1
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Glass BH, Ashey J, Okongwu AR, Putnam HM, Barott KL. Characterization of a sperm motility signalling pathway in a gonochoric coral suggests conservation across cnidarian sexual systems. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230085. [PMID: 37528706 PMCID: PMC10394420 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0085] [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] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Most stony corals liberate their gametes into the water column via broadcast spawning, where fertilization hinges upon the activation of directional sperm motility. Sperm from gonochoric and hermaphroditic corals display distinct morphological and molecular phenotypes, yet it is unknown whether the signalling pathways controlling sperm motility are also distinct between these sexual systems. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap using the gonochoric, broadcast spawning coral Astrangia poculata. We found that cytosolic alkalinization of sperm activates the pH-sensing enzyme soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC), which is required for motility. Additionally, we demonstrate for the first time in any cnidarian that sAC activity leads to protein kinase A (PKA) activation, and that PKA activity contributes to sperm motility activation. Ultrastructures of A. poculata sperm displayed morphological homology with other gonochoric cnidarians, and sAC exhibited broad structural and functional conservation across this phylum. These results indicate a conserved role for pH-dependent sAC-cAMP-PKA signalling in sperm motility across coral sexual systems, and suggest that the role of this pathway in sperm motility may be ancestral in metazoans. Finally, the dynamics of this pH-sensitive pathway may play a critical role in determining the sensitivity of marine invertebrate reproduction to anthropogenic ocean acidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin H. Glass
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jill Ashey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | | | - Hollie M. Putnam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Katie L. Barott
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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2
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Trioecy is maintained as a time-stable mating system in the pink sea urchin Toxopneustes roseus from the Mexican Pacific. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21408. [PMID: 36496463 PMCID: PMC9741619 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26059-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trioecy is a sexual system that consists of the co-occurrence of females, males and hermaphrodites in a population and is common in plants; however, in animals it is uncommon and poorly understood. In echinoderms, trioecy had never been recorded until now. Frequencies of females, males, and hermaphrodites were evaluated and gametogenic development was histologically characterized in a population of Toxopneustes roseus inhabiting the Mexican Pacific. Trioecy in this population is functional and temporally stable, since the three sexes coexisted in each sampling month. The hermaphrodites presented similar gametogenic development as the females and males and participated during the spawning season, contributing to the population's reproductive process. Trioecy is considered an evolutionarily transitory state, and it is extremely difficult to explain its presence in a species. We hypothesize that continuous ocean warming represents a threat to the survival of this population of T. roseus, since its early developmental stages, which represent a population bottleneck, are more vulnerable to high temperatures than other sea urchins inhabiting the area, while its population density is significantly lower. These conditions generate a strongly stressed environment, which is the determining factor that maintains the stability of trioecy in the species in which it has been studied.
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3
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Godin VN. Trioecy in Flowering Plants. DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTIONS 2022; 507:301-311. [PMID: 36781527 DOI: 10.1134/s0012496622060023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Populations of trioecious plants consists of individuals with staminate, pistillate, and hermaphrodite flowers. Trioecy is extremely rare in angiosperms, and relevant data are scarce. A list of trioecious plants found in the global flora was compiled on the basis of literature data and original research. The list includes 80 species of 46 genera, which represent 33 families and 21 orders of flowering plants. Trioecy is found in 7.9% of families, 0.3% of genera, and 0.03% of species in angiosperms. Trioecious species are now unknown in basal angiosperms, uncommon in magnoliids, and rather rare in monocots. The overwhelming majority (87.5%) of trioecious plants belong to Superrosids (30 species) and Superasterids (40 species). The greatest numbers of trioecious species are found in the families Rosaceae (nine species of two genera), Caprifoliaceae (seven species of one genus), Scrophulariaceae (seven species of one genus), Caryophyllaceae (six species of two genera), and Celastraceae (six species of two genera). Almost half of the identified trioecious species represent five genera: Fragaria L. (eight species), Valeriana L. (seven species), Buddleja L. (seven species), Maytenus Molina (five species), and Silene L. (five species). An association with trioecy was analyzed for several biological and ecological factors, such as the life form, the method of pollination, the perianth color, the pericarp consistency, the presence of related dioecious species in the same genus, the latitudinal position, and the distribution through floristic phytochoria. A lability of sex differentiation in certain trioecious plants, the proportion of sex forms in a population, a possible association with polyploidy, and mechanisms of trioecy maintenance and evolution in flowering plants are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- V N Godin
- Moscow Pedagogical State University, Moscow, Russia. .,Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Novosibirsk, Russia.
