A conserved sequence in calmodulin regulated spectrin-associated protein 1 links its interaction with spectrin and calmodulin to neurite outgrowth

Inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptor is required for spindle assembly in Xenopus oocytes

The extent to which calcium signaling participates in specific events of animal cell meiosis or mitosis is a subject of enduring controversy. We have previously demonstrated that buffering intracellular calcium with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA, a fast calcium chelator), but not ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)tetraacetic acid (EGTA, a slow calcium chelator), rapidly depolymerizes spindle microtubules in Xenopus oocytes, suggesting that spindle assembly and/or stability requires calcium nanodomains-calcium transients at extremely restricted spatial-temporal scales. In this study, we have investigated the function of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP₃R), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium channel, in spindle assembly using Trim21-mediated depletion of IP₃R. Oocytes depleted of IP₃R underwent germinal vesicle breakdown but failed to emit the first polar body and failed to assemble proper meiotic spindles. Further, we developed a cell-free spindle assembly assay in which cytoplasm was aspirated from single oocytes. Spindles assembled in this cell-free system were encased in ER membranes, with IP₃R enriched at the poles, while disruption of either ER organization or calcium signaling resulted in rapid spindle disassembly. As in intact oocytes, formation of spindles in cell-free oocyte extracts also required IP₃R. We conclude that intracellular calcium signaling involving IP₃R-mediated calcium release is required for meiotic spindle assembly in Xenopus oocytes.

The diagnostic yield, candidate genes, and pitfalls for a genetic study of intellectual disability in 118 middle eastern families

Global Developmental Delay/Intellectual disability (ID) is the term used to describe various disorders caused by abnormal brain development and characterized by impairments in cognition, communication, behavior, or motor skills. In the past few years, whole-exome sequencing (WES) has been proven to be a powerful, robust, and scalable approach for candidate gene discoveries in consanguineous populations. In this study, we recruited 215 patients affected with ID from 118 Middle Eastern families. Whole-exome sequencing was completed for 188 individuals. The average age at which WES was completed was 8.5 years. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were detected in 32/118 families (27%). Variants of uncertain significance were seen in 33/118 families (28%). The candidate genes with a possible association with ID were detected in 32/118 (27%) with a total number of 64 affected individuals. These genes are novel, were previously reported in a single family, or cause strikingly different phenotypes with a different mode of inheritance. These genes included: AATK, AP1G2, CAMSAP1, CCDC9B, CNTROB, DNAH14, DNAJB4, DRG1, DTNBP1, EDRF1, EEF1D, EXOC8, EXOSC4, FARSB, FBXO22, FILIP1, INPP4A, P2RX7, PRDM13, PTRHD1, SCN10A, SCYL2, SMG8, SUPV3L1, TACC2, THUMPD1, XPR1, ZFYVE28. During the 5 years of the study and through gene matching databases, several of these genes have now been confirmed as causative of ID. In conclusion, understanding the causes of ID will help understand biological mechanisms, provide precise counseling for affected families, and aid in primary prevention.

Bi-allelic CAMSAP1 variants cause a clinically recognizable neuronal migration disorder

Non-centrosomal microtubules are essential cytoskeletal filaments that are important for neurite formation, axonal transport, and neuronal migration. They require stabilization by microtubule minus-end-targeting proteins including the CAMSAP family of molecules. Using exome sequencing on samples from five unrelated families, we show that bi-allelic CAMSAP1 loss-of-function variants cause a clinically recognizable, syndromic neuronal migration disorder. The cardinal clinical features of the syndrome include a characteristic craniofacial appearance, primary microcephaly, severe neurodevelopmental delay, cortical visual impairment, and seizures. The neuroradiological phenotype comprises a highly recognizable combination of classic lissencephaly with a posterior more severe than anterior gradient similar to PAFAH1B1(LIS1)-related lissencephaly and severe hypoplasia or absence of the corpus callosum; dysplasia of the basal ganglia, hippocampus, and midbrain; and cerebellar hypodysplasia, similar to the tubulinopathies, a group of monogenic tubulin-associated disorders of cortical dysgenesis. Neural cell rosette lineages derived from affected individuals displayed findings consistent with these phenotypes, including abnormal morphology, decreased cell proliferation, and neuronal differentiation. Camsap1-null mice displayed increased perinatal mortality, and RNAScope studies identified high expression levels in the brain throughout neurogenesis and in facial structures, consistent with the mouse and human neurodevelopmental and craniofacial phenotypes. Together our findings confirm a fundamental role of CAMSAP1 in neuronal migration and brain development and define bi-allelic variants as a cause of a clinically distinct neurodevelopmental disorder in humans and mice.

