PyNanos1 being localized in the oogonia, oocytes, and spermatogonia, while PyNanos2/3 being specifically in spermatogonia. The results suggest that PyNanos are germ cell specific and may play crucial roles in gametogenesis in the scallop. PyNanos1 is a maternal gene, which is distributed uniformly at early cleavage, and restricted to 2-3 cell clusters from blastulae to trochophore larvae, suggesting its potential role in the formation of PGCs. Zygotically expressed PyNanos2/3 displayed a similar signal with PyNanos1 in the trochophore larvae, suggesting it may also participate in the formation and/or maintenance of PGCs. This study will benefit germplasm exploitation and conservation in bivalves, and facilitate a better understanding of the evolution of Nanos family and the role of different Nanos in germ cell development in mollusks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangjie Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Tian Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Shaoxuan Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yajuan Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Huilan Wei
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Lijing Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Ya Shu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yaxin Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Qiang Xing
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology & Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China
| | - Shi Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology & Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China
- Laboratory of Tropical Marine Germplasm Resources and Breeding Engineering, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology & Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China.
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15
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Razmi K, Patil JG. Primordial Germ Cell Development in the Poeciliid, Gambusia holbrooki, Reveals Shared Features Between Lecithotrophs and Matrotrophs. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:793498. [PMID: 35300414 PMCID: PMC8920993 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.793498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Metazoans exhibit two modes of primordial germ cell (PGC) specification that are interspersed across taxa. However, the evolutionary link between the two modes and the reproductive strategies of lecithotrophy and matrotrophy is poorly understood. As a first step to understand this, the spatio-temporal expression of teleostean germ plasm markers was investigated in Gambusia holbrooki, a poecilid with shared lecitho- and matrotrophy. A group of germ plasm components was detected in the ovum suggesting maternal inheritance mode of PGC specification. However, the strictly zygotic activation of dnd-β and nanos1 occurred relatively early, reminiscent of models with induction mode (e.g., mice). The PGC clustering, migration and colonisation patterns of G. holbrooki resembled those of zebrafish, medaka and mice at blastula, gastrula and somitogenesis, respectively—recapitulating features of advancing evolutionary nodes with progressive developmental stages. Moreover, the expression domains of PGC markers in G. holbrooki were either specific to teleost (vasa expression in developing PGCs), murine models (dnd spliced variants) or shared between the two taxa (germline and somatic expression of piwi and nanos1). Collectively, the results suggest that the reproductive developmental adaptations may reflect a transition from lecithotrophy to matrotrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Komeil Razmi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Taroona, TAS, Australia
| | - Jawahar G Patil
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Taroona, TAS, Australia
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16
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Valentino M, Ortega BM, Ulrich B, Doyle DA, Farnum ED, Joiner DA, Gavis ER, Niepielko MG. Computational modeling offers new insight into Drosophila germ granule development. Biophys J 2022; 121:1465-1482. [PMID: 35288123 PMCID: PMC9072583 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The packaging of specific mRNAs into ribonucleoprotein granules called germ granules is required for germline proliferation and maintenance. During Drosophila germ granule development, mRNAs such as nanos (nos) and polar granule component (pgc) localize to germ granules through a stochastic seeding and self-recruitment process that generates homotypic clusters: aggregates containing multiple copies of a specific transcript. Germ granules vary in mRNA composition with respect to the different transcripts that they contain and their quantity. However, what influences germ granule mRNA composition during development is unclear. To gain insight into how germ granule mRNA heterogeneity arises, we created a computational model that simulates granule development. Although the model includes known mechanisms that were converted into mathematical representations, additional unreported mechanisms proved to be essential for modeling germ granule formation. The model was validated by predicting defects caused by changes in mRNA and protein abundance. Broader application of the model was demonstrated by quantifying nos and pgc localization efficacies and the contribution that an element within the nos 3' untranslated region has on clustering. For the first time, a mathematical representation of Drosophila germ granule formation is described, offering quantitative insight into how mRNA compositions arise while providing a new tool for guiding future studies.
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17
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Delbes G, Blázquez M, Fernandino JI, Grigorova P, Hales BF, Metcalfe C, Navarro-Martín L, Parent L, Robaire B, Rwigemera A, Van Der Kraak G, Wade M, Marlatt V. Effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on gonad development: Mechanistic insights from fish and mammals. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 204:112040. [PMID: 34509487 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Over the past century, evidence has emerged that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have an impact on reproductive health. An increased frequency of reproductive disorders has been observed worldwide in both wildlife and humans that is correlated with accidental exposures to EDCs and their increased production. Epidemiological and experimental studies have highlighted the consequences of early exposures and the existence of key windows of sensitivity during development. Such early in life exposures can have an immediate impact on gonadal and reproductive tract development, as well as on long-term reproductive health in both males and females. Traditionally, EDCs were thought to exert their effects by modifying the endocrine pathways controlling reproduction. Advances in knowledge of the mechanisms regulating sex determination, differentiation and gonadal development in fish and rodents have led to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of early exposure to EDCs on reproduction. In this manuscript, we review the key developmental stages sensitive to EDCs and the state of knowledge on the mechanisms by which model EDCs affect these processes, based on the roadmap of gonad development specific to fish and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Delbes
- Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, Canada.
