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Guay SY, Patel PH, Thomalla JM, McDermott KL, O'Toole JM, Arnold SE, Obrycki SJ, Wolfner MF, Findlay GD. A newly evolved gene is essential for efficient sperm entry into eggs in Drosophila melanogaster. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.08.607187. [PMID: 39149251 PMCID: PMC11326263 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.08.607187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
New genes arise through a variety of evolutionary processes and provide raw material for adaptation in the face of both natural and sexual selection. De novo evolved genes emerge from previously non-protein-coding DNA sequences, and many such genes are expressed in male reproductive structures. In Drosophila melanogaster , several putative de novo genes have evolved essential roles in spermatogenesis, but whether such genes can also impact sperm function beyond the male has not been investigated. We identified a putative de novo gene, katherine johnson ( kj ), that is required for high levels of male fertility. Males that do not express kj produce and transfer sperm that are stored normally in females, but sperm from these males enter eggs with severely reduced efficiency. Using a tagged transgenic rescue construct, we observed that KJ protein localizes to the nuclear periphery in various stages of spermatogenesis, but is not detectable in mature sperm. These data suggest that kj exerts an effect on sperm development, the loss of which results in reduced fertilization ability. While previous bioinformatic analyses suggested the kj gene was restricted to the melanogaster group of Drosophila , we identified putative orthologs with conserved synteny, male-biased expression, and predicted protein features across the genus, as well as instances of gene loss in some lineages. Thus, kj potentially arose in the Drosophila common ancestor and subsequently evolved an essential role in D. melanogaster . Our results demonstrate a new aspect of male reproduction that has been shaped by new gene evolution and provide a molecular foothold for further investigating the mechanism of sperm entry into eggs in Drosophila . Article Summary How fruit fly sperm enter eggs is poorly understood. Here, we identify a gene that potentially arose from non-protein-coding DNA and is required for efficient fertilization. Sperm from males lacking this gene's function cannot enter eggs. The gene appears to act during sperm production, rather than in mature sperm. This study illustrates how newly evolved genes can affect important aspects of reproduction and provides insights into sperm-egg interactions.
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2
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Ben-Hur S, Sernik S, Afar S, Kolpakova A, Politi Y, Gal L, Florentin A, Golani O, Sivan E, Dezorella N, Morgenstern D, Pietrokovski S, Schejter E, Yacobi-Sharon K, Arama E. Egg multivesicular bodies elicit an LC3-associated phagocytosis-like pathway to degrade paternal mitochondria after fertilization. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5715. [PMID: 38977659 PMCID: PMC11231261 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50041-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are maternally inherited, but the mechanisms underlying paternal mitochondrial elimination after fertilization are far less clear. Using Drosophila, we show that special egg-derived multivesicular body vesicles promote paternal mitochondrial elimination by activating an LC3-associated phagocytosis-like pathway, a cellular defense pathway commonly employed against invading microbes. Upon fertilization, these egg-derived vesicles form extended vesicular sheaths around the sperm flagellum, promoting degradation of the sperm mitochondrial derivative and plasma membrane. LC3-associated phagocytosis cascade of events, including recruitment of a Rubicon-based class III PI(3)K complex to the flagellum vesicular sheaths, its activation, and consequent recruitment of Atg8/LC3, are all required for paternal mitochondrial elimination. Finally, lysosomes fuse with strings of large vesicles derived from the flagellum vesicular sheaths and contain degrading fragments of the paternal mitochondrial derivative. Given reports showing that in some mammals, the paternal mitochondria are also decorated with Atg8/LC3 and surrounded by multivesicular bodies upon fertilization, our findings suggest that a similar pathway also mediates paternal mitochondrial elimination in other flagellated sperm-producing organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Ben-Hur
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shoshana Sernik
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sara Afar
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Alina Kolpakova
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yoav Politi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Liron Gal
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Anat Florentin
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ofra Golani
- Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ehud Sivan
- Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nili Dezorella
- Department of Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - David Morgenstern
- de Botton Institute for Protein Profiling, The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalised Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shmuel Pietrokovski
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eyal Schejter
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Keren Yacobi-Sharon
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eli Arama
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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3
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Zhang X, Ferree PM. PSRs: Selfish chromosomes that manipulate reproductive development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 159-160:66-73. [PMID: 38394822 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
B chromosomes are intriguing "selfish" genetic elements, many of which exhibit higher-than-Mendelian transmission. This perspective highlights a group of B chromosomes known as Paternal Sex Ratio chromosomes (PSRs), which are found in several insects with haplo-diploid reproduction. PSRs harshly alter the organism's reproduction to facilitate their own inheritance. A manifestation of this effect is the conversion of female destined individuals into males. Key to this conversion is the mysterious ability of PSRs to cause elimination of the sperm-inherited half of the genome during zygote formation. Here we discuss how PSRs were discovered, what is known about how they alter paternal chromatin dynamics to cause sex conversion, and how PSR-induced genome elimination is different from other forms of programmed genome elimination in different insects. PSRs also stand out because their DNA sequence compositions differ in remarkable ways from their insect's essential chromosomes, a characteristic suggestive of interspecies origins. Broadly, we also highlight poorly understood aspects of PSR dynamics that need to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinmi Zhang
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Patrick M Ferree
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
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4
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Gomez A, Gonzalez S, Oke A, Luo J, Duong JB, Esquerra RM, Zimmerman T, Capponi S, Fung JC, Nystul TG. A high-throughput method for quantifying Drosophila fecundity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.27.587093. [PMID: 38585877 PMCID: PMC10996622 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.27.587093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Measurements of Drosophila fecundity are used in a wide variety of studies, such as investigations of stem cell biology, nutrition, behavior, and toxicology. In addition, because fecundity assays are performed on live flies, they are suitable for longitudinal studies such as investigations of aging or prolonged chemical exposure. However, standard Drosophila fecundity assays have been difficult to perform in a high-throughput manner because experimental factors such as the physiological state of the flies and environmental cues must be carefully controlled to achieve consistent results. In addition, exposing flies to a large number of different experimental conditions (such as chemical additives in the diet) and manually counting the number of eggs laid to determine the impact on fecundity is time-consuming. We have overcome these challenges by combining a new multiwell fly culture strategy with a novel 3D-printed fly transfer device to rapidly and accurately transfer flies from one plate to another; the RoboCam, a low-cost, custom built robotic camera to capture images of the wells automatically; and an image segmentation pipeline to automatically identify and quantify eggs. We show that this method is compatible with robust and consistent egg laying throughout the assay period; and demonstrate that the automated pipeline for quantifying fecundity is very accurate (r2 = 0.98 for the correlation between the automated egg counts and the ground truth) In addition, we show that this method can be used to efficiently detect the effects on fecundity induced by dietary exposure to chemicals. Taken together, this strategy substantially increases the efficiency and reproducibility of high throughput egg laying assays that require exposing flies to multiple different media conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreana Gomez
- University of California, San Francisco, Department of Anatomy
| | - Sergio Gonzalez
- San Francisco State University, Department of Biology
- Center for Cellular Construction, San Francisco, CA
| | - Ashwini Oke
- San Francisco State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of California, San Francisco, OB/GYN Department
- IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA; University of California, San Francisco, Center for Reproductive Sciences
| | - Jiayu Luo
- San Francisco State University, Department of Biology
- Center for Cellular Construction, San Francisco, CA
| | - Johnny B Duong
- Center for Cellular Construction, San Francisco, CA
- San Francisco State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of California, San Francisco, OB/GYN Department
| | - Raymond M Esquerra
- Center for Cellular Construction, San Francisco, CA
- San Francisco State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of California, San Francisco, OB/GYN Department
| | - Thomas Zimmerman
- Center for Cellular Construction, San Francisco, CA
- IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA; University of California, San Francisco, Center for Reproductive Sciences
| | - Sara Capponi
- Center for Cellular Construction, San Francisco, CA
- IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA; University of California, San Francisco, Center for Reproductive Sciences
| | - Jennifer C Fung
- San Francisco State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of California, San Francisco, OB/GYN Department
- IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA; University of California, San Francisco, Center for Reproductive Sciences
- University of California, San Francisco EaRTH Center
| | - Todd G Nystul
- University of California, San Francisco, Department of Anatomy
- San Francisco State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of California, San Francisco, OB/GYN Department
- IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA; University of California, San Francisco, Center for Reproductive Sciences
- University of California, San Francisco EaRTH Center
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5
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Poidevin M, Mazuras N, Bontonou G, Delamotte P, Denis B, Devilliers M, Akiki P, Petit D, de Luca L, Soulie P, Gillet C, Wicker-Thomas C, Montagne J. A fatty acid anabolic pathway in specialized-cells sustains a remote signal that controls egg activation in Drosophila. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011186. [PMID: 38483976 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Egg activation, representing the critical oocyte-to-embryo transition, provokes meiosis completion, modification of the vitelline membrane to prevent polyspermy, and translation of maternally provided mRNAs. This transition is triggered by a calcium signal induced by spermatozoon fertilization in most animal species, but not in insects. In Drosophila melanogaster, mature oocytes remain arrested at metaphase-I of meiosis and the calcium-dependent activation occurs while the oocyte moves through the genital tract. Here, we discovered that the oenocytes of fruitfly females are required for egg activation. Oenocytes, cells specialized in lipid-metabolism, are located beneath the abdominal cuticle. In adult flies, they synthesize the fatty acids (FAs) that are the precursors of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), including pheromones. The oenocyte-targeted knockdown of a set of FA-anabolic enzymes, involved in very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA) synthesis, leads to a defect in egg activation. Given that some but not all of the identified enzymes are required for CHC/pheromone biogenesis, this putative VLCFA-dependent remote control may rely on an as-yet unidentified CHC or may function in parallel to CHC biogenesis. Additionally, we discovered that the most posterior ventral oenocyte cluster is in close proximity to the uterus. Since oocytes dissected from females deficient in this FA-anabolic pathway can be activated in vitro, this regulatory loop likely operates upstream of the calcium trigger. To our knowledge, our findings provide the first evidence that a physiological extra-genital signal remotely controls egg activation. Moreover, our study highlights a potential metabolic link between pheromone-mediated partner recognition and egg activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickael Poidevin
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nicolas Mazuras
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportements, Ecologie (EGCE), CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Gwénaëlle Bontonou
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportements, Ecologie (EGCE), CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pierre Delamotte
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Béatrice Denis
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportements, Ecologie (EGCE), CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Maëlle Devilliers
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Perla Akiki
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Delphine Petit
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Laura de Luca
- Centre Médical Universitaire, Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Priscilla Soulie
- Centre Médical Universitaire, Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Cynthia Gillet
