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Kojima H, Kashiwagi A, Ikegami T. Revealing gene expression heterogeneity in a clonal population of Tetrahymena thermophila through single-cell RNA sequencing. Biochem Biophys Rep 2024; 38:101720. [PMID: 38711548 PMCID: PMC11070692 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2024.101720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on a population of 5,000 Tetrahymena thermophila, using the 10x Genomics 3' gene expression analysis, to investigate gene expression variability within this clonal population. Initially, we estimated the 3'-untranslated regions (3' UTRs), which were absent in existing annotation files but are crucial for the 10x Genomics 3' gene expression analysis, using the peaks2utr method. This allowed us to create a modified annotation file, which was then utilized in our scRNA-seq analysis. Our analysis revealed significant gene expression variability within the population, even after removing the effect of cell phase-related features. This variability predominantly appeared in six distinct clusters. Through gene ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses, we identified that these were primarily associated with ribosomal proteins, proteins specific to mitochondria, proteins involved in peroxisome-specific carbon metabolism, cytoskeletal proteins, motor proteins, and immobilized antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Kojima
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan
| | - Akiko Kashiwagi
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Bunkyo-cho 3, Hirosaki, Aomori, 030-8561, Japan
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Iwate University, Ueda-3, Morioka, Iwate, 020-8550, Japan
| | - Takashi Ikegami
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan
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Hao H, Lian Y, Ren C, Yang S, Zhao M, Bo T, Xu J, Wang W. RebL1 is required for macronuclear structure stability and gametogenesis in Tetrahymena thermophila. MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 6:183-197. [PMID: 38827131 PMCID: PMC11136921 DOI: 10.1007/s42995-024-00219-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Histone modification and nucleosome assembly play important roles in chromatin-related processes. Histone chaperones form different complexes and coordinate histone transportation and assembly. Various histone chaperone complexes have been identified in different organisms. The ciliate protozoa (ciliates) have various chromatin structures and different nuclear morphology. However, histone chaperone components and functions of different subunits remain unclear in ciliates. Tetrahymema thermophila contains a transcriptionally active macronucleus (MAC) and a transcriptionally inactive micronucleus (MIC) which exhibit multiple replication and various chromatin remodeling progresses during vegetative growth and sexual developmental stages. Here, we found histone chaperone RebL1 not only localized evenly in the transcriptionally active MAC but also dynamically changed in the MIC during vegetative growth and sexual developmental stages. REBL1 knockdown inhibited cellular proliferation. The macronuclear morphology became bigger in growing mutants. The abnormal macronuclear structure also occurred in the starvation stage. Furthermore, micronuclear meiosis was disturbed during sexual development, leading to a failure to generate new gametic nuclei. RebL1 potentially interacted with various factors involved in histone-modifying complexes and chromatin remodeling complexes in different developmental stages. REBL1 knockdown affected expression levels of the genes involved in chromatin organization and transcription. Taken together, RebL1 plays a vital role in maintaining macronuclear structure stability and gametogenesis in T. thermophila. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00219-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijuan Hao
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
| | - Yinjie Lian
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
| | - Chenhui Ren
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
| | - Sitong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
| | - Min Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
| | - Tao Bo
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
| | - Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006 China
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Biotechnology, Taiyuan, 030006 China
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Fu L, Gu C, Mochizuki K, Xiong J, Miao W, Wang G. The genome-wide meiotic recombination landscape in ciliates and its implications for crossover regulation and genome evolution. J Genet Genomics 2024; 51:302-312. [PMID: 37797835 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination is essential for sexual reproduction and its regulation has been extensively studied in many taxa. However, genome-wide recombination landscape has not been reported in ciliates and it remains unknown how it is affected by the unique features of ciliates: the synaptonemal complex (SC)-independent meiosis and the nuclear dimorphism. Here, we show the recombination landscape in the model ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila by analyzing single-nucleotide polymorphism datasets from 38 hybrid progeny. We detect 1021 crossover (CO) events (35.8 per meiosis), corresponding to an overall CO rate of 9.9 cM/Mb. However, gene conversion by non-crossover is rare (1.03 per meiosis) and not biased towards G or C alleles. Consistent with the reported roles of SC in CO interference, we find no obvious sign of CO interference. CO tends to occur within germ-soma common genomic regions and many of the 44 identified CO hotspots localize at the centromeric or subtelomeric regions. Gene ontology analyses show that CO hotspots are strongly associated with genes responding to environmental changes. We discuss these results with respect to how nuclear dimorphism has potentially driven the formation of the observed recombination landscape to facilitate environmental adaptation and the sharing of machinery among meiotic and somatic recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Fu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chen Gu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kazufumi Mochizuki
- Institute of Human Genetics (IGH), CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34396 Montpellier, France
| | - Jie Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China; Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Wei Miao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China.
| | - Guangying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China.
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Yan G, Ma Y, Wang Y, Zhang J, Cheng H, Tan F, Wang S, Zhang D, Xiong J, Yin P, Miao W. A seven-sex species recognizes self and non-self mating-type via a novel protein complex. eLife 2024; 13:RP93770. [PMID: 38415774 PMCID: PMC10901506 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93770] [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: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Although most species have two sexes, multisexual (or multi-mating type) species are also widespread. However, it is unclear how mating-type recognition is achieved at the molecular level in multisexual species. The unicellular ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila has seven mating types, which are determined by the MTA and MTB proteins. In this study, we found that both proteins are essential for cells to send or receive complete mating-type information, and transmission of the mating-type signal requires both proteins to be expressed in the same cell. We found that MTA and MTB form a mating-type recognition complex that localizes to the plasma membrane, but not to the cilia. Stimulation experiments showed that the mating-type-specific regions of MTA and MTB mediate both self- and non-self-recognition, indicating that T. thermophila uses a dual approach to achieve mating-type recognition. Our results suggest that MTA and MTB form an elaborate multifunctional protein complex that can identify cells of both self and non-self mating types in order to inhibit or activate mating, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanxiong Yan
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yang Ma
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanfang Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Haoming Cheng
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fanjie Tan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Su Wang
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Delin Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jie Xiong
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Ping Yin
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Miao
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, China
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5
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Weinzapfel EN, Fedder-Semmes KN, Sun ZW, Keogh MC. Beyond the tail: the consequence of context in histone post-translational modification and chromatin research. Biochem J 2024; 481:219-244. [PMID: 38353483 PMCID: PMC10903488 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The role of histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) in chromatin structure and genome function has been the subject of intense debate for more than 60 years. Though complex, the discourse can be summarized in two distinct - and deceptively simple - questions: What is the function of histone PTMs? And how should they be studied? Decades of research show these queries are intricately linked and far from straightforward. Here we provide a historical perspective, highlighting how the arrival of new technologies shaped discovery and insight. Despite their limitations, the tools available at each period had a profound impact on chromatin research, and provided essential clues that advanced our understanding of histone PTM function. Finally, we discuss recent advances in the application of defined nucleosome substrates, the study of multivalent chromatin interactions, and new technologies driving the next era of histone PTM research.
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Grujčić V, Saarenpää S, Sundh J, Sennblad B, Norgren B, Latz M, Giacomello S, Foster RA, Andersson AF. Towards high-throughput parallel imaging and single-cell transcriptomics of microbial eukaryotic plankton. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296672. [PMID: 38241213 PMCID: PMC10798536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296672] [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: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-cell transcriptomics has the potential to provide novel insights into poorly studied microbial eukaryotes. Although several such technologies are available and benchmarked on mammalian cells, few have been tested on protists. Here, we applied a microarray single-cell sequencing (MASC-seq) technology, that generates microscope images of cells in parallel with capturing their transcriptomes, on three species representing important plankton groups with different cell structures; the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa sp. Both the cell fixation and permeabilization steps were adjusted. For the ciliate and dinoflagellate, the number of transcripts of microarray spots with single cells were significantly higher than for background spots, and the overall expression patterns were correlated with that of bulk RNA, while for the much smaller diatom cells, it was not possible to separate single-cell transcripts from background. The MASC-seq method holds promise for investigating "microbial dark matter", although further optimizations are necessary to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vesna Grujčić
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sami Saarenpää
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John Sundh
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
| | - Bengt Sennblad
- Science for Life Laboratory, Dept of Cell and Molecular Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Benjamin Norgren
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Meike Latz
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stefania Giacomello
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rachel A. Foster
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders F. Andersson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
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Wang L, Yang S, Xue Y, Bo T, Xu J, Wang W. Mismatch Repair Protein Msh6 Tt Is Necessary for Nuclear Division and Gametogenesis in Tetrahymena thermophila. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17619. [PMID: 38139447 PMCID: PMC10743813 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417619] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA mismatch repair (MMR) improves replication accuracy by up to three orders of magnitude. The MutS protein in E. coli or its eukaryotic homolog, the MutSα (Msh2-Msh6) complex, recognizes base mismatches and initiates the mismatch repair mechanism. Msh6 is an essential protein for assembling the heterodimeric complex. However, the function of the Msh6 subunit remains elusive. Tetrahymena undergoes multiple DNA replication and nuclear division processes, including mitosis, amitosis, and meiosis. Here, we found that Msh6Tt localized in the macronucleus (MAC) and the micronucleus (MIC) during the vegetative growth stage and starvation. During the conjugation stage, Msh6Tt only localized in MICs and newly developing MACs. MSH6Tt knockout led to aberrant nuclear division during vegetative growth. The MSH6TtKO mutants were resistant to treatment with the DNA alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) compared to wild type cells. MSH6Tt knockout affected micronuclear meiosis and gametogenesis during the conjugation stage. Furthermore, Msh6Tt interacted with Msh2Tt and MMR-independent factors. Downregulation of MSH2Tt expression affected the stability of Msh6Tt. In addition, MSH6Tt knockout led to the upregulated expression of several MSH6Tt homologs at different developmental stages. Msh6Tt is involved in macronuclear amitosis, micronuclear mitosis, micronuclear meiosis, and gametogenesis in Tetrahymena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (L.W.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (T.B.)
| | - Sitong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (L.W.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (T.B.)
| | - Yuhuan Xue
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (L.W.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (T.B.)
| | - Tao Bo
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (L.W.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (T.B.)