Non-coding ribonucleic acid-mediated CAMSAP1 upregulation leads to poor prognosis with suppressed immune infiltration in liver hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is well-known for its unfavorable prognosis due to the lack of reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein 1 (CAMSAP1) is a non-centrosomal microtubule minus-end binding protein that regulates microtubule dynamics. This study aims to investigate the specific role and mechanisms of CAMSAP1 in LIHC. We performed systematical analyses of CAMSAP1 and demonstrated that differential expression of CAMSAP1 is associated with genetic alteration and DNA methylation, and serves as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in some cancers, especially LIHC. Further evidence suggested that CAMSAP1 overexpression leads to adverse clinical outcomes in advanced LIHC. Moreover, the AC145207.5/LINC01748-miR-101–3p axis is specifically responsible for CAMSAP1 overexpression in LIHC. In addition to the previously reported functions in the cell cycle and regulation of actin cytoskeleton, CAMSAP1-related genes are enriched in cancer- and immune-associated pathways. As expected, CAMSAP1-associated LIHC is infiltrated in the suppressed immune microenvironment. Specifically, except for immune cell infiltration, it is significantly positively correlated with immune checkpoint genes, especially CD274 (PD-L1), and cancer-associated fibroblasts. Prediction of immune checkpoint blockade therapy suggests that these patients may benefit from therapy. Our study is the first to demonstrate that besides genetic alteration and DNA methylation, AC145207.5/LINC01748-miR-101-3p-mediated CAMSAP1 upregulation in advanced LIHC leads to poor prognosis with suppressed immune infiltration, representing a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker as well as a promising immunotherapy target for LIHC.

Deficiency of the bZIP transcription factors Mafg and Mafk causes misexpression of genes in distinct pathways and results in lens embryonic developmental defects

Deficiency of the small Maf proteins Mafg and Mafk cause multiple defects, namely, progressive neuronal degeneration, cataract, thrombocytopenia and mid-gestational/perinatal lethality. Previous data shows Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^+/- compound knockout (KO) mice exhibit cataracts age 4-months onward. Strikingly, Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- double KO mice develop lens defects significantly early in life, during embryogenesis, but the pathobiology of these defects is unknown, and is addressed here. At embryonic day (E)16.5, the epithelium of lens in Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- animals appears abnormally multilayered as demonstrated by E-cadherin and nuclear staining. Additionally, Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- lenses exhibit abnormal distribution of F-actin near the "fulcrum" region where epithelial cells undergo apical constriction prior to elongation and reorientation as early differentiating fiber cells. To identify the underlying molecular changes, we performed high-throughput RNA-sequencing of E16.5 Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- lenses and identified a cohort of differentially expressed genes that were further prioritized using stringent filtering criteria and validated by RT-qPCR. Several key factors associated with the cytoskeleton, cell cycle or extracellular matrix (e.g., Cdk1, Cdkn1c, Camsap1, Col3a1, Map3k12, Sipa1l1) were mis-expressed in Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- lenses. Further, the congenital cataract-linked extracellular matrix peroxidase Pxdn was significantly overexpressed in Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- lenses, which may cause abnormal cell morphology. These data also identified the ephrin signaling receptor Epha5 to be reduced in Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- lenses. This likely contributes to the Mafg ^-/-:Mafk ^-/- multilayered lens epithelium pathology, as loss of an ephrin ligand, Efna5 (ephrin-A5), causes similar lens defects. Together, these findings uncover a novel early function of Mafg and Mafk in lens development and identify their new downstream regulatory relationships with key cellular factors.

