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Tendolkar A, Mazo-Vargas A, Livraghi L, Hanly JJ, Van Horne KC, Gilbert LE, Martin A. Cis-regulatory modes of Ultrabithorax inactivation in butterfly forewings. eLife 2024; 12:RP90846. [PMID: 38261357 PMCID: PMC10945631 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90846] [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] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Hox gene clusters encode transcription factors that drive regional specialization during animal development: for example the Hox factor Ubx is expressed in the insect metathoracic (T3) wing appendages and differentiates them from T2 mesothoracic identities. Hox transcriptional regulation requires silencing activities that prevent spurious activation and regulatory crosstalks in the wrong tissues, but this has seldom been studied in insects other than Drosophila, which shows a derived Hox dislocation into two genomic clusters that disjoined Antennapedia (Antp) and Ultrabithorax (Ubx). Here, we investigated how Ubx is restricted to the hindwing in butterflies, amidst a contiguous Hox cluster. By analysing Hi-C and ATAC-seq data in the butterfly Junonia coenia, we show that a Topologically Associated Domain (TAD) maintains a hindwing-enriched profile of chromatin opening around Ubx. This TAD is bordered by a Boundary Element (BE) that separates it from a region of joined wing activity around the Antp locus. CRISPR mutational perturbation of this BE releases ectopic Ubx expression in forewings, inducing homeotic clones with hindwing identities. Further mutational interrogation of two non-coding RNA encoding regions and one putative cis-regulatory module within the Ubx TAD cause rare homeotic transformations in both directions, indicating the presence of both activating and repressing chromatin features. We also describe a series of spontaneous forewing homeotic phenotypes obtained in Heliconius butterflies, and discuss their possible mutational basis. By leveraging the extensive wing specialization found in butterflies, our initial exploration of Ubx regulation demonstrates the existence of silencing and insulating sequences that prevent its spurious expression in forewings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amruta Tendolkar
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington UniversityWashington, DCUnited States
| | - Anyi Mazo-Vargas
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington UniversityWashington, DCUnited States
| | - Luca Livraghi
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington UniversityWashington, DCUnited States
| | - Joseph J Hanly
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington UniversityWashington, DCUnited States
- Smithsonian Tropical Research InstitutePanama CityPanama
| | - Kelsey C Van Horne
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington UniversityWashington, DCUnited States
| | - Lawrence E Gilbert
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas – AustinAustinUnited States
| | - Arnaud Martin
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington UniversityWashington, DCUnited States
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2
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Lee S, Aubee JI, Lai EC. Regulation of alternative splicing and polyadenylation in neurons. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202302000. [PMID: 37793776 PMCID: PMC10551640 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-type-specific gene expression is a fundamental feature of multicellular organisms and is achieved by combinations of regulatory strategies. Although cell-restricted transcription is perhaps the most widely studied mechanism, co-transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes are also central to the spatiotemporal control of gene functions. One general category of expression control involves the generation of multiple transcript isoforms from an individual gene, whose balance and cell specificity are frequently tightly regulated via diverse strategies. The nervous system makes particularly extensive use of cell-specific isoforms, specializing the neural function of genes that are expressed more broadly. Here, we review regulatory strategies and RNA-binding proteins that direct neural-specific isoform processing. These include various classes of alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation events, both of which broadly diversify the neural transcriptome. Importantly, global alterations of splicing and alternative polyadenylation are characteristic of many neural pathologies, and recent genetic studies demonstrate how misregulation of individual neural isoforms can directly cause mutant phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungjae Lee
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph I Aubee
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric C Lai
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
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3
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Kyrchanova O, Sokolov V, Tikhonov M, Manukyan G, Schedl P, Georgiev P. Transcriptional Readthrough Interrupts Boundary Function in Drosophila. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11368. [PMID: 37511131 PMCID: PMC10379149 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In higher eukaryotes, distance enhancer-promoter interactions are organized by topologically associated domains, tethering elements, and chromatin insulators/boundaries. While insulators/boundaries play a central role in chromosome organization, the mechanisms regulating their functions are largely unknown. In the studies reported here, we have taken advantage of the well-characterized Drosophila bithorax complex (BX-C) to study one potential mechanism for controlling boundary function. The regulatory domains of BX-C are flanked by boundaries, which block crosstalk with their neighboring domains and also support long-distance interactions between the regulatory domains and their target gene. As many lncRNAs have been found in BX-C, we asked whether readthrough transcription (RT) can impact boundary function. For this purpose, we took advantage of two BX-C boundary replacement platforms, Fab-7attP50 and F2attP, in which the Fab-7 and Fub boundaries, respectively, are deleted and replaced with an attP site. We introduced boundary elements, promoters, and polyadenylation signals arranged in different combinations and then assayed for boundary function. Our results show that RT can interfere with boundary activity. Since lncRNAs represent a significant fraction of Pol II transcripts in multicellular eukaryotes, it is therefore possible that RT may be a widely used mechanism to alter boundary function and regulation of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Kyrchanova
- Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Vladimir Sokolov
- Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Maxim Tikhonov
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Galya Manukyan
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Paul Schedl
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Pavel Georgiev
- Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
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4
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Kyrchanova O, Sokolov V, Tikhonov M, Schedl P, Georgiev P. Transcriptional read through interrupts boundary function in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.16.528790. [PMID: 36824960 PMCID: PMC9949125 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.16.528790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
In higher eukaryotes enhancer-promoter interactions are known to be restricted by the chromatin insulators/boundaries that delimit topologically associated domains (TADs); however, there are instances in which enhancer-promoter interactions span one or more boundary elements/TADs. At present, the mechanisms that enable cross-TAD regulatory interaction are not known. In the studies reported here we have taken advantage of the well characterized Drosophila Bithorax complex (BX-C) to study one potential mechanism for controlling boundary function and TAD organization. The regulatory domains of BX-C are flanked by boundaries which function to block crosstalk with their neighboring domains and also to support long distance interactions between the regulatory domains and their target gene. As many lncRNAs have been found in BX-C, we asked whether transcriptional readthrough can impact boundary function. For this purpose, we took advantage of two BX-C boundary replacement platforms, Fab-7 attP50 and F2 attP , in which the Fab-7 and Fub boundaries, respectively, are deleted and replaced with an attP site. We introduced boundary elements, promoters and polyadenylation signals arranged in different combinations and then assayed for boundary function. Our results show that transcriptional readthrough can interfere with boundary activity. Since lncRNAs represent a significant fraction of Pol II transcripts in multicellular eukaryotes, it is possible that many of them may function in the regulation of TAD organization. Author Summary Recent studies have shown that much genome in higher eukaryotes is transcribed into non-protein coding lncRNAs. It is though that lncRNAs may preform important regulatory functions, including the formation of protein complexes, organization of functional interactions between enhancers and promoters and the maintenance of open chromatin. Here we examined how transcription from promoters inserted into the Drosophila Bithorax complex can impact the boundaries that are responsible for establishing independent regulatory domains. Surprisingly, we found that even a relatively low level of transcriptional readthrough can impair boundary function. Transcription also affects the activity of enhancers located in BX-C regulatory domains. Taken together, our results raise the possibility that transcriptional readthrough may be a widely used mechanism to alter chromosome structure and regulate gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Kyrchanova
- Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia,Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia,Corresponding author: (PG), (PS)
| | - Vladimir Sokolov
- Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Maxim Tikhonov
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Paul Schedl
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA,Corresponding author: (PG), (PS)
| | - Pavel Georgiev
- Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia,Corresponding author: (PG), (PS)
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5
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Hajirnis N, Pandey S, Mishra RK. CRISPR/Cas9 and FLP-FRT mediated regulatory dissection of the BX-C of Drosophila melanogaster. CHROMOSOME RESEARCH : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON THE MOLECULAR, SUPRAMOLECULAR AND EVOLUTIONARY ASPECTS OF CHROMOSOME BIOLOGY 2023; 31:7. [PMID: 36719476 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-023-09716-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The homeotic genes or Hox define the anterior-posterior (AP) body axis formation in bilaterians and are often present on the chromosome in an order collinear to their function across the AP axis. However, there are many cases wherein the Hox are not collinear, but their expression pattern is conserved across the AP axis. The expression pattern of Hox is attributed to the cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) consisting of enhancers, initiators, or repressor elements that regulate the genes in a segment-specific manner. In the Drosophila melanogaster Hox complex, the bithorax complex (BX-C) and even the CRMs are organized in an order that is collinear to their function in the thoracic and abdominal segments. In the present study, the regulatorily inert regions were targeted using CRISPR/Cas9 to generate a series of transgenic lines with the insertion of FRT sequences. These FRT lines are repurposed to shuffle the CRMs associated with Abd-B to generate modular deletion, duplication, or inversion of multiple CRMs. The rearrangements yielded entirely novel phenotypes in the fly suggesting the requirement of such complex manipulations to address the significance of higher order arrangement of the CRMs. The functional map and the transgenic flies generated in this study are important resources to decipher the collective ability of multiple regulatory elements in the eukaryotic genome to function as complex modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhil Hajirnis
- CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA
| | | | - Rakesh K Mishra
- CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India. .,AcSIR - Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India. .,Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Bangalore, India.