| | - M Blázquez
- Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J I Fernandino
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Argentina
| | | | - B F Hales
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - C Metcalfe
- School of Environment, Trent University, Trent, Canada
| | - L Navarro-Martín
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - L Parent
- Université TELUQ, Montréal, Canada
| | - B Robaire
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - A Rwigemera
- Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, Canada
| | - G Van Der Kraak
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - M Wade
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - V Marlatt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
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18
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Sun M, Liu JQ, Du XL, Liu SQ, Wang L. Cloning and expression analysis of Shvasa and the molecular regulatory pathways implicated in Cd-induced reproductive toxicity in the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 288:132437. [PMID: 34627817 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd), a widespread, severely toxic heavy metal, can cause serious reproductive toxicity in animals. However, the molecular pathways associated with Cd-induced effects remain unknown. In this study, we first cloned the vasa gene (Shvasa) and characterized the VASA protein (ShVASA) in Sinopotamon henanense. We then investigated the molecular mechanisms of Cd-induced reproductive toxicity. Shvasa was specifically expressed in the ovary and testis. ShVASA was abundant in early ovarian development and significantly less abundant in mature ovaries. During oogenesis, ShVASA was abundant and evenly distributed in the cytoplasm of the oogonium and previtellogenic oocytes, but gradually accumulated in the nuclear periphery of vitellogenic and mature oocytes. As Cd concentration increased, ShVASA abundance decreased gradually in proliferation-stage ovaries, and increased gradually in mature ovaries. Notably, at the small and large growth stages, ShVASA was upregulated following exposure to 14.5 mg/L Cd and downregulated following exposure to 29 mg/L Cd. In contrast to the unexposed control, ShVASA accumulated around the nuclear periphery in Cd-exposed previtellogenic oocytes and scattered gradually into the cytoplasm in Cd-exposed vitellogenic and mature oocytes. Shvasa RNA interference (RNAi) downregulated Shnanos and Shpiwi, but simultaneous Cd exposure and Shvasa RNAi significantly upregulated Shnanos and downregulated Shpiwi. These data suggested that Cd disrupted Shvasa expression and function, as well as the functions of Shnanos and Shpiwi, leading to severe reproductive toxicity in S. henanense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Sun
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Jun Qing Liu
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Xiao Lin Du
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Si Qi Liu
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Lan Wang
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China.
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19
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Induction of Rosette-to-Lumen stage embryoids using reprogramming paradigms in ESCs. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7322. [PMID: 34916498 PMCID: PMC8677818 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27586-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Blastocyst-derived stem cell lines were shown to self-organize into embryo-like structures in 3D cell culture environments. Here, we provide evidence that embryo-like structures can be generated solely based on transcription factor-mediated reprogramming of embryonic stem cells in a simple 3D co-culture system. Embryonic stem cells in these cultures self-organize into elongated, compartmentalized embryo-like structures reflecting aspects of the inner regions of the early post-implantation embryo. Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals transcriptional profiles resembling epiblast, primitive-/visceral endoderm, and extraembryonic ectoderm of early murine embryos around E4.5-E5.5. In this stem cell-based embryo model, progression from rosette formation to lumenogenesis accompanied by progression from naïve- to primed pluripotency was observed within Epi-like cells. Additionally, lineage specification of primordial germ cells and distal/anterior visceral endoderm-like cells was observed in epiblast- or visceral endoderm-like compartments, respectively. The system presented in this study allows for fast and reproducible generation of embryo-like structures, providing an additional tool to study aspects of early embryogenesis.
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20
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Blondel L, Besse S, Rivard EL, Ylla G, Extavour CG. Evolution of a cytoplasmic determinant: evidence for the biochemical basis of functional evolution of the novel germ line regulator oskar. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:5491-5513. [PMID: 34550378 PMCID: PMC8662646 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Germ line specification is essential in sexually reproducing organisms. Despite their critical role, the evolutionary history of the genes that specify animal germ cells is heterogeneous and dynamic. In many insects, the gene oskar is required for the specification of the germ line. However, the germ line role of oskar is thought to be a derived role resulting from co-option from an ancestral somatic role. To address how evolutionary changes in protein sequence could have led to changes in the function of Oskar protein that enabled it to regulate germ line specification, we searched for oskar orthologs in 1,565 publicly available insect genomic and transcriptomic data sets. The earliest-diverging lineage in which we identified an oskar ortholog was the order Zygentoma (silverfish and firebrats), suggesting that oskar originated before the origin of winged insects. We noted some order-specific trends in oskar sequence evolution, including whole gene duplications, clade-specific losses, and rapid divergence. An alignment of all known 379 Oskar sequences revealed new highly conserved residues as candidates that promote dimerization of the LOTUS domain. Moreover, we identified regions of the OSK domain with conserved predicted RNA binding potential. Furthermore, we show that despite a low overall amino acid conservation, the LOTUS domain shows higher conservation of predicted secondary structure than the OSK domain. Finally, we suggest new key amino acids in the LOTUS domain that may be involved in the previously reported Oskar−Vasa physical interaction that is required for its germ line role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Blondel
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Savandara Besse
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Emily L Rivard
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Guillem Ylla
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Cassandra G Extavour
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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21
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Liu Y, Wang Z, Huang W, Pang S, Qian L, Zhang Y, Meng J, Xu M, Wang W, Wang Y, Lu B, Zhao Y, Xian J, Bo X, Yue B. De Novo Sequencing and High-Contiguity Genome Assembly of Moniezia expansa Reveals Its Specific Fatty Acid Metabolism and Reproductive Stem Cell Regulatory Network. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:693914. [PMID: 34295839 PMCID: PMC8291045 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.693914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Moniezia expansa (M. expansa) parasitizes the small intestine of sheep and causes inhibited growth and development or even death. Being globally distributed, it causes considerable economic losses to the animal husbandry industry. Here, using Illumina, PacBio and BioNano techniques, we obtain a high-quality genome assembly of M. expansa, which has a total length of 142 Mb, a scaffold N50 length of 7.27 Mb and 8,104 coding genes. M. expansa has a very high body fat content and a specific type of fatty acid metabolism. It cannot synthesize any lipids due to the loss of some key genes involved in fatty acid synthesis, and it may can metabolize most lipids via the relatively complete fatty acid β-oxidation pathway. The M. expansa genome encodes multiple lipid transporters and lipid binding proteins that enable the utilization of lipids in the host intestinal fluid. Although many of its systems are degraded (with the loss of homeobox genes), its reproductive system is well developed. PL10, AGO, Nanos and Pumilio compose a reproductive stem cell regulatory network. The results suggest that the high body lipid content of M. expansa provides an energy source supporting the high fecundity of this parasite. Our study provides insight into host interaction, adaptation, nutrient acquisition, strobilization, and reproduction in this parasite and this is also the first genome published in Anoplocephalidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhengrong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Wanlong Huang
- NGS Research Center, Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Pang
