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Miziak P, Baran M, Błaszczak E, Przybyszewska-Podstawka A, Kałafut J, Smok-Kalwat J, Dmoszyńska-Graniczka M, Kiełbus M, Stepulak A. Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4689. [PMID: 37835383 PMCID: PMC10572081 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER) signaling is a critical regulator of cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival in breast cancer (BC) and other hormone-sensitive cancers. In this review, we explore the mechanism of ER-dependent downstream signaling in BC and the role of estrogens as growth factors necessary for cancer invasion and dissemination. The significance of the clinical implications of ER signaling in BC, including the potential of endocrine therapies that target estrogens' synthesis and ER-dependent signal transmission, such as aromatase inhibitors or selective estrogen receptor modulators, is discussed. As a consequence, the challenges associated with the resistance to these therapies resulting from acquired ER mutations and potential strategies to overcome them are the critical point for the new treatment strategies' development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Miziak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
| | - Marzena Baran
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
| | - Ewa Błaszczak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
| | - Alicja Przybyszewska-Podstawka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
| | - Joanna Kałafut
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
| | - Jolanta Smok-Kalwat
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Holy Cross Cancer Centre, 3 Artwinskiego Street, 25-734 Kielce, Poland;
| | - Magdalena Dmoszyńska-Graniczka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
| | - Michał Kiełbus
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
| | - Andrzej Stepulak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.B.); (E.B.); (A.P.-P.); (J.K.); (M.D.-G.)
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2
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Wu W, LoVerde PT. Updated knowledge and a proposed nomenclature for nuclear receptors with two DNA binding domains (2DBD-NRs). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286107. [PMID: 37699039 PMCID: PMC10497141 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) are important transcriptional modulators in metazoans. Typical NRs possess a conserved DNA binding domain (DBD) and a ligand binding domain (LBD). Since we discovered a type of novel NRs each of them has two DBDs and single LBD (2DBD-NRs) more than decade ago, there has been very few studies about 2DBD-NRs. Recently, 2DBD-NRs have been only reported in Platyhelminths and Mollusca and are thought to be specific NRs to lophotrochozoan. In this study, we searched different databases and identified 2DBD-NRs in different animals from both protostomes and deuterostomes. Phylogenetic analysis shows that at least two ancient 2DBD-NR genes were present in the urbilaterian, a common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes. 2DBD-NRs underwent gene duplication and loss after the split of different animal phyla, most of them in a certain animal phylum are paralogues, rather than orthologues, like in other animal phyla. Amino acid sequence analysis shows that the conserved motifs in typical NRs are also present in 2DBD-NRs and they are gene specific. From our phylogenetic analysis of 2DBD-NRs and following the rule of Nomenclature System for the Nuclear Receptors, a nomenclature for 2DBD-NRs is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Wu
- Departments of Biochemistry and Structural Biology University of Texas Health, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Philip T. LoVerde
- Departments of Biochemistry and Structural Biology University of Texas Health, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
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3
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Beinsteiner B, Markov GV, Bourguet M, McEwen AG, Erb S, Patel AKM, El Khaloufi El Khaddar FZ, Lecroisey C, Holzer G, Essabri K, Hazemann I, Hamiche A, Cianférani S, Moras D, Laudet V, Billas IML. A novel nuclear receptor subfamily enlightens the origin of heterodimerization. BMC Biol 2022; 20:217. [PMID: 36199108 PMCID: PMC9535869 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01413-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Nuclear receptors are transcription factors of central importance in human biology and associated diseases. Much of the knowledge related to their major functions, such as ligand and DNA binding or dimerization, derives from functional studies undertaken in classical model animals. It has become evident, however, that a deeper understanding of these molecular functions requires uncovering how these characteristics originated and diversified during evolution, by looking at more species. In particular, the comprehension of how dimerization evolved from ancestral homodimers to a more sophisticated state of heterodimers has been missing, due to a too narrow phylogenetic sampling. Here, we experimentally and phylogenetically define the evolutionary trajectory of nuclear receptor dimerization by analyzing a novel NR7 subgroup, present in various metazoan groups, including cnidarians, annelids, mollusks, sea urchins, and amphioxus, but lost in vertebrates, arthropods, and nematodes. Results We focused on NR7 of the cephalochordate amphioxus B. lanceolatum. We present a complementary set of functional, structural, and evolutionary analyses that establish that NR7 lies at a pivotal point in the evolutionary trajectory from homodimerizing to heterodimerizing nuclear receptors. The crystal structure of the NR7 ligand-binding domain suggests that the isolated domain is not capable of dimerizing with the ubiquitous dimerization partner RXR. In contrast, the full-length NR7 dimerizes with RXR in a DNA-dependent manner and acts as a constitutively active receptor. The phylogenetic and sequence analyses position NR7 at a pivotal point, just between the basal class I nuclear receptors that form monomers or homodimers on DNA and the derived class II nuclear receptors that exhibit the classical DNA-independent RXR heterodimers. Conclusions Our data suggest that NR7 represents the “missing link” in the transition between class I and class II nuclear receptors and that the DNA independency of heterodimer formation is a feature that was acquired during evolution. Our studies define a novel paradigm of nuclear receptor dimerization that evolved from DNA-dependent to DNA-independent requirements. This new concept emphasizes the importance of DNA in the dimerization of nuclear receptors, such as the glucocorticoid receptor and other members of this pharmacologically important oxosteroid receptor subfamily. Our studies further underline the importance of studying emerging model organisms for supporting cutting-edge research. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-022-01413-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice Beinsteiner
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Gabriel V Markov
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models, (LBI2M, UMR8227), Station Biologique de Roscoff (SBR), 29680, Roscoff, France
| | - Maxime Bourguet
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000, Strasbourg, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048 CNRS CEA, 67087, Strasbourg, France
| | - Alastair G McEwen
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Stéphane Erb
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000, Strasbourg, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048 CNRS CEA, 67087, Strasbourg, France
| | - Abdul Kareem Mohideen Patel
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Fatima Z El Khaloufi El Khaddar
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Claire Lecroisey
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, UMR 5242 CNRS, Molecular Zoology Team, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon, Cedex 07, France
| | - Guillaume Holzer
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, UMR 5242 CNRS, Molecular Zoology Team, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon, Cedex 07, France.,Present address: Uniklinikum RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
| | - Karim Essabri
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Isabelle Hazemann
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Ali Hamiche
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000, Strasbourg, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048 CNRS CEA, 67087, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dino Moras
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France
| | - Vincent Laudet
- Marine Eco-Evo-Devo Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan. .,Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, 23-10, Dah-Uen Rd, Jiau Shi, I-Lan, 262, Taiwan.
| | - Isabelle M L Billas
- IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France. .,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France. .,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1258, Illkirch, France. .,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France.