β2SP/TET2 complex regulates gene 5hmC modification after cerebral ischemia

βII spectrin (β2SP) is encoded by Sptbn1 and is involved in the regulation of various cell functions. β2SP contributes to the formation of the myelin sheath, which may be related to the mechanism of neuropathy caused by demyelination. As one of the main features of cerebral ischemia, demyelination plays a key role in the mechanism of cerebral ischemia injury. Here, we showed that β2SP levels were increased, and this molecule interacted with TET2 after ischemic injury. Furthermore, we found that the level of TET2 was decreased in the nucleus when β2SP was knocked out after oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD), and the level of 5hmC was reduced in the OGD+β2SP KO group. In contrast, the expression of β2SP did not change in TET2 KO mice. In addition, the 5hmC sequencing results revealed that β2SP can affect the level of 5hmC, the differentially hydroxymethylated region (DhMR) mainly related with the Calcium signalling pathway, cGMP‐PKG signalling pathway, Wnt signalling pathway and Hippo signalling pathway. In summary, our results suggest that β2SP could regulate the gene 5hmC by interacted with TET2 and will become a potential therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.

Proximity labeling reveals non-centrosomal microtubule-organizing center components required for microtubule growth and localization

Microtubules are polarized intracellular polymers that play key roles in the cell, including in transport, polarity, and cell division. Across eukaryotic cell types, microtubules adopt diverse intracellular organization to accommodate these distinct functions coordinated by specific cellular sites called microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs). Over 50 years of research on MTOC biology has focused mainly on the centrosome; however, most differentiated cells employ non-centrosomal MTOCs (ncMTOCs) to organize their microtubules into diverse arrays, which are critical to cell function. To identify essential ncMTOC components, we developed the biotin ligase-based, proximity-labeling approach TurboID for use in C. elegans. We identified proteins proximal to the microtubule minus end protein PTRN-1/Patronin at the apical ncMTOC of intestinal epithelial cells, focusing on two conserved proteins: spectraplakin protein VAB-10B/MACF1 and WDR-62, a protein we identify as homologous to vertebrate primary microcephaly disease protein WDR62. VAB-10B and WDR-62 do not associate with the centrosome and instead specifically regulate non-centrosomal microtubules and the apical targeting of microtubule minus-end proteins. Depletion of VAB-10B resulted in microtubule mislocalization and delayed localization of a microtubule nucleation complex ɣ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC), while loss of WDR-62 decreased the number of dynamic microtubules and abolished γ-TuRC localization. This regulation occurs downstream of cell polarity and in conjunction with actin. As this is the first report for non-centrosomal roles of WDR62 family proteins, we expand the basic cell biological roles of this important disease protein. Our studies identify essential ncMTOC components and suggest a division of labor where microtubule growth and localization are distinctly regulated.

Tracheal motile cilia in mice require CAMSAP3 for formation of central microtubule pair and coordinated beating

Motile cilia of multiciliated epithelial cells undergo synchronized beating to produce fluid flow along the luminal surface of various organs. Each motile cilium consists of an axoneme and a basal body (BB), which are linked by a “transition zone” (TZ). The axoneme exhibits a characteristic 9+2 microtubule arrangement important for ciliary motion, but how this microtubule system is generated is not yet fully understood. Here we show that calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein 3 (CAMSAP3), a protein that can stabilize the minus-end of a microtubule, concentrates at multiple sites of the cilium–BB complex, including the upper region of the TZ or the axonemal basal plate (BP) where the central pair of microtubules (CP) initiates. CAMSAP3 dysfunction resulted in loss of the CP and partial distortion of the BP, as well as the failure of multicilia to undergo synchronized beating. These findings suggest that CAMSAP3 plays pivotal roles in the formation or stabilization of the CP by localizing at the basal region of the axoneme and thereby supports the coordinated motion of multicilia in airway epithelial cells.

