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Steinbinder J, Sachslehner AP, Holthaus KB, Eckhart L. Comparative genomics of sirenians reveals evolution of filaggrin and caspase-14 upon adaptation of the epidermis to aquatic life. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9278. [PMID: 38653760 PMCID: PMC11039687 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60099-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The mammalian epidermis has evolved to protect the body in a dry environment. Genes of the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC), such as FLG (filaggrin), are implicated in the barrier function of the epidermis. Here, we investigated the molecular evolution of the EDC in sirenians (manatees and dugong), which have adapted to fully aquatic life, in comparison to the EDC of terrestrial mammals and aquatic mammals of the clade Cetacea (whales and dolphins). We show that the main subtypes of EDC genes are conserved or even duplicated, like late cornified envelope (LCE) genes of the dugong, whereas specific EDC genes have undergone inactivating mutations in sirenians. FLG contains premature stop codons in the dugong, and the ortholog of human CASP14 (caspase-14), which proteolytically processes filaggrin, is pseudogenized in the same species. As FLG and CASP14 have also been lost in whales, these mutations represent convergent evolution of skin barrier genes in different lineages of aquatic mammals. In contrast to the dugong, the manatee has retained functional FLG and CASP14 genes. FLG2 (filaggrin 2) is truncated in both species of sirenians investigated. We conclude that the land-to-water transition of sirenians was associated with modifications of the epidermal barrier at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Steinbinder
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Leopold Eckhart
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Pandey S, Catto M, Roberts P, Bag S, Jacobson AL, Srinivasan R. Aphid gene expression following polerovirus acquisition is host species dependent. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1341781. [PMID: 38525153 PMCID: PMC10957536 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1341781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Upon acquisition of persistent circulative viruses such as poleroviruses, the virus particles transcytose through membrane barriers of aphids at the midgut and salivary glands via hemolymph. Such intricate interactions can influence aphid behavior and fitness and induce associated gene expression in viruliferous aphids. Differential gene expression can be evaluated by omics approaches such as transcriptomics. Previously conducted aphid transcriptome studies used only one host species as the source of virus inoculum. Viruses typically have alternate hosts. Hence, it is not clear how alternate hosts infected with the same virus isolate alter gene expression in viruliferous vectors. To address the question, this study conducted a transcriptome analysis of viruliferous aphids that acquired the virus from different host species. A polerovirus, cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV), which induced gene expression in the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, was assessed using four alternate hosts, viz., cotton, hibiscus, okra, and prickly sida. Among a total of 2,942 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 750, 310, 1,193, and 689 genes were identified in A. gossypii that acquired CLRDV from infected cotton, hibiscus, okra, and prickly sida, respectively, compared with non-viruliferous aphids that developed on non-infected hosts. A higher proportion of aphid genes were overexpressed than underexpressed following CLRDV acquisition from cotton, hibiscus, and prickly sida. In contrast, more aphid genes were underexpressed than overexpressed following CLRDV acquisition from okra plants. Only four common DEGs (heat shock protein, juvenile hormone acid O-methyltransferase, and two unannotated genes) were identified among viruliferous aphids from four alternate hosts. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotations indicated that the acquisition of CLRDV induced DEGs in aphids associated with virus infection, signal transduction, immune systems, and fitness. However, these induced changes were not consistent across four alternate hosts. These data indicate that alternate hosts could differentially influence gene expression in aphids and presumably aphid behavior and fitness despite being infected with the same virus isolate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudeep Pandey
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA, United States
| | - Michael Catto
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Phillip Roberts
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, United States
| | - Sudeep Bag
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, United States
| | - Alana L. Jacobson
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