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Claude Wicker-Thomas
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportements, Ecologie (EGCE), CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jacques Montagne
- Institut for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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6
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Berg C, Sieber M, Sun J. Finishing the egg. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad183. [PMID: 38000906 PMCID: PMC10763546 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad183] [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: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Gamete development is a fundamental process that is highly conserved from early eukaryotes to mammals. As germ cells develop, they must coordinate a dynamic series of cellular processes that support growth, cell specification, patterning, the loading of maternal factors (RNAs, proteins, and nutrients), differentiation of structures to enable fertilization and ensure embryonic survival, and other processes that make a functional oocyte. To achieve these goals, germ cells integrate a complex milieu of environmental and developmental signals to produce fertilizable eggs. Over the past 50 years, Drosophila oogenesis has risen to the forefront as a system to interrogate the sophisticated mechanisms that drive oocyte development. Studies in Drosophila have defined mechanisms in germ cells that control meiosis, protect genome integrity, facilitate mRNA trafficking, and support the maternal loading of nutrients. Work in this system has provided key insights into the mechanisms that establish egg chamber polarity and patterning as well as the mechanisms that drive ovulation and egg activation. Using the power of Drosophila genetics, the field has begun to define the molecular mechanisms that coordinate environmental stresses and nutrient availability with oocyte development. Importantly, the majority of these reproductive mechanisms are highly conserved throughout evolution, and many play critical roles in the development of somatic tissues as well. In this chapter, we summarize the recent progress in several key areas that impact egg chamber development and ovulation. First, we discuss the mechanisms that drive nutrient storage and trafficking during oocyte maturation and vitellogenesis. Second, we examine the processes that regulate follicle cell patterning and how that patterning impacts the construction of the egg shell and the establishment of embryonic polarity. Finally, we examine regulatory factors that control ovulation, egg activation, and successful fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Berg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5065USA
| | - Matthew Sieber
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390USA
| | - Jianjun Sun
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269USA
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7
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Levine MT. A case of mistaken epigenetic identity. Science 2023; 382:643-644. [PMID: 37943909 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl0365] [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: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The specialized packaging of sperm DNA preserves genome stability in the fruit fly zygote.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia T Levine
- Department of Biology, Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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8
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Dubruille R, Herbette M, Revel M, Horard B, Chang CH, Loppin B. Histone removal in sperm protects paternal chromosomes from premature division at fertilization. Science 2023; 382:725-731. [PMID: 37943933 PMCID: PMC11180706 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The global replacement of histones with protamines in sperm chromatin is widespread in animals, including insects, but its actual function remains enigmatic. We show that in the Drosophila paternal effect mutant paternal loss (pal), sperm chromatin retains germline histones H3 and H4 genome wide without impairing sperm viability. However, after fertilization, pal sperm chromosomes are targeted by the egg chromosomal passenger complex and engage into a catastrophic premature division in synchrony with female meiosis II. We show that pal encodes a rapidly evolving transition protein specifically required for the eviction of (H3-H4)2 tetramers from spermatid DNA after the removal of H2A-H2B dimers. Our study thus reveals an unsuspected role of histone eviction from insect sperm chromatin: safeguarding the integrity of the male pronucleus during female meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaälle Dubruille
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Marion Herbette
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Maxime Revel
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Béatrice Horard
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Ching-Ho Chang
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Benjamin Loppin
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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9
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Avidor-Reiss T, Uzbekov R. Revisiting the mystery of centrioles at the beginning of mammalian embryogenesis. J Assist Reprod Genet 2023; 40:2539-2543. [PMID: 37713143 PMCID: PMC10643695 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-023-02927-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevailing assumption has been that the human spermatozoon provides only one centriole to the zygote: the proximal centriole, with a canonical, cylinder-like shape. This overly simplistic view has come under challenge since discovering that the human spermatozoon provides a second, atypical centriole to the zygote. The study of human zygotes is challenging for ethical reasons, and bovine zygotes provide an important model due to a similarity in centrosome embryonic inherence and function. Detailed ultrastructural analyses by Uzbekov and colleagues identify the persistence of atypical centrioles in bovine early embryos, raising questions about the original single-centriole model. Whether the parental origin of nascent atypical centrioles or their wide structural diversity and deviation from the canonical centriolar form in blastomeres constitutes sufficient evidence to warrant a reconsideration of the single-centriole model is discussed herein. Because previous human studies identified only one canonical centriole in the zygote, atypical centrioles are likely present in the early human embryo; therefore, it is time to rethink the role of paternal centrioles in human development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomer Avidor-Reiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43607, USA.
- Department of Urology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43607, USA.
| | - Rustem Uzbekov
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Electron Microscopy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tours, 37032, Tours, France
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Moscow State University, 119992, Moscow, Russia
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10
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Emelyanov AV, Barcenilla-Merino D, Loppin B, Fyodorov DV. APOLLO, a testis-specific Drosophila ortholog of importin-4, mediates the loading of protamine-like protein Mst77F into sperm chromatin. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105212. [PMID: 37660905 PMCID: PMC10520872 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA in sperm is packed with small, charged proteins termed SNBPs (sperm nuclear basic proteins), including mammalian and Drosophila protamines. During spermiogenesis, somatic-type chromatin is taken apart and replaced with sperm chromatin in a multistep process leading to an extraordinary condensation of the genome. During fertilization, the ova face a similarly challenging task of SNBP eviction and reassembly of nucleosome-based chromatin. Despite its importance for the animal life cycle, sperm chromatin metabolism, including the biochemical machinery mediating the mutual replacement of histones and SNBPs, remains poorly studied. In Drosophila, Mst77F is one of the first SNBPs loaded into the spermatid nuclei. It persists in mature spermatozoa and is essential for sperm compaction and male fertility. Here, by using in vitro biochemical assays, we identify chaperones that can mediate the eviction and loading of Mst77F on DNA, thus facilitating the interconversions of chromatin forms in the male gamete. Unlike NAP1 and TAP/p32 chaperones that disassemble Mst77F-DNA complexes, ARTEMIS and APOLLO, orthologs of mammalian importin-4 (IPO4), mediate the deposition of Mst77F on DNA or oligonucleosome templates, accompanied by the dissociation of histone-DNA complexes. In vivo, a mutation of testis-specific Apollo brings about a defect of Mst77F loading, abnormal sperm morphology, and male infertility. We identify IPO4 ortholog APOLLO as a critical component of sperm chromatin assembly apparatus in Drosophila. We discover that in addition to recognized roles in protein traffic, a nuclear transport receptor (IPO4) can function directly in chromatin remodeling as a dual, histone- and SNBP-specific, chaperone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Emelyanov
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Daniel Barcenilla-Merino
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Benjamin Loppin
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
| | - Dmitry V Fyodorov
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
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11
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Ostberg H, Boehm Vock L, Bloch-Qazi MC. Advanced maternal age has negative multigenerational impacts during Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesis. CURRENT RESEARCH IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 4:100068. [PMID: 38161993 PMCID: PMC10757284 DOI: 10.1016/j.cris.2023.100068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Increasing maternal age is commonly accompanied by decreased fitness in offspring. In Drosophila melanogaster, maternal senescence negatively affects multiple facets of offspring phenotype and fitness. These maternal effects are particularly large on embryonic viability. Identifying which embryonic stages are disrupted can indicate mechanisms of maternal effect senescence. Some maternal effects can also carry-over to subsequent generations. We examined potential multi- and transgenerational effects maternal senescence on embryonic development in two laboratory strains of D. melanogaster. We categorized the developmental stages of embryos from every combination of old and young mother, grandmother and great grandmother. We then modelled embryonic survival across the stages and compared these models among the multigenerational maternal age groups in order to identify which developmental processes were most sensitive to the effects of maternal effect senescence. Maternal effect senescence has negative multigenerational effects on multiple embryonic stages, indicating that maternal provisioning and, possibly epigenetics, but not mutation accumulation, contribute to decreased offspring survival. This study shows the large, early and multi-faceted nature of maternal effects senescence in an insect population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halie Ostberg
- Department of Biology, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Avenue, Saint Peter, MN 56082, USA
| | - Laura Boehm Vock
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Avenue, Saint Peter, MN 56082, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, Saint Olaf College, 1520 St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield, MN 55057, USA
| | - Margaret C. Bloch-Qazi
- Department of Biology, Gustavus Adolphus College, 800 West College Avenue, Saint Peter, MN 56082, USA
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12
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Lee H, Seo P, Teklay S, Yuguchi E, Benetta ED, Werren JH, Ferree PM. Ability of a selfish B chromosome to evade genome elimination in the jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis. Heredity (Edinb) 2023; 131:230-237. [PMID: 37524915 PMCID: PMC10462710 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-023-00639-0] [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: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
B chromosomes are non-essential, extra chromosomes that can exhibit transmission-enhancing behaviors, including meiotic drive, mitotic drive, and induction of genome elimination, in plants and animals. A fundamental but poorly understood question is what characteristics allow B chromosomes to exhibit these extraordinary behaviors. The jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis, harbors a heterochromatic, paternally transmitted B chromosome known as paternal sex ratio (PSR), which causes complete elimination of the sperm-contributed half of the genome during the first mitotic division of fertilized embryos. This genome elimination event may result from specific, previously observed alterations of the paternal chromatin. Due to the haplo-diploid reproduction of the wasp, genome elimination by PSR causes female-destined embryos to develop as haploid males that transmit PSR. PSR does not undergo self-elimination despite its presence with the paternal chromatin until the elimination event. Here we performed fluorescence microscopic analyses aimed at understanding this unexplained property. Our results show that PSR, like the rest of the genome, participates in the histone-to-protamine transition, arguing that PSR does not avoid this transition to escape self-elimination. In addition, PSR partially escapes the chromatin-altering activity of the intracellular bacterium, Wolbachia, demonstrating that this ability to evade chromatin alteration is not limited to PSR's own activity. Finally, we observed that the rDNA locus and other unidentified heterochromatic regions of the wasp's genome also seem to evade chromatin disruption by PSR, suggesting that PSR's genome-eliminating activity does not affect heterochromatin. Thus, PSR may target an aspect of euchromatin to cause genome elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haena Lee
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA
| | - Pooreum Seo
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA
| | - Salina Teklay
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA
| | - Emily Yuguchi
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA
| | - Elena Dalla Benetta
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - John H Werren
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Patrick M Ferree
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA.
