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Jud MC, Lowry J, Padilla T, Clifford E, Yang Y, Fennell F, Miller AK, Hamill D, Harvey AM, Avila-Zavala M, Shao H, Nguyen Tran N, Bao Z, Bowerman B. A genetic screen for temperature-sensitive morphogenesis-defective Caenorhabditis elegans mutants. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6169531. [PMID: 33713117 PMCID: PMC8133775 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Morphogenesis involves coordinated cell migrations and cell shape changes that generate tissues and organs, and organize the body plan. Cell adhesion and the cytoskeleton are important for executing morphogenesis, but their regulation remains poorly understood. As genes required for embryonic morphogenesis may have earlier roles in development, temperature-sensitive embryonic-lethal mutations are useful tools for investigating this process. From a collection of ∼200 such Caenorhabditis elegans mutants, we have identified 17 that have highly penetrant embryonic morphogenesis defects after upshifts from the permissive to the restrictive temperature, just prior to the cell shape changes that mediate elongation of the ovoid embryo into a vermiform larva. Using whole genome sequencing, we identified the causal mutations in seven affected genes. These include three genes that have roles in producing the extracellular matrix, which is known to affect the morphogenesis of epithelial tissues in multicellular organisms: the rib-1 and rib-2 genes encode glycosyltransferases, and the emb-9 gene encodes a collagen subunit. We also used live imaging to characterize epidermal cell shape dynamics in one mutant, or1219ts, and observed cell elongation defects during dorsal intercalation and ventral enclosure that may be responsible for the body elongation defects. These results indicate that our screen has identified factors that influence morphogenesis and provides a platform for advancing our understanding of this fundamental biological process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly C Jud
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Josh Lowry
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Thalia Padilla
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Erin Clifford
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Yuqi Yang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Francesca Fennell
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Alexander K Miller
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Danielle Hamill
- Department of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, 43015, USA
| | - Austin M Harvey
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Martha Avila-Zavala
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
| | - Hong Shao
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Nhan Nguyen Tran
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Zhirong Bao
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Bruce Bowerman
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97402, USA
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Game of Tissues: How the Epidermis Thrones C. elegans Shape. J Dev Biol 2020; 8:jdb8010007. [PMID: 32182901 PMCID: PMC7151205 DOI: 10.3390/jdb8010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The versatility of epithelial cell structure is universally exploited by organisms in multiple contexts. Epithelial cells can establish diverse polarized axes within their tridimensional structure which enables them to flexibly communicate with their neighbors in a 360° range. Hence, these cells are central to multicellularity, and participate in diverse biological processes such as organismal development, growth or immune response and their misfunction ultimately impacts disease. During the development of an organism, the first task epidermal cells must complete is the formation of a continuous sheet, which initiates its own morphogenic process. In this review, we will focus on the C. elegans embryonic epithelial morphogenesis. We will describe how its formation, maturation, and spatial arrangements set the final shape of the nematode C. elegans. Special importance will be given to the tissue-tissue interactions, regulatory tissue-tissue feedback mechanisms and the players orchestrating the process.
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