1
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Mann KE, Panfilio KA. Tissue-Level Integration Overrides Gradations of Differentiating Cell Identity in Beetle Extraembryonic Tissue. Cells 2024; 13:1211. [PMID: 39056793 PMCID: PMC11274815 DOI: 10.3390/cells13141211] [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: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
During animal embryogenesis, one of the earliest specification events distinguishes extraembryonic (EE) from embryonic tissue fates: the serosa in the case of the insects. While it is well established that the homeodomain transcription factor Zen1 is the critical determinant of the serosa, the subsequent realization of this tissue's identity has not been investigated. Here, we examine serosal differentiation in the beetle Tribolium castaneum based on the quantification of morphological and morphogenetic features, comparing embryos from a Tc-zen1 RNAi dilution series, where complete knockdown results in amnion-only EE tissue identity. We assess features including cell density, tissue boundary morphology, and nuclear size as dynamic readouts for progressive tissue maturation. While some features exhibit an all-or-nothing outcome, other key features show dose-dependent phenotypic responses with trait-specific thresholds. Collectively, these findings provide nuance beyond the known status of Tc-Zen1 as a selector gene for serosal tissue patterning. Overall, our approach illustrates how the analysis of tissue maturation dynamics from live imaging extends but also challenges interpretations based on gene expression data, refining our understanding of tissue identity and when it is achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie E. Mann
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Kristen A. Panfilio
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
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2
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Kaufholz F, Ulrich J, Hakeemi MS, Bucher G. Temporal control of RNAi reveals both robust and labile feedback loops in the segmentation clock of the red flour beetle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318229121. [PMID: 38865277 PMCID: PMC11194489 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318229121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals from all major clades have evolved a segmented trunk, reflected in the human spine or the insect segments. These units emerge during embryogenesis from a posterior segment addition zone (SAZ), where repetitive gene activity is regulated by a mechanism described by the clock and wavefront/speed gradient model. In the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, RNA interference (RNAi) has been used to continuously knock down the function of primary pair-rule genes (pPRGs), caudal or Wnt pathway components, which has led to the complete breakdown of segmentation. However, it has remained untested, if this breakdown was reversible by bringing the missing gene function back to the system. To fill this gap, we established a transgenic system in T. castaneum, which allows blocking an ongoing RNAi effect with temporal control by expressing a viral inhibitor of RNAi via heat shock. We show that the T. castaneum segmentation machinery was able to reestablish after RNAi targeting the pPRGs Tc-eve, Tc-odd, and Tc-runt was blocked. However, we observed no rescue after blocking RNAi targeting Wnt pathway components. We conclude that the insect segmentation system contains both robust feedback loops that can reestablish and labile feedback loops that break down irreversibly. This combination may reconcile conflicting needs of the system: Labile systems controlling initiation and maintenance of the SAZ ensure that only one SAZ is formed. Robust feedback loops confer developmental robustness toward external disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Kaufholz
- Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, University of Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Julia Ulrich
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, University of Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Muhammad Salim Hakeemi
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, University of Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Gregor Bucher
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, University of Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen37077, Germany
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3
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Filippopoulou K, Konstantinides N. Evolution of patterning. FEBS J 2024; 291:663-671. [PMID: 37943156 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16995] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Developing tissues are patterned in space and time; this enables them to differentiate their cell types and form complex structures to support different body plans. Although space and time are two independent entities, there are many examples of spatial patterns that originate from temporal ones. The most prominent example is the expression of the genes hunchback, Krüppel, pdm, and castor, which are expressed temporally in the neural stem cells of the Drosophila ventral nerve cord and spatially along the anteroposterior axis of the blastoderm stage embryo. In this Viewpoint, we investigate the relationship between space and time in specific examples of spatial and temporal patterns with the aim of gaining insight into the evolutionary history of patterning.
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4
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Cheng S, Jacobs CGC, Mogollón Pérez EA, Chen D, van de Sanden JT, Bretscher KM, Verweij F, Bosman JS, Hackmann A, Merks RMH, van den Heuvel J, van der Zee M. A life-history allele of large effect shortens developmental time in a wild insect population. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:70-82. [PMID: 37957313 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02246-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Developmental time is a key life-history trait with large effects on Darwinian fitness. In many insects, developmental time is currently under strong selection to minimize ecological mismatches in seasonal timing induced by climate change. The genetic basis of responses to such selection, however, is poorly understood. To address this problem, we set up a long-term evolve-and-resequence experiment in the beetle Tribolium castaneum and selected replicate, outbred populations for fast or slow embryonic development. The response to this selection was substantial and embryonic developmental timing of the selection lines started to diverge during dorsal closure. Pooled whole-genome resequencing, gene expression analysis and an RNAi screen pinpoint a 222 bp deletion containing binding sites for Broad and Tramtrack upstream of the ecdysone degrading enzyme Cyp18a1 as a main target of selection. Using CRISPR/Cas9 to reconstruct this allele in the homogenous genetic background of a laboratory strain, we unravel how this single deletion advances the embryonic ecdysone peak inducing dorsal closure and show that this allele accelerates larval development but causes a trade-off with fecundity. Our study uncovers a life-history allele of large effect and reveals the evolvability of developmental time in a natural insect population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixiong Cheng
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Chris G C Jacobs
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Elisa A Mogollón Pérez
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Daipeng Chen
- Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Joep T van de Sanden
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Femke Verweij
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jelle S Bosman
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Amke Hackmann
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Roeland M H Merks
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Joost van den Heuvel
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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5
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Simsek MF, Özbudak EM. A design logic for sequential segmentation across organisms. FEBS