Tourette Syndrome Risk Genes Regulate Mitochondrial Dynamics, Structure, and Function

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics with an estimated prevalence of 1% in children and adolescents. GTS has high rates of inheritance with many rare mutations identified. Apart from the role of the neurexin trans-synaptic connexus (NTSC) little has been confirmed regarding the molecular basis of GTS. The NTSC pathway regulates neuronal circuitry development, synaptic connectivity and neurotransmission. In this study we integrate GTS mutations into mitochondrial pathways that also regulate neuronal circuitry development, synaptic connectivity and neurotransmission. Many deleterious mutations in GTS occur in genes with complementary and consecutive roles in mitochondrial dynamics, structure and function (MDSF) pathways. These genes include those involved in mitochondrial transport (NDE1, DISC1, OPA1), mitochondrial fusion (OPA1), fission (ADCY2, DGKB, AMPK/PKA, RCAN1, PKC), mitochondrial metabolic and bio-energetic optimization (IMMP2L, MPV17, MRPL3, MRPL44). This study is the first to develop and describe an integrated mitochondrial pathway in the pathogenesis of GTS. The evidence from this study and our earlier modeling of GTS molecular pathways provides compounding support for a GTS deficit in mitochondrial supply affecting neurotransmission.

Microtubules promote intercellular contractile force transmission during tissue folding

During development, forces transmitted between cells are critical for sculpting epithelial tissues. Actomyosin contractility in the middle of the cell apex (medioapical) can change cell shape (e.g., apical constriction) but can also result in force transmission between cells via attachments to adherens junctions. How actomyosin networks maintain attachments to adherens junctions under tension is poorly understood. Here, we discovered that microtubules promote actomyosin intercellular attachments in epithelia during Drosophila melanogaster mesoderm invagination. First, we used live imaging to show a novel arrangement of the microtubule cytoskeleton during apical constriction: medioapical Patronin (CAMSAP) foci formed by actomyosin contraction organized an apical noncentrosomal microtubule network. Microtubules were required for mesoderm invagination but were not necessary for initiating apical contractility or adherens junction assembly. Instead, microtubules promoted connections between medioapical actomyosin and adherens junctions. These results delineate a role for coordination between actin and microtubule cytoskeletal systems in intercellular force transmission during tissue morphogenesis.

Patronin-mediated minus end growth is required for dendritic microtubule polarity

Feng et al. describe persistent neuronal microtubule minus end growth that depends on the CAMSAP protein Patronin and is needed for dendritic minus-end-out polarity.

Microtubule minus ends are thought to be stable in cells. Surprisingly, in Drosophila and zebrafish neurons, we observed persistent minus end growth, with runs lasting over 10 min. In Drosophila, extended minus end growth depended on Patronin, and Patronin reduction disrupted dendritic minus-end-out polarity. In fly dendrites, microtubule nucleation sites localize at dendrite branch points. Therefore, we hypothesized minus end growth might be particularly important beyond branch points. Distal dendrites have mixed polarity, and reduction of Patronin lowered the number of minus-end-out microtubules. More strikingly, extra Patronin made terminal dendrites almost completely minus-end-out, indicating low Patronin normally limits minus-end-out microtubules. To determine whether minus end growth populated new dendrites with microtubules, we analyzed dendrite development and regeneration. Minus ends extended into growing dendrites in the presence of Patronin. In sum, our data suggest that Patronin facilitates sustained microtubule minus end growth, which is critical for populating dendrites with minus-end-out microtubules.

Massive cytoplasmic transport and microtubule organization in fertilized chordate eggs

Eggs have developed their own strategies for early development. Amphibian, teleost fish, and ascidian eggs show cortical rotation and an accompanying structure, a cortical parallel microtubule (MT) array, during the one-cell embryonic stage. Cortical rotation is thought to relocate maternal deposits to a certain compartment of the egg and to polarize the embryo. The common features and differences among chordate eggs as well as localized maternal proteins and mRNAs that are related to the organization of MT structures are described in this review. Furthermore, recent studies report progress in elucidating the molecular nature and functions of the noncentrosomal MT organizing center (ncMTOC). The parallel array of MT bundles is presumably organized by ncMTOCs; therefore, the mechanism of ncMTOC control is likely inevitable for these species. Thus, the molecules related to the ncMTOC provide clues for understanding the mechanisms of early developmental systems, which ultimately determine the embryonic axis.