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13
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Salvador-Garcia D, Jin L, Hensley A, Gölcük M, Gallaud E, Chaaban S, Port F, Vagnoni A, Planelles-Herrero VJ, McClintock MA, Derivery E, Carter AP, Giet R, Gür M, Yildiz A, Bullock SL. A force-sensitive mutation reveals a spindle assembly checkpoint-independent role for dynein in anaphase progression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.03.551815. [PMID: 37577480 PMCID: PMC10418259 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.03.551815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The cytoplasmic dynein-1 (dynein) motor organizes cells by shaping microtubule networks and moving a large variety of cargoes along them. However, dynein's diverse roles complicate in vivo studies of its functions significantly. To address this issue, we have used gene editing to generate a series of missense mutations in Drosophila Dynein heavy chain (Dhc). We find that mutations associated with human neurological disease cause a range of defects in larval and adult flies, including impaired cargo trafficking in neurons. We also describe a novel mutation in the microtubule-binding domain (MTBD) of Dhc that, remarkably, causes metaphase arrest of mitotic spindles in the embryo but does not impair other dynein-dependent processes. We demonstrate that the mitotic arrest is independent of dynein's well-established roles in silencing the spindle assembly checkpoint. In vitro reconstitution and optical trapping assays reveal that the mutation only impairs the performance of dynein under load. In silico all-atom molecular dynamics simulations show that this effect correlates with increased flexibility of the MTBD, as well as an altered orientation of the stalk domain, with respect to the microtubule. Collectively, our data point to a novel role of dynein in anaphase progression that depends on the motor operating in a specific load regime. More broadly, our work illustrates how cytoskeletal transport processes can be dissected in vivo by manipulating mechanical properties of motors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Li Jin
- Cell Biology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Andrew Hensley
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Mert Gölcük
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, 34437, Turkey
| | - Emmanuel Gallaud
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes - UMR 6290, Université de Rennes, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Sami Chaaban
- Structural Studies Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Fillip Port
- Cell Biology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
- Current address: Division of Signaling and Functional Genomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alessio Vagnoni
- Cell Biology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
- Current address: Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, SE5 9RX, UK
| | | | - Mark A. McClintock
- Cell Biology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Emmanuel Derivery
- Cell Biology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Andrew P. Carter
- Structural Studies Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Régis Giet
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes - UMR 6290, Université de Rennes, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Mert Gür
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, 34437, Turkey
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Ahmet Yildiz
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Simon L. Bullock
- Cell Biology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
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14
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Gandara ACP, Drummond-Barbosa D. Chronic exposure to warm temperature causes low sperm abundance and quality in Drosophila melanogaster. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12331. [PMID: 37518578 PMCID: PMC10387475 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39360-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Temperature influences male fertility across organisms; however, how suboptimal temperatures affect adult spermatogenesis remains understudied. In a recent study on Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis, we observed a drastic reduction in the fertility of adult males exposed to warm temperature (29 °C). Here, we show that males become infertile at 29 °C because of low sperm abundance and quality. The low sperm abundance at 29 °C does not stem from reduced germline stem cell or spermatid numbers, as those numbers remain comparable between 29 °C and control 25 °C. Notably, males at cold 18 °C and 29 °C had similarly increased frequencies of spermatid elongation and individualization defects which, considering the high sperm abundance and male fertility measured at 18 °C, indicate that spermatogenesis has a high tolerance for elongation and individualization defects. Interestingly, the abundance of sperm at 29 °C decreases abruptly and with no evidence of apoptosis as they transition into the seminal vesicle near the end of spermatogenesis, pointing to sperm elimination through an unknown mechanism. Finally, sperm from males at 29 °C fertilize eggs less efficiently and do not support embryos past the first stage of embryogenesis, indicating that poor sperm quality is an additional cause of male infertility at 29 °C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Caroline P Gandara
- Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Daniela Drummond-Barbosa
- Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
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15
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Hanlon SL, Hawley RS. B chromosomes reveal a female meiotic drive suppression system in Drosophila melanogaster. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00476-1. [PMID: 37146608 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.028] [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: 08/27/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Selfish genetic elements use a myriad of mechanisms to drive their inheritance and ensure their survival into the next generation, often at a fitness cost to its host.1,2 Although the catalog of selfish genetic elements is rapidly growing, our understanding of host drive suppression systems that counteract self-seeking behavior is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that the biased transmission of the non-essential, non-driving B chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster can be achieved in a specific genetic background. Combining a null mutant of matrimony, a gene that encodes a female-specific meiotic regulator of Polo kinase,3,4 with the TM3 balancer chromosome creates a driving genotype that is permissive for the biased transmission of the B chromosomes. This drive is female-specific, and both genetic components are necessary, but not individually sufficient, for permitting a strong drive of the B chromosomes. Examination of metaphase I oocytes reveals that B chromosome localization within the DNA mass is mostly abnormal when drive is the strongest, indicating a failure of the mechanism(s) responsible for the proper distribution of B chromosomes. We propose that some proteins important for proper chromosome segregation during meiosis, like Matrimony, may have an essential role as part of a meiotic drive suppression system that modulates chromosome segregation to prevent genetic elements from exploiting the inherent asymmetry of female meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey L Hanlon
- Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - R Scott Hawley
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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16
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Zhang M, Hu Y, Liu J, Guan Z, Zhang W. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing of gustatory receptor NlugGr23a causes male sterility in the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 241:124612. [PMID: 37119891 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124612] [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: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Gustatory receptors (Grs) have an essential role in chemical recognition so as to evaluate food quality. Insect Grs also participate in non-gustatory functions, such as olfaction, temperature sensing, and mating. In this study, we knocked out NlugGr23a, a putative fecundity-related Gr, using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens, a serious insect pest of rice. Surprisingly, homozygous NlugGr23a mutant (NlugGr23a-/-) males were sterile but their sperm were motile and morphologically normal. DAPI staining of mutant sperm inseminated eggs showed that most of NlugGr23a-/- sperm failed to fertilize eggs, even if they were capable of entering into the egg as a result of their arrested development prior to male pronucleus formation. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the expression of NlugGr23a in testis. Moreover, prior mating by NlugGr23a-/- males suppressed female fertility. To our knowledge, it is the first report that a chemoreceptor is implicated in male sterility and provides a potential molecular target for genetic pest control alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
| | - Yutao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Jiahui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Zhanwen Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Wenqing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
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17
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Oladipupo SO, Carroll JD, Beckmann JF. Convergent Aedes and Drosophila CidB interactomes suggest cytoplasmic incompatibility targets are conserved. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 155:103931. [PMID: 36933571 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.103931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a conditional embryonic lethality induced when Wolbachia-modified sperm fertilizes an uninfected egg. The Wolbachia proteins, CidA and CidB control CI. CidA is a rescue factor that reverses lethality. CidA binds to CidB. CidB contains a deubiquitinating enzyme and induces CI. Precisely how CidB induces CI and what it targets are unknown. Likewise, how CidA prevents sterilization by CidB is not clear. To identify CidB substrates in mosquitos we conducted pull-down assays using recombinant CidA and CidB mixed with Aedes aegypti lysates to identify the protein interactomes of CidB and the CidB/CidA protein complex. Our data allow us to cross compare CidB interactomes across taxa for Aedes and Drosophila. Our data replicate several convergent interactions, suggesting that CI targets conserved substrates across insects. Our data support a hypothesis that CidA rescues CI by tethering CidB away from its substrates. Specifically, we identify ten convergent candidate substrates including P32 (protamine-histone exchange factor), karyopherin alpha, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, and bicoid stabilizing factor. Future analysis on how these candidates contribute to CI will clarify mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seun O Oladipupo
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA; Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Jazmine D Carroll
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - John F Beckmann
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
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18
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Evolutionary Conserved Short Linear Motifs Provide Insights into the Cellular Response to Stress. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 12:antiox12010096. [PMID: 36670957 PMCID: PMC9854524 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12010096] [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: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Short linear motifs (SLiMs) are evolutionarily conserved functional modules of proteins composed of 3 to 10 residues and involved in multiple cellular functions. Here, we performed a search for SLiMs that exert sequence similarity to two segments of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a major mammalian embryonic and cancer-associated protein. Biological activities of the peptides, LDSYQCT (AFP14-20) and EMTPVNPGV (GIP-9), have been previously confirmed under in vitro and in vivo conditions. In our study, we retrieved a vast array of proteins that contain SLiMs of interest from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic species, including viruses, bacteria, archaea, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Comprehensive Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that proteins from multiple functional classes, including enzymes, transcription factors, as well as those involved in signaling, cell cycle, and quality control, and ribosomal proteins were implicated in cellular adaptation to environmental stress conditions. These include response to oxidative and metabolic stress, hypoxia, DNA and RNA damage, protein degradation, as well as antimicrobial, antiviral, and immune response. Thus, our data enabled insights into the common functions of SLiMs evolutionary conserved across all taxonomic categories. These SLiMs can serve as important players in cellular adaptation to stress, which is crucial for cell functioning.