- NGS Research Center, Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Lingxiao Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Yanyan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Jimeng Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Mengfei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Weiyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Yunfei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Baoyan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Yiyue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Jinwen Xian
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Xinwen Bo
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Bisong Yue
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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22
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Nicholls PK, Page DC. Germ cell determination and the developmental origin of germ cell tumors. Development 2021; 148:239824. [PMID: 33913479 DOI: 10.1242/dev.198150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In each generation, the germline is tasked with producing somatic lineages that form the body, and segregating a population of cells for gametogenesis. During animal development, when do cells of the germline irreversibly commit to producing gametes? Integrating findings from diverse species, we conclude that the final commitment of the germline to gametogenesis - the process of germ cell determination - occurs after primordial germ cells (PGCs) colonize the gonads. Combining this understanding with medical findings, we present a model whereby germ cell tumors arise from cells that failed to undertake germ cell determination, regardless of their having colonized the gonads. We propose that the diversity of cell types present in these tumors reflects the broad developmental potential of migratory PGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter K Nicholls
- Whitehead Institute, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
| | - David C Page
- Whitehead Institute, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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23
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Pieplow A, Dastaw M, Sakuma T, Sakamoto N, Yamamoto T, Yajima M, Oulhen N, Wessel GM. CRISPR-Cas9 editing of non-coding genomic loci as a means of controlling gene expression in the sea urchin. Dev Biol 2021; 472:85-97. [PMID: 33482173 PMCID: PMC7956150 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We seek to manipulate gene function here through CRISPR-Cas9 editing of cis-regulatory sequences, rather than the more typical mutation of coding regions. This approach would minimize secondary effects of cellular responses to nonsense mediated decay pathways or to mutant protein products by premature stops. This strategy also allows for reducing gene activity in cases where a complete gene knockout would result in lethality, and it can be applied to the rapid identification of key regulatory sites essential for gene expression. We tested this strategy here with genes of known function as a proof of concept, and then applied it to examine the upstream genomic region of the germline gene Nanos2 in the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. We first used CRISPR-Cas9 to target established genomic cis-regulatory regions of the skeletogenic cell transcription factor, Alx1, and the TGF-β signaling ligand, Nodal, which produce obvious developmental defects when altered in sea urchin embryos. Importantly, mutation of cis-activator sites (Alx1) and cis-repressor sites (Nodal) result in the predicted decreased and increased transcriptional output, respectively. Upon identification of efficient gRNAs by genomic mutations, we then used the same validated gRNAs to target a deadCas9-VP64 transcriptional activator to increase Nodal transcription directly. Finally, we paired these new methodologies with a more traditional, GFP reporter construct approach to further our understanding of the transcriptional regulation of Nanos2, a key gene required for germ cell identity in S. purpuratus. With a series of reporter assays, upstream Cas9-promoter targeted mutagenesis, coupled with qPCR and in situ RNA hybridization, we concluded that the promoter of Nanos2 drives strong mRNA expression in the sea urchin embryo, indicating that its primordial germ cell (PGC)-specific restriction may rely instead on post-transcriptional regulation. Overall, we present a proof-of-principle tool-kit of Cas9-mediated manipulations of promoter regions that should be applicable in most cells and embryos for which CRISPR-Cas9 is employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Pieplow
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Meseret Dastaw
- Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute, Addis Ababa University, NBH1, 4killo King George VI St, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tetsushi Sakuma
- Division of Integrated Sciences for Life, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan
| | - Naoaki Sakamoto
- Division of Integrated Sciences for Life, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamamoto
- Division of Integrated Sciences for Life, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan
| | - Mamiko Yajima
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Nathalie Oulhen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Gary M Wessel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
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Filanti B, Piccinini G, Bettini S, Lazzari M, Franceschini V, Maurizii MG, Milani L. Early germline differentiation in bivalves: TDRD7 as a candidate investigational unit for Ruditapes philippinarum germ granule assembly. Histochem Cell Biol 2021; 156:19-34. [PMID: 33770286 PMCID: PMC8277629 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-021-01983-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The germline is a key feature of sexual animals and the ways in which it separates from the soma differ widely across Metazoa. However, at least at some point during germline differentiation, some cytoplasmic supramolecular structures (collectively called germ plasm-related structures) are present and involved in its specification and/or differentiation. The factors involved in the assembly of these granular structures are various and non-ubiquitous among animals, even if some functional patterns and the presence of certain domains appear to be shared among some. For instance, the LOTUS domain is shared by Oskar, the Holometabola germ plasm master regulator, and some Tudor-family proteins assessed as being involved in the proper assembly of germ granules of different animals. Here, we looked for the presence of LOTUS-containing proteins in the transcriptome of Ruditapes philippinarum (Bivalvia). Such species is of particular interest because it displays annual renewal of gonads, sided by the renewal of germline differentiation pathways. Moreover, previous works have identified in its early germ cells cytoplasmic granules containing germline determinants. We selected the orthologue of TDRD7 as a candidate involved in the early steps of germline differentiation through bioinformatic predictions and immunohistological patterning (immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence). We observed the expression of the protein in putative precursors of germline cells, upstream to the germline marker Vasa. This, added to the fact that orthologues of this protein are involved in the assembly of germ granules in mouse, zebrafish, and fly, makes it a worthy study unit for investigations on the formation of such structures in bivalves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Filanti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, BiGeA, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Piccinini
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, BiGeA, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Simone Bettini
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, BiGeA, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maurizio Lazzari
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, BiGeA, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valeria Franceschini
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, BiGeA, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Gabriella Maurizii
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, BiGeA, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, BiGeA, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
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Kulkarni A, Lopez DH, Extavour CG. Shared Cell Biological Functions May Underlie Pleiotropy of Molecular Interactions in the Germ Lines and Nervous Systems of Animals. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
