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Atkinson LE, Liu Y, McKay F, Vandewyer E, Viau C, Irvine A, Rosa BA, Li Z, Liang Q, Marks NJ, Maule AG, Mitreva M, Beets I, Li L, Mousley A. Ascaris suum Informs Extrasynaptic Volume Transmission in Nematodes. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:3176-3188. [PMID: 34347433 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural circuit synaptic connectivities (the connectome) provide the anatomical foundation for our understanding of nematode nervous system function. However, other nonsynaptic routes of communication are known in invertebrates including extrasynaptic volume transmission (EVT), which enables short- and/or long-range communication in the absence of synaptic connections. Although EVT has been highlighted as a facet of Caenorhabditis elegans neurosignaling, no experimental evidence identifies body cavity fluid (pseudocoelomic fluid; PCF) as a vehicle for either neuropeptide or biogenic amine transmission. In the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum, FMRFamide-like peptides encoded on flp-18 potently stimulate female reproductive organs but are expressed in cells that are anatomically distant from the reproductive organ, with no known synaptic connections to this tissue. Here we investigate nonsynaptic neuropeptide signaling in nematodes mediated by the body cavity fluid. Our data show that (i) A. suum PCF (As-PCF) contains a catalog of neuropeptides including FMRFamide-like peptides and neuropeptide-like proteins, (ii) the A. suum FMRFamide-like peptide As-FLP-18A dominates the As-PCF peptidome, (iii) As-PCF potently modulates nematode reproductive muscle function ex vivo, mirroring the effects of synthetic FLP-18 peptides, (iv) As-PCF activates the C. elegans FLP-18 receptors NPR-4 and -5, (v) As-PCF alters C. elegans behavior, and (vi) FLP-18 and FLP-18 receptors display pan-phylum distribution in nematodes. This study provides the first direct experimental evidence to support an extrasynaptic volume route for neuropeptide transmission in nematodes. These data indicate nonsynaptic signaling within the nematode functional connectome and are particularly pertinent to receptor deorphanization approaches underpinning drug discovery programs for nematode pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise E Atkinson
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Fiona McKay
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
| | - Elke Vandewyer
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Charles Viau
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
| | - Allister Irvine
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
| | - Bruce A Rosa
- McDonnell Genome Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63108, United States
| | - Zihui Li
- School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Qingxiao Liang
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
| | - Nikki J Marks
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
| | - Aaron G Maule
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- McDonnell Genome Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63108, United States
| | - Isabel Beets
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lingjun Li
- School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Angela Mousley
- Microbes and Pathogen Biology, The Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, U.K
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Stretton AOW. My life with Sydney, 1961-1971. J Neurogenet 2021; 34:225-237. [PMID: 33446021 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2020.1834544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
During the 1961-1971 decade, Sydney Brenner made several significant contributions to molecular biology-showing that the genetic code is a triplet code; discovery of messenger RNA; colinearity of gene and protein; decoding of chain terminating codons; and then an important transition: the development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans into the model eucaryote genetic system that has permeated the whole of recent biology.
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Qin Q, Zhao T, Zou W, Shen K, Wang X. An Endoplasmic Reticulum ATPase Safeguards Endoplasmic Reticulum Identity by Removing Ectopically Localized Mitochondrial Proteins. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108363. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Feucherolles M, Poppert S, Utzinger J, Becker SL. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as a diagnostic tool in human and veterinary helminthology: a systematic review. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:245. [PMID: 31101120 PMCID: PMC6525464 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3493-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has become a widely used technique for the rapid and accurate identification of bacteria, mycobacteria and certain fungal pathogens in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Thus far, only few attempts have been made to apply the technique in clinical parasitology, particularly regarding helminth identification. METHODS We systematically reviewed the scientific literature on studies pertaining to MALDI-TOF MS as a diagnostic technique for helminths (cestodes, nematodes and trematodes) of medical and veterinary importance. Readily available electronic databases (i.e. PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Google Scholar) were searched from inception to 10 October 2018, without restriction on year of publication or language. The titles and abstracts of studies were screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers. Relevant articles were read in full and included in the systematic review. RESULTS A total of 84 peer-reviewed articles were considered for the final analysis. Most papers reported on the application of MALDI-TOF for the study of Caenorhabditis elegans, and the technique was primarily used for identification of specific proteins rather than entire pathogens. Since 2015, a small number of studies documented the successful use of MALDI-TOF MS for species-specific identification of nematodes of human and veterinary importance, such as Trichinella spp. and Dirofilaria spp. However, the quality of available data and the number of examined helminth samples was low. CONCLUSIONS Data on the use of MALDI-TOF MS for the diagnosis of helminths are scarce, but recent evidence suggests a potential role for a reliable identification of nematodes. Future research should explore the diagnostic accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS for identification of (i) adult helminths, larvae and eggs shed in faecal samples; and (ii) helminth-related proteins that are detectable in serum or body fluids of infected individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen Feucherolles
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Saarland University, Homburg/Saar, Germany
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Environmental Research and Innovation, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Sven Poppert
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Utzinger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sören L Becker
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Saarland University, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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Knickelbine JJ, Konop CJ, Viola IR, Rogers CB, Messinger LA, Vestling MM, Stretton AOW. Different Bioactive Neuropeptides are Expressed in Two Sub-Classes of GABAergic RME Nerve Ring Motorneurons in Ascaris suum. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2025-2040. [PMID: 29400437 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00450] [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] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides can have significant effects on neurons and synapses, but among the ∼250 predicted peptides in nematodes, few have been characterized functionally. Here, we report new neuropeptides in the 4 RME nerve ring motorneurons of the nematode Ascaris suum. These GABAergic neurons are involved in three-dimensional head movement. Mass spectrometry (MS) of single dissected RMEs detected a total of 12 neuropeptides (encoded by five genes), nine of which are novel. None of these are expressed in the DI/VI inhibitory GABAergic motorneurons that synapse onto body wall muscle. Using peptide sequences obtained by tandem MS, we cloned the peptide-encoding transcripts and synthesized riboprobes for in situ hybridization (ISH). This complementary technique corroborated the results from single-cell MS, showing that the dissections were not contaminated with adhering tissue from other cells. We also synthesized a multiple antigenic peptide to raise a highly specific antibody against one of the endogenous peptides, which labeled the same cells detected by MS and ISH. Our results show that the RMEs can be divided into two subsets: RMED/V (expressing afp-2, afp-15, Asu-nlp-58, and high levels of afp-16) and RMEL/R (expressing afp-15 and low levels of afp-4 and afp-16). Almost all of these peptides are bioactive in A. suum.
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