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6
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Hox genes in spiders: Their significance for development and evolution. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022:S1084-9521(22)00355-X. [PMID: 36522242 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Hox genes are known for their role in the specification of typical body plan features in animals. Evolutionary changes in Hox gene function are believed to be involved in the emergence of the diverse body plans we observe in animals today. Spiders share many body plan features with other arthropods, but also have numerous unique traits of their own. Studies of spider Hox genes have already provided insights into evolutionarily conserved and derived features of the spider body plan and their genetic basis. However, many aspects of Hox gene biology have been insufficiently studied in spiders so far. In this review, we highlight previous comparative studies of Hox genes in spiders and their significance for our understanding of the evolution of the spider body plan. We also identify aspects of Hox gene biology that need to be studied in greater detail. Many spider Hox genes have not been investigated beyond their mRNA expression patterns, and the role of Hox genes with apparently plesiomorphic or dual functions, like ftz and Hox3 is still unclear. Spiders have a duplicated Hox gene cluster, but possible sub- or neofunctionalisation of duplicates have not yet been studied systematically. Future research should therefore focus on these issues, in addition to the role of Polycomb and trithorax-mediated regulation, the identification of regulatory regions, cofactors or spider-specific target genes, and the significance of non-coding RNAs transcribed from within the Hox cluster and even from the antisense strand of particular Hox genes.
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7
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Shippy TD, Hosmani PS, Flores-Gonzalez M, Mueller LA, Hunter WB, Brown SJ, D’Elia T, Saha S. Annotation of Hox cluster and Hox cofactor genes in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, reveals novel features. GIGABYTE 2022; 2022:gigabyte49. [PMID: 36824511 PMCID: PMC9933525 DOI: 10.46471/gigabyte.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Hox genes and their cofactors are essential developmental genes specifying regional identity in animals. Hox genes have a conserved arrangement in clusters in the same order in which they specify identity along the anterior-posterior axis. A few insect species have breaks in the cluster, but these are exceptions. We annotated the 10 Hox genes of the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri, and found a split in its Hox cluster between the Deformed and Sex combs reduced genes - the first time a break at this position has been observed in an insect Hox cluster. We also annotated D. citri orthologs of the Hox cofactor genes homothorax, PKNOX and extradenticle and found an additional copy of extradenticle in D. citri that appears to be a retrogene. Expression data and sequence conservation suggest that the extradenticle retrogene may have retained the original extradenticle function and allowed divergence of the parental extradenticle gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa D. Shippy
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | | | | | | | - Wayne B. Hunter
- USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA
| | - Susan J. Brown
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Tom D’Elia
- Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, FL 34981, USA
| | - Surya Saha
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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8
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Hermann A, Kosman D, McGinnis W, Tour E. The expression of Drosophila melanogaster Hox gene Ultrabithorax is not overtly regulated by the intronic long non-coding RNA lncRNA: PS4 in a wild type genetic background. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 12:6428535. [PMID: 34791185 PMCID: PMC8727962 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in a variety of processes in development, differentiation, and disease. In Drosophila melanogaster, the bithorax Hox cluster contains three Hox genes [Ultrabithorax (Ubx), abdominal-A, and Abdominal-B], along with a number of lncRNAs, most with unknown functions. Here, we investigated the function of a lncRNA, lncRNA:PS4 that originates in the second intron of Ubx and is transcribed in the antisense orientation to Ubx. The expression pattern of lncRNA:PS4 is complementary to Ubx in the thoracic primordia, and the lncRNA:PS4 coding region overlaps the location of the large insertion that causes the dominant homeotic mutation Contrabithorax-1 (UbxCbx-1), which partially transforms Drosophila wings into halteres via ectopic activation of Ubx. This led us to investigate the potential role of this lncRNA in regulation of Ubx expression. The UbxCbx-1 mutation dramatically changes the pattern of lncRNA:PS4, eliminating the expression of most lncRNA:PS4 sequences from parasegment 4 (where Ubx protein is normally absent) and ectopically activating lncRNA:PS4 at high levels in the abdomen (where Ubx is normally expressed). These changes, however, did not lead to changes in the Ubx embryonic transcription pattern. Targeted deletion of the two promoters of lncRNA:PS4 did not result in the change of Ubx expression in the embryos. In the genetic background of a UbxCbx-1 mutation, the lncRNA:PS4 mutation does slightly enhance the ectopic activation of Ubx protein expression in wing discs and also slightly enhances the wing phenotype seen in UbxCbx-1 heterozygotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Hermann
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Dave Kosman
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - William McGinnis
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Ella Tour
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