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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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Fang J, Lerit DA. Drosophila pericentrin-like protein promotes the formation of primordial germ cells. Genesis 2019; 58:e23347. [PMID: 31774613 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the precursors to the adult germline stem cells that are set aside early during embryogenesis and specified through the inheritance of the germ plasm, which contains the mRNAs and proteins that function as the germline fate determinants. In Drosophila melanogaster, formation of the PGCs requires the microtubule and actin cytoskeletal networks to actively segregate the germ plasm from the soma and physically construct the pole buds (PBs) that protrude from the posterior cortex. Of emerging importance is the central role of centrosomes in the coordination of microtubule dynamics and actin organization to promote PGC development. We previously identified a requirement for the centrosome protein Centrosomin (Cnn) in PGC formation. Cnn interacts directly with Pericentrin-like protein (PLP) to form a centrosome scaffold structure required for pericentriolar material recruitment and organization. In this study, we identify a role for PLP at several discrete steps during PGC development. We find PLP functions in segregating the germ plasm from the soma by regulating microtubule organization and centrosome separation. These activities further contribute to promoting PB protrusion and facilitating the distribution of germ plasm in proliferating PGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junnan Fang
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Dorothy A Lerit
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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Yoon Y, Klomp J, Martin-Martin I, Criscione F, Calvo E, Ribeiro J, Schmidt-Ott U. Embryo polarity in moth flies and mosquitoes relies on distinct old genes with localized transcript isoforms. eLife 2019; 8:e46711. [PMID: 31591963 PMCID: PMC6783274 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Unrelated genes establish head-to-tail polarity in embryos of different fly species, raising the question of how they evolve this function. We show that in moth flies (Clogmia, Lutzomyia), a maternal transcript isoform of odd-paired (Zic) is localized in the anterior egg and adopted the role of anterior determinant without essential protein change. Additionally, Clogmia lost maternal germ plasm, which contributes to embryo polarity in fruit flies (Drosophila). In culicine (Culex, Aedes) and anopheline mosquitoes (Anopheles), embryo polarity rests on a previously unnamed zinc finger gene (cucoid), or pangolin (dTcf), respectively. These genes also localize an alternative transcript isoform at the anterior egg pole. Basal-branching crane flies (Nephrotoma) also enrich maternal pangolin transcript at the anterior egg pole, suggesting that pangolin functioned as ancestral axis determinant in flies. In conclusion, flies evolved an unexpected diversity of anterior determinants, and alternative transcript isoforms with distinct expression can adopt fundamentally distinct developmental roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoseop Yoon
- Department of Organismal Biology and AnatomyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Jeff Klomp
- Department of Organismal Biology and AnatomyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Ines Martin-Martin
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector ResearchNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesRockvilleUnited States
| | - Frank Criscione
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector ResearchNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesRockvilleUnited States
| | - Eric Calvo
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector ResearchNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesRockvilleUnited States
| | - Jose Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector ResearchNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesRockvilleUnited States
| | - Urs Schmidt-Ott
- Department of Organismal Biology and AnatomyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
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Oulhen N, Swartz SZ, Wang L, Wikramanayake A, Wessel GM. Distinct transcriptional regulation of Nanos2 in the germ line and soma by the Wnt and delta/notch pathways. Dev Biol 2019; 452:34-42. [PMID: 31075220 PMCID: PMC6848975 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Specification of the primordial germ cells (PGCs) is essential for sexually reproducing animals. Although the mechanisms of PGC specification are diverse between organisms, the RNA binding protein Nanos is consistently required in the germ line in all species tested. How Nanos is selectively expressed in the germ line, however, remains largely elusive. We report that in sea urchin embryos, the early expression of Nanos2 in the PGCs requires the maternal Wnt pathway. During gastrulation, however, Nanos2 expression expands into adjacent somatic mesodermal cells and this secondary Nanos expression instead requires Delta/Notch signaling through the forkhead family member FoxY. Each of these transcriptional regulators were tested by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis and found to directly interact with a DNA locus upstream of Nanos2. Given the conserved importance of Nanos in germ line specification, and the derived character of the micromeres and small micromeres in the sea urchin, we propose that the ancestral mechanism of Nanos2 expression in echinoderms was by induction in mesodermal cells during gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Oulhen
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - S Zachary Swartz
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Lingyu Wang
- Department of Biology and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Gary M Wessel
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
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Baloch AR, Fučíková M, Rodina M, Metscher B, Tichopád T, Shah MA, Franěk R, Pšenička M. Delivery of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles into Primordial Germ Cells in Sturgeon. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9080333. [PMID: 31375005 PMCID: PMC6724049 DOI: 10.3390/biom9080333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanoparticles are finding increasing applications in diagnostics, imaging and therapeutics in medicine. Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) have received significant interest of scientific community due to their distinctive properties. For the first time, we have delivered IONs into germ cells in any species. Our results showed that sturgeon primordial germ cells (PGCs) delivered with IONs could be detected until seven days post fertilization (dpf) under fluorescent microscope and at 22 dpf by micro-CT. Delivery of IONs into cells could be helpful for studying germ cell biology and the improvement of germ cell-based bio-technologies as isolation of PGCs using magnetic activated cell sorting or application of hyperthermia for a host sterilization purpose. Intriguingly, in our study, we did not find any toxic effects of IONs on the survival and hatching rates of sturgeon embryos when compared with embryos injected with FITC-dextran only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Rasheed Baloch
- University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic.
| | - Michaela Fučíková
- University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Rodina
- University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Brian Metscher
- University of Vienna, Department of Theoretical Biology, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomáš Tichopád
- University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Mujahid Ali Shah
- University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Franěk
- University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Pšenička
- University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25 Vodnany, Czech Republic
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Mutagenesis of odorant coreceptor Orco fully disrupts foraging but not oviposition behaviors in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:15677-15685. [PMID: 31320583 PMCID: PMC6681710 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1902089116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The hawkmoth Manduca sexta and one of its preferred hosts in the North American Southwest, Datura wrightii, share a model insect-plant relationship based on mutualistic and antagonistic life-history traits. D. wrightii is the innately preferred nectar source and oviposition host for M. sexta Hence, the hawkmoth is an important pollinator while the M. sexta larvae are specialized herbivores of the plant. Olfactory detection of plant volatiles plays a crucial role in the behavior of the hawkmoth. In vivo, the odorant receptor coreceptor (Orco) is an obligatory component for the function of odorant receptors (ORs), a major receptor family involved in insect olfaction. We used CRISPR-Cas9 targeted mutagenesis to knock out (KO) the MsexOrco gene to test the consequences of a loss of OR-mediated olfaction in an insect-plant relationship. Neurophysiological characterization revealed severely reduced antennal and antennal lobe responses to representative odorants emitted by D. wrightii In a wind-tunnel setting with a flowering plant, Orco KO hawkmoths showed disrupted flight orientation and an ablated proboscis extension response to the natural stimulus. The Orco KO gravid female displayed reduced attraction toward a nonflowering plant. However, more than half of hawkmoths were able to use characteristic odor-directed flight orientation and oviposit on the host plant. Overall, OR-mediated olfaction is essential for foraging and pollination behaviors, but plant-seeking and oviposition behaviors are sustained through additional OR-independent sensory cues.