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Biotechnology, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (L.W.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (T.B.)
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (L.W.); (S.Y.); (Y.X.); (T.B.)
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Biotechnology, Taiyuan 030006, China
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Hao H, Ren C, Lian Y, Zhao M, Bo T, Xu J, Wang W. Independent and Complementary Functions of Caf1b and Hir1 for Chromatin Assembly in Tetrahymena thermophila. Cells 2023; 12:2828. [PMID: 38132148 PMCID: PMC10741905 DOI: 10.3390/cells12242828] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Histones and DNA associate to form the nucleosomes of eukaryotic chromatin. Chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF-1) complex and histone regulatory protein A (HIRA) complex mediate replication-couple (RC) and replication-independent (RI) nucleosome assembly, respectively. CHAF1B and HIRA share a similar domain but play different roles in nucleosome assembly by binding to the different interactors. At present, there is limited understanding for the similarities and differences in their respective functions. Tetrahymena thermophila contains transcriptionally active polyploid macronuclei (MAC) and transcriptionally silent diploid micronuclei (MIC). Here, the distribution patterns of Caf1b and Hir1 exhibited both similarities and distinctions. Both proteins localized to the MAC and MIC during growth, and to the MIC during conjugation. However, Hir1 exhibited additional signaling on parental MAC and new MAC during sexual reproduction and displayed a punctate signal on developing anlagen. Caf1b and Hir1 only co-localized in the MIC with Pcna1 during conjugation. Knockdown of CAF1B impeded cellular growth and arrested sexual reproductive development. Loss of HIR1 led to MIC chromosome defects and aborted sexual development. Co-interference of CAF1B and HIR1 led to a more severe phenotype. Moreover, CAF1B knockdown led to the up-regulation of HIR1 expression, while knockdown of HIR1 also led to an increase in CAF1B expression. Furthermore, Caf1b and Hir1 interacted with different interactors. These results showed that CAF-1 and Hir1 have independent and complementary functions for chromatin assembly in T. thermophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijuan Hao
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (H.H.); (C.R.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (T.B.)
| | - Chenhui Ren
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (H.H.); (C.R.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (T.B.)
| | - Yinjie Lian
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (H.H.); (C.R.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (T.B.)
| | - Min Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (H.H.); (C.R.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (T.B.)
| | - Tao Bo
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (H.H.); (C.R.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (T.B.)
| | - Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (H.H.); (C.R.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (T.B.)
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (H.H.); (C.R.); (Y.L.); (M.Z.); (T.B.)
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Biotechnology, Taiyuan 030006, China
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Wang L, Xue Y, Yang S, Bo T, Xu J, Wang W. Mismatch Repair Protein Msh2 Is Necessary for Macronuclear Stability and Micronuclear Division in Tetrahymena thermophila. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10559. [PMID: 37445734 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Mismatch repair (MMR) is a conserved mechanism that is primarily responsible for the repair of DNA mismatches during DNA replication. Msh2 forms MutS heterodimer complexes that initiate the MMR in eukaryotes. The function of Msh2 is less clear under different chromatin structures. Tetrahymena thermophila contains a transcriptionally active macronucleus (MAC) and a transcriptionally silent micronucleus (MIC) in the same cytoplasm. Msh2 is localized in the MAC and MIC during vegetative growth. Msh2 is localized in the perinuclear region around the MIC and forms a spindle-like structure as the MIC divides. During the early conjugation stage, Msh2 is localized in the MIC and disappears from the parental MAC. Msh2 is localized in the new MAC and new MIC during the late conjugation stage. Msh2 also forms a spindle-like structure with a meiotic MIC and mitotic gametic nucleus. MSH2 knockdown inhibits the division of MAC and MIC during vegetative growth and affects cellular proliferation. MSH2 knockdown mutants are sensitive to cisplatin treatment. MSH2 knockdown also affects micronuclear meiosis and gametogenesis during sexual development. Furthermore, Msh2 interacts with MMR-dependent and MMR-independent factors. Therefore, Msh2 is necessary for macronuclear stability, as well as micronuclear mitosis and meiosis in Tetrahymena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Yuhuan Xue
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Sitong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Tao Bo
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Biotechnology, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Biotechnology, Taiyuan 030006, China
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10
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Melkikh AV. Mutations, sex, and genetic diversity: New arguments for partially directed evolution. Biosystems 2023; 229:104928. [PMID: 37172758 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.104928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
A review of the theories of the existence of sexes, genetic diversity, and the distribution of mutations among organisms shows that all these concepts are not a product of random evolution and cannot be explained within the framework of Darwinism. Most mutations are the result of the genome acting on itself. This is an organized process that is implemented very differently in different species, in different places in the genome. Because of the fact that it is not random, this process must be directed and regulated, albeit with complex and not fully understood laws. This means that an additional reason must be included in order to model such mutations during evolution. The assumption of directionality must not only be explicitly included in evolutionary theory but must also occupy a central place in it. In this study an updated model of partially directed evolution is constructed, which is capable of qualitatively explaining the indicated features of evolution. Experiments are described that can confirm or disprove the proposed model.
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Nabeel-Shah S, Garg J, Ashraf K, Jeyapala R, Lee H, Petrova A, Burns JD, Pu S, Zhang Z, Greenblatt JF, Pearlman RE, Lambert JP, Fillingham J. Multilevel interrogation of H3.3 reveals a primordial role in transcription regulation. Epigenetics Chromatin 2023; 16:10. [PMID: 37024975 PMCID: PMC10080907 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-023-00484-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eukaryotic cells can rapidly adjust their transcriptional profile in response to molecular needs. Such dynamic regulation is, in part, achieved through epigenetic modifications and selective incorporation of histone variants into chromatin. H3.3 is the ancestral H3 variant with key roles in regulating chromatin states and transcription. Although H3.3 has been well studied in metazoans, information regarding the assembly of H3.3 onto chromatin and its possible role in transcription regulation remain poorly documented outside of Opisthokonts. RESULTS We used the nuclear dimorphic ciliate protozoan, Tetrahymena thermophila, to investigate the dynamics of H3 variant function in evolutionarily divergent eukaryotes. Functional proteomics and immunofluorescence analyses of H3.1 and H3.3 revealed a highly conserved role for Nrp1 and Asf1 histone chaperones in nuclear influx of histones. Cac2, a putative subunit of H3.1 deposition complex CAF1, is not required for growth, whereas the expression of the putative ortholog of the H3.3-specific chaperone Hir1 is essential in Tetrahymena. Our results indicate that Cac2 and Hir1 have distinct localization patterns during different stages of the Tetrahymena life cycle and suggest that Cac2 might be dispensable for chromatin assembly. ChIP-seq experiments in growing Tetrahymena show H3.3 enrichment over the promoters, gene bodies, and transcription termination sites of highly transcribed genes. H3.3 knockout followed by RNA-seq reveals large-scale transcriptional alterations in functionally important genes. CONCLUSION Our results provide an evolutionary perspective on H3.3's conserved role in maintaining the transcriptional landscape of cells and on the emergence of specialized chromatin assembly pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Nabeel-Shah
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jyoti Garg
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Kanwal Ashraf
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Renu Jeyapala
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Hyunmin Lee
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Alexandra Petrova
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - James D Burns
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Shuye Pu
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Zhaolei Zhang
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jack F Greenblatt
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ronald E Pearlman
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Jean-Philippe Lambert
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cancer Research Center, Big Data Research Center, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- CHU de Québec Research Center, CHUL, 2705 Laurier Boulevard, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Fillingham
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, M5B 2K3, Canada.