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Holthaus KB, Eckhart L. Development-Associated Genes of the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). J Dev Biol 2024; 12:4. [PMID: 38248869 PMCID: PMC10801484 DOI: 10.3390/jdb12010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The epidermal differentiation complex (EDC) is a cluster of genes that encode protein components of the outermost layers of the epidermis in mammals, reptiles and birds. The development of the stratified epidermis from a single-layered ectoderm involves an embryo-specific superficial cell layer, the periderm. An additional layer, the subperiderm, develops in crocodilians and over scutate scales of birds. Here, we review the expression of EDC genes during embryonic development. Several EDC genes are expressed predominantly or exclusively in embryo-specific cell layers, whereas others are confined to the epidermal layers that are maintained in postnatal skin. The S100 fused-type proteins scaffoldin and trichohyalin are expressed in the avian and mammalian periderm, respectively. Scaffoldin forms the so-called periderm granules, which are histological markers of the periderm in birds. Epidermal differentiation cysteine-rich protein (EDCRP) and epidermal differentiation protein containing DPCC motifs (EDDM) are expressed in the avian subperiderm where they are supposed to undergo cross-linking via disulfide bonds. Furthermore, a histidine-rich epidermal differentiation protein and feather-type corneous beta-proteins, also known as beta-keratins, are expressed in the subperiderm. The accumulating evidence for roles of EDC genes in the development of the epidermis has implications on the evolutionary diversification of the skin in amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leopold Eckhart
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Feng M, Swevers L, Sun J. Hemocyte Clusters Defined by scRNA-Seq in Bombyx mori: In Silico Analysis of Predicted Marker Genes and Implications for Potential Functional Roles. Front Immunol 2022; 13:852702. [PMID: 35281044 PMCID: PMC8914287 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.852702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the hemolymph, insect hemocytes constitute a heterogeneous population of macrophage-like cells that play important roles in innate immunity, homeostasis and development. Classification of hemocytes in different subtypes by size, morphology and biochemical or immunological markers has been difficult and only in Drosophila extensive genetic analysis allowed the construction of a coherent picture of hemocyte differentiation from pro-hemocytes to granulocytes, crystal cells and plasmatocytes. However, the advent of high-throughput single cell technologies, such as single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), is bound to have a high impact on the study of hemocytes subtypes and their phenotypes in other insects for which a sophisticated genetic toolbox is not available. Instead of averaging gene expression across all cells as occurs in bulk-RNA-seq, scRNA-seq allows high-throughput and specific visualization of the differentiation status of individual cells. With scRNA-seq, interesting cell types can be identified in heterogeneous populations and direct analysis of rare cell types is possible. Next to its ability to profile the transcriptomes of individual cells in tissue samples, scRNA-seq can be used to propose marker genes that are characteristic of different hemocyte subtypes and predict their functions. In this perspective, the identities of the different marker genes that were identified by scRNA-seq analysis to define 13 distinct cell clusters of hemocytes in larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, are discussed in detail. The analysis confirms the broad division of hemocytes in granulocytes, plasmatocytes, oenocytoids and perhaps spherulocytes but also reveals considerable complexity at the molecular level and highly specialized functions. In addition, predicted hemocyte marker genes in Bombyx generally show only limited convergence with the genes that are considered characteristic for hemocyte subtypes in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Feng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece
| | - Jingchen Sun
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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Mlitz V, Hermann M, Buchberger M, Tschachler E, Eckhart L. The Trichohyalin-Like Protein Scaffoldin Is Expressed in the Multilayered Periderm during Development of Avian Beak and Egg Tooth. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12020248. [PMID: 33578693 PMCID: PMC7916365 DOI: 10.3390/genes12020248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Scaffoldin, an S100 fused-type protein (SFTP) with high amino acid sequence similarity to the mammalian hair follicle protein trichohyalin, has been identified in reptiles and birds, but its functions are not yet fully understood. Here, we investigated the expression pattern of scaffoldin and cornulin, a related SFTP, in the developing beaks of birds. We determined the mRNA levels of both SFTPs by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the beak and other ectodermal tissues of chicken (Gallus gallus) and quail (Coturnix japonica) embryos. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to localize scaffoldin in tissues. Scaffoldin and cornulin were expressed in the beak and, at lower levels, in other embryonic tissues of both chickens and quails. Immunohistochemistry revealed scaffoldin in the peridermal compartment of the egg tooth, a transitory cornified protuberance (caruncle) on the upper beak which breaks the eggshell during hatching. Furthermore, scaffoldin marked a multilayered peridermal structure on the lower beak. The results of this study suggest that scaffoldin plays an evolutionarily conserved role in the development of the avian beak with a particular function in the morphogenesis of the egg tooth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Mlitz
- Skin Biology Laboratory, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (V.M.); (M.B.); (E.T.)
