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Ansel M, Ramachandran K, Dey G, Brunet T. Origin and evolution of microvilli. Biol Cell 2024:e2400054. [PMID: 39233537 DOI: 10.1111/boc.202400054] [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: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND INFORMATION Microvilli are finger-like, straight, and stable cellular protrusions that are filled with F-actin and present a stereotypical length. They are present in a broad range of cell types across the animal tree of life and mediate several fundamental functions, including nutrient absorption, photosensation, and mechanosensation. Therefore, understanding the origin and evolution of microvilli is key to reconstructing the evolution of animal cellular form and function. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on microvilli evolution and perform a bioinformatic survey of the conservation of genes encoding microvillar proteins in animals and their unicellular relatives. RESULTS We first present a detailed description of mammalian microvilli based on two well-studied examples, the brush border microvilli of enterocytes and the stereocilia of hair cells. We also survey the broader diversity of microvilli and discuss similarities and differences between microvilli and filopodia. Based on our bioinformatic survey coupled with carefully reconstructed molecular phylogenies, we reconstitute the order of evolutionary appearance of microvillar proteins. We document the stepwise evolutionary assembly of the "molecular microvillar toolkit" with notable bursts of innovation at two key nodes: the last common filozoan ancestor (correlated with the evolution of microvilli distinct from filopodia) and the last common choanozoan ancestor (correlated with the emergence of inter-microvillar adhesions). CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE We conclude with a scenario for the evolution of microvilli from filopodia-like ancestral structures in unicellular precursors of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylan Ansel
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Evolutionary Cell Biology and Evolution of Morphogenesis Unit, Paris, France
- Cell Biology and Biophysics, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
- Master BioSciences, Département de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Kaustubh Ramachandran
- Cell Biology and Biophysics, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gautam Dey
- Cell Biology and Biophysics, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thibaut Brunet
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Evolutionary Cell Biology and Evolution of Morphogenesis Unit, Paris, France
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2
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Kollmar M, Welz T, Ravi A, Kaufmann T, Alzahofi N, Hatje K, Alghamdi A, Kim J, Briggs DA, Samol-Wolf A, Pylypenko O, Hume AN, Burkhardt P, Faix J, Kerkhoff E. Actomyosin organelle functions of SPIRE actin nucleators precede animal evolution. Commun Biol 2024; 7:832. [PMID: 38977899 PMCID: PMC11231147 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06458-1] [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: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
An important question in cell biology is how cytoskeletal proteins evolved and drove the development of novel structures and functions. Here we address the origin of SPIRE actin nucleators. Mammalian SPIREs work with RAB GTPases, formin (FMN)-subgroup actin assembly proteins and class-5 myosin (MYO5) motors to transport organelles along actin filaments towards the cell membrane. However, the origin and extent of functional conservation of SPIRE among species is unknown. Our sequence searches show that SPIRE exist throughout holozoans (animals and their closest single-celled relatives), but not other eukaryotes. SPIRE from unicellular holozoans (choanoflagellate), interacts with RAB, FMN and MYO5 proteins, nucleates actin filaments and complements mammalian SPIRE function in organelle transport. Meanwhile SPIRE and MYO5 proteins colocalise to organelles in Salpingoeca rosetta choanoflagellates. Based on these observations we propose that SPIRE originated in unicellular ancestors of animals providing an actin-myosin driven exocytic transport mechanism that may have contributed to the evolution of complex multicellular animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kollmar
- Group Systems Biology of Motor Proteins, Department of NMR-based Structural Biology, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Tobias Welz
- Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Aishwarya Ravi
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Thomas Kaufmann
- Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Noura Alzahofi
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Biology Department, College of Science, Taibah University, Medina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Klas Hatje
- Group Systems Biology of Motor Proteins, Department of NMR-based Structural Biology, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland
| | - Asmahan Alghamdi
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Jiyu Kim
- Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- Department of Anatomy, University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Deborah A Briggs
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Annette Samol-Wolf
- Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Olena Pylypenko
- Dynamics of Intra-Cellular Organization, Institute Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR144, Paris, France
| | - Alistair N Hume
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Jan Faix
- Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Eugen Kerkhoff
- Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
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3
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Holzem M, Boutros M, Holstein TW. The origin and evolution of Wnt signalling. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:500-512. [PMID: 38374446 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00699-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
The Wnt signal transduction pathway has essential roles in the formation of the primary body axis during development, cellular differentiation and tissue homeostasis. This animal-specific pathway has been studied extensively in contexts ranging from developmental biology to medicine for more than 40 years. Despite its physiological importance, an understanding of the evolutionary origin and primary function of Wnt signalling has begun to emerge only recently. Recent studies on very basal metazoan species have shown high levels of conservation of components of both canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling pathways. Furthermore, some pathway proteins have been described also in non-animal species, suggesting that recruitment and functional adaptation of these factors has occurred in metazoans. In this Review, we summarize the current state of research regarding the evolutionary origin of Wnt signalling, its ancestral function and the characteristics of the primal Wnt ligand, with emphasis on the importance of genomic studies in various pre-metazoan and basal metazoan species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Holzem
- Division of Signalling and Functional Genomics, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology & BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Institute for Human Genetics, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Michael Boutros
- Division of Signalling and Functional Genomics, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology & BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute for Human Genetics, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas W Holstein
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
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4
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Deng X, Seguinot BO, Bradshaw G, Lee JS, Coy S, Kalocsay M, Santagata S, Mitchison T. STMND1 is a phylogenetically ancient stathmin which localizes to motile cilia and exhibits nuclear translocation that is inhibited when soluble tubulin concentration increases. Mol Biol Cell 2024; 35:ar82. [PMID: 38630521 PMCID: PMC11238091 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-12-0514] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Stathmins are small, unstructured proteins that bind tubulin dimers and are implicated in several human diseases, but whose function remains unknown. We characterized a new stathmin, STMND1 (Stathmin Domain Containing 1) as the human representative of an ancient subfamily. STMND1 features a N-terminal myristoylated and palmitoylated motif which directs it to membranes and a tubulin-binding stathmin-like domain (SLD) that contains an internal nuclear localization signal. Biochemistry and proximity labeling showed that STMND1 binds tubulin, and live imaging showed that tubulin binding inhibits translocation from cellular membranes to the nucleus. STMND1 is highly expressed in multiciliated epithelial cells, where it localizes to motile cilia. Overexpression in a model system increased the length of primary cilia. Our study suggests that the most ancient stathmins have cilium-related functions that involve sensing soluble tubulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Deng
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Bryan O. Seguinot
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Gary Bradshaw
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Jong Suk Lee
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Shannon Coy
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Marian Kalocsay
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Sandro Santagata
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Timothy Mitchison
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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5
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Steenwyk JL, King N. The promise and pitfalls of synteny in phylogenomics. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002632. [PMID: 38768403 PMCID: PMC11105162 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002632] [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] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Reconstructing the tree of life remains a central goal in biology. Early methods, which relied on small numbers of morphological or genetic characters, often yielded conflicting evolutionary histories, undermining confidence in the results. Investigations based on phylogenomics, which use hundreds to thousands of loci for phylogenetic inquiry, have provided a clearer picture of life's history, but certain branches remain problematic. To resolve difficult nodes on the tree of life, 2 recent studies tested the utility of synteny, the conserved collinearity of orthologous genetic loci in 2 or more organisms, for phylogenetics. Synteny exhibits compelling phylogenomic potential while also raising new challenges. This Essay identifies and discusses specific opportunities and challenges that bear on the value of synteny data and other rare genomic changes for phylogenomic studies. Synteny-based analyses of highly contiguous genome assemblies mark a new chapter in the phylogenomic era and the quest to reconstruct the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob L. Steenwyk
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Nicole King
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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6
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Sartorius AM, Rokicki J, Birkeland S, Bettella F, Barth C, de Lange AMG, Haram M, Shadrin A, Winterton A, Steen NE, Schwarz E, Stein DJ, Andreassen OA, van der Meer D, Westlye LT, Theofanopoulou C, Quintana DS. An evolutionary timeline of the oxytocin signaling pathway. Commun Biol 2024; 7:471. [PMID: 38632466 PMCID: PMC11024182 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06094-9] [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: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide associated with both psychological and somatic processes like parturition and social bonding. Although oxytocin homologs have been identified in many species, the evolutionary timeline of the entire oxytocin signaling gene pathway has yet to be described. Using protein sequence similarity searches, microsynteny, and phylostratigraphy, we assigned the genes supporting the oxytocin pathway to different phylostrata based on when we found they likely arose in evolution. We show that the majority (64%) of genes in the pathway are 'modern'. Most of the modern genes evolved around the emergence of vertebrates or jawed vertebrates (540 - 530 million years ago, 'mya'), including OXTR, OXT and CD38. Of those, 45% were under positive selection at some point during vertebrate evolution. We also found that 18% of the genes in the oxytocin pathway are 'ancient', meaning their emergence dates back to cellular organisms and opisthokonta (3500-1100 mya). The remaining genes (18%) that evolved after ancient and before modern genes were classified as 'medium-aged'. Functional analyses revealed that, in humans, medium-aged oxytocin pathway genes are highly expressed in contractile organs, while modern genes in the oxytocin pathway are primarily expressed in the brain and muscle tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina M Sartorius
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jaroslav Rokicki
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Siri Birkeland
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Francesco Bettella
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Claudia Barth
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ann-Marie G de Lange
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marit Haram
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alexey Shadrin
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Adriano Winterton
- Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nils Eiel Steen
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Emanuel Schwarz
- Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Dan J Stein
- SA MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dennis van der Meer
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lars T Westlye
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Daniel S Quintana
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
- NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
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7
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Larson BT. Perspectives on Principles of Cellular Behavior from the Biophysics of Protists. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:1405-1421. [PMID: 37496203 PMCID: PMC10755178 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad106] [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: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells are the fundamental unit of biological organization. Although it may be easy to think of them as little more than the simple building blocks of complex organisms such as animals, single cells are capable of behaviors of remarkable apparent sophistication. This is abundantly clear when considering the diversity of form and function among the microbial eukaryotes, the protists. How might we navigate this diversity in the search for general principles of cellular behavior? Here, we review cases in which the intensive study of protists from the perspective of cellular biophysics has driven insight into broad biological questions of morphogenesis, navigation and motility, and decision making. We argue that applying such approaches to questions of evolutionary cell biology presents rich, emerging opportunities. Integrating and expanding biophysical studies across protist diversity, exploiting the unique characteristics of each organism, will enrich our understanding of general underlying principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben T Larson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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8
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Ros-Rocher N, Brunet T. What is it like to be a choanoflagellate? Sensation, processing and behavior in the closest unicellular relatives of animals. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1767-1782. [PMID: 37067637 PMCID: PMC10770216 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01776-z] [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: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
All animals evolved from a single lineage of unicellular precursors more than 600 million years ago. Thus, the biological and genetic foundations for animal sensation, cognition and behavior must necessarily have arisen by modifications of pre-existing features in their unicellular ancestors. Given that the single-celled ancestors of the animal kingdom are extinct, the only way to reconstruct how these features evolved is by comparing the biology and genomic content of extant animals to their closest living relatives. Here, we reconstruct the Umwelt (the subjective, perceptive world) inhabited by choanoflagellates, a group of unicellular (or facultatively multicellular) aquatic microeukaryotes that are the closest living relatives of animals. Although behavioral research on choanoflagellates remains patchy, existing evidence shows that they are capable of chemosensation, photosensation and mechanosensation. These processes often involve specialized sensorimotor cellular appendages (cilia, microvilli, and/or filopodia) that resemble those that underlie perception in most animal sensory cells. Furthermore, comparative genomics predicts an extensive "sensory molecular toolkit" in choanoflagellates, which both provides a potential basis for known behaviors and suggests the existence of a largely undescribed behavioral complexity that presents exciting avenues for future research. Finally, we discuss how facultative multicellularity in choanoflagellates might help us understand how evolution displaced the locus of decision-making from a single cell to a collective, and how a new space of behavioral complexity might have become accessible in the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Ros-Rocher
- Evolutionary Cell Biology and Evolution of Morphogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, CNRS UMR3691, 25-28 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Thibaut Brunet
- Evolutionary Cell Biology and Evolution of Morphogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, CNRS UMR3691, 25-28 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75015, Paris, France.