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12
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Romano PS, Akematsu T, Besteiro S, Bindschedler A, Carruthers VB, Chahine Z, Coppens I, Descoteaux A, Alberto Duque TL, He CY, Heussler V, Le Roch KG, Li FJ, de Menezes JPB, Menna-Barreto RFS, Mottram JC, Schmuckli-Maurer J, Turk B, Tavares Veras PS, Salassa BN, Vanrell MC. Autophagy in protists and their hosts: When, how and why? AUTOPHAGY REPORTS 2023; 2:2149211. [PMID: 37064813 PMCID: PMC10104450 DOI: 10.1080/27694127.2022.2149211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic protists are a group of organisms responsible for causing a variety of human diseases including malaria, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and toxoplasmosis, among others. These diseases, which affect more than one billion people globally, mainly the poorest populations, are characterized by severe chronic stages and the lack of effective antiparasitic treatment. Parasitic protists display complex life-cycles and go through different cellular transformations in order to adapt to the different hosts they live in. Autophagy, a highly conserved cellular degradation process, has emerged as a key mechanism required for these differentiation processes, as well as other functions that are crucial to parasite fitness. In contrast to yeasts and mammals, protist autophagy is characterized by a modest number of conserved autophagy-related proteins (ATGs) that, even though, can drive the autophagosome formation and degradation. In addition, during their intracellular cycle, the interaction of these pathogens with the host autophagy system plays a crucial role resulting in a beneficial or harmful effect that is important for the outcome of the infection. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on autophagy and other related mechanisms in pathogenic protists and their hosts. We sought to emphasize when, how, and why this process takes place, and the effects it may have on the parasitic cycle. A better understanding of the significance of autophagy for the protist life-cycle will potentially be helpful to design novel anti-parasitic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Silvia Romano
- Laboratorio de Biología de Trypanosoma cruzi y de la célula hospedadora. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. (IHEM-CONICET-UNCUYO). Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Av. Libertador 80 (5500), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Takahiko Akematsu
- Department of Biosciences, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Vern B Carruthers
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Zeinab Chahine
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Isabelle Coppens
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Baltimore 21205, MD, USA
| | - Albert Descoteaux
- Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Laval, QC
| | - Thabata Lopes Alberto Duque
- Autophagy Inflammation and Metabolism Center, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Cynthia Y He
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Volker Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology.University of Bern. Baltzerstr. 4 3012 Bern
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Feng-Jun Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | | | - Jeremy C Mottram
- York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | | | - Boris Turk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Patricia Sampaio Tavares Veras
- Laboratory of Host-Parasite Interaction and Epidemiology, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Fiocruz-Bahia
- National Institute of Science and Technology of Tropical Diseases - National Council for Scientific Research and Development (CNPq)
| | - Betiana Nebai Salassa
- Laboratorio de Biología de Trypanosoma cruzi y de la célula hospedadora. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. (IHEM-CONICET-UNCUYO). Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Av. Libertador 80 (5500), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - María Cristina Vanrell
- Laboratorio de Biología de Trypanosoma cruzi y de la célula hospedadora. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. (IHEM-CONICET-UNCUYO). Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Av. Libertador 80 (5500), Mendoza, Argentina
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13
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Fukuda Y, Akematsu T, Bando H, Kato K. Snf2 Proteins Are Required to Generate Gamete Pronuclei in Tetrahymena thermophila. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10122426. [PMID: 36557679 PMCID: PMC9786623 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During sexual reproduction/conjugation of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, the germinal micronucleus undergoes meiosis resulting in four haploid micronuclei (hMICs). All hMICs undergo post-meiotic DNA double-strand break (PM-DSB) formation, cleaving their genome. DNA lesions are subsequently repaired in only one ‘selected’ hMIC, which eventually produces gametic pronuclei. DNA repair in the selected hMIC involves chromatin remodeling by switching from the heterochromatic to the euchromatic state of its genome. Here, we demonstrate that, among the 15 Tetrahymena Snf2 family proteins, a core of the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex in Tetrahymena, the germline nucleus specific Iswi in Tetrahymena IswiGTt and Rad5Tt is crucial for the generation of gametic pronuclei. In either gene knockout, the selected hMIC which shows euchromatin markers such as lysine-acetylated histone H3 does not appear, but all hMICs in which markers for DNA lesions persist are degraded, indicating that both IswiGTt and Rad5Tt have important roles in repairing PM-DSB DNA lesions and remodeling chromatin for the euchromatic state in the selected hMIC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Fukuda
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki 989-6711, Miyagi, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-229-84-7387
| | - Takahiko Akematsu
- Department of Biosciences, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Tokyo 156-8550, Japan
| | - Hironori Bando
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki 989-6711, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Kentaro Kato
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki 989-6711, Miyagi, Japan
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14
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Altered tRNA processing is linked to a distinct and unusual La protein in Tetrahymena thermophila. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7332. [PMID: 36443289 PMCID: PMC9705548 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34796-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Nascent pre-tRNAs are transcribed by RNA polymerase III and immediately bound by La proteins on the UUU-3'OH sequence, using a tandem arrangement of the La motif and an adjacent RNA recognition motif-1 (RRM1), resulting in protection from 3'-exonucleases and promotion of pre-tRNA folding. The Tetrahymena thermophila protein Mlp1 has been previously classified as a genuine La protein, despite the predicted absence of the RRM1. We find that Mlp1 functions as a La protein through binding of pre-tRNAs, and affects pre-tRNA processing in Tetrahymena thermophila and when expressed in fission yeast. However, unlike in other examined eukaryotes, depletion of Mlp1 results in 3'-trailer stabilization. The 3'-trailers in Tetrahymena thermophila are uniquely short relative to other examined eukaryotes, and 5'-leaders have evolved to disfavour pre-tRNA leader/trailer pairing. Our data indicate that this variant Mlp1 architecture is linked to an altered, novel mechanism of tRNA processing in Tetrahymena thermophila.
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15
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Wei F, Pan B, Diao J, Wang Y, Sheng Y, Gao S. The micronuclear histone H3 clipping in the unicellular eukaryote Tetrahymena thermophila. MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 4:584-594. [PMID: 37078088 PMCID: PMC10077241 DOI: 10.1007/s42995-022-00151-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Clipping of the histone H3 N-terminal tail has been implicated in multiple fundamental biological processes for a growing list of eukaryotes. H3 clipping, serving as an irreversible process to permanently remove some post-translational modifications (PTMs), may lead to noticeable changes in chromatin dynamics or gene expression. The eukaryotic model organism Tetrahymena thermophila is among the first few eukaryotes that exhibits H3 clipping activity, wherein the first six amino acids of H3 are cleaved off during vegetative growth. Clipping only occurs in the transcriptionally silent micronucleus of the binucleated T. thermophila, thus offering a unique opportunity to reveal the role of H3 clipping in epigenetic regulation. However, the physiological functions of the truncated H3 and its protease(s) for clipping remain elusive. Here, we review the major findings of H3 clipping in T. thermophila and highlight its association with histone modifications and cell cycle regulation. We also summarize the functions and mechanisms of H3 clipping in other eukaryotes, focusing on the high diversity in terms of protease families and cleavage sites. Finally, we predict several protease candidates in T. thermophila and provide insights for future studies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-022-00151-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Wei
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Bo Pan
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Jinghan Diao
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
| | - Yalan Sheng
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
| | - Shan Gao
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237 China
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16
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Zhou Y, Fu L, Mochizuki K, Xiong J, Miao W, Wang G. Absolute quantification of chromosome copy numbers in the polyploid macronucleus of Tetrahymena thermophila at the single-cell level. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2022; 69:e12907. [PMID: 35313044 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Amitosis is widespread among eukaryotes, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The polyploid macronucleus (MAC) of unicellular ciliates divides by amitosis, making ciliates a potentially valuable model system to study this process. However, a method to accurately quantify the copy number of MAC chromosomes has not yet been established. Here we used droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to quantify the absolute copy number of the MAC chromosomes in Tetrahymena thermophila. We first confirmed that ddPCR is a sensitive and reproducible method to determine accurate chromosome copy numbers at the single-cell level. We then used ddPCR to determine the copy number of different MAC chromosomes by analyzing individual T. thermophila cells in the G1 and the amitotic (AM) phases. The average copy number of MAC chromosomes was 90.9 at G1 phase, approximately half the number at AM phase (189.8). The copy number of each MAC chromosome varied among individual cells in G1 phase and correlated with cell size, suggesting that amitosis accompanied by unequal cytokinesis causes copy number variability. Furthermore, the fact that MAC chromosome copy number is less variable among AM-phase cells suggests that the copy number is standardized by regulating DNA replication. We also demonstrated that copy numbers differ among different MAC chromosomes and that interchromosomal variations in copy number are consistent across individual cells. Our findings demonstrate that ddPCR can be used to model amitosis in T. thermophila and possibly in other ciliates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lu Fu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Kazufumi Mochizuki
- Institute of Human Genetics (IGH), CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, 34090, France
| | - Jie Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Wei Miao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Guangying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
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17
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Histone Chaperone Nrp1 Mutation Affects the Acetylation of H3K56 in Tetrahymena thermophila. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030408. [PMID: 35159218 PMCID: PMC8833950 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Histone modification and nucleosome assembly are mainly regulated by various histone-modifying enzymes and chaperones. The roles of histone-modification enzymes have been well analyzed, but the molecular mechanism of histone chaperones in histone modification and nucleosome assembly is incompletely understood. We previously found that the histone chaperone Nrp1 is localized in the micronucleus (MIC) and the macronucleus (MAC) and involved in the chromatin stability and nuclear division of Tetrahymena thermophila. In the present work, we found that truncated C-terminal mutant HA-Nrp1TrC abnormally localizes in the cytoplasm. The truncated-signal-peptide mutants HA-Nrp1TrNLS1 and HA-Nrp1TrNLS2 are localized in the MIC and MAC. Overexpression of Nrp1TrNLS1 inhibited cellular proliferation and disrupted micronuclear mitosis during the vegetative growth stage. During sexual development, Nrp1TrNLS1 overexpression led to abnormal bouquet structures and meiosis arrest. Furthermore, Histone H3 was not transported into the nucleus; instead, it formed an abnormal speckled cytoplastic distribution in the Nrp1TrNLS1 mutants. The acetylation level of H3K56 in the mutants also decreased, leading to significant changes in the transcription of the genome of the Nrp1TrNLS1 mutants. The histone chaperone Nrp1 regulates the H3 nuclear import and acetylation modification of H3K56 and affects chromatin stability and genome transcription in Tetrahymena.