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Higuchi K, Goto R, Konishi J, Ina Y, Kazeto Y, Gen K. Early development of primordial germ cells in Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis. Theriogenology 2019; 131:106-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Jin Y, Davie A, Migaud H. Expression pattern of nanos, piwil, dnd, vasa and pum genes during ontogenic development in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Gene 2019; 688:62-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.11.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Whittle CA, Extavour CG. Contrasting patterns of molecular evolution in metazoan germ line genes. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:53. [PMID: 30744572 PMCID: PMC6371493 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1363-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Germ lines are the cell lineages that give rise to the sperm and eggs in animals. The germ lines first arise from primordial germ cells (PGCs) during embryogenesis: these form from either a presumed derived mode of preformed germ plasm (inheritance) or from an ancestral mechanism of inductive cell-cell signalling (induction). Numerous genes involved in germ line specification and development have been identified and functionally studied. However, little is known about the molecular evolutionary dynamics of germ line genes in metazoan model systems. RESULTS Here, we studied the molecular evolution of germ line genes within three metazoan model systems. These include the genus Drosophila (N=34 genes, inheritance), the fellow insect Apis (N=30, induction), and their more distant relative Caenorhabditis (N=23, inheritance). Using multiple species and established phylogenies in each genus, we report that germ line genes exhibited marked variation in the constraint on protein sequence divergence (dN/dS) and codon usage bias (CUB) within each genus. Importantly, we found that de novo lineage-specific inheritance (LSI) genes in Drosophila (osk, pgc) and in Caenorhabditis (pie-1, pgl-1), which are essential to germ plasm functions under the derived inheritance mode, displayed rapid protein sequence divergence relative to the other germ line genes within each respective genus. We show this may reflect the evolution of specialized germ plasm functions and/or low pleiotropy of LSI genes, features not shared with other germ line genes. In addition, we observed that the relative ranking of dN/dS and of CUB between genera were each more strongly correlated between Drosophila and Caenorhabditis, from different phyla, than between Drosophila and its insect relative Apis, suggesting taxonomic differences in how germ line genes have evolved. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the present results advance our understanding of the evolution of animal germ line genes within three well-known metazoan models. Further, the findings provide insights to the molecular evolution of germ line genes with respect to LSI status, pleiotropy, adaptive evolution as well as PGC-specification mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie A Whittle
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Cassandra G Extavour
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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Bilinski SM, Jaglarz MK, Tworzydlo W. Organelle assemblages implicated in the transfer of oocyte components to the embryo: an insect perspective. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 31:1-7. [PMID: 31109662 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Besides reserve materials (yolk spheres, lipid droplets), ribosomes and various mRNA species, insect oocytes contain large easily morphologically recognizable organelle assemblages: the Balbiani body and the oosome (pole plasm). These assemblages are implicated in the transfer of oocyte components (mitochondria, polar granules) to the embryo that is to offspring. Here, we review present knowledge of morphology, morphogenesis, molecular composition and function/s of these assemblages. We discuss also the morphogenesis and presumed function of unconventional organelle assemblages, dormant stacks of endoplasmic reticulum, recently described in the oocytes and early embryos of a viviparous dermapteran, Hemimerus talpoides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szczepan M Bilinski
- Department of Developmental Biology and Invertebrate Morphology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Krakow, Poland.
| | - Mariusz K Jaglarz
- Department of Developmental Biology and Invertebrate Morphology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Waclaw Tworzydlo
- Department of Developmental Biology and Invertebrate Morphology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
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36
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Milani L, Maurizii MG. Insights into Germline Development and Differentiation in Molluscs and Reptiles: The Use of Molecular Markers in the Study of Non-model Animals. Results Probl Cell Differ 2019; 68:321-353. [PMID: 31598863 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23459-1_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
When shifting research focus from model to non-model species, many differences in the working approach should be taken into account and usually methodological modifications are required because of the lack of genetics/genomics and developmental information for the vast majority of organisms. This lack of data accounts for the largely incomplete understanding of how the two components-genes and developmental programs-are intermingled in the process of evolution. A deeper level of knowledge was reached for a few model animals, making it possible to understand some of the processes that guide developmental changes during evolutionary time. However, it is often difficult to transfer the obtained information to other, even closely related, animals. In this chapter, we present and discuss some examples, such as the choice of molecular markers to be used to characterize differentiation and developmental processes. The chosen examples pertain to the study of germline in molluscs, reptiles, and other non-model animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Maria Gabriella Maurizii
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Abstract
Sex determination and sexual development are highly diverse and controlled by mechanisms that are extremely labile. While dioecy (separate male and female functions) is the norm for most animals, hermaphroditism (both male and female functions within a single body) is phylogenetically widespread. Much of our current understanding of sexual development comes from a small number of model systems, limiting our ability to make broader conclusions about the evolution of sexual diversity. We present the calyptraeid gastropods as a model for the study of the evolution of sex determination in a sequentially hermaphroditic system. Calyptraeid gastropods, a group of sedentary, filter-feeding marine snails, are sequential hermaphrodites that change sex from male to female during their life span (protandry). This transition includes resorption of the penis and the elaboration of female genitalia, in addition to shifting from production of spermatocytes to oocytes. This transition is typically under environmental control and frequently mediated by social interactions. Males in contact with females delay sex change to transition at larger sizes, while isolated males transition more rapidly and at smaller sizes. This phenomenon has been known for over a century; however, the mechanisms that control the switch from male to female are poorly understood. We review here our current understanding of sexual development and sex determination in the calyptraeid gastropods and other molluscs, highlighting our current understanding of factors implicated in the timing of sex change and the potential mechanisms. We also consider the embryonic origins and earliest expression of the germ line and the effects of environmental contaminants on sexual development.
