1
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Wang G, Guasp RJ, Salam S, Chuang E, Morera A, Smart AJ, Jimenez D, Shekhar S, Friedman E, Melentijevic I, Nguyen KC, Hall DH, Grant BD, Driscoll M. Mechanical force of uterine occupation enables large vesicle extrusion from proteostressed maternal neurons. eLife 2024; 13:RP95443. [PMID: 39255003 PMCID: PMC11386954 DOI: 10.7554/elife.95443] [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: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Large vesicle extrusion from neurons may contribute to spreading pathogenic protein aggregates and promoting inflammatory responses, two mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative disease. Factors that regulate the extrusion of large vesicles, such as exophers produced by proteostressed C. elegans touch neurons, are poorly understood. Here, we document that mechanical force can significantly potentiate exopher extrusion from proteostressed neurons. Exopher production from the C. elegans ALMR neuron peaks at adult day 2 or 3, coinciding with the C. elegans reproductive peak. Genetic disruption of C. elegans germline, sperm, oocytes, or egg/early embryo production can strongly suppress exopher extrusion from the ALMR neurons during the peak period. Conversely, restoring egg production at the late reproductive phase through mating with males or inducing egg retention via genetic interventions that block egg-laying can strongly increase ALMR exopher production. Overall, genetic interventions that promote ALMR exopher production are associated with expanded uterus lengths and genetic interventions that suppress ALMR exopher production are associated with shorter uterus lengths. In addition to the impact of fertilized eggs, ALMR exopher production can be enhanced by filling the uterus with oocytes, dead eggs, or even fluid, supporting that distention consequences, rather than the presence of fertilized eggs, constitute the exopher-inducing stimulus. We conclude that the mechanical force of uterine occupation potentiates exopher extrusion from proximal proteostressed maternal neurons. Our observations draw attention to the potential importance of mechanical signaling in extracellular vesicle production and in aggregate spreading mechanisms, making a case for enhanced attention to mechanobiology in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqiang Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Ryan J Guasp
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Sangeena Salam
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Edward Chuang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Andrés Morera
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Anna J Smart
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - David Jimenez
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Sahana Shekhar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Emily Friedman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Ilija Melentijevic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Ken C Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States
| | - David H Hall
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States
| | - Barth D Grant
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
| | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, United States
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2
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Su Y, Shea J, Destephanis D, Su Z. Transcriptomic analysis of the spatiotemporal axis of oogenesis and fertilization in C. elegans. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1436975. [PMID: 39224437 PMCID: PMC11366716 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1436975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite presents a unique model to study the formation of oocytes. However, the size of the model animal and difficulties in retrieval of specific stages of the germline have obviated closer systematic studies of this process throughout the years. Here, we present a transcriptomic level analysis into the oogenesis of C. elegans hermaphrodites. We dissected a hermaphrodite gonad into seven sections corresponding to the mitotic distal region, the pachytene region, the diplotene region, the early diakinesis region and the 3 most proximal oocytes, and deeply sequenced the transcriptome of each of them along with that of the fertilized egg using a single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) protocol. We identified specific gene expression events as well as gene splicing events in finer detail along the gonad and provided novel insights into underlying mechanisms of the oogenesis process. Furthermore, through careful review of relevant research literature coupled with patterns observed in our analysis, we delineate transcripts that may serve functions in the interactions between the germline and cells of the somatic gonad. These results expand our knowledge of the transcriptomic space of the C. elegans germline and lay a foundation on which future studies of the germline can be based upon.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
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3