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18
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Hiraoka Y. Chromatin Unlimited: An Evolutionary View of Chromatin. EPIGENOMES 2022; 6:epigenomes6010002. [PMID: 35076484 PMCID: PMC8788554 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes6010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Hiraoka
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
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19
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Beseiso D, Chen EV, McCarthy SE, Martin KN, Gallagher EP, Miao J, Yatsunyk L. OUP accepted manuscript. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:2959-2972. [PMID: 35212369 PMCID: PMC8934647 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (GQs) are non-canonical DNA structures composed of stacks of stabilized G-tetrads. GQs play an important role in a variety of biological processes and may form at telomeres and oncogene promoters among other genomic locations. Here, we investigate nine variants of telomeric DNA from Tetrahymena thermophila with the repeat (TTGGGG)n. Biophysical data indicate that the sequences fold into stable four-tetrad GQs which adopt multiple conformations according to native PAGE. Excitingly, we solved the crystal structure of two variants, TET25 and TET26. The two variants differ by the presence of a 3′-T yet adopt different GQ conformations. TET25 forms a hybrid [3 + 1] GQ and exhibits a rare 5′-top snapback feature. Consequently, TET25 contains four loops: three lateral (TT, TT, and GTT) and one propeller (TT). TET26 folds into a parallel GQ with three TT propeller loops. To the best of our knowledge, TET25 and TET26 are the first reported hybrid and parallel four-tetrad unimolecular GQ structures. The results presented here expand the repertoire of available GQ structures and provide insight into the intricacy and plasticity of the 3D architecture adopted by telomeric repeats from T. thermophila and GQs in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Beseiso
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Erin V Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Sawyer E McCarthy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Kailey N Martin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Elizabeth P Gallagher
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Joanne Miao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
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20
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Haraguchi T, Osakada H, Iwamoto M. Live CLEM Imaging of Tetrahymena to Analyze the Dynamic Behavior of the Nuclear Pore Complex. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2502:473-492. [PMID: 35412257 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2337-4_30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Tetrahymena is a fascinating organism for studying the nuclear pore complex because it has two structurally and functionally distinct nuclei (macronucleus and micronucleus) within a cell, and there are two compositionally distinct nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) with different functions in each nucleus. Therefore, it is possible to link the function of a specific constituent protein with the nuclear function of the macronucleus and micronucleus. Additionally, these NPCs undergo dynamic changes in their structures and compositions during nuclear differentiation. Live CLEM imaging, a method of correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) combined with live cell imaging, is a powerful tool for visualizing these dynamic changes of specific molecules/structures of interest at high resolution. Here, we describe Live CLEM that can be applied to the study of the dynamic behavior of NPCs in Tetrahymena cells undergoing nuclear differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tokuko Haraguchi
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
| | - Hiroko Osakada
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Research Institute for Diseases of Old Age, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaaki Iwamoto
- Department of Biosciences, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Bo T, Kang Y, Liu Y, Xu J, Wang W. Atg5 Regulates Selective Autophagy of the Parental Macronucleus during Tetrahymena Sexual Reproduction. Cells 2021; 10:3071. [PMID: 34831293 PMCID: PMC8623110 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear autophagy is an important selective autophagy process. The selective autophagy of sexual development micronuclei (MICs) and the programmed nuclear degradation of parental macronucleus (paMAC) occur during sexual reproduction in Tetrahymena thermophila. The molecular regulatory mechanism of nuclear selective autophagy is unclear. In this study, the autophagy-related protein Atg5 was identified from T. thermophila. Atg5 was localized in the cytoplasm in the early sexual-development stage and was localized in the paMAC in the late sexual-development stage. During this stage, the degradation of meiotic products of MIC was delayed in atg5i mutants. Furthermore, paMAC was abnormally enlarged and delayed or failed to degrade. The expression level and lipidation of Atg8.2 significantly decreased in the mutants. All these results indicated that Atg5 was involved in the regulation of the selective autophagy of paMAC by regulating Atg8.2 in Tetrahymena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Bo
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (T.B.); (Y.K.); (Y.L.); (J.X.)
| | - Yu Kang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (T.B.); (Y.K.); (Y.L.); (J.X.)
| | - Ya Liu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (T.B.); (Y.K.); (Y.L.); (J.X.)
| | - Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (T.B.); (Y.K.); (Y.L.); (J.X.)
- College of Life Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China; (T.B.); (Y.K.); (Y.L.); (J.X.)
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22
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Li C, Chen X, Zheng W, Doak TG, Fan G, Song W, Yan Y. Chromosome organization and gene expansion in the highly fragmented genome of the ciliate Strombidium stylifer. J Genet Genomics 2021; 48:908-916. [PMID: 34452852 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2021.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Chromosomes are well-organized carriers of genetic information in eukaryotes and are usually quite long, carrying hundreds and thousands of genes. Intriguingly, a clade of single-celled ciliates, Spirotrichea, feature nanochromosomes-also called "gene-sized chromosomes". These chromosomes predominantly carry only one gene, flanked by short telomere sequences. However, the organization and copy number variation of the chromosomes in these highly fragmented genomes remain unexplored in many groups of Spirotrichea, including the marine Strombidium. Using deep genome sequencing, we assembled the macronuclear genome of Strombidium stylifer into more than 18,000 nanochromosomes (~2.4 Kb long on average). Our results show that S. stylifer occupies an intermediate position during the evolutionary history of Strombidium lineage and experienced significant expansions in several gene families related to guanyl ribonucleotide binding. Based on the nucleotide distribution bias analysis and conserved motifs search in non-genic regions, we found that the subtelomeric regions have a conserved adenine-thymine (AT)-rich sequence motif. We also found that the copy number of nanochromosomes lacks precise regulation. This work sheds light on the unique features of chromosome structure in eukaryotes with highly fragmented genomes and reveals that a rather specialized evolutionary strategy at the genomic level has resulted in great diversity within the ciliated lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Li
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China
| | - Weibo Zheng
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Thomas G Doak
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; National Center for Genome Analysis Support, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Guangyi Fan
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao 266555, China; State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Weibo Song
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Ying Yan
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
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23
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Lv H, Hu L, Xu J, Bo T, Wang W. Identification and functional analysis of the mitochondrial cysteine synthase TtCsa2 from Tetrahymena thermophila. J Cell Biochem 2021; 122:1817-1831. [PMID: 34427342 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Cysteine is a crucial component for all organisms and plays a critical role in the structure, stability, and catalytic functions of many proteins. Tetrahymena has reverse transsulfuration and de novo pathways for cysteine biosynthesis. Cysteine synthase is involved in the de novo cysteine biosynthesis and catalyzes the production of cysteine from O-acetylserine. The novel cysteine synthase TtCSA2 was identified from Tetrahymena thermophila. The TtCSA2 showed high expression levels at the log-phase and the sexual development stage. The TtCsa2 was localized on the outer mitochondrial membrane throughout different developmental stages. However, the truncated N-terminal signal peptide mutant TtCsa2-ΔN23 was localized into the mitochondria. His-TtCsa2 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using affinity chromatography. The His-TtCsa2 showed O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase and serine sulfhydrylase activities. Cysteine and glutathione contents decreased in the csa2KD mutant. Furthermore, mutant cells were sensitive to cadmium and copper stresses. This study indicated that the TtCSA2 was involved in the cysteine synthesis in mitochondria and related to heavy metal stresses resistance in Tetrahymena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongrui Lv
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.,Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Lina Hu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jing Xu
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.,Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Tao Bo
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
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24
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Lian Y, Hao H, Xu J, Bo T, Liang A, Wang W. The histone chaperone Nrp1 is required for chromatin stability and nuclear division in Tetrahymena thermophila. Epigenetics Chromatin 2021; 14:34. [PMID: 34301312 PMCID: PMC8299592 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-021-00409-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone chaperones facilitate DNA replication and repair by promoting chromatin assembly, disassembly and histone exchange. Following histones synthesis and nucleosome assembly, the histones undergo posttranslational modification by different enzymes and are deposited onto chromatins by various histone chaperones. In Tetrahymena thermophila, histones from macronucleus (MAC) and micronucleus (MIC) have been comprehensively investigated, but the function of histone chaperones remains unclear. Histone chaperone Nrp1 in Tetrahymena contains four conserved tetratricopepeptide repeat (TPR) domains and one C-terminal nuclear localization signal. TPR2 is typically interrupted by a large acidic motif. Immunofluorescence staining showed that Nrp1 is located in the MAC and MICs, but disappeared in the apoptotic parental MAC and the degraded MICs during the conjugation stage. Nrp1 was also colocalized with α-tubulin around the spindle structure. NRP1 knockdown inhibited cellular proliferation and led to the loss of chromosome, abnormal macronuclear amitosis, and disorganized micronuclear mitosis during the vegetative growth stage. During sexual developmental stage, the gametic nuclei failed to be selected and abnormally degraded in NRP1 knockdown mutants. Affinity purification combined with mass spectrometry analysis indicated that Nrp1 is co-purified with core histones, heat shock proteins, histone chaperones, and DNA damage repair proteins. The physical direct interaction of Nrp1 and Asf1 was also confirmed by pull-down analysis in vitro. The results show that histone chaperone Nrp1 is involved in micronuclear mitosis and macronuclear amitosis in the vegetative growth stage and maintains gametic nuclei formation during the sexual developmental stage. Nrp1 is required for chromatin stability and nuclear division in Tetrahymena thermophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinjie Lian
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Rd., Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Huijuan Hao
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Rd., Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Rd., Taiyuan, 030006, China.,School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Tao Bo
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Rd., Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Aihua Liang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Rd., Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Rd., Taiyuan, 030006, China.