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Krishnakumar P, Riemer S, Perera R, Lingner T, Goloborodko A, Khalifa H, Bontems F, Kaufholz F, El-Brolosy MA, Dosch R. Functional equivalence of germ plasm organizers. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007696. [PMID: 30399145 PMCID: PMC6219760 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The proteins Oskar (Osk) in Drosophila and Bucky ball (Buc) in zebrafish act as germ plasm organizers. Both proteins recapitulate germ plasm activities but seem to be unique to their animal groups. Here, we discover that Osk and Buc show similar activities during germ cell specification. Drosophila Osk induces additional PGCs in zebrafish. Surprisingly, Osk and Buc do not show homologous protein motifs that would explain their related function. Nonetheless, we detect that both proteins contain stretches of intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), which seem to be involved in protein aggregation. IDRs are known to rapidly change their sequence during evolution, which might obscure biochemical interaction motifs. Indeed, we show that Buc binds to the known Oskar interactors Vasa protein and nanos mRNA indicating conserved biochemical activities. These data provide a molecular framework for two proteins with unrelated sequence but with equivalent function to assemble a conserved core-complex nucleating germ plasm. Multicellular organisms use gametes for their propagation. Gametes are formed from germ cells, which are specified during embryogenesis in some animals by the inheritance of RNP granules known as germ plasm. Transplantation of germ plasm induces extra germ cells, whereas germ plasm ablation leads to the loss of gametes and sterility. Therefore, germ plasm is key for germ cell formation and reproduction. However, the molecular mechanisms of germ cell specification by germ plasm in the vertebrate embryo remain an unsolved question. Proteins, which assemble the germ plasm, are known as germ plasm organizers. Here, we show that the two germ plasm organizers Oskar from the fly and Bucky ball from the fish show similar functions by using a cross species approach. Both are intrinsically disordered proteins, which rapidly changed their sequence during evolution. Moreover, both proteins still interact with conserved components of the germ cell specification pathway. These data might provide a first example of two proteins with the same biological role, but distinct sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritesh Krishnakumar
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Riemer
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Roshan Perera
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Lingner
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Goloborodko
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hazem Khalifa
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Franck Bontems
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Felix Kaufholz
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mohamed A. El-Brolosy
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Roland Dosch
- Institute for Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
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39
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Ponz‐Segrelles G, Bleidorn C, Aguado MT. Expression of
vasa
,
piwi
, and
nanos
during gametogenesis in
Typosyllis antoni
(Annelida, Syllidae). Evol Dev 2018; 20:132-145. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Ponz‐Segrelles
- Departamento de BiologíaFacultad de CienciasUniversidad Autónoma de MadridCantoblancoMadridSpain
| | - Christoph Bleidorn
- Animal Evolution and BiodiversityGeorg‐August‐University GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - M. Teresa Aguado
- Departamento de BiologíaFacultad de CienciasUniversidad Autónoma de MadridCantoblancoMadridSpain
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40
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Stochastic Seeding Coupled with mRNA Self-Recruitment Generates Heterogeneous Drosophila Germ Granules. Curr Biol 2018; 28:1872-1881.e3. [PMID: 29861136 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The formation of ribonucleoprotein assemblies called germ granules is a conserved feature of germline development. In Drosophila, germ granules form at the posterior of the oocyte in a specialized cytoplasm called the germ plasm, which specifies germline fate during embryogenesis. mRNAs, including nanos (nos) and polar granule component (pgc), that function in germline development are localized to the germ plasm through their incorporation into germ granules, which deliver them to the primordial germ cells. Germ granules are nucleated by Oskar (Osk) protein and contain varying combinations and quantities of their constituent mRNAs, which are organized as spatially distinct, multi-copy homotypic clusters. The process that gives rise to such heterogeneous yet organized granules remains unknown. Here, we show that individual nos and pgc transcripts can populate the same nascent granule, and these first transcripts then act as seeds, recruiting additional like transcripts to form homotypic clusters. Within a granule, homotypic clusters grow independently of each other but depend on the simultaneous acquisition of additional Osk. Although granules can contain multiple clusters of a particular mRNA, granule mRNA content is dominated by cluster size. These results suggest that the accumulation of mRNAs in the germ plasm is controlled by the mRNAs themselves through their ability to form homotypic clusters; thus, RNA self-association drives germ granule mRNA localization. We propose that a stochastic seeding and self-recruitment mechanism enables granules to simultaneously incorporate many different mRNAs while ensuring that each becomes enriched to a functional threshold.
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41
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Causes and evolutionary consequences of primordial germ-cell specification mode in metazoans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 114:5784-5791. [PMID: 28584112 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1610600114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In animals, primordial germ cells (PGCs) give rise to the germ lines, the cell lineages that produce sperm and eggs. PGCs form in embryogenesis, typically by one of two modes: a likely ancestral mode wherein germ cells are induced during embryogenesis by cell-cell signaling (induction) or a derived mechanism whereby germ cells are specified by using germ plasm-that is, maternally specified germ-line determinants (inheritance). The causes of the shift to germ plasm for PGC specification in some animal clades remain largely unknown, but its repeated convergent evolution raises the question of whether it may result from or confer an innate selective advantage. It has been hypothesized that the acquisition of germ plasm confers enhanced evolvability, resulting from the release of selective constraint on somatic gene networks in embryogenesis, thus leading to acceleration of an organism's protein-sequence evolution, particularly for genes expressed at early developmental stages, and resulting in high speciation rates in germ plasm-containing lineages (denoted herein as the "PGC-specification hypothesis"). Although that hypothesis, if supported, could have major implications for animal evolution, our recent large-scale coding-sequence analyses from vertebrates and invertebrates provided important examples of genera that do not support the hypothesis of liberated constraint under germ plasm. Here, we consider reasons why germ plasm might be neither a direct target of selection nor causally linked to accelerated animal evolution. We explore alternate scenarios that could explain the repeated evolution of germ plasm and propose potential consequences of the inheritance and induction modes to animal evolutionary biology.