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4
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Adams S, Pathak P, Kittelmann M, Jones ARC, Mallon EB, Pires-daSilva A. Sexual morph specialisation in a trioecious nematode balances opposing selective forces. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6402. [PMID: 35431314 PMCID: PMC9013718 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09900-8] [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: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The coexistence of different mating strategies, whereby a species can reproduce both by selfing and outcrossing, is an evolutionary enigma. Theory predicts two predominant stable mating states: outcrossing with strong inbreeding depression or selfing with weak inbreeding depression. As these two mating strategies are subject to opposing selective forces, mixed breeding systems are thought to be a rare transitory state yet can persist even after multiple speciation events. We hypothesise that if each mating strategy plays a distinctive role during some part of the species life history, opposing selective pressures could be balanced, permitting the stable co-existence of selfing and outcrossing sexual morphs. In this scenario, we would expect each morph to be specialised in their respective roles. Here we show, using behavioural, physiological and gene expression studies, that the selfing (hermaphrodite) and outcrossing (female) sexual morphs of the trioecious nematode Auanema freiburgensis have distinct adaptations optimised for their different roles during the life cycle. A. freiburgensis hermaphrodites are known to be produced under stressful conditions and are specialised for dispersal to new habitat patches. Here we show that they exhibit metabolic and intestinal changes enabling them to meet the cost of dispersal and reproduction. In contrast, A. freiburgensis females are produced in favourable conditions and facilitate rapid population growth. We found that females compensate for the lack of reproductive assurance by reallocating resources from intestinal development to mate-finding behaviour. The specialisation of each mating system for its role in the life cycle could balance opposing selective forces allowing the stable maintenance of both mating systems in A. freiburgensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Adams
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
| | - Prachi Pathak
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Maike Kittelmann
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Alun R C Jones
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Eamonn B Mallon
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
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5
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Morgan MB, Ross J, Ellwanger J, Phrommala RM, Youngblood H, Qualley D, Williams J. Sea Anemones Responding to Sex Hormones, Oxybenzone, and Benzyl Butyl Phthalate: Transcriptional Profiling and in Silico Modelling Provide Clues to Decipher Endocrine Disruption in Cnidarians. Front Genet 2022; 12:793306. [PMID: 35087572 PMCID: PMC8787064 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.793306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Endocrine disruption is suspected in cnidarians, but questions remain how occurs. Steroid sex hormones are detected in corals and sea anemones even though these animals do not have estrogen receptors and their repertoire of steroidogenic enzymes appears to be incomplete. Pathways associated with sex hormone biosynthesis and sterol signaling are an understudied area in cnidarian biology. The objective of this study was to identify a suite of genes that can be linked to exposure of endocrine disruptors. Exaiptasia diaphana were exposed to nominal 20ppb concentrations of estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), cholesterol, oxybenzone (BP-3), or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) for 4 h. Eleven genes of interest (GOIs) were chosen from a previously generated EST library. The GOIs are 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases type 14 (17β HSD14) and type 12 (17β HSD12), Niemann-Pick C type 2 (NPC2), Equistatin (EI), Complement component C3 (C3), Cathepsin L (CTSL), Patched domain-containing protein 3 (PTCH3), Smoothened (SMO), Desert Hedgehog (DHH), Zinc finger protein GLI2 (GLI2), and Vitellogenin (VTG). These GOIs were selected because of functional associations with steroid hormone biosynthesis; cholesterol binding/transport; immunity; phagocytosis; or Hedgehog signaling. Quantitative Real-Time PCR quantified expression of GOIs. In silico modelling utilized protein structures from Protein Data Bank as well as creating protein structures with SWISS-MODEL. Results show transcription of steroidogenic enzymes, and cholesterol binding/transport proteins have similar transcription profiles for E2, T, and cholesterol treatments, but different profiles when BP-3 or BBP is present. C3 expression can differentiate between exposures to BP-3 versus BBP as well as exposure to cholesterol versus sex hormones. In silico modelling revealed all ligands (E2, T, cholesterol, BBP, and BP-3) have favorable binding affinities with 17β HSD14, 17β HSD12, NPC2, SMO, and PTCH proteins. VTG expression was down-regulated in the sterol treatments but up-regulated in BP-3 and BBP treatments. In summary, these eleven GOIs collectively generate unique transcriptional profiles capable of discriminating between the five chemical exposures used in this investigation. This suite of GOIs are candidate biomarkers for detecting transcriptional changes in steroidogenesis, gametogenesis, sterol transport, and Hedgehog signaling. Detection of disruptions in these pathways offers new insight into endocrine disruption in cnidarians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Morgan
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
| | - James Ross
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Joseph Ellwanger
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
| | | | - Hannah Youngblood
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States.,Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Dominic Qualley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
| | - Jacob Williams
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA, United States
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6
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Alves DFR, Barros-Alves SP, Almeida AC, Costa RC. Sex change and reproductive output of the protandric shrimp Merguia rhizophorae (Rathbun, 1900) (Decapoda, Merguiidae). J NAT HIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.2019339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Fernandes Rodrigues Alves
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Ecossistemas Aquáticos (LEEA), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação de Recursos Naturais (PPGECO), Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - S. P. Barros-Alves
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Naturais (DECAN), Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais (UEMG), Unidade de Ituiutaba, Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - A. C. Almeida
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Ecossistemas Aquáticos (LEEA), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação de Recursos Naturais (PPGECO), Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - R. C. Costa
- Laboratory of Biology and Ecology of Marine and Freshwater Shrimps (LABCAM), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil
