1
|
Peraldi R, Kmita M. 40 years of the homeobox: mechanisms of Hox spatial-temporal collinearity in vertebrates. Development 2024; 151:dev202508. [PMID: 39167089 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202508] [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: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Animal body plans are established during embryonic development by the Hox genes. This patterning process relies on the differential expression of Hox genes along the head-to-tail axis. Hox spatial collinearity refers to the relationship between the organization of Hox genes in clusters and the differential Hox expression, whereby the relative order of the Hox genes within a cluster mirrors the spatial sequence of expression in the developing embryo. In vertebrates, the cluster organization is also associated with the timing of Hox activation, which harmonizes Hox expression with the progressive emergence of axial tissues. Thereby, in vertebrates, Hox temporal collinearity is intimately linked to Hox spatial collinearity. Understanding the mechanisms contributing to Hox temporal and spatial collinearity is thus key to the comprehension of vertebrate patterning. Here, we provide an overview of the main discoveries pertaining to the mechanisms of Hox spatial-temporal collinearity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigue Peraldi
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2W 1R7, Canada
- Programme de Biologie Moléculaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Marie Kmita
- Genetics and Development Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2W 1R7, Canada
- Programme de Biologie Moléculaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H4A 3J1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Xiao Z, Cui L, Yuan Y, He N, Xie X, Lin S, Yang X, Zhang X, Shi P, Wei Z, Li Y, Wang H, Wang X, Wei Y, Guo J, Yu L. 3D reconstruction of a gastrulating human embryo. Cell 2024; 187:2855-2874.e19. [PMID: 38657603 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.041] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Progress in understanding early human development has been impeded by the scarcity of reference datasets from natural embryos, particularly those with spatial information during crucial stages like gastrulation. We conducted high-resolution spatial transcriptomics profiling on 38,562 spots from 62 transverse sections of an intact Carnegie stage (CS) 8 human embryo. From this spatial transcriptomic dataset, we constructed a 3D model of the CS8 embryo, in which a range of cell subtypes are identified, based on gene expression patterns and positional register, along the anterior-posterior, medial-lateral, and dorsal-ventral axis in the embryo. We further characterized the lineage trajectories of embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues and associated regulons and the regionalization of signaling centers and signaling activities that underpin lineage progression and tissue patterning during gastrulation. Collectively, the findings of this study provide insights into gastrulation and post-gastrulation development of the human embryo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Lina Cui
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yang Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Nannan He
- Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Xinwei Xie
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Sirui Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiaolong Yang
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Peifu Shi
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zhifeng Wei
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yang Li
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Hongmei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Yulei Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Jingtao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Leqian Yu
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wanninger A. Hox, homology, and parsimony: An organismal perspective. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 152-153:16-23. [PMID: 36670036 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Hox genes are important regulators in animal development. They often show a mosaic of conserved (e.g., longitudinal axis patterning) and lineage-specific novel functions (e.g., development of skeletal, sensory, or locomotory systems). Despite extensive research over the past decades, it remains controversial at which node in the animal tree of life the Hox cluster evolved. Its presence already in the last common metazoan ancestor has been proposed, although the genomes of both putative earliest extant metazoan offshoots, the ctenophores and the poriferans, are devoid of Hox sequences. The lack of Hox genes in the supposedly "simple"-built poriferans and their low number in cnidarians and the basally branching bilaterians, the xenacoelomorphs, seems to support the classical notion that the number of Hox genes is correlated with the degree of animal complexity. However, the 4-fold increase of the Hox cluster in xiphosurans, a basally branching chelicerate clade, as well as the situation in some teleost fishes that show a multitude of Hox genes compared to, e.g., human, demonstrates, that there is no per se direct correlation between organismal complexity and Hox number. Traditional approaches have tried to base homology on the morphological level on shared expression profiles of individual genes, but recent data have shown that, in particular with respect to Hox and other regulatory genes, complex gene-gene interactions rather than expression signatures of individual genes alone are responsible for shaping morphological traits during ontogeny. Accordingly, for sound homology assessments and reconstructions of character evolution on organ system level, additional independent datasets (e.g., morphological, developmental) need to be included in any such analyses. If supported by solid data, proposed structural homology should be regarded as valid and not be rejected solely on the grounds of non-parsimonious distribution of the character over a given phylogenetic topology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Wanninger
- University of Vienna, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Integrative Zoology, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liao IJY, Lu TM, Chen ME, Luo YJ. Spiralian genomics and the evolution of animal genome architecture. Brief Funct Genomics 2023; 22:498-508. [PMID: 37507111 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elad029] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent developments in sequencing technologies have greatly improved our knowledge of phylogenetic relationships and genomic architectures throughout the tree of life. Spiralia, a diverse clade within Protostomia, is essential for understanding the evolutionary history of parasitism, gene conversion, nervous systems and animal body plans. In this review, we focus on the current hypotheses of spiralian phylogeny and investigate the impact of long-read sequencing on the quality of genome assemblies. We examine chromosome-level assemblies to highlight key genomic features that have driven spiralian evolution, including karyotype, synteny and the Hox gene organization. In addition, we show how chromosome rearrangement has influenced spiralian genomic structures. Although spiralian genomes have undergone substantial changes, they exhibit both conserved and lineage-specific features. We recommend increasing sequencing efforts and expanding functional genomics research to deepen insights into spiralian biology.
Collapse
|
5
|
Rekaik H, Lopez-Delisle L, Hintermann A, Mascrez B, Bochaton C, Mayran A, Duboule D. Sequential and directional insulation by conserved CTCF sites underlies the Hox timer in stembryos. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1164-1175. [PMID: 37322110 PMCID: PMC10335938 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01426-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
During development, Hox genes are temporally activated according to their relative positions on their clusters, contributing to the proper identities of structures along the rostrocaudal axis. To understand the mechanism underlying this Hox timer, we used mouse embryonic stem cell-derived stembryos. Following Wnt signaling, the process involves transcriptional initiation at the anterior part of the cluster and a concomitant loading of cohesin complexes enriched on the transcribed DNA segments, that is, with an asymmetric distribution favoring the anterior part of the cluster. Chromatin extrusion then occurs with successively more posterior CTCF sites acting as transient insulators, thus generating a progressive time delay in the activation of more posterior-located genes due to long-range contacts with a flanking topologically associating domain. Mutant stembryos support this model and reveal that the presence of evolutionary conserved and regularly spaced intergenic CTCF sites controls the precision and the pace of this temporal mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hocine Rekaik
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie Hintermann
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Célia Bochaton
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Mayran
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Collège de France, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Miller J, Zimin AV, Gordus A. Chromosome-level genome and the identification of sex chromosomes in Uloborus diversus. Gigascience 2022; 12:giad002. [PMID: 36762707 PMCID: PMC9912274 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giad002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The orb web is a remarkable example of animal architecture that is observed in families of spiders that diverged over 200 million years ago. While several genomes exist for araneid orb-weavers, none exist for other orb-weaving families, hampering efforts to investigate the genetic basis of this complex behavior. Here we present a chromosome-level genome assembly for the cribellate orb-weaving spider Uloborus diversus. The assembly reinforces evidence of an ancient arachnid genome duplication and identifies complete open reading frames for every class of spidroin gene, which encode the proteins that are the key structural components of spider silks. We identified the 2 X chromosomes for U. diversus and identify candidate sex-determining loci. This chromosome-level assembly will be a valuable resource for evolutionary research into the origins of orb-weaving, spidroin evolution, chromosomal rearrangement, and chromosomal sex determination in spiders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah Miller
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Aleksey V Zimin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Andrew Gordus
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gupta P, Jindal A, Ahuja G, Jayadeva, Sengupta D. A new deep learning technique reveals the exclusive functional contributions of individual cancer mutations. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102177. [PMID: 35753349 PMCID: PMC9304782 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102177] [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: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancers are caused by genomic alterations that may be inherited, induced by environmental carcinogens, or caused due to random replication errors. Postinduction of carcinogenicity, mutations further propagate and drastically alter the cancer genomes. Although a subset of driver mutations has been identified and characterized to date, most cancer-related somatic mutations are indistinguishable from germline variants or other noncancerous somatic mutations. Thus, such overlap impedes appreciation of many deleterious but previously uncharacterized somatic mutations. The major bottleneck arises due to patient-to-patient variability in mutational profiles, making it difficult to associate specific mutations with a given disease outcome. Here, we describe a newly developed technique Continuous Representation of Codon Switches (CRCS), a deep learning-based method that allows us to generate numerical vector representations of mutations, thereby enabling numerous machine learning-based tasks. We demonstrate three major applications of CRCS; first, we show how CRCS can help detect cancer-related somatic mutations in the absence of matched normal samples, which has applications in cell-free DNA–based assessment of tumor mutation burden. Second, the proposed approach also enables identification and exploration of driver genes; our analyses implicate DMD, RSK4, OFD1, WDR44, and AFF2 as potential cancer drivers. Finally, we used CRCS to score individual mutations in a tumor sample, which was found to be predictive of patient survival in bladder urothelial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and lung adenocarcinoma. Taken together, we propose CRCS as a valuable computational tool for analysis of the functional significance of individual cancer mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prashant Gupta
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, Delhi 110016, India
| | - Aashi Jindal
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, Delhi 110016, India
| | - Gaurav Ahuja
- Center for Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi 110020, India
| | - Jayadeva
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, Delhi 110016, India.