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19
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Hirai K, Inoue YH, Matsuda M. Mitotic progression and dual spindle formation caused by spindle association of de novo-formed microtubule-organizing centers in parthenogenetic embryos of Drosophila ananassae. Genetics 2022; 223:6896485. [PMID: 36516293 PMCID: PMC9910410 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac178] [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: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Facultative parthenogenesis occurs in many animal species that typically undergo sexual reproduction. In Drosophila, such development from unfertilized eggs involves diploidization after completion of meiosis, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. Here we used a laboratory stock of Drosophila ananassae that has been maintained parthenogenetically to cytologically examine the initial events of parthenogenesis. Specifically, we determined whether the requirements for centrosomes and diploidization that are essential for developmental success can be overcome. As a primal deviation from sexually reproducing (i.e. sexual) strains of the same species, free asters emerged from the de novo formation of centrosome-like structures in the cytosol of unfertilized eggs. Those microtubule-organizing centers had distinct roles in the earliest cycles of parthenogenetic embryos with respect to mitotic progression and arrangement of mitotic spindles. In the first cycle, an anastral bipolar spindle self-assembled around a haploid set of replicated chromosomes. Participation of at least one microtubule-organizing center in the spindle was necessary for mitotic progression into anaphase. In particular, the first mitosis involving a monastral bipolar spindle resulted in haploid daughter nuclei, one of which was associated with a microtubule-organizing center whereas the other was not. Remarkably, in the following cycle, biastral and anastral bipolar spindles formed that were frequently arranged in tandem by sharing an aster with bidirectional connections at their central poles. We propose that, for diploidization of haploid nuclei, unfertilized parthenogenetic embryos utilize dual spindles during the second mitosis, as occurs for the first mitosis in normal fertilized eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoshihiro H Inoue
- Biomedical Research Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Muneo Matsuda
- Department of Biology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
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20
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Sakai H, Yokoyama T, Tomita S. Observing silkworm embryos at the fertilization stage using a tissue clearing reagent. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 139:104386. [PMID: 35358539 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
There are various reports on embryogenesis in silkworm, Bombyx mori, a model organism for lepidopteran insects. New tissue observation methods have been developed with the development of biological science. Applying these methods to silkworm eggs makes it possible to capture morphological and histological features that have not been observed until now. Tissue transparency technology is a method of observation that has advanced remarkably recently. This study emphasized the CUBIC (Clear, Unobstructed Brain/Body Imaging Cocktails and Computational analysis) method. The tissue clearing reagent used in CUBIC is water-soluble, containing urea and amino alcohol, which easily and effectively clears animal tissue by immersing the sample in the reagent. This study showed that silkworm eggs are made transparent using the modified CUBIC method at the fertilization stage. Furthermore, we observed the behavior of egg nucleus, polar body nuclei, and sperm nuclei at the fertilization stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Sakai
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
| | - Takeshi Yokoyama
- Department of United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Shuichiro Tomita
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
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21
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Horard B, Terretaz K, Gosselin-Grenet AS, Sobry H, Sicard M, Landmann F, Loppin B. Paternal transmission of the Wolbachia CidB toxin underlies cytoplasmic incompatibility. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1319-1331.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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22
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Dedukh D, Krasikova A. Delete and survive: strategies of programmed genetic material elimination in eukaryotes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:195-216. [PMID: 34542224 PMCID: PMC9292451 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Genome stability is a crucial feature of eukaryotic organisms because its alteration drastically affects the normal development and survival of cells and the organism as a whole. Nevertheless, some organisms can selectively eliminate part of their genomes from certain cell types during specific stages of ontogenesis. This review aims to describe the phenomenon of programmed DNA elimination, which includes chromatin diminution (together with programmed genome rearrangement or DNA rearrangements), B and sex chromosome elimination, paternal genome elimination, parasitically induced genome elimination, and genome elimination in animal and plant hybrids. During programmed DNA elimination, individual chromosomal fragments, whole chromosomes, and even entire parental genomes can be selectively removed. Programmed DNA elimination occurs independently in different organisms, ranging from ciliate protozoa to mammals. Depending on the sequences destined for exclusion, programmed DNA elimination may serve as a radical mechanism of dosage compensation and inactivation of unnecessary or dangerous genetic entities. In hybrids, genome elimination results from competition between parental genomes. Despite the different consequences of DNA elimination, all genetic material destined for elimination must be first recognised, epigenetically marked, separated, and then removed and degraded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitrij Dedukh
- Saint-Petersburg State University, 7/9 Universitetskaya Embankment, Saint-Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Alla Krasikova
- Saint-Petersburg State University, 7/9 Universitetskaya Embankment, Saint-Petersburg, 199034, Russia
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23
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Abstract
Fertilization is a multistep process that culminates in the fusion of sperm and egg, thus marking the beginning of a new organism in sexually reproducing species. Despite its importance for reproduction, the molecular mechanisms that regulate this singular event, particularly sperm-egg fusion, have remained mysterious for many decades. Here, we summarize our current molecular understanding of sperm-egg interaction, focusing mainly on mammalian fertilization. Given the fundamental importance of sperm-egg fusion yet the lack of knowledge of this process in vertebrates, we discuss hallmarks and emerging themes of cell fusion by drawing from well-studied examples such as viral entry, placenta formation, and muscle development. We conclude by identifying open questions and exciting avenues for future studies in gamete fusion. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Volume 37 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E Deneke
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria; ,
| | - Andrea Pauli
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria; ,
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24
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Lv Z, de-Carvalho J, Telley IA, Großhans J. Cytoskeletal mechanics and dynamics in the Drosophila syncytial embryo. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:134/4/jcs246496. [PMID: 33597155 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.246496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell and tissue functions rely on the genetic programmes and cascades of biochemical signals. It has become evident during the past decade that the physical properties of soft material that govern the mechanics of cells and tissues play an important role in cellular function and morphology. The biophysical properties of cells and tissues are determined by the cytoskeleton, consisting of dynamic networks of F-actin and microtubules, molecular motors, crosslinkers and other associated proteins, among other factors such as cell-cell interactions. The Drosophila syncytial embryo represents a simple pseudo-tissue, with its nuclei orderly embedded in a structured cytoskeletal matrix at the embryonic cortex with no physical separation by cellular membranes. Here, we review the stereotypic dynamics and regulation of the cytoskeleton in Drosophila syncytial embryos and how cytoskeletal dynamics underlies biophysical properties and the emergence of collective features. We highlight the specific features and processes of syncytial embryos and discuss the applicability of biophysical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyi Lv
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Jorge de-Carvalho
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ivo A Telley
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Jörg Großhans
- Fachbereich Biologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
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25
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Finch G, Nandyal S, Perretta C, Davies B, Rosendale AJ, Holmes CJ, Gantz JD, Spacht DE, Bailey ST, Chen X, Oyen K, Didion EM, Chakraborty S, Lee RE, Denlinger DL, Matter SF, Attardo GM, Weirauch MT, Benoit JB. Multi-level analysis of reproduction in an Antarctic midge identifies female and male accessory gland products that are altered by larval stress and impact progeny viability. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19791. [PMID: 33188214 PMCID: PMC7666147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76139-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [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: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, is a wingless, non-biting midge endemic to Antarctica. Larval development requires at least 2 years, but adults live only 2 weeks. The nonfeeding adults mate in swarms and females die shortly after oviposition. Eggs are suspended in a gel of unknown composition that is expressed from the female accessory gland. This project characterizes molecular mechanisms underlying reproduction in this midge by examining differential gene expression in whole males, females, and larvae, as well as in male and female accessory glands. Functional studies were used to assess the role of the gel encasing the eggs, as well as the impact of stress on reproductive biology. RNA-seq analyses revealed sex- and development-specific gene sets along with those associated with the accessory glands. Proteomic analyses were used to define the composition of the egg-containing gel, which is generated during multiple developmental stages and derived from both the accessory gland and other female organs. Functional studies indicate the gel provides a larval food source as well as a buffer for thermal and dehydration stress. All of these function are critical to juvenile survival. Larval dehydration stress directly reduces production of storage proteins and key accessory gland components, a feature that impacts adult reproductive success. Modeling reveals that bouts of dehydration may have a significant impact on population growth. This work lays a foundation for further examination of reproduction in midges and provides new information related to general reproduction in dipterans. A key aspect of this work is that reproduction and stress dynamics, currently understudied in polar organisms, are likely to prove critical in determining how climate change will alter their survivability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Finch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Sonya Nandyal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Carlie Perretta