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7
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Presnell JS, Wirsching E, Weis VM. Tentacle patterning during Exaiptasia diaphana pedal lacerate development differs between symbiotic and aposymbiotic animals. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12770. [PMID: 35047238 PMCID: PMC8757374 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Exaiptasia diaphana, a tropical sea anemone known as Aiptasia, is a tractable model system for studying the cellular, physiological, and ecological characteristics of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Aiptasia is widely used as a proxy for coral-algal symbiosis, since both Aiptasia and corals form a symbiosis with members of the family Symbiodiniaceae. Laboratory strains of Aiptasia can be maintained in both the symbiotic (Sym) and aposymbiotic (Apo, without algae) states. Apo Aiptasia allow for the study of the influence of symbiosis on different biological processes and how different environmental conditions impact symbiosis. A key feature of Aiptasia is the ease of propagating both Sym and Apo individuals in the laboratory through a process called pedal laceration. In this form of asexual reproduction, small pieces of tissue rip away from the pedal disc of a polyp, then these lacerates eventually develop tentacles and grow into new polyps. While pedal laceration has been described in the past, details of how tentacles are formed or how symbiotic and nutritional state influence this process are lacking. Here we describe the stages of development in both Sym and Apo pedal lacerates. Our results show that Apo lacerates develop tentacles earlier than Sym lacerates, while over the course of 20 days, Sym lacerates end up with a greater number of tentacles. We describe both tentacle and mesentery patterning during lacerate development and show that they form through a single pattern in early stages regardless of symbiotic state. In later stages of development, Apo lacerate tentacles and mesenteries progress through a single pattern, while variable patterns were observed in Sym lacerates. We discuss how Aiptasia lacerate mesentery and tentacle patterning differs from oral disc regeneration and how these patterning events compare to postembryonic development in Nematostella vectensis, another widely-used sea anemone model. In addition, we demonstrate that Apo lacerates supplemented with a putative nutrient source developed an intermediate number of tentacles between un-fed Apo and Sym lacerates. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that pedal lacerates progress through two different, putatively nutrient-dependent phases of development. In the early phase, the lacerate, regardless of symbiotic state, preferentially uses or relies on nutrients carried over from the adult polyp. These resources are sufficient for lacerates to develop into a functional polyp. In the late phase of development, continued growth and tentacle formation is supported by nutrients obtained from either symbionts and/or the environment through heterotrophic feeding. Finally, we advocate for the implementation of pedal lacerates as an additional resource in the Aiptasia model system toolkit for studies of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S. Presnell
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America,Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Wirsching
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America,Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
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8
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Roy SW. Digest: Three sexes from two loci in one genome: A haploid alga expands the diversity of trioecious species. Evolution 2021; 75:3002-3003. [PMID: 34486115 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Multicellular eukaryotes exhibit a remarkable diversity of sexual systems; however, trioecy, the coexistence of male, female, and cosexual or hermaphrodite individuals in a single species, is remarkably rare. Takahashi et al. (2021) report the first known instance of trioecy in a haploid organism. In contrast to other known cases of trioecy, the authors report evidence for genetic control of all three sexes by two loci. These results complicate models for sexual system turnover and expand the known diversity of trioecy species in several ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott William Roy
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, 94117
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9
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Tan ES, Hamazato H, Ishii T, Taira K, Takeuchi Y, Takekata H, Isomura N, Takemura A. Does estrogen regulate vitellogenin synthesis in corals? Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2021; 255:110910. [PMID: 33486078 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.110910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Most broadcast spawner corals have a vitellogenic phase that lasts at least 6 months. It is established that estrogen regulates vitellogenin synthesis in vertebrates. Although some research have been conducted on the physiological role of sex steroids in corals, little is known about their involvement in oocyte development. This study aimed to detect steroid hormones - progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol-17β (E2) - in Acropora tenuis and study the relationships between vitellogenesis/vitellogenin synthesis and these steroids. This study also investigated the effect of E2 on vitellogenin synthesis in corals and identified steroidogenic enzymes in A. tenuis genome. Branches from tagged coral colonies were collected monthly from March to November. Histological observations showed that oocytes were vitellogenic from March to May (Stage IV and V), but not in June, and that gonads were occupied by immature oocytes in September (Stage I). Real-time qPCR revealed that vitellogenin (vg1 and vg2) transcript levels in coral branches were high in April and May, implying that corals actively underwent vitellogenesis during these months, and spawned before June. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that E2 could be detected in coral branches in March, April, and May, but not in June, whereas testosterone and progesterone did not fluctuate much in the same months. Immersing branches in E2-containing seawater failed to increase vitellogenin transcript levels. The results indicate that E2 is involved in oogenesis but does not positively regulate vitellogenin synthesis. Steroidogenic enzymes (except CYP19A) were identified in A. tenuis, suggesting that corals may endogenously synthesize progestogens and androgens from cholesterol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ee Suan Tan
- Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Hirono Hamazato
- Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ishii
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Kenshiro Taira
- Okinawa Prefectural Naha International Senior High School, 1-29 Ameku, Naha, Okinawa 900-0005, Japan
| | - Yuki Takeuchi
- Developmental Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), Onna 904-0412, Japan
| | - Hiroki Takekata
- Organization for Research Promotion, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Naoko Isomura
- Department of Bioresources Engineering, Okinawa National College of Technology, 905 Henoko, Nago-City, Okinawa 905-2192, Japan
| | - Akihiro Takemura
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan.
