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Marshall CM, Thompson VL, Creux NM, Harmer SL. The circadian clock controls temporal and spatial patterns of floral development in sunflower. eLife 2023; 12:80984. [PMID: 36637156 PMCID: PMC9977281 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological rhythms are ubiquitous. They can be generated by circadian oscillators, which produce daily rhythms in physiology and behavior, as well as by developmental oscillators such as the segmentation clock, which periodically produces modular developmental units. Here, we show that the circadian clock controls the timing of late-stage floret development, or anthesis, in domesticated sunflowers. In these plants, up to thousands of individual florets are tightly packed onto a capitulum disk. While early floret development occurs continuously across capitula to generate iconic spiral phyllotaxy, during anthesis floret development occurs in discrete ring-like pseudowhorls with up to hundreds of florets undergoing simultaneous maturation. We demonstrate circadian regulation of floral organ growth and show that the effects of light on this process are time-of-day dependent. Delays in the phase of floral anthesis delay morning visits by pollinators, while disruption of circadian rhythms in floral organ development causes loss of pseudowhorl formation and large reductions in pollinator visits. We therefore show that the sunflower circadian clock acts in concert with environmental response pathways to tightly synchronize the anthesis of hundreds of florets each day, generating spatial patterns on the developing capitulum disk. This coordinated mass release of floral rewards at predictable times of day likely promotes pollinator visits and plant reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carine M Marshall
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, DavisDavisUnited States
| | - Veronica L Thompson
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, DavisDavisUnited States
| | - Nicky M Creux
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, DavisDavisUnited States
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, FABI, Innovation Africa, University of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Stacey L Harmer
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, DavisDavisUnited States
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Henríquez-Urrutia M, Spanner R, Olivares-Yánez C, Seguel-Avello A, Pérez-Lara R, Guillén-Alonso H, Winkler R, Herrera-Estrella AH, Canessa P, Larrondo LF. Circadian oscillations in Trichoderma atroviride and the role of core clock components in secondary metabolism, development, and mycoparasitism against the phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea. eLife 2022; 11:71358. [PMID: 35950750 PMCID: PMC9427114 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian clocks are important for an individual’s fitness, and recent studies have underlined their role in the outcome of biological interactions. However, the relevance of circadian clocks in fungal–fungal interactions remains largely unexplored. We sought to characterize a functional clock in the biocontrol agent Trichoderma atroviride to assess its importance in the mycoparasitic interaction against the phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea. Thus, we confirmed the existence of circadian rhythms in T. atroviride, which are temperature-compensated and modulated by environmental cues such as light and temperature. Nevertheless, the presence of such molecular rhythms appears to be highly dependent on the nutritional composition of the media. Complementation of a clock null (Δfrq) Neurospora crassa strain with the T. atroviride-negative clock component (tafrq) restored core clock function, with the same period observed in the latter fungus, confirming the role of tafrq as a bona fide core clock component. Confrontation assays between wild-type and clock mutant strains of T. atroviride and B. cinerea, in constant light or darkness, revealed an inhibitory effect of light on T. atroviride’s mycoparasitic capabilities. Interestingly, when confrontation assays were performed under light/dark cycles, T. atroviride’s overgrowth capacity was enhanced when inoculations were at dawn compared to dusk. Deleting the core clock-negative element FRQ in B. cinerea, but not in T. atroviride, was vital for the daily differential phenotype, suggesting that the B. cinerea clock has a more significant influence on the result of this interaction. Additionally, we observed that T. atroviride clock components largely modulate development and secondary metabolism in this fungus, including the rhythmic production of distinct volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Thus, this study provides evidence on how clock components impact diverse aspects of T. atroviride lifestyle and how daily changes modulate fungal interactions and dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Henríquez-Urrutia
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rebecca Spanner
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Consuelo Olivares-Yánez
- Millennium Science Initiative Program, Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology, Santiago, Chile
| | - Aldo Seguel-Avello
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Pérez-Lara
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Hector Guillén-Alonso
- Department of Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Cinvestav Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Robert Winkler
- Department of Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Cinvestav Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, Mexico
| | | | - Paulo Canessa
- Centro de Biotecnología Vegetal, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luis F Larrondo
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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O'Donnell AJ, Reece SE. Ecology of asynchronous asexual replication: the intraerythrocytic development cycle of Plasmodium berghei is resistant to host rhythms. Malar J 2021; 20:105. [PMID: 33608011 PMCID: PMC7893937 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03643-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Daily periodicity in the diverse activities of parasites occurs across a broad taxonomic range. The rhythms exhibited by parasites are thought to be adaptations that allow parasites to cope with, or exploit, the consequences of host activities that follow daily rhythms. Malaria parasites (Plasmodium) are well-known for their synchronized cycles of replication within host red blood cells. Whilst most species of Plasmodium appear sensitive to the timing of the daily rhythms of hosts, and even vectors, some species present no detectable rhythms in blood-stage replication. Why the intraerythrocytic development cycle (IDC) of, for example Plasmodium chabaudi, is governed by host rhythms, yet seems completely independent of host rhythms in Plasmodium berghei, another rodent malaria species, is mysterious. METHODS This study reports a series of five experiments probing the relationships between the asynchronous IDC schedule of P. berghei and the rhythms of hosts and vectors by manipulating host time-of-day, photoperiod and feeding rhythms. RESULTS The results reveal that: (i) a lack coordination between host and parasite rhythms does not impose appreciable fitness costs on P. berghei; (ii) the IDC schedule of P. berghei is impervious to host rhythms, including altered photoperiod and host-feeding-related rhythms; (iii) there is weak evidence for daily rhythms in the density and activities of transmission stages; but (iv), these rhythms have little consequence for successful transmission to mosquitoes. CONCLUSIONS Overall, host rhythms do not affect the performance of P. berghei and its asynchronous IDC is resistant to the scheduling forces that underpin synchronous replication in closely related parasites. This suggests that natural variation in the IDC schedule across species represents different parasite strategies that maximize fitness. Thus, subtle differences in the ecological interactions between parasites and their hosts/vectors may select for the evolution of very different IDC schedules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan J O'Donnell
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, and Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Rd, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK.
