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Jönsson M, Morin M, Wang CK, Craik DJ, Degnan SM, Degnan BM. Sex-specific expression of pheromones and other signals in gravid starfish. BMC Biol 2022; 20:288. [PMID: 36528687 PMCID: PMC9759900 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01491-0] [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: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many echinoderms form seasonal aggregations prior to spawning. In some fecund species, a spawning event can lead to population outbreaks with detrimental ecosystem impacts. For instance, outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), a corallivore, can destroy coral reefs. Here, we examine the gene expression in gravid male and female COTS prior to spawning in the wild, to identify genome-encoded factors that may regulate aggregation and spawning. This study is informed by a previously identified exoproteome that attracts conspecifics. To capture the natural gene expression profiles, we isolated RNAs from gravid female and male COTS immediately after they were removed from the Great Barrier Reef. RESULTS: Sexually dimorphic gene expression is present in all seven somatic tissues and organs that we surveyed and in the gonads. Approximately 40% of the exoproteome transcripts are differentially expressed between sexes. Males uniquely upregulate an additional 68 secreted factors in their testes. A suite of neuropeptides in sensory organs, coelomocytes and gonads is differentially expressed between sexes, including the relaxin-like gonad-stimulating peptide and gonadotropin-releasing hormones. Female sensory tentacles-chemosensory organs at the distal tips of the starfish arms-uniquely upregulate diverse receptors and signalling molecules, including chemosensory G-protein-coupled receptors and several neuropeptides, including kisspeptin, SALMFamide and orexin. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of 103 tissue/organ transcriptomes from 13 wild COTS has revealed genes that are consistently differentially expressed between gravid females and males and that all tissues surveyed are sexually dimorphic at the molecular level. This finding is consistent with female and male COTS using sex-specific pheromones to regulate reproductive aggregations and synchronised spawning events. These pheromones appear to be received primarily by the sensory tentacles, which express a range of receptors and signalling molecules in a sex-specific manner. Furthermore, coelomocytes and gonads differentially express signalling and regulatory factors that control gametogenesis and spawning in other echinoderms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Jönsson
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Marie Morin
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Conan K. Wang
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - David J. Craik
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Institute for Molecular Bioscience, ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Sandie M. Degnan
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Bernard M. Degnan
- grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
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In Silico Reconstruction of Sperm Chemotaxis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179104. [PMID: 34502014 PMCID: PMC8431315 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179104] [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: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In echinoderms, sperm swims in random circles and turns in response to a chemoattractant. The chemoattractant evokes transient Ca2+ influx in the sperm flagellum and induces turning behavior. Recently, the molecular mechanisms and biophysical properties of this sperm response have been clarified. Based on these experimental findings, in this study, we reconstructed a sperm model in silico to demonstrate an algorithm for sperm chemotaxis. We also focused on the importance of desensitizing the chemoattractant receptor in long-range chemotaxis because sperm approach distantly located eggs, and they must sense the chemoattractant concentration over a broad range. Using parameters of the sea urchin, simulations showed that a number of sperm could reach the egg from millimeter-order distances with desensitization, indicating that we could organize a functional sperm model, and that desensitization of the receptor is essential for sperm chemotaxis. Then, we compared the model with starfish sperm, which has a different desensitization scheme and analyzed the properties of the model against various disturbances. Our approach can be applied as a novel tool in chemotaxis research.
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Guerra V, Haynes G, Byrne M, Yasuda N, Adachi S, Nakamura M, Nakachi S, Hart MW. Nonspecific expression of fertilization genes in the crown-of-thorns Acanthaster cf. solaris: Unexpected evidence of hermaphroditism in a coral reef predator. Mol Ecol 2019; 29:363-379. [PMID: 31837059 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The characterization of gene expression in gametes has advanced our understanding of the molecular basis for ecological variation in reproductive success and the evolution of reproductive isolation. These advances are especially significant for ecologically important keystone predators such as the coral-eating crown-of-thorns sea stars (COTS, Acanthaster) which are the most influential predator species in Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystems and the focus of intensive management efforts. We used RNA-seq and transcriptome assemblies to characterize the expression of genes in mature COTS gonads. We described the sequence and domain organization of eight genes with sex-specific expression and well known functions in fertilization in other echinoderms. We found unexpected expression of genes in one ovary transcriptome that are characteristic of males and sperm, including genes that encode the sperm-specific guanylate cyclase receptor for an egg pheromone, and the sperm acrosomal protein bindin. In a reassembly of previously published RNA-seq data from COTS testes, we found a complementary pattern: strong expression of four genes that are otherwise well known to encode egg-specific fertilization proteins, including the egg receptor for bindin (EBR1) and the acrosome reaction-inducing substance in the egg coat (ARIS1, ARIS2, ARIS3). We also found histological evidence of both eggs and sperm developing in the same gonad in several COTS individuals from a parallel study. These results suggest the occurrence of hermaphrodites, and the potential for reproductive assurance via self-fertilization. Our findings have implications for management of COTS populations, especially in consideration of the large size and massive fecundity of these sea stars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Guerra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.,Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Gwilym Haynes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.,Department of Biology, Langara College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maria Byrne