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Venkatachalam T, Mannimala S, Pulijala Y, Soto MC. CED-5/CED-12 (DOCK/ELMO) can promote and inhibit F-actin formation via distinct motifs that may target different GTPases. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011330. [PMID: 39083711 PMCID: PMC11290852 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011330] [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: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Coordinated activation and inhibition of F-actin supports the movements of morphogenesis. Understanding the proteins that regulate F-actin is important, since these proteins are mis-regulated in diseases like cancer. Our studies of C. elegans embryonic epidermal morphogenesis identified the GTPase CED-10/Rac1 as an essential activator of F-actin. However, we need to identify the GEF, or Guanine-nucleotide Exchange Factor, that activates CED-10/Rac1 during embryonic cell migrations. The two-component GEF, CED-5/CED-12, is known to activate CED-10/Rac1 to promote cell movements that result in the engulfment of dying cells during embryogenesis, and a later cell migration of the larval Distal Tip Cell. It is believed that CED-5/CED-12 powers cellular movements of corpse engulfment and DTC migration by promoting F-actin formation. Therefore, we tested if CED-5/CED-12 was involved in embryonic migrations, and got a contradictory result. CED-5/CED-12 definitely support embryonic migrations, since their loss led to embryos that died due to failed epidermal cell migrations. However, CED-5/CED-12 inhibited F-actin in the migrating epidermis, the opposite of what was expected for a CED-10 GEF. To address how CED-12/CED-5 could have two opposing effects on F-actin, during corpse engulfment and cell migration, we investigated if CED-12 harbors GAP (GTPase Activating Protein) functions. A candidate GAP region in CED-12 faces away from the CED-5 GEF catalytic region. Mutating a candidate catalytic Arginine in the CED-12 GAP region (R537A) altered the epidermal cell migration function, and not the corpse engulfment function. We interfered with GEF function by interfering with CED-5's ability to bind Rac1/CED-10. Mutating Serine-Arginine in CED-5/DOCK predicted to bind and stabilize Rac1 for catalysis, resulted in loss of both ventral enclosure and corpse engulfment. Genetic and expression studies strongly support that the GAP function likely acts on different GTPases. Thus, we propose CED-5/CED-12 support the cycling of multiple GTPases, by using distinct domains, to both promote and inhibit F-actin nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thejasvi Venkatachalam
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Sushma Mannimala
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Yeshaswi Pulijala
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Martha C. Soto
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
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4
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Sala AJ, Grant RA, Imran G, Morton C, Brielmann RM, Gorgoń S, Watts J, Bott LC, Morimoto RI. Nuclear receptor signaling via NHR-49/MDT-15 regulates stress resilience and proteostasis in response to reproductive and metabolic cues. Genes Dev 2024; 38:380-392. [PMID: 38816072 PMCID: PMC11216168 DOI: 10.1101/gad.351829.124] [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: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The ability to sense and respond to proteotoxic insults declines with age, leaving cells vulnerable to chronic and acute stressors. Reproductive cues modulate this decline in cellular proteostasis to influence organismal stress resilience in Caenorhabditis elegans We previously uncovered a pathway that links the integrity of developing embryos to somatic health in reproductive adults. Here, we show that the nuclear receptor NHR-49, an ortholog of mammalian peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), regulates stress resilience and proteostasis downstream from embryo integrity and other pathways that influence lipid homeostasis and upstream of HSF-1. Disruption of the vitelline layer of the embryo envelope, which activates a proteostasis-enhancing intertissue pathway in somatic cells, triggers changes in lipid catabolism gene expression that are accompanied by an increase in fat stores. NHR-49, together with its coactivator, MDT-15, contributes to this remodeling of lipid metabolism and is also important for the elevated stress resilience mediated by inhibition of the embryonic vitelline layer. Our findings indicate that NHR-49 also contributes to stress resilience in other pathways known to change lipid homeostasis, including reduced insulin-like signaling and fasting, and that increased NHR-49 activity is sufficient to improve proteostasis and stress resilience in an HSF-1-dependent manner. Together, our results establish NHR-49 as a key regulator that links lipid homeostasis and cellular resilience to proteotoxic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambre J Sala
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA;
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France
| | - Rogan A Grant
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
| | - Ghania Imran
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Claire Morton
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Renee M Brielmann
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Szymon Gorgoń
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et Aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France
| | - Jennifer Watts
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA
| | - Laura C Bott
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Richard I Morimoto
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA;
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5
