1
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Singh A, Chimata AV, Deshpande P, Bajpai S, Sangeeth A, Rajput M, Singh A. SARS-CoV2 Nsp3 protein triggers cell death and exacerbates amyloid β42-mediated neurodegeneration. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1385-1392. [PMID: 37905889 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.382989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202406000-00044/inline-graphic1/v/2023-10-30T152229Z/r/image-tiff
Infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) virus, responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, induces symptoms including increased inflammatory response, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), cognitive dysfunction like brain fog, and cardiovascular defects. Long-term effects of SARS-CoV2 COVID-19 syndrome referred to as post-COVID-19 syndrome on age-related progressive neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease remain understudied. Using the targeted misexpression of individual SARS-CoV2 proteins in the retinal neurons of the Drosophila
melanogaster eye, we found that misexpression of nonstructural protein 3 (Nsp3), a papain-like protease, ablates the eye and generates dark necrotic spots. Targeted misexpression of Nsp3 in the eye triggers reactive oxygen species production and leads to apoptosis as shown by cell death reporters, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) dUTP Nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and dihydroethidium staining. Furthermore, Nsp3 misexpression activates both apoptosis and autophagy mechanism(s) to regulate tissue homeostasis. Transient expression of SARS-CoV2 Nsp3 in murine neuroblastoma, Neuro-2a cells, significantly reduced the metabolic activity of these cells and triggers cell death. Misexpression of SARS-CoV2 Nsp3 in an Alzheimer’s disease transgenic fly eye model (glass multiple repeats [GMR]>amyloid β42) further enhances the neurodegenerative rough eye phenotype due to increased cell death. These findings suggest that SARS-CoV2 utilizes Nsp3 protein to potentiate cell death response in a neurodegenerative disease background that has high pre-existing levels of neuroinflammation and cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | | | | | - Soumya Bajpai
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Anjali Sangeeth
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | | | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA
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2
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Li C, Zhu X, Sun X, Guo X, Li W, Chen P, Shidlovskii YV, Zhou Q, Xue L. Slik maintains tissue homeostasis by preventing JNK-mediated apoptosis. Cell Div 2023; 18:16. [PMID: 37794497 PMCID: PMC10552427 DOI: 10.1186/s13008-023-00097-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of cell death, which is essential for coordinating tissue homeostasis. In this study, we have characterized the Drosophila Ste20-like kinase Slik as a novel modulator of JNK pathway-mediated apoptotic cell death. RESULTS First, ectopic JNK signaling-triggered cell death is enhanced by slik depletion whereas suppressed by Slik overexpression. Second, loss of slik activates JNK signaling, which results in enhanced apoptosis and impaired tissue homeostasis. In addition, genetic epistasis analysis suggests that Slik acts upstream of or in parallel to Hep to regulate JNK-mediated apoptotic cell death. Moreover, Slik is necessary and sufficient for preventing physiologic JNK signaling-mediated cell death in development. Furthermore, introduction of STK10, the human ortholog of Slik, into Drosophila restores slik depletion-induced cell death and compromised tissue homeostasis. Lastly, knockdown of STK10 in human cancer cells also leads to JNK activation, which is cancelled by expression of Slik. CONCLUSIONS This study has uncovered an evolutionarily conserved role of Slik/STK10 in blocking JNK signaling, which is required for cell death inhibition and tissue homeostasis maintenance in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenglin Li
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaojie Zhu
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyue Sun
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaowei Guo
- The Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wenzhe Li
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Chen
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yulii V Shidlovskii
- Department of Gene Expression Regulation in Development, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Biology and General Genetics, Sechenov University, 8, bldg. 2 Trubetskaya St, Moscow, 119048, Russia
| | - Qian Zhou
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Lei Xue
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases Research, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment, Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai People's Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