PTRN-1/CAMSAP promotes CYK-1/formin-dependent actin polymerization during endocytic recycling

Cargo sorting and membrane carrier initiation in recycling endosomes require appropriately coordinated actin dynamics. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of actin organization during recycling transport remains elusive. Here we report that the loss of PTRN-1/CAMSAP stalled actin exchange and diminished the cytosolic actin structures. Furthermore, we found that PTRN-1 is required for the recycling of clathrin-independent cargo hTAC-GFP The N-terminal calponin homology (CH) domain and central coiled-coils (CC) region of PTRN-1 can synergistically sustain the flow of hTAC-GFP We identified CYK-1/formin as a binding partner of PTRN-1. The N-terminal GTPase-binding domain (GBD) of CYK-1 serves as the binding interface for the PTRN-1 CH domain. The presence of the PTRN-1 CH domain promoted CYK-1-mediated actin polymerization, which suggests that the PTRN-1-CH:CYK-1-GBD interaction efficiently relieves autoinhibitory interactions within CYK-1. As expected, the overexpression of the CYK-1 formin homology domain 2 (FH2) substantially restored actin structures and partially suppressed the hTAC-GFP overaccumulation phenotype in ptrn-1 mutants. We conclude that the PTRN-1 CH domain is required to stimulate CYK-1 to facilitate actin dynamics during endocytic recycling.

Shot and Patronin polarise microtubules to direct membrane traffic and biogenesis of microvilli in epithelia

In epithelial tissues, polarisation of microtubules and actin microvilli occurs along the apical-basal axis of each cell, yet how these cytoskeletal polarisation events are coordinated remains unclear. Here, we examine the hierarchy of events during cytoskeletal polarisation in Drosophila melanogaster epithelia. Core apical-basal polarity determinants polarise the spectrin cytoskeleton to recruit the microtubule-binding proteins Patronin (CAMSAP1, CAMSAP2 and CAMSAP3 in humans) and Shortstop [Shot; MACF1 and BPAG1 (also known as DST) in humans] to the apical membrane domain. Patronin and Shot then act to polarise microtubules along the apical-basal axis to enable apical transport of Rab11 endosomes by the Nuf-Dynein microtubule motor complex. Finally, Rab11 endosomes are transferred to the MyoV (also known as Didum in Drosophila) actin motor to deliver the key microvillar determinant Cadherin 99C to the apical membrane to organise the biogenesis of actin microvilli.

Control of apico-basal epithelial polarity by the microtubule minus-end binding protein CAMSAP3 and spectraplakin ACF7

The microtubule cytoskeleton regulates cell polarity by spatially organizing membrane trafficking and signaling processes. In epithelial cells, microtubules form parallel arrays aligned along the apico-basal axis, and recent work has demonstrated that the members of CAMSAP/Patronin family control apical tethering of microtubule minus ends. Here, we show that in mammalian intestinal epithelial cells, the spectraplakin ACF7 specifically binds to CAMSAP3 and is required for the apical localization of CAMSAP3-decorated microtubule minus ends. Loss of ACF7 but not of CAMSAP3 or its homologue CAMSAP2 affected the formation of polarized epithelial cysts in 3D cultures. In short-term epithelial polarization assays, the knock-out of CAMSAP3, but not of CAMSAP2 caused microtubule re-organization into a more radial centrosomal array, redistribution of Rab11 endosomes from the apical cell surface to the pericentrosomal region and inhibition of actin brush border formation at the apical side of the cell. We conclude that ACF7 is an important regulator of apico-basal polarity in mammalian intestinal cells and that a radial centrosome-centered microtubule organization can act as an inhibitor of epithelial polarity.

