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Poole RJ, Flames N, Cochella L. Neurogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2024; 228:iyae116. [PMID: 39167071 PMCID: PMC11457946 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae116] [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: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals rely on their nervous systems to process sensory inputs, integrate these with internal signals, and produce behavioral outputs. This is enabled by the highly specialized morphologies and functions of neurons. Neuronal cells share multiple structural and physiological features, but they also come in a large diversity of types or classes that give the nervous system its broad range of functions and plasticity. This diversity, first recognized over a century ago, spurred classification efforts based on morphology, function, and molecular criteria. Caenorhabditis elegans, with its precisely mapped nervous system at the anatomical level, an extensive molecular description of most of its neurons, and its genetic amenability, has been a prime model for understanding how neurons develop and diversify at a mechanistic level. Here, we review the gene regulatory mechanisms driving neurogenesis and the diversification of neuron classes and subclasses in C. elegans. We discuss our current understanding of the specification of neuronal progenitors and their differentiation in terms of the transcription factors involved and ensuing changes in gene expression and chromatin landscape. The central theme that has emerged is that the identity of a neuron is defined by modules of gene batteries that are under control of parallel yet interconnected regulatory mechanisms. We focus on how, to achieve these terminal identities, cells integrate information along their developmental lineages. Moreover, we discuss how neurons are diversified postembryonically in a time-, genetic sex-, and activity-dependent manner. Finally, we discuss how the understanding of neuronal development can provide insights into the evolution of neuronal diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Poole
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nuria Flames
- Developmental Neurobiology Unit, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia IBV-CSIC, Valencia 46012, Spain
| | - Luisa Cochella
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Chen Y, Liu Z, Yuan W, Lu S, Bai W, Lin Q, Mu J, Wang J, Wang H, Liang Y. Transgenerational and Parental Impacts of Acrylamide Exposure on Caenorhabditis elegans: Physiological, Behavioral, and Genetic Mechanisms. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 361:124868. [PMID: 39216669 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 08/28/2024] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Acrylamide is pervasive, and its exposure poses numerous health risks. This study examines both the direct and transgenerational effects of acrylamide toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans, focusing on physiological and behavioral parameters. Parental exposure to acrylamide compromised several aspects of nematode health, including lifespan, reproductive capacity, body dimensions, and motor and sensory functions. Notably, while exposure to low concentrations of acrylamide did not alter the physiological traits of the offspring-except for their learning and memory-these findings suggest a possible adaptive response to low-level exposure that could be inherited by subsequent generations. Furthermore, continued acrylamide exposure in the offspring intensified both physiological and perceptual toxicity. Detailed analysis revealed dose-dependent alterations in acrylamide's detoxification and metabolic pathways. In particular, it inhibits the gene gst-4, which encodes a crucial enzyme in detoxification, mitigates DNA damage induced by acrylamide, and highlights a potential therapeutic target to reduce its deleterious effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajuan Chen
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Zihan Liu
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Weijia Yuan
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Shan Lu
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Weidong Bai
- College of Light Industry and Food Technology,Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering,Guangzhou,Guangdong 510225,China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Lingnan Specialty Food Science and Technology,Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering,Guangzhou,Guangdong 510225,China; Academy of Contemporary Agricultural Engineering Innovations,Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering,Guangzhou,Guangdong 510225,China
| | - Qinlu Lin
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Jianfei Mu
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Jianqiang Wang
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Haifang Wang
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China
| | - Ying Liang
- Molecular Nutrition Branch,National Engineering Research Center of Rice and By-Product Deep Processing/College of Food Science and Engineering,Central South University of Forestry and Technology,Changsha,Hunan 410004,China.