| | - Debarka Sengupta
- Center for Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi 110020, India; Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi 110020, India; Center for Artificial Intelligence, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi 110020, India.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Singh NP, Krumlauf R. Diversification and Functional Evolution of HOX Proteins. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:798812. [PMID: 35646905 PMCID: PMC9136108 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.798812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene duplication and divergence is a major contributor to the generation of morphological diversity and the emergence of novel features in vertebrates during evolution. The availability of sequenced genomes has facilitated our understanding of the evolution of genes and regulatory elements. However, progress in understanding conservation and divergence in the function of proteins has been slow and mainly assessed by comparing protein sequences in combination with in vitro analyses. These approaches help to classify proteins into different families and sub-families, such as distinct types of transcription factors, but how protein function varies within a gene family is less well understood. Some studies have explored the functional evolution of closely related proteins and important insights have begun to emerge. In this review, we will provide a general overview of gene duplication and functional divergence and then focus on the functional evolution of HOX proteins to illustrate evolutionary changes underlying diversification and their role in animal evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Robb Krumlauf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- *Correspondence: Robb Krumlauf,
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Mulley JF. Regulation of posterior Hox genes by sex steroids explains vertebral variation in inbred mouse strains. J Anat 2022; 240:735-745. [PMID: 34747015 PMCID: PMC8930804 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13580] [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: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of elegant embryo transfer experiments in the 1950s demonstrated that the uterine environment could alter vertebral patterning in inbred mouse strains. In the intervening decades, attention has tended to focus on the technical achievements involved and neglected the underlying biological question: how can genetically homogenous individuals have a heterogenous number of vertebrae? Here I revisit these experiments and, with the benefit of knowledge of the molecular-level processes of vertebral patterning gained over the intervening decades, suggest a novel hypothesis for homeotic transformation of the last lumbar vertebra to the adjacent sacral type through regulation of Hox genes by sex steroids. Hox genes are involved in both axial patterning and development of male and female reproductive systems and have been shown to be sensitive to sex steroids in vitro and in vivo. Regulation of these genes by sex steroids and resulting alterations to vertebral patterning may hint at a deep evolutionary link between the ribless lumbar region of mammals and the switch from egg-laying to embryo implantation. An appreciation of the impact of sex steroids on Hox genes may explain some puzzling aspects of human disease, and highlights the spine as a neglected target for in utero exposure to endocrine disruptors.
Collapse
|
10
|
Essay the (unusual) heuristic value of Hox gene clusters; a matter of time? Dev Biol 2022; 484:75-87. [PMID: 35182536 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Ever since their first report in 1984, Antennapedia-type homeobox (Hox) genes have been involved in such a series of interesting observations, in particular due to their conserved clustered organization between vertebrates and arthropods, that one may legitimately wonder about the origin of this heuristic value. In this essay, I first consider different examples where Hox gene clusters have been instrumental in providing conceptual advances, taken from various fields of research and mostly involving vertebrate embryos. These examples touch upon our understanding of genomic evolution, the revisiting of 19th century views on the relationships between development and evolution and the building of a new framework to understand long-range and pleiotropic gene regulation during development. I then discuss whether the high value of the Hox gene family, when considered as an epistemic object, is related to its clustered structure (and the absence thereof in some animal species) and, if so, what is it in such particular genetic oddities that made them so generous in providing the scientific community with interesting information.
Collapse
|
11
|
Xu X, Wang J, Wu J, Wang H, Liu H. Evolution and expression analysis of STAT family members in blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala). FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 121:316-321. [PMID: 34998988 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2021.12.058] [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: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway is involved in regulating the body's immunity, cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Members of the STAT family have been extensively studied in different mammalian species. However, there are few studies on the STAT family genes in farmed economic fish. In this study, eight STAT genes including STAT1a, STAT1b, STAT2, STAT3, STAT4, STAT5a, STAT5b and STAT6, in blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala), an economically important fish in China, were identified and characterized. Analyses of gene location, phylogeny and conserved synteny were conducted to infer the evolutionary origin of these STAT family genes. Furthermore, the evolutionary origin model of STATs was constructed based on the 2R hypothesis and teleost genome duplication (TGD) hypothesis, which clarified the evolutionary origin of the eight STATs in blunt snout bream. Besides, expression of the eight STATs was detected in 10 tissues of healthy blunt snout bream, which showed different expression patterns, and all had the highest level in the blood. In addition, expression of the STATs was significantly induced in the spleen, liver, and kidney after infection of Aeromonas hydrophila, suggesting that they play an important role in protecting the host from pathogens. In general, the evolution of cytokine-related genes parallels that of the immune system, which has likely been a main evolutionary driver. Therefore, the evolutionary model of STAT genes, constructed in the non-model organism pioneeringly, may provide some enlightenment for the evolution of the fish STAT family genes and their involvement in the immune function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Xu
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jixiu Wang
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jiaqi Wu
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Huanling Wang
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Hong Liu
- College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430070, China.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Chakraborty P. Gene cluster from plant to microbes: Their role in genome architecture, organism's development, specialized metabolism and drug discovery. Biochimie 2021; 193:1-15. [PMID: 34890733 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.12.001] [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: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Plants and microbes fulfil our daily requirements through different high-value chemicals, e.g., nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and through varieties of fruits, crops, vegetables, and many more. Utmost care would therefore be taken for growth, development and sustainability of these important crops and medicinal plants and microbes. Homeobox genes and HOX clusters and their recently characterized expanded family members, including newly discovered homeobox, WOX gene from medicinal herb, Panax ginseng, significantly contributes in the growth and development of these organisms. On the other hand, secondary metabolites produced through secondary metabolism of plants and microbes are used as organisms defense as well as drugs/drug-like molecules for humans. Both the developmental HOX cluster and the biosynthetic gene-cluster (BGC) for secondary metabolites are organised in organisms genome. Genome mining and genomewide analysis of these clusters will definitely identify and characterize many more important molecules from unexplored plants and microbes and underexplored human microbiota and the evolution studies of these clusters will indicate their source of origin. Although genomics revolution now continues at a pace, till date only few hundred plant genome sequences are available. However, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology now in market and may be applied even for plants with recalcitrant genomes, eventually may discover genomic potential towards production of secondary metabolites of diverse plants and micro-organisms present in the environment and microbiota. Additionally, the development of tools for genome mining e.g., antiSMASH, plantiSMASH, and more and more computational approaches that predicts hundreds of secondary metabolite BGCs will be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prasanta Chakraborty
- Kalpana Chawla Center for Space and Nanoscience, Kolkata, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (retd.), Kolkata, 700032, India.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Leask M, Lovegrove M, Walker A, Duncan E, Dearden P. Evolution and genomic organization of the insect sHSP gene cluster and coordinate regulation in phenotypic plasticity. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:154. [PMID: 34348652 PMCID: PMC8336396 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01885-8] [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: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Conserved syntenic gene complexes are rare in Arthropods and likely only retained due to functional constraint. Numerous sHSPs have been identified in the genomes of insects, some of which are located clustered in close proximity. Previous phylogenetic analyses of these clustered sHSP have been limited to a small number of holometabolous insect species and have not determined the pattern of evolution of the clustered sHSP genes (sHSP-C) in insect or Arthropod lineages. Results Using eight genomes from representative insect orders and three non-insect arthropod genomes we have identified that a syntenic cluster of sHSPs (sHSP-C) is a hallmark of most Arthropod genomes. Using 11 genomes from Hymenopteran species our phylogenetic analyses have refined the evolution of the sHSP-C in Hymenoptera and found that the sHSP-C is order-specific with evidence of birth-and-death evolution in the hymenopteran lineage. Finally we have shown that the honeybee sHSP-C is co-ordinately expressed and is marked by genomic features, including H3K27me3 histone marks consistent with coordinate regulation, during honeybee ovary activation. Conclusions The syntenic sHSP-C is present in most insect genomes, and its conserved coordinate expression and regulation implies that it is an integral genomic component of environmental response in arthropods. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-021-01885-8.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Leask
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Mackenzie Lovegrove
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Genomics Aotearoa and Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Abigail Walker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Elizabeth Duncan