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Wang G, Guasp R, Salam S, Chuang E, Morera A, Smart AJ, Jimenez D, Shekhar S, Friedman E, Melentijevic I, Nguyen KC, Hall DH, Grant BD, Driscoll M. Mechanical force of uterine occupation enables large vesicle extrusion from proteostressed maternal neurons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.13.565361. [PMID: 38014134 PMCID: PMC10680645 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.13.565361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Large vesicle extrusion from neurons may contribute to spreading pathogenic protein aggregates and promoting inflammatory responses, two mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative disease. Factors that regulate extrusion of large vesicles, such as exophers produced by proteostressed C. elegans touch neurons, are poorly understood. Here we document that mechanical force can significantly potentiate exopher extrusion from proteostressed neurons. Exopher production from the C. elegans ALMR neuron peaks at adult day 2 or 3, coinciding with the C. elegans reproductive peak. Genetic disruption of C. elegans germline, sperm, oocytes, or egg/early embryo production can strongly suppress exopher extrusion from the ALMR neurons during the peak period. Conversely, restoring egg production at the late reproductive phase through mating with males or inducing egg retention via genetic interventions that block egg-laying can strongly increase ALMR exopher production. Overall, genetic interventions that promote ALMR exopher production are associated with expanded uterus lengths and genetic interventions that suppress ALMR exopher production are associated with shorter uterus lengths. In addition to the impact of fertilized eggs, ALMR exopher production can be enhanced by filling the uterus with oocytes, dead eggs, or even fluid, supporting that distention consequences, rather than the presence of fertilized eggs, constitute the exopher-inducing stimulus. We conclude that the mechanical force of uterine occupation potentiates exopher extrusion from proximal proteostressed maternal neurons. Our observations draw attention to the potential importance of mechanical signaling in extracellular vesicle production and in aggregate spreading mechanisms, making a case for enhanced attention to mechanobiology in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqiang Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Ryan Guasp
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Sangeena Salam
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Edward Chuang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Andrés Morera
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Anna J Smart
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - David Jimenez
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Sahana Shekhar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Emily Friedman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Ilija Melentijevic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Ken C Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA
| | - David H Hall
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA
| | - Barth D Grant
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
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6
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Su Y, Shea J, DeStephanis D, Su Z. Transcriptomic Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Axis of Oogenesis and Fertilization in C. elegans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.03.597235. [PMID: 38895354 PMCID: PMC11185608 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.03.597235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
The oocyte germline of the C. elegans hermaphrodite presents a unique model to study the formation of oocytes. However, the size of the model animal and difficulties in retrieval of specific stages of the germline have obviated closer systematic studies of this process throughout the years. Here, we present a transcriptomic level analysis into the oogenesis of C. elegans hermaphrodites. We dissected a hermaphrodite gonad into seven sections corresponding to the mitotic distal region, the pachytene, the diplotene, the early diakinesis region and the 3 most proximal oocytes, and deeply sequenced the transcriptome of each of them along with that of the fertilized egg using a single-cell RNA-seq protocol. We identified specific gene expression events as well as gene splicing events in finer detail along the oocyte germline and provided novel insights into underlying mechanisms of the oogenesis process. Furthermore, through careful review of relevant research literature coupled with patterns observed in our analysis, we attempt to delineate transcripts that may serve functions in the interaction between the germline and cells of the somatic gonad. These results expand our knowledge of the transcriptomic space of the C. elegans germline and lay a foundation on which future studies of the germline can be based upon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangqi Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Jonathan Shea
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Darla DeStephanis
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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7