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4
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Miglioli A, Canesi L, Gomes IDL, Schubert M, Dumollard R. Nuclear Receptors and Development of Marine Invertebrates. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12010083. [PMID: 33440651 PMCID: PMC7827873 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear Receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of transcription factors specific to metazoans that have the unique ability to directly translate the message of a signaling molecule into a transcriptional response. In vertebrates, NRs are pivotal players in countless processes of both embryonic and adult physiology, with embryonic development being one of the most dynamic periods of NR activity. Accumulating evidence suggests that NR signaling is also a major regulator of development in marine invertebrates, although ligands and transactivation dynamics are not necessarily conserved with respect to vertebrates. The explosion of genome sequencing projects and the interpretation of the resulting data in a phylogenetic context allowed significant progress toward an understanding of NR superfamily evolution, both in terms of molecular activities and developmental functions. In this context, marine invertebrates have been crucial for characterizing the ancestral states of NR-ligand interactions, further strengthening the importance of these organisms in the field of evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Miglioli
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Laura Canesi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Isa D. L. Gomes
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Michael Schubert
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Rémi Dumollard
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence:
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5
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Fonseca E, Machado AM, Vilas-Arrondo N, Gomes-Dos-Santos A, Veríssimo A, Esteves P, Almeida T, Themudo G, Ruivo R, Pérez M, da Fonseca R, Santos MM, Froufe E, Román-Marcote E, Venkatesh B, Castro LFC. Cartilaginous fishes offer unique insights into the evolution of the nuclear receptor gene repertoire in gnathostomes. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 295:113527. [PMID: 32526329 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) are key transcription factors that originated in the common ancestor of metazoans. The vast majority of NRs are triggered by binding to either endogenous (e.g. retinoic acid) or exogenous (e.g. xenobiotics) ligands, and their evolution and expansion is tightly linked to the function of endocrine systems. Importantly, they represent classic targets of physiological exploitation by endocrine disrupting chemicals. The NR gene repertoire in different lineages has been shaped by gene loss, duplication and mutation, denoting a dynamic evolutionary route. As the earliest diverging class of gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates), cartilaginous fishes offer an exceptional opportunity to address the early diversification of NR gene families and the evolution of the endocrine system in jawed vertebrates. Here we provide an exhaustive analysis into the NR gene composition in five elasmobranch (sharks and rays) and two holocephalan (chimaeras) species. For this purpose, we generated also a low coverage draft genome assembly of the chimaera small-eyed rabbitfish, Hydrolagus affinis. We show that cartilaginous fish retain an archetypal NR gene repertoire, similar to that of mammals and coincident with the two rounds of whole genome duplication that occurred in the gnathostome ancestor. Furthermore, novel gene members of the non-canonical NR0B receptors were found in the genomes of this lineage. Our findings provide an essential view into the early diversification of NRs in gnathostomes, paving the way for functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elza Fonseca
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - André M Machado
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Nair Vilas-Arrondo
- AQUACOV, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, 36390 Vigo, Spain; UVIGO, phD Program "Marine Science, Tehchology and Management" (Do *MAR), Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, 36200 Vigo, Spain
| | - André Gomes-Dos-Santos
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Veríssimo
- FCUP - Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; CIBIO - Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Associate Laboratory, U.Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Pedro Esteves
- FCUP - Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; UVIGO, phD Program "Marine Science, Tehchology and Management" (Do *MAR), Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, 36200 Vigo, Spain
| | - Tereza Almeida
- FCUP - Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; CIBIO - Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Associate Laboratory, U.Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo Themudo
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Raquel Ruivo
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Montse Pérez
- AQUACOV, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, 36390 Vigo, Spain
| | - Rute da Fonseca
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Miguel M Santos
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Elsa Froufe
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Esther Román-Marcote
- AQUACOV, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, 36390 Vigo, Spain
| | - Byrappa Venkatesh
- Comparative Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Biopolis, Singapore 138673, Singapore.
| | - L Filipe C Castro
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
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6
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Gomes IDL, Gazo I, Besnardeau L, Hebras C, McDougall A, Dumollard R. Potential roles of nuclear receptors in mediating neurodevelopmental toxicity of known endocrine-disrupting chemicals in ascidian embryos. Mol Reprod Dev 2019; 86:1333-1347. [PMID: 31215734 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.23219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are molecules able to interfere with the vertebrate hormonal system in different ways, a major one being the modification of the activity of nuclear receptors (NRs). Several NRs are expressed in the vertebrate brain during embryonic development and these NRs are suspected to be responsible for the neurodevelopmental defects induced by exposure to EDCs in fishes or amphibians and to participate in several neurodevelopmental disorders observed in humans. Known EDCs exert toxicity not only on vertebrate forms of marine life but also on marine invertebrates. However, because hormonal systems of invertebrates are poorly understood, it is not clear whether the teratogenic effects of known EDCs are because of endocrine disruption. The most conserved actors of endocrine systems are the NRs which are present in all metazoan genomes but their functions in invertebrate organisms are still insufficiently characterized. EDCs like bisphenol A have recently been shown to affect neurodevelopment in marine invertebrate chordates called ascidians. Because such phenotypes can be mediated by NRs expressed in the ascidian embryo, we review all the information available about NRs expression during ascidian embryogenesis and discuss their possible involvement in the neurodevelopmental phenotypes induced by EDCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isa D L Gomes
- Sorbonne Université/CNRS, Institut de la Mer, UMR7009 Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, 06230, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Ievgeniia Gazo
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25, Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Lydia Besnardeau
- Sorbonne Université/CNRS, Institut de la Mer, UMR7009 Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, 06230, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Céline Hebras
- Sorbonne Université/CNRS, Institut de la Mer, UMR7009 Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, 06230, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Alex McDougall
- Sorbonne Université/CNRS, Institut de la Mer, UMR7009 Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, 06230, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Rémi Dumollard
- Sorbonne Université/CNRS, Institut de la Mer, UMR7009 Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, 06230, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
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7
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Escriva H. My Favorite Animal, Amphioxus: Unparalleled for Studying Early Vertebrate Evolution. Bioessays 2018; 40:e1800130. [PMID: 30328120 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Amphioxus represents the most basally divergent group in chordates and probably the best extant proxy to the ancestor of all chordates including vertebrates. The amphioxus, or lancelets, are benthic filter feeding marine animals and their interest as a model in research is due to their phylogenetic position and their anatomical and genetic stasis throughout their evolutionary history. From the first works in the 19th century to the present day, enormous progress is made mainly favored by technical development at different levels, from spawning induction and husbandry techniques, through techniques for studies of gene function or of the role of different signalling pathways through embryonic development, to functional genomics techniques. Together, these advances foretell a plethora of interesting developments in the world of research with the amphioxus model. Here, the discovery and development of amphioxus as a superb model organism in evolutionary and evolutionary-developmental biology are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hector Escriva