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9
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Palmgren M. Evolution of the sodium pump. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2023; 1870:119511. [PMID: 37301269 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic plasma membranes (PMs) are energized by electrogenic P-type ATPases that generate either Na+ or H+ motive forces to drive Na+ and H+ dependent transport processes, respectively. For this purpose, animal rely on Na+/K+-ATPases whereas fungi and plants employ PM H+-ATPases. Prokaryotes, on the other hand, depend on H+ or Na+-motive electron transport complexes to energize their cell membranes. This raises the question as to why and when electrogenic Na+ and H+ pumps evolved? Here it is shown that prokaryotic Na+/K+-ATPases have near perfect conservation of binding sites involved in coordination of three Na+ and two K+ ions. Such pumps are rare in Eubacteria but are common in methanogenic Archaea where they often are found together with P-type putative PM H+-ATPases. With some exceptions, Na+/K+-ATPases and PM H+-ATPases are found everywhere in the eukaryotic tree of life, but never together in animals, fungi and land plants. It is hypothesized that Na+/K+-ATPases and PM H+-ATPases evolved in methanogenic Archaea to support the bioenergetics of these ancestral organisms, which can utilize both H+ and Na+ as energy currencies. Both pumps must have been simultaneously present in the first eukaryotic cell, but during diversification of the major eukaryotic kingdoms, and at the time animals diverged from fungi, animals kept Na+/K+-ATPases but lost PM H+-ATPases. At the same evolutionary branch point, fungi did loose Na+/K+-ATPases, and their role was taken over by PM H+-ATPases. An independent but similar scenery emerged during terrestrialization of plants: they lost Na+/K+-ATPases but kept PM H+-ATPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Palmgren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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10
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Kutluk H, Bastounis EE, Constantinou I. Integration of Extracellular Matrices into Organ-on-Chip Systems. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2203256. [PMID: 37018430 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202203256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex, dynamic network present within all tissues and organs that not only acts as a mechanical support and anchorage point but can also direct fundamental cell behavior, function, and characteristics. Although the importance of the ECM is well established, the integration of well-controlled ECMs into Organ-on-Chip (OoC) platforms remains challenging and the methods to modulate and assess ECM properties on OoCs remain underdeveloped. In this review, current state-of-the-art design and assessment of in vitro ECM environments is discussed with a focus on their integration into OoCs. Among other things, synthetic and natural hydrogels, as well as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) used as substrates, coatings, or cell culture membranes are reviewed in terms of their ability to mimic the native ECM and their accessibility for characterization. The intricate interplay among materials, OoC architecture, and ECM characterization is critically discussed as it significantly complicates the design of ECM-related studies, comparability between works, and reproducibility that can be achieved across research laboratories. Improving the biomimetic nature of OoCs by integrating properly considered ECMs would contribute to their further adoption as replacements for animal models, and precisely tailored ECM properties would promote the use of OoCs in mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hazal Kutluk
- Institute of Microtechnology (IMT), Technical University of Braunschweig, Alte Salzdahlumer Str. 203, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ), Technical University of Braunschweig, Franz-Liszt-Str. 35a, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Effie E Bastounis
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine (IMIT), Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, E8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections" EXC 2124, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Iordania Constantinou
- Institute of Microtechnology (IMT), Technical University of Braunschweig, Alte Salzdahlumer Str. 203, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering (PVZ), Technical University of Braunschweig, Franz-Liszt-Str. 35a, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
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11
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Fonseca C, Mendonça Filho JG, Reolid M, Duarte LV, de Oliveira AD, Souza JT, Lézin C. First putative occurrence in the fossil record of choanoflagellates, the sister group of Metazoa. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1242. [PMID: 36690681 PMCID: PMC9870899 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26972-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Choanoflagellates are microeukaryotes that inhabit freshwater and marine environments and have long been regarded as the closest living relatives of Metazoa. Knowledge on the evolution of choanoflagellates is key for the understanding of the ancestry of animals, and although molecular clock evidence suggests the appearance of choanoflagellates by late Neoproterozoic, no specimens of choanoflagellates are known to occur in the fossil record. Here the first putative occurrence of choanoflagellates in sediments from the Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) is described by means of several cutting-edge petrographic techniques, and a discussion of its paleoenvironmental significance is performed. Furthermore, their placement in the organic matter classification systems is argued, with a placement in the Zoomorph Subgroup (Palynomorph Group) of the dispersed organic matter classification system being proposed. Regarding the ICCP System 1994, incorporation of choanoflagellates is, at a first glance, straightforward within the liptinite group, but the definition of a new maceral may be necessary to accommodate the genetic origin of these organisms. While modern choanoflagellates may bring light to the cellular foundations of animal origins, this discovery may provide an older term of comparison to their extant specimens and provide guidelines for possible identification of these organic components in other locations and ages throughout the geological record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Fonseca
- Laboratório de Palinofácies e Fácies Orgânica (LAFO), Departamento de Geologia, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Athos da Silveira, 274, prédio do CCMN, sala J1020, Campus Ilha do Fundão, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21.949-900, Brazil.
