1
|
Kraus JEM, Busengdal H, Kraus Y, Hausen H, Rentzsch F. Doublecortin-like kinase is required for cnidocyte development in Nematostella vectensis. Neural Dev 2024; 19:11. [PMID: 38909268 PMCID: PMC11193195 DOI: 10.1186/s13064-024-00188-0] [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: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The complex morphology of neurons requires precise control of their microtubule cytoskeleton. This is achieved by microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that regulate the assembly and stability of microtubules, and transport of molecules and vesicles along them. While many of these MAPs function in all cells, some are specifically or predominantly involved in regulating microtubules in neurons. Here we use the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis as a model organism to provide new insights into the early evolution of neural microtubule regulation. As a cnidarian, Nematostella belongs to an outgroup to all bilaterians and thus occupies an informative phylogenetic position for reconstructing the evolution of nervous system development. We identified an ortholog of the microtubule-binding protein doublecortin-like kinase (NvDclk1) as a gene that is predominantly expressed in neurons and cnidocytes (stinging cells), two classes of cells belonging to the neural lineage in cnidarians. A transgenic NvDclk1 reporter line revealed an elaborate network of neurite-like processes emerging from cnidocytes in the tentacles and the body column. A transgene expressing NvDclk1 under the control of the NvDclk1 promoter suggests that NvDclk1 localizes to microtubules and therefore likely functions as a microtubule-binding protein. Further, we generated a mutant for NvDclk1 using CRISPR/Cas9 and show that the mutants fail to generate mature cnidocytes. Our results support the hypothesis that the elaboration of programs for microtubule regulation occurred early in the evolution of nervous systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna E M Kraus
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, Bergen, 5006, Norway
| | - Henriette Busengdal
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, Bergen, 5006, Norway
| | - Yulia Kraus
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Leninskiye gory 1/12, Moscow, 119234, Russia
| | - Harald Hausen
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, Bergen, 5006, Norway
- Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, Bergen, 5007, Norway
| | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, Bergen, 5006, Norway.
- Department for Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 53, Bergen, 5006, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fridrich A, Salinas-Saaverda M, Kozlolvski I, Surm JM, Chrysostomou E, Tripathi AM, Frank U, Moran Y. An ancient pan-cnidarian microRNA regulates stinging capsule biogenesis in Nematostella vectensis. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113072. [PMID: 37676763 PMCID: PMC10548089 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113072] [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: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
An ancient evolutionary innovation of a novel cell type, the stinging cell (cnidocyte), appeared >600 million years ago in the phylum Cnidaria (sea anemones, corals, hydroids, and jellyfish). A complex bursting nano-injector of venom, the cnidocyst, is embedded in cnidocytes and enables cnidarians to paralyze their prey and predators, contributing to this phylum's evolutionary success. In this work, we show that post-transcriptional regulation by a pan-cnidarian microRNA, miR-2022, is essential for biogenesis of these cells in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. By manipulation of miR-2022 levels in a transgenic reporter line of cnidocytes, followed by transcriptomics, single-cell data analysis, prey paralysis assays, and cell sorting of transgenic cnidocytes, we reveal that miR-2022 enables cnidocyte biogenesis in Nematostella, while exhibiting a conserved expression domain with its targets in cnidocytes of other cnidarian species. Thus, here we revealed a functional basis to the conservation of one of nature's most ancient microRNAs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arie Fridrich
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, Faculty of Science, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| | | | - Itamar Kozlolvski
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, Faculty of Science, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Joachim M Surm
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, Faculty of Science, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Abhinandan M Tripathi
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, Faculty of Science, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Uri Frank
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, Faculty of Science, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Garg N, Štibler UK, Eismann B, Mercker M, Bergheim BG, Linn A, Tuchscherer P, Engel U, Redl S, Marciniak-Czochra A, Holstein TW, Hess MW, Özbek S. Non-muscle myosin II drives critical steps of nematocyst morphogenesis. iScience 2023; 26:106291. [PMID: 36936784 PMCID: PMC10014300 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106291] [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: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Nematocysts are generated by secretion of proteins into a post-Golgi compartment. They consist of a capsule that elongates into a long tube, which is coiled inside the capsule matrix and expelled during its nano-second discharge deployed for prey capture. The driving force for discharge is an extreme osmotic pressure of 150 bar. The complex processes of tube elongation and invagination under these biomechanical constraints have so far been elusive. Here, we show that a non-muscle myosin II homolog (HyNMII) is essential for nematocyst formation in Hydra. In early nematocysts, HyNMII assembles to a collar around the neck of the protruding tube. HyNMII then facilitates tube outgrowth by compressing it along the longitudinal axis as evidenced by inhibitor treatment and genetic knockdown. In addition, live imaging of a NOWA::NOWA-GFP transgenic line, which re-defined NOWA as a tube component facilitating invagination, allowed us to analyze the impact of HyNMII on tube maturation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niharika Garg