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, Banyuls-sur-Mer, F-66650, France
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8
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Holzer G, Laudet V. New Insights into Vertebrate Thyroid Hormone Receptor Evolution. NUCLEAR RECEPTOR RESEARCH 2017. [DOI: 10.11131/2017/101287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Holzer
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, UMR CNRS 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Vincent Laudet
- Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, UMR CNRS 7232, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris, 1 avenue Pierre Fabre, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
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9
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Kollitz EM, Zhang G, Hawkins MB, Whitfield GK, Reif DM, Kullman SW. Evolutionary and Functional Diversification of the Vitamin D Receptor-Lithocholic Acid Partnership. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168278. [PMID: 27942020 PMCID: PMC5152921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution, molecular behavior, and physiological function of nuclear receptors are of particular interest given their diverse roles in regulating essential biological processes. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is well known for its canonical roles in calcium homeostasis and skeletal maintenance. Additionally, VDR has received an increased amount of attention due to the discovery of numerous non-calcemic functions, including the detoxification of lithocholic acid. Lithocholic acid is a toxic metabolite of chenodeoxycholic acid, a primary bile acid. The partnership between the VDR and lithocholic acid has been hypothesized to be a recent adaptation that evolved to mediate the detoxification and elimination of lithocholic acid from the gut. This partnership is speculated to be limited to higher vertebrates (birds and mammals), as lower vertebrates do not synthesize the parent compound of lithocholic acid. However, the molecular functions associated with the observed insensitivity of basal VDRs to lithocholic acid have not been explored. Here we characterize canonical nuclear receptor functions of VDRs from select species representing key nodes in vertebrate evolution and span a range of bile salt phenotypes. Competitive ligand binding assays revealed that the receptor's affinity for lithocholic acid is highly conserved across species, suggesting that lithocholic acid affinity is an ancient and non-adaptive trait. However, transient transactivation assays revealed that lithocholic acid-mediated VDR activation might have evolved more recently, as the non-mammalian receptors did not respond to lithocholic acid unless exogenous coactivator proteins were co-expressed. Subsequent functional assays indicated that differential lithocholic acid-mediated receptor activation is potentially driven by differential protein-protein interactions between VDR and nuclear receptor coregulator proteins. We hypothesize that the vitamin D receptor-lithocholic acid partnership evolved as a by-product of natural selection on the ligand-receptor partnership between the vitamin D receptor and the native VDR ligand: 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the biologically active metabolite of vitamin D3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin M. Kollitz
- Toxicology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Guozhu Zhang
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Mary Beth Hawkins
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - G. Kerr Whitfield
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
| | - David M. Reif
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Seth W. Kullman
- Toxicology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
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10
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Tran TKA, MacFarlane GR, Kong RYC, O'Connor WA, Yu RMK. Mechanistic insights into induction of vitellogenin gene expression by estrogens in Sydney rock oysters, Saccostrea glomerata. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2016; 174:146-158. [PMID: 26963518 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2016.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Marine molluscs, such as oysters, respond to estrogenic compounds with the induction of the egg yolk protein precursor, vitellogenin (Vtg), availing a biomarker for estrogenic pollution. Despite this application, the precise molecular mechanism through which estrogens exert their action to induce molluscan vitellogenesis is unknown. As a first step to address this question, we cloned a gene encoding Vtg from the Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata (sgVtg). Using primers designed from a partial sgVtg cDNA sequence available in Genbank, a full-length sgVtg cDNA of 8498bp was obtained by 5'- and 3'-RACE. The open reading frame (ORF) of sgVtg was determined to be 7980bp, which is substantially longer than the orthologs of other oyster species. Its deduced protein sequence shares the highest homology at the N- and C-terminal regions with other molluscan Vtgs. The full-length genomic DNA sequence of sgVtg was obtained by genomic PCR and genome walking targeting the gene body and flanking regions, respectively. The genomic sequence spans 20kb and consists of 30 exons and 29 introns. Computer analysis identified three closely spaced half-estrogen responsive elements (EREs) in the promoter region and a 210-bp CpG island 62bp downstream of the transcription start site. Upregulation of sgVtg mRNA expression was observed in the ovaries following in vitro (explants) and in vivo (tank) exposure to 17β-estradiol (E2). Notably, treatment with an estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist in vitro abolished the upregulation, suggesting a requirement for an estrogen-dependent receptor for transcriptional activation. DNA methylation of the 5' CpG island was analysed using bisulfite genomic sequencing of the in vivo exposed ovaries. The CpG island was found to be hypomethylated (with 0-3% methylcytosines) in both control and E2-exposed oysters. However, no significant differential methylation or any correlation between methylation and sgVtg expression levels was observed. Overall, the results support the possible involvement of an ERE-containing promoter and an estrogen-activated receptor in estrogen signalling in marine molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Kim Anh Tran
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Geoff R MacFarlane
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Richard Yuen Chong Kong
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Wayne A O'Connor
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Taylors Beach, NSW 2316, Australia
| | - Richard Man Kit Yu
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
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11
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Cheng YY, Tao WJ, Chen JL, Sun LN, Zhou LY, Song Q, Wang DS. Genome-wide identification, evolution and expression analysis of nuclear receptor superfamily in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Gene 2015; 569:141-52. [PMID: 26024593 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.05.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily, which is divided into 7 subfamilies, constitutes one of the largest classes of transcription factors. In this study, through comprehensive database search, we identified all NRs (including 4 novel members) from the tilapia (75), common carp (137), zebrafish (73), fugu (73), tetraodon (72), stickleback (70), medaka (69), coelacanth (55), spotted gar (51) and elephant shark (50). For 21 NRs, two duplicates were found in teleosts, while only one in tetrapods. These duplicates, except those of DAX1, SHP and GCNF found in the elephant shark, were derived from 3R (third round of genome duplication). The linkage duplication of 5 syntenic blocks (comprising 14 duplicated NR couples) in teleosts further supported their 3R origin. Based on transcriptome data from adult tilapia, 53 NRs were found to be expressed in more than one tissue (brain, head kidney, heart, liver, kidney, muscle, ovary and testis), and 4 were tissue-specific, indicating their essential roles in the corresponding tissue. Based on the XX and XY gonadal transcriptome data from four developmental stages, 65 NRs were detected in gonads, with 21, 31, 11 and 29 expressed sexual dimorphically at 5, 30, 90 and 180days after hatching, respectively. The expression of four selected genes was examined by in situ hybridization (ISH) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to validate the spatial and temporal expression profiles of NRs. Comparative analyses of the expression profiles of duplicated NRs revealed divergence in gene expression as well as gene function. Our results demonstrated that NRs may play important roles in sex determination and gonadal development in teleosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Ying Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Wen-Jing Tao
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Jin-Lin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Li-Na Sun
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Lin-Yan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Qiang Song
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, PR China
| | - De-Shou Wang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, PR China.