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Peter Dearden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Genomics Aotearoa and Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Satoh N, Tominaga H, Kiyomoto M, Hisata K, Inoue J, Nishitsuji K. A Preliminary Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis of Embryonic Cells That Express Brachyury in the Amphioxus, Branchiostoma japonicum. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:696875. [PMID: 34336847 PMCID: PMC8321703 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.696875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Among chordate taxa, the cephalochordates diverged earlier than urochordates and vertebrates; thus, they retain unique, primitive developmental features. In particular, the amphioxus notochord has muscle-like properties, a feature not seen in urochordates or vertebrates. Amphioxus contains two Brachyury genes, Bra1 and Bra2. Bra2 is reportedly expressed in the blastopore, notochord, somites, and tail bud, in contrast to a low level of Bra1 expression only in notochord. To distinguish the expression profiles of the two Brachyury genes at the single-cell level, we carried out single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analysis using the amphioxus, Branchiostoma japonicum. This scRNA-seq analysis classified B. japonicum embryonic cells into 15 clusters at developmental stages from midgastrula to early swimming larva. Brachyury was expressed in cells of clusters 4, 5, 8, and 9. We first confirmed that cluster 8 comprises cells that form somites since this cluster specifically expresses four myogenic factor genes. Cluster 9 contains a larger number of cells with high levels of Bra2 expression and a smaller number of cells with Bra1 expression. Simultaneous expression in cluster 9 of tool-kit genes, including FoxA, Goosecoid, and hedgehog, showed that this cluster comprises cells that form the notochord. Expression of Bra2, but not Bra1, in cells of clusters 4 and 5 at the gastrula stage together with expression of Wnt1 and Caudal indicates that clusters 4 and 5 comprise cells of the blastopore, which contiguously form the tail bud. In addition, Hox1, Hox3, and Hox4 were highly expressed in Bra2-expressing clusters 4, 5, 8, and 9 in a temporally coordinated manner, suggesting roles of anterior Hox genes in specification of mesodermal organs, including somites, notochord, and tail bud. This scRNA-seq analysis therefore highlights differences between the two Brachyury genes in relation to embryonic regions in which they are expressed and their levels of expression. Bra2 is the ancestral Brachyury in amphioxus, since expression in the blastopore is shared with other deuterostomes. On the other hand, Bra1 is a duplicate copy and likely evolved a supplementary function in notochord and somite formation in the Branchiostoma lineage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Tominaga
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Masato Kiyomoto
- Tateyama Marine Laboratory, Marine and Coastal Research Center, Ochanomizu University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kanako Hisata
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Jun Inoue
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Koki Nishitsuji
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Aase-Remedios ME, Ferrier DEK. Improved Understanding of the Role of Gene and Genome Duplications in Chordate Evolution With New Genome and Transcriptome Sequences. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.703163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative approaches to understanding chordate genomes have uncovered a significant role for gene duplications, including whole genome duplications (WGDs), giving rise to and expanding gene families. In developmental biology, gene families created and expanded by both tandem and WGDs are paramount. These genes, often involved in transcription and signalling, are candidates for underpinning major evolutionary transitions because they are particularly prone to retention and subfunctionalisation, neofunctionalisation, or specialisation following duplication. Under the subfunctionalisation model, duplication lays the foundation for the diversification of paralogues, especially in the context of gene regulation. Tandemly duplicated paralogues reside in the same regulatory environment, which may constrain them and result in a gene cluster with closely linked but subtly different expression patterns and functions. Ohnologues (WGD paralogues) often diversify by partitioning their expression domains between retained paralogues, amidst the many changes in the genome during rediploidisation, including chromosomal rearrangements and extensive gene losses. The patterns of these retentions and losses are still not fully understood, nor is the full extent of the impact of gene duplication on chordate evolution. The growing number of sequencing projects, genomic resources, transcriptomics, and improvements to genome assemblies for diverse chordates from non-model and under-sampled lineages like the coelacanth, as well as key lineages, such as amphioxus and lamprey, has allowed more informative comparisons within developmental gene families as well as revealing the extent of conserved synteny across whole genomes. This influx of data provides the tools necessary for phylogenetically informed comparative genomics, which will bring us closer to understanding the evolution of chordate body plan diversity and the changes underpinning the origin and diversification of vertebrates.
Collapse
|
16
|
Liu Y, Xu X, Wang X, Zhu T, Li J, Pang Y, Li Q. Analysis of the lamprey genotype provides insights into caspase evolution and functional divergence. Mol Immunol 2021; 132:8-20. [PMID: 33524772 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2021.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The cysteine-containing aspartate specific proteinase (caspase) family plays important roles in apoptosis and the maintenance of homeostasis in lampreys. We conducted genomic and functional comparisons of six distinct lamprey caspase groups with human counterparts to determine how these expanded molecules evolved to adapt to the changing caspase-mediated signaling pathways. Our results showed that lineage-specific duplication and rearrangement were responsible for expanding lamprey caspases 3 and 7, whereas caspases 1, 6, 8, and 9 maintained a relatively stable genome and protein structure. Lamprey caspase family molecules displayed various expression patterns and were involved in the innate immune response. Caspase 1 and 7 functioned as a pattern recognition receptor with a broad-spectrum of microbial recognition and bactericidal effect. Additionally, caspases 1 and 7 may induce cell apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner; however, apoptosis was inhibited by caspase inhibitors. Thus, these molecules may reflect the original state of the vertebrates caspase family. Our phylogenetic and functional data provide insights into the evolutionary history of caspases and illustrate their functional characteristics in primitive vertebrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China; Lamprey Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China
| | - Xiaoluan Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China; Lamprey Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China
| | - Xiaotong Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China; Lamprey Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China
| | - Ting Zhu
- College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China; Lamprey Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China
| | - Jun Li
- College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China; Lamprey Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China
| | - Yue Pang
- College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China; Lamprey Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China.
| | - Qingwei Li
- College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China; Lamprey Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, China.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Simakov O, Marlétaz F, Yue JX, O'Connell B, Jenkins J, Brandt A, Calef R, Tung CH, Huang TK, Schmutz J, Satoh N, Yu JK, Putnam NH, Green RE, Rokhsar DS. Deeply conserved synteny resolves early events in vertebrate evolution. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:820-830. [PMID: 32313176 PMCID: PMC7269912 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1156-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Although it is widely believed that early vertebrate evolution was shaped by ancient whole-genome duplications, the number, timing and mechanism of these events remain elusive. Here, we infer the history of vertebrates through genomic comparisons with a new chromosome-scale sequence of the invertebrate chordate amphioxus. We show how the karyotypes of amphioxus and diverse vertebrates are derived from 17 ancestral chordate linkage groups (and 19 ancestral bilaterian groups) by fusion, rearrangement and duplication. We resolve two distinct ancient duplications based on patterns of chromosomal conserved synteny. All extant vertebrates share the first duplication, which occurred in the mid/late Cambrian by autotetraploidization (that is, direct genome doubling). In contrast, the second duplication is found only in jawed vertebrates and occurred in the mid-late Ordovician by allotetraploidization (that is, genome duplication following interspecific hybridization) from two now-extinct progenitors. This complex genomic history parallels the diversification of vertebrate lineages in the fossil record.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oleg Simakov
- Molecular Genetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.
- Department of Neuroscience and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Ferdinand Marlétaz
- Molecular Genetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jia-Xing Yue
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, INSERM, IRCAN, Nice, France
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Brendan O'Connell
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Jerry Jenkins
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Alexander Brandt
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Che-Huang Tung
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Kai Huang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jeremy Schmutz
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Nori Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Jr-Kai Yu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Richard E Green
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Daniel S Rokhsar
- Molecular Genetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
In vivo Hox binding specificity revealed by systematic changes to a single cis regulatory module. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3597. [PMID: 31399572 PMCID: PMC6689074 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11416-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Hox proteins belong to a family of transcription factors with similar DNA binding specificities that control animal differentiation along the antero-posterior body axis. Hox proteins are expressed in partially overlapping regions where each one is responsible for the formation of particular organs and structures through the regulation of specific direct downstream targets. Thus, explaining how each Hox protein can selectively control its direct targets from those of another Hox protein is fundamental to understand animal development. Here we analyse a cis regulatory module directly regulated by seven different Drosophila Hox proteins and uncover how different Hox class proteins differentially control its expression. We find that regulation by one or another Hox protein depends on the combination of three modes: Hox-cofactor dependent DNA-binding specificity; Hox-monomer binding sites; and interaction with positive and negative Hox-collaborator proteins. Additionally, we find that similar regulation can be achieved by Amphioxus orthologs, suggesting these three mechanisms are conserved from insects to chordates. Hox proteins are expressed in partially overlapping regions to inform development along the embryo’s head-tail axis. Here the authors analyse a cis regulatory module directly regulated by seven different Drosophila Hox proteins to uncover how different Hox class proteins differentially control its expression.