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25
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Nabeel-Shah S, Garg J, Saettone A, Ashraf K, Lee H, Wahab S, Ahmed N, Fine J, Derynck J, Pu S, Ponce M, Marcon E, Zhang Z, Greenblatt JF, Pearlman RE, Lambert JP, Fillingham J. Functional characterization of RebL1 highlights the evolutionary conservation of oncogenic activities of the RBBP4/7 orthologue in Tetrahymena thermophila. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:6196-6212. [PMID: 34086947 PMCID: PMC8216455 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinoblastoma-binding proteins 4 and 7 (RBBP4 and RBBP7) are two highly homologous human histone chaperones. They function in epigenetic regulation as subunits of multiple chromatin-related complexes and have been implicated in numerous cancers. Due to their overlapping functions, our understanding of RBBP4 and 7, particularly outside of Opisthokonts, has remained limited. Here, we report that in the ciliate protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila a single orthologue of human RBBP4 and 7 proteins, RebL1, physically interacts with histone H4 and functions in multiple epigenetic regulatory pathways. Functional proteomics identified conserved functional links for Tetrahymena RebL1 protein as well as human RBBP4 and 7. We found that putative subunits of multiple chromatin-related complexes including CAF1, Hat1, Rpd3, and MuvB, co-purified with RebL1 during Tetrahymena growth and conjugation. Iterative proteomics analyses revealed that the cell cycle regulatory MuvB-complex in Tetrahymena is composed of at least five subunits including evolutionarily conserved Lin54, Lin9 and RebL1 proteins. Genome-wide analyses indicated that RebL1 and Lin54 (Anqa1) bind within genic and intergenic regions. Moreover, Anqa1 targets primarily promoter regions suggesting a role for Tetrahymena MuvB in transcription regulation. RebL1 depletion inhibited cellular growth and reduced the expression levels of Anqa1 and Lin9. Consistent with observations in glioblastoma tumors, RebL1 depletion suppressed DNA repair protein Rad51 in Tetrahymena, thus underscoring the evolutionarily conserved functions of RBBP4/7 proteins. Our results suggest the essentiality of RebL1 functions in multiple epigenetic regulatory complexes in which it impacts transcription regulation and cellular viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Nabeel-Shah
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Jyoti Garg
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto M5B 2K3, Canada.,Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Alejandro Saettone
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Kanwal Ashraf
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Hyunmin Lee
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A8, Canada.,Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Suzanne Wahab
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Nujhat Ahmed
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3E1, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jacob Fine
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Joanna Derynck
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Shuye Pu
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Marcelo Ponce
- SciNet HPC Consortium, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Suite 1140, Toronto M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Edyta Marcon
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Zhaolei Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A8, Canada.,Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3E1, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jack F Greenblatt
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3E1, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ronald E Pearlman
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Jean-Philippe Lambert
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cancer Research Center, Big Data Research Center, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada; CHU de Québec Research Center, CHUL, 2705 Laurier Boulevard, Quebec City G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Fillingham
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto M5B 2K3, Canada
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26
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Çalıseki M, Üstüntanır Dede AF, Arslanyolu M. Characterization and use of Tetrahymena thermophila artificial chromosome 2 (TtAC2) constructed by biomimetic of macronuclear rDNA minichromosome. Microbiol Res 2021; 248:126764. [PMID: 33887535 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2021.126764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Efficient expression vectors for unicellular ciliate eukaryotic Tetrahymena thermophila are still needed in recombinant biology and biotechnology applications. Previously, the construction of the T. thermophila Macronuclear Artificial Chromosome 1 (TtAC1) vector revealed additional needs for structural improvements such as better in vivo stability and maintenance as a recombinant protein expression platform. In this study, we designed an efficiently maintained artificial chromosome by biomimetic of the native macronuclear rDNA minichromosome. TtAC2 was constructed by sequential cloning of subtelomeric 3'NTS region (1.8 kb), an antibiotic resistance gene cassette (2 kb neo4), a gene expression cassette (2 kb TtsfGFP), rDNA coding regions plus a dominant C3 origin sequence (10.3 kb), and telomeres (2.4 kb) in a pUC19 backbone plasmid (2.6 kb). The 21 kb TtAC2 was characterized using fluorescence microscopy, qPCR, western blot and Southern blot after its transformation to vegetative T. thermophila CU428.2 strain, which has a recessive B origin allele. All experimental data show that circular or linear forms of novel TtAC2 were maintained as free replicons in T. thermophila macronucleus with or without antibiotic treatment. Notably, TtAC2 carrying strains expressed a TtsfGFP marker protein, demonstrating the efficacy and functionality of the protein expression platform. We show that TtAC2 is functionally maintained for more than two months, and can be efficiently used in recombinant DNA, and protein production applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Çalıseki
- Department of Advanced Technologies, Graduate School of Sciences, Eskisehir Technical University, Yunusemre Campus, Eskisehir, 26470, Turkey.
| | - Ayça Fulya Üstüntanır Dede
- Department of Biology, Institute of Graduate Programs, Eskisehir Technical University, Yunusemre Campus, Eskisehir, 26470, Turkey.
| | - Muhittin Arslanyolu
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Eskisehir Technical University, Yunusemre Campus, Eskisehir, 26470, Turkey.
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27
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Evolution of the mating type gene pair and multiple sexes in Tetrahymena. iScience 2021; 24:101950. [PMID: 33437937 PMCID: PMC7786109 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The multiple mating type system of the Ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila is a self/non-self recognition system, whose specificity resides in a head-to-head, functionally distinct pair of genes, MTA and MTB. We have now sequenced and analyzed these mating type genes in nine additional Tetrahymena species. We conclude that MTA and MTB are derived from a common ancestral gene and have co-evolved for at least ∼150 Myr. We show that T. shanghaiensis, a perpetual selfer (unisexual) species, has a single mating type gene pair, whose MTA and MTB genes likely have different mating type specificity. We document the recent replacement of a complete different set of mating type specificities for another, illustrating how quickly this can happen. We discuss how varying conditions of reproductive stress could result in evolutionary co-adaptations of MTA and MTB genes and changes in mating type determination mechanisms. The two Tetrahymena mating type proteins evolved from a common ancestor Successive replacement waves generated the current diversity of mating type proteins Well defined segments of both mating type proteins show differential lineage sorting Perpetual selfer, T. shanghaiensis, has a heterospecific mating type gene pair
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28
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Wang G, Chen K, Zhang J, Deng S, Xiong J, He X, Fu Y, Miao W. Drivers of Mating Type Composition in Tetrahymena thermophila. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:2328-2343. [PMID: 32946549 PMCID: PMC7846192 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex offers advantages even in primarily asexual species. Some ciliates appear to utilize such reproductive strategy with many mating types. However, the factors determining the composition of mating types in the unicellular ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila are poorly understood, and this is further complicated by non-Mendelian determination of mating type in the offspring. We therefore developed a novel population genetics model to predict how various factors influence the dynamics of mating type composition, including natural selection. The model predicted either the coexistence of all seven mating types or fixation of a single mating type in a population, depending on parameter combinations, irrespective of natural selection. To understand what factor(s) may be more influential and to test the validity of theoretical prediction, five replicate populations were maintained in laboratory such that several factors could be controlled or measured. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify newly arising mutations and determine mating type composition. Strikingly, all populations were found to be driven by strong selection on newly arising beneficial mutations to fixation of their carrying mating types, and the trajectories of speed to fixation agreed well with our theoretical predictions. This study illustrates the evolutionary strategies that T. thermophila can utilize to optimize population fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shanjun Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xionglei He
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunxin Fu
- Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bioresources, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Department of Biostatistics and Data Science and Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
| | - Wei Miao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming, China
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29
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Rojas-Pirela M, Andrade-Alviárez D, Rojas V, Kemmerling U, Cáceres AJ, Michels PA, Concepción JL, Quiñones W. Phosphoglycerate kinase: structural aspects and functions, with special emphasis on the enzyme from Kinetoplastea. Open Biol 2020; 10:200302. [PMID: 33234025 PMCID: PMC7729029 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) is a glycolytic enzyme that is well conserved among the three domains of life. PGK is usually a monomeric enzyme of about 45 kDa that catalyses one of the two ATP-producing reactions in the glycolytic pathway, through the conversion of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (1,3BPGA) to 3-phosphoglycerate (3PGA). It also participates in gluconeogenesis, catalysing the opposite reaction to produce 1,3BPGA and ADP. Like most other glycolytic enzymes, PGK has also been catalogued as a moonlighting protein, due to its involvement in different functions not associated with energy metabolism, which include pathogenesis, interaction with nucleic acids, tumorigenesis progression, cell death and viral replication. In this review, we have highlighted the overall aspects of this enzyme, such as its structure, reaction kinetics, activity regulation and possible moonlighting functions in different protistan organisms, especially both free-living and parasitic Kinetoplastea. Our analysis of the genomes of different kinetoplastids revealed the presence of open-reading frames (ORFs) for multiple PGK isoforms in several species. Some of these ORFs code for unusually large PGKs. The products appear to contain additional structural domains fused to the PGK domain. A striking aspect is that some of these PGK isoforms are predicted to be catalytically inactive enzymes or ‘dead’ enzymes. The roles of PGKs in kinetoplastid parasites are analysed, and the apparent significance of the PGK gene duplication that gave rise to the different isoforms and their expression in Trypanosoma cruzi is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura Rojas-Pirela
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso 2373223, Chile
| | - Diego Andrade-Alviárez
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Verónica Rojas
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso 2373223, Chile
| | - Ulrike Kemmerling
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Medicina, Santiago de Chile 8380453, Santigo de Chile
| | - Ana J Cáceres
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Paul A Michels
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.,Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Juan Luis Concepción
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Wilfredo Quiñones
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
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30
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Wahab S, Saettone A, Nabeel-Shah S, Dannah N, Fillingham J. Exploring the Histone Acetylation Cycle in the Protozoan Model Tetrahymena thermophila. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:509. [PMID: 32695779 PMCID: PMC7339932 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The eukaryotic histone acetylation cycle is composed of three classes of proteins, histone acetyltransferases (HATs) that add acetyl groups to lysine amino acids, bromodomain (BRD) containing proteins that are one of the most characterized of several protein domains that recognize acetyl-lysine (Kac) and effect downstream function, and histone deacetylases (HDACs) that catalyze the reverse reaction. Dysfunction of selected proteins of these three classes is associated with human disease such as cancer. Additionally, the HATs, BRDs, and HDACs of fungi and parasitic protozoa present potential drug targets. Despite their importance, the function and mechanisms of HATs, BRDs, and HDACs and how they relate to chromatin remodeling (CR) remain incompletely understood. Tetrahymena thermophila (Tt) provides a highly tractable single-celled free-living protozoan model for studying histone acetylation, featuring a massively acetylated somatic genome, a property that was exploited in the identification of the first nuclear/type A HAT Gcn5 in the 1990s. Since then, Tetrahymena remains an under-explored model for the molecular analysis of HATs, BRDs, and HDACs. Studies of HATs, BRDs, and HDACs in Tetrahymena have the potential to reveal the function of HATs and BRDs relevant to both fundamental eukaryotic biology and to the study of disease mechanisms in parasitic protozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jeffrey Fillingham
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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31
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Agatha S, Utz LRP, Zufall RA, Warren A. Symposium on Ciliates in Memory of Denis Lynn. Eur J Protistol 2020; 78:125694. [PMID: 33500175 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2020.125694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Denis Lynn (1947-2018) was an outstanding protistologist, applying multiple techniques and data sources and thus pioneering an integrative approach in order to investigate ciliate biology. For example, he recognized the importance of the ultrastructure for inferring ciliate phylogeny, based on which he developed his widely accepted classification scheme for the phylum Ciliophora. In this paper, recent findings regarding the evolution and systematics of both peritrichs and the mainly marine planktonic oligotrichean spirotrichs are discussed and compared with the concepts and hypotheses formulated by Denis Lynn. Additionally, the state of knowledge concerning the diversity of ciliates in bromeliad phytotelmata and amitosis in ciliates is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Agatha
- Department of Biosciences, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Laura R P Utz
- School of Health and Life Sciences, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Rebecca A Zufall
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alan Warren
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.