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12
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Huang W, Xu F, Li J, Li L, Que H, Zhang G. Evolution of a novel nuclear receptor subfamily with emphasis on the member from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Gene 2015; 567:164-72. [PMID: 25956376 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.04.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) belong to the transcription factor superfamily that regulates development, homeostasis, differentiation, and reproduction in metazoans via control of gene expression. Recently, rapid advances in genome projects on various metazoans have provided new opportunities for studying the evolution and function of NRs. Typically structured NRs are divided into six subfamilies. Here, the gene for a typically structured NR (CgNR8A1) was cloned from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. However, this novel receptor could not be assigned to a known NR subfamily. By data mining, nine other CgNR8A1 gene homologs were identified in metazoans such as cnidarians, mollusks, annelids, echinoderms, hemichordates, and cephalochordates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these receptors belonged to a novel NR subfamily, hereafter designated as NR8. Evolutionary analysis revealed that the NR8 subfamily was phylogenetically the third-oldest NR subfamily, and it originated from a common ancestor of Eumetazoa; several gene loss events occurred independently in ancestors of vertebrates, ecdysozoans, and platyhelminths, which do not have NR8 members. Furthermore, the function of CgNR8A1 was investigated to provide an insight into the functions of this novel NR subfamily. A nuclear localization signal peptide, GKHRNKKPRLD, was identified in CgNR8A1, and a recombinant full-length protein of CgNR8A1 was localized in the nuclei of HeLa cells. The mRNA expression profile of CgNR8A1 suggested that it might be involved in the embryogenesis of C. gigas. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that CgNR8A1 binds strongly to conserved DNA core motifs DR0, DR2, and DR4 and weakly to DR1, DR3, DR5, Half, and Pal0. In summary, the novel NR8 subfamily identified in this study improves our understanding of NR evolution, and the functional analysis of CgNR8A1 provided further insights into the functions of NR8A1s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Huang
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fei Xu
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Juan Li
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Li Li
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Huayong Que
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Guofan Zhang
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China.
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13
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Lecroisey C, Le Pétillon Y, Escriva H, Lammert E, Laudet V. Identification, evolution and expression of an insulin-like peptide in the cephalochordate Branchiostoma lanceolatum. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119461. [PMID: 25774519 PMCID: PMC4361685 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Insulin is one of the most studied proteins since it is central to the regulation of carbohydrate and fat metabolism in vertebrates and its expression and release are disturbed in diabetes, the most frequent human metabolic disease worldwide. However, the evolution of the function of the insulin protein family is still unclear. In this study, we present a phylogenetic and developmental analysis of the Insulin Like Peptide (ILP) in the cephalochordate amphioxus. We identified an ILP in the European amphioxus Branchiostoma lanceolatum that displays structural characteristics of both vertebrate insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGFs). Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that amphioxus ILP represents the sister group of both vertebrate insulin and IGF proteins. We also characterized both temporal and spatial expression of ILP in amphioxus. We show that ilp is highly expressed in endoderm and paraxial mesoderm during development, and mainly expressed in the gut of both the developing embryo and adult. We hypothesize that ILP has critical implications in both developmental processes and metabolism and could display IGF- and insulin-like functions in amphioxus supporting the idea of a common ancestral protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Lecroisey
- Molecular Zoology Team, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, Université Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Yann Le Pétillon
- CNRS, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650 Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Hector Escriva
- CNRS, UMR 7232, BIOM, Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650 Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Eckhard Lammert
- Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Vincent Laudet
- Molecular Zoology Team, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, Université Lyon, Lyon, France
- * E-mail:
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14
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Roch GJ, Tello JA, Sherwood NM. At the transition from invertebrates to vertebrates, a novel GnRH-like peptide emerges in amphioxus. Mol Biol Evol 2013; 31:765-78. [PMID: 24361996 PMCID: PMC3969558 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mst269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a critical reproductive regulator in vertebrates. Homologous peptides are also found in invertebrates, with a variety of characterized functions. In the amphioxus, an invertebrate that provides the best model for the transition to vertebrates, four GnRH receptors (GnRHRs) were previously described, but their native ligands were not identified. Using a more sensitive search methodology with hidden Markov models, we identified the first GnRH-like peptide confirmed in the amphioxus Branchiostoma floridae. This peptide specifically activated one of the four GnRHRs. Although the primary structure of this peptide was divergent from any previously isolated GnRH peptide, the minimal conserved residues found in all other GnRH superfamily members were retained. The peptide was immunolocalized in proximity of the central canal of the anterior nerve cord, a region where other neuropeptides and receptors have been found. Additionally, the amphioxus GnRH-like gene was positioned in a locus surrounded by syntenic homologs of the human GnRH paralogon. The amphioxus GnRH-like peptide, with its distinct primary structure, activated a receptor with equal potency to multiple ligands that span the GnRH superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme J Roch
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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15
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Lecroisey C, Laudet V, Schubert M. The cephalochordate amphioxus: a key to reveal the secrets of nuclear receptor evolution. Brief Funct Genomics 2012; 11:156-66. [PMID: 22441553 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/els008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily are transcription factors characterized by a particular mode of function, which is related to the conserved nature of their molecular structure. NR proteins usually contain a DNA-binding domain (DBD) and a ligand-binding domain (LBD) allowing them to directly bind to DNA and regulate target gene expression in a ligand-dependent manner. In this review, we are summarizing our current understanding of the NR diversity in the cephalochordate amphioxus, which represents the best available proxy for the last common chordate ancestor both in terms of morphology and genome organization. The amphioxus genome encodes 33 NRs, which is more than expected based on its phylogenetic position, with at least one representative of all major NR groups, excepting NR1E and NR1I/J. This elevated number of receptor genes shows that the amphioxus NR complement has experienced some secondary modifications that are most evident in the NR1H group, which is characterized by three members in humans and ten representatives in amphioxus. By highlighting specific examples of the NR repertoire, including the receptors for retinoic acid, thyroid hormone, estrogen and steroids as well as the bile acid and oxysterol receptors of the NR1H group, we are illustrating the functional diversity of these receptors in amphioxus. We conclude that the amphioxus NRs are valuable models for assessing the evolutionary interplay between receptors and their ligands and that more integrative and comparative approaches are required for assessment of the evolutionary plasticity of receptor-ligand interactions revealed by the studies of amphioxus NRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Lecroisey