- Universidade de Coimbra, MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mare do Ambiente, ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - João Graciano Mendonça Filho
- Laboratório de Palinofácies e Fácies Orgânica (LAFO), Departamento de Geologia, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Athos da Silveira, 274, prédio do CCMN, sala J1020, Campus Ilha do Fundão, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21.949-900, Brazil
| | - Matías Reolid
- Departamento de Geología and CEACTEMA, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas sn, 23071, Jaén, Spain
| | - Luís V Duarte
- Universidade de Coimbra, MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mare do Ambiente, ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - António Donizeti de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Palinofácies e Fácies Orgânica (LAFO), Departamento de Geologia, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Athos da Silveira, 274, prédio do CCMN, sala J1020, Campus Ilha do Fundão, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21.949-900, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Torres Souza
- Laboratório de Palinofácies e Fácies Orgânica (LAFO), Departamento de Geologia, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Athos da Silveira, 274, prédio do CCMN, sala J1020, Campus Ilha do Fundão, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21.949-900, Brazil
| | - Carine Lézin
- Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, OMP, GET (Géosciences Environnement Toulouse), CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue Édouard Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
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12
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Pinskey JM, Lagisetty A, Gui L, Phan N, Reetz E, Tavakoli A, Fu G, Nicastro D. Three-dimensional flagella structures from animals' closest unicellular relatives, the Choanoflagellates. eLife 2022; 11:e78133. [PMID: 36384644 PMCID: PMC9671500 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In most eukaryotic organisms, cilia and flagella perform a variety of life-sustaining roles related to environmental sensing and motility. Cryo-electron microscopy has provided considerable insight into the morphology and function of flagellar structures, but studies have been limited to less than a dozen of the millions of known eukaryotic species. Ultrastructural information is particularly lacking for unicellular organisms in the Opisthokonta clade, leaving a sizeable gap in our understanding of flagella evolution between unicellular species and multicellular metazoans (animals). Choanoflagellates are important aquatic heterotrophs, uniquely positioned within the opisthokonts as the metazoans' closest living unicellular relatives. We performed cryo-focused ion beam milling and cryo-electron tomography on flagella from the choanoflagellate species Salpingoeca rosetta. We show that the axonemal dyneins, radial spokes, and central pair complex in S. rosetta more closely resemble metazoan structures than those of unicellular organisms from other suprakingdoms. In addition, we describe unique features of S. rosetta flagella, including microtubule holes, microtubule inner proteins, and the flagellar vane: a fine, net-like extension that has been notoriously difficult to visualize using other methods. Furthermore, we report barb-like structures of unknown function on the extracellular surface of the flagellar membrane. Together, our findings provide new insights into choanoflagellate biology and flagella evolution between unicellular and multicellular opisthokonts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine M Pinskey
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Adhya Lagisetty
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Long Gui
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Nhan Phan
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Evan Reetz
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Amirrasoul Tavakoli
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Gang Fu
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Daniela Nicastro
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
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13
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Diegmiller R, Nunley H, Shvartsman SY, Imran Alsous J. Quantitative models for building and growing fated small cell networks. Interface Focus 2022; 12:20210082. [PMID: 35865502 PMCID: PMC9184967 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2021.0082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Small cell clusters exhibit numerous phenomena typically associated with complex systems, such as division of labour and programmed cell death. A conserved class of such clusters occurs during oogenesis in the form of germline cysts that give rise to oocytes. Germline cysts form through cell divisions with incomplete cytokinesis, leaving cells intimately connected through intercellular bridges that facilitate cyst generation, cell fate determination and collective growth dynamics. Using the well-characterized Drosophila melanogaster female germline cyst as a foundation, we present mathematical models rooted in the dynamics of cell cycle proteins and their interactions to explain the generation of germline cell lineage trees (CLTs) and highlight the diversity of observed CLT sizes and topologies across species. We analyse competing models of symmetry breaking in CLTs to rationalize the observed dynamics and robustness of oocyte fate specification, and highlight remaining gaps in knowledge. We also explore how CLT topology affects cell cycle dynamics and synchronization and highlight mechanisms of intercellular coupling that underlie the observed collective growth patterns during oogenesis. Throughout, we point to similarities across organisms that warrant further investigation and comment on the extent to which experimental and theoretical findings made in model systems extend to other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocky Diegmiller
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA,Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Hayden Nunley
- Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stanislav Y. Shvartsman
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA,Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
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14
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Otsuka FAM, Bjelic S. Evaluation of residue variability in a conformation-specific context and during evolutionary sequence reconstruction narrows drug resistance selection in Abl1 tyrosine kinase. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4354. [PMID: 35762721 PMCID: PMC9202545 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Diseases with readily available therapies may eventually prevail against the specific treatment by the acquisition of resistance. The constitutively active Abl1 tyrosine kinase known to cause chronic myeloid leukemia is an example, where patients may experience relapse after small inhibitor drug treatment. Mutations in the Abl1 tyrosine kinase domain (Abl1-KD) are a critical source of resistance and their emergence depends on the conformational states that have been observed experimentally: the inactive state, the active state, and the intermediate inactive state that resembles Src kinase. Understanding how resistant positions and amino acid identities are determined by selection pressure during drug treatment is necessary to improve future drug development or treatment decisions. We carry out in silico site-saturation mutagenesis over the Abl1-KD structure in a conformational context to evaluate the in situ and conformational stability energy upon mutation. Out of the 11 studied resistant positions, we determined that 7 of the resistant mutations favored the active conformation of Abl1-KD with respect to the inactive state. When, instead, the sequence optimization was modeled simultaneously at resistant positions, we recovered five known resistant mutations in the active conformation. These results suggested that the Abl1 resistance mechanism targeted substitutions that favored the active conformation. Further sequence variability, explored by ancestral reconstruction in Abl1-KD, showed that neutral genetic drift, with respect to amino acid variability, was specifically diminished in the resistant positions. Since resistant mutations are susceptible to chance with a certain probability of fixation, combining methodologies outlined here may narrow and limit the available sequence space for resistance to emerge, resulting in more robust therapeutic treatments over time.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acids
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/genetics
- Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-abl/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe A. M. Otsuka
- Department of Chemistry and Biomedical SciencesLinnaeus UniversityKalmarSweden
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de QuímicaUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Sinisa Bjelic
- Department of Chemistry and Biomedical SciencesLinnaeus UniversityKalmarSweden
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15
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Booth DS, King N. The history of Salpingoeca rosetta as a model for reconstructing animal origins. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 147:73-91. [PMID: 35337467 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2022.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals, have the potential to reveal the genetic and cell biological foundations of complex multicellular development in animals. Here we describe the history of research on the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. From its original isolation in 2000 to the establishment of CRISPR-mediated genome editing in 2020, S. rosetta provides an instructive case study in the establishment of a new model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Booth
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
| | - Nicole King
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States.
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16
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Abstract
Complex multicellular organisms have evolved specific mechanisms to replenish cells in homeostasis and during repair. Here, we discuss how emerging technologies (e.g., single-cell RNA sequencing) challenge the concept that tissue renewal is fueled by unidirectional differentiation from a resident stem cell. We now understand that cell plasticity, i.e., cells adaptively changing differentiation state or identity, is a central tissue renewal mechanism. For example, mature cells can access an evolutionarily conserved program (paligenosis) to reenter the cell cycle and regenerate damaged tissue. Most tissues lack dedicated stem cells and rely on plasticity to regenerate lost cells. Plasticity benefits multicellular organisms, yet it also carries risks. For one, when long-lived cells undergo paligenotic, cyclical proliferation and redif-ferentiation, they can accumulate and propagate acquired mutations that activate oncogenes and increase the potential for developing cancer. Lastly, we propose a new framework for classifying patterns of cell proliferation in homeostasis and regeneration, with stem cells representing just one of the diverse methods that adult tissues employ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W. Brown
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Charles J. Cho
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA,Current affiliation: Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jason C. Mills
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA,Current affiliation: Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA,Departments of Pathology and Immunology and Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA,Current affiliation: Departments of Medicine, Pathology and Immunology, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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17
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Love A, Wagner GP. Co-option of stress mechanisms in the origin of evolutionary novelties. Evolution 2021; 76:394-413. [PMID: 34962651 PMCID: PMC9303342 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It is widely accepted that stressful conditions can facilitate evolutionary change. The mechanisms elucidated thus far accomplish this with a generic increase in heritable variation that facilitates more rapid adaptive evolution, often via plastic modifications of existing characters. Through scrutiny of different meanings of stress in biological research, and an explicit recognition that stressors must be characterized relative to their effect on capacities for maintaining functional integrity, we distinguish between: (1) previously identified stress‐responsive mechanisms that facilitate evolution by maintaining an adaptive fit with the environment, and (2) the co‐option of stress‐responsive mechanisms that are specific to stressors leading to the origin of novelties via compensation. Unlike standard accounts of gene co‐option that identify component sources of evolutionary change, our model documents the cost‐benefit trade‐offs and thereby explains how one mechanism—an immediate response to acute stress—is transformed evolutionarily into another—routine protection from recurring stressors. We illustrate our argument with examples from cell type origination as well as processes and structures at higher levels of organization. These examples suggest a general principle of evolutionary origination based on the capacity to switch between regulatory states related to reproduction and proliferation versus survival and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Love
- Department of Philosophy, Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Günter P Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT-06520.,Yale Systems Biology Institute, West Haven, CT-06516.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
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18
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Williams LM, Sridhar S, Samaroo J, Peart J, Adindu EK, Addanki A, DiRusso CJ, Aguirre Carrión PJ, Rodriguez-Sastre N, Siggers T, Gilmore TD. Comparison of NF-κB from the protists Capsaspora owczarzaki and Acanthoeca spectabilis reveals extensive evolutionary diversification of this transcription factor. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1404. [PMID: 34916615 PMCID: PMC8677719 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02924-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We provide a functional characterization of transcription factor NF-κB in protists and provide information about the evolution and diversification of this biologically important protein. We characterized NF-κB in two protists using phylogenetic, cellular, and biochemical techniques. NF-κB of the holozoan Capsaspora owczarzaki (Co) has an N-terminal DNA-binding domain and a C-terminal Ankyrin repeat (ANK) domain, and its DNA-binding specificity is more similar to metazoan NF-κB proteins than to Rel proteins. Removal of the ANK domain allows Co-NF-κB to enter the nucleus, bind DNA, and activate transcription. However, C-terminal processing of Co-NF-κB is not induced by IκB kinases in human cells. Overexpressed Co-NF-κB localizes to the cytoplasm in Co cells. Co-NF-κB mRNA and DNA-binding levels differ across three Capsaspora life stages. RNA-sequencing and GO analyses identify possible gene targets of Co-NF-κB. Three NF-κB-like proteins from the choanoflagellate Acanthoeca spectabilis (As) contain conserved Rel Homology domain sequences, but lack C-terminal ANK repeats. All three As-NF-κB proteins constitutively enter the nucleus of cells, but differ in their DNA-binding abilities, transcriptional activation activities, and dimerization properties. These results provide a basis for understanding the evolutionary origins of this key transcription factor and could have implications for the origins of regulated immunity in higher taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jason Samaroo
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jada Peart
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Trevor Siggers
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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19
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Urrutia A, Mitsi K, Foster R, Ross S, Carr M, Ward GM, van Aerle R, Marigomez I, Leger MM, Ruiz-Trillo I, Feist SW, Bass D. Txikispora philomaios n. sp., n. g., a Micro-Eukaryotic Pathogen of Amphipods, Reveals Parasitism and Hidden Diversity in Class Filasterea. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2021; 69:e12875. [PMID: 34726818 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study provides a morphological, ultrastructural, and phylogenetic characterization of a novel micro-eukaryotic parasite (2.3-2.6 µm) infecting amphipod genera Echinogammarus and Orchestia. Longitudinal studies across two years revealed that infection prevalence peaked in late April and May, reaching 64% in Echinogammarus sp. and 15% in Orchestia sp., but was seldom detected during the rest of the year. The parasite infected predominantly haemolymph, connective tissue, tegument, and gonad, although hepatopancreas and nervous tissue were affected in heavier infections, eliciting melanization and granuloma formation. Cell division occurred inside walled parasitic cysts, often within host haemocytes, resulting in haemolymph congestion. Small subunit (18S) rRNA gene phylogenies including related environmental sequences placed the novel parasite as a highly divergent lineage within Class Filasterea, which together with Choanoflagellatea represent the closest protistan relatives of Metazoa. We describe the new parasite as Txikispora philomaios n. sp. n. g., the first confirmed parasitic filasterean lineage, which otherwise comprises four free-living flagellates and a rarely observed endosymbiont of snails. Lineage-specific PCR probing of other hosts and surrounding environments only detected T. philomaios in the platyhelminth Procerodes sp. We expand the known diversity of Filasterea by targeted searches of metagenomic datasets, resulting in 13 previously unknown lineages from environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ander Urrutia
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK.,Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology (Faculty of Science and Technology), Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza Pasealekua z/g, Plentzia, 48620, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Konstantina Mitsi
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, 08003, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Rachel Foster
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Stuart Ross
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK
| | - Martin Carr
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Georgia M Ward
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ronny van Aerle
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK
| | - Ionan Marigomez
- Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology (Faculty of Science and Technology), Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza Pasealekua z/g, Plentzia, 48620, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, 08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, 08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, 08028, Catalonia, Spain.,ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, 08010, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Stephen W Feist
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK
| | - David Bass
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
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20
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Domain Analysis and Motif Matcher (DAMM): A Program to Predict Selectivity Determinants in Monosiga brevicollis PDZ Domains Using Human PDZ Data. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26196034. [PMID: 34641578 PMCID: PMC8512817 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26196034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Choanoflagellates are single-celled eukaryotes with complex signaling pathways. They are considered the closest non-metazoan ancestors to mammals and other metazoans and form multicellular-like states called rosettes. The choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis contains over 150 PDZ domains, an important peptide-binding domain in all three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya). Therefore, an understanding of PDZ domain signaling pathways in choanoflagellates may provide insight into the origins of multicellularity. PDZ domains recognize the C-terminus of target proteins and regulate signaling and trafficking pathways, as well as cellular adhesion. Here, we developed a computational software suite, Domain Analysis and Motif Matcher (DAMM), that analyzes peptide-binding cleft sequence identity as compared with human PDZ domains and that can be used in combination with literature searches of known human PDZ-interacting sequences to predict target specificity in choanoflagellate PDZ domains. We used this program, protein biochemistry, fluorescence polarization, and structural analyses to characterize the specificity of A9UPE9_MONBE, a M. brevicollis PDZ domain-containing protein with no homology to any metazoan protein, finding that its PDZ domain is most similar to those of the DLG family. We then identified two endogenous sequences that bind A9UPE9 PDZ with <100 μM affinity, a value commonly considered the threshold for cellular PDZ-peptide interactions. Taken together, this approach can be used to predict cellular targets of previously uncharacterized PDZ domains in choanoflagellates and other organisms. Our data contribute to investigations into choanoflagellate signaling and how it informs metazoan evolution.