Collapse
|
19
|
Leung B, Shimeld SM. Evolution of vertebrate spinal cord patterning. Dev Dyn 2019; 248:1028-1043. [PMID: 31291046 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate spinal cord is organized across three developmental axes, anterior-posterior (AP), dorsal-ventral (DV), and medial-lateral (ML). Patterning of these axes is regulated by canonical intercellular signaling pathways: the AP axis by Wnt, fibroblast growth factor, and retinoic acid (RA), the DV axis by Hedgehog, Tgfβ, and Wnt, and the ML axis where proliferation is controlled by Notch. Developmental time plays an important role in which signal does what and when. Patterning across the three axes is not independent, but linked by interactions between signaling pathway components and their transcriptional targets. Combined this builds a sophisticated organ with many different types of cell in specific AP, DV, and ML positions. Two living lineages share phylum Chordata with vertebrates, amphioxus, and tunicates, while the jawless fish such as lampreys, survive as the most basally divergent vertebrate lineage. Genes and mechanisms shared between lampreys and other vertebrates tell us what predated vertebrates, while those also shared with other chordates tell us what evolved early in chordate evolution. Between these lie vertebrate innovations: genetic and developmental changes linked to evolution of new morphology. These include gene duplications, differences in how signals are received, and new regulatory connections between signaling pathways and their target genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brigid Leung
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Xu X, Li G, Li C, Zhang J, Wang Q, Simmons DK, Chen X, Wijesena N, Zhu W, Wang Z, Wang Z, Ju B, Ci W, Lu X, Yu D, Wang QF, Aluru N, Oliveri P, Zhang YE, Martindale MQ, Liu J. Evolutionary transition between invertebrates and vertebrates via methylation reprogramming in embryogenesis. Natl Sci Rev 2019; 6:993-1003. [PMID: 34691960 PMCID: PMC8291442 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwz064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Major evolutionary transitions are enigmas, and the most notable enigma is between invertebrates and vertebrates, with numerous spectacular innovations. To search for the molecular connections involved, we asked whether global epigenetic changes may offer a clue by surveying the inheritance and reprogramming of parental DNA methylation across metazoans. We focused on gametes and early embryos, where the methylomes are known to evolve divergently between fish and mammals. Here, we find that methylome reprogramming during embryogenesis occurs neither in pre-bilaterians such as cnidarians nor in protostomes such as insects, but clearly presents in deuterostomes such as echinoderms and invertebrate chordates, and then becomes more evident in vertebrates. Functional association analysis suggests that DNA methylation reprogramming is associated with development, reproduction and adaptive immunity for vertebrates, but not for invertebrates. Interestingly, the single HOX cluster of invertebrates maintains unmethylated status in all stages examined. In contrast, the multiple HOX clusters show dramatic dynamics of DNA methylation during vertebrate embryogenesis. Notably, the methylation dynamics of HOX clusters are associated with their spatiotemporal expression in mammals. Our study reveals that DNA methylation reprogramming has evolved dramatically during animal evolution, especially after the evolutionary transitions from invertebrates to vertebrates, and then to mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaocui Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Guoqiang Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Congru Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Institute of Apiculture Research, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - David K Simmons
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, FL 32080, USA
| | - Xuepeng Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Naveen Wijesena
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, FL 32080, USA
| | - Wei Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Zhanyang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, Yantai 265600, China
| | - Zhenhua Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, Yantai 265600, China
| | - Bao Ju
- College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, Yantai 265600, China
| | - Weimin Ci
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomics and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xuemei Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomics and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Daqi Yu
- Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qian-fei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomics and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | | | - Paola Oliveri
- Departments of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, and Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Yong E Zhang
- Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, FL 32080, USA
| | - Jiang Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Nolte C, De Kumar B, Krumlauf R. Hox genes: Downstream "effectors" of retinoic acid signaling in vertebrate embryogenesis. Genesis 2019; 57:e23306. [PMID: 31111645 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
One of the major regulatory challenges of animal development is to precisely coordinate in space and time the formation, specification, and patterning of cells that underlie elaboration of the basic body plan. How does the vertebrate plan for the nervous and hematopoietic systems, heart, limbs, digestive, and reproductive organs derive from seemingly similar population of cells? These systems are initially established and patterned along the anteroposterior axis (AP) by opposing signaling gradients that lead to the activation of gene regulatory networks involved in axial specification, including the Hox genes. The retinoid signaling pathway is one of the key signaling gradients coupled to the establishment of axial patterning. The nested domains of Hox gene expression, which provide a combinatorial code for axial patterning, arise in part through a differential response to retinoic acid (RA) diffusing from anabolic centers established within the embryo during development. Hence, Hox genes are important direct effectors of retinoid signaling in embryogenesis. This review focuses on describing current knowledge on the complex mechanisms and regulatory processes, which govern the response of Hox genes to RA in several tissue contexts including the nervous system during vertebrate development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christof Nolte
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Bony De Kumar
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Robb Krumlauf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
A Hox-TALE regulatory circuit for neural crest patterning is conserved across vertebrates. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1189. [PMID: 30867425 PMCID: PMC6416258 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09197-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes), Hox genes play an important role in patterning head and jaw formation, but mechanisms coupling Hox genes to neural crest (NC) are unknown. Here we use cross-species regulatory comparisons between gnathostomes and lamprey, a jawless extant vertebrate, to investigate conserved ancestral mechanisms regulating Hox2 genes in NC. Gnathostome Hoxa2 and Hoxb2 NC enhancers mediate equivalent NC expression in lamprey and gnathostomes, revealing ancient conservation of Hox upstream regulatory components in NC. In characterizing a lamprey hoxα2 NC/hindbrain enhancer, we identify essential Meis, Pbx, and Hox binding sites that are functionally conserved within Hoxa2/Hoxb2 NC enhancers. This suggests that the lamprey hoxα2 enhancer retains ancestral activity and that Hoxa2/Hoxb2 NC enhancers are ancient paralogues, which diverged in hindbrain and NC activities. This identifies an ancestral mechanism for Hox2 NC regulation involving a Hox-TALE regulatory circuit, potentiated by inputs from Meis and Pbx proteins and Hox auto-/cross-regulatory interactions.
Collapse
|
23
|
Irie N, Satoh N, Kuratani S. The phylum Vertebrata: a case for zoological recognition. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2018; 4:32. [PMID: 30607258 PMCID: PMC6307173 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-018-0114-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The group Vertebrata is currently placed as a subphylum in the phylum Chordata, together with two other subphyla, Cephalochordata (lancelets) and Urochordata (ascidians). The past three decades, have seen extraordinary advances in zoological taxonomy and the time is now ripe for reassessing whether the subphylum position is truly appropriate for vertebrates, particularly in light of recent advances in molecular phylogeny, comparative genomics, and evolutionary developmental biology. Four lines of current research are discussed here. First, molecular phylogeny has demonstrated that Deuterostomia comprises Ambulacraria (Echinodermata and Hemichordata) and Chordata (Cephalochordata, Urochordata, and Vertebrata), each clade being recognized as a mutually comparable phylum. Second, comparative genomic studies show that vertebrates alone have experienced two rounds of whole-genome duplication, which makes the composition of their gene family unique. Third, comparative gene-expression profiling of vertebrate embryos favors an hourglass pattern of development, the most conserved stage of which is recognized as a phylotypic period characterized by the establishment of a body plan definitively associated with a phylum. This mid-embryonic conservation is supported robustly in vertebrates, but only weakly in chordates. Fourth, certain complex patterns of body plan formation (especially of the head, pharynx, and somites) are recognized throughout the vertebrates, but not in any other animal groups. For these reasons, we suggest that it is more appropriate to recognize vertebrates as an independent phylum, not as a subphylum of the phylum Chordata.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Irie
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
- Universal Biology Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
| | - Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, 904-0495 Japan
| | - Shigeru Kuratani
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Morphology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, and Evolutionary Morphology Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minami, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0047 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Escriva H. My Favorite Animal, Amphioxus: Unparalleled for Studying Early Vertebrate Evolution. Bioessays 2018; 40:e1800130. [PMID: 30328120 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800130] [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: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Amphioxus represents the most basally divergent group in chordates and probably the best extant proxy to the ancestor of all chordates including vertebrates. The amphioxus, or lancelets, are benthic filter feeding marine animals and their interest as a model in research is due to their phylogenetic position and their anatomical and genetic stasis throughout their evolutionary history. From the first works in the 19th century to the present day, enormous progress is made mainly favored by technical development at different levels, from spawning induction and husbandry techniques, through techniques for studies of gene function or of the role of different signalling pathways through embryonic development, to functional genomics techniques. Together, these advances foretell a plethora of interesting developments in the world of research with the amphioxus model. Here, the discovery and development of amphioxus as a superb model organism in evolutionary and evolutionary-developmental biology are reviewed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hector Escriva
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, Banyuls-sur-Mer, F-66650, France
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
|
26
|
Brauchle M, Bilican A, Eyer C, Bailly X, Martínez P, Ladurner P, Bruggmann R, Sprecher SG. Xenacoelomorpha Survey Reveals That All 11 Animal Homeobox Gene Classes Were Present in the First Bilaterians. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:2205-2217. [PMID: 30102357 PMCID: PMC6125248 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Homeodomain transcription factors are involved in many developmental processes across animals and have been linked to body plan evolution. Detailed classifications of these proteins identified 11 distinct classes of homeodomain proteins in animal genomes, each harboring specific sequence composition and protein domains. Although humans contain the full set of classes, Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans each lack one specific class. Furthermore, representative previous analyses in sponges, ctenophores, and cnidarians could not identify several classes in those nonbilaterian metazoan taxa. Consequently, it is currently unknown when certain homeodomain protein classes first evolved during animal evolution. Here, we investigate representatives of the sister group to all remaining bilaterians, the Xenacoelomorpha. We analyzed three acoel, one nemertodermatid, and one Xenoturbella transcriptomes and identified their expressed homeodomain protein content. We report the identification of representatives of all 11 classes of animal homeodomain transcription factors in Xenacoelomorpha and we describe and classify their homeobox genes relative to the established animal homeodomain protein families. Our findings suggest that the genome of the last common ancestor of bilateria contained the full set of these gene classes, supporting the subsequent diversification of bilaterians.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Brauchle
- Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.,Department of Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Switzerland.,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Adem Bilican
- Department of Biology, Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit, University of Bern, Switzerland.,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Claudia Eyer
- Department of Biology, Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Xavier Bailly
- UPMC-CNRS FR2424, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, France
| | - Pedro Martínez
- Departament de Genètica, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Català de Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Peter Ladurner
- Institute of Zoology and Center of Molecular Bioscience Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rémy Bruggmann
- Department of Biology, Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Simon G Sprecher
- Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Somorjai IML, Martí-Solans J, Diaz-Gracia M, Nishida H, Imai KS, Escrivà H, Cañestro C, Albalat R. Wnt evolution and function shuffling in liberal and conservative chordate genomes. Genome Biol 2018; 19:98. [PMID: 30045756 PMCID: PMC6060547 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1468-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND What impact gene loss has on the evolution of developmental processes, and how function shuffling has affected retained genes driving essential biological processes, remain open questions in the fields of genome evolution and EvoDevo. To investigate these problems, we have analyzed the evolution of the Wnt ligand repertoire in the chordate phylum as a case study. RESULTS We conduct an exhaustive survey of Wnt genes in genomic databases, identifying 156 Wnt genes in 13 non-vertebrate chordates. This represents the most complete Wnt gene catalog of the chordate subphyla and has allowed us to resolve previous ambiguities about the orthology of many Wnt genes, including the identification of WntA for the first time in chordates. Moreover, we create the first complete expression atlas for the Wnt family during amphioxus development, providing a useful resource to investigate the evolution of Wnt expression throughout the radiation of chordates. CONCLUSIONS Our data underscore extraordinary genomic stasis in cephalochordates, which contrasts with the liberal and dynamic evolutionary patterns of gene loss and duplication in urochordate genomes. Our analysis has allowed us to infer ancestral Wnt functions shared among all chordates, several cases of function shuffling among Wnt paralogs, as well as unique expression domains for Wnt genes that likely reflect functional innovations in each chordate lineage. Finally, we propose a potential relationship between the evolution of WntA and the evolution of the mouth in chordates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ildikó M L Somorjai
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9ST, Scotland, UK.
- Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, Scotland, UK.
| | - Josep Martí-Solans
- Departament de Genètica, , Microbiologia i Estadística, and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam Diaz-Gracia
- Departament de Genètica, , Microbiologia i Estadística, and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hiroki Nishida
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Kaoru S Imai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Hector Escrivà
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM), Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Cristian Cañestro
- Departament de Genètica, , Microbiologia i Estadística, and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ricard Albalat
- Departament de Genètica, , Microbiologia i Estadística, and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Opazo JC, Zavala K, Miranda-Rottmann S, Araya R. Evolution of dopamine receptors: phylogenetic evidence suggests a later origin of the DRD 2l and DRD 4rs dopamine receptor gene lineages. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4593. [PMID: 29666757 PMCID: PMC5900934 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine receptors are integral membrane proteins whose endogenous ligand is dopamine. They play a fundamental role in the central nervous system and dysfunction of dopaminergic neurotransmission is responsible for the generation of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. From an evolutionary standpoint, phylogenetic relationships among the DRD1 class of dopamine receptors are still a matter of debate as in the literature different tree topologies have been proposed. In contrast, phylogenetic relationships among the DRD2 group of receptors are well understood. Understanding the time of origin of the different dopamine receptors is also an issue that needs further study, especially for the genes that have restricted phyletic distributions (e.g., DRD2l and DRD4rs). Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the evolution of dopamine receptors, with emphasis on shedding light on the phylogenetic relationships among the D1 class of dopamine receptors and the time of origin of the DRD2l and DRD4rs gene lineages. Our results recovered the monophyly of the two groups of dopamine receptors. Within the DRD1 group the monophyly of each paralog was recovered with strong support, and phylogenetic relationships among them were well resolved. Within the DRD1 class of dopamine receptors we recovered the sister group relationship between the DRD1C and DRD1E, and this clade was recovered sister to a cyclostome sequence. The DRD1 clade was recovered sister to the aforementioned clade, and the group containing DRD5 receptors was sister to all other DRD1 paralogs. In agreement with the literature, among the DRD2 class of receptors, DRD2 was recovered sister to DRD3, whereas DRD4 was sister to the DRD2/DRD3 clade. According to our phylogenetic tree, the DRD2l and DRD4rs gene lineages would have originated in the ancestor of gnathostomes between 615 and 473 mya. Conservation of sequences required for dopaminergic neurotransmission and small changes in regulatory regions suggest a functional refinement of the dopaminergic pathways along evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan C Opazo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Kattina Zavala
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | | | - Roberto Araya
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Coupling the roles of Hox genes to regulatory networks patterning cranial neural crest. Dev Biol 2018; 444 Suppl 1:S67-S78. [PMID: 29571614 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The neural crest is a transient population of cells that forms within the developing central nervous system and migrates away to generate a wide range of derivatives throughout the body during vertebrate embryogenesis. These cells are of evolutionary and clinical interest, constituting a key defining trait in the evolution of vertebrates and alterations in their development are implicated in a high proportion of birth defects and craniofacial abnormalities. In the hindbrain and the adjacent cranial neural crest cells (cNCCs), nested domains of Hox gene expression provide a combinatorial'Hox-code' for specifying regional properties in the developing head. Hox genes have been shown to play important roles at multiple stages in cNCC development, including specification, migration, and differentiation. However, relatively little is known about the underlying gene-regulatory mechanisms involved, both upstream and downstream of Hox genes. Furthermore, it is still an open question as to how the genes of the neural crest GRN are linked to Hox-dependent pathways. In this review, we describe Hox gene expression, function and regulation in cNCCs with a view to integrating these genes within the emerging gene regulatory network for cNCC development. We highlight early roles for Hox1 genes in cNCC specification, proposing that this may be achieved, in part, by regulation of the balance between pluripotency and differentiation in precursor cells within the neuro-epithelium. We then describe what is known about the regulation of Hox gene expression in cNCCs and discuss this from the perspective of early vertebrate evolution.