- Schools of Medical and Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Nina Yasuda
- Department of Marine Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Souta Adachi
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shimizu, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Masako Nakamura
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shimizu, Shizuoka, Japan
| | | | - Michael W Hart
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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Niikura K, Alam MS, Naruse M, Jimbo M, Moriyama H, Reich A, Wessel GM, Matsumoto M. Protein kinase A activity leads to the extension of the acrosomal process in starfish sperm. Mol Reprod Dev 2017; 84:614-625. [PMID: 28462533 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Acrosomal vesicles (AVs) of sperm undergo exocytosis during the acrosome reaction, which is immediately followed by the actin polymerization-dependent extension of an acrosomal process (AP) in echinoderm sperm. In the starfish Asterias amurensis, a large proteoglycan, acrosome reaction-inducing substance (ARIS), together with asteroidal sperm-activating peptide (asterosap) and/or cofactor for ARIS, induces the acrosome reaction. Asterosap induces a transient elevation of intracellular cGMP and Ca2+ levels, and, together with ARIS, causes a sustained increase in intracellular cAMP and Ca2+ . Yet, the contribution of signaling molecules downstream of cAMP and Ca2+ in inducing AV exocytosis and AP extension remain unknown. A modified acrosome reaction assay was used here to differentiate between AV exocytosis and AP extension in starfish sperm, leading to the discovery that Protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitors block AP extension but not AV exocytosis. Additionally, PKA-mediated phosphorylation of target proteins occurs, and these substrates localize at the base of the AP, demonstrating that PKA activation regulates an AP extension step during the acrosome reaction. The major PKA substrate was further identified, from A. amurensis and Asterias forbesi sperm, as a novel protein containing six PKA phosphorylation motifs. This protein, referred to as PKAS1, likely plays a key role in AP actin polymerization during the acrosome reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Niikura
- Department of Biological Sciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - M Shahanoor Alam
- Department of Biological Sciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Masahiro Naruse
- Department of Biological Sciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Jimbo
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hideaki Moriyama
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Adrian Reich
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Gary M Wessel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Midori Matsumoto
- Department of Biological Sciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
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Shu L, Suter MJF, Räsänen K. Evolution of egg coats: linking molecular biology and ecology. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:4052-73. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Revised: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Longfei Shu
- Department of Aquatic Ecology; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Eawag; 8600 Duebendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Marc J.-F. Suter
- Department of Environmental Toxicology; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Eawag; 8600 Duebendorf Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Eawag; 8600 Duebendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
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McGinnis LK, Luo J, Kinsey WH. Protein tyrosine kinase signaling in the mouse oocyte cortex during sperm-egg interactions and anaphase resumption. Mol Reprod Dev 2013; 80:260-72. [PMID: 23401167 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 02/01/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fertilization triggers activation of a series of pre-programmed signal transduction pathways in the oocyte that establish a block to polyspermy, induce meiotic resumption, and initiate zygotic development. Fusion between sperm and oocyte results in rapid changes in oocyte intracellular free-calcium levels, which in turn activate multiple protein kinase cascades in the ooplasm. The present study examined the possibility that sperm-oocyte interaction involves localized activation of oocyte protein tyrosine kinases, which could provide an alternative signaling mechanism to that triggered by the fertilizing sperm. Confocal immunofluorescence analysis with antibodies to phosphotyrosine and phosphorylated protein tyrosine kinases allowed detection of minute signaling events localized to the site of sperm-oocyte interaction that were not amenable to biochemical analysis. The results provide evidence for localized accumulation of phosphotyrosine at the site of sperm contact, binding, or fusion, which suggests active protein tyrosine kinase signaling prior to and during sperm incorporation. The PYK2 kinase was found to be concentrated and activated at the site of sperm-oocyte interaction, and likely participates in this response. Widespread activation of PYK2 and FAK kinases was subsequently observed within the oocyte cortex, indicating that sperm incorporation is followed by more global signaling via these kinases during meiotic resumption. The results demonstrate an alternate signaling pathway triggered in mammalian oocytes by sperm contact, binding, or fusion with the oocyte.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynda K McGinnis
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA
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Structure of acrosome reaction-inducing substance in the jelly coat of starfish eggs: a mini review. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2012; 425:595-8. [PMID: 22925680 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Our knowledge at present on the structure of acrosome-reaction inducing substance (ARIS) in the jelly coat of starfish eggs is summarized. ARIS ia a proteoglycan-like molecule consisting of very long, linear, and highly sulfated glycans and three ARIS proteins, ARIS1-3. Detailed structures of the major glycan of ARIS and of ARIS1-3 are discussed. 3D-models of ARIS glycans are also presented. Phylogenetic distribution of ARIS proteins and/or genes indicates that ARIS genes are well preserved from the Ctenophore to Cephalochordata. In the Echinodermata, ARIS1-3 and ARIS genes were detected in all classes except for sea urchins.
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