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Novikova EL, Kulakova MA. There and Back Again: Hox Clusters Use Both DNA Strands. J Dev Biol 2021; 9:28. [PMID: 34287306 PMCID: PMC8293171 DOI: 10.3390/jdb9030028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilaterian animals operate the clusters of Hox genes through a rich repertoire of diverse mechanisms. In this review, we will summarize and analyze the accumulated data concerning long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are transcribed from sense (coding) DNA strands of Hox clusters. It was shown that antisense regulatory RNAs control the work of Hox genes in cis and trans, participate in the establishment and maintenance of the epigenetic code of Hox loci, and can even serve as a source of regulatory peptides that switch cellular energetic metabolism. Moreover, these molecules can be considered as a force that consolidates the cluster into a single whole. We will discuss the examples of antisense transcription of Hox genes in well-studied systems (cell cultures, morphogenesis of vertebrates) and bear upon some interesting examples of antisense Hox RNAs in non-model Protostomia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena L. Novikova
- Department of Embryology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7–9, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia;
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Morphology, Zoological Institute RAS, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Milana A. Kulakova
- Department of Embryology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7–9, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia;
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Morphology, Zoological Institute RAS, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
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10
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Cui Z, Liu Y, Yuan J, Zhang X, Ventura T, Ma KY, Sun S, Song C, Zhan D, Yang Y, Liu H, Fan G, Cai Q, Du J, Qin J, Shi C, Hao S, Fitzgibbon QP, Smith GG, Xiang J, Chan TY, Hui M, Bao C, Li F, Chu KH. The Chinese mitten crab genome provides insights into adaptive plasticity and developmental regulation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2395. [PMID: 33888695 PMCID: PMC8062507 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22604-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The infraorder Brachyura (true or short-tailed crabs) represents a successful group of marine invertebrates yet with limited genomic resources. Here we report a chromosome-anchored reference genome and transcriptomes of the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis, a catadromous crab and invasive species with wide environmental tolerance, strong osmoregulatory capacity and high fertility. We show the expansion of specific gene families in the crab, including F-ATPase, which enhances our knowledge on the adaptive plasticity of this successful invasive species. Our analysis of spatio-temporal transcriptomes and the genome of E. sinensis and other decapods shows that brachyurization development is associated with down-regulation of Hox genes at the megalopa stage when tail shortening occurs. A better understanding of the molecular mechanism regulating sexual development is achieved by integrated analysis of multiple omics. These genomic resources significantly expand the gene repertoire of Brachyura, and provide insights into the biology of this group, and Crustacea in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoxia Cui
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
| | - Yuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Jianbo Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaojun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Tomer Ventura
- School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Ka Yan Ma
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuai Sun
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Chengwen Song
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | | | - Yanan Yang
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Hourong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | | | | | - Jing Du
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Jing Qin
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Shijie Hao
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Quinn P Fitzgibbon
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Gregory G Smith
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Jianhai Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Tin-Yam Chan
- Institute of Marine Biology and Center of Excellence for the Oceans, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Min Hui
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Chenchang Bao
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Fuhua Li
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
| | - Ka Hou Chu
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
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11
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miRNAs and Neural Alternative Polyadenylation Specify the Virgin Behavioral State. Dev Cell 2020; 54:410-423.e4. [PMID: 32579967 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
How are diverse regulatory strategies integrated to impose appropriately patterned gene expression that underlie in vivo phenotypes? Here, we reveal how coordinated miRNA regulation and neural-specific alternative polyadenylation (APA) of a single locus controls complex behaviors. Our entry was the unexpected observation that deletion of Bithorax complex (BX-C) miRNAs converts virgin female flies into a subjective post-mated behavioral state, normally induced by seminal proteins following copulation. Strikingly, this behavioral switch is directly attributable to misregulation of homothorax (hth). We localize specific CNS abdominal neurons where de-repressed Hth compromises virgin behavior in BX-C miRNA mutants. Moreover, we use genome engineering to demonstrate that precise mutation of hth 3' UTR sites for BX-C miRNAs or deletion of its neural 3' UTR extension containing most of these sites both induce post-mated behaviors in virgins. Thus, facilitation of miRNA-mediated repression by neural APA is required for virgin females to execute behaviors appropriate to their internal state.