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Urška Knez Štibler
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Björn Eismann
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Moritz Mercker
- Institute for Applied Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bruno Gideon Bergheim
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Linn
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Patrizia Tuchscherer
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Engel
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Nikon Imaging Center at the University of Heidelberg, Bioquant, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Redl
- Institute of Neuroanatomy, Medical University of Innsbruck, Müllerstrasse 59, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Anna Marciniak-Czochra
- Institute for Applied Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas W. Holstein
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael W. Hess
- Institute of Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Müllerstrasse 59, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Suat Özbek
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Corresponding author
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Single-cell atavism reveals an ancient mechanism of cell type diversification in a sea anemone. Nat Commun 2023; 14:885. [PMID: 36797294 PMCID: PMC9935875 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36615-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cnidocytes are the explosive stinging cells unique to cnidarians (corals, jellyfish, etc). Specialized for prey capture and defense, cnidocytes comprise a group of over 30 morphologically and functionally distinct cell types. These unusual cells are iconic examples of biological novelty but the developmental mechanisms driving diversity of the stinging apparatus are poorly characterized, making it challenging to understand the evolutionary history of stinging cells. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, we show that a single transcription factor (NvSox2) acts as a binary switch between two alternative stinging cell fates. Knockout of NvSox2 causes a transformation of piercing cells into ensnaring cells, which are common in other species of sea anemone but appear to have been silenced in N. vectensis. These results reveal an unusual case of single-cell atavism and expand our understanding of the diversification of cell type identity.
Collapse
|
5
|
Hyun NP, Olberding JP, De A, Divi S, Liang X, Thomas E, St Pierre R, Steinhardt E, Jorge J, Longo SJ, Cox S, Mendoza E, Sutton GP, Azizi E, Crosby AJ, Bergbreiter S, Wood RJ, Patek SN. Spring and latch dynamics can act as control pathways in ultrafast systems. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2023; 18:026002. [PMID: 36595244 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/acaa7c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ultrafast movements propelled by springs and released by latches are thought limited to energetic adjustments prior to movement, and seemingly cannot adjust once movement begins. Even so, across the tree of life, ultrafast organisms navigate dynamic environments and generate a range of movements, suggesting unrecognized capabilities for control. We develop a framework of control pathways leveraging the non-linear dynamics of spring-propelled, latch-released systems. We analytically model spring dynamics and develop reduced-parameter models of latch dynamics to quantify how they can be tuned internally or through changing external environments. Using Lagrangian mechanics, we test feedforward and feedback control implementation via spring and latch dynamics. We establish through empirically-informed modeling that ultrafast movement can be controllably varied during latch release and spring propulsion. A deeper understanding of the interconnection between multiple control pathways, and the tunability of each control pathway, in ultrafast biomechanical systems presented here has the potential to expand the capabilities of synthetic ultra-fast systems and provides a new framework to understand the behaviors of fast organisms subject to perturbations and environmental non-idealities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N P Hyun
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - J P Olberding
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - A De
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - S Divi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States of America
| | - X Liang
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States of America
| | - E Thomas
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States of America
| | - R St Pierre
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States of America
| | - E Steinhardt
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - J Jorge
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States of America
| | - S J Longo
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States of America
| | - S Cox
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States of America
| | - E Mendoza
