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Quévillon Huberdeau M, Shah VN, Nahar S, Neumeier J, Houle F, Bruckmann A, Gypas F, Nakanishi K, Großhans H, Meister G, Simard MJ. A specific type of Argonaute phosphorylation regulates binding to microRNAs during C. elegans development. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111822. [PMID: 36516777 PMCID: PMC10436268 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Argonaute proteins are at the core of the microRNA-mediated gene silencing pathway essential for animals. In C. elegans, the microRNA-specific Argonautes ALG-1 and ALG-2 regulate multiple processes required for proper animal developmental timing and viability. Here we identified a phosphorylation site on ALG-1 that modulates microRNA association. Mutating ALG-1 serine 642 into a phospho-mimicking residue impairs microRNA binding and causes embryonic lethality and post-embryonic phenotypes that are consistent with alteration of microRNA functions. Monitoring microRNA levels in alg-1 phosphorylation mutant animals shows that microRNA passenger strands increase in abundance but are not preferentially loaded into ALG-1, indicating that the miRNA binding defects could lead to microRNA duplex accumulation. Our genetic and biochemical experiments support protein kinase A (PKA) KIN-1 as the putative kinase that phosphorylates ALG-1 serine 642. Our data indicate that PKA triggers ALG-1 phosphorylation to regulate its microRNA association during C. elegans development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Quévillon Huberdeau
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division), Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada; Université Laval Cancer Research Centre, Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
| | - Vivek Nilesh Shah
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division), Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada; Université Laval Cancer Research Centre, Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
| | - Smita Nahar
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julia Neumeier
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry (RCB), Laboratory for RNA Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - François Houle
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division), Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada; Université Laval Cancer Research Centre, Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
| | - Astrid Bruckmann
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry (RCB), Laboratory for RNA Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Foivos Gypas
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kotaro Nakanishi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Helge Großhans
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gunter Meister
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry (RCB), Laboratory for RNA Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martin J Simard
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division), Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada; Université Laval Cancer Research Centre, Québec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada.
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Functional Insights into Protein Kinase A (PKA) Signaling from C. elegans. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12111878. [PMID: 36431013 PMCID: PMC9692727 DOI: 10.3390/life12111878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Protein kinase A (PKA), which regulates a diverse set of biological functions downstream of cyclic AMP (cAMP), is a tetramer consisting of two catalytic subunits (PKA-C) and two regulatory subunits (PKA-R). When cAMP binds the PKA-R subunits, the PKA-C subunits are released and interact with downstream effectors. In Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), PKA-C and PKA-R are encoded by kin-1 and kin-2, respectively. This review focuses on the contributions of work in C. elegans to our understanding of the many roles of PKA, including contractility and oocyte maturation in the reproductive system, lipid metabolism, physiology, mitochondrial function and lifespan, and a wide variety of behaviors. C. elegans provides a powerful genetic platform for understanding how this kinase can regulate an astounding variety of physiological responses.
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Rahmani A, Chew YL. Investigating the molecular mechanisms of learning and memory using Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurochem 2021; 159:417-451. [PMID: 34528252 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Learning is an essential biological process for survival since it facilitates behavioural plasticity in response to environmental changes. This process is mediated by a wide variety of genes, mostly expressed in the nervous system. Many studies have extensively explored the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. This review will focus on the advances gained through the study of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans provides an excellent system to study learning because of its genetic tractability, in addition to its invariant, compact nervous system (~300 neurons) that is well-characterised at the structural level. Importantly, despite its compact nature, the nematode nervous system possesses a high level of conservation with mammalian systems. These features allow the study of genes within specific sensory-, inter- and motor neurons, facilitating the interrogation of signalling pathways that mediate learning via defined neural circuits. This review will detail how learning and memory can be studied in C. elegans through behavioural paradigms that target distinct sensory modalities. We will also summarise recent studies describing mechanisms through which key molecular and cellular pathways are proposed to affect associative and non-associative forms of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aelon Rahmani
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Yee Lian Chew
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Control of Neuropeptide Expression by Parallel Activity-dependent Pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sci Rep 2017; 7:38734. [PMID: 28139692 PMCID: PMC5282578 DOI: 10.1038/srep38734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring of neuronal activity within circuits facilitates integrated responses and rapid changes in behavior. We have identified a system in Caenorhabditis elegans where neuropeptide expression is dependent on the ability of the BAG neurons to sense carbon dioxide. In C. elegans, CO2 sensing is predominantly coordinated by the BAG-expressed receptor-type guanylate cyclase GCY-9. GCY-9 binding to CO2 causes accumulation of cyclic GMP and opening of the cGMP-gated TAX-2/TAX-4 cation channels; provoking an integrated downstream cascade that enables C. elegans to avoid high CO2. Here we show that cGMP regulation by GCY-9 and the PDE-1 phosphodiesterase controls BAG expression of a FMRFamide-related neuropeptide FLP-19 reporter (flp-19::GFP). This regulation is specific for CO2-sensing function of the BAG neurons, as loss of oxygen sensing function does not affect flp-19::GFP expression. We also found that expression of flp-19::GFP is controlled in parallel to GCY-9 by the activity-dependent transcription factor CREB (CRH-1) and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (KIN-2) signaling pathway. We therefore show that two parallel pathways regulate neuropeptide gene expression in the BAG sensory neurons: the ability to sense changes in carbon dioxide and CREB transcription factor. Such regulation may be required in particular environmental conditions to enable sophisticated behavioral decisions to be performed.
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Alternative Splicing Regulation of Cancer-Related Pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans: An In Vivo Model System with a Powerful Reverse Genetics Toolbox. Int J Cell Biol 2013; 2013:636050. [PMID: 24069034 PMCID: PMC3771449 DOI: 10.1155/2013/636050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2013] [Accepted: 07/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing allows for the generation of protein diversity and fine-tunes gene expression. Several model systems have been used for the in vivo study of alternative splicing. Here we review the use of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to study splicing regulation in vivo. Recent studies have shown that close to 25% of genes in the worm genome undergo alternative splicing. A big proportion of these events are functional, conserved, and under strict regulation either across development or other conditions. Several techniques like genome-wide RNAi screens and bichromatic reporters are available for the study of alternative splicing in worms. In this review, we focus, first, on the main studies that have been performed to dissect alternative splicing in this system and later on examples from genes that have human homologs that are implicated in cancer. The significant advancement towards understanding the regulation of alternative splicing and cancer that the C. elegans system has offered is discussed.
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