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10
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Khalturin K, Billas IML, Chebaro Y, Reitzel AM, Tarrant AM, Laudet V, Markov GV. NR3E receptors in cnidarians: A new family of steroid receptor relatives extends the possible mechanisms for ligand binding. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 184:11-19. [PMID: 29940311 PMCID: PMC6240368 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Steroid hormone receptors are important regulators of development and physiology in bilaterian animals, but the role of steroid signaling in cnidarians has been contentious. Cnidarians produce steroids, including A-ring aromatic steroids with a side-chain, but these are probably made through pathways different than the one used by vertebrates to make their A-ring aromatic steroids. Here we present comparative genomic analyses indicating the presence of a previously undescribed nuclear receptor family within medusozoan cnidarians, that we propose to call NR3E. This family predates the diversification of ERR/ER/SR in bilaterians, indicating that the first NR3 evolved in the common ancestor of the placozoan and cnidarian-bilaterian with lineage-specific loss in the anthozoans, even though multiple species in this lineage have been shown to produce aromatic steroids, whose function remain unclear. We discovered serendipitously that a cytoplasmic factor within epidermal cells of transgenic Hydra vulgaris can trigger the nuclear translocation of heterologously expressed human ERα. This led us to hypothesize that aromatic steroids may also be present in the medusozoan cnidarian lineage, which includes Hydra, and may explain the translocation of human ERα. Docking experiments with paraestrol A, a cnidarian A-ring aromatic steroid, into the ligand-binding pocket of Hydra NR3E indicates that, if an aromatic steroid is indeed the true ligand, which remains to be demonstrated, it would bind to the pocket through a partially distinct mechanism from the manner in which estradiol binds to vertebrate ER.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Khalturin
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Isabelle M L Billas
- Centre for Integrative Biology (CBI), Department of Integrated Structural Biology, IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U964, Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yassmine Chebaro
- Centre for Integrative Biology (CBI), Department of Integrated Structural Biology, IGBMC (Institute of Genetics and of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Illkirch, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7104, Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U964, Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Adam M Reitzel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Ann M Tarrant
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
| | - Vincent Laudet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-mer, Avenue de Fontaule, 66650 Banyuls-sur-mer, France
| | - Gabriel V Markov
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8227 Integrative Biology of Marine Models, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, CS 90074, 29688 Roscoff Cedex, France.
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11
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Cunning R, Muller EB, Gates RD, Nisbet RM. A dynamic bioenergetic model for coral- Symbiodinium symbioses and coral bleaching as an alternate stable state. J Theor Biol 2017; 431:49-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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12
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Mating dynamics in a nematode with three sexes and its evolutionary implications. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17676. [PMID: 26631423 PMCID: PMC4668576 DOI: 10.1038/srep17676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Nematodes have diverse reproductive strategies, which make them ideal subjects for comparative studies to address how mating systems evolve. Here we present the sex ratios and mating dynamics of the free-living nematode Rhabditis sp. SB347, in which males, females and hermaphrodites co-exist. The three sexes are produced by both selfing and outcrossing, and females tend to appear early in a mother’s progeny. Males prefer mating with females over hermaphrodites, which our results suggest is related to the female-specific production of the sex pheromones ascr#1 and ascr#9. We discuss the parallels between this system and that of parasitic nematodes that exhibit alternation between uniparental and biparental reproduction.
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