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Yan L, Zhou J, Yuan L, Ye J, Zhao X, Ren G, Chen H. Silibinin alleviates intestinal inflammation via inhibiting JNK signaling in Drosophila. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1246960. [PMID: 37781701 PMCID: PMC10539474 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1246960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are characterized by chronic relapsing intestinal inflammation that causes digestive system dysfunction. For years, researchers have been working to find more effective and safer therapeutic strategies to treat these diseases. Silibinin (SIL), a flavonoid compound extracted from the seeds of milk thistle plants, possesses multiple biological activities and is traditionally applied to treat liver diseases. SIL is also widely used in the treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases attributed to its excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the efficacy of SIL against IBDs and its mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, we found that SIL can effectively relieve intestinal inflammation caused by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Our results suggested that SIL supplementation can inhibit the overproliferation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) induced by DSS, protect intestinal barrier function, acid-base balance, and intestinal excretion function, reduce intestinal reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and inflammatory stress, and extend the lifespan of Drosophila. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that SIL ameliorates intestinal inflammation via modulating the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in Drosophila. Our research aims to provide new insight into the treatment of IBDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- La Yan
- Laboratory of Metabolism and Aging Research, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Targeting Therapy and Immunology and Laboratory of Animal Tumor Models, Cancer Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics and Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Juanyu Zhou
- Laboratory of Metabolism and Aging Research, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lu Yuan
- Research Center of Natural Resources of Chinese Medicinal Materials and Ethnic Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Jinbao Ye
- Laboratory of Metabolism and Aging Research, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xudong Zhao
- Department of Targeting Therapy and Immunology and Laboratory of Animal Tumor Models, Cancer Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics and Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Gang Ren
- Research Center of Natural Resources of Chinese Medicinal Materials and Ethnic Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Haiyang Chen
- Laboratory of Metabolism and Aging Research, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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Chimata AV, Darnell H, Raj A, Kango-Singh M, Singh A. Transcriptional pausing factor M1BP regulates cellular homeostasis by suppressing autophagy and apoptosis in Drosophila eye. AUTOPHAGY REPORTS 2023; 2:2252307. [PMID: 37746026 PMCID: PMC10512699 DOI: 10.1080/27694127.2023.2252307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
During organogenesis cellular homeostasis plays a crucial role in patterning and growth. The role of promoter proximal pausing of RNA polymerase II, which regulates transcription of several developmental genes by GAGA factor or Motif 1 Binding Protein (M1BP), has not been fully understood in cellular homeostasis. Earlier, we reported that M1BP, a functional homolog of ZKSCAN3, regulates wingless and caspase-dependent cell death (apoptosis) in the Drosophila eye. Further, blocking apoptosis does not fully rescue the M1BPRNAi phenotype of reduced eye. Therefore, we looked for other possible mechanism(s). In a forward genetic screen, members of the Jun-amino-terminal-(NH2)-Kinase (JNK) pathway were identified. Downregulation of M1BP ectopically induces JNK, a pro-death pathway known to activate both apoptosis and caspase-independent (autophagy) cell death. Activation of JNK pathway components can enhance M1BPRNAi phenotype and vice-versa. Downregulation of M1BP ectopically induced JNK signaling, which leads to apoptosis and autophagy. Apoptosis and autophagy are regulated independently by their genetic circuitry. Here, we found that blocking either apoptosis or autophagy alone rescues the reduced eye phenotype of M1BP downregulation; whereas, blocking both apoptosis and autophagy together significantly rescues the M1BP reduced eye phenotype to near wild-type in nearly 85% progeny. This data suggests that the cellular homeostasis response demonstrated by two independent cell death mechanisms, apoptosis and autophagy, can be regulated by a common transcriptional pausing mechanism orchestrated by M1BP. Since these fundamental processes are conserved in higher organisms, this novel functional link between M1BP and regulation of both apoptosis and autophagy can be extrapolated to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hannah Darnell
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Akanksha Raj
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Madhuri Kango-Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Integrative Science and Engineering (ISE), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration & Engineering (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Integrative Science and Engineering (ISE), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA
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5