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, UCBL, CNRS UMR, ENSL, INRA, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
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16
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Oulion S, Bertrand S, Belgacem MR, Le Petillon Y, Escriva H. Sequencing and analysis of the Mediterranean amphioxus (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) transcriptome. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36554. [PMID: 22590565 PMCID: PMC3348903 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2012] [Accepted: 04/07/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The basally divergent phylogenetic position of amphioxus (Cephalochordata), as well as its conserved morphology, development and genetics, make it the best proxy for the chordate ancestor. Particularly, studies using the amphioxus model help our understanding of vertebrate evolution and development. Thus, interest for the amphioxus model led to the characterization of both the transcriptome and complete genome sequence of the American species, Branchiostoma floridae. However, recent technical improvements allowing induction of spawning in the laboratory during the breeding season on a daily basis with the Mediterranean species Branchiostoma lanceolatum have encouraged European Evo-Devo researchers to adopt this species as a model even though no genomic or transcriptomic data have been available. To fill this need we used the pyrosequencing method to characterize the B. lanceolatum transcriptome and then compared our results with the published transcriptome of B. floridae. Results Starting with total RNA from nine different developmental stages of B. lanceolatum, a normalized cDNA library was constructed and sequenced on Roche GS FLX (Titanium mode). Around 1.4 million of reads were produced and assembled into 70,530 contigs (average length of 490 bp). Overall 37% of the assembled sequences were annotated by BlastX and their Gene Ontology terms were determined. These results were then compared to genomic and transcriptomic data of B. floridae to assess similarities and specificities of each species. Conclusion We obtained a high-quality amphioxus (B. lanceolatum) reference transcriptome using a high throughput sequencing approach. We found that 83% of the predicted genes in the B. floridae complete genome sequence are also found in the B. lanceolatum transcriptome, while only 41% were found in the B. floridae transcriptome obtained with traditional Sanger based sequencing. Therefore, given the high degree of sequence conservation between different amphioxus species, this set of ESTs may now be used as the reference transcriptome for the Branchiostoma genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvan Oulion
- CNRS, UMR7232, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
- * E-mail: (SO); (HE)
| | - Stephanie Bertrand
- CNRS, UMR7232, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Mohamed R. Belgacem
- CNRS, UMR7232, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Yann Le Petillon
- CNRS, UMR7232, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Hector Escriva
- CNRS, UMR7232, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 06, Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
- * E-mail: (SO); (HE)
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17
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Beaster-Jones L. Cis-regulation and conserved non-coding elements in amphioxus. Brief Funct Genomics 2012; 11:118-30. [DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/els006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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18
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Wang YB, Chen SH, Lin CY, Yu JK. EST and transcriptome analysis of cephalochordate amphioxus--past, present and future. Brief Funct Genomics 2012; 11:96-106. [PMID: 22308056 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/els002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cephalochordates, commonly known as amphioxus or lancelets, are now considered the most basal chordate group, and the studies of these organisms therefore offer important insights into various levels of evolutionary biology. In the past two decades, the investigation of amphioxus developmental biology has provided key knowledge for understanding the basic patterning mechanisms of chordates. Comparative genome studies of vertebrates and amphioxus have uncovered clear evidence supporting the hypothesis of two-round whole-genome duplication thought to have occurred early in vertebrate evolution and have shed light on the evolution of morphological novelties in the complex vertebrate body plan. Complementary to the amphioxus genome-sequencing project, a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) has been generated for amphioxus in recent years; this valuable collection represents a rich resource for gene discovery, expression profiling and molecular developmental studies in the amphioxus model. Here, we review previous EST analyses and available cDNA resources in amphioxus and discuss their value for use in evolutionary and developmental studies. We also discuss the potential advantages of applying high-throughput, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to the field of amphioxus research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Bin Wang
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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19
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Callard GV, Tarrant AM, Novillo A, Yacci P, Ciaccia L, Vajda S, Chuang GY, Kozakov D, Greytak SR, Sawyer S, Hoover C, Cotter KA. Evolutionary origins of the estrogen signaling system: insights from amphioxus. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2011; 127:176-88. [PMID: 21514383 PMCID: PMC3179578 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2011.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2010] [Revised: 02/07/2011] [Accepted: 03/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Classically, the estrogen signaling system has two core components: cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19), the enzyme complex that catalyzes the rate limiting step in estrogen biosynthesis; and estrogen receptors (ERs), ligand activated transcription factors that interact with the regulatory region of target genes to mediate the biological effects of estrogen. While the importance of estrogens for regulation of reproduction, development and physiology has been well-documented in gnathostome vertebrates, the evolutionary origins of estrogen as a hormone are still unclear. As invertebrates within the phylum Chordata, cephalochordates (e.g., the amphioxus of the genus Branchiostoma) are among the closest invertebrate relatives of the vertebrates and can provide critical insight into the evolution of vertebrate-specific molecules and pathways. To address this question, this paper briefly reviews relevant earlier studies that help to illuminate the history of the aromatase and ER genes, with a particular emphasis on insights from amphioxus and other invertebrates. We then present new analyses of amphioxus aromatase and ER sequence and function, including an in silico model of the amphioxus aromatase protein, and CYP19 gene analysis. CYP19 shares a conserved gene structure with vertebrates (9 coding exons) and moderate sequence conservation (40% amino acid identity with human CYP19). Modeling of the amphioxus aromatase substrate binding site and simulated docking of androstenedione in comparison to the human aromatase shows that the substrate binding site is conserved and predicts that androstenedione could be a substrate for amphioxus CYP19. The amphioxus ER is structurally similar to vertebrate ERs, but differs in sequence and key residues of the ligand binding domain. Consistent with results from other laboratories, amphioxus ER did not bind radiolabeled estradiol, nor did it modulate gene expression on an estrogen-responsive element (ERE) in the presence of estradiol, 4-hydroxytamoxifen, diethylstilbestrol, bisphenol A or genistein. Interestingly, it has been shown that a related gene, the amphioxus "steroid receptor" (SR), can be activated by estrogens and that amphioxus ER can repress this activation. CYP19, ER and SR are all primarily expressed in gonadal tissue, suggesting an ancient paracrine/autocrine signaling role, but it is not yet known how their expression is regulated and, if estrogen is actually synthesized in amphioxus, whether it has a role in mediating any biological effects. Functional studies are clearly needed to link emerging bioinformatics and in vitro molecular biology results with organismal physiology to develop an understanding of the evolution of estrogen signaling. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Marine organisms'.