Collapse
|
30
|
Kondo M, Yamamoto T, Takahashi S, Taira M. Comprehensive analyses ofhoxgene expression inXenopus laevisembryos and adult tissues. Dev Growth Differ 2017; 59:526-539. [DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Kondo
- Misaki Marine Biological Station; Graduate School of Science and Center for Marine Biology; The University of Tokyo; 1024 Koajiro Misaki Miura Kanagawa 238-0225 Japan
| | - Takayoshi Yamamoto
- Department of Biological Sciences; Graduate School of Science; The University of Tokyo; 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-0033 Japan
| | - Shuji Takahashi
- Institute for Amphibian Biology; Graduate School of Science; Hiroshima University; 1-3-1 Kagamiyama Higashi-Hiroshima Hiroshima 739-8526 Japan
| | - Masanori Taira
- Department of Biological Sciences; Graduate School of Science; The University of Tokyo; 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-0033 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Parker HJ, Krumlauf R. Segmental arithmetic: summing up the Hox gene regulatory network for hindbrain development in chordates. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2017; 6. [PMID: 28771970 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Organization and development of the early vertebrate hindbrain are controlled by a cascade of regulatory interactions that govern the process of segmentation and patterning along the anterior-posterior axis via Hox genes. These interactions can be assembled into a gene regulatory network that provides a framework to interpret experimental data, generate hypotheses, and identify gaps in our understanding of the progressive process of hindbrain segmentation. The network can be broadly separated into a series of interconnected programs that govern early signaling, segmental subdivision, secondary signaling, segmentation, and ultimately specification of segmental identity. Hox genes play crucial roles in multiple programs within this network. Furthermore, the network reveals properties and principles that are likely to be general to other complex developmental systems. Data from vertebrate and invertebrate chordate models are shedding light on the origin and diversification of the network. Comprehensive cis-regulatory analyses of vertebrate Hox gene regulation have enabled powerful cross-species gene regulatory comparisons. Such an approach in the sea lamprey has revealed that the network mediating segmental Hox expression was present in ancestral vertebrates and has been maintained across diverse vertebrate lineages. Invertebrate chordates lack hindbrain segmentation but exhibit conservation of some aspects of the network, such as a role for retinoic acid in establishing nested Hox expression domains. These comparisons lead to a model in which early vertebrates underwent an elaboration of the network between anterior-posterior patterning and Hox gene expression, leading to the gene-regulatory programs for segmental subdivision and rhombomeric segmentation. WIREs Dev Biol 2017, 6:e286. doi: 10.1002/wdev.286 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo J Parker
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Robb Krumlauf
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Liao J, Wang K, Yao W, Yi X, Yan H, Chen M, Lan X. Cloning, expression and antioxidant activity of a thioredoxin peroxidase from Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtaunese. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175162. [PMID: 28384204 PMCID: PMC5383247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitous antioxidant enzymes that catalyze the thioredoxin- dependent reduction of hydroperoxides. In this study, a novel thioredoxin peroxidase (Bbt-TPx1), a member of the peroxiredoxin superfamily, was found by EST sequence analysis of a cDNA library of Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtaunese ovary. The sequence of a full-length cDNA clone contained an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 198 amino acid residues, with a calculated molecular weight of 22,150 Da. The expression patterns of the protein at different developmental stages and adult amphioxus tissues indicate that this enzyme may play important roles in anti-oxidation and innate immunity. The recombinant Bbt-TPx1 protein was expressed with a polyhistidine-tag in Escherichia coli and purified using Ni chromatography followed by SP cation exchange chromatography. The rBbt-TPx1 protein existed as a dimer under non-reducing conditions, and was dissociated into monomers by dithiothreitol (DTT); it might predominantly exist in oligomeric form. The rBbt-TPx1 protein showed a significant thiol-dependent peroxidase activity, removing hydrogen peroxide in the presence of dithiothreitol (DTT), but not glutathione (GSH). Protection of plasmid DNA and the thiol-protein from damage by metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO) in vitro was also revealed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jian Liao
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Command, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
| | - Kaiyu Wang
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Command, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
| | - Weirong Yao
- Clinical Laboratory, The First Hospital of Longhai, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, China
| | - Xunfei Yi
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Command, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
| | - Huihui Yan
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Command, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
| | - Min Chen
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Command, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
- * E-mail: (XL); (MC)
| | - Xiaopeng Lan
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Command, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
- * E-mail: (XL); (MC)
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Albuixech-Crespo B, López-Blanch L, Burguera D, Maeso I, Sánchez-Arrones L, Moreno-Bravo JA, Somorjai I, Pascual-Anaya J, Puelles E, Bovolenta P, Garcia-Fernàndez J, Puelles L, Irimia M, Ferran JL. Molecular regionalization of the developing amphioxus neural tube challenges major partitions of the vertebrate brain. PLoS Biol 2017; 15:e2001573. [PMID: 28422959 PMCID: PMC5396861 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2001573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
All vertebrate brains develop following a common Bauplan defined by anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) subdivisions, characterized by largely conserved differential expression of gene markers. However, it is still unclear how this Bauplan originated during evolution. We studied the relative expression of 48 genes with key roles in vertebrate neural patterning in a representative amphioxus embryonic stage. Unlike nonchordates, amphioxus develops its central nervous system (CNS) from a neural plate that is homologous to that of vertebrates, allowing direct topological comparisons. The resulting genoarchitectonic model revealed that the amphioxus incipient neural tube is unexpectedly complex, consisting of several AP and DV molecular partitions. Strikingly, comparison with vertebrates indicates that the vertebrate thalamus, pretectum, and midbrain domains jointly correspond to a single amphioxus region, which we termed Di-Mesencephalic primordium (DiMes). This suggests that these domains have a common developmental and evolutionary origin, as supported by functional experiments manipulating secondary organizers in zebrafish and mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Albuixech-Crespo
- Department of Genetics, School of Biology, and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura López-Blanch
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Demian Burguera
- Department of Genetics, School of Biology, and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Maeso
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC/UPO/JA), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Luisa Sánchez-Arrones
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM and CIBERER, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Ildiko Somorjai
- The Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eduardo Puelles
- Instituto de Neurociencias, UMH-CSIC, Campus de San Juan, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Paola Bovolenta
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM and CIBERER, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Garcia-Fernàndez
- Department of Genetics, School of Biology, and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Puelles
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB), Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Manuel Irimia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Luis Ferran
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB), Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Symonová R, Havelka M, Amemiya CT, Howell WM, Kořínková T, Flajšhans M, Gela D, Ráb P. Molecular cytogenetic differentiation of paralogs of Hox paralogs in duplicated and re-diploidized genome of the North American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). BMC Genet 2017; 18:19. [PMID: 28253860 PMCID: PMC5335500 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-017-0484-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Acipenseriformes is a basal lineage of ray-finned fishes and comprise 27 extant species of sturgeons and paddlefishes. They are characterized by several specific genomic features as broad ploidy variation, high chromosome numbers, presence of numerous microchromosomes and propensity to interspecific hybridization. The presumed palaeotetraploidy of the American paddlefish was recently validated by molecular phylogeny and Hox genes analyses. A whole genome duplication in the paddlefish lineage was estimated at approximately 42 Mya and was found to be independent from several genome duplications evidenced in its sister lineage, i.e. sturgeons. We tested the ploidy status of available chromosomal markers after the expected rediploidization. Further we tested, whether paralogs of Hox gene clusters originated from this paddlefish specific genome duplication are cytogenetically distinguishable. Results We found that both paralogs HoxA alpha and beta were distinguishable without any overlapping of the hybridization signal - each on one pair of large metacentric chromosomes. Of the HoxD, only the beta paralog was unequivocally identified, whereas the alpha paralog did not work and yielded only an inconclusive diffuse signal. Chromosomal markers on three diverse ploidy levels reflecting different stages of rediploidization were identified: quadruplets retaining their ancestral tetraploid condition, semi-quadruplets still reflecting the ancestral tetraploidy with clear signs of advanced rediploidization, doublets were diploidized with ancestral tetraploidy already blurred. Also some of the available microsatellite data exhibited diploid allelic band patterns at their loci whereas another locus showed more than two alleles. Conclusions Our exhaustive staining of paddlefish chromosomes combined with cytogenetic mapping of ribosomal genes and Hox paralogs and with microsatellite data, brings a closer look at results of the process of rediploidization in the course of paddlefish genome evolution. We show a partial rediploidization represented by a complex mosaic structure comparable with segmental paleotetraploidy revealed in sturgeons (Acipenseridae). Sturgeons and paddlefishes with their high propensity for whole genome duplication thus offer suitable animal model systems to further explore evolutionary processes that were shaping the early evolution of all vertebrates. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-017-0484-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Radka Symonová
- Laboratory of Fish Genetics, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 277 21, Liběchov, Czech Republic. .,Research Institute for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Mondseestr. 9, Mondsee, Austria.
| | - Miloš Havelka
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, 389 25, Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Chris T Amemiya
- Benaroya Research Institute & University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - William Mike Howell
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL, 35229, USA
| | - Tereza Kořínková
- Laboratory of Fish Genetics, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 277 21, Liběchov, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Flajšhans
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, 389 25, Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - David Gela
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, 389 25, Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Ráb
- Laboratory of Fish Genetics, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 277 21, Liběchov, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Kusakabe TG. Identifying Vertebrate Brain Prototypes in Deuterostomes. DIVERSITY AND COMMONALITY IN ANIMALS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-4-431-56469-0_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
|
36
|
Kim HS, Hwang DS, Jeong CB, Au DWT, Lee JS. Identification and conservation of gene loss events of Hox gene clusters in the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2016; 326:387-393. [PMID: 27966251 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the identification of the whole Hox gene clusters (46 Hox genes) in the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma was investigated using genome assembly and RNA-seq information. Moreover, the gene loss events of Hox gene clusters, which may occur during fish evolution, were examined for a better understanding of the evolutionary status of the gene lost events of the Hox gene cluster across fish species, particularly in the genus Oryzias.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Su Kim