| | - Sarah E Reece
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, and Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Rd, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
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Prior KF, Rijo-Ferreira F, Assis PA, Hirako IC, Weaver DR, Gazzinelli RT, Reece SE. Periodic Parasites and Daily Host Rhythms. Cell Host Microbe 2020; 27:176-187. [PMID: 32053788 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Biological rhythms appear to be an elegant solution to the challenge of coordinating activities with the consequences of the Earth's daily and seasonal rotation. The genes and molecular mechanisms underpinning circadian clocks in multicellular organisms are well understood. In contrast, the regulatory mechanisms and fitness consequences of biological rhythms exhibited by parasites remain mysterious. Here, we explore how periodicity in parasite traits is generated and why daily rhythms matter for parasite fitness. We focus on malaria (Plasmodium) parasites which exhibit developmental rhythms during replication in the mammalian host's blood and in transmission to vectors. Rhythmic in-host parasite replication is responsible for eliciting inflammatory responses, the severity of disease symptoms, and fueling transmission, as well as conferring tolerance to anti-parasite drugs. Thus, understanding both how and why the timing and synchrony of parasites are connected to the daily rhythms of hosts and vectors may make treatment more effective and less toxic to hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley F Prior
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Filipa Rijo-Ferreira
- Department of Neuroscience, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute & Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Patricia A Assis
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Isabella C Hirako
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA; Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Minas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - David R Weaver
- Department of Neurobiology & NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ricardo T Gazzinelli
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA; Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Minas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Sarah E Reece
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Costantini C, Renga G, Sellitto F, Borghi M, Stincardini C, Pariano M, Zelante T, Chiarotti F, Bartoli A, Mosci P, Romani L, Brancorsini S, Bellet MM. Microbes in the Era of Circadian Medicine. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:30. [PMID: 32117804 PMCID: PMC7013081 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The organisms of most domains of life have adapted to circadian changes of the environment and regulate their behavior and physiology accordingly. A particular case of such paradigm is represented by some types of host-pathogen interaction during infection. Indeed, not only some hosts and pathogens are each endowed with their own circadian clock, but they are also influenced by the circadian changes of the other with profound consequences on the outcome of the infection. It comes that daily fluctuations in the availability of resources and the nature of the immune response, coupled with circadian changes of the pathogen, may influence microbial virulence, level of colonization and damage to the host, and alter the equilibrium between commensal and invading microorganisms. In the present review, we discuss the potential relevance of circadian rhythms in human bacterial and fungal pathogens, and the consequences of circadian changes of the host immune system and microbiome on the onset and development of infection. By looking from the perspective of the interplay between host and microbes circadian rhythms, these concepts are expected to change the way we approach human infections, not only by predicting the outcome of the host-pathogen interaction, but also by indicating the best time for intervention to potentiate the anti-microbial activities of the immune system and to weaken the pathogen when its susceptibility is higher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Costantini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Giorgia Renga
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Federica Sellitto
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Monica Borghi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Marilena Pariano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Teresa Zelante
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Flavia Chiarotti
- Reference Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Bartoli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Paolo Mosci
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Luigina Romani
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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Carvalho Cabral P, Olivier M, Cermakian N. The Complex Interplay of Parasites, Their Hosts, and Circadian Clocks. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:425. [PMID: 31921702 PMCID: PMC6920103 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites have evolved various mechanisms to favor infection of their hosts and enhance the success of the infection. In this respect, time-of-day effects were found during the course of parasitic infections, which can be caused or controlled by circadian rhythms in the physiology of their vertebrate hosts. These include circadian clock-controlled rhythms in metabolism and in immune responses. Conversely, parasites can also modulate their hosts' behavioral and cellular rhythms. Lastly, parasites themselves were in some cases shown to possess their own circadian clock mechanisms, which can influence their capacity to infect their hosts. A better knowledge of the circadian regulation of host-parasite interactions will help in designing new preventive and therapeutic strategies for parasitic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Carvalho Cabral
- Laboratory of Molecular Chronobiology, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Immunity, Department of Medicine, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Martin Olivier
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Immunity, Department of Medicine, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Cermakian
- Laboratory of Molecular Chronobiology, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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de Bekker C. Ophiocordyceps-ant interactions as an integrative model to understand the molecular basis of parasitic behavioral manipulation. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 33:19-24. [PMID: 31358190 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ophiocordyceps-infected ants display a substrate biting behavior that aids parasite transmission. World-wide research into this behavioral manipulation has led to new fungal species descriptions, annotated genomes, and detailed field observations. Experimentally tractable modified ant behaviors and the development of infection techniques have enabled the quest for the molecular basis of this phenomenon. Behavioral studies followed by transcriptomics, metabolomics and three-dimensional electron microscopy have led to novel mechanistic hypotheses. This multidisciplinary work represents a big leap forward. However, definitive answers have yet to be obtained. A comprehensive understanding hinges on continued integrative efforts that reveal the precise natural history, behavioral ecology and evolutionary relationships between Ophiocordyceps-ant systems, and the true functions and involvement of genes and metabolites in behavioral manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charissa de Bekker
- University of Central Florida, College of Sciences, Biology Department, 4110 Libra Drive, 32816 Orlando, FL, United States.
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