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Affiliation(s)
- G V Callard
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington St, Boston, MA 02215, United States.
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Abstract
The nuclear receptors (NRs) of metazoans are an ancient family of transcription factors defined by conserved DNA- and ligand-binding domains (DBDs and LBDs, respectively). The Drosophila melanogaster genome project revealed 18 canonical NRs (with DBDs and LBDs both present) and 3 receptors with the DBD only. Annotation of subsequently sequenced insect genomes revealed only minor deviations from this pattern. A renewed focus on functional analysis of the isoforms of insect NRs is therefore required to understand the diverse roles of these transcription factors in embryogenesis, metamorphosis, reproduction, and homeostasis. One insect NR, ecdysone receptor (EcR), functions as a receptor for the ecdysteroid molting hormones of insects. Researchers have developed nonsteroidal ecdysteroid agonists for EcR that disrupt molting and can be used as safe pesticides. An exciting new technology allows EcR to be used in chimeric, ligand-inducible gene-switch systems with applications in pest management and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Fahrbach
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109, USA.
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Albalat R, Brunet F, Laudet V, Schubert M. Evolution of retinoid and steroid signaling: vertebrate diversification from an amphioxus perspective. Genome Biol Evol 2011; 3:985-1005. [PMID: 21856648 PMCID: PMC3184775 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evr084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the physiological relevance of retinoids and steroids in vertebrates is very well established, the origin and evolution of the genetic machineries implicated in their metabolic pathways is still very poorly understood. We investigated the evolution of these genetic networks by conducting an exhaustive survey of components of the retinoid and steroid pathways in the genome of the invertebrate chordate amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae). Due to its phylogenetic position at the base of chordates, amphioxus is a very useful model to identify and study chordate versus vertebrate innovations, both on a morphological and a genomic level. We have characterized more than 220 amphioxus genes evolutionarily related to vertebrate components of the retinoid and steroid pathways and found that, globally, amphioxus has orthologs of most of the vertebrate components of these two pathways, with some very important exceptions. For example, we failed to identify a vertebrate-like machinery for retinoid storage, transport, and delivery in amphioxus and were also unable to characterize components of the adrenal steroid pathway in this invertebrate chordate. The absence of these genes from the amphioxus genome suggests that both an elaboration and a refinement of the retinoid and steroid pathways took place at the base of the vertebrate lineage. In stark contrast, we also identified massive amplifications in some amphioxus gene families, most extensively in the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily, which, based on phylogenetic and genomic linkage analyses, were likely the result of duplications specific to the amphioxus lineage. In sum, this detailed characterization of genes implicated in retinoid and steroid signaling in amphioxus allows us not only to reconstruct an outline of these pathways in the ancestral chordate but also to discuss functional innovations in retinoid homeostasis and steroid-dependent regulation in both cephalochordate and vertebrate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
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22
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Darras VM, Van Herck SLJ, Heijlen M, De Groef B. Thyroid hormone receptors in two model species for vertebrate embryonic development: chicken and zebrafish. J Thyroid Res 2011; 2011:402320. [PMID: 21760979 PMCID: PMC3134294 DOI: 10.4061/2011/402320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2011] [Accepted: 04/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chicken and zebrafish are two model species regularly used to study the role of thyroid hormones in vertebrate development. Similar to mammals, chickens have one thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα) and one TRβ gene, giving rise to three TR isoforms: TRα, TRβ2, and TRβ0, the latter with a very short amino-terminal domain. Zebrafish also have one TRβ gene, providing two TRβ1 variants. The zebrafish TRα gene has been duplicated, and at least three TRα isoforms are expressed: TRαA1-2 and TRαB are very similar, while TRαA1 has a longer carboxy-terminal ligand-binding domain. All these TR isoforms appear to be functional, ligand-binding receptors. As in other vertebrates, the different chicken and zebrafish TR isoforms have a divergent spatiotemporal expression pattern, suggesting that they also have distinct functions. Several isoforms are expressed from the very first stages of embryonic development and early chicken and zebrafish embryos respond to thyroid hormone treatment with changes in gene expression. Future studies in knockdown and mutant animals should allow us to link the different TR isoforms to specific processes in embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veerle M Darras
- Division Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Biology Department, Laboratory of Comparative Endocrinology, K.U.Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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23
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Characterization of the deleted in autism 1 protein family: implications for studying cognitive disorders. PLoS One 2011; 6:e14547. [PMID: 21283809 PMCID: PMC3023760 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2010] [Accepted: 12/21/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of commonly occurring, highly-heritable developmental disabilities. Human genes c3orf58 or Deleted In Autism-1 (DIA1) and cXorf36 or Deleted in Autism-1 Related (DIA1R) are implicated in ASD and mental retardation. Both gene products encode signal peptides for targeting to the secretory pathway. As evolutionary medicine has emerged as a key tool for understanding increasing numbers of human diseases, we have used an evolutionary approach to study DIA1 and DIA1R. We found DIA1 conserved from cnidarians to humans, indicating DIA1 evolution coincided with the development of the first primitive synapses. Nematodes lack a DIA1 homologue, indicating Caenorhabditis elegans is not suitable for studying all aspects of ASD etiology, while zebrafish encode two DIA1 paralogues. By contrast to DIA1, DIA1R was found exclusively in vertebrates, with an origin coinciding with the whole-genome duplication events occurring early in the vertebrate lineage, and the evolution of the more complex vertebrate nervous system. Strikingly, DIA1R was present in schooling fish but absent in fish that have adopted a more solitary lifestyle. An additional DIA1-related gene we named DIA1-Like (DIA1L), lacks a signal peptide and is restricted to the genomes of the echinoderm Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and cephalochordate Branchiostoma floridae. Evidence for remarkable DIA1L gene expansion was found in B. floridae. Amino acid alignments of DIA1 family gene products revealed a potential Golgi-retention motif and a number of conserved motifs with unknown function. Furthermore, a glycine and three cysteine residues were absolutely conserved in all DIA1-family proteins, indicating a critical role in protein structure and/or function. We have therefore identified a new metazoan protein family, the DIA1-family, and understanding the biological roles of DIA1-family members will have implications for our understanding of autism and mental retardation.