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Benjamin Davies
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Andrew J Rosendale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Biology, Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Christopher J Holmes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - J D Gantz
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
- Department of Biology and Health Science, Hendrix College, Conway, AR, USA
| | - Drew E Spacht
- Departments of Entomology and Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Samuel T Bailey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Xiaoting Chen
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Kennan Oyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Elise M Didion
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Souvik Chakraborty
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Richard E Lee
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - David L Denlinger
- Departments of Entomology and Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Stephen F Matter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Geoffrey M Attardo
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Matthew T Weirauch
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Divisions of Biomedical Informatics and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA
| | - Joshua B Benoit
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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26
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Horne-Badovinac S. The Drosophila micropyle as a system to study how epithelia build complex extracellular structures. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190561. [PMID: 32829690 PMCID: PMC7482212 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Dynamic rearrangements of epithelial cells play central roles in shaping tissues and organs during development. There are also scenarios, however, in which epithelial cell movements synergize with the secretion of extracellular matrix to build rigid, acellular structures that persist long after the cells are gone. The formation of the Drosophila micropyle provides an elegant example of this epithelial craftsmanship. The micropyle is a cone-shaped projection of the eggshell through which the sperm will enter to fertilize the oocyte. Though simple on the surface, both the inner structure and construction of the micropyle are remarkably complex. In this review, I first provide an overview of egg development, focusing on the key events required to understand micropyle formation. I then describe the structure of the micropyle, the cellular contributions to its morphogenesis and some interesting open questions about this process. There is a brief discussion of micropyle formation in other insects and fish to highlight the potential for comparative studies. Finally, I discuss how new studies of micropyle formation could reveal general mechanisms that epithelia use to build complex extracellular structures. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Contemporary morphogenesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Horne-Badovinac
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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27
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Chen H, Zhang M, Hochstrasser M. The Biochemistry of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Caused by Endosymbiotic Bacteria. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11080852. [PMID: 32722516 PMCID: PMC7465683 DOI: 10.3390/genes11080852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Many species of arthropods carry maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts that can influence host sexual reproduction to benefit the bacterium. The most well-known of such reproductive parasites is Wolbachia pipientis. Wolbachia are obligate intracellular α-proteobacteria found in nearly half of all arthropod species. This success has been attributed in part to their ability to manipulate host reproduction to favor infected females. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), a phenomenon wherein Wolbachia infection renders males sterile when they mate with uninfected females, but not infected females (the rescue mating), appears to be the most common. CI provides a reproductive advantage to infected females in the presence of a threshold level of infected males. The molecular mechanisms of CI and other reproductive manipulations, such as male killing, parthenogenesis, and feminization, have remained mysterious for many decades. It had been proposed by Werren more than two decades ago that CI is caused by a Wolbachia-mediated sperm modification and that rescue is achieved by a Wolbachia-encoded rescue factor in the infected egg. In the past few years, new research has highlighted a set of syntenic Wolbachia gene pairs encoding CI-inducing factors (Cifs) as the key players for the induction of CI and its rescue. Within each Cif pair, the protein encoded by the upstream gene is denoted A and the downstream gene B. To date, two types of Cifs have been characterized based on the enzymatic activity identified in the B protein of each protein pair; one type encodes a deubiquitylase (thus named CI-inducing deubiquitylase or cid), and a second type encodes a nuclease (named CI-inducing nuclease or cin). The CidA and CinA proteins bind tightly and specifically to their respective CidB and CinB partners. In transgenic Drosophila melanogaster, the expression of either the Cid or Cin protein pair in the male germline induces CI and the expression of the cognate A protein in females is sufficient for rescue. With the identity of the Wolbachia CI induction and rescue factors now known, research in the field has turned to directed studies on the molecular mechanisms of CI, which we review here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Chen
- Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; (H.C.); (M.Z.)
| | - Mengwen Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; (H.C.); (M.Z.)
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Mark Hochstrasser
- Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; (H.C.); (M.Z.)
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Correspondence:
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28
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Shin JM, Yuan L, Ohme-Takagi M, Kawashima T. Cellular dynamics of double fertilization and early embryogenesis in flowering plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2020; 336:642-651. [PMID: 32638525 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Flowering plants (angiosperms) perform a unique double fertilization in which two sperm cells fuse with two female gamete cells in the embryo sac to develop a seed. Furthermore, during land plant evolution, the mode of sexual reproduction has been modified dramatically from motile sperm in the early-diverging land plants, such as mosses and ferns as well as some gymnosperms (Ginkgo and cycads) to nonmotile sperm that are delivered to female gametes by the pollen tube in flowering plants. Recent studies have revealed the cellular dynamics and molecular mechanisms for the complex series of double fertilization processes and elucidated differences and similarities between animals and plants. Here, together with a brief comparison with animals, we review the current understanding of flowering plant zygote dynamics, covering from gamete nuclear migration, karyogamy, and polyspermy block, to zygotic genome activation as well as asymmetrical division of the zygote. Further analyses of the detailed molecular and cellular mechanisms of flowering plant fertilization should shed light on the evolution of the unique sexual reproduction of flowering plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Min Shin
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.,Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.,Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ling Yuan
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.,Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Masaru Ohme-Takagi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Saitama, Japan.,Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Kawashima
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
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29
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Samata M, Alexiadis A, Richard G, Georgiev P, Nuebler J, Kulkarni T, Renschler G, Basilicata MF, Zenk FL, Shvedunova M, Semplicio G, Mirny L, Iovino N, Akhtar A. Intergenerationally Maintained Histone H4 Lysine 16 Acetylation Is Instructive for Future Gene Activation. Cell 2020; 182:127-144.e23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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30
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Riparbelli MG, Persico V, Dallai R, Callaini G. Centrioles and Ciliary Structures during Male Gametogenesis in Hexapoda: Discovery of New Models. Cells 2020; 9:E744. [PMID: 32197383 PMCID: PMC7140630 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Centrioles are-widely conserved barrel-shaped organelles present in most organisms. They are indirectly involved in the organization of the cytoplasmic microtubules both in interphase and during the cell division by recruiting the molecules needed for microtubule nucleation. Moreover, the centrioles are required to assemble cilia and flagella by the direct elongation of their microtubule wall. Due to the importance of the cytoplasmic microtubules in several aspects of the cell life, any defect in centriole structure can lead to cell abnormalities that in humans may result in significant diseases. Many aspects of the centriole dynamics and function have been clarified in the last years, but little attention has been paid to the exceptions in centriole structure that occasionally appeared within the animal kingdom. Here, we focused our attention on non-canonical aspects of centriole architecture within the Hexapoda. The Hexapoda is one of the major animal groups and represents a good laboratory in which to examine the evolution and the organization of the centrioles. Although these findings represent obvious exceptions to the established rules of centriole organization, they may contribute to advance our understanding of the formation and the function of these organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giovanna Riparbelli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (M.G.R.); (V.P.); (R.D.)
| | - Veronica Persico
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (M.G.R.); (V.P.); (R.D.)
| | - Romano Dallai
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (M.G.R.); (V.P.); (R.D.)
| | - Giuliano Callaini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (M.G.R.); (V.P.); (R.D.)