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Kawasaki I, Sugiura K, Sasaki T, Matsuda N, Sato M, Sato K. MARC-3, a membrane-associated ubiquitin ligase, is required for fast polyspermy block in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:792. [PMID: 38278786 PMCID: PMC10817901 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44928-6] [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: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In many sexually reproducing organisms, oocytes are fundamentally fertilized with one sperm. In Caenorhabditis elegans, chitin layer formation after fertilization by the EGG complex is one of the mechanisms of polyspermy block, but other mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that MARC-3, a membrane-associated RING-CH-type ubiquitin ligase that localizes to the plasma membrane and cortical puncta in oocytes, is involved in fast polyspermy block. During polyspermy, the second sperm entry occurs within approximately 10 s after fertilization in MARC-3-deficient zygotes, whereas it occurs approximately 200 s after fertilization in egg-3 mutant zygotes defective in the chitin layer formation. MARC-3 also functions in the selective degradation of maternal plasma membrane proteins and the transient accumulation of endosomal lysine 63-linked polyubiquitin after fertilization. The RING-finger domain of MARC-3 is required for its in vitro ubiquitination activity and polyspermy block, suggesting that a ubiquitination-mediated mechanism sequentially regulates fast polyspermy block and maternal membrane protein degradation during the oocyte-to-embryo transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ichiro Kawasaki
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan
| | - Kenta Sugiura
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan
| | - Taeko Sasaki
- Laboratory of Molecular Membrane Biology, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Matsuda
- Department of Biomolecular Pathogenesis, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Miyuki Sato
- Laboratory of Molecular Membrane Biology, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan.
| | - Ken Sato
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan.
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8
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Venkatachalam T, Mannimala S, Soto MC. CED-5/CED-12 (DOCK/ELMO) can promote and inhibit F-actin formation via distinct motifs that target different GTPases. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.04.560868. [PMID: 37873140 PMCID: PMC10592980 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.04.560868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Coordinated activation and inhibition of F-actin supports the movements of morphogenesis. Understanding the proteins that regulate F-actin is important, since these proteins are mis-regulated in diseases like cancer. Our studies of C. elegans embryonic epidermal morphogenesis identified the GTPase CED-10/Rac1 as an essential activator of F-actin. However, we need to identify the GEF, or Guanine-nucleotide Exchange Factor, that activates CED-10/Rac1 during embryonic cell migrations. The two-component GEF, CED-5/CED-12, is known to activate CED-10/Rac1 to promote cell movements that result in the engulfment of dying cells during embryogenesis, and a later cell migration of the larval Distal Tip Cell. It is believed that CED-5/CED-12 powers cellular movements of corpse engulfment and DTC migration by promoting F-actin formation. Therefore, we tested if CED-5/CED-12 was involved in embryonic migrations, and got a contradictory result. CED-5/CED-12 definitely support embryonic migrations, since their loss led to embryos that died due to failed epidermal cell migrations. However, CED-5/CED-12 inhibited F-actin in the migrating epidermis, the opposite of what was expected for a CED-10 GEF. To address how CED-12/CED-5 could have two opposing effects on F-actin, during corpse engulfment and cell migration, we investigated if CED-12 harbors GAP (GTPase Activating Protein) functions. A candidate GAP region in CED-12 faces away from the CED-5 GEF catalytic region. Mutating a candidate catalytic Arginine in the CED-12 GAP region (R537A) altered the epidermal cell migration function, and not the corpse engulfment function. A candidate GEF region on CED-5 faces towards Rac1/CED-10. Mutating Serine-Arginine in CED-5/DOCK predicted to bind and stabilize Rac1 for catalysis, resulted in loss of both ventral enclosure and corpse engulfment. Genetic and expression studies showed the GEF and GAP functions act on different GTPases. Thus, we propose CED-5/CED-12 support the cycling of multiple GTPases, by using distinct domains, to both promote and inhibit F-actin nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thejasvi Venkatachalam
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Sushma Mannimala
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Martha C. Soto
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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9
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Chen Y, Wang X, Li J, Wang Z, Song T, Lai X, Zhang G, Ruan W. The effects of different biochars on Caenorhabditis elegans and the underlying transcriptomic mechanisms. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284348. [PMID: 37738276 PMCID: PMC10516431 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284348] [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: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Different biochars have diverse properties, with ambiguous effects on soil nematodes. This study investigated how aspen sawdust (ABC), bamboo powder (BBC), maize straw (MBC) and peanut-shell biochars (PBC) affected Caenorhabditis elegans via culture assays and RNA-seq analysis. The results showed that biochars derived from different agricultural materials varied significantly in physicochemical properties, and PBC produced more volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to attract C. elegans than ABC, BBC and MBC. Moreover, worms in ABC experienced the worst outcomes, while worms in PBC experienced milder impacts. Nematode body length decreased to 724.6 μm, 784.0 μm and 799.7 μm on average in ABC, BBC and MBC, respectively, compared to the control (1052 μm) and PBC treatments (960 μm). The brood size in ABC, MBC, BBC and PBC decreased 41.1%, 39.4%, 39.2% and 19.1% compared to the control, respectively. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms of biochar-induced developmental effects on C. elegans were explored. Although several differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were different among the four biochars, worm phenotypic changes were mainly related to col genes (col-129; col-140; col-40; col-184), bli-6, sqt-3, perm-2/4, cdk-8, daf-16 and sod-1/2/5, which are associated with cuticle collagen synthesis, eggshell formation in postembryonic growth and rhythmic processes. Our study suggests that different properties of biochars could be crucial to soil nematodes, as well as the worms' biochemical changes are important for the health in agriculture soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Chen
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China
- College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xinrui Wang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China
| | - Jie Li
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhiwen Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Tingting Song
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, CAAS, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Lai
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China
| | - Guilong Zhang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China
| | - Weibin Ruan
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
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10
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Sala AJ, Grant RA, Imran G, Morton C, Brielmann RM, Bott LC, Watts J, Morimoto RI. Nuclear receptor signaling via NHR-49/MDT-15 regulates stress resilience and proteostasis in response to reproductive and metabolic cues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.25.537803. [PMID: 37162952 PMCID: PMC10168274 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.25.537803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The ability to sense and respond to proteotoxic insults declines with age, leaving cells vulnerable to chronic and acute stressors. Reproductive cues modulate this decline in cellular proteostasis to influence organismal stress resilience in C. elegans. We previously uncovered a pathway that links the integrity of developing embryos to somatic health in reproductive adults. Here, we show that the nuclear receptor NHR-49, a functional homolog of mammalian peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), regulates stress resilience and proteostasis downstream of embryo integrity and other pathways that influence lipid homeostasis, and upstream of HSF-1. Disruption of the vitelline layer of the embryo envelope, which activates a proteostasis-enhancing inter-tissue pathway in somatic tissues, also triggers changes in lipid catabolism gene expression that are accompanied by an increase in fat stores. NHR-49 together with its co-activator MDT-15 contributes to this remodeling of lipid metabolism and is also important for the elevated stress resilience mediated by inhibition of the embryonic vitelline layer as well as by other pathways known to change lipid homeostasis, including reduced insulin-like signaling and fasting. Further, we show that increased NHR-49 activity is sufficient to suppress polyglutamine aggregation and improve stress resilience in an HSF-1-dependent manner. Together, our results establish NHR-49 as a key regulator that links lipid homeostasis and cellular resilience to proteotoxic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambre J. Sala
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gifsur-Yvette, France
| | - Rogan A. Grant
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ghania Imran
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
| | - Claire Morton
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
| | - Renee M. Brielmann
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
| | - Laura C. Bott
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
| | - Jennifer Watts
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman WA, USA
| | - Richard I. Morimoto
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
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11
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Ellenbecker M, Voronina E. Disruption of C. elegans embryonic P granules upon dlc-1(RNAi) is not associated with P granule component loss. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2022; 2022:10.17912/micropub.biology.000700. [PMID: 36568482 PMCID: PMC9772925 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Dynein light chain (DLC-1) is a light chain component of the dynein motor complex, it functions as an allosteric regulator of multi-subunit protein complexes and promotes P granule integrity in the C. elegans embryo. P granules are RNA-protein complexes located in the C. elegans germline that are important for RNA regulation and fertility. To further study the role of DLC-1 during C. elegans embryogenesis we performed quantitative tandem mass tag mass spectrometry on embryos after dlc-1 knock down. The amount of core P granule components and nucleoporin proteins did not change after dlc-1(RNAi). These results show that DLC-1 does not help regulate P granule protein levels and support the model that DLC-1 facilitates phase separation of P granule components in vivo .
