1
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Lesnik C, Kaletsky R, Ashraf JM, Sohrabi S, Cota V, Sengupta T, Keyes W, Luo S, Murphy CT. Enhanced branched-chain amino acid metabolism improves age-related reproduction in C. elegans. Nat Metab 2024; 6:724-740. [PMID: 38418585 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-024-00996-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Reproductive ageing is one of the earliest human ageing phenotypes, and mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to oocyte quality decline; however, it is not known which mitochondrial metabolic processes are critical for oocyte quality maintenance with age. To understand how mitochondrial processes contribute to Caenorhabditis elegans oocyte quality, we characterized the mitochondrial proteomes of young and aged wild-type and long-reproductive daf-2 mutants. Here we show that the mitochondrial proteomic profiles of young wild-type and daf-2 worms are similar and share upregulation of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism pathway enzymes. Reduction of the BCAA catabolism enzyme BCAT-1 shortens reproduction, elevates mitochondrial reactive oxygen species levels, and shifts mitochondrial localization. Moreover, bcat-1 knockdown decreases oocyte quality in daf-2 worms and reduces reproductive capability, indicating the role of this pathway in the maintenance of oocyte quality with age. Notably, oocyte quality deterioration can be delayed, and reproduction can be extended in wild-type animals both by bcat-1 overexpression and by supplementing with vitamin B1, a cofactor needed for BCAA metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Lesnik
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Human Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rachel Kaletsky
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jasmine M Ashraf
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Salman Sohrabi
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Vanessa Cota
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Biology, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA, USA
| | - Titas Sengupta
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - William Keyes
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Shijing Luo
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Coleen T Murphy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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2
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Godthi A, Min S, Das S, Cruz-Corchado J, Deonarine A, Misel-Wuchter K, Issuree PD, Prahlad V. Neuronal IL-17 controls Caenorhabditis elegans developmental diapause through CEP-1/p53. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315248121. [PMID: 38483995 PMCID: PMC10963014 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315248121] [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: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
During metazoan development, how cell division and metabolic programs are coordinated with nutrient availability remains unclear. Here, we show that nutrient availability signaled by the neuronal cytokine, ILC-17.1, switches Caenorhabditis elegans development between reproductive growth and dormancy by controlling the activity of the tumor suppressor p53 ortholog, CEP-1. Specifically, upon food availability, ILC-17.1 signaling by amphid neurons promotes glucose utilization and suppresses CEP-1/p53 to allow growth. In the absence of ILC-17.1, CEP-1/p53 is activated, up-regulates cell-cycle inhibitors, decreases phosphofructokinase and cytochrome C expression, and causes larvae to arrest as stress-resistant, quiescent dauers. We propose a model whereby ILC-17.1 signaling links nutrient availability and energy metabolism to cell cycle progression through CEP-1/p53. These studies describe ancestral functions of IL-17 s and the p53 family of proteins and are relevant to our understanding of neuroimmune mechanisms in cancer. They also reveal a DNA damage-independent function of CEP-1/p53 in invertebrate development and support the existence of a previously undescribed C. elegans dauer pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishiktha Godthi
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY14263
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242-1324
| | - Sehee Min
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY14263
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242-1324
| | - Srijit Das
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242-1324
| | - Johnny Cruz-Corchado
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY14263
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242-1324
| | - Andrew Deonarine
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242-1324
| | - Kara Misel-Wuchter
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242
| | - Priya D. Issuree
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242
| | - Veena Prahlad
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY14263
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242-1324
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3
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Ponomarova O, Starbard AN, Belfi A, Anderson AV, Sundaram MV, Walhout AJM. idh-1 neomorphic mutation confers sensitivity to vitamin B12 via increased dependency on one-carbon metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.13.584865. [PMID: 38559246 PMCID: PMC10979948 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.13.584865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The isocitrate dehydrogenase neomorphic mutation ( idh-1neo ) generates increased levels of cellular D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG), a proposed oncometabolite. However, the physiological effects of increased D-2HG and whether additional metabolic changes occur in the presence of an idh-1neo mutation are not well understood. We created a C. elegans model to study the effects of the idh-1neo mutation in a whole animal. Comparing the phenotypes exhibited by the idh-1neo to Δdhgd-1 (D-2HG dehydrogenase) mutant animals, which also accumulate D-2HG, we identified a specific vitamin B12 diet-dependent vulnerability in idh-1neo mutant animals that leads to increased embryonic lethality. Through a genetic screen we found that impairment of the glycine cleavage system, which generates one-carbon donor units, exacerbates this phenotype. Additionally, supplementation with an alternate source of one-carbon donors suppresses the lethal phenotype. Our results indicate that the idh-1neo mutation imposes a heightened dependency on the one-carbon pool and provides a further understanding how this oncogenic mutation rewires cellular metabolism.