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Dae-Sik Hwang
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Chang-Bum Jeong
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea.,Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Doris W T Au
- State Key Laboratory on Marine Pollution and Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Jae-Seong Lee
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Abstract
Ascidians are invertebrate chordates with a biphasic life cycle characterized by a dual body plan that displays simplified versions of chordate structures, such as a premetamorphic 40-cell notochord topped by a dorsal nerve cord and postmetamorphic pharyngeal slits. These relatively simple chordates are characterized by rapid development, compact genomes and ease of transgenesis, and thus provide the opportunity to rapidly characterize the genomic organization, developmental function, and transcriptional regulation of evolutionarily conserved gene families. This review summarizes the current knowledge on members of the T-box family of transcription factors in Ciona and other ascidians. In both chordate and nonchordate animals, these genes control a variety of morphogenetic processes, and their mutations are responsible for malformations and developmental defects in organisms ranging from flies to humans. In ascidians, T-box transcription factors are required for the formation and specialization of essential structures, including notochord, muscle, heart, and differentiated neurons. In recent years, the experimental advantages offered by ascidian embryos have allowed the rapid accumulation of a wealth of information on the molecular mechanisms that regulate the expression of T-box genes. These studies have also elucidated the strategies employed by these transcription factors to orchestrate the appropriate spatial and temporal deployment of the numerous target genes that they control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Di Gregorio
- New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Chakraborty M, Jarvis ED. Brain evolution by brain pathway duplication. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2015.0056. [PMID: 26554045 PMCID: PMC4650129 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of evolution of brain pathways for complex behaviours is still in its infancy. Making further advances requires a deeper understanding of brain homologies, novelties and analogies. It also requires an understanding of how adaptive genetic modifications lead to restructuring of the brain. Recent advances in genomic and molecular biology techniques applied to brain research have provided exciting insights into how complex behaviours are shaped by selection of novel brain pathways and functions of the nervous system. Here, we review and further develop some insights to a new hypothesis on one mechanism that may contribute to nervous system evolution, in particular by brain pathway duplication. Like gene duplication, we propose that whole brain pathways can duplicate and the duplicated pathway diverge to take on new functions. We suggest that one mechanism of brain pathway duplication could be through gene duplication, although other mechanisms are possible. We focus on brain pathways for vocal learning and spoken language in song-learning birds and humans as example systems. This view presents a new framework for future research in our understanding of brain evolution and novel behavioural traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mukta Chakraborty
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27713, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27713, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Guerreiro I, Gitto S, Novoa A, Codourey J, Nguyen Huynh TH, Gonzalez F, Milinkovitch MC, Mallo M, Duboule D. Reorganisation of Hoxd regulatory landscapes during the evolution of a snake-like body plan. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27476854 PMCID: PMC4969037 DOI: 10.7554/elife.16087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Within land vertebrate species, snakes display extreme variations in their body plan, characterized by the absence of limbs and an elongated morphology. Such a particular interpretation of the basic vertebrate body architecture has often been associated with changes in the function or regulation of Hox genes. Here, we use an interspecies comparative approach to investigate different regulatory aspects at the snake HoxD locus. We report that, unlike in other vertebrates, snake mesoderm-specific enhancers are mostly located within the HoxD cluster itself rather than outside. In addition, despite both the absence of limbs and an altered Hoxd gene regulation in external genitalia, the limb-associated bimodal HoxD chromatin structure is maintained at the snake locus. Finally, we show that snake and mouse orthologous enhancer sequences can display distinct expression specificities. These results show that vertebrate morphological evolution likely involved extensive reorganisation at Hox loci, yet within a generally conserved regulatory framework.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Guerreiro
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Gitto
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ana Novoa
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Julien Codourey
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Federico Gonzalez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Moises Mallo
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Denis Duboule
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Rogers SL, Kaufman J. Location, location, location: the evolutionary history of CD1 genes and the NKR-P1/ligand systems. Immunogenetics 2016; 68:499-513. [PMID: 27457887 PMCID: PMC5002281 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-016-0938-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
CD1 genes encode cell surface molecules that present lipid antigens to various kinds of T lymphocytes of the immune system. The structures of CD1 genes and molecules are like the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I system, the loading of antigen and the tissue distribution for CD1 molecules are like those in the class II system, and phylogenetic analyses place CD1 between class I and class II sequences, altogether leading to the notion that CD1 is a third ancient system of antigen presentation molecules. However, thus far, CD1 genes have only been described in mammals, birds and reptiles, leaving major questions as to their origin and evolution. In this review, we recount a little history of the field so far and then consider what has been learned about the structure and functional attributes of CD1 genes and molecules in marsupials, birds and reptiles. We describe the central conundrum of CD1 evolution, the genomic location of CD1 genes in the MHC and/or MHC paralogous regions in different animals, considering the three models of evolutionary history that have been proposed. We describe the natural killer (NK) receptors NKR-P1 and ligands, also found in different genomic locations for different animals. We discuss the consequence of these three models, one of which includes the repudiation of a guiding principle for the last 20 years, that two rounds of genome-wide duplication at the base of the vertebrates provided the extra MHC genes necessary for the emergence of adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sally L Rogers
- Department of Biosciences, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, GL50 4AZ, UK
| | - Jim Kaufman
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK. .,Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Pace RM, Grbić M, Nagy LM. Composition and genomic organization of arthropod Hox clusters. EvoDevo 2016; 7:11. [PMID: 27168931 PMCID: PMC4862073 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-016-0048-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The ancestral arthropod is believed to have had a clustered arrangement of ten Hox genes. Within arthropods, Hox gene mutations result in transformation of segment identities. Despite the fact that variation in segment number/character was common in the diversification of arthropods, few examples of Hox gene gains/losses have been correlated with morphological evolution. Furthermore, a full appreciation of the variation in the genomic arrangement of Hox genes in extant arthropods has not been recognized, as genome sequences from each major arthropod clade have not been reported until recently. Initial genomic analysis of the chelicerate Tetranychusurticae suggested that loss of Hox genes and Hox gene clustering might be more common than previously assumed. To further characterize the genomic evolution of arthropod Hox genes, we compared the genomic arrangement and general characteristics of Hox genes from representative taxa from each arthropod subphylum. Results In agreement with others, we find arthropods generally contain ten Hox genes arranged in a common orientation in the genome, with an increasing number of sampled species missing either Hox3 or abdominal-A orthologs. The genomic clustering of Hox genes in species we surveyed varies significantly, ranging from 0.3 to 13.6 Mb. In all species sampled, arthropod Hox genes are dispersed in the genome relative to the vertebrate Mus musculus. Differences in Hox cluster size arise from variation in the number of intervening genes, intergenic spacing, and the size of introns and UTRs. In the arthropods surveyed, Hox gene duplications are rare and four microRNAs are, in general, conserved in similar genomic positions relative to the Hox genes. Conclusions The tightly clustered Hox complexes found in the vertebrates are not evident within arthropods, and differential patterns of Hox gene dispersion are found throughout the arthropods. The comparative genomic data continue to support an ancestral arthropod Hox cluster of ten genes with a shared orientation, with four Hox gene-associated miRNAs, although the degree of dispersion between genes in an ancestral cluster remains uncertain. Hox3 and abdominal-A orthologs have been lost in multiple, independent lineages, and current data support a model in which inversions of the Abdominal-B locus that result in the loss of abdominal-A correlate with reduced trunk segmentation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13227-016-0048-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan M Pace
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA ; Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 USA
| | - Miodrag Grbić
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7 Canada ; Universidad de la Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
| | - Lisa M Nagy
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Kim BM, Lee BY, Lee JH, Rhee JS, Lee JS. Conservation of Hox gene clusters in the self-fertilizing fish Kryptolebias marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes; Rivulidae). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2016; 88:1249-1256. [PMID: 26822496 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In this study, whole Hox gene clusters in the self-fertilizing mangrove killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes; Rivulidae), a unique hermaphroditic vertebrate in which both sex organs are functional at the same time, were identified from whole genome and transcriptome sequences. The aim was to increase the understanding of the evolutionary status of conservation of this Hox gene cluster across fish species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B-M Kim
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea
| | - B-Y Lee
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea
| | - J-H Lee
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea
| | - J-S Rhee
- Department of Marine Science, College of Natural Sciences, Incheon National University, Incheon, 22012, South Korea
| | - J-S Lee
- Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
|
44
|
Byrne M, Martinez P, Morris V. Evolution of a pentameral body plan was not linked to translocation of anterior Hox genes: the echinoderm HOX cluster revisited. Evol Dev 2016; 18:137-43. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Byrne
- Schools of Medical and Biological SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Pedro Martinez
- Departament de GenèticaUniversitat de BarcelonaAv. Diagonal, 643Barcelona08028Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)Passeig Lluís Companys, 23Barcelona08010Spain
| | - Valerie Morris