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32
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Han X, Yan G, Ma Y, Miao W, Wang G. Sequencing and characterization of the macronuclear rDNA minichromosome of the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 147:576-581. [PMID: 31931068 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.01.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Tetrahymena ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is an ideal system for studying eukaryotic DNA replication and gene transcription. In this study, we developed a new method to isolate rDNA from Tetrahymena cells and used it to sequence and annotate the complete 19,670 bp macronuclear rDNA minichromosome of Tetrahymena pyriformis, a species that lacks the germ-line micronucleus and is unable to undergo sexual reproduction. The key features of T. pyriformis and Tetrahymena thermophila rDNA sequences were then compared. Our results showed (i) the short inverted repeats (M repeats) essential for formation of rDNA minichromosome palindromic structure during sexual reproduction in Tetrahymena are highly conserved in T. pyriformis; (ii) in contrast to T. thermophila, which has two tandem domains that coordinately regulate rDNA replication, T. pyriformis has only a single domain; (iii) the 35S pre-rRNA precursor has 80.25% similarity between the two species; and (iv) the G + C content is higher in the transcribed region than the non-transcribed region in both species, but the GC-skew is more stable in T. pyriformis. The new isolation method and annotated information for the T. pyriformis rDNA minichromosome will provide a useful resource for studying DNA replication and chromosome copy number control in Tetrahymena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojie Han
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guanxiong Yan
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Miao
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Guangying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
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33
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Sparvoli D, Zoltner M, Cheng CY, Field MC, Turkewitz AP. Diversification of CORVET tethers facilitates transport complexity in Tetrahymena thermophila. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs238659. [PMID: 31964712 PMCID: PMC7033735 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.238659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In endolysosomal networks, two hetero-hexameric tethers called HOPS and CORVET are found widely throughout eukaryotes. The unicellular ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila possesses elaborate endolysosomal structures, but curiously both it and related protozoa lack the HOPS tether and several other trafficking proteins, while retaining the related CORVET complex. Here, we show that Tetrahymena encodes multiple paralogs of most CORVET subunits, which assemble into six distinct complexes. Each complex has a unique subunit composition and, significantly, shows unique localization, indicating participation in distinct pathways. One pair of complexes differ by a single subunit (Vps8), but have late endosomal versus recycling endosome locations. While Vps8 subunits are thus prime determinants for targeting and functional specificity, determinants exist on all subunits except Vps11. This unprecedented expansion and diversification of CORVET provides a potent example of tether flexibility, and illustrates how 'backfilling' following secondary losses of trafficking genes can provide a mechanism for evolution of new pathways.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Sparvoli
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, 920 E 58th Street, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Martin Zoltner
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Chao-Yin Cheng
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, 920 E 58th Street, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Mark C Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Aaron P Turkewitz
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, 920 E 58th Street, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
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Akematsu T, Sánchez-Fernández R, Kosta F, Holzer E, Loidl J. The Transmembrane Protein Semi1 Positions Gamete Nuclei for Reciprocal Fertilization in Tetrahymena. iScience 2019; 23:100749. [PMID: 31884169 PMCID: PMC6941865 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.100749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
During sexual reproduction in the ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila, cells of complementary mating type pair ("conjugate") undergo simultaneous meiosis and fertilize each other. In both mating partners only one of the four meiotic products is "selected" to escape autophagy, and this nucleus divides mitotically to produce two pronuclei. The migrating pronucleus of one cell translocates to the mating partner and fuses with its stationary pronucleus and vice versa. Selection of the designated gametic nucleus was thought to depend on its position within the cell because it always attaches to the junction with the partner cell. Here we show that a transmembrane protein, Semi1, is crucial for attachment. Loss of Semi1 causes failure to attach and consequent infertility. However, a nucleus is selected and gives rise to pronuclei regardless of Semi1 expression, indicating that attachment of a nucleus to the junction is not a precondition for selection but follows the selection process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiko Akematsu
- Department of Chromosome Biology, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, Vienna 1030, Austria.
| | | | - Felix Kosta
- Department of Chromosome Biology, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Holzer
- Department of Chromosome Biology, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Josef Loidl
- Department of Chromosome Biology, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, Vienna 1030, Austria
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Garg J, Saettone A, Nabeel-Shah S, Cadorin M, Ponce M, Marquez S, Pu S, Greenblatt J, Lambert JP, Pearlman RE, Fillingham J. The Med31 Conserved Component of the Divergent Mediator Complex in Tetrahymena thermophila Participates in Developmental Regulation. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2371-2379.e6. [PMID: 31280994 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mediator is a large protein complex required for basal and regulated expression of most RNA polymerase II (RNAP II)-transcribed genes, in part due to its interaction with and phosphorylation of the conserved C-terminal domain (CTD) of Rpb1 [1, 2]. Mediator has been implicated in many aspects of gene expression including chromatin looping [3], higher-order chromatin folding [4], mRNA processing [5] and export [6], and transcriptional memory [7]. Mediator is thought to have played a major role during eukaryotic diversification [8, 9], although its function remains unknown in evolutionarily deep branching eukaryotes lacking canonical CTD heptad repeats. We used the ciliate protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila as a model organism whose genome encodes a highly divergent Rpb1 lacking canonical CTD heptad repeats. We endogenously tagged the Med31 subunit of the Mediator complex and performed affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry (AP-MS) to identify Mediator subunits. We found that Med31 physically interacts with a large number of proteins (>20), several of which share similarities to canonical Mediator subunits in yeast and humans as well as Tetrahymena-specific proteins. Furthermore, Med31 ChIP-seq analysis suggested a global role for Mediator in transcription regulation. We demonstrated that MED31 knockdown in growing Tetrahymena results in the ectopic expression of developmental genes important for programmed DNA rearrangements. In addition, indirect immunofluorescence revealed Med31 localization in meiotic micronuclei, implicating Mediator in RNAPII-dependent ncRNA transcription. Our results reveal structural and functional insights and implicate Mediator as an ancient cellular machinery for transcription regulation with a possible involvement in global transcription of ncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Garg
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Alejandro Saettone
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Syed Nabeel-Shah
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Matthew Cadorin
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Marcelo Ponce
- SciNet HPC Consortium, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Suite 1140, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Susanna Marquez
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Shuye Pu
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Jack Greenblatt
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Jean-Philippe Lambert
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Cancer Research Centre, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada; CHU de Québec Research Center, CHUL, 2705 Laurier Boulevard, Quebec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Ronald E Pearlman
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Fillingham
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
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Ashraf K, Nabeel-Shah S, Garg J, Saettone A, Derynck J, Gingras AC, Lambert JP, Pearlman RE, Fillingham J. Proteomic Analysis of Histones H2A/H2B and Variant Hv1 in Tetrahymena thermophila Reveals an Ancient Network of Chaperones. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:1037-1055. [PMID: 30796450 PMCID: PMC6502085 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic information, which can be passed on independently of the DNA sequence, is stored in part in the form of histone posttranslational modifications and specific histone variants. Although complexes necessary for deposition have been identified for canonical and variant histones, information regarding the chromatin assembly pathways outside of the Opisthokonts remains limited. Tetrahymena thermophila, a ciliated protozoan, is particularly suitable to study and unravel the chromatin regulatory layers due to its unique physical separation of chromatin states in the form of two distinct nuclei present within the same cell. Using a functional proteomics pipeline, we carried out affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry of endogenously tagged T. thermophila histones H2A, H2B and variant Hv1.We identified a set of interacting proteins shared among the three analyzed histones that includes the FACT-complex, as well as H2A- or Hv1-specific chaperones. We find that putative subunits of T. thermophila versions of SWR- and INO80-complexes, as well as transcription-related histone chaperone Spt6Tt specifically copurify with Hv1. We also identified importin β6 and the T. thermophila ortholog of nucleoplasmin 1 (cNpl1Tt) as H2A–H2B interacting partners. Our results further implicate Poly [ADP-ribose] polymerases in histone metabolism. Molecular evolutionary analysis, reciprocal affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry experiments, and indirect immunofluorescence studies using endogenously tagged Spt16Tt (FACT-complex subunit), cNpl1Tt, and PARP6Tt underscore the validity of our approach and offer mechanistic insights. Our results reveal a highly conserved regulatory network for H2A (Hv1)–H2B concerning their nuclear import and assembly into chromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanwal Ashraf
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Syed Nabeel-Shah
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jyoti Garg
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alejandro Saettone
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joanna Derynck
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anne-Claude Gingras
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jean-Philippe Lambert
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Cancer Research Centre, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.,CHU de Québec Research Center, CHUL, Québec, QC, Canada
| | | | - Jeffrey Fillingham
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Saettone A, Nabeel-Shah S, Garg J, Lambert JP, Pearlman RE, Fillingham J. Functional Proteomics of Nuclear Proteins in Tetrahymena thermophila: A Review. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:E333. [PMID: 31052454 PMCID: PMC6562869 DOI: 10.3390/genes10050333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification and characterization of protein complexes and interactomes has been essential to the understanding of fundamental nuclear processes including transcription, replication, recombination, and maintenance of genome stability. Despite significant progress in elucidation of nuclear proteomes and interactomes of organisms such as yeast and mammalian systems, progress in other models has lagged. Protists, including the alveolate ciliate protozoa with Tetrahymena thermophila as one of the most studied members of this group, have a unique nuclear biology, and nuclear dimorphism, with structurally and functionally distinct nuclei in a common cytoplasm. These features have been important in providing important insights about numerous fundamental nuclear processes. Here, we review the proteomic approaches that were historically used as well as those currently employed to take advantage of the unique biology of the ciliates, focusing on Tetrahymena, to address important questions and better understand nuclear processes including chromatin biology of eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Saettone
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
| | - Syed Nabeel-Shah
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
| | - Jyoti Garg
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.