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21
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Abstract
The repeated evolution of multicellularity across the tree of life has profoundly affected the ecology and evolution of nearly all life on Earth. Many of these origins were in different groups of photosynthetic eukaryotes, or algae. Here, we review the evolution and genetics of multicellularity in several groups of green algae, which include the closest relatives of land plants. These include millimeter-scale, motile spheroids of up to 50,000 cells in the volvocine algae; decimeter-scale seaweeds in the genus Ulva (sea lettuce); and very plantlike, meter-scale freshwater algae in the genus Chara (stoneworts). We also describe algae in the genus Caulerpa, which are giant, multinucleate, morphologically complex single cells. In each case, we review the life cycle, phylogeny, and genetics of traits relevant to the evolution of multicellularity, and genetic and genomic resources available for the group in question. Finally, we suggest routes toward developing these groups as model organisms for the evolution of multicellularity. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Genetics, Volume 55 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Umen
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA;
| | - Matthew D Herron
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA;
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22
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Rosa N, Shabardina V, Ivanova H, Sebé-Pedrós A, Yule DI, Bultynck G. Tracing the evolutionary history of Ca 2+-signaling modulation by human Bcl-2: Insights from the Capsaspora owczarzaki IP 3 receptor ortholog. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2021; 1868:119121. [PMID: 34400171 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.119121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Recently, a functional IP3R ortholog (CO.IP3R-A) capable of IP3-induced Ca2+ release has been discovered in Capsaspora owczarzaki, a close unicellular relative to Metazoa. In contrast to mammalian IP3Rs, CO.IP3R-A is not modulated by Ca2+, ATP or PKA. Protein-sequence analysis revealed that CO.IP3R-A contained a putative binding site for anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, although Bcl-2 was not detected in Capsaspora owczarzaki and only appeared in Metazoa. Here, we examined whether human Bcl-2 could form a complex with CO.IP3R-A channels and modulate their Ca2+-flux properties using ectopic expression approaches in a HEK293 cell model in which all three IP3R isoforms were knocked out. We demonstrate that human Bcl-2 via its BH4 domain could functionally interact with CO.IP3R-A, thereby suppressing Ca2+ flux through CO.IP3R-A channels. The BH4 domain of Bcl-2 was sufficient for interaction with CO.IP3R-A channels. Moreover, mutating the Lys17 of Bcl-2's BH4 domain, the residue critical for Bcl-2-dependent modulation of mammalian IP3Rs, abrogated Bcl-2's ability to bind and inhibit CO.IP3R-A channels. Hence, this raises the possibility that a unicellular ancestor of animals already had an IP3R that harbored a Bcl-2-binding site. Bcl-2 proteins may have evolved as controllers of IP3R function by exploiting this pre-existing site, thereby counteracting Ca2+-dependent apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Rosa
- KU Leuven, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signaling, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and Leuven Kanker Instituut, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Victoria Shabardina
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hristina Ivanova
- KU Leuven, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signaling, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and Leuven Kanker Instituut, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - David I Yule
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Geert Bultynck
- KU Leuven, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signaling, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and Leuven Kanker Instituut, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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23
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Kuznetsov AV, Vainer VI, Volkova YM, Kartashov LE. Motility disorders and disintegration into separate cells of Trichoplax sp. H2 in the presence of Zn 2+ ions and L-cysteine molecules: A systems approach. Biosystems 2021; 206:104444. [PMID: 34023485 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Placozoa remain an ancient multicellular system with a dynamic body structure where calcium ions carry out a primary role in maintaining the integrity of the entire animal. Zinc ions can compete with calcium ions adsorption. We studied the effect of zinc ions and l-cysteine molecules on the interaction of Trichoplax sp. H2 cells. The regularity of formless motion was diminished in the presence of 20-25 μM of Zn2+ ions leading to the formation of branching animal forms. Locomotor ciliated cells moved chaotically and independently of each other leaving the Trichoplax body and opening a network of fiber cells. Application of 100 μM cysteine resulted in dissociation of the plate into separate cells. The combined chemical treatment shifted the effect in a random sample of animals toward disintegration, i.e. initially leading to disorder of collective cell movement and then to total body fragmentation. Two dissociation patterns of Trichoplax plate as "expanding ring" and "bicycle wheel" were revealed. Analysis of the interaction of Ca2+ and Zn2+ ions with cadherin showed that more than half (54%) of the amino acid residues with which Ca2+ and Zn2+ ions bind are common. The contact interaction of cells covered by the cadherin molecules is important for the coordinated movements of Trichoplax organism, while zinc ions are capable to break junctions between the cells. The involvement of other players, for example, l-cysteine in the regulation of Ca2+-dependent adhesion may be critical leading to the typical dissociation of Trichoplax body like in a calcium-free environment. A hypothesis about the essential role of calcium ions in the emergence of Metazoa ancestor is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Kuznetsov
- A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas RAS, Leninsky Avenue 38, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | - V I Vainer
- A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas RAS, Leninsky Avenue 38, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Yu M Volkova
- A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas RAS, Leninsky Avenue 38, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - L E Kartashov
- A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas RAS, Leninsky Avenue 38, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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24
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Velle KB, Fritz-Laylin LK. Evolutionary cell biology: Closest unicellular relatives of animals crawl when squeezed. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R353-R355. [PMID: 33848494 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Cell motility is critical for animal biology, but its evolutionary history is unclear. A new study reports blebbing motility - a form of cell crawling - in the closest living relative of animals, suggesting that the unicellular ancestors of animals could crawl.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina B Velle
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - Lillian K Fritz-Laylin
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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25
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Göhde R, Naumann B, Laundon D, Imig C, McDonald K, Cooper BH, Varoqueaux F, Fasshauer D, Burkhardt P. Choanoflagellates and the ancestry of neurosecretory vesicles. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190759. [PMID: 33550951 PMCID: PMC7934909 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurosecretory vesicles are highly specialized trafficking organelles that store neurotransmitters that are released at presynaptic nerve endings and are, therefore, important for animal cell-cell signalling. Despite considerable anatomical and functional diversity of neurons in animals, the protein composition of neurosecretory vesicles in bilaterians appears to be similar. This similarity points towards a common evolutionary origin. Moreover, many putative homologues of key neurosecretory vesicle proteins predate the origin of the first neurons, and some even the origin of the first animals. However, little is known about the molecular toolkit of these vesicles in non-bilaterian animals and their closest unicellular relatives, making inferences about the evolutionary origin of neurosecretory vesicles extremely difficult. By comparing 28 proteins of the core neurosecretory vesicle proteome in 13 different species, we demonstrate that most of the proteins are present in unicellular organisms. Surprisingly, we find that the vesicular membrane-associated soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor protein synaptobrevin is localized to the vesicle-rich apical and basal pole in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. Our 3D vesicle reconstructions reveal that the choanoflagellates S. rosetta and Monosiga brevicollis exhibit a polarized and diverse vesicular landscape reminiscent of the polarized organization of chemical synapses that secrete the content of neurosecretory vesicles into the synaptic cleft. This study sheds light on the ancestral molecular machinery of neurosecretory vesicles and provides a framework to understand the origin and evolution of secretory cells, synapses and neurons. This article is part of the theme issue 'Basal cognition: multicellularity, neurons and the cognitive lens'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronja Göhde
- Sars International Centre for Molecular Marine Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Benjamin Naumann
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Davis Laundon
- Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth PL1 2PB, UK
| | - Cordelia Imig
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, 37075 Gottingen, Germany
| | - Kent McDonald
- Electron Microscope Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Benjamin H. Cooper
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, 37075 Gottingen, Germany
| | - Frédérique Varoqueaux
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dirk Fasshauer
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pawel Burkhardt
- Sars International Centre for Molecular Marine Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
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26
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Matriano DM, Alegado RA, Conaco C. Detection of horizontal gene transfer in the genome of the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5993. [PMID: 33727612 PMCID: PMC7971027 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85259-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the movement of heritable materials between distantly related organisms, is crucial in eukaryotic evolution. However, the scale of HGT in choanoflagellates, the closest unicellular relatives of metazoans, and its possible roles in the evolution of animal multicellularity remains unexplored. We identified at least 175 candidate HGTs in the genome of the colonial choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta using sequence-based tests. The majority of these were orthologous to genes in bacterial and microalgal lineages, yet displayed genomic features consistent with the rest of the S. rosetta genome-evidence of ancient acquisition events. Putative functions include enzymes involved in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, cell signaling, and the synthesis of extracellular matrix components. Functions of candidate HGTs may have contributed to the ability of choanoflagellates to assimilate novel metabolites, thereby supporting adaptation, survival in diverse ecological niches, and response to external cues that are possibly critical in the evolution of multicellularity in choanoflagellates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M Matriano
- Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Rosanna A Alegado
- Department of Oceanography, Hawai'i Sea Grant, Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, USA
| | - Cecilia Conaco
- Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
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27