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12
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Bai X, Huang LJ, Chen SW, Nebenfuehr B, Wysolmerski B, Wu JC, Olson SK, Golden A, Wang CW. Loss of the seipin gene perturbs eggshell formation in Caenorhabditiselegans. Development 2020; 147:dev192997. [PMID: 32820022 PMCID: PMC7578359 DOI: 10.1242/dev.192997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Seipin, an evolutionary conserved protein, plays pivotal roles during lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis and is associated with various human diseases with unclear mechanisms. Here, we analyzed Caenorhabditis elegans mutants deleted of the sole SEIPIN gene, seip-1 Homozygous seip-1 mutants displayed penetrant embryonic lethality, which is caused by the disruption of the lipid-rich permeability barrier, the innermost layer of the C. elegans embryonic eggshell. In C. elegans oocytes and embryos, SEIP-1 is associated with LDs and is crucial for controlling LD size and lipid homeostasis. The seip-1 deletion mutants reduced the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in their embryonic fatty acid pool. Interestingly, dietary supplementation of selected n-6 PUFAs rescued the embryonic lethality and defective permeability barrier. Accordingly, we propose that SEIP-1 may maternally regulate LD biogenesis and lipid homeostasis to orchestrate the formation of the permeability barrier for eggshell synthesis during embryogenesis. A lipodystrophy allele of seip-1 resulted in embryonic lethality as well and could be rescued by PUFA supplementation. These experiments support a great potential for using C. elegans to model SEIPIN-associated human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Bai
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Leng-Jie Huang
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Wen Chen
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Benjamin Nebenfuehr
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Brian Wysolmerski
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Jui-Ching Wu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10048, Taiwan
| | - Sara K Olson
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Andy Golden
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Chao-Wen Wang
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
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13
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Cohen JD, Sundaram MV. C. elegans Apical Extracellular Matrices Shape Epithelia. J Dev Biol 2020; 8:E23. [PMID: 33036165 PMCID: PMC7712855 DOI: 10.3390/jdb8040023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) coat exposed surfaces of epithelia to shape developing tissues and protect them from environmental insults. Despite their widespread importance for human health, aECMs are poorly understood compared to basal and stromal ECMs. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans contains a variety of distinct aECMs, some of which share many of the same types of components (lipids, lipoproteins, collagens, zona pellucida domain proteins, chondroitin glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans) with mammalian aECMs. These aECMs include the eggshell, a glycocalyx-like pre-cuticle, both collagenous and chitin-based cuticles, and other understudied aECMs of internal epithelia. C. elegans allows rapid genetic manipulations and live imaging of fluorescently-tagged aECM components, and is therefore providing new insights into aECM structure, trafficking, assembly, and functions in tissue shaping.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meera V. Sundaram
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine 415 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6145, USA;
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14
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Sala AJ, Bott LC, Brielmann RM, Morimoto RI. Embryo integrity regulates maternal proteostasis and stress resilience. Genes Dev 2020; 34:678-687. [PMID: 32217667 PMCID: PMC7197353 DOI: 10.1101/gad.335422.119] [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] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The proteostasis network is regulated by transcellular communication to promote health and fitness in metazoans. In Caenorhabditis elegans, signals from the germline initiate the decline of proteostasis and repression of cell stress responses at reproductive maturity, indicating that commitment to reproduction is detrimental to somatic health. Here we show that proteostasis and stress resilience are also regulated by embryo-to-mother communication in reproductive adults. To identify genes that act directly in the reproductive system to regulate somatic proteostasis, we performed a tissue targeted genetic screen for germline modifiers of polyglutamine aggregation in muscle cells. We found that inhibiting the formation of the extracellular vitelline layer of the fertilized embryo inside the uterus suppresses aggregation, improves stress resilience in an HSF-1-dependent manner, and restores the heat-shock response in the somatic tissues of the parent. This pathway relies on DAF-16/FOXO activation in vulval tissues to maintain stress resilience in the mother, suggesting that the integrity of the embryo is monitored by the vulva to detect damage and initiate an organismal protective response. Our findings reveal a previously undescribed transcellular pathway that links the integrity of the developing progeny to proteostasis regulation in the parent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambre J Sala