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Kumar A, Baker NE. The CRL4 E3 ligase Mahjong/DCAF1 controls cell competition through the transcription factor Xrp1, independently of polarity genes. Development 2022; 149:dev200795. [PMID: 36278853 PMCID: PMC9845748 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cell competition, the elimination of cells surrounded by more fit neighbors, is proposed to suppress tumorigenesis. Mahjong (Mahj), a ubiquitin E3 ligase substrate receptor, has been thought to mediate competition of cells mutated for lethal giant larvae (lgl), a neoplastic tumor suppressor that defines apical-basal polarity of epithelial cells. Here, we show that Drosophila cells mutated for mahjong, but not for lgl [l(2)gl], are competed because they express the bZip-domain transcription factor Xrp1, already known to eliminate cells heterozygous for ribosomal protein gene mutations (Rp/+ cells). Xrp1 expression in mahj mutant cells results in activation of JNK signaling, autophagosome accumulation, eIF2α phosphorylation and lower translation, just as in Rp/+ cells. Cells mutated for damage DNA binding-protein 1 (ddb1; pic) or cullin 4 (cul4), which encode E3 ligase partners of Mahj, also display Xrp1-dependent phenotypes, as does knockdown of proteasome subunits. Our data suggest a new model of mahj-mediated cell competition that is independent of apical-basal polarity and couples Xrp1 to protein turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Nicholas E. Baker
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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Abstract
Cell death maintains tissue homeostasis by eliminating dispensable cells. Misregulation of cell death is seen in diseases like cancer, neurodegeneration, etc. Therefore, cell death assays like TUNEL have become reliable tools, where fragmented DNA of dying cells gets fluorescently labeled and can be detected under microscope. We used TUNEL assay in Drosophila melanogaster third-instar larval eye-antennal imaginal discs to label and quantify cell death. This assay is sensitive to detect DNA fragmentation, an important event, during apoptosis in retinal neurons. For complete details on the use and execution of this profile, please refer to Wang et al. (1999), Tare et al. (2011), and Mehta et al. (2021). Combines immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay to measure cell death Marks the fragmented DNA to quantify dying cells in specific regions of the tissue This protocol can be adapted to assay cell death in other tissues as well
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Mehta AS, Deshpande P, Chimata AV, Tsonis PA, Singh A. Newt regeneration genes regulate Wingless signaling to restore patterning in Drosophila eye. iScience 2021; 24:103166. [PMID: 34746690 PMCID: PMC8551474 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Newts utilize their unique genes to restore missing parts by strategic regulation of conserved signaling pathways. Lack of genetic tools poses challenges to determine the function of such genes. Therefore, we used the Drosophila eye model to demonstrate the potential of 5 unique newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) gene(s), viropana1-viropana5 (vna1-vna5), which were ectopically expressed in L 2 mutant and GMR-hid, GMR-GAL4 eye. L 2 exhibits the loss of ventral half of early eye and head involution defective (hid) triggers cell-death during later eye development. Surprisingly, newt genes significantly restore missing photoreceptor cells both in L 2 and GMR>hid background by upregulating cell-proliferation and blocking cell-death, regulating evolutionarily conserved Wingless (Wg)/Wnt signaling pathway and exhibit non-cell-autonomous rescues. Further, Wg/Wnt signaling acts downstream of newt genes. Our data highlights that unique newt proteins can regulate conserved pathways to trigger a robust restoration of missing photoreceptor cells in Drosophila eye model with weak restoration capability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, USA
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA
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8
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Unbiased automated quantitation of ROS signals in live retinal neurons of Drosophila using Fiji/ImageJ. Biotechniques 2021; 71:416-424. [PMID: 34350780 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2021-0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous imaging modules are utilized to study changes that occur during cellular processes. Besides qualitative (immunohistochemical) or semiquantitative (Western blot) approaches, direct quantitation method(s) for detecting and analyzing signal intensities for disease(s) biomarkers are lacking. Thus, there is a need to develop method(s) to quantitate specific signals and eliminate noise during live tissue imaging. An increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O2•-) radicals results in oxidative damage of biomolecules, which leads to oxidative stress. This can be detected by dihydroethidium staining in live tissue(s), which does not rely on fixation and helps prevent stress on tissues. However, the signal-to-noise ratio is reduced in live tissue staining. We employ the Drosophila eye model of Alzheimer's disease as a proof of concept to quantitate ROS in live tissue by adapting an unbiased method. The method presented here has a potential application for other live tissue fluorescent images.