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
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31
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Torres-Campana D, Kimura S, Orsi GA, Horard B, Benoit G, Loppin B. The Lid/KDM5 histone demethylase complex activates a critical effector of the oocyte-to-zygote transition. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008543. [PMID: 32134927 PMCID: PMC7058283 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Following fertilization of a mature oocyte, the formation of a diploid zygote involves a series of coordinated cellular events that ends with the first embryonic mitosis. In animals, this complex developmental transition is almost entirely controlled by maternal gene products. How such a crucial transcriptional program is established during oogenesis remains poorly understood. Here, we have performed an shRNA-based genetic screen in Drosophila to identify genes required to form a diploid zygote. We found that the Lid/KDM5 histone demethylase and its partner, the Sin3A-HDAC1 deacetylase complex, are necessary for sperm nuclear decompaction and karyogamy. Surprisingly, transcriptomic analyses revealed that these histone modifiers are required for the massive transcriptional activation of deadhead (dhd), which encodes a maternal thioredoxin involved in sperm chromatin remodeling. Unexpectedly, while lid knock-down tends to slightly favor the accumulation of its target, H3K4me3, on the genome, this mark was lost at the dhd locus. We propose that Lid/KDM5 and Sin3A cooperate to establish a local chromatin environment facilitating the unusually high expression of dhd, a key effector of the oocyte-to-zygote transition. Nuclear enzymes that add or remove epigenetic marks on histone tails potentially control gene expression by affecting chromatin structure and DNA accessibility. For instance, members of the KDM5 family of histone demethylases specifically remove methyl groups on the lysine 4 of histone H3, a mark generally correlated with gene expression. Lid (Little imaginal discs), the Drosophila KDM5, is essential for viability but is also required for female fertility. In this paper, we have found that the specific removal of Lid in developing oocytes perturbs the decompaction of the sperm nucleus at fertilization and the integration of paternal chromosomes in the zygote. Sperm nuclear decompaction normally requires the presence of a small redox protein called Deadhead (Dhd), which is massively expressed at the end of oogenesis. Strikingly, our analyses of ovarian transcriptomes revealed that the absence of Lid completely abolishes the expression of dhd. This direct functional link between a general histone modifier and the expression of an essential terminal effector gene represents a rare finding. We hope that our work will help understanding how histone demethylases function in controlling complex developmental transitions as well as cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Torres-Campana
- Laboratoire de Biologie et de Modélisation de la Cellule, CNRS UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University of Lyon, France
| | - Shuhei Kimura
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne F-69622, France
| | - Guillermo A. Orsi
- Laboratoire de Biologie et de Modélisation de la Cellule, CNRS UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University of Lyon, France
| | - Béatrice Horard
- Laboratoire de Biologie et de Modélisation de la Cellule, CNRS UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University of Lyon, France
| | - Gérard Benoit
- Laboratoire de Biologie et de Modélisation de la Cellule, CNRS UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University of Lyon, France
| | - Benjamin Loppin
- Laboratoire de Biologie et de Modélisation de la Cellule, CNRS UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University of Lyon, France
- * E-mail:
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32
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Beckmann JF, Sharma GD, Mendez L, Chen H, Hochstrasser M. The Wolbachia cytoplasmic incompatibility enzyme CidB targets nuclear import and protamine-histone exchange factors. eLife 2019; 8:e50026. [PMID: 31774393 PMCID: PMC6881146 DOI: 10.7554/elife.50026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracellular Wolbachia bacteria manipulate arthropod reproduction to promote their own inheritance. The most prevalent mechanism, cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), traces to a Wolbachia deubiquitylase, CidB, and CidA. CidB has properties of a toxin, while CidA binds CidB and rescues embryonic viability. CidB is also toxic to yeast where we identified both host effects and high-copy suppressors of toxicity. The strongest suppressor was karyopherin-α, a nuclear-import receptor; this required nuclear localization-signal binding. A protein-interaction screen of Drosophila extracts using a substrate-trapping catalytic mutant, CidB*, also identified karyopherin-α; the P32 protamine-histone exchange factor bound as well. When CidB* bound CidA, these host protein interactions disappeared. These associations would place CidB at the zygotic male pronucleus where CI defects first manifest. Overexpression of karyopherin-α, P32, or CidA in female flies suppressed CI. We propose that CidB targets nuclear-protein import and protamine-histone exchange and that CidA rescues embryos by restricting CidB access to its targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gagan Deep Sharma
- Department of Entomology and Plant PathologyAuburn UniversityAuburnUnited States
| | - Luis Mendez
- Department of Entomology and Plant PathologyAuburn UniversityAuburnUnited States
| | - Hongli Chen
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and BiochemistryYale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Mark Hochstrasser
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and BiochemistryYale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
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33
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Avidor-Reiss T, Fishman EL. It takes two (centrioles) to tango. Reproduction 2019; 157:R33-R51. [PMID: 30496124 PMCID: PMC6494718 DOI: 10.1530/rep-18-0350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cells that divide during embryo development require precisely two centrioles during interphase and four centrioles during mitosis. This precise number is maintained by allowing each centriole to nucleate only one centriole per cell cycle (i.e. centriole duplication). Yet, how the first cell of the embryo, the zygote, obtains two centrioles has remained a mystery in most mammals and insects. The mystery arose because the female gamete (oocyte) is thought to have no functional centrioles and the male gamete (spermatozoon) is thought to have only one functional centriole, resulting in a zygote with a single centriole. However, recent studies in fruit flies, beetles and mammals, including humans, suggest an alternative explanation: spermatozoa have a typical centriole and an atypical centriole. The sperm typical centriole has a normal structure but distinct protein composition, whereas the sperm atypical centriole is distinct in both. During fertilization, the atypical centriole is released into the zygote, nucleates a new centriole and participates in spindle pole formation. Thus, the spermatozoa's atypical centriole acts as a second centriole in the zygote. Here, we review centriole biology in general and especially in reproduction, we describe the discovery of the spermatozoon atypical centriole, and we provide an updated model for centriole inherence during sexual reproduction. While we focus on humans and other non-rodent mammals, we also provide a broader evolutionary perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomer Avidor-Reiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft Rd., Wolfe Hall 4259, Toledo, OH 43606
| | - Emily L. Fishman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft Rd., Wolfe Hall 4259, Toledo, OH 43606
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34
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Blake-Hedges C, Megraw TL. Coordination of Embryogenesis by the Centrosome in Drosophila melanogaster. Results Probl Cell Differ 2019; 67:277-321. [PMID: 31435800 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23173-6_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The first 3 h of Drosophila melanogaster embryo development are exemplified by rapid nuclear divisions within a large syncytium, transforming the zygote to the cellular blastoderm after 13 successive cleavage divisions. As the syncytial embryo develops, it relies on centrosomes and cytoskeletal dynamics to transport nuclei, maintain uniform nuclear distribution throughout cleavage cycles, ensure generation of germ cells, and coordinate cellularization. For the sake of this review, we classify six early embryo stages that rely on processes coordinated by the centrosome and its regulation of the cytoskeleton. The first stage features migration of one of the female pronuclei toward the male pronucleus following maturation of the first embryonic centrosomes. Two subsequent stages distribute the nuclei first axially and then radially in the embryo. The remaining three stages involve centrosome-actin dynamics that control cortical plasma membrane morphogenesis. In this review, we highlight the dynamics of the centrosome and its role in controlling the six stages that culminate in the cellularization of the blastoderm embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlyn Blake-Hedges
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
| | - Timothy L Megraw
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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35
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Avilés-Pagán EE, Orr-Weaver TL. Activating embryonic development in Drosophila. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 84:100-110. [PMID: 29448071 PMCID: PMC6301029 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The transition from oocyte to embryo marks the onset of development. This process requires complex regulation to link developmental signals with profound changes in mRNA translation, cell cycle control, and metabolism. This control is beginning to be understood for most organisms, and research in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has generated new insights. Recent findings have increased our understanding of the roles played by hormone and Ca2+ signaling events as well as metabolic remodeling crucial for this transition. Specialized features of the structure and assembly of the meiotic spindle have been identified. The changes in protein levels, mRNA translation, and polyadenylation that occur as the oocyte becomes an embryo have been identified together with key aspects of their regulation. Here we highlight these important developments and the insights they provide on the intricate regulation of this dramatic transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emir E Avilés-Pagán
- Whitehead Institute and Dept. of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Terry L Orr-Weaver
- Whitehead Institute and Dept. of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
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36
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Subcellular Specialization and Organelle Behavior in Germ Cells. Genetics 2018; 208:19-51. [PMID: 29301947 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gametes, eggs and sperm, are the highly specialized cell types on which the development of new life solely depends. Although all cells share essential organelles, such as the ER (endoplasmic reticulum), Golgi, mitochondria, and centrosomes, germ cells display unique regulation and behavior of organelles during gametogenesis. These germ cell-specific functions of organelles serve critical roles in successful gamete production. In this chapter, I will review the behaviors and roles of organelles during germ cell differentiation.