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Corchado JC, Godthi A, Selvarasu K, Prahlad V. Robustness and variability in Caenorhabditis elegans dauer gene expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.15.608164. [PMID: 39229130 PMCID: PMC11370353 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.15.608164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Both plasticity and robustness are pervasive features of developmental programs. The dauer in Caenorhabditis elegans is an arrested, hypometabolic alternative to the third larval stage of the nematode. Dauers undergo dramatic tissue remodeling and extensive physiological, metabolic, behavioral, and gene expression changes compared to conspecifics that continue development and can be induced by several adverse environments or genetic mutations that act as independent and parallel inputs into the larval developmental program. Therefore, dauer induction is an example of phenotypic plasticity. However, whether gene expression in dauer larvae induced to arrest development by different genetic or environmental triggers is invariant or varies depending on their route into dauer has not been examined. By using RNA-sequencing to characterize gene expression in different types of dauer larvae and computing the variance and concordance within Gene Ontologies (GO) and gene expression networks, we find that the expression patterns within most pathways are strongly correlated between dauer larvae, suggestive of transcriptional robustness. However, gene expression within specific defense pathways, pathways regulating some morphological traits, and several metabolic pathways differ between the dauer larvae. We speculate that the transcriptional robustness of core dauer pathways allows for the buffering of variation in the expression of genes involved in adaptation, allowing the dauers induced by different stimuli to survive in and exploit different niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnny Cruz Corchado
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park - Comprehensive Cancer Center, Elm and Carlton Streets, CGP-BLSC L3-307, Buffalo, New York 14263
| | - Abhishiktha Godthi
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park - Comprehensive Cancer Center, Elm and Carlton Streets, CGP-BLSC L3-307, Buffalo, New York 14263
| | - Kavinila Selvarasu
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park - Comprehensive Cancer Center, Elm and Carlton Streets, CGP-BLSC L3-307, Buffalo, New York 14263
| | - Veena Prahlad
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park - Comprehensive Cancer Center, Elm and Carlton Streets, CGP-BLSC L3-307, Buffalo, New York 14263
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Philbrook A, O'Donnell MP, Grunenkovaite L, Sengupta P. Differential modulation of sensory response dynamics by cilia structure and intraflagellar transport within and across chemosensory neurons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.16.594529. [PMID: 38798636 PMCID: PMC11118401 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.16.594529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Sensory neurons contain morphologically diverse primary cilia that are built by intraflagellar transport (IFT) and house sensory signaling molecules. Since both ciliary structural and signaling proteins are trafficked via IFT, it has been challenging to decouple the contributions of IFT and cilia structure to neuronal responses. By acutely inhibiting IFT without altering cilia structure and vice versa , here we describe the differential roles of ciliary trafficking and sensory ending morphology in shaping chemosensory responses in C. elegans. We show that a minimum cilium length but not continuous IFT is necessary for a subset of responses in the ASH nociceptive neurons. In contrast, neither cilia nor continuous IFT are necessary for odorant responses in the AWA olfactory neurons. Instead, continuous IFT differentially modulates response dynamics in AWA. Upon acute inhibition of IFT, cilia-destined odorant receptors are shunted to ectopic branches emanating from the cilia base. Spatial segregation of receptors in these branches from a cilia-restricted regulatory kinase results in odorant desensitization defects, highlighting the importance of precise organization of signaling molecules at sensory endings in regulating response dynamics. We also find that adaptation of AWA responses upon repeated exposure to an odorant is mediated by IFT-driven removal of its cognate receptor, whereas adaptation to a second odorant is regulated via IFT-independent mechanisms. Our results reveal unexpected complexity in the contribution of IFT and cilia organization to the regulation of responses even within a single chemosensory neuron type, and establish a critical role for these processes in the precise modulation of olfactory behaviors.
