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McClanahan P, Le TA, Cockx B, Temmerman L. Dry-freezing Steinernema carpocapsae infective juveniles for robust preservation of stocks. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2023; 2023:10.17912/micropub.biology.000808. [PMID: 37179972 PMCID: PMC10172967 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Cryopreservation allows strains to be stored, eliminating genetic drift and maintenance costs. Existing cryopreservation methods for the economically-important entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae involve multiple incubation and filtration steps to precondition the animals. The standard protocol for freezing the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans in buffer is simpler, and a recent C. elegans dry-freezing protocol allows stocks to survive multiple freeze-thaws, a possibility during a power failure. Here we report the efficacy of C. elegans cryopreservation protocols adapted for S. carpocapsae . We show that dry freezing with disaccharides, but not glycerol-based or trehalose-DMSO-based freezing buffer, allows reliable recovery of infective juveniles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Liesbet Temmerman
- KU Leuven, Leuven, Flanders, Belgium
- Correspondence to: Liesbet Temmerman (
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Kim HM, Hong Y, Chen J. A Decade of CRISPR-Cas Gnome Editing in C. elegans. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415863. [PMID: 36555505 PMCID: PMC9781986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas allows us to introduce desired genome editing, including mutations, epitopes, and deletions, with unprecedented efficiency. The development of CRISPR-Cas has progressed to such an extent that it is now applicable in various fields, with the help of model organisms. C. elegans is one of the pioneering animals in which numerous CRISPR-Cas strategies have been rapidly established over the past decade. Ironically, the emergence of numerous methods makes the choice of the correct method difficult. Choosing an appropriate selection or screening approach is the first step in planning a genome modification. This report summarizes the key features and applications of CRISPR-Cas methods using C. elegans, illustrating key strategies. Our overview of significant advances in CRISPR-Cas will help readers understand the current advances in genome editing and navigate various methods of CRISPR-Cas genome editing.
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O'Halloran DM. CRISPR-PN2: a flexible and genome-aware platform for diverse CRISPR experiments in parasitic nematodes. Biotechniques 2021; 71:495-498. [PMID: 34420406 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2021-0056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes represent a significant threat to human health, causing diseases of major socioeconomic importance worldwide. Central to controlling infections of parasitic nematodes is a more detailed molecular picture of host specificity, parasite activation and immune suppression. CRISPR technology holds huge potential for researchers in the field of parasitic nematology, as it provides a powerful genetic tool to dissect questions in parasite biology. To expedite the development of CRISPR technology in parasitic nematodes, software is required to facilitate the design of effective and specific sgRNA sequences. Here, the author introduces CRISPR-PN2, a comprehensive web-based platform that provides flexible use control over the automated design of specific gRNA sequences for CRISPR experiments in parasitic nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien M O'Halloran
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science & Engineering Hall, Suite 6000, 800 22nd St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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Kranse O, Beasley H, Adams S, Pires-daSilva A, Bell C, Lilley CJ, Urwin PE, Bird D, Miska E, Smant G, Gheysen G, Jones J, Viney M, Abad P, Maier TR, Baum TJ, Siddique S, Williamson V, Akay A, Eves-van den Akker S. Toward genetic modification of plant-parasitic nematodes: delivery of macromolecules to adults and expression of exogenous mRNA in second stage juveniles. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6135037. [PMID: 33585878 PMCID: PMC8022973 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkaa058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Plant-parasitic nematodes are a continuing threat to food security, causing an estimated 100 billion USD in crop losses each year. The most problematic are the obligate sedentary endoparasites (primarily root knot nematodes and cyst nematodes). Progress in understanding their biology is held back by a lack of tools for functional genetics: forward genetics is largely restricted to studies of natural variation in populations and reverse genetics is entirely reliant on RNA interference. There is an expectation that the development of functional genetic tools would accelerate the progress of research on plant-parasitic nematodes, and hence the development of novel control solutions. Here, we develop some of the foundational biology required to deliver a functional genetic tool kit in plant-parasitic nematodes. We characterize the gonads of male Heterodera schachtii and Meloidogyne hapla in the context of spermatogenesis. We test and optimize various methods for the delivery, expression, and/or detection of exogenous nucleic acids in plant-parasitic nematodes. We demonstrate that delivery of macromolecules to cyst and root knot nematode male germlines is difficult, but possible. Similarly, we demonstrate the delivery of oligonucleotides to root knot nematode gametes. Finally, we develop a transient expression system in plant-parasitic nematodes by demonstrating the delivery and expression of exogenous mRNA encoding various reporter genes throughout the body of H. schachtii juveniles using lipofectamine-based transfection. We anticipate these developments to be independently useful, will expedite the development of genetic modification tools for plant-parasitic nematodes, and ultimately catalyze research on a group of nematodes that threaten global food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaf Kranse