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42
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Control of Pem protein level by localized maternal factors for transcriptional regulation in the germline of the ascidian, Halocynthia roretzi. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196500. [PMID: 29709000 PMCID: PMC5927453 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Localized maternal mRNAs play important roles in embryogenesis, e.g. the establishment of embryonic axes and the developmental cell fate specification, in various animal species. In ascidians, a group of maternal mRNAs, called postplasmic/PEM RNAs, is localized to a subcellular structure, called the Centrosome-Attracting Body (CAB), which contains the ascidian germ plasm, and is inherited by the germline cells during embryogenesis. Posterior end mark (Pem), a postplasmic/PEM RNAs member, represses somatic gene expression in the germline during cleavage stages by inhibition of RNA polymerase II activity. However, the functions of other postplasmic/ PEM RNAs members in germline formation are largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the functions of two postplasmic/PEM RNAs, Popk-1 and Zf-1, in transcriptional regulation in the germline cells. We show that Popk-1 contributes to transcriptional quiescence by controlling the size of the CAB and amount of Pem protein translated at the CAB. Our studies also indicated that zygotic expression of a germline gene starts around the onset of gastrulation and that the decrease of Pem protein is necessary and sufficient for the zygotic germline gene expression. Finally, further studies showed that the decrease of the Pem protein level is facilitated by Zf-1. Taken together, we propose that postplasmic/PEM RNAs such as Popk-1 and Zf-1 control the protein level of the transcriptional repressor Pem and regulate its transcriptional state in the ascidian germline.
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43
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Zhang W, Bi Y, Wang Y, Li D, He N, Wang M, Jin J, Zuo Q, Zhang Y, Li B. Nanos2 promotes differentiation of chicken (Gallus gallus) embryonic stem cells to male germ cells. J Cell Biochem 2018; 119:4435-4446. [PMID: 29143989 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.26528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Nanos2 is an evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding protein containing 2 CCHC-type zinc finger motives. Here, we report that Nanos2 is strongly expressed in the testis compared to other tissues in chicken (Gallus gallus). Overexpression and knockout plasmid vectors were constructed, and in-vitro Cas9/gRNA digestion and T7 endonuclease I (T7E1) assay indicated that Nanos2-g1 possessed the highest knockout activity. In vitro and in vivo, Nanos2 overexpression accelerated the production of embryoid bodies (EBs) and SSC-like cells and promoted cvh, c-kit, and integrin α6 expression. Immunofluorescence staining, periodic acid schiff (PAS) and flow cytometry (FCM) assay showed that primordial germ cells (PGCs) and spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) formation were significantly promoted. On the contrary, Nanos2 knockout delayed the production of EBs and SSC-like cells and correspondingly reduced cvh, c-kit, and integrin α6 expression. Simultaneously, the quantity of PGCs and SSCs was blocked. Collectively, these results uncovered a novel function of Nanos2 involved in chicken male germ cell differentiation, where it acts as a facilitator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yulin Bi
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yingjie Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dong Li
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Drum Tower Clinic Medical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Nana He
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Man Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jing Jin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qisheng Zuo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yani Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bichun Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Molecular Design, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
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44
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Molecular characterization, tissue distribution, localization and mRNA expression of the bucky ball gene in the Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) during oogenesis. Gene Expr Patterns 2018; 28:62-71. [PMID: 29481878 DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In many organisms, germ cells are specified during embryogenesis by the inheritance of maternally deposited RNAs and proteins termed germ plasm. In vertebrates, the bucky ball (buc) gene plays an essential role in the germ plasm aggregation. In this study, the full-length cDNA of buc homologue in Dabry's sturgeon, Adbuc, was isolated and characterized. Multiple sequence alignments showed that the BUVE domain of Buc was highly conserved in vertebrates, despite exhibiting low identities with each other across the whole protein. By quantitative real-time PCR analysis, we found that Adbuc RNAs were only detected in the gonad with a high level in the ovary and a very low level in the testis. During embryogenesis, these RNAs were highly expressed from the unfertilized eggs to blastula, declined dramatically from the gastrula stage, and hardly found after the neurula stage. Moreover, with the development of ovary, the expression level of Adbuc was increasing. By in situ hybridization, the signal of Adbuc was not found in the oogonia, increased slightly in the stage I oocytes, and extremely strong in the stage II oocytes, suggesting that the signal became much stronger with increasing size of oocytes. Additionally, Adbuc co-localized with the mitochondrial cloud. Thus, we conclude that Dabry's sturgeon buc gene might also function in germplasm formation.
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45
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Rink JC. Stem Cells, Patterning and Regeneration in Planarians: Self-Organization at the Organismal Scale. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1774:57-172. [PMID: 29916155 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7802-1_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The establishment of size and shape remains a fundamental challenge in biological research that planarian flatworms uniquely epitomize. Planarians can regenerate complete and perfectly proportioned animals from tiny and arbitrarily shaped tissue pieces; they continuously renew all organismal cell types from abundant pluripotent stem cells, yet maintain shape and anatomy in the face of constant turnover; they grow when feeding and literally degrow when starving, while scaling form and function over as much as a 40-fold range in body length or an 800-fold change in total cell numbers. This review provides a broad overview of the current understanding of the planarian stem cell system, the mechanisms that pattern the planarian body plan and how the interplay between patterning signals and cell fate choices orchestrates regeneration. What emerges is a conceptual framework for the maintenance and regeneration of the planarian body plan on basis of the interplay between pluripotent stem cells and self-organizing patterns and further, the general utility of planarians as model system for the mechanistic basis of size and shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen C Rink
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
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46
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Lerit DA, Shebelut CW, Lawlor KJ, Rusan NM, Gavis ER, Schedl P, Deshpande G. Germ Cell-less Promotes Centrosome Segregation to Induce Germ Cell Formation. Cell Rep 2017; 18:831-839. [PMID: 28122234 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.12.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The primordial germ cells (PGCs) specified during embryogenesis serve as progenitors to the adult germline stem cells. In Drosophila, the proper specification and formation of PGCs require both centrosomes and germ plasm, which contains the germline determinants. Centrosomes are microtubule (MT)-organizing centers that ensure the faithful segregation of germ plasm into PGCs. To date, mechanisms that modulate centrosome behavior to engineer PGC development have remained elusive. Only one germ plasm component, Germ cell-less (Gcl), is known to play a role in PGC formation. Here, we show that Gcl engineers PGC formation by regulating centrosome dynamics. Loss of gcl leads to aberrant centrosome separation and elaboration of the astral MT network, resulting in inefficient germ plasm segregation and aborted PGC cellularization. Importantly, compromising centrosome separation alone is sufficient to mimic the gcl loss-of-function phenotypes. We conclude Gcl functions as a key regulator of centrosome separation required for proper PGC development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothy A Lerit