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Butts T, Holland PWH, Ferrier DEK. Ancient homeobox gene loss and the evolution of chordate brain and pharynx development: deductions from amphioxus gene expression. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:3381-9. [PMID: 20554554 PMCID: PMC2982225 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2010] [Accepted: 05/21/2010] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Homeobox genes encode a large superclass of transcription factors with widespread roles in animal development. Within chordates there are over 100 homeobox genes in the invertebrate cephalochordate amphioxus and over 200 in humans. Set against this general trend of increasing gene number in vertebrate evolution, some ancient homeobox genes that were present in the last common ancestor of chordates have been lost from vertebrates. Here, we describe the embryonic expression of four amphioxus descendants of these genes--AmphiNedxa, AmphiNedxb, AmphiMsxlx and AmphiNKx7. All four genes are expressed with a striking asymmetry about the left-right axis in the pharyngeal region of neurula embryos, mirroring the pronounced asymmetry of amphioxus embryogenesis. AmphiMsxlx and AmphiNKx7 are also transiently expressed in an anterior neural tube region destined to become the cerebral vesicle. These findings suggest significant rewiring of developmental gene regulatory networks occurred during chordate evolution, coincident with homeobox gene loss. We propose that loss of otherwise widely conserved genes is possible when these genes function in a confined role in development that is subsequently lost or significantly modified during evolution. In the case of these homeobox genes, we propose that this has occurred in relation to the evolution of the chordate pharynx and brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Butts
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Peter W. H. Holland
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - David E. K. Ferrier
- Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK
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Reitzel AM, Tarrant AM. Correlated evolution of androgen receptor and aromatase revisited. Mol Biol Evol 2010; 27:2211-5. [PMID: 20494939 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msq129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Conserved interactions among proteins or other molecules can provide strong evidence for coevolution across their evolutionary history. Diverse phylogenetic methods have been applied to identify potential coevolutionary relationships. In most cases, these methods minimally require comparisons of orthologous sequences and appropriate controls to separate effects of selection from the overall evolutionary relationships. In vertebrates, androgen receptor (AR) and cytochrome p450 aromatase (CYP19) share an affinity for androgenic steroids, which serve as receptor ligands and enzyme substrates. In a recent study, Tiwary and Li (Tiwary BK, Li W-H. 2009. Parallel evolution between aromatase and androgen receptor in the animal kingdom. Mol Biol Evol. 26:123-129) reported that AR and CYP19 displayed a signature of ancient and conserved interactions throughout all the Eumetazoa (i.e., cnidarians, protostomes, and deuterostomes). Because these findings conflicted with a number of previous studies, we reanalyzed the data set used by Tiwary and Li. First, our analyses demonstrate that the invertebrate genes used in the previous analysis are not orthologous sequences but instead represent a diverse set of nuclear receptors and CYP enzymes with no confirmed or hypothesized relationships with androgens. Second, we show that 1) their analytical approach, which measures correlations in evolutionary distances between proteins, potentially led to spurious significant relationships due simply to conserved domains and 2) control comparisons provide positive evidence for a strong influence of evolutionary history. We discuss how corrections to this method and analysis of key taxa (e.g., duplications in the teleost fish and suiform lineages) can inform investigations of the coevolutionary relationships between AR and aromatase.
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Roch GJ, Sherwood NM. Genomics Reveal Ancient Forms of Stanniocalcin in Amphioxus and Tunicate. Integr Comp Biol 2010; 50:86-97. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icq010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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Katsu Y, Kubokawa K, Urushitani H, Iguchi T. Estrogen-dependent transactivation of amphioxus steroid hormone receptor via both estrogen and androgen response elements. Endocrinology 2010; 151:639-48. [PMID: 19966182 DOI: 10.1210/en.2009-0766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Estrogens are necessary for ovarian differentiation during critical developmental windows in most vertebrates and promote the growth and differentiation of the adult female reproductive system. Estrogen actions are largely mediated through the estrogen receptors (ERs), which are ligand-activated transcription factors. To understand the molecular evolution of sex steroid hormone receptors, we isolated cDNAs encoding two steroid receptors from Japanese amphioxus, Branchiostoma belcheri: an ER ortholog and a ketosteroid receptor (SR) ortholog. Reporter gene assays revealed that the SR ortholog has molecular functions similar to those of the vertebrate ER. Surprisingly, the ER ortholog is an estrogen-insensitive repressor of SR-mediated transcription. Furthermore, we found that the SR ortholog can bind to both estrogen-responsive elements (EREs) and androgen-responsive elements (AREs) and mediates transcriptional activation by estrogens through both types of elements. Our findings suggest that the ancestral SR, but not ER, could bind estrone and induce the ERE- and ARE-dependent transactivation and that it gained the ability to be regulated by ketosteroid and recognize ARE specifically before jawless vertebrates split. These results highlight the importance of comparative experimental approaches for the evolutionary study of endocrine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshinao Katsu
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
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Reitzel AM, Tarrant AM. Nuclear receptor complement of the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis: phylogenetic relationships and developmental expression patterns. BMC Evol Biol 2009; 9:230. [PMID: 19744329 PMCID: PMC2749838 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-9-230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2008] [Accepted: 09/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Nuclear receptors are a superfamily of metazoan transcription factors that regulate diverse developmental and physiological processes. Sequenced genomes from an increasing number of bilaterians have provided a more complete picture of duplication and loss of nuclear receptors in protostomes and deuterostomes but have left open the question of which nuclear receptors were present in the cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor. In addition, nuclear receptor expression and function are largely uncharacterized within cnidarians, preventing determination of conserved and novel nuclear receptor functions in the context of animal evolution. Results Here we report the first complete set of nuclear receptors from a cnidarian, the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Genomic searches using conserved DNA- and ligand-binding domains revealed seventeen nuclear receptors in N. vectensis. Phylogenetic analyses support N. vectensis orthologs of bilaterian nuclear receptors in four nuclear receptor subfamilies within nuclear receptor family 