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Rice Institute for Biomedical Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Laura C Bott
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Rice Institute for Biomedical Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Renee M Brielmann
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Rice Institute for Biomedical Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Richard I Morimoto
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Rice Institute for Biomedical Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
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15
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Li J, Chen Y, Zhang G, Ruan W, Shan S, Lai X, Yang D, Yu Z. Integration of behavioural tests and transcriptome sequencing of C. elegans reveals how the nematode responds to peanut shell biochar amendment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 707:136024. [PMID: 31972909 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Biochars have drawn wide attention as adsorbents, carbon sequesters and soil re-mediators. However, these substances are ambiguous regarding their effects on the motility, phenotypic changes and potential adaptative mechanisms of soil organisms. This study investigated how peanut shell biochar (PBC) affects the C. elegans model via a one-choice selection test and RNA-seq analysis. The results showed that C. elegans were able to select either PBC or a water control, and a clear preference for PBC was observed after 48 h of exposure, with the chemotaxis index (CI) reaching approximately 1.0. The nematode preferences for PBC vs sterile PBC/graphite were not significant, which demonstrated that initial microorganisms and appearances were not the reasons for the worms' selection, but the selection behaviour was instead determined by volatile odours. The treatments also showed that biochar amendment significantly decreased the body length, brood size and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of C. elegans to 960.20 ± 15.23 μm, 173.22 ± 4.56, 165.81 ± 3.82 U/mL SOD, respectively. Then, a possible molecular mechanism of PBC-induced developmental and reproductive effects on C. elegans was explored. Differential gene expression analysis was performed, and 1625 genes (1425 up- and 225 downregulated genes) were regulated in response to PBC treatment. The top 20 regulated genes were col genes (col-129; col-81; col-139; col-71), bli-6, perm-4 and his-24, which indicated that cuticle collagen synthesis, eggshell formation and/or heterochromatin in postembryonic growth may be disrupted following exposure to PBC. Therefore, our study suggested that quality standards be used to test nematode preferences and responses to biochar amendment, with the aim of safe application in soils, seedling substrates or fertilizers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin 300191, China.
| | - Yixuan Chen
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin 300191, China; College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
| | - Guilong Zhang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin 300191, China.
| | - Weibin Ruan
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China.
| | - Shaojie Shan
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China.
| | - Xin Lai
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin 300191, China.
| | - Dianlin Yang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin 300191, China.
| | - Zhiguo Yu
- College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
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16
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Melesse M, Bembenek JN. Cracking the eggshell: A novel link to intracellular signaling. Dev Biol 2019; 453:107-109. [PMID: 31181194 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Melesse
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, UT Knoxville, 414 Mossman Building, 1311 Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Joshua N Bembenek
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, UT Knoxville, 414 Mossman Building, 1311 Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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