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Prudêncio P, Guilgur LG, Sobral J, Becker JD, Martinho RG, Navarro-Costa P. The Trithorax group protein dMLL3/4 instructs the assembly of the zygotic genome at fertilization. EMBO Rep 2018; 19:e45728. [PMID: 30037897 PMCID: PMC6073209 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201845728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition from fertilized oocyte to totipotent embryo relies on maternal factors that are synthetized and accumulated during oocyte development. Yet, it is unclear how oocytes regulate the expression of maternal genes within the transcriptional program of oogenesis. Here, we report that the Drosophila Trithorax group protein dMLL3/4 (also known as Trr) is essential for the transition to embryo fate at fertilization. In the absence of dMLL3/4, oocytes develop normally but fail to initiate the embryo mitotic divisions after fertilization. This incapability results from defects in paternal genome reprogramming and maternal meiotic completion. The methyltransferase activity of dMLL3/4 is dispensable for both these processes. We further show that dMLL3/4 promotes the expression of a functionally coherent gene subset that is required for the initiation of post-fertilization development. Accordingly, we identify the evolutionarily conserved IDGF4 glycoprotein (known as oviductin in mammals) as a new oocyte-to-embryo transition gene under direct dMLL3/4 transcriptional control. Based on these observations, we propose that dMLL3/4 plays an instructive role in the oocyte-to-embryo transition that is functionally uncoupled from the requirements of oogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Prudêncio
- Center for Biomedical Research and Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - João Sobral
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
| | | | - Rui Gonçalo Martinho
- Center for Biomedical Research and Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED and Department of Medical Sciences, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Paulo Navarro-Costa
- Center for Biomedical Research and Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
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Genetic Analyses of Elys Mutations in Drosophila Show Maternal-Effect Lethality and Interactions with Nucleoporin Genes. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2018; 8:2421-2431. [PMID: 29773558 PMCID: PMC6027884 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
ELYS determines the subcellular localizations of Nucleoporins (Nups) during interphase and mitosis. We made loss-of-function mutations of Elys in Drosophila melanogaster and found that ELYS is dispensable for zygotic viability and male fertility but the maternal supply is necessary for embryonic development. Subsequent to fertilization, mitotic progression of the embryos produced by the mutant females is severely disrupted at the first cleavage division, accompanied by irregular behavior of mitotic centrosomes. The Nup160 introgression from D. simulans shows close resemblance to that of the Elys mutations, suggesting a common role for those proteins in the first cleavage division. Our genetic experiments indicated critical interactions between ELYS and three Nup107-160 subcomplex components; hemizygotes of either Nup37, Nup96 or Nup160 were lethal in the genetic background of the Elys mutation. Not only Nup96 and Nup160 but also Nup37 of D. simulans behave as recessive hybrid incompatibility genes with D. melanogaster An evolutionary analysis indicated positive natural selection in the ELYS-like domain of ELYS. Here we propose that genetic incompatibility between Elys and Nups may lead to reproductive isolation between D. melanogaster and D. simulans, although direct evidence is necessary.
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Horard B, Sapey-Triomphe L, Bonnefoy E, Loppin B. ASF1 is required to load histones on the HIRA complex in preparation of paternal chromatin assembly at fertilization. Epigenetics Chromatin 2018; 11:19. [PMID: 29751847 PMCID: PMC5946387 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-018-0189-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Anti-Silencing Factor 1 (ASF1) is a conserved H3–H4 histone chaperone involved in both Replication-Coupled and Replication-Independent (RI) nucleosome assembly pathways. At DNA replication forks, ASF1 plays an important role in regulating the supply of H3.1/2 and H4 to the CAF-1 chromatin assembly complex. ASF1 also provides H3.3–H4 dimers to HIRA and DAXX chaperones for RI nucleosome assembly. The early Drosophila embryo is an attractive system to study chromatin assembly in a developmental context. The formation of a diploid zygote begins with the unique, genome-wide RI assembly of paternal chromatin following sperm protamine eviction. Then, within the same cytoplasm, syncytial embryonic nuclei undergo a series of rapid, synchronous S and M phases to form the blastoderm embryo. Here, we have investigated the implication of ASF1 in these two distinct assembly processes. Results We show that depletion of the maternal pool of ASF1 with a specific shRNA induces a fully penetrant, maternal effect embryo lethal phenotype. Unexpectedly, despite the depletion of ASF1 protein to undetectable levels, we show that asf1 knocked-down (KD) embryos can develop to various stages, thus demonstrating that ASF1 is not absolutely required for the amplification of cleavage nuclei. Remarkably, we found that ASF1 is required for the formation of the male pronucleus, although ASF1 protein does not reside in the decondensing sperm nucleus. In asf1 KD embryos, HIRA localizes to the male nucleus but is only capable of limited and insufficient chromatin assembly. Finally, we show that the conserved HIRA B domain, which is involved in ASF1-HIRA interaction, is dispensable for female fertility. Conclusions We conclude that ASF1 is critically required to load H3.3–H4 dimers on the HIRA complex prior to histone deposition on paternal DNA. This separation of tasks could optimize the rapid assembly of paternal chromatin within the gigantic volume of the egg cell. In contrast, ASF1 is surprisingly dispensable for the amplification of cleavage nuclei, although chromatin integrity is likely compromised in KD embryos. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13072-018-0189-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Béatrice Horard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - CNRS - UMR5558, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 16, rue R. Dubois - Bât. G. Mendel, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
| | - Laure Sapey-Triomphe
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - CNRS - UMR5558, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 16, rue R. Dubois - Bât. G. Mendel, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Emilie Bonnefoy
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - CNRS - UMR5558, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 16, rue R. Dubois - Bât. G. Mendel, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Benjamin Loppin
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - CNRS - UMR5558, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 16, rue R. Dubois - Bât. G. Mendel, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
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40
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Southern HM, Berger MA, Young PG, Snook RR. Sperm morphology and the evolution of intracellular sperm-egg interactions. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:5047-5058. [PMID: 29876080 PMCID: PMC5980432 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sperm morphology is incredibly diverse, even among closely related species, yet the coevolution between males and females of fertilization recognition systems is necessary for successful karyogamy (male and female pronuclear fusion). In most species, the entire sperm enters the egg during fertilization so sperm morphological diversity may impact the intracellular sperm-egg interactions necessary for karyogamy. We quantified morphological variation of sperm inside eggs prior to and following karyogamy in several species of Drosophila to understand whether evolution of sperm morphology could influence intracellular sperm-egg interactions (ISEIs). We measured seven parameters that describe ISEIs among species to determine whether these parameters varied both within a species across development and across species at the same developmental stage. We used heterospecific crosses to test the relative role of male origin, female origin, and interaction between the male and female in determining ISEIs. We found that sperm shape changed within a species as development proceeded and, at particular development stages, species varied in some ISEIs. Parental origin had an effect on some ISEIs, with a general trend for a stronger female effect. Overall, our findings identify conserved and variable ISEIs among species and demonstrate the potential to contribute understanding to gamete evolution and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen M. Southern
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | | | - Philippe G. Young
- College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Rhonda R. Snook
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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41
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Degner EC, Harrington LC. A mosquito sperm's journey from male ejaculate to egg: Mechanisms, molecules, and methods for exploration. Mol Reprod Dev 2018; 83:897-911. [PMID: 27147424 PMCID: PMC5086422 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The fate of mosquito sperm in the female reproductive tract has been addressed sporadically and incompletely, resulting in significant gaps in our understanding of sperm-female interactions that ultimately lead to fertilization. As with other Diptera, mosquito sperm have a complex journey to their ultimate destination, the egg. After copulation, sperm spend a short time at the site of insemination where they are hyperactivated and quickly congregate near the entrance of the spermathecal ducts. Within minutes, they travel up the narrow ducts to the spermathecae, likely through the combined efforts of female transport and sperm locomotion. The female nourishes sperm and maintains them in these permanent storage organs for her entire life. When she is ready, the female coordinates the release of sperm with ovulation, and the descending egg is fertilized. Although this process has been well studied via microscopy, many questions remain regarding the molecular processes that coordinate sperm motility, movement through the reproductive tract, maintenance, and usage. In this review, we describe the current understanding of a mosquito sperm's journey to the egg, highlighting gaps in our knowledge of mosquito reproductive biology. Where insufficient information is available in mosquitoes, we describe analogous processes in other organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, as a basis for comparison, and we suggest future areas of research that will illuminate how sperm successfully traverse the female reproductive tract. Such studies may yield molecular targets that could be manipulated to control populations of vector species. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 897-911, 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan C Degner
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
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42
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Horard B, Loppin B. [Fertilization: the spermatic nucleus unlocked by an ultra-specialized thioredoxin]. Med Sci (Paris) 2017; 33:585-587. [PMID: 28990554 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20173306009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Béatrice Horard
- Laboratoire de biométrie et de biologie évolutive, CNRS UMR5558, université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Benjamin Loppin
- Laboratoire de biométrie et de biologie évolutive, CNRS UMR5558, université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
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43