| | - Marcela Hermann
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Maria Buchberger
- Skin Biology Laboratory, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (V.M.); (M.B.); (E.T.)
| | - Erwin Tschachler
- Skin Biology Laboratory, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (V.M.); (M.B.); (E.T.)
| | - Leopold Eckhart
- Skin Biology Laboratory, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (V.M.); (M.B.); (E.T.)
- Correspondence:
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A Mixture of Tocopherol Acetate and L-Menthol Synergistically Promotes Hair Growth in C57BL/6 Mice. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12121234. [PMID: 33353178 PMCID: PMC7766712 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12121234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Oral finasteride and topical minoxidil are single components approved by the US FDA for treating hair loss. Some other compounds originating from natural products are also traditionally used for promoting hair growth. In this study, observations of treated keratinocyte cells were used to demonstrate that tocopherol acetate, L-menthol, and stevioside exert an effect on cell regeneration. Furthermore, these were topically applied to the shaved skin of C57BL/6 mice to observe their effects on hair growth. A mixture of tocopherol acetate, L-menthol, and stevioside showed the highest potential for promoting hair growth in vivo. In in vivo experiments, the mixture of tocopherol acetate, L-menthol, and stevioside was more effective than tocopherol acetate or L-menthol alone in promoting hair growth. The transcriptome analysis of skin from the dorsal side of a mouse treated with tocopherol acetate or L-menthol versus vehicle revealed key changes in keratin, keratin-associated protein, forkhead box, sonic hedgehog, fibroblast growth factor 10, desmoglein 4, deoxyribonuclease 1-like 2, and cadherin 3, known to play roles in promoting hair growth.
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Premanand A, Rajkumari BR. In silico analysis of gene expression data from bald frontal and haired occipital scalp to identify candidate genes in male androgenetic alopecia. Arch Dermatol Res 2019; 311:815-824. [DOI: 10.1007/s00403-019-01973-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Mlitz V, Hussain T, Tschachler E, Eckhart L. Filaggrin has evolved from an "S100 fused-type protein" (SFTP) gene present in a common ancestor of amphibians and mammals. Exp Dermatol 2017; 26:955-957. [PMID: 28191671 DOI: 10.1111/exd.13317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The expression of filaggrin in differentiated keratinocytes and the association of filaggrin mutations with ichthyosis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis suggest that this prototypical member of the S100 fused-type protein (SFTP) family plays a key role in the epidermal barrier to the environment. Here, we report that SFTP genes are present not only in amniotes but also in amphibians. Four SFTPs are expressed in the skin of the frog Xenopus laevis. The results of this study indicate that filaggrin has evolved from an ancestral SFTP that may have contributed to skin modifications during the evolutionary transition to terrestrial life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Mlitz
- Research Division of Biology and Pathobiology of the Skin, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tajamul Hussain
- Research Division of Biology and Pathobiology of the Skin, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Erwin Tschachler
- Research Division of Biology and Pathobiology of the Skin, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Leopold Eckhart
- Research Division of Biology and Pathobiology of the Skin, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Strasser B, Mlitz V, Fischer H, Tschachler E, Eckhart L. Comparative genomics reveals conservation of filaggrin and loss of caspase-14 in dolphins. Exp Dermatol 2016; 24:365-9. [PMID: 25739514 PMCID: PMC4437054 DOI: 10.1111/exd.12681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The expression of filaggrin and its stepwise proteolytic degradation are critical events in the terminal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes and in the formation of the skin barrier to the environment. Here, we investigated whether the evolutionary transition