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12
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Tian L, Rahman SR, Ezray BD, Franzini L, Strange JP, Lhomme P, Hines HM. A homeotic shift late in development drives mimetic color variation in a bumble bee. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:11857-11865. [PMID: 31043564 PMCID: PMC6575597 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900365116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural phenotypic radiations, with their high diversity and convergence, are well-suited for informing how genomic changes translate to natural phenotypic variation. New genomic tools enable discovery in such traditionally nonmodel systems. Here, we characterize the genomic basis of color pattern variation in bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus), a group that has undergone extensive convergence of setal color patterns as a result of Müllerian mimicry. In western North America, multiple species converge on local mimicry patterns through parallel shifts of midabdominal segments from red to black. Using genome-wide association, we establish that a cis-regulatory locus between the abdominal fate-determining Hox genes, abd-A and Abd-B, controls the red-black color switch in a western species, Bombus melanopygus Gene expression analysis reveals distinct shifts in Abd-B aligned with the duration of setal pigmentation at the pupal-adult transition. This results in atypical anterior Abd-B expression, a late developmental homeotic shift. Changing expression of Hox genes can have widespread effects, given their important role across segmental phenotypes; however, the late timing reduces this pleiotropy, making Hox genes suitable targets. Analysis of this locus across mimics and relatives reveals that other species follow independent genetic routes to obtain the same phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Tian
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | | | - Briana D Ezray
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Luca Franzini
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - James P Strange
- United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
| | - Patrick Lhomme
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- Biodiversity and Crop Improvement Program, International Center of Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, 10112 Rabat, Morocco
| | - Heather M Hines
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802;
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
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Maeda RK, Sitnik JL, Frei Y, Prince E, Gligorov D, Wolfner MF, Karch F. The lncRNA male-specific abdominal plays a critical role in Drosophila accessory gland development and male fertility. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007519. [PMID: 30011265 PMCID: PMC6067764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) have been identified in the genomes of higher eukaryotes, the precise function of most of them is still unclear. Here, we show that a >65 kb, male-specific, lncRNA, called male-specific abdominal (msa) is required for the development of the secondary cells of the Drosophila male accessory gland (AG). msa is transcribed from within the Drosophila bithorax complex and shares much of its sequence with another lncRNA, the iab-8 lncRNA, which is involved in the development of the central nervous system (CNS). Both lncRNAs perform much of their functions via a shared miRNA embedded within their sequences. Loss of msa, or of the miRNA it contains, causes defects in secondary cell morphology and reduces male fertility. Although both lncRNAs express the same miRNA, the phenotype in the secondary cells and the CNS seem to reflect misregulation of different targets in the two tissues. In many animals, the male seminal fluid induces physiology changes in the mated female that increase a male’s reproductive success. These changes are often referred to as the post-mating response (PMR). In Drosophila, the seminal fluid proteins responsible for generating the PMR are made in a specialized gland, analogous to the mammalian seminal vesicle and prostate, called the accessory gland (AG). In this work, we show that a male-specific, long, non-coding RNA (lncRNA), called msa, plays a critical role in the development and function of this gland, primarily through a microRNA (miRNA) encoded within its sequence. This same miRNA had previously been shown to be expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) via an alternative promoter, where its ability to repress homeotic genes is required for both male and female fertility. Here, we present evidence that the targets of this miRNA in the AG are likely different from those found in the CNS. Thus, the same miRNA seems to have been selected to affect Drosophila fertility through two different mechanisms. Although many non-coding RNAs have now been identified, very few can be shown to have function. Our work highlights a lncRNA that has multiple biological functions, affecting cellular morphology and fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert K. Maeda
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (RKM); (FK)
| | - Jessica L. Sitnik
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Yohan Frei
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elodie Prince
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Dragan Gligorov
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mariana F. Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - François Karch
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (RKM); (FK)
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