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Ogino Y, Kuraku S, Ishibashi H, Miyakawa H, Sumiya E, Miyagawa S, Matsubara H, Yamada G, Baker ME, Iguchi T. Neofunctionalization of Androgen Receptor by Gain-of-Function Mutations in Teleost Fish Lineage. Mol Biol Evol 2015; 33:228-44. [PMID: 26507457 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Steroid hormone receptor family provides an example of evolution of diverse transcription factors through whole-genome duplication (WGD). However, little is known about how their functions have been evolved after the duplication. Teleosts present a good model to investigate an accurate evolutionary history of protein function after WGD, because a teleost-specific WGD (TSGD) resulted in a variety of duplicated genes in modern fishes. This study focused on the evolution of androgen receptor (AR) gene, as two distinct paralogs, ARα and ARβ, have evolved in teleost lineage after TSGD. ARα showed a unique intracellular localization with a higher transactivation response than that of ARβ. Using site-directed mutagenesis and computational prediction of protein-ligand interactions, we identified two key substitutions generating a new functionality of euteleost ARα. The substitution in the hinge region contributes to the unique intracellular localization of ARα. The substitution on helices 10/11 in the ligand-binding domain possibly modulates hydrogen bonds that stabilize the receptor-ligand complex leading to the higher transactivation response of ARα. These substitutions were conserved in Acanthomorpha (spiny-rayed fish) ARαs, but not in an earlier branching lineage among teleosts, Japanese eel. Insertion of these substitutions into ARs from Japanese eel recapitulates the evolutionary novelty of euteleost ARα. These findings together indicate that the substitutions generating a new functionality of teleost ARα were fixed in teleost genome after the divergence of the Elopomorpha lineage. Our findings provide a molecular explanation for an adaptation process leading to generation of the hyperactive AR subtype after TSGD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Ogino
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, and Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Japan
| | - Shigehiro Kuraku
- Phyloinformatics Unit, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ishibashi
- Department of Life Environmental Conservation, Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Miyakawa
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, and Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Japan Center for Bioscience Research and Education, Utsunomiya University, Utsunomiya, Japan
| | - Eri Sumiya
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, and Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Japan
| | - Shinichi Miyagawa
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, and Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Japan
| | - Hajime Matsubara
- Department of Aquatic Biology, Faculty of Bioindustry, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Abashiri, Japan
| | - Gen Yamada
- Department of Developmental Genetics, Institute of Advanced Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan
| | | | - Taisen Iguchi
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, and Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Marlétaz F, Maeso I, Faas L, Isaacs HV, Holland PWH. Cdx ParaHox genes acquired distinct developmental roles after gene duplication in vertebrate evolution. BMC Biol 2015; 13:56. [PMID: 26231746 PMCID: PMC4522105 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-015-0165-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The functional consequences of whole genome duplications in vertebrate evolution are not fully understood. It remains unclear, for instance, why paralogues were retained in some gene families but extensively lost in others. Cdx homeobox genes encode conserved transcription factors controlling posterior development across diverse bilaterians. These genes are part of the ParaHox gene cluster. Multiple Cdx copies were retained after genome duplication, raising questions about how functional divergence, overlap, and redundancy respectively contributed to their retention and evolutionary fate. Results We examined the degree of regulatory and functional overlap between the three vertebrate Cdx genes using single and triple morpholino knock-down in Xenopus tropicalis followed by RNA-seq. We found that one paralogue, Cdx4, has a much stronger effect on gene expression than the others, including a strong regulatory effect on FGF and Wnt genes. Functional annotation revealed distinct and overlapping roles and subtly different temporal windows of action for each gene. The data also reveal a colinear-like effect of Cdx genes on Hox genes, with repression of Hox paralogy groups 1 and 2, and activation increasing from Hox group 5 to 11. We also highlight cases in which duplicated genes regulate distinct paralogous targets revealing pathway elaboration after whole genome duplication. Conclusions Despite shared core pathways, Cdx paralogues have acquired distinct regulatory roles during development. This implies that the degree of functional overlap between paralogues is relatively low and that gene expression pattern alone should be used with caution when investigating the functional evolution of duplicated genes. We therefore suggest that developmental programmes were extensively rewired after whole genome duplication in the early evolution of vertebrates. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-015-0165-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Marlétaz
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
| | - Ignacio Maeso
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK. .,Present address: Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Laura Faas
- Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Harry V Isaacs
- Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Peter W H Holland
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Grice J, Noyvert B, Doglio L, Elgar G. A Simple Predictive Enhancer Syntax for Hindbrain Patterning Is Conserved in Vertebrate Genomes. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130413. [PMID: 26131856 PMCID: PMC4489388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Determining the function of regulatory elements is fundamental for our understanding of development, disease and evolution. However, the sequence features that mediate these functions are often unclear and the prediction of tissue-specific expression patterns from sequence alone is non-trivial. Previous functional studies have demonstrated a link between PBX-HOX and MEIS/PREP binding interactions and hindbrain enhancer activity, but the defining grammar of these sites, if any exists, has remained elusive. Results Here, we identify a shared sequence signature (syntax) within a heterogeneous set of conserved vertebrate hindbrain enhancers composed of spatially co-occurring PBX-HOX and MEIS/PREP transcription factor binding motifs. We use this syntax to accurately predict hindbrain enhancers in 89% of cases (67/75 predicted elements) from a set of conserved non-coding elements (CNEs). Furthermore, mutagenesis of the sites abolishes activity or generates ectopic expression, demonstrating their requirement for segmentally restricted enhancer activity in the hindbrain. We refine and use our syntax to predict over 3,000 hindbrain enhancers across the human genome. These sequences tend to be located near developmental transcription factors and are enriched in known hindbrain activating elements, demonstrating the predictive power of this simple model. Conclusion Our findings support the theory that hundreds of CNEs, and perhaps thousands of regions across the human genome, function to coordinate gene expression in the developing hindbrain. We speculate that deeply conserved sequences of this kind contributed to the co-option of new genes into the hindbrain gene regulatory network during early vertebrate evolution by linking patterns of hox expression to downstream genes involved in segmentation and patterning, and evolutionarily newer instances may have continued to contribute to lineage-specific elaboration of the hindbrain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Grice
- The Francis Crick Institute Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Boris Noyvert
- The Francis Crick Institute Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Doglio
- The Francis Crick Institute Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Greg Elgar
- The Francis Crick Institute Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Hiebert LS, Maslakova SA. Hox genes pattern the anterior-posterior axis of the juvenile but not the larva in a maximally indirect developing invertebrate, Micrura alaskensis (Nemertea). BMC Biol 2015; 13:23. [PMID: 25888821 PMCID: PMC4426647 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-015-0133-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The pilidium larva is a novel body plan that arose within a single clade in the phylum Nemertea - the Pilidiophora. While the sister clade of the Pilidiophora and the basal nemerteans develop directly, pilidiophorans have a long-lived planktotrophic larva with a body plan distinctly different from that of the juvenile. Uniquely, the pilidiophoran juvenile develops inside the larva from several discrete rudiments. The orientation of the juvenile with respect to the larval body varies within the Pilidiophora, which suggests that the larval and juvenile anteroposterior (AP) axes are patterned differently. In order to gain insight into the evolutionary origins of the pilidium larva and the mechanisms underlying this implied axial uncoupling, we examined the expression of the Hox genes during development of the pilidiophoran Micrura alaskensis. RESULTS We identified sequences of nine Hox genes and the ParaHox gene caudal through a combination of transcriptome analysis and molecular cloning, and determined their expression pattern during development using in situ hybridization in whole-mounted larvae. We found that Hox genes are first expressed long after the pilidium is fully formed and functional. The Hox genes are expressed in apparently overlapping domains along the AP axis of the developing juvenile in a subset of the rudiments that give rise to the juvenile trunk. Hox genes are not expressed in the larval body at any stage of development. CONCLUSIONS While the Hox genes pattern the juvenile pilidiophoran, the pilidial body, which appears to be an evolutionary novelty, must be patterned by some mechanism other than the Hox genes. Although the pilidiophoran juvenile develops from separate rudiments with no obvious relationship to the embryonic formation of the larva, the Hox genes appear to exhibit canonical expression along the juvenile AP axis. This suggests that the Hox patterning system can maintain conserved function even when widely decoupled from early polarity established in the egg.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurel S Hiebert
- Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, University of Oregon, Charleston, OR, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Vassalli QA, Anishchenko E, Caputi L, Sordino P, D'Aniello S, Locascio A. Regulatory elements retained during chordate evolution: Coming across tunicates. Genesis 2014; 53:66-81. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Quirino Attilio Vassalli
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Evgeniya Anishchenko
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Luigi Caputi
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Paolo Sordino
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
- CNR ISAFOM, Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in the Mediterranean, Unitá organizzativa di supporto; Catania Italy
| | - Salvatore D'Aniello
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| | - Annamaria Locascio
- Cellular and Developmental Biology Laboratory; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale Naples Italy
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Martin KJ, Holland PWH. Enigmatic orthology relationships between Hox clusters of the African butterfly fish and other teleosts following ancient whole-genome duplication. Mol Biol Evol 2014; 31:2592-611. [PMID: 24974377 PMCID: PMC4166920 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msu202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous ancient whole-genome duplications (WGD) have occurred during eukaryote evolution. In vertebrates, duplicated developmental genes and their functional divergence have had important consequences for morphological evolution. Although two vertebrate WGD events (1R/2R) occurred over 525 Ma, we have focused on the more recent 3R or TGD (teleost genome duplication) event which occurred approximately 350 Ma in a common ancestor of over 26,000 species of teleost fishes. Through a combination of whole genome and bacterial artificial chromosome clone sequencing we characterized all Hox gene clusters of Pantodon buchholzi, a member of the early branching teleost subdivision Osteoglossomorpha. We find 45 Hox genes organized in only five clusters indicating that Pantodon has suffered more Hox cluster loss than other known species. Despite strong evidence for homology of the five Pantodon clusters to the four canonical pre-TGD vertebrate clusters (one HoxA, two HoxB, one HoxC, and one HoxD), we were unable to confidently resolve 1:1 orthology relationships between four of the Pantodon clusters and the eight post-TGD clusters of other teleosts. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that many Pantodon genes segregate outside the conventional "a" and "b" post-TGD orthology groups, that extensive topological incongruence exists between genes physically linked on a single cluster, and that signal divergence causes ambivalence in assigning 1:1 orthology in concatenated Hox cluster analyses. Out of several possible explanations for this phenomenon we favor a model which keeps with the prevailing view of a single TGD prior to teleost radiation, but which also considers the timing of diploidization after duplication, relative to speciation events. We suggest that although the duplicated hoxa clusters diploidized prior to divergence of osteoglossomorphs, the duplicated hoxb, hoxc, and hoxd clusters concluded diploidization independently in osteoglossomorphs and other teleosts. We use the term "tetralogy" to describe the homology relationship which exists between duplicated sequences which originate through a shared WGD, but which diploidize into distinct paralogs from a common allelic pool independently in two lineages following speciation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J Martin
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | |
Collapse
|