CAMSAP3 orients the apical-to-basal polarity of microtubule arrays in epithelial cells

Polarized epithelial cells exhibit a characteristic array of microtubules that are oriented along the apicobasal axis of the cells. The minus-ends of these microtubules face apically, and the plus-ends face toward the basal side. The mechanisms underlying this epithelial-specific microtubule assembly remain unresolved, however. Here, using mouse intestinal cells and human Caco-2 cells, we show that the microtubule minus-end binding protein CAMSAP3 (calmodulin-regulated-spectrin-associated protein 3) plays a pivotal role in orienting the apical-to-basal polarity of microtubules in epithelial cells. In these cells, CAMSAP3 accumulated at the apical cortices, and tethered the longitudinal microtubules to these sites. Camsap3 mutation or depletion resulted in a random orientation of these microtubules; concomitantly, the stereotypic positioning of the nucleus and Golgi apparatus was perturbed. In contrast, the integrity of the plasma membrane was hardly affected, although its structural stability was decreased. Further analysis revealed that the CC1 domain of CAMSAP3 is crucial for its apical localization, and that forced mislocalization of CAMSAP3 disturbs the epithelial architecture. These findings demonstrate that apically localized CAMSAP3 determines the proper orientation of microtubules, and in turn that of organelles, in mature mammalian epithelial cells.

Microtubule minus-end-targeting proteins

Microtubules are cytoskeletal filaments that are intrinsically polarized, with two structurally and functionally distinct ends, the plus end and the minus end. Over the last decade, numerous studies have shown that microtubule plus-end dynamics play an important role in many vital cellular processes and are controlled by numerous factors, such as microtubule plus-end-tracking proteins (+TIPs). In contrast, the cellular machinery that controls the behavior and organization of microtubule minus ends remains one of the least well-understood facets of the microtubule cytoskeleton. The recent characterization of the CAMSAP/Patronin/Nezha family members as specific 'minus-end-targeting proteins' ('-TIPs') has provided important new insights into the mechanisms governing minus-end dynamics. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on how microtubule minus ends are controlled and how minus-end regulators contribute to non-centrosomal microtubule organization and function during cell division, migration and differentiation.

NOCA-1 functions with γ-tubulin and in parallel to Patronin to assemble non-centrosomal microtubule arrays in C. elegans

Non-centrosomal microtubule arrays assemble in differentiated tissues to perform mechanical and transport-based functions. In this study, we identify Caenorhabditis elegans NOCA-1 as a protein with homology to vertebrate ninein. NOCA-1 contributes to the assembly of non-centrosomal microtubule arrays in multiple tissues. In the larval epidermis, NOCA-1 functions redundantly with the minus end protection factor Patronin/PTRN-1 to assemble a circumferential microtubule array essential for worm growth and morphogenesis. Controlled degradation of a γ-tubulin complex subunit in this tissue revealed that γ-tubulin acts with NOCA-1 in parallel to Patronin/PTRN-1. In the germline, NOCA-1 and γ-tubulin co-localize at the cell surface, and inhibiting either leads to a microtubule assembly defect. γ-tubulin targets independently of NOCA-1, but NOCA-1 targeting requires γ-tubulin when a non-essential putatively palmitoylated cysteine is mutated. These results show that NOCA-1 acts with γ-tubulin to assemble non-centrosomal arrays in multiple tissues and highlight functional overlap between the ninein and Patronin protein families.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08649.001

Microtubules are hollow, rigid filaments that are found in the cells of animals and other eukaryotes. These filaments are built from smaller building blocks called tubulin heterodimers; and in dividing animal cells, they mainly emerge from structures called centrosomes. When a cell is dividing, arrays of microtubules that originate from centrosomes help assemble the spindle-like structure that segregates the chromosomes.

Many non-dividing or specialized cells—including neurons, skin cells and muscle fibers—assemble other arrays of microtubules that do not emerge from centrosomes, but nevertheless perform a variety of structural, mechanical and transport-based roles. Compared to the centrosomal arrays, much less is known about how these non-centrosomal microtubules are assembled.

A vertebrate protein called ‘ninein’ had previously been shown to be involved in anchoring microtubules at centrosomes. Ninein can change its localization from centrosomes to the cell surface in mammalian skin cells, suggesting that it might also have a role in assembling the peripheral microtubule arrays that are found in these cells. Now, Wang et al. have identified a protein from worms called NOCA-1, which contains a region similar to the part of ninein that was previously shown to be needed to anchor microtubules at centrosomes.