from a terrestrial to a fully aquatic lifestyle of cetaceans, that is dolphins and whales, has been associated with changes in genes encoding filaggrin and proteins involved in the processing of filaggrin. We used comparative genomics, PCRs and re-sequencing of gene segments to screen for the presence and integrity of genes coding for filaggrin and proteases implicated in the maturation of (pro)filaggrin. Filaggrin has been conserved in dolphins (bottlenose dolphin, orca and baiji) but has been lost in whales (sperm whale and minke whale). All other S100 fused-type genes have been lost in cetaceans. Among filaggrin-processing proteases, aspartic peptidase retroviral-like 1 (ASPRV1), also known as saspase, has been conserved, whereas caspase-14 has been lost in all cetaceans investigated. In conclusion, our results suggest that filaggrin is dispensable for the acquisition of fully aquatic lifestyles of whales, whereas it appears to confer an evolutionary advantage to dolphins. The discordant evolution of filaggrin, saspase and caspase-14 in cetaceans indicates that the biological roles of these proteins are not strictly interdependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Strasser
- Research Division of Biology and Pathobiology of the Skin, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Gómez de León CT, Díaz Martín RD, Mendoza Hernández G, González Pozos S, Ambrosio JR, Mondragón Flores R. Proteomic characterization of the subpellicular cytoskeleton of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. J Proteomics 2014; 111:86-99. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Revised: 02/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Fujimoto S, Takase T, Kadono N, Maekubo K, Hirai Y. Krtap11-1, a hair keratin-associated protein, as a possible crucial element for the physical properties of hair shafts. J Dermatol Sci 2013; 74:39-47. [PMID: 24439038 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2013.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2013] [Revised: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The physical properties of the hair are predominantly determined by the assembly of keratin bundles. The keratin-associated proteins (Krtaps) are thought to be involved in keratin bundle assembly, however, the functional role of the individual member still remains largely unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to clarify the role of a unique class of Krtaps, Krtap11-1, in the development and physical properties of the hair. METHODS The expression regulation of Krtap11-1 was analyzed and its binding partners in the hair cortex were determined. Also, the effects of the forcible expression of this protein on the hair follicle development were analyzed in culture. RESULTS The expression pattern of Krtap11-1 was concentrically asymmetric in the faulty hair that develops in Foxn1nu mice. In cultured keratinocytes, the expression of Krtap11-1 transgene product was strictly regulated by the keratinization process and proteasome-dependent protein elimination. While the association with keratin as well as the cohesive self-assembly of Krtap11-1 appeared to be stabilized by disulfide cross-links, the biotinylated Krtap11-1 probe enabled the adherence to certain type I keratins in the hair cortex, including K31, 33 and 34, in the absence of disulfide formation. When embryonic upper lip rudiments were forcibly introduced with Krtap11-1, the hair follicles formed irregularly arranged globular hair keratin-clumps surrounded by multilayered epithelial cells in culture. CONCLUSION Krtap11-1 may play an important role on keratin-bundle assembly in the hair cortex and this study provides insight into the physical properties of the hair shaft.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunsuke Fujimoto
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 2-1 Gakuen, Sanda 669-1337, Japan
| | - Takahisa Takase
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 2-1 Gakuen, Sanda 669-1337, Japan
| | - Nanako Kadono
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 2-1 Gakuen, Sanda 669-1337, Japan
| | - Kenji Maekubo
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 2-1 Gakuen, Sanda 669-1337, Japan
| | - Yohei Hirai
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 2-1 Gakuen, Sanda 669-1337, Japan.
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