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Patthy L. Exon Shuffling Played a Decisive Role in the Evolution of the Genetic Toolkit for the Multicellular Body Plan of Metazoa. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:382. [PMID: 33800339 PMCID: PMC8001218 DOI: 10.3390/genes12030382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Division of labor and establishment of the spatial pattern of different cell types of multicellular organisms require cell type-specific transcription factor modules that control cellular phenotypes and proteins that mediate the interactions of cells with other cells. Recent studies indicate that, although constituent protein domains of numerous components of the genetic toolkit of the multicellular body plan of Metazoa were present in the unicellular ancestor of animals, the repertoire of multidomain proteins that are indispensable for the arrangement of distinct body parts in a reproducible manner evolved only in Metazoa. We have shown that the majority of the multidomain proteins involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions of Metazoa have been assembled by exon shuffling, but there is no evidence for a similar role of exon shuffling in the evolution of proteins of metazoan transcription factor modules. A possible explanation for this difference in the intracellular and intercellular toolkits is that evolution of the transcription factor modules preceded the burst of exon shuffling that led to the creation of the proteins controlling spatial patterning in Metazoa. This explanation is in harmony with the temporal-to-spatial transition hypothesis of multicellularity that proposes that cell differentiation may have predated spatial segregation of cell types in animal ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laszlo Patthy
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
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28
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Ros-Rocher N, Pérez-Posada A, Leger MM, Ruiz-Trillo I. The origin of animals: an ancestral reconstruction of the unicellular-to-multicellular transition. Open Biol 2021; 11:200359. [PMID: 33622103 PMCID: PMC8061703 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
How animals evolved from a single-celled ancestor, transitioning from a unicellular lifestyle to a coordinated multicellular entity, remains a fascinating question. Key events in this transition involved the emergence of processes related to cell adhesion, cell–cell communication and gene regulation. To understand how these capacities evolved, we need to reconstruct the features of both the last common multicellular ancestor of animals and the last unicellular ancestor of animals. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the characterization of these ancestors, inferred by comparative genomic analyses between the earliest branching animals and those radiating later, and between animals and their closest unicellular relatives. We also provide an updated hypothesis regarding the transition to animal multicellularity, which was likely gradual and involved the use of gene regulatory mechanisms in the emergence of early developmental and morphogenetic plans. Finally, we discuss some new avenues of research that will complement these studies in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Ros-Rocher
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alberto Pérez-Posada
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC-Universidad Pablo de Olavide), Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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29
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Bosch TCG, McFall-Ngai M. Animal development in the microbial world: Re-thinking the conceptual framework. Curr Top Dev Biol 2021; 141:399-427. [PMID: 33602495 PMCID: PMC8214508 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Animals have evolved within the framework of the microbes and are constantly exposed to diverse microbiota. This dominance of the microbial world is forcing all fields of biology to question some of their most basic premises, with developmental biology being no exception. While animals under laboratory conditions can develop and live without microbes, they are far from normal, and would not survive under natural conditions, where their fitness would be strongly compromised. Since much of the undescribed biodiversity on Earth is microbial, any consideration of animal development in the absence of the recognition of microbes will be incomplete. Here, we show that animal development may never have been autonomous, rather it requires transient or persistent interactions with the microbial world. We propose that to formulate a comprehensive understanding of embryogenesis and post-embryonic development, we must recognize that symbiotic microbes provide important developmental signals and contribute in significant ways to phenotype production. This offers limitless opportunities for the field of developmental biology to expand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C G Bosch
- Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Margaret McFall-Ngai
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
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30
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Brunet T, Albert M, Roman W, Coyle MC, Spitzer DC, King N. A flagellate-to-amoeboid switch in the closest living relatives of animals. eLife 2021; 10:e61037. [PMID: 33448265 PMCID: PMC7895527 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Amoeboid cell types are fundamental to animal biology and broadly distributed across animal diversity, but their evolutionary origin is unclear. The closest living relatives of animals, the choanoflagellates, display a polarized cell architecture (with an apical flagellum encircled by microvilli) that resembles that of epithelial cells and suggests homology, but this architecture differs strikingly from the deformable phenotype of animal amoeboid cells, which instead evoke more distantly related eukaryotes, such as diverse amoebae. Here, we show that choanoflagellates subjected to confinement become amoeboid by retracting their flagella and activating myosin-based motility. This switch allows escape from confinement and is conserved across choanoflagellate diversity. The conservation of the amoeboid cell phenotype across animals and choanoflagellates, together with the conserved role of myosin, is consistent with homology of amoeboid motility in both lineages. We hypothesize that the differentiation between animal epithelial and crawling cells might have evolved from a stress-induced switch between flagellate and amoeboid forms in their single-celled ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Brunet
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Marvin Albert
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of ZürichZurichSwitzerland
| | - William Roman
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), CIBERNEDBarcelonaSpain
| | - Maxwell C Coyle
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Danielle C Spitzer
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Nicole King
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
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31
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Ruiz-Trillo I, de Mendoza A. Towards understanding the origin of animal development. Development 2020; 147:147/23/dev192575. [PMID: 33272929 DOI: 10.1242/dev.192575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Almost all animals undergo embryonic development, going from a single-celled zygote to a complex multicellular adult. We know that the patterning and morphogenetic processes involved in development are deeply conserved within the animal kingdom. However, the origins of these developmental processes are just beginning to be unveiled. Here, we focus on how the protist lineages sister to animals are reshaping our view of animal development. Most intriguingly, many of these protistan lineages display transient multicellular structures, which are governed by similar morphogenetic and gene regulatory processes as animal development. We discuss here two potential alternative scenarios to explain the origin of animal embryonic development: either it originated concomitantly at the onset of animals or it evolved from morphogenetic processes already present in their unicellular ancestors. We propose that an integrative study of several unicellular taxa closely related to animals will allow a more refined picture of how the last common ancestor of animals underwent embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain .,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.,ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alex de Mendoza
- Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, London E1 4DQ, UK
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32
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Lopez-Salas FE, Nadella R, Maldonado-Berny M, Escobedo-Sanchez ML, Fiorentino-Pérez R, Gatica-García B, Fernandez-Parrilla MA, Mario Gil M, Reyes-Corona D, García U, Orozco-Barrios CE, Gutierrez-Castillo ME, Martinez-Fong D. Synthetic Monopartite Peptide That Enables the Nuclear Import of Genes Delivered by the Neurotensin-Polyplex Vector. Mol Pharm 2020; 17:4572-4588. [PMID: 33125243 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neurotensin (NTS)-polyplex is a multicomponent nonviral vector that enables gene delivery via internalization of the neurotensin type 1 receptor (NTSR1) to dopaminergic neurons and cancer cells. An approach to improving its therapeutic safety is replacing the viral karyophilic component (peptide KPSV40; MAPTKRKGSCPGAAPNKPK), which performs the nuclear import activity, by a shorter synthetic peptide (KPRa; KMAPKKRK). We explored this issue and the mechanism of plasmid DNA translocation through the expression of the green fluorescent protein or red fluorescent protein fused with KPRa and internalization assays and whole-cell patch-clamp configuration experiments in a single cell together with importin α/β pathway blockers. We showed that KPRa electrostatically bound to plasmid DNA increased the transgene expression compared with KPSV40 and enabled nuclear translocation of KPRa-fused red fluorescent proteins and plasmid DNA. Such translocation was blocked with ivermectin or mifepristone, suggesting importin α/β pathway mediation. KPRa also enabled NTS-polyplex-mediated expression of reporter or physiological genes such as human mesencephalic-derived neurotrophic factor (hMANF) in dopaminergic neurons in vivo. KPRa is a synthetic monopartite peptide that showed nuclear import activity in NTS-polyplex vector-mediated gene delivery. KPRa could also improve the transfection of other nonviral vectors used in gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco E Lopez-Salas
- Programa de Doctorado en Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Rasajna Nadella
- Biosciences, IIIT Srikakulam-RGUKT, Etcherla 532402, Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Minerva Maldonado-Berny
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maria L Escobedo-Sanchez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Rosana Fiorentino-Pérez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Bismark Gatica-García
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Manuel A Fernandez-Parrilla
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Moreno Mario Gil
- Departamento de Farmacología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - David Reyes-Corona
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ubaldo García
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Carlos E Orozco-Barrios
- Hospital de Especialidades Dr. Bernardo Sepúlveda, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Unidad de Investigaciones Médicas en Enfermedades Neurológicas, CONACyT, Av. Cuauhtémoc 330, Doctores, 06720 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maria E Gutierrez-Castillo
- Departamento de Biociencias e Ingeniería, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 30 de junio de 1520 s/n, La Laguna Ticoman, 07340 Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Daniel Martinez-Fong
- Programa de Doctorado en Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico.,Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, No. 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, Mexico
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33
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Ravhe IS, Krishnan A, Manoj N. Evolutionary history of histamine receptors: Early vertebrate origin and expansion of the H 3-H 4 subtypes. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2020; 154:106989. [PMID: 33059072 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Histamine receptors belonging to the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate the diverse biological effects of biogenic histamine. They are classified into four phylogenetically distinct subtypes H1-H4, each with a different binding affinity for histamine and divergent downstream signaling pathways. Here we present the evolutionary history of the histamine receptors using a phylogenetic approach complemented with comparative genomics analyses of the sequences, gene structures, and synteny of gene neighborhoods. The data indicate the earliest emergence of histamine-mediated GPCR signaling by a H2 in a prebilaterian ancestor. The analyses support a revised classification of the vertebrate H3-H4 receptor subtypes. We demonstrate the presence of the H4 across vertebrates, contradicting the currently held notion that H4 is restricted to mammals. These non-mammalian vertebrate H4 orthologs have been mistaken for H3. We also identify the presence of a new H3 subtype (H3B), distinct from the canonical H3 (H3A), and propose that the H3A, H3B, and H4 likely emerged from a H3 progenitor through the 1R/2R whole genome duplications in an ancestor of the vertebrates. It is apparent that the ability of the H1, H2, and H3-4 to bind histamine was acquired convergently. We identified genomic signatures suggesting that the H1 and H3-H4 shared a last common ancestor with the muscarinic receptor in a bilaterian predecessor whereas, the H2 and the α-adrenoreceptor shared a progenitor in a prebilaterian ancestor. Furthermore, site-specific analysis of the vertebrate subtypes revealed potential residues that may account for the functional divergence between them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Infant Sagayaraj Ravhe