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - G P Sutton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - E Azizi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - A J Crosby
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States of America
| | - S Bergbreiter
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States of America
| | - R J Wood
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - S N Patek
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Aguilar-Camacho JM, Foreman K, Jaimes-Becerra A, Aharoni R, Gründer S, Moran Y. Functional analysis in a model sea anemone reveals phylogenetic complexity and a role in cnidocyte discharge of DEG/ENaC ion channels. Commun Biol 2023; 6:17. [PMID: 36609696 PMCID: PMC9822975 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04399-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ion channels of the DEG/ENaC family share a similar structure but serve strikingly diverse biological functions, such as Na+ reabsorption, mechanosensing, proton-sensing, chemosensing and cell-cell communication via neuropeptides. This functional diversity raises the question of the ancient function of DEG/ENaCs. Using an extensive phylogenetic analysis across many different animal groups, we found a surprising diversity of DEG/ENaCs already in Cnidaria (corals, sea anemones, hydroids and jellyfish). Using a combination of gene expression analysis, electrophysiological and functional studies combined with pharmacological inhibition as well as genetic knockout in the model cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, we reveal an unanticipated role for a proton-sensitive DEG/ENaC in discharge of N. vectensis cnidocytes, the stinging cells typifying all cnidarians. Our study supports the view that DEG/ENaCs are versatile channels that have been co-opted for diverse functions since their early occurrence in animals and that respond to simple and ancient stimuli, such as omnipresent protons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Maria Aguilar-Camacho
- grid.9619.70000 0004 1937 0538Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel ,grid.40803.3f0000 0001 2173 6074Present Address: Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC USA
| | - Katharina Foreman
- grid.1957.a0000 0001 0728 696XInstitute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Adrian Jaimes-Becerra
- grid.9619.70000 0004 1937 0538Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Reuven Aharoni
- grid.9619.70000 0004 1937 0538Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Stefan Gründer
- grid.1957.a0000 0001 0728 696XInstitute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Yehu Moran
- grid.9619.70000 0004 1937 0538Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Monastyrnaya MM, Kalina RS, Kozlovskaya EP. The Sea Anemone Neurotoxins Modulating Sodium Channels: An Insight at Structure and Functional Activity after Four Decades of Investigation. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 15:toxins15010008. [PMID: 36668828 PMCID: PMC9863223 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many human cardiovascular and neurological disorders (such as ischemia, epileptic seizures, traumatic brain injury, neuropathic pain, etc.) are associated with the abnormal functional activity of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs/NaVs). Many natural toxins, including the sea anemone toxins (called neurotoxins), are an indispensable and promising tool in pharmacological researches. They have widely been carried out over the past three decades, in particular, in establishing different NaV subtypes functional properties and a specific role in various pathologies. Therefore, a large number of publications are currently dedicated to the search and study of the structure-functional relationships of new sea anemone natural neurotoxins-potential pharmacologically active compounds that specifically interact with various subtypes of voltage gated sodium channels as drug discovery targets. This review presents and summarizes some updated data on the structure-functional relationships of known sea anemone neurotoxins belonging to four structural types. The review also emphasizes the study of type 2 neurotoxins, produced by the tropical sea anemone Heteractis crispa, five structurally homologous and one unique double-stranded peptide that, due to the absence of a functionally significant Arg14 residue, loses toxicity but retains the ability to modulate several VGSCs subtypes.
Collapse
|
8
|
Single-cell transcriptomics identifies conserved regulators of neuroglandular lineages. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111370. [PMID: 36130520 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication in bilaterian nervous systems is mediated by electrical and secreted signals; however, the evolutionary origin and relation of neurons to other secretory cell types has not been elucidated. Here, we use developmental single-cell RNA sequencing in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, representing an early evolutionary lineage with a simple nervous system. Validated by transgenics, we demonstrate that neurons, stinging cells, and gland cells arise from a common multipotent progenitor population. We identify the conserved transcription factor gene SoxC as a key upstream regulator of all neuroglandular lineages and demonstrate that SoxC knockdown eliminates both neuronal and secretory cell types. While in vertebrates and many other bilaterians neurogenesis is largely restricted to early developmental stages, we show that in the sea anemone, differentiation of neuroglandular cells is maintained throughout all life stages, and follows the same molecular trajectories from embryo to adulthood, ensuring lifelong homeostasis of neuroglandular cell lineages.
Collapse
|