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Tang X, Cao J, Zhang L, Huang Y, Zhang Q, Rong YS. Maternal Haploid, a Metalloprotease Enriched at the Largest Satellite Repeat and Essential for Genome Integrity in Drosophila Embryos. Genetics 2017; 206:1829-1839. [PMID: 28615282 PMCID: PMC5560791 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.200949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The incorporation of the paternal genome into the zygote during fertilization requires chromatin remodeling. The maternal haploid (mh) mutation in Drosophila affects this process and leads to the formation of haploid embryos without the paternal genome. mh encodes the Drosophila homolog of SPRTN, a conserved protease essential for resolving DNA-protein cross-linked products. Here we characterize the role of MH in genome maintenance. It is not understood how MH protects the paternal genome during fertilization, particularly in light of our finding that MH is present in both parental pronuclei during zygote formation. We showed that maternal chromosomes in mh mutant embryos experience instabilities in the absence of the paternal genome, which suggests that MH is generally required for chromosome stability during embryogenesis. This is consistent with our finding that MH is abundantly present on chromatin throughout the cell cycle. Remarkably, MH is prominently enriched at the 359-bp satellite repeats during interphase, which becomes unstable without MH. This dynamic localization and specific enrichment of MH at the 359 repeats resemble that of Topoisomerase 2 (Top2), suggesting that MH regulates Top2, possibly as a protease for the resolution of Top2-DNA intermediates. We propose that maternal MH removes proteins specifically enriched on sperm chromatin. In the absence of that function, paternal chromosomes are precipitously lost. This mode of paternal chromatin remodeling is likely conserved and the unique phenotype of the Drosophila mh mutants represents a rare opportunity to gain insights into the process that has been difficult to study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaona Tang
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Jinguo Cao
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
- Department of Medicine, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, 343009, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Yingzi Huang
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Qianyi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-control, Institute of Entomology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yikang S Rong
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-control, Institute of Entomology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
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Velentzas AD, Velentzas PD, Katarachia S, Mpakou VE, Papassideri IS, Stravopodis DJ. Data of sperm-entry inability in Drosophila melanogaster ovarian follicles that are depleted of s36 chorionic protein. Data Brief 2017; 12:180-183. [PMID: 28443296 PMCID: PMC5394213 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2017.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents data associated with the research article entitled “Targeted downregulation of s36 protein unearths its cardinal role in chorion biogenesis and architecture during Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis” [1]. Drosophila chorion is produced by epithelial follicle cells and one of its functional serving role is egg fertilization through the micropyle, a specialized narrow channel at the anterior tip of the egg [2]. Sperm entry during fertilization is necessary for the egg to complete meiosis [3]. D. melanogaster flies being characterized by severe downregulation of the s36 chorionic protein, specifically in the follicle-cell compartment of their ovary, appear with impaired fly fertility (Velentzas et al., 2016) [1]. In an effort to further investigate whether the observed infertility in the s36-targeted flies derives from a fertilization failure, such as the inability of sperm to pass through egg׳s micropyle, we mated females carrying s36-depleted ovaries with males expressing the GFP protein either in their sperm tails, or in both their sperm tails and sperm heads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanassios D Velentzas
- Section of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis D Velentzas
- Section of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece
| | - Stamatia Katarachia
- Section of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece
| | - Vassiliki E Mpakou
- Section of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece
| | - Issidora S Papassideri
- Section of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios J Stravopodis
- Section of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Athens, Greece
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45
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Destouni A, Vermeesch JR. How can zygotes segregate entire parental genomes into distinct blastomeres? The zygote metaphase revisited. Bioessays 2017; 39. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201600226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aspasia Destouni
- Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Genome Research; Center of Human Genetics; KU Leuven; Leuven Belgium
| | - Joris R. Vermeesch
- Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Genome Research; Center of Human Genetics; KU Leuven; Leuven Belgium
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46
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Aldrich JC, Leibholz A, Cheema MS, Ausiό J, Ferree PM. A 'selfish' B chromosome induces genome elimination by disrupting the histone code in the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42551. [PMID: 28211924 PMCID: PMC5304203 DOI: 10.1038/srep42551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Intragenomic conflict describes a phenomenon in which genetic elements act ‘selfishly’ to gain a transmission advantage at the expense of the whole genome. A non-essential, selfish B chromosome known as Paternal Sex Ratio (PSR) induces complete elimination of the sperm-derived hereditary material in the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis. PSR prevents the paternal chromatin from forming chromosomes during the first embryonic mitosis, leading to its loss. Although paternally transmitted, PSR evades self-elimination in order to be inherited. We examined important post-translational modifications to the DNA packaging histones on the normal genome and the PSR chromosome in the fertilized embryo. Three histone marks – H3K9me2,3, H3K27me1, and H4K20me1 – became abnormally enriched and spread to ectopic positions on the sperm’s chromatin before entry into mitosis. In contrast, other histone marks and DNA methylation were not affected by PSR, suggesting that its effect on the paternal genome is specific to a subset of histone marks. Contrary to the paternally derived genome, the PSR chromosome was visibly devoid of the H3K27me1 and H4K20me1 marks. These findings strongly suggest that PSR causes paternal genome elimination by disrupting at least three histone marks following fertilization, while PSR avoids self-elimination by evading two of these marks.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Aldrich
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Alexandra Leibholz
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Manjinder S Cheema
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W-3P6, Canada
| | - Juan Ausiό
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W-3P6, Canada
| | - Patrick M Ferree
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
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47
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Abstract
Fertilization, the union of an oocyte and a sperm, is a fundamental process that restores the diploid genome and initiates embryonic development. For the sperm, fertilization is the end of a long journey, one that starts in the male testis before transitioning to the female reproductive tract's convoluted tubule architecture. Historically, motile sperm were thought to complete this journey using luck and numbers. A different picture of sperm has emerged recently as cells that integrate complex sensory information for navigation. Chemical, physical, and thermal cues have been proposed to help guide sperm to the waiting oocyte. Molecular mechanisms are being delineated in animal models and humans, revealing common features, as well as important differences. Exposure to pheromones and nutritional signals can modulate guidance mechanisms, indirectly impacting sperm motility performance and fertility. These studies highlight the importance of sensory information and signal transduction in fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hieu D Hoang
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Michael A Miller
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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48
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Thioredoxin-dependent disulfide bond reduction is required for protamine eviction from sperm chromatin. Genes Dev 2016; 30:2651-2656. [PMID: 28031247 PMCID: PMC5238724 DOI: 10.1101/gad.290916.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Emelyanov and Fyodorov identify the Drosophila thioredoxin Deadhead (DHD) as the factor responsible for the reduction of intermolecular disulfide bonds in protamines and their eviction from sperm during fertilization. Cysteine oxidation in protamines leads to their oligomerization and contributes to sperm chromatin compaction. Here we identify the Drosophila thioredoxin Deadhead (DHD) as the factor responsible for the reduction of intermolecular disulfide bonds in protamines and their eviction from sperm during fertilization. Protamine chaperone TAP/p32 dissociates DNA–protamine complexes in vitro only when protamine oligomers are first converted to monomers by DHD. dhd-null embryos cannot decondense sperm chromatin and terminate development after the first pronuclear division. Therefore, the thioredoxin DHD plays a critical role in early development to facilitate the switch from protamine-based sperm chromatin structures to the somatic nucleosomal chromatin.
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49
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Unlocking sperm chromatin at fertilization requires a dedicated egg thioredoxin in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13539. [PMID: 27876811 PMCID: PMC5122968 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In most animals, the extreme compaction of sperm DNA is achieved after the massive replacement of histones with sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs), such as protamines. In some species, the ultracompact sperm chromatin is stabilized by a network of disulfide bonds connecting cysteine residues present in SNBPs. Studies in mammals have established that the reduction of these disulfide crosslinks at fertilization is required for sperm nuclear decondensation and the formation of the male pronucleus. Here, we show that the Drosophila maternal thioredoxin Deadhead (DHD) is specifically required to unlock sperm chromatin at fertilization. In dhd mutant eggs, the sperm nucleus fails to decondense and the replacement of SNBPs with maternally-provided histones is severely delayed, thus preventing the participation of paternal chromosomes in embryo development. We demonstrate that DHD localizes to the sperm nucleus to reduce its disulfide targets and is then rapidly degraded after fertilization.
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50
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Inoue T, Iida A, Maegawa S, Sehara-Fujisawa A, Kinoshita M. Generation of a transgenic medaka (Oryzias latipes) strain for visualization of nuclear dynamics in early developmental stages. Dev Growth Differ 2016; 58:679-687. [PMID: 27759163 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we verified nuclear transport activity of an artificial nuclear localization signal (aNLS) in medaka fish (Oryzias latipes). We generated a transgenic medaka strain expresses the aNLS tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) driven by a medaka beta-actin promoter. The aNLS-EGFP was accumulated in the nuclei of somatic tissues and yolk nuclei of oocytes, but undetectable in the spermatozoa. The fluorescent signal was observed from immediately after fertilization by a maternal contribution. Furthermore, male and female pronuclei were visualized in fertilized eggs, and nuclear dynamics of pronuclear fusion and subsequent cleavage were captured by time-lapse imaging. In contrast, SV40NLS exhibited no activity of nuclear transport in early embryos. In conclusion, the aNLS possesses a strong nuclear localization activity and is a useful probe for fluorescent observation of the pronuclei and nuclei in early developmental stage of medaka.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takanobu Inoue
- Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Atsuo Iida
- Department of Growth Regulation, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Shogo-in Kawahara-cho 53, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Shingo Maegawa
- Department of Intelligence Science and Technology, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Atsuko Sehara-Fujisawa
- Department of Growth Regulation, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Shogo-in Kawahara-cho 53, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Masato Kinoshita
- Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
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