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Arunkumar Krishnan
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Narayanan Manoj
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
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34
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Gao M, Mackley IGP, Mesbahi-Vasey S, Bamonte HA, Struyvenberg SA, Landolt L, Pederson NJ, Williams LI, Bahl CD, Brooks L, Amacher JF. Structural characterization and computational analysis of PDZ domains in Monosiga brevicollis. Protein Sci 2020; 29:2226-2244. [PMID: 32914530 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Identification of the molecular networks that facilitated the evolution of multicellular animals from their unicellular ancestors is a fundamental problem in evolutionary cellular biology. Choanoflagellates are recognized as the closest extant nonmetazoan ancestors to animals. These unicellular eukaryotes can adopt a multicellular-like "rosette" state. Therefore, they are compelling models for the study of early multicellularity. Comparative studies revealed that a number of putative human orthologs are present in choanoflagellate genomes, suggesting that a subset of these genes were necessary for the emergence of multicellularity. However, previous work is largely based on sequence alignments alone, which does not confirm structural nor functional similarity. Here, we focus on the PDZ domain, a peptide-binding domain which plays critical roles in myriad cellular signaling networks and which underwent a gene family expansion in metazoan lineages. Using a customized sequence similarity search algorithm, we identified 178 PDZ domains in the Monosiga brevicollis proteome. This includes 11 previously unidentified sequences, which we analyzed using Rosetta and homology modeling. To assess conservation of protein structure, we solved high-resolution crystal structures of representative M. brevicollis PDZ domains that are homologous to human Dlg1 PDZ2, Dlg1 PDZ3, GIPC, and SHANK1 PDZ domains. To assess functional conservation, we calculated binding affinities for mbGIPC, mbSHANK1, mbSNX27, and mbDLG-3 PDZ domains from M. brevicollis. Overall, we find that peptide selectivity is generally conserved between these two disparate organisms, with one possible exception, mbDLG-3. Overall, our results provide novel insight into signaling pathways in a choanoflagellate model of primitive multicellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Iain G P Mackley
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Samaneh Mesbahi-Vasey
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Haley A Bamonte
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Sarah A Struyvenberg
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Louisa Landolt
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Nick J Pederson
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Lucy I Williams
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Christopher D Bahl
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lionel Brooks
- Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Jeanine F Amacher
- Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
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35
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Arroyo AS, Lannes R, Bapteste E, Ruiz-Trillo I. Gene Similarity Networks Unveil a Potential Novel Unicellular Group Closely Related to Animals from the Tara Oceans Expedition. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:1664-1678. [PMID: 32533833 PMCID: PMC7533066 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Holozoa clade comprises animals and several unicellular lineages (choanoflagellates, filastereans, and teretosporeans). Understanding their full diversity is essential to address the origins of animals and other evolutionary questions. However, they are poorly known. To provide more insights into the real diversity of holozoans and check for undiscovered diversity, we here analyzed 18S rDNA metabarcoding data from the global Tara Oceans expedition. To overcome the low phylogenetic information contained in the metabarcoding data set (composed of sequences from the short V9 region of the gene), we used similarity networks by combining two data sets: unknown environmental sequences from Tara Oceans and known reference sequences from GenBank. We then calculated network metrics to compare environmental sequences with reference sequences. These metrics reflected the divergence between both types of sequences and provided an effective way to search for evolutionary relevant diversity, further validated by phylogenetic placements. Our results showed that the percentage of unicellular holozoan diversity remains hidden. We found novelties in several lineages, especially in Acanthoecida choanoflagellates. We also identified a potential new holozoan group that could not be assigned to any of the described extant clades. Data on geographical distribution showed that, although ubiquitous, each unicellular holozoan lineage exhibits a different distribution pattern. We also identified a positive association between new animal hosts and the ichthyosporean symbiont Creolimax fragrantissima, as well as for other holozoans previously reported as free-living. Overall, our analyses provide a fresh perspective into the diversity and ecology of unicellular holozoans, highlighting the amount of undescribed diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia S Arroyo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Romain Lannes
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Eric Bapteste
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia I Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
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36
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Lu Y, Ocaña-Pallarès E, López-Escardó D, Dennis SR, Monaghan MT, Ruiz-Trillo I, Spaak P, Wolinska J. Revisiting the phylogenetic position of Caullerya mesnili (Ichthyosporea), a common Daphnia parasite, based on 22 protein-coding genes. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2020; 151:106891. [PMID: 32562822 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Caullerya mesnili is a common and virulent parasite of the water flea, Daphnia. It was classified within the Haplosporidia (Rhizaria) for over a century. However, a recent molecular phylogeny based on the 18S rRNA gene suggested it belonged to the Ichthyosporea, a class of protists closely related to animals within the Opisthokonta clade. The exact phylogenetic position of C. mesnili remained uncertain because it appeared in the 18S rRNA tree with a very long branch and separated from all other taxa, suggesting that its position could be artifactual. A better understanding of its phylogenetic position has been constrained by a lack of molecular markers and the difficulty of obtaining a suitable quantity and quality of DNA from in vitro cultures, as this intracellular parasite cannot be cultured without its host. We isolated and collected spores of C. mesnili and sequenced genomic libraries. Phylogenetic analyses of a newly generated multi-protein data set (22 proteins, 4998 amino acids) and of sequences from the 18S rRNA gene both placed C. mesnili within the Ichthyophonida sub-clade of Ichthyosporea, as sister-taxon to Abeoforma whisleri and Pirum gemmata. Our study highlights the utility of metagenomic approaches for obtaining genomic information from intracellular parasites and for more accurate phylogenetic placement in evolutionary studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yameng Lu
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Eduard Ocaña-Pallarès
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - David López-Escardó
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Stuart R Dennis
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Michael T Monaghan
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research (BeGenDiv), Berlin, Germany; Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Berlin, Germany
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona 08028, Catalonia, Spain; ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Piet Spaak
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Justyna Wolinska
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Berlin, Germany
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Booth DS, King N. Genome editing enables reverse genetics of multicellular development in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. eLife 2020; 9:56193. [PMID: 32496191 PMCID: PMC7314544 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In a previous study, we established a forward genetic screen to identify genes required for multicellular development in the choanoflagellate, Salpingoeca rosetta (Levin et al., 2014). Yet, the paucity of reverse genetic tools for choanoflagellates has hampered direct tests of gene function and impeded the establishment of choanoflagellates as a model for reconstructing the origin of their closest living relatives, the animals. Here we establish CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in S. rosetta by engineering a selectable marker to enrich for edited cells. We then use genome editing to disrupt the coding sequence of a S. rosetta C-type lectin gene, rosetteless, and thereby demonstrate its necessity for multicellular rosette development. This work advances S. rosetta as a model system in which to investigate how genes identified from genetic screens and genomic surveys function in choanoflagellates and evolved as critical regulators of animal biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Booth
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Nicole King
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
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38
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Tikhonenkov DV, Hehenberger E, Esaulov AS, Belyakova OI, Mazei YA, Mylnikov AP, Keeling PJ. Insights into the origin of metazoan multicellularity from predatory unicellular relatives of animals. BMC Biol 2020; 18:39. [PMID: 32272915 PMCID: PMC7147346 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-0762-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The origin of animals from their unicellular ancestor was one of the most important events in evolutionary history, but the nature and the order of events leading up to the emergence of multicellular animals are still highly uncertain. The diversity and biology of unicellular relatives of animals have strongly informed our understanding of the transition from single-celled organisms to the multicellular Metazoa. Here, we analyze the cellular structures and complex life cycles of the novel unicellular holozoans Pigoraptor and Syssomonas (Opisthokonta), and their implications for the origin of animals. RESULTS Syssomonas and Pigoraptor are characterized by complex life cycles with a variety of cell types including flagellates, amoeboflagellates, amoeboid non-flagellar cells, and spherical cysts. The life cycles also include the formation of multicellular aggregations and syncytium-like structures, and an unusual diet for single-celled opisthokonts (partial cell fusion and joint sucking of a large eukaryotic prey), all of which provide new insights into the origin of multicellularity in Metazoa. Several existing models explaining the origin of multicellular animals have been put forward, but these data are interestingly consistent with one, the "synzoospore hypothesis." CONCLUSIONS The feeding modes of the ancestral metazoan may have been more complex than previously thought, including not only bacterial prey, but also larger eukaryotic cells and organic structures. The ability to feed on large eukaryotic prey could have been a powerful trigger in the formation and development of both aggregative (e.g., joint feeding, which also implies signaling) and clonal (e.g., hypertrophic growth followed by palintomy) multicellular stages that played important roles in the emergence of multicellular animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis V Tikhonenkov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia, 152742.