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9
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Raj A, Chimata AV, Singh A. Motif 1 Binding Protein suppresses wingless to promote eye fate in Drosophila. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17221. [PMID: 33057115 PMCID: PMC7560846 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73891-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The phenomenon of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) pausing at transcription start site (TSS) is one of the key rate-limiting steps in regulating genome-wide gene expression. In Drosophila embryo, Pol II pausing is known to regulate the developmental control genes expression, however, the functional implication of Pol II pausing during later developmental time windows remains largely unknown. A highly conserved zinc finger transcription factor, Motif 1 Binding Protein (M1BP), is known to orchestrate promoter-proximal pausing. We found a new role of M1BP in regulating Drosophila eye development. Downregulation of M1BP function suppresses eye fate resulting in a reduced eye or a "no-eye" phenotype. The eye suppression function of M1BP has no domain constraint in the developing eye. Downregulation of M1BP results in more than two-fold induction of wingless (wg) gene expression along with robust induction of Homothorax (Hth), a negative regulator of eye fate. The loss-of-eye phenotype of M1BP downregulation is dependent on Wg upregulation as downregulation of both M1BP and wg, by using wgRNAi, shows a significant rescue of a reduced eye or a "no-eye" phenotype, which is accompanied by normalizing of wg and hth expression levels in the eye imaginal disc. Ectopic induction of Wg is known to trigger developmental cell death. We found that upregulation of wg as a result of downregulation of M1BP also induces apoptotic cell death, which can be significantly restored by blocking caspase-mediated cell death. Our data strongly imply that transcriptional regulation of wg by Pol II pausing factor M1BP may be one of the important regulatory mechanism(s) during Drosophila eye development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akanksha Raj
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | | | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA. .,Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA. .,Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA. .,Integrative Science and Engineering (ISE), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA. .,Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA.
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10
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Tare M, Chimata AV, Gogia N, Narwal S, Deshpande P, Singh A. An E3 ubiquitin ligase, cullin-4 regulates retinal differentiation in Drosophila eye. Genesis 2020; 58:e23395. [PMID: 32990387 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
During organogenesis, cell proliferation is followed by the differentiation of specific cell types to form an organ. Any aberration in differentiation can result in developmental defects, which can result in a partial to a near-complete loss of an organ. We employ the Drosophila eye model to understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in the process of differentiation. In a forward genetic screen, we identified, cullin-4 (cul-4), which encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase, to play an important role in retinal differentiation. During development, cul-4 is known to be involved in protein degradation, regulation of genomic stability, and regulation of cell cycle. Previously, we have reported that cul-4 regulates cell death during eye development by downregulating Wingless (Wg)/Wnt signaling pathway. We found that loss-of-function of cul-4 results in a reduced eye phenotype, which can be due to onset of cell death. However, we found that loss-of-function of cul-4 also affects retinal development by downregulating retinal determination (RD) gene expression. Early markers of retinal differentiation are dysregulated in cul-4 loss of function conditions, indicating that cul-4 is necessary for differentiation. Furthermore, loss-of-function of cul-4 ectopically induces expression of negative regulators of eye development like Wg and Homothorax (Hth). During eye development, Wg is known to block the progression of a synchronous wave of differentiation referred to as Morphogenetic furrow (MF). In cul-4 loss-of-function background, expression of dpp-lacZ, a MF marker, is significantly downregulated. Our data suggest a new role of cul-4 in retinal differentiation. These studies may have significant bearings on our understanding of early eye development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghana Tare
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Pilani, India
| | | | - Neha Gogia
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Sonia Narwal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Pilani, India
| | | | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA.,Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA.,Center for Tissue Regeneration & Engineering (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA.,The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA.,Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana, USA
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11
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Lewis JJ, Van Belleghem SM, Papa R, Danko CG, Reed RD. Many functionally connected loci foster adaptive diversification along a neotropical hybrid zone. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/39/eabb8617. [PMID: 32978147 PMCID: PMC7518860 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb8617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing the genetic complexity of adaptation and trait evolution is a major emphasis of evolutionary biology and genetics. Incongruent findings from genetic studies have resulted in conceptual models ranging from a few large-effect loci to massively polygenic architectures. Here, we combine chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, Hi-C, RNA sequencing, and 40 whole-genome sequences from Heliconius butterflies to show that red color pattern diversification occurred via many genomic loci. We find that the red wing pattern master regulatory transcription factor Optix binds dozens of loci also under selection, which frequently form three-dimensional adaptive hubs with selection acting on multiple physically interacting genes. Many Optix-bound genes under selection are tied to pigmentation and wing development, and these loci collectively maintain separation between adaptive red color pattern phenotypes in natural populations. We propose a model of trait evolution where functional connections between loci may resolve much of the disparity between large-effect and polygenic evolutionary models.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Riccardo Papa
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Charles G Danko
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Robert D Reed
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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12
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Gogia N, Sarkar A, Mehta AS, Ramesh N, Deshpande P, Kango-Singh M, Pandey UB, Singh A. Inactivation of Hippo and cJun-N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling mitigate FUS mediated neurodegeneration in vivo. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 140:104837. [PMID: 32199908 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of motor neurons in the central nervous system, has no known cure to-date. Disease causing mutations in human Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) leads to aggressive and juvenile onset of ALS. FUS is a well-conserved protein across different species, which plays a crucial role in regulating different aspects of RNA metabolism. Targeted misexpression of FUS in Drosophila model recapitulates several interesting phenotypes relevant to ALS including cytoplasmic mislocalization, defects at the neuromuscular junction and motor dysfunction. We screened for the genetic modifiers of human FUS-mediated neurodegenerative phenotype using molecularly defined deficiencies. We identified hippo (hpo), a component of the evolutionarily conserved Hippo growth regulatory pathway, as a genetic modifier of FUS mediated neurodegeneration. Gain-of-function of hpo triggers cell death whereas its loss-of-function promotes cell proliferation. Downregulation of the Hippo signaling pathway, using mutants of Hippo signaling, exhibit rescue of FUS-mediated neurodegeneration in the Drosophila eye, as evident from reduction in the number of TUNEL positive nuclei as well as rescue of axonal targeting from the retina to the brain. The Hippo pathway activates c-Jun amino-terminal (NH2) Kinase (JNK) mediated cell death. We found that downregulation of JNK signaling is sufficient to rescue FUS-mediated neurodegeneration in the Drosophila eye. Our study elucidates that Hippo signaling and JNK signaling are activated in response to FUS accumulation to induce neurodegeneration. These studies will shed light on the genetic mechanism involved in neurodegeneration observed in ALS and other associated disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Gogia
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
| | - Ankita Sarkar
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
| | | | - Nandini Ramesh
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA
| | | | - Madhuri Kango-Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA; Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA; Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
| | - Udai Bhan Pandey
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA
| | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA; Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA; Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA; The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA; Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA.