The experiments show that NOCA-1 guides the assembly of non-centrosomal microtubule arrays in multiple tissues in C. elegans worms. This includes in the outer layer of the worm's larvae, which is similar to mammalian skin. The results also highlight that NOCA-1 performs many of the same roles as a member of the Patronin family of proteins called PTRN-1, which interacts with the ‘minus’ end of a microtubule to prevent the microtubule from breaking apart.

Wang et al. also found that NOCA-1 works with another protein called γ-tubulin, which helps new microtubules to form and also interacts with microtubule minus ends. In contrast, PTRN-1 works independently of γ-tubulin. This suggests that NOCA-1 works together with γ-tubulin to protect new microtubule ends or promote their assembly, a role similar to what has been proposed for Patronin family proteins. Overall, Wang et al.'s results highlight the importance of ninein-related proteins in the assembly of non-centrosomal microtubule arrays and suggest overlapping roles for the ninein and Patronin families of proteins.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08649.002

Effective population size, extended linkage disequilibrium and signatures of selection in the rare dog breed lundehund

The Lundehund is an old dog breed with remarkable anatomical features including polydactyly in all four limbs and extraordinary flexibility of the spine. We genotyped 28 Lundehund using the canine Illumina high density beadchip to estimate the effective population size (N_e) and inbreeding coefficients as well as to identify potential regions of positive selection. The decay of linkage disequilibrium was slow with r² = 0.95 in 50 kb distance. The last 7-200 generations ago, Ne was at 10-13. An increase of N_e was noted in the very recent generations with a peak value of 19 for N_e at generation 4. The FROH estimated for 50-, 65- and 358-SNP windows were 0.87, 087 and 0.81, respectively. The most likely estimates for F_ROH after removing identical-by-state segments due to linkage disequilibria were at 0.80-0.81. The extreme loss of heterozygosity has been accumulated through continued inbreeding over 200 generations within a probably closed population with a small effective population size. The mean inbreeding coefficient based on pedigree data for the last 11 generations (F_Ped = 0.10) was strongly biased downwards due to the unknown coancestry of the founders in this pedigree data. The long-range haplotype test identified regions with genes involved in processes of immunity, olfaction, woundhealing and neuronal development as potential targets of selection. The genes QSOX2, BMPR1B and PRRX2 as well as MYOM1 are candidates for selection on the Lundehund characteristics small body size, increased number of digits per paw and extraordinary mobility, respectively.

Regulation of microtubule minus-end dynamics by CAMSAPs and Patronin

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton plays an essential role in mitosis, intracellular transport, cell shape, and cell migration. The assembly and disassembly of MTs, which can occur through the addition or loss of subunits at the plus- or minus-ends of the polymer, is essential for MTs to carry out their biological functions. A variety of proteins act on MT ends to regulate their dynamics, including a recently described family of MT minus-end binding proteins called calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein (CAMSAP)/Patronin/Nezha. Patronin, the single member of this family in Drosophila, was previously shown to stabilize MT minus-ends against depolymerization in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that all three mammalian CAMSAP family members also bind specifically to MT minus-ends and protect them against kinesin-13-induced depolymerization. However, these proteins differ in their abilities to suppress tubulin addition at minus-ends and to dissociate from MTs. CAMSAP1 does not interfere with polymerization and tracks along growing minus-ends. CAMSAP2 and CAMSAP3 decrease the rate of tubulin incorporation and remain bound, thereby creating stretches of decorated MT minus-ends. By using truncation analysis, we find that somewhat different minimal domains of CAMSAP and Patronin are involved in minus-end localization. However, we find that, in both cases, a highly conserved C-terminal domain and a more variable central domain cooperate to suppress minus-end dynamics in vitro and that both regions are required to stabilize minus-ends in Drosophila S2 cells. These results show that members of the CAMSAP/Patronin family all localize to and protect minus-ends but have evolved distinct effects on MT dynamics.