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit, RD3, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Duesternbrookerweg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Alexander P Mylnikov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia, 152742
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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39
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Brunet T, Larson BT, Linden TA, Vermeij MJA, McDonald K, King N. Light-regulated collective contractility in a multicellular choanoflagellate. Science 2020; 366:326-334. [PMID: 31624206 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay2346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Collective cell contractions that generate global tissue deformations are a signature feature of animal movement and morphogenesis. However, the origin of collective contractility in animals remains unclear. While surveying the Caribbean island of Curaçao for choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals, we isolated a previously undescribed species (here named Choanoeca flexa sp. nov.) that forms multicellular cup-shaped colonies. The colonies rapidly invert their curvature in response to changing light levels, which they detect through a rhodopsin-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway. Inversion requires actomyosin-mediated apical contractility and allows alternation between feeding and swimming behavior. C. flexa thus rapidly converts sensory inputs directly into multicellular contractions. These findings may inform reconstructions of hypothesized animal ancestors that existed before the evolution of specialized sensory and contractile cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Brunet
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ben T Larson
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Tess A Linden
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Mark J A Vermeij
- Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, CARMABI, Piscaderabaai z/n Willemstad, Curaçao
| | - Kent McDonald
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Nicole King
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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40
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Koehl MAR. Selective factors in the evolution of multicellularity in choanoflagellates. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2020; 336:315-326. [PMID: 32198827 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Choanoflagellates, unicellular eukaryotes that can form multicellular colonies by cell division and that share a common ancestor with animals, are used as a model system to study functional consequences of being unicellular versus colonial. This review examines performance differences between unicellular and multicellular choanoflagellates in swimming, feeding, and avoiding predation, to provide insights about possible selective advantages of being multicellular for the protozoan ancestors of animals. Each choanoflagellate cell propels water by beating a single flagellum and captures bacterial prey on a collar of microvilli around the flagellum. Formation of multicellular colonies does not improve the swimming performance, but the flux of prey-bearing water to the collars of some of the cells in colonies of certain configurations can be greater than for single cells. Colony geometry appears to affect whether cells in colonies catch more prey per cell per time than do unicellular choanoflagellates. Although multicellular choanoflagellates show chemokinetic behavior in response to oxygen, only the unicellular dispersal stage (fast swimmers without collars) use pH signals to aggregate in locations where bacterial prey might be abundant. Colonies produce larger hydrodynamic signals than do single cells, and raptorial protozoan predators capture colonies while ignoring single cells. In contrast, ciliate predators entrain both single cells and colonies in their feeding currents, but reject larger colonies, whereas passive heliozoan predators show no preference. Thus, the ability of choanoflagellate cells to differentiate into different morphotypes, including multicellular forms, in response to variable aquatic environments might have provided a selective advantage to the ancestors of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A R Koehl
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California
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41
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Nguyen H, Koehl MAR, Oakes C, Bustamante G, Fauci L. Effects of cell morphology and attachment to a surface on the hydrodynamic performance of unicellular choanoflagellates. J R Soc Interface 2020; 16:20180736. [PMID: 30958167 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Choanoflagellates, eukaryotes that are important predators on bacteria in aquatic ecosystems, are closely related to animals and are used as a model system to study the evolution of animals from protozoan ancestors. The choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta has a complex life cycle with different morphotypes, some unicellular and some multicellular. Here we use computational fluid dynamics to study the hydrodynamics of swimming and feeding by different unicellular stages of S. rosetta: a swimming cell with a collar of prey-capturing microvilli surrounding a single flagellum, a thecate cell attached to a surface and a dispersal-stage cell with a slender body, long flagellum and short collar. We show that a longer flagellum increases swimming speed, longer microvilli reduce speed and cell shape only affects speed when the collar is very short. The flux of prey-carrying water into the collar capture zone is greater for swimming than sessile cells, but this advantage decreases with collar size. Stalk length has little effect on flux for sessile cells. We show that ignoring the collar, as earlier models have done, overestimates flux and greatly overestimates the benefit to feeding performance of swimming versus being attached, and of a longer stalk for attached cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoa Nguyen
- 1 Department of Mathematics , Trinity University , San Antonio , TX 78212 , USA
| | - M A R Koehl
- 3 Department of Integrative Biology , University of California , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
| | - Christian Oakes
- 2 Department of Engineering Science , Trinity University , San Antonio , TX 78212 , USA
| | - Greg Bustamante
- 2 Department of Engineering Science , Trinity University , San Antonio , TX 78212 , USA
| | - Lisa Fauci
- 4 Department of Mathematics , Tulane University , New Orleans , LA 70118 , USA
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42
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Abstract
Inspired by the patterns of multicellularity in choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals, we quantify the biophysical processes underlying the morphogenesis of rosette colonies in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta We find that rosettes reproducibly transition from an early stage of 2-dimensional (2D) growth to a later stage of 3D growth, despite the underlying variability of the cell lineages. Our perturbative experiments demonstrate the fundamental importance of a basally secreted extracellular matrix (ECM) for rosette morphogenesis and show that the interaction of the ECM with cells in the colony physically constrains the packing of proliferating cells and, thus, controls colony shape. Simulations of a biophysically inspired model that accounts for the size and shape of the individual cells, the fraction of ECM, and its stiffness relative to that of the cells suffices to explain our observations and yields a morphospace consistent with observations across a range of multicellular choanoflagellate colonies. Overall, our biophysical perspective on rosette development complements previous genetic perspectives and, thus, helps illuminate the interplay between cell biology and physics in regulating morphogenesis.
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43
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Naumann B, Burkhardt P. Spatial Cell Disparity in the Colonial Choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. Front Cell Dev Biol 2019; 7:231. [PMID: 31681764 PMCID: PMC6803389 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Choanoflagellates are the closest unicellular relatives of animals (Metazoa). These tiny protists display complex life histories that include sessile as well as different pelagic stages. Some choanoflagellates have the ability to form colonies as well. Up until recently, these colonies have been described to consist of mostly identical cells showing no spatial cell differentiation, which supported the traditional view that spatial cell differentiation, leading to the co-existence of specific cell types in animals, evolved after the split of the last common ancestor of the Choanoflagellata and Metazoa. The recent discovery of single cells in colonies of the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta that exhibit unique cell morphologies challenges this traditional view. We have now reanalyzed TEM serial sections, aiming to determine the degree of similarity of S. rosetta cells within a rosette colony. We investigated cell morphologies and nuclear, mitochondrial, and food vacuole volumes of 40 individual cells from four different S. rosetta rosette colonies and compared our findings to sponge choanocytes. Our analysis shows that cells in a choanoflagellate colony differ from each other in respect to cell morphology and content ratios of nuclei, mitochondria, and food vacuoles. Furthermore, cell disparity within S. rosetta colonies is slightly higher compared to cell disparity within sponge choanocytes. Moreover, we discovered the presence of plasma membrane contacts between colonial cells in addition to already described intercellular bridges and filo-/pseudopodial contacts. Our findings indicate that the last common ancestor of Choanoflagellata and Metazoa might have possessed plasma membrane contacts and spatial cell disparity during colonial life history stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Naumann
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Pawel Burkhardt
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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44
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Khadka B, Gupta RS. Novel Molecular Signatures in the PIP4K/PIP5K Family of Proteins Specific for Different Isozymes and Subfamilies Provide Important Insights into the Evolutionary Divergence of this Protein Family. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10040312. [PMID: 31010098 PMCID: PMC6523245 DOI: 10.3390/genes10040312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the PIP4K/PIP5K family of proteins, which generate the highly important secondary messenger phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate, play central roles in regulating diverse signaling pathways. In eukaryotic organisms, multiple isozymes and subfamilies of PIP4K/PIP5K proteins are found and it is of much interest to understand their evolution and species distribution and what unique molecular and biochemical characteristics distinguish specific isozymes and subfamilies of proteins. We report here the species distribution of different PIP4K/PIP5K family of proteins in eukaryotic organisms and phylogenetic analysis based on their protein sequences. Our results indicate that the distinct homologs of both PIP4K and PIP5K are found in different organisms belonging to the Holozoa clade of eukaryotes, which comprises of various metazoan phyla as well as their close unicellular relatives Choanoflagellates and Filasterea. In contrast, the deeper-branching eukaryotic lineages, as well as plants and fungi, contain only a single homolog of the PIP4K/PIP5K proteins. In parallel, our comparative analyses of PIP4K/PIP5K protein sequences have identified six highly-specific molecular markers consisting of conserved signature indels (CSIs) that are uniquely shared by either the PIP4K or PIP5K proteins, or both, or specific subfamilies of these proteins. Of these molecular markers, 2 CSIs are distinctive characteristics of all PIP4K homologs, 1 CSI distinguishes the PIP4K and PIP5K homologs from the Holozoa clade of species from the ancestral form of PIP4K/PIP5K found in deeper-branching eukaryotic lineages. The remaining three CSIs are specific for the PIP5Kα, PIP5Kβ, and PIP4Kγ subfamilies of proteins from vertebrate species. These molecular markers provide important means for distinguishing different PIP4K/PIP5K isozymes as well as some of their subfamilies. In addition, the distribution patterns of these markers in different isozymes provide important insights into the evolutionary divergence of PIP4K/PIP5K proteins. Our results support the view that the Holozoa clade of eukaryotic organisms shared a common ancestor exclusive of the other eukaryotic lineages and that the initial gene duplication event leading to the divergence of distinct types of PIP4K and PIP5K homologs occurred in a common ancestor of this clade. Based on the results gleaned from different studies presented here, a model for the evolutionary divergence of the PIP4K/PIP5K family of proteins is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijendra Khadka
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada.
| | - Radhey S Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada.