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | - Conrad W Shebelut
- School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Kristen J Lawlor
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nasser M Rusan
- Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Gavis
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Paul Schedl
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Laboratory of Gene Expression Regulation in Development, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Girish Deshpande
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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47
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Fierro-Constaín L, Schenkelaars Q, Gazave E, Haguenauer A, Rocher C, Ereskovsky A, Borchiellini C, Renard E. The Conservation of the Germline Multipotency Program, from Sponges to Vertebrates: A Stepping Stone to Understanding the Somatic and Germline Origins. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:474-488. [PMID: 28082608 PMCID: PMC5381599 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The germline definition in metazoans was first based on few bilaterian models. As a result, gene function interpretations were often based on phenotypes observed in those models and led to the definition of a set of genes, considered as specific of the germline, named the “germline core”. However, some of these genes were shown to also be involved in somatic stem cells, thus leading to the notion of germline multipotency program (GMP). Because Porifera and Ctenophora are currently the best candidates to be the sister-group to all other animals, the comparative analysis of gene contents and functions between these phyla, Cnidaria and Bilateria is expected to provide clues on early animal evolution and on the links between somatic and germ lineages. Our present bioinformatic analyses at the metazoan scale show that a set of 18 GMP genes was already present in the last common ancestor of metazoans and indicate more precisely the evolution of some of them in the animal lineage. The expression patterns and levels of 11 of these genes in the homoscleromorph sponge Oscarella lobularis show that they are expressed throughout their life cycle, in pluri/multipotent progenitors, during gametogenesis, embryogenesis and during wound healing. This new study in a nonbilaterian species reinforces the hypothesis of an ancestral multipotency program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Fierro-Constaín
- Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale IMBE, Station Marine d’Endoume, Rue de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France
- Corresponding authors: E-mails: ;
| | - Quentin Schenkelaars
- Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale IMBE, Station Marine d’Endoume, Rue de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGe3), University of Geneva
| | - Eve Gazave
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, UMR 7592, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Anne Haguenauer
- Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale IMBE, Station Marine d’Endoume, Rue de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France
| | - Caroline Rocher
- Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale IMBE, Station Marine d’Endoume, Rue de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France
| | - Alexander Ereskovsky
- Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale IMBE, Station Marine d’Endoume, Rue de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Carole Borchiellini
- Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale IMBE, Station Marine d’Endoume, Rue de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France
| | - Emmanuelle Renard
- Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale IMBE, Station Marine d’Endoume, Rue de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France
- Corresponding authors: E-mails: ;
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48
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Kulkarni A, Extavour CG. Convergent evolution of germ granule nucleators: A hypothesis. Stem Cell Res 2017; 24:188-194. [PMID: 28801028 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2017.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Germ cells have been considered "the ultimate stem cell" because they alone, during normal development of sexually reproducing organisms, are able to give rise to all organismal cell types. Morphological descriptions of a specialized cytoplasm termed 'germ plasm' and associated electron dense ribonucleoprotein (RNP) structures called 'germ granules' within germ cells date back as early as the 1800s. Both germ plasm and germ granules are implicated in germ line specification across metazoans. However, at a molecular level, little is currently understood about the molecular mechanisms that assemble these entities in germ cells. The discovery that in some animals, the gene products of a small number of lineage-specific genes initiate the assembly (also termed nucleation) of germ granules and/or germ plasm is the first step towards facilitating a better understanding of these complex biological processes. Here, we draw on research spanning over 100years that supports the hypothesis that these nucleator genes may have evolved convergently, allowing them to perform analogous roles across animal lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Kulkarni
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Cassandra G Extavour
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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49
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Mitochondrial matters: Mitochondrial bottlenecks, self-assembling structures, and entrapment in the female germline. Stem Cell Res 2017; 21:178-186. [PMID: 28336253 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial replacement therapy, a procedure to generate embryos with the nuclear genome of a donor mother and the healthy mitochondria of a recipient egg, has recently emerged as a promising strategy to prevent transmission of devastating mitochondrial DNA diseases and infertility. The procedure may produce an embryo that is free of diseased mitochondria. A recent study addresses important fundamental questions about the mechanisms underlying maternal inheritance and translational questions regarding the transgenerational effectiveness of this promising therapeutic strategy. This review considers recent advances in our understanding of maternal inheritance of mitochondria, implications for fertility and mitochondrial disease, and potential roles for the Balbiani body, an ancient oocyte structure, in mitochondrial selection in oocytes, with emphasis on therapies to remedy mitochondrial disorders.
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50
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Jubin T, Kadam A, Gani AR, Singh M, Dwivedi M, Begum R. Poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1: Beyond transcription and towards differentiation. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 63:167-179. [PMID: 27476447 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulation mediates the processes of cellular development and differentiation leading to the origin of different cell types each having their own signature gene expression profile. However, the compact chromatin structure and the timely recruitment of molecules involved in various signaling pathways are of prime importance for temporal and spatial gene regulation that eventually contribute towards cell type and specificity. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a 116-kDa nuclear multitasking protein is involved in modulation of chromatin condensation leading to altered gene expression. In response to activation signals, it adds ADP-ribose units to various target proteins including itself, thus regulating various key cellular processes like DNA repair, cell death, transcription, mRNA splicing etc. This review provides insights into the role of PARP-1 in gene regulation, cell differentiation and multicellular morphogenesis. In addition, the review also explores involvement of PARP-1 in immune cells development and therapeutic possibilities to treat various human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Jubin
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India
| | - Ashlesha Kadam
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India
| | - Amina Rafath Gani
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India; Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, 500046 Telangana, India
| | - Mala Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India
| | - Mitesh Dwivedi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India; C.G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Uka Tarsadia University, Surat, Gujarat 394350, India
| | - Rasheedunnisa Begum
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India.
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