| | - Jean-Philippe Lambert
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Cancer Research Centre, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
- CHU de Québec Research Center, CHUL, 2705 Boulevard Laurier, Quebec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Ronald E Pearlman
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.
| | - Jeffrey Fillingham
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
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Xu J, Li X, Song W, Wang W, Gao S. Cyclin Cyc2p is required for micronuclear bouquet formation in Tetrahymena thermophila. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2019; 62:668-680. [PMID: 30820856 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-018-9369-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic bouquet formation (known as crescent formation in Tetrahymena thermophila) is indispensable for homologous pairing and recombination, but the regulatory mechanism of bouquet formation remains largely unknown. As a conjugation specific cyclin gene, CYC2 knockout mutants failed to form an elongated crescent structure and aborted meiosis progress in T. thermophila. γ-H2A.X staining revealed fewer micronuclear DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in cyc2Δ cells than in wild-type cells. Furthermore, cyc2Δ cells still failed to form a crescent structure even though DSBs were induced by exogenous agents, indicating that a lack of DSBs was not completely responsible for failure to enter the crescent stage. Tubulin staining showed that impaired perinuclear microtubule structure may contribute to the blockage in micronuclear elongation. At the same time, expression of microtubule-associated kinesin genes, KIN11 and KIN141, was significantly downregulated in cyc2Δ cells. Moreover, micronuclear specific accumulation of heterochromatin marker trimethylated H3K23 abnormally increased in the cyc2Δ mutants. Together, these results show that cyclin Cyc2p is required for micronuclear bouquet formation via controlling microtubule-directed nuclear elongation in Tetrahymena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Xu
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
- College of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Xiaoxiong Li
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Weibo Song
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China.
| | - Shan Gao
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266003, China.
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
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Iwamoto M, Fukuda Y, Osakada H, Mori C, Hiraoka Y, Haraguchi T. Identification of the evolutionarily conserved nuclear envelope proteins Lem2 and MicLem2 in Tetrahymena thermophila. Gene 2019; 721S:100006. [PMID: 32550543 PMCID: PMC7285967 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.100006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Lem2 family proteins, i.e. the LAP2-Emerin-MAN1 (LEM) domain-containing nuclear envelope proteins, are well-conserved from yeasts to humans, both of which belong to the Opisthokonta supergroup. However, whether their homologs are present in other eukaryotic phylogenies remains unclear. In this study, we identified two Lem2 homolog proteins, which we named as Lem2 and MicLem2, in a ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila belonging to the SAR supergroup. Lem2 was localized to the nuclear envelope of the macronucleus (MAC) and micronucleus (MIC), while MicLem2 was exclusively localized to the nuclear envelope of the MIC. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that Lem2 in T. thermophila was localized to both the inner and outer nuclear envelopes of the MAC and MIC, while MicLem2 was mostly localized to the nuclear pores of the MIC. Molecular domain analysis using GFP-fused protein showed that the N-terminal and luminal domains, including the transmembrane segments, are responsible for nuclear envelope localization. During sexual reproduction, enrichment of Lem2 occurred in the nuclear envelopes of the MAC and MIC to be degraded, while MicLem2 was enriched in the nuclear envelope of the MIC that escaped degradation. These findings suggest the unique characteristics of Tetrahymena Lem2 proteins. Our findings provide insight into the evolutionary divergence of nuclear envelope proteins. Conserved nuclear envelope proteins Lem2 and MicLem2 are identified in Tetrahymena. Lem2 is localized to the nuclear envelope of the macronucleus and the micronucleus. MicLem2 is localized to the nuclear pore complex of the micronucleus. In sexual reproduction, Lem2 is enriched to the nuclei assigned to degradation. MicLem2 is enriched to the micronuclei that are escaped from degradation.
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Key Words
- BAF, barrier-to-autointegration factor
- DAPI, 4′,6‑diamidino‑2‑phenylindole
- DDW, double distilled water
- EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
- ER, endoplasmic reticulum
- GA, glutaraldehyde
- HeH domain
- HeH, helix-extension-helix
- LAP2, lamina associated polypeptide 2
- LEM domain
- LEM, LAP2-Emerin-MAN1
- MAC, macronucleus
- MIC, micronucleus
- MSC domain
- MSC, Man1-Src1p-C-terminal
- Man1
- Man1-Src1p-C-terminal domain
- NE, nuclear envelope
- NLS, nuclear localization signal
- NPC, nuclear pore complex
- Nuclear dimorphism
- Nuclear envelope
- ONM and INM, outer and inner nuclear membranes
- PB, phosphate buffer
- PBS, phosphate buffered saline
- Protist
- RRM, RNA recognition motif
- TM, transmembrane
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaaki Iwamoto
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe 651-2492, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Fukuda
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki, 989-6711, Japan
| | - Hiroko Osakada
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe 651-2492, Japan
| | - Chie Mori
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe 651-2492, Japan
| | - Yasushi Hiraoka
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe 651-2492, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tokuko Haraguchi
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe 651-2492, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
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Jiang Y, Zhang T, Vallesi A, Yang X, Gao F. Time-course analysis of nuclear events during conjugation in the marine ciliate Euplotes vannus and comparison with other ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora). Cell Cycle 2019; 18:288-298. [PMID: 30563432 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2018.1558871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Ciliates represent a morphologically and genetically distinct group of single-celled eukaryotes that segregate germline and somatic functions into two types of nuclei and exhibit complex cytogenetic events during the sexual process of conjugation, which is under the control of the so-called "mating type systems". Studying conjugation in ciliates may provide insight into our understanding of the origins and evolution of sex and fertilization. In the present work, we studied in detail the sexual process of conjugation using the model species Euplotes vannus, and compared these nuclear events with those occurring in other ciliates. Our results indicate that in E. vannus: 1) conjugation requires about 75 hours to complete: the longest step is the development of the new macronucleus (ca. 64h), followed by the nuclear division of meiosis I (5h); the mitotic divisions usually take only 2h; 2) there are three prezygotic divisions (mitosis and meiosis I and II), and two of the eight resulting nuclei become pronuclei; 3) after the exchange and fusion of the pronuclei, two postzygotic divisions occur; two of the four products differentiate into the new micronucleus and macronucleus, respectively, and the parental macronucleus degenerates completely; 4) comparison of the nuclear events during conjugation in different ciliates reveals that there are generally three prezygotic divisions while the number of postzygotic divisions is highly variable. These results can serve as reference to investigate the mating type system operating in this species and to analyze genes involved in the different steps of the sexual process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaohan Jiang
- a Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity , Ocean University of China , Qingdao , China.,b Ministry of Education , Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China) , Qingdao , China
| | - Tengteng Zhang
- a Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity , Ocean University of China , Qingdao , China.,b Ministry of Education , Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China) , Qingdao , China
| | - Adriana Vallesi
- c Laboratory of Eukaryotic Microbiology and Animal Biology , University of Camerino , Camerino , Italy
| | - Xianyu Yang
- d College of Animal Science and Technology , Zhejiang A&F University , Hangzhou , China
| | - Feng Gao
- a Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity , Ocean University of China , Qingdao , China.,b Ministry of Education , Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China) , Qingdao , China
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Shukla S, Pillai AN, Rahaman A. A putative NEM1 homologue regulates lipid droplet biogenesis via PAH1 in Tetrahymena thermophila. J Biosci 2018; 43:693-706. [PMID: 30207315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear envelope morphology protein 1 (NEM1) along with a phosphatidate phosphatase (PAH1) regulates lipid homeostasis and membrane biogenesis in yeast and mammals. We investigated four putative NEM1 homologues (TtNEM1A, TtNEM1B, TtNEM1C and TtNEM1D) in the Tetrahymena thermophila genome. Disruption of TtNEM1B, TtNEM1C or TtNEM1D did not compromise normal cell growth. In contrast, we were unable to generate knockout strain of TtNEM1A under the same conditions, indicating that TtNEM1A is essential for Tetrahymena growth. Interestingly, loss of TtNEM1B but not TtNEM1C or TtNEM1D caused a reduction in lipid droplet number. Similar to yeast and mammals, TtNem1B of Tetrahymena exerts its function via Pah1, since we found that PAH1 overexpression rescued loss of Nem1 function. However, unlike NEM1 in other organisms, TtNEM1B does not regulate ER/nuclear morphology. Similarly, neither TtNEM1C nor TtNEM1D is required to maintain normal ER morphology. While Tetrahymena PAH1 was shown to functionally replace yeast PAH1 earlier, we observed that Tetrahymena NEM1 homologues did not functionally replace yeast NEM1. Overall, our results suggest the presence of a conserved cascade for regulation of lipid homeostasis and membrane biogenesis in Tetrahymena. Our results also suggest a Nem1-independent function of Pah1 in the regulation of ER morphology in Tetrahymena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushmita Shukla
- National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, HBNI, P.O. Jatni, Khurda, Odisha 752 050, India
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42
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A putative NEM1 homologue regulates lipid droplet biogenesis via PAH1 in Tetrahymena thermophila. J Biosci 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-018-9794-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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43
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Iwamoto M, Mori C, Osakada H, Koujin T, Hiraoka Y, Haraguchi T. Nuclear localization signal targeting to macronucleus and micronucleus in binucleated ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. Genes Cells 2018; 23:568-579. [PMID: 29882620 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Ciliated protozoa possess two morphologically and functionally distinct nuclei: a macronucleus (MAC) and a micronucleus (MIC). The MAC is transcriptionally active and functions in all cellular events. The MIC is transcriptionally inactive during cell growth, but functions in meiotic events to produce progeny nuclei. Thus, these two nuclei must be distinguished by the nuclear proteins required for their distinct functions during cellular events such as cell proliferation and meiosis. To understand the mechanism of the nuclear transport specific to either MAC or MIC, we identified specific nuclear localization signals (NLSs) in two MAC- and MIC-specific nuclear proteins, macronuclear histone H1 and micronuclear linker histone-like protein (Mlh1), respectively. By expressing GFP-fused fragments of these proteins in Tetrahymena thermophila cells, two distinct regions in macronuclear histone H1 protein were assigned as independent MAC-specific NLSs and two distinct regions in Mlh1 protein were assigned as independent MIC-specific NLSs. These NLSs contain several essential lysine residues responsible for the MAC- and MIC-specific nuclear transport, but neither contains any consensus sequence with known monopartite or bipartite NLSs in other model organisms. Our findings contribute to understanding how specific nuclear targeting is achieved to perform distinct nuclear functions in binucleated ciliates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaaki Iwamoto
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Chie Mori
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hiroko Osakada
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Takako Koujin
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yasushi Hiraoka