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45
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The architecture of cell differentiation in choanoflagellates and sponge choanocytes. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000226. [PMID: 30978201 PMCID: PMC6481868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although collar cells are conserved across animals and their closest relatives, the choanoflagellates, little is known about their ancestry, their subcellular architecture, or how they differentiate. The choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta expresses genes necessary for animal development and can alternate between unicellular and multicellular states, making it a powerful model for investigating the origin of animal multicellularity and mechanisms underlying cell differentiation. To compare the subcellular architecture of solitary collar cells in S. rosetta with that of multicellular ‘rosette’ colonies and collar cells in sponges, we reconstructed entire cells in 3D through transmission electron microscopy on serial ultrathin sections. Structural analysis of our 3D reconstructions revealed important differences between single and colonial choanoflagellate cells, with colonial cells exhibiting a more amoeboid morphology consistent with higher levels of macropinocytotic activity. Comparison of multiple reconstructed rosette colonies highlighted the variable nature of cell sizes, cell–cell contact networks, and colony arrangement. Importantly, we uncovered the presence of elongated cells in some rosette colonies that likely represent a distinct and differentiated cell type, pointing toward spatial cell differentiation. Intercellular bridges within choanoflagellate colonies displayed a variety of morphologies and connected some but not all neighbouring cells. Reconstruction of sponge choanocytes revealed ultrastructural commonalities but also differences in major organelle composition in comparison to choanoflagellates. Together, our comparative reconstructions uncover the architecture of cell differentiation in choanoflagellates and sponge choanocytes and constitute an important step in reconstructing the cell biology of the last common ancestor of animals. 3D electron microscopy of choanoflagellates and sponge choanocytes reveals a remarkable variety of cell architecture and suggests that cell type differentiation may have been present in the stem lineage leading to the animals. Choanoflagellates are microscopic aquatic organisms that can alternate between single-celled and multicellular states, and sequencing of their genomes has revealed that choanoflagellates are the closest single-celled relatives of animals. Moreover, choanoflagellates are a form of ‘collar cell’—a cell type crowned by an array of finger-like microvilli and a single, whip-like flagellum. This cell type is also found throughout the animal kingdom; therefore, studying the structure of the choanoflagellate collar cell can shed light on how this cell type and animal multicellularity might have evolved. We used electron microscopy to reconstruct in 3D the total subcellular composition of single-celled and multicellular choanoflagellates as well as the collar cells from a marine sponge, which represents an early-branching animal lineage. We found differences between single-celled and multicellular choanoflagellates in structures associated with cellular energetics, membrane trafficking, and cell morphology. Likewise, we describe a complex system of cell–cell connections associated with multicellular choanoflagellates. Finally, comparison of choanoflagellates and sponge collar cells revealed subcellular differences associated with feeding and cellular energetics. Taken together, this study is an important step forward in reconstructing the biology of the last common ancestor of the animals.
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Rahman F, Hassan M, Hanano A, Fitzpatrick DA, McCarthy CGP, Murphy DJ. Evolutionary, structural and functional analysis of the caleosin/peroxygenase gene family in the Fungi. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:976. [PMID: 30593269 PMCID: PMC6309107 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5334-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Caleosin/peroxygenases, CLO/PXG, (designated PF05042 in Pfam) are a group of genes/proteins with anomalous distributions in eukaryotic taxa. We have previously characterised CLO/PXGs in the Viridiplantae. The aim of this study was to investigate the evolution and functions of the CLO/PXGs in the Fungi and other non-plant clades and to elucidate the overall origin of this gene family. RESULTS CLO/PXG-like genes are distributed across the full range of fungal groups from the basal clades, Cryptomycota and Microsporidia, to the largest and most complex Dikarya species. However, the genes were only present in 243 out of 844 analysed fungal genomes. CLO/PXG-like genes have been retained in many pathogenic or parasitic fungi that have undergone considerable genomic and structural simplification, indicating that they have important functions in these species. Structural and functional analyses demonstrate that CLO/PXGs are multifunctional proteins closely related to similar proteins found in all major taxa of the Chlorophyte Division of the Viridiplantae. Transcriptome and physiological data show that fungal CLO/PXG-like genes have complex patterns of developmental and tissue-specific expression and are upregulated in response to a range of biotic and abiotic stresses as well as participating in key metabolic and developmental processes such as lipid metabolism, signalling, reproduction and pathogenesis. Biochemical data also reveal that the Aspergillus flavus CLO/PXG has specific functions in sporulation and aflatoxin production as well as playing roles in lipid droplet function. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to plants, CLO/PXGs only occur in about 30% of sequenced fungal genomes but are present in all major taxa. Fungal CLO/PXGs have similar but not identical roles to those in plants, including stress-related oxylipin signalling, lipid metabolism, reproduction and pathogenesis. While the presence of CLO/PXG orthologs in all plant genomes sequenced to date would suggest that they have core housekeeping functions in plants, the selective loss of CLO/PXGs in many fungal genomes suggests more restricted functions in fungi as accessory genes useful in particular environments or niches. We suggest an ancient origin of CLO/PXG-like genes in the 'last eukaryotic common ancestor' (LECA) and their subsequent loss in ancestors of the Metazoa, after the latter had diverged from the ancestral fungal lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzana Rahman
- Genomics and Computational Biology Research Group, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL UK
| | - Mehedi Hassan
- Genomics and Computational Biology Research Group, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL UK
| | - Abdulsamie Hanano
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Atomic Energy Commission of Syria, P.O. Box 6091, Damascus, Syria
| | | | | | - Denis J. Murphy
- Genomics and Computational Biology Research Group, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL UK
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Wetzel LA, Levin TC, Hulett RE, Chan D, King GA, Aldayafleh R, Booth DS, Sigg MA, King N. Predicted glycosyltransferases promote development and prevent spurious cell clumping in the choanoflagellate S. rosetta. eLife 2018; 7:e41482. [PMID: 30556809 PMCID: PMC6322860 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In a previous study we established forward genetics in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta and found that a C-type lectin gene is required for rosette development (Levin et al., 2014). Here we report on critical improvements to genetic screens in S. rosetta while also investigating the genetic basis for rosette defect mutants in which single cells fail to develop into orderly rosettes and instead aggregate promiscuously into amorphous clumps of cells. Two of the mutants, Jumble and Couscous, mapped to lesions in genes encoding two different predicted glycosyltransferases and displayed aberrant glycosylation patterns in the basal extracellular matrix (ECM). In animals, glycosyltransferases sculpt the polysaccharide-rich ECM, regulate integrin and cadherin activity, and, when disrupted, contribute to tumorigenesis. The finding that predicted glycosyltransferases promote proper rosette development and prevent cell aggregation in S. rosetta suggests a pre-metazoan role for glycosyltransferases in regulating development and preventing abnormal tumor-like multicellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Wetzel
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Tera C Levin
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Ryan E Hulett
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Daniel Chan
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Grant A King
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Reef Aldayafleh
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - David S Booth
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Monika Abedin Sigg
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Nicole King
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
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Booth DS, Szmidt-Middleton H, King N. Transfection of choanoflagellates illuminates their cell biology and the ancestry of animal septins. Mol Biol Cell 2018; 29:3026-3038. [PMID: 30281390 PMCID: PMC6333174 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e18-08-0514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
As the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer unique insights into animal origins and core mechanisms underlying animal cell biology. However, unlike traditional model organisms, such as yeast, flies, and worms, choanoflagellates have been refractory to DNA delivery methods for expressing foreign genes. Here we report a robust method for expressing transgenes in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta, overcoming barriers that have previously hampered DNA delivery and expression. To demonstrate how this method accelerates the study of S. rosetta cell biology, we engineered a panel of fluorescent protein markers that illuminate key features of choanoflagellate cells. We then investigated the localization of choanoflagellate septins, a family of GTP-binding cytoskeletal proteins that are hypothesized to regulate multicellular rosette development in S. rosetta. Fluorescently tagged septins localized to the basal poles of S. rosetta single cells and rosettes in a pattern resembling septin localization in animal epithelia. The establishment of transfection in S. rosetta and its application to the study of septins represent critical advances in the use of S. rosetta as an experimental model for investigating choanoflagellate cell biology, core mechanisms underlying animal cell biology, and the origin of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Booth
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Heather Szmidt-Middleton
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Nicole King
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
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Arroyo AS, López-Escardó D, Kim E, Ruiz-Trillo I, Najle SR. Novel Diversity of Deeply Branching Holomycota and Unicellular Holozoans Revealed by Metabarcoding in Middle Paraná River, Argentina. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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50
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Freij JB, Fu MS, De Leon Rodriguez CM, Dziedzic A, Jedlicka AE, Dragotakes Q, Rossi DCP, Jung EH, Coelho C, Casadevall A. Conservation of Intracellular Pathogenic Strategy among Distantly Related Cryptococcal Species. Infect Immun 2018; 86:e00946-17. [PMID: 29712729 PMCID: PMC6013651 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00946-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Cryptococcus includes several species pathogenic for humans. Until recently, the two major pathogenic species were recognized to be Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii We compared the interaction of murine macrophages with three C. gattii species complex strains (WM179, R265, and WM161, representing molecular types VGI, VGIIa, and VGIII, respectively) and one C. neoformans species complex strain (H99, molecular type VNI) to ascertain similarities and differences in the yeast intracellular pathogenic strategy. The parameters analyzed included nonlytic exocytosis frequency, phagolysosomal pH, intracellular capsular growth, phagolysosomal membrane permeabilization, and macrophage transcriptional response, assessed using time-lapse microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and gene expression microarray analysis. The most striking result was that the intracellular pathogenic strategies of C. neoformans and C. gattii species complex strains were qualitatively similar, despite the species having separated an estimated 100 million years ago. Macrophages exhibited a leaky phagolysosomal membrane phenotype and nonlytic exocytosis when infected with either C. gattii or C. neoformans Conservation of the intracellular strategy among species that separated long ago suggests that it is ancient and possibly maintained by similar selection pressures through eons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joudeh B Freij
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Man Shun Fu
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Amanda Dziedzic
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Anne E Jedlicka
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Quigly Dragotakes
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Diego C P Rossi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Eric H Jung
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Carolina Coelho
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Arturo Casadevall
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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