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Irwin M, Tare M, Singh A, Puli OR, Gogia N, Riccetti M, Deshpande P, Kango-Singh M, Singh A. A Positive Feedback Loop of Hippo- and c-Jun-Amino-Terminal Kinase Signaling Pathways Regulates Amyloid-Beta-Mediated Neurodegeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:117. [PMID: 32232042 PMCID: PMC7082232 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD, OMIM: 104300) is an age-related disorder that affects millions of people. One of the underlying causes of AD is generation of hydrophobic amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) peptides that accumulate to form amyloid plaques. These plaques induce oxidative stress and aberrant signaling, which result in the death of neurons and other pathologies linked to neurodegeneration. We have developed a Drosophila eye model of AD by targeted misexpression of human Aβ42 in the differentiating retinal neurons, where an accumulation of Aβ42 triggers a characteristic neurodegenerative phenotype. In a forward deficiency screen to look for genetic modifiers, we identified a molecularly defined deficiency, which suppresses Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. This deficiency uncovers hippo (hpo) gene, a member of evolutionarily conserved Hippo signaling pathway that regulates growth. Activation of Hippo signaling causes cell death, whereas downregulation of Hippo signaling triggers cell proliferation. We found that Hippo signaling is activated in Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. Downregulation of Hippo signaling rescues the Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration, whereas upregulation of Hippo signaling enhances the Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration phenotypes. It is known that c-Jun-amino-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway is upregulated in AD. We found that activation of JNK signaling enhances the Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration, whereas downregulation of JNK signaling rescues the Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. We tested the nature of interactions between Hippo signaling and JNK signaling in Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration using genetic epistasis approach. Our data suggest that Hippo signaling and JNK signaling, two independent signaling pathways, act synergistically upon accumulation of Aβ42 plaques to trigger cell death. Our studies demonstrate a novel role of Hippo signaling pathway in Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Irwin
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Meghana Tare
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Aditi Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Oorvashi Roy Puli
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Neha Gogia
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Matthew Riccetti
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
| | | | - Madhuri Kango-Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, United States
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Singh A, Gogia N, Chang CY, Sun YH. Proximal fate marker homothorax marks the lateral extension of stalk-eyed fly Cyrtodopsis whitei. Genesis 2019; 57:e23309. [PMID: 31162816 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The placement of eyes on insect head is an important evolutionary trait. The stalk-eyed fly, Cyrtodopsis whitei, exhibits a hypercephaly phenotype where compound eyes are located on lateral extension from the head while the antennal segments are placed inwardly on this stalk. This stalk-eyed phenotype is characteristic of the family Diopsidae in the Diptera order and dramatically deviates from other dipterans, such as Drosophila. Like other insects, the adult eye and antenna of stalk-eyed fly develop from a complex eye-antennal imaginal disc. We analyzed the markers involved in proximo-distal (PD) axis of the developing eye imaginal disc of the stalk-eyed flies. We used homothorax (hth) and distalless (dll), two highly conserved genes as the marker for proximal and distal fate, respectively. We found that lateral extensions between eye and antennal field of the stalk-eyed fly's eye-antennal imaginal disc exhibit robust Hth expression. Hth marks the head specific fate in the eye- and proximal fate in the antenna-disc. Thus, the proximal fate marker Hth expression evolves in the stalk-eyed flies to generate lateral extensions for the placement of the eye on the head. Moreover, during pupal eye metamorphosis, the lateral extension folds back on itself to place the antenna inside and the adult compound eye on the distal tip. Interestingly, the compound eye in other insects does not have a prominent PD axis as observed in the stalk-eyed fly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.,Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.,Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.,The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.,Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Neha Gogia
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
| | - Chia-Yu Chang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi Henry Sun
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Sarkar A, Gogia N, Glenn N, Singh A, Jones G, Powers N, Srivastava A, Kango-Singh M, Singh A. A soy protein Lunasin can ameliorate amyloid-beta 42 mediated neurodegeneration in Drosophila eye. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13545. [PMID: 30202077 PMCID: PMC6131139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31787-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder, also results from accumulation of amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) plaques. These Aβ42 plaques trigger oxidative stress, abnormal signaling, which results in neuronal death by unknown mechanism(s). We misexpress high levels of human Aβ42 in the differentiating retinal neurons of the Drosophila eye, which results in the Alzheimer's like neuropathology. Using our transgenic model, we tested a soy-derived protein Lunasin (Lun) for a possible role in rescuing neurodegeneration in retinal neurons. Lunasin is known to have anti-cancer effect and reduces stress and inflammation. We show that misexpression of Lunasin by transgenic approach can rescue Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration by blocking cell death in retinal neurons, and results in restoration of axonal targeting from retina to brain. Misexpression of Lunasin downregulates the highly conserved cJun-N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling pathway. Activation of JNK signaling can prevent neuroprotective role of Lunasin in Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. This neuroprotective function of Lunasin is not dependent on retinal determination gene cascade in the Drosophila eye, and is independent of Wingless (Wg) and Decapentaplegic (Dpp) signaling pathways. Furthermore, Lunasin can significantly reduce mortality rate caused by misexpression of human Aβ42 in flies. Our studies identified the novel neuroprotective role of Lunasin peptide, a potential therapeutic agent that can ameliorate Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration by downregulating JNK signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Sarkar
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Neha Gogia
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Neil Glenn
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Aditi Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Gillian Jones
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Center, Western Kentucky University, 1906 College Heights Boulevard, TCCW 351, Bowling Green, KY, 42101, USA
| | - Nathan Powers
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Center, Western Kentucky University, 1906 College Heights Boulevard, TCCW 351, Bowling Green, KY, 42101, USA
| | - Ajay Srivastava
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Center, Western Kentucky University, 1906 College Heights Boulevard, TCCW 351, Bowling Green, KY, 42101, USA
| | - Madhuri Kango-Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA.