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Tokuko Haraguchi
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
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44
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Zhang J, Yan G, Tian M, Ma Y, Xiong J, Miao W. A DP-like transcription factor protein interacts with E2fl1 to regulate meiosis in Tetrahymena thermophila. Cell Cycle 2018; 17:634-642. [PMID: 29417875 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2018.1431595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionarily conserved E2F family transcription factors regulate the cell cycle via controlling gene expression in a wide range of eukaryotes. We previously demonstrated that the meiosis-specific transcription factor E2fl1 had an important role in meiosis in the model ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. Here, we report that expression of another E2F family transcription factor gene DPL2 correlates highly with that of E2FL1. Similar to e2fl1Δ cells, dpl2Δ cells undergo meiotic arrest prior to anaphase I, with the five chromosomes adopting an abnormal tandem arrangement. Immunofluorescence staining and immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that Dpl2 and E2fl1 form a complex during meiosis. We previously identified several meiotic regulatory proteins in T. thermophila. Cyc2 and Tcdk3 may cooperate to initiate meiosis and Cyc17 is essential for initiating meiotic anaphase. We investigate the relationship of these regulators with Dpl2 and E2fl1, and then construct a meiotic regulatory network by measuring changes in meiotic genes expression in knockout cells. We conclude that the E2fl1/Dpl2 complex plays a central role in meiosis in T. thermophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- a Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation , Institute of Hydrobiology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wuhan , People's Republic of China.,b University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , People's Republic of China
| | - Guanxiong Yan
- a Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation , Institute of Hydrobiology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wuhan , People's Republic of China.,b University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , People's Republic of China
| | - Miao Tian
- a Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation , Institute of Hydrobiology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wuhan , People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Ma
- a Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation , Institute of Hydrobiology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wuhan , People's Republic of China.,b University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Xiong
- a Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation , Institute of Hydrobiology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wuhan , People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Miao
- a Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation , Institute of Hydrobiology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wuhan , People's Republic of China
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Resistance to 6-Methylpurine is Conferred by Defective Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase in Tetrahymena. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9040179. [PMID: 29570682 PMCID: PMC5924521 DOI: 10.3390/genes9040179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
6-methylpurine (6mp) is a toxic analog of adenine that inhibits RNA and protein synthesis and interferes with adenine salvage mediated by adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRTase). Mutants of the ciliated protist Tetrahymena thermophila that are resistant to 6mp were isolated in 1974, but the mechanism of resistance has remained unknown. To investigate 6mp resistance in T. thermophila, we created 6mp-resistant strains and identified a mutation in the APRTase genomic locus (APRT1) that is responsible for 6mp resistance. While overexpression of the mutated APRT1 allele in 6mp-sensitive cells did not confer resistance to 6mp, reduced wild-type APRT1 expression resulted in a significant decrease in sensitivity to 6mp. Knocking out or reducing the expression of APRT1 by RNA interference (RNAi) did not affect robust cell growth, which indicates that adenine salvage is redundant or that de novo synthesis pathways provide sufficient adenosine monophosphate for viability. We also explored whether 6mp resistance could be used as a novel inducible selection marker by generating 6mp- and paromomycin-resistant double mutants. While 6mp- and paromomycin-resistant double mutants did express fluorescent proteins in an RNAi-based system, the system requires optimization before 6mp resistance can be used as an effective inducible selection marker.
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Cutler AA, Jackson JB, Corbett AH, Pavlath GK. Non-equivalence of nuclear import among nuclei in multinucleated skeletal muscle cells. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs.207670. [PMID: 29361530 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.207670] [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: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscle is primarily composed of large myofibers containing thousands of post-mitotic nuclei distributed throughout a common cytoplasm. Protein production and localization in specialized myofiber regions is crucial for muscle function. Myonuclei differ in transcriptional activity and protein accumulation, but how these differences among nuclei sharing a cytoplasm are achieved is unknown. Regulated nuclear import of proteins is one potential mechanism for regulating transcription spatially and temporally in individual myonuclei. The best-characterized nuclear localization signal (NLS) in proteins is the classical NLS (cNLS), but many other NLS motifs exist. We examined cNLS and non-cNLS reporter protein import using multinucleated muscle cells generated in vitro, revealing that cNLS and non-cNLS nuclear import differs among nuclei in the same cell. Investigation of cNLS nuclear import rates in isolated myofibers ex vivo confirmed differences in nuclear import rates among myonuclei. Analyzing nuclear import throughout myogenesis revealed that cNLS and non-cNLS import varies during differentiation. Taken together, our results suggest that both spatial and temporal regulation of nuclear import pathways are important in muscle cell differentiation and protein regionalization in myofibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia A Cutler
- Department of Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.,Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | | | - Anita H Corbett
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Grace K Pavlath
- Department of Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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47
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Iwamoto M, Hiraoka Y, Haraguchi T. Newly found Tetrahymena nucleoporins, Nup214, Nup153 and Pom121/Pom82, differentiate nuclear pore complexes of functionally distinct nuclei. Commun Integr Biol 2018. [PMCID: PMC5824931 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2017.1384890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the sole gateway for molecular transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm in eukaryotes. The NPC is composed of approximately 30 different kinds of protein components called nucleoporins. The functional structure of the NPC is highly conserved among various eukaryotes. However, the exact mechanisms by which many of the nucleoporins exert their specific functions still remain unclear. The single cell ciliate Tetrahymena has two functionally distinct nuclei, a macronucleus and a micronucleus, and we have discovered that these two nuclei have compositionally distinct NPCs. We initially identified four nucleus-specific Nup98-s and demonstrated that they are required for macronucleus- and micronucleus-specific nuclear transport. More recently we identified two nucleus-specific paralogs of Nup214 and Nup153 and two nucleus-specific transmembrane proteins Pom121 and Pom82. Our findings argue that Nup214, Nup153, and Pom121/Pom82 also act as key molecules for transport machineries to differentiate the two functionally distinct nuclei present in this organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaaki Iwamoto
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kobe, Japan
| | - Yasushi Hiraoka
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kobe, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Tokuko Haraguchi
- Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kobe, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
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48
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Wang Y, Wang Y, Sheng Y, Huang J, Chen X, AL-Rasheid KA, Gao S. A comparative study of genome organization and epigenetic mechanisms in model ciliates, with an emphasis on Tetrahymena , Paramecium and Oxytricha. Eur J Protistol 2017; 61:376-387. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2017.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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49
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Yang HJ, Iwamoto M, Hiraoka Y, Haraguchi T. Function of nuclear membrane proteins in shaping the nuclear envelope integrity during closed mitosis. J Biochem 2017; 161:471-477. [PMID: 28398483 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvx020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear envelope (NE) not only protects the genome from being directly accessed by detrimental agents but also regulates genome organization. Breaches in NE integrity threaten genome stability and impede cellular function. Nonetheless, the NE constantly remodels, and NE integrity is endangered in dividing or differentiating cells. Specifically, in unicellular eukaryotes undergoing closed mitosis, the NE expands instead of breaking down during chromosome segregation. The newly assembling nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) penetrate the existing NE in interphase. A peculiar example of NE remodelling during nuclear differentiation in Tetrahymena involves formation of the redundant NE and clustered NPCs. Even under these conditions, the NE remains intact. Many recent studies on unicellular organisms have revealed that nuclear membrane proteins, such as LEM-domain proteins, play a role in maintaining NE integrity. This review summarizes and discusses how nuclear membrane proteins participate in NE integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Ju Yang
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Masaaki Iwamoto
- Advance ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 588-2 Iwaoka, Iwaoka-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2492, Japan
| | - Yasushi Hiraoka
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Advance ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 588-2 Iwaoka, Iwaoka-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2492, Japan
| | - Tokuko Haraguchi
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Advance ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 588-2 Iwaoka, Iwaoka-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2492, Japan
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Akematsu T, Fukuda Y, Garg J, Fillingham JS, Pearlman RE, Loidl J. Post-meiotic DNA double-strand breaks occur in Tetrahymena, and require Topoisomerase II and Spo11. eLife 2017. [PMID: 28621664 PMCID: PMC5482572 DOI: 10.7554/elife.26176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on observations of markers for DNA lesions, such as phosphorylated histone H2AX (γH2AX) and open DNA ends, it has been suggested that post-meiotic DNA double-strand breaks (PM-DSBs) enable chromatin remodeling during animal spermiogenesis. However, the existence of PM-DSBs is unconfirmed, and the mechanism responsible for their formation is unclear. Here, we report the first direct observation of programmed PM-DSBs via the electrophoretic separation of DSB-generated DNA fragments in the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. These PM-DSBs are accompanied by switching from a heterochromatic to euchromatic chromatin structure in the haploid pronucleus. Both a topoisomerase II paralog with exclusive pronuclear expression and Spo11 are prerequisites for PM-DSB induction. Reduced PM-DSB induction blocks euchromatin formation, characterized by histone H3K56 acetylation, leading to a failure in gametic nuclei production. We propose that PM-DSBs are responsible for histone replacement during the reprogramming of generative to undifferentiated progeny nuclei. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26176.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiko Akematsu
- Department of Chromosome Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yasuhiro Fukuda
- Department of Biodiversity Science, Tohoku University, Oosaki, Japan.,Division of Biological Resource Science, Tohoku University, Oosaki, Japan.,Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Oosaki, Japan
| | - Jyoti Garg
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | | | | | - Josef Loidl
- Department of Chromosome Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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