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Helen Beasley
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Sally Adams
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | | | - Christopher Bell
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Catherine J Lilley
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Peter E Urwin
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - David Bird
- Entomology and Plant Pathology, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7613, USA
| | - Eric Miska
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Geert Smant
- Laboratory of Nematology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Godelieve Gheysen
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - John Jones
- Cell & Molecular Sciences Department, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK.,School of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Mark Viney
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Pierre Abad
- INRAE, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, ISA, F-06903 Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Thomas R Maier
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Thomas J Baum
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Shahid Siddique
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Valerie Williamson
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Alper Akay
- Biomedical Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
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Culp E, Richman C, Sharanya D, Jhaveri N, van den Berg W, Gupta BP. Genome editing in the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Biol Methods Protoc 2020; 5:bpaa003. [PMID: 32395632 PMCID: PMC7200835 DOI: 10.1093/biomethods/bpaa003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas system has recently emerged as a powerful tool to engineer the genome of an organism. The system is adopted from bacteria where it confers immunity against invading foreign DNA. This work reports the first successful use of the CRISPR/Cas system in Caenorhabditis briggsae (a cousin of the well-known nematode C. elegans), to generate mutations via non-homologous end joining. We recovered deletion alleles of several conserved genes by microinjecting plasmids that express Cas9 endonuclease and an engineered CRISPR RNA corresponding to the DNA sequence to be cleaved. Evidence for somatic mutations and off-target mutations are also reported. Our approach allows for the generation of loss-of-function mutations in C. briggsae genes thereby facilitating a comparative study of gene function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Culp
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Cory Richman
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Devika Sharanya
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Nikita Jhaveri
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Wouter van den Berg
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Bhagwati P Gupta
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
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Aldras Y, Singh S, Bode K, Bhowmick DC, Jeremic A, O'Halloran DM. An inducible model of human amylin overexpression reveals diverse transcriptional changes. Neurosci Lett 2019; 704:212-219. [PMID: 30974231 PMCID: PMC6594890 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide or amylin is a neuroendocrine peptide with important endocrine and paracrine functions. Excessive production and accumulation of human amylin in the pancreas can lead to its aggregation and apoptosis of islet β-cells. Amylin has been shown to function within the central nervous system to decrease food intake, and more recently, it has been revealed that amylin is directly transcribed from neurons of the central nervous system, including the hypothalamus, arcuate nucleus, medial preoptic area, and nucleus accumbens. These findings alter the current model of how amylin targets the nervous system, and as a result may lead to obesity and type II diabetes mellitus. Here we set out to use Caenorhabditis elegans as an inducible in vivo model system to study the effects of amylin overexpression in tissues that include the nervous system. We profiled the transcriptional changes in transgenic animals expressing human amylin through RNA-seq. Using this genome-wide approach our results revealed for the first time that expression of human amylin in tissues including the nervous system induce diverse physiological responses in various signaling pathways. From our characterization of transgenic C. elegans animals expressing human amylin, we also observed specific defects in neural developmental programs as well as sensory behavior. Taken together, our data demonstrate the utility of using C. elegans as a valuable in vivo model to study human amylin toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoseph Aldras
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 6000, 800 22nd St. N.W., Washington DC, 20052, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University, 636 Ross Hall, 2300 I St. N.W. Washington DC, 20052, USA
| | - Sanghamitra Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 6000, 800 22nd St. N.W., Washington DC, 20052, USA
| | - Katrin Bode
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 6000, 800 22nd St. N.W., Washington DC, 20052, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University, 636 Ross Hall, 2300 I St. N.W. Washington DC, 20052, USA
| | - Diti Chatterjee Bhowmick
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 6000, 800 22nd St. N.W., Washington DC, 20052, USA
| | - Aleksandar Jeremic
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 6000, 800 22nd St. N.W., Washington DC, 20052, USA
| | - Damien M O'Halloran
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 6000, 800 22nd St. N.W., Washington DC, 20052, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University, 636 Ross Hall, 2300 I St. N.W. Washington DC, 20052, USA.
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