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Sarkar A, Gogia N, Farley K, Payton L, Singh A. Characterization of a morphogenetic furrow specific Gal4 driver in the developing Drosophila eye. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196365. [PMID: 29702674 PMCID: PMC5922546 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to express a gene of interest in a spatio-temporal manner using Gal4-UAS system has allowed the use of Drosophila model to study various biological phenomenon. During Drosophila eye development, a synchronous wave of differentiation called Morphogenetic furrow (MF) initiates at the posterior margin resulting in differentiation of retinal neurons. This synchronous differentiation is also observed in the differentiating retina of vertebrates. Since MF is highly dynamic, it can serve as an excellent model to study patterning and differentiation. However, there are not any Gal4 drivers available to observe the gain- of- function or loss- of- function of a gene specifically along the dynamic MF. The decapentaplegic (dpp) gene encodes a secreted protein of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily that expresses at the posterior margin and then moves with the MF. However, unlike the MF associated pattern of dpp gene expression, the targeted dpp-Gal4 driver expression is restricted to the posterior margin of the developing eye disc. We screened GMR lines harboring regulatory regions of dpp fused with Gal4 coding region to identify MF specific enhancer of dpp using a GFP reporter gene. We employed immuno-histochemical approaches to detect gene expression. The rationale was that GFP reporter expression will correspond to the dpp expression domain in the developing eye. We identified two new dpp-Gal4 lines, viz., GMR17E04-Gal4 and GMR18D08-Gal4 that carry sequences from first intron region of dpp gene. GMR17E04-Gal4 drives expression along the MF during development and later in the entire pupal retina whereas GMR18D08-Gal4 drives expression of GFP transgene in the entire developing eye disc, which later drives expression only in the ventral half of the pupal retina. Thus, GMR18D08-Gal4 will serve as a new reagent for targeting gene expression in the ventral half of the pupal retina. We compared misexpression phenotypes of Wg, a negative regulator of eye development, using GMR17E04-Gal4, GMR18D08-Gal4 with existing dpp-Gal4 driver. The eye phenotypes generated by using our newly identified MF specific driver are not similar to the ones generated by existing dpp-Gal4 driver. It suggests that misexpression studies along MF needs revisiting using the new Gal4 drivers generated in our studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Sarkar
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
| | - Neha Gogia
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
| | - Kevin Farley
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
| | - Lydia Payton
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
| | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, United States of America
- Affiliate Member, Center for Genome Advocacy, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, United States of America
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Ketosugbo KF, Bushnell HL, Johnson RI. A screen for E3 ubiquitination ligases that genetically interact with the adaptor protein Cindr during Drosophila eye patterning. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187571. [PMID: 29117266 PMCID: PMC5678704 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitination is a crucial post-translational modification that can target proteins for degradation. The E3 ubiquitin ligases are responsible for recognizing substrate proteins for ubiquitination, hence providing specificity to the process of protein degradation. Here, we describe a genetic modifier screen that identified E3 ligases that modified the rough-eye phenotype generated by expression of cindrRNAi transgenes during Drosophila eye development. In total, we identified 36 E3 ligases, as well as 4 Cullins, that modified the mild cindrRNA mis-patterning phenotype. This indicates possible roles for these E3s/Cullins in processes that require Cindr function, including cytoskeletal regulation, cell adhesion, cell signaling and cell survival. Three E3 ligases identified in our screen had previously been linked to regulating JNK signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwami F. Ketosugbo
- Biology Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Henry L. Bushnell
- Biology Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Ruth I. Johnson
- Biology Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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