2 (COUP-TF, TLL, HNF4, TR2/4) and one putative ortholog of GCNF (nuclear receptor family 6). Other N. vectensis genes grouped well with nuclear receptor family 2 but represented lineage-specific duplications somewhere within the cnidarian lineage and were not clear orthologs of bilaterian genes. Three nuclear receptors were not well-supported within any particular nuclear receptor family. The seventeen nuclear receptors exhibited distinct developmental expression patterns, with expression of several nuclear receptors limited to a subset of developmental stages. Conclusion N. vectensis contains a diverse complement of nuclear receptors including orthologs of several bilaterian nuclear receptors. Novel nuclear receptors in N. vectensis may be ancient genes lost from triploblastic lineages or may represent cnidarian-specific radiations. Nuclear receptors exhibited distinct developmental expression patterns, which are consistent with diverse regulatory roles for these genes. Understanding the evolutionary relationships and developmental expression of the N. vectensis nuclear receptor complement provides insight into the evolution of the nuclear receptor superfamily and a foundation for mechanistic characterization of cnidarian nuclear receptor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Reitzel
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
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Yu JKS, Holland LZ. Cephalochordates (amphioxus or lancelets): a model for understanding the evolution of chordate characters. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2009; 2009:pdb.emo130. [PMID: 20147258 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.emo130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTIONCephalochordates, commonly called amphioxus or lancelets, are marine invertebrate chordates. They were traditionally held as the closest living relatives of vertebrates and have long occupied a key phylogenetic position in our discussions on the origin of vertebrates. However, recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have placed tunicates as the sister taxon of vertebrates and cephalochordates as the most basal chordate group. Therefore, studies on cephalochordates can also provide important insights for understanding the conserved patterning mechanisms for all chordates. Cephalochordates and vertebrates share several key chordate features, namely, the dorsal nerve cord, notochord, segmented somites, and pharyngeal gill slits. However, vertebrates have ~25% more genes than amphioxus and several features not present in cephalochordates, including a more elaborate head and forebrain, migratory neural crest, and neurogenic placodes. During the last two decades, expression patterns of important developmental genes have been used extensively to infer homologies between cephalochordate and vertebrate embryos. These studies have answered some long-standing questions concerning the evolution of vertebrates from their invertebrate ancestors and have also generated interesting hypotheses for further investigations. With the completion of a cephalochordate genome project in 2008, comparison between cephalochordate and vertebrate genomes has allowed us to postulate a picture for the genome of the last common ancestor of all chordates. Such comparisons are also providing important biological insights into the functional biology of cephalochordates and the evolutionary origin of developmental mechanisms that led to the emergence of the vertebrate body plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- J K Sky Yu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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Garcia-Fernàndez J, Benito-Gutiérrez E. It's a long way from amphioxus: descendants of the earliest chordate. Bioessays 2009; 31:665-75. [PMID: 19408244 DOI: 10.1002/bies.200800110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The origin of chordates and the consequent genesis of vertebrates were major events in natural history. The amphioxus (lancelet) is now recognised as the closest extant relative to the stem chordate and is the only living invertebrate that retains a vertebrate-like development and body plan through its lifespan, despite more than 500 million years of independent evolution from the stem vertebrate. The inspiring data coming from its recently sequenced genome confirms that amphioxus has a prototypical chordate genome with respect to gene content and structure, and even chromosomal organisation. Pushed by joint efforts of amphioxus researchers, amphioxus is now entering a new era, namely its maturation as a laboratory model, through the availability of a large amount of molecular data and the advent of experimental manipulation of the embryo. These two facts may well serve to illuminate the hidden secrets of the genetic changes that generated, among other vertebrates, ourselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Garcia-Fernàndez
- Departament de Genètica and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
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Paris M, Brunet F, Markov GV, Schubert M, Laudet V. The amphioxus genome enlightens the evolution of the thyroid hormone signaling pathway. Dev Genes Evol 2008; 218:667-80. [PMID: 18989698 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-008-0255-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2008] [Accepted: 09/18/2008] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid hormones (THs) have pleiotropic effects on vertebrate development, with amphibian metamorphosis as the most spectacular example. However, developmental functions of THs in non-vertebrate chordates are largely hypothetical and even TH endogenous production has been poorly investigated. In order to get better insight into the evolution of the thyroid hormone signaling pathway in chordates, we have taken advantage of the recent release of the amphioxus genome. We found amphioxus homologous sequences to most of the genes encoding proteins involved in thyroid hormone signaling in vertebrates, except the fast-evolving thyroglobulin: sodium iodide symporter, thyroid peroxidase, deiodinases, thyroid hormone receptor, TBG, and CTHBP. As only some genes encoding proteins involved in TH synthesis regulation were retrieved (TRH, TSH receptor, and CRH receptor but not their corresponding receptors and ligands), there may be another mode of upstream regulation of TH synthesis in amphioxus. In accord with the notion that two whole genome duplications took place at the base of the vertebrate tree, one amphioxus gene often corresponded to several vertebrate homologs. However, some amphioxus specific duplications occurred, suggesting that several steps of the TH pathway were independently elaborated in the cephalochordate and vertebrate lineages. The present results therefore indicate that amphioxus is capable of producing THs. As several genes of the TH signaling pathway were also found in the sea urchin genome, we propose that the thyroid hormone signaling pathway is of ancestral origin in chordates, if not in deuterostomes, with specific elaborations in each lineage, including amphioxus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Paris
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, CNRS UMR5242-INRA 1288-ENS-UCBL, IFR128 BioSciences Lyon-Gerland, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
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The amphioxus genome sequence illuminates the evolutionary origin of vertebrates. Dev Genes Evol 2008; 218:575-8. [PMID: 18949483 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-008-0263-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2008] [Accepted: 10/09/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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