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Leyden MR, Michalik P, Baruffaldi L, Mahmood S, Kalani L, Hunt DF, Eirin-Lopez JM, Andrade MCB, Shabanowitz J, Ausió J. The protamines of the noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis provide an example of liquid-liquid phase separation chromatin transitions during spermiogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.597381. [PMID: 38895387 PMCID: PMC11185589 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.597381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
While there is extensive information about sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBP) in vertebrates, there is very little information about Arthropoda by comparison. This paper aims to contribute to filling this gap by analyzing these proteins in the sperm of the noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis (Order Araneae, Family Theridiidae). To this end, we have developed a protein extraction method that allows the extraction of cysteine-containing protamines suitable for the preparation and analysis of SNBPs from samples where the amount of starting tissue material is limited. We carried out top-down mass spectrometry sequencing and molecular phylogenetic analyses to characterize the protamines of S. nobilis and other spiders. We also used electron microscopy to analyze the chromatin organization of the sperm, and we found it to exhibit liquid-liquid phase spinodal decomposition during the late stages of spermiogenesis. These studies further our knowledge of the distribution of SNBPs within the animal kingdom and provide additional support for a proposed evolutionary origin of many protamines from a histone H1 (H5) replication-independent precursor.
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Leyden MR, Gowen B, Gonzalez-Romero R, Eirin-Lopez JM, Kim BH, Hayashi F, McCartney J, Zhang PC, Kubo-Irie M, Shabanowitz J, Hunt DF, Ferree P, Kasinsky H, Ausió J. Protamines and the sperm nuclear basic proteins Pandora's Box of insects. Biochem Cell Biol 2024; 102:238-251. [PMID: 38408323 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2023-0363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Insects are the largest group of animals when it comes to the number and diversity of species. Yet, with the exception of Drosophila, no information is currently available on the primary structure of their sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs). This paper represents the first attempt in this regard and provides information about six species of Neoptera: Poecillimon thessalicus, Graptosaltria nigrofuscata, Apis mellifera, Nasonia vitripennis, Parachauliodes continentalis, and Tribolium castaneum. The SNBPs of these species were characterized by acetic acid urea gel electrophoresis (AU-PAGE) and high-performance liquid chromatography fractionated. Protein sequencing was obtained using a combination of mass spectrometry sequencing, Edman N-terminal degradation sequencing and genome mining. While the SNBPs of several of these species exhibit a canonical arginine-rich protamine nature, a few of them exhibit a protamine-like composition. They appear to be the products of extensive cleavage processing from a precursor protein which are sometimes further processed by other post-translational modifications that are likely involved in the chromatin transitions observed during spermiogenesis in these organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa R Leyden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Brent Gowen
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Rodrigo Gonzalez-Romero
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Jose Maria Eirin-Lopez
- Environmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
- Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Bo-Hyun Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Fumio Hayashi
- Department of Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minamiosawa 1-1, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Jay McCartney
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand
| | - Patrick C Zhang
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Miyoko Kubo-Irie
- Biological Laboratory, The Open University of Japan, Wakaba, Mihama-ku, Chiba, 261-8506, Japan
| | - Jeffrey Shabanowitz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Donald F Hunt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Patrick Ferree
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Harold Kasinsky
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Juan Ausió
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
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D'Ippolito RA, Minamino N, Rivera-Casas C, Cheema MS, Bai DL, Kasinsky HE, Shabanowitz J, Eirin-Lopez JM, Ueda T, Hunt DF, Ausió J. Protamines from liverwort are produced by post-translational cleavage and C-terminal di-aminopropanelation of several male germ-specific H1 histones. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:16364-16373. [PMID: 31527083 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.010316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Protamines are small, highly-specialized, arginine-rich, and intrinsically-disordered chromosomal proteins that replace histones during spermiogenesis in many organisms. Previous evidence supports the notion that, in the animal kingdom, these proteins have evolved from a primitive replication-independent histone H1 involved in terminal cell differentiation. Nevertheless, a direct connection between the two families of chromatin proteins is missing. Here, we primarily used electron transfer dissociation MS-based analyses, revealing that the protamines in the sperm of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha result from post-translational cleavage of three precursor H1 histones. Moreover, we show that the mature protamines are further post-translationally modified by di-aminopropanelation, and previous studies have reported that they condense spermatid chromatin through a process consisting of liquid-phase assembly likely involving spinodal decomposition. Taken together, our results reveal that the interesting evolutionary ancestry of protamines begins with histone H1 in both the animal and plant kingdoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Naoki Minamino
- Division of Cellular Dynamics, National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Ciro Rivera-Casas
- Environmental Epigenetics Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida 33181
| | - Manjinder S Cheema
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada
| | - Dina L Bai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Harold E Kasinsky
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Shabanowitz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Jose M Eirin-Lopez
- Environmental Epigenetics Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida 33181
| | - Takashi Ueda
- Division of Cellular Dynamics, National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Donald F Hunt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904.,Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
| | - Juan Ausió
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada