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4
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Lesnik C, Kaletsky R, Ashraf JM, Sohrabi S, Cota V, Sengupta T, Keyes W, Luo S, Murphy CT. Enhanced Branched-Chain Amino Acid Metabolism Improves Age-Related Reproduction in C. elegans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.02.09.527915. [PMID: 38370685 PMCID: PMC10871302 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Reproductive aging is one of the earliest human aging phenotypes, and mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to oocyte quality decline. However, it is not known which mitochondrial metabolic processes are critical for oocyte quality maintenance with age. To understand how mitochondrial processes contribute to C. elegans oocyte quality, we characterized the mitochondrial proteomes of young and aged wild-type and long-reproductive daf-2 mutants. Here we show that the mitochondrial proteomic profiles of young wild-type and daf-2 worms are similar and share upregulation of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism pathway enzymes. Reduction of the BCAA catabolism enzyme BCAT-1 shortens reproduction, elevates mitochondrial reactive oxygen species levels, and shifts mitochondrial localization. Moreover, bcat-1 knockdown decreases oocyte quality in daf-2 worms and reduces reproductive capability, indicating the role of this pathway in the maintenance of oocyte quality with age. Importantly, oocyte quality deterioration can be delayed, and reproduction can be extended in wild-type animals both by bcat-1 overexpression and by supplementing with Vitamin B1, a cofactor needed for BCAA metabolism.
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5
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Oleson BJ, Bhattrai J, Zalubas SL, Kravchenko TR, Ji Y, Jiang EL, Lu CC, Madden CR, Coffman JG, Bazopoulou D, Jones JW, Jakob U. Early life changes in histone landscape protect against age-associated amyloid toxicities through HSF-1-dependent regulation of lipid metabolism. NATURE AGING 2024; 4:48-61. [PMID: 38057386 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-023-00537-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Transient events during development can exert long-lasting effects on organismal lifespan. Here we demonstrate that exposure of Caenorhabditis elegans to reactive oxygen species during development protects against amyloid-induced proteotoxicity later in life. We show that this protection is initiated by the inactivation of the redox-sensitive H3K4me3-depositing COMPASS complex and conferred by a substantial increase in the heat-shock-independent activity of heat shock factor 1 (HSF-1), a longevity factor known to act predominantly during C. elegans development. We show that depletion of HSF-1 leads to marked rearrangements of the organismal lipid landscape and a significant decrease in mitochondrial β-oxidation and that both lipid and metabolic changes contribute to the protective effects of HSF-1 against amyloid toxicity. Together, these findings link developmental changes in the histone landscape, HSF-1 activity and lipid metabolism to protection against age-associated amyloid toxicities later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryndon J Oleson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Janakraj Bhattrai
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sarah L Zalubas
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tessa R Kravchenko
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Ji
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Emily L Jiang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Christine C Lu
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ciara R Madden
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Julia G Coffman
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Daphne Bazopoulou
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Jace W Jones
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ursula Jakob
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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6
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Ponomarova O, Zhang H, Li X, Nanda S, Leland TB, Fox BW, Starbard AN, Giese GE, Schroeder FC, Yilmaz LS, Walhout AJM. A D-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase mutant reveals a critical role for ketone body metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans development. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002057. [PMID: 37043428 PMCID: PMC10096224 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, mutations in D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG) dehydrogenase (D2HGDH) result in D-2HG accumulation, delayed development, seizures, and ataxia. While the mechanisms of 2HG-associated diseases have been studied extensively, the endogenous metabolism of D-2HG remains unclear in any organism. Here, we find that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, D-2HG is produced in the propionate shunt, which is transcriptionally activated when flux through the canonical, vitamin B12-dependent propionate breakdown pathway is perturbed. Loss of the D2HGDH ortholog, dhgd-1, results in embryonic lethality, mitochondrial defects, and the up-regulation of ketone body metabolism genes. Viability can be rescued by RNAi of hphd-1, which encodes the enzyme that produces D-2HG or by supplementing either vitamin B12 or the ketone bodies 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and acetoacetate (AA). Altogether, our findings support a model in which C. elegans relies on ketone bodies for energy when vitamin B12 levels are low and in which a loss of dhgd-1 causes lethality by limiting ketone body production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Ponomarova
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hefei Zhang
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Xuhang Li
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Shivani Nanda
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Thomas B. Leland
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Bennett W. Fox
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Alyxandra N. Starbard
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Gabrielle E. Giese
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Frank C. Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - L. Safak Yilmaz
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Albertha J. M. Walhout
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
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7
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Nanda S, Jacques MA, Wang W, Myers CL, Yilmaz LS, Walhout AJ. Systems-level transcriptional regulation of Caenorhabditis elegans metabolism. Mol Syst Biol 2023; 19:e11443. [PMID: 36942755 PMCID: PMC10167481 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202211443] [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: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolism is controlled to ensure organismal development and homeostasis. Several mechanisms regulate metabolism, including allosteric control and transcriptional regulation of metabolic enzymes and transporters. So far, metabolism regulation has mostly been described for individual genes and pathways, and the extent of transcriptional regulation of the entire metabolic network remains largely unknown. Here, we find that three-quarters of all metabolic genes are transcriptionally regulated in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that many annotated metabolic pathways are coexpressed, and we use gene expression data and the iCEL1314 metabolic network model to define coregulated subpathways in an unbiased manner. Using a large gene expression compendium, we determine the conditions where subpathways exhibit strong coexpression. Finally, we develop "WormClust," a web application that enables a gene-by-gene query of genes to view their association with metabolic (sub)-pathways. Overall, this study sheds light on the ubiquity of transcriptional regulation of metabolism and provides a blueprint for similar studies in other organisms, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivani Nanda
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Marc-Antoine Jacques
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Wen Wang
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Chad L Myers
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - L Safak Yilmaz
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Albertha Jm Walhout
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
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8
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Bacterial diet modulates tamoxifen-induced death via host fatty acid metabolism. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5595. [PMID: 36151093 PMCID: PMC9508336 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33299-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulator that is used to treat ER-positive breast cancer, but that at high doses kills both ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cells. We recapitulate this off-target effect in Caenorhabditis elegans, which does not have an ER ortholog. We find that different bacteria dramatically modulate tamoxifen toxicity in C. elegans, with a three-order of magnitude difference between animals fed Escherichia coli, Comamonas aquatica, and Bacillus subtilis. Remarkably, host fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis mitigates tamoxifen toxicity, and different bacteria provide the animal with different FAs, resulting in distinct FA profiles. Surprisingly these bacteria modulate tamoxifen toxicity by different death mechanisms, some of which are modulated by FA supplementation and others by antioxidants. Together, this work reveals a complex interplay between microbiota, FA metabolism and tamoxifen toxicity that may provide a blueprint for similar studies in more complex mammals. Here, Diot et al. use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to identify off-target toxicity mechanisms for tamoxifen, and find that these include fatty acid metabolism and cell death, which can be modulated by different bacterial species.
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9
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Bhattacharya S, Horowitz BB, Zhang J, Li X, Zhang H, Giese GE, Holdorf AD, Walhout AJ. A metabolic regulatory network for the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine. iScience 2022; 25:104688. [PMID: 35847555 PMCID: PMC9283940 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic perturbations can affect gene expression, for instance to rewire metabolism. While numerous efforts have measured gene expression in response to individual metabolic perturbations, methods that determine all metabolic perturbations that affect the expression for a given gene or set of genes have not been available. Here, we use a gene-centered approach to derive a first-pass metabolic regulatory network for Caenorhabditis elegans by performing RNAi of more than 1,400 metabolic genes with a set of 19 promoter reporter strains that express a fluorescent protein in the animal's intestine. We find that metabolic perturbations generally increase promoter activity, which contrasts with transcription factor (TF) RNAi, which tends to repress promoter activity. We identify several TFs that modulate promoter activity in response to perturbations of the electron transport chain and explore complex genetic interactions among metabolic pathways. This work provides a blueprint for a systems-level understanding of how metabolism affects gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushila Bhattacharya
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Brent B. Horowitz
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Jingyan Zhang
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Xuhang Li
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Hefei Zhang
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Gabrielle E. Giese
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Amy D. Holdorf
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Albertha J.M. Walhout
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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10
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Fox BW, Ponomarova O, Lee YU, Zhang G, Giese GE, Walker M, Roberto NM, Na H, Rodrigues PR, Curtis BJ, Kolodziej AR, Crombie TA, Zdraljevic S, Yilmaz LS, Andersen EC, Schroeder FC, Walhout AJM. C. elegans as a model for inter-individual variation in metabolism. Nature 2022; 607:571-577. [PMID: 35794472 PMCID: PMC9817093 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04951-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Individuals can exhibit differences in metabolism that are caused by the interplay of genetic background, nutritional input, microbiota and other environmental factors1-4. It is difficult to connect differences in metabolism to genomic variation and derive underlying molecular mechanisms in humans, owing to differences in diet and lifestyle, among others. Here we use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study inter-individual variation in metabolism. By comparing three wild strains and the commonly used N2 laboratory strain, we find differences in the abundances of both known metabolites and those that have not to our knowledge been previously described. The latter metabolites include conjugates between 3-hydroxypropionate (3HP) and several amino acids (3HP-AAs), which are much higher in abundance in one of the wild strains. 3HP is an intermediate in the propionate shunt pathway, which is activated when flux through the canonical, vitamin-B12-dependent propionate breakdown pathway is perturbed5. We show that increased accumulation of 3HP-AAs is caused by genetic variation in HPHD-1, for which 3HP is a substrate. Our results suggest that the production of 3HP-AAs represents a 'shunt-within-a-shunt' pathway to accommodate a reduction-of-function allele in hphd-1. This study provides a step towards the development of metabolic network models that capture individual-specific differences of metabolism and more closely represent the diversity that is found in entire species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bennett W Fox
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Olga Ponomarova
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Yong-Uk Lee
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Gaotian Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Gabrielle E Giese
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Melissa Walker
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Nicole M Roberto
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Huimin Na
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Pedro R Rodrigues
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Brian J Curtis
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Aiden R Kolodziej
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Timothy A Crombie
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Stefan Zdraljevic
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - L Safak Yilmaz
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Erik C Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - Frank C Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Albertha J M Walhout
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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11
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Higgins DP, Weisman CM, Lui DS, D'Agostino FA, Walker AK. Defining characteristics and conservation of poorly annotated genes in Caenorhabditis elegans using WormCat 2.0. Genetics 2022; 221:6588682. [PMID: 35587742 PMCID: PMC9339291 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Omics tools provide broad datasets for biological discovery. However, the computational tools for identifying important genes or pathways in RNA-seq, proteomics, or GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Study) data depend on Gene Ontogeny annotations and are biased toward well-described pathways. This limits their utility as poorly annotated genes, which could have novel functions, are often passed over. Recently, we developed an annotation and category enrichment tool for Caenorhabditis elegans genomic data, WormCat, which provides an intuitive visualization output. Unlike Gene Ontogeny-based enrichment tools, which exclude genes with no annotation information, WormCat 2.0 retains these genes as a special UNASSIGNED category. Here, we show that the UNASSIGNED gene category enrichment exhibits tissue-specific expression patterns and can include genes with biological functions identified in published datasets. Poorly annotated genes are often considered to be potentially species-specific and thus, of reduced interest to the biomedical community. Instead, we find that around 3% of the UNASSIGNED genes have human orthologs, including some linked to human diseases. These human orthologs themselves have little annotation information. A recently developed method that incorporates lineage relationships (abSENSE) indicates that the failure of BLAST to detect homology explains the apparent lineage specificity for many UNASSIGNED genes. This suggests that a larger subset could be related to human genes. WormCat provides an annotation strategy that allows the association of UNASSIGNED genes with specific phenotypes and known pathways. Building these associations in C. elegans, with its robust genetic tools, provides a path to further functional study and insight into these understudied genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Higgins
- Program in Molecular Medicine, UMASS Chan Medical School, Worcester MA 01605, USA
| | - Caroline M Weisman
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Quantitative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Dominique S Lui
- Program in Molecular Medicine, UMASS Chan Medical School, Worcester MA 01605, USA
| | - Frank A D'Agostino
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138, USA
| | - Amy K Walker
- Program in Molecular Medicine, UMASS Chan Medical School, Worcester MA 01605, USA
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