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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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Suryawinata N, Yokosawa R, Tan KHC, Lai AL, Sone R, Mori I, Noma K. Dietary E. coli promotes age-dependent chemotaxis decline in C. elegans. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5529. [PMID: 38448519 PMCID: PMC10918063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52272-4] [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: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
An animal's ability to sense odors declines during aging, and its olfactory drive is tuned by internal states such as satiety. However, whether internal states modulate an age-dependent decline in odor sensation is unknown. To address this issue, we utilized the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and compared their chemotaxis abilities toward attractive odorants when aged under different dietary conditions. Feeding with the standard laboratory diet, Escherichia coli attenuated the chemotaxis ability toward diacetyl, isoamyl alcohol, and benzaldehyde when aged. On the other hand, feeding with either the lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri or food deprivation selectively maintained the chemotaxis ability toward diacetyl. Our results suggest that ingestion of E. coli causes age-dependent chemotaxis decline. The changes in the chemotaxis behavior are attributed to the different expressions of diacetyl receptor odr-10, and the chemotaxis behavior of aged animals under food deprivation is shown to be dependent on daf-16. Our study demonstrates the molecular mechanism of how diet shapes the trajectory of age-dependent decline in chemosensory behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Suryawinata
- Group of Nutritional Neuroscience, Graduate School of Science, Neuroscience Institute, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Rikuou Yokosawa
- Group of Nutritional Neuroscience, Graduate School of Science, Neuroscience Institute, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
- Group of Microbial Motility, Division of Natural Science, Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Ke Hui Cassandra Tan
- Group of Nutritional Neuroscience, Graduate School of Science, Neuroscience Institute, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Alison Lok Lai
- Group of Nutritional Neuroscience, Graduate School of Science, Neuroscience Institute, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Ryusei Sone
- Group of Nutritional Neuroscience, Graduate School of Science, Neuroscience Institute, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
- Group of Microbial Motility, Division of Natural Science, Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Ikue Mori
- Group of Molecular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Science, Neuroscience Institute, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Kentaro Noma
- Group of Nutritional Neuroscience, Graduate School of Science, Neuroscience Institute, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan.
- Group of Microbial Motility, Division of Natural Science, Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan.
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Boor SA, Meisel JD, Kim DH. Neuroendocrine gene expression coupling of interoceptive bacterial food cues to foraging behavior of C. elegans. eLife 2024; 12:RP91120. [PMID: 38231572 PMCID: PMC10945577 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal internal state is modulated by nutrient intake, resulting in behavioral responses to changing food conditions. The neural mechanisms by which internal states are generated and maintained are not well understood. Here, we show that in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, distinct cues from bacterial food - interoceptive signals from the ingestion of bacteria and gustatory molecules sensed from nearby bacteria - act antagonistically on the expression of the neuroendocrine TGF-beta ligand DAF-7 from the ASJ pair of sensory neurons to modulate foraging behavior. A positive-feedback loop dependent on the expression of daf-7 from the ASJ neurons acts to promote transitions between roaming and dwelling foraging states and influence the persistence of roaming states. SCD-2, the C. elegans ortholog of mammalian anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), which has been implicated in the central control of metabolism of mammals, functions in the AIA interneurons to regulate foraging behavior and cell-non-autonomously control the expression of DAF-7 from the ASJ neurons. Our data establish how a dynamic neuroendocrine daf-7 expression feedback loop regulated by SCD-2 functions to couple sensing and ingestion of bacterial food to foraging behavior. We further suggest that this neuroendocrine feedback loop underlies previously characterized exploratory behaviors in C. elegans. Our data suggest that the expression of daf-7 from the ASJ neurons contributes to and is correlated with an internal state of 'unmet need' that regulates exploratory foraging behavior in response to bacterial cues in diverse physiological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia A Boor
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Joshua D Meisel
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Dennis H Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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Yoon KH, Indong RA, Lee JI. Making "Sense" of Ecology from a Genetic Perspective: Caenorhabditis elegans, Microbes and Behavior. Metabolites 2022; 12:1084. [PMID: 36355167 PMCID: PMC9697003 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12111084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Our knowledge of animal and behavior in the natural ecology is based on over a century's worth of valuable field studies. In this post-genome era, however, we recognize that genes are the underpinning of ecological interactions between two organisms. Understanding how genes contribute to animal ecology, which is essentially the intersection of two genomes, is a tremendous challenge. The bacterivorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, one of the most well-known genetic animal model experimental systems, experiences a complex microbial world in its natural habitat, providing us with a window into the interplay of genes and molecules that result in an animal-microbial ecology. In this review, we will discuss C. elegans natural ecology, how the worm uses its sensory system to detect the microbes and metabolites that it encounters, and then discuss some of the fascinating ecological dances, including behaviors, that have evolved between the nematode and the microbes in its environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung-hye Yoon
- Department of Physiology, Mitohormesis Research Center, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju 26426, Korea
| | - Rocel Amor Indong
- Division of Biological Science and Technology, College of Science and Technology, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea
| | - Jin I. Lee
- Division of Biological Science and Technology, College of Science and Technology, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea
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