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Saperas N, Ausió J. Sperm nuclear basic proteins of tunicates and the origin of protamines. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2013; 224:127-136. [PMID: 23995738 DOI: 10.1086/bblv224n3p127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) are the chromosomal proteins that are found associated with DNA in sperm nuclei at the end of spermiogenesis. These highly specialized proteins can be classified into three major types: histone type (H-type), protamine-like type (PL-type), and protamine type (P-type). A hypothesis from early studies on the characterization of SNBPs proposed a mechanism for the vertical evolution of these proteins that involved an H1 → PL → P transition. However, the processes and mechanisms involved in such a transition were not understood. In particular, it was not clear how a molecular transition from a lysine-rich protein precursor (H1 histone) to the arginine-rich protamines might have taken place. In deuterostomes, the presence of SNBPs of the H-type in echinoderms and of protamines in the higher phylogenetic groups of vertebrates had long been known. The initial work on the characterization of tunicate SNBPs attempted to define the types and range of SNBPs that characterize this phylogenetically intermediate group. It was found that tunicate SNBPs belong to the PL-type. In this work we discuss how the study of SNBPs in the tunicates has been key to providing support to the H1 → PL → P transition. Most significantly, it was in tunicates that a potential molecular mechanism to explain the lysine-to-arginine transition was first reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Saperas
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
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Roque A, Ponte I, Suau P. Secondary structure of protamine in sperm nuclei: an infrared spectroscopy study. BMC STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2011; 11:14. [PMID: 21435240 PMCID: PMC3073880 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6807-11-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2010] [Accepted: 03/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background Protamines are small basic proteins that condense the DNA in mature spermatozoa. Typical protamines are of simple composition and very arginine-rich, usually in the range of 60-80%. Arginine residues are distributed in a number of stretches separated by neutral amino acids. We have used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to gain access for the first time to the secondary structure of protamines in sperm nuclei. This technique is particularly well suited to the study of DNA-bound protamine in whole nuclei since it is not affected by turbidity. Results We show that DNA -bound salmon (salmine) and squid protamines contain α-helix, β-turns and a proportion of other structures not stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. No β-sheet was observed. In salmine, the α-helix amounted to ~20%, while in squid protamine it reached ~40%. In contrast, the structure not stabilized by intermolecular hydrogen bonding was more abundant in salmine (~40%) than in squid protamine (~20%). Both protamines contained ~40% β-turns. The different helical potential of salmine and squid protamine was confirmed by structure predictions and CD in the presence of trifluoroethanol. Conclusion DNA-bound protamine in sperm nuclei contains large amounts of defined secondary structure stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Both salmine and squid protamine contain similar amounts of β-turns, but differ in the proportions of α-helix and non-hydrogen bonded conformations. In spite of the large differences in the proportions of secondary structure motifs between salmon and squid protamines, they appear to be equally efficient in promoting tight hexagonal packing of the DNA molecules in sperm nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Roque
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biociencias, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
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White-Cooper H, Bausek N. Evolution and spermatogenesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:1465-80. [PMID: 20403864 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual reproduction depends on the production of haploid gametes, and their fusion to form diploid zygotes. Here, we discuss sperm production and function in a molecular and functional evolutionary context, drawing predominantly from studies in model organisms (mice, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans). We consider the mechanisms involved in establishing and maintaining a germline stem cell population in testes, as well as the factors that regulate their contribution to the pool of differentiating cells. These processes involve considerable interaction between the germline and the soma, and we focus on regulatory signalling events in a variety of organisms. The male germline has a unique transcriptional profile, including expression of many testis-specific genes. The evolutionary pressures associated with gene duplication and acquisition of testis function are discussed in the context of genome organization and transcriptional regulation. Post-meiotic differentiation of spermatids involves very dramatic changes in cell shape and acquisition of highly specialized features. We discuss the variety of sperm motility mechanisms and how various reproductive strategies are associated with the diversity of sperm forms found in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen White-Cooper
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
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Eirín-López JM, Lewis JD, Howe LA, Ausió J. Common phylogenetic origin of protamine-like (PL) proteins and histone H1: Evidence from bivalve PL genes. Mol Biol Evol 2006; 23:1304-17. [PMID: 16613862 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msk021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) can be grouped into three main categories: histone (H) type, protamine (P) type, and protamine-like (PL) type. Protamine-like SNBPs represent the most structurally heterogeneous group, consisting of basic proteins which are rich in both lysine and arginine amino acids. The PL proteins replace most of the histones during spermiogenesis but to a lesser extent than the proteins of the P type. In most instances, PLs coexist in the mature sperm with a full histone complement. The replacement of histones by protamines in the mature sperm is a characteristic feature presented by those taxa located at the uppermost evolutionary branches of protostome and deuterostome evolution, while the histone type of SNBPs is predominantly found in the sperm of taxa which arose early in metazoan evolution; giving rise to the hypothesis that protamines may have evolved through a PL type intermediate from a primitive histone ancestor. The structural similarities observed between PL and H1 proteins, which were first described in bivalve molluscs, provide a unique insight into the evolutionary mechanisms underlying SNBP evolution. Although the evolution of SNBPs has been exhaustively analyzed in the last 10 years, the origin of PLs in relation to the evolution of the histone H1 family still remains obscure. In this work, we present the first complete gene sequence for two of these genes (PL-III and PL-II/PL-IV) in the mussel Mytilus and analyze the protein evolution of histone H1 and SNBPs, and we provide evidence that indicates that H1 histones and PLs are the direct descendants of an ancient group of "orphon" H1 replication-dependent histones which were excluded to solitary genomic regions as early in metazoan evolution as before the differentiation of bilaterians. While the replication-independent H1 lineage evolved following a birth-and-death process, the SNBP lineage has been subject to a purifying process that shifted toward adaptive selection at the time of the differentiation of arginine-rich Ps.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Eirín-López
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Eirín-López JM, Frehlick LJ, Ausió J. Protamines, in the Footsteps of Linker Histone Evolution. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:1-4. [PMID: 16243843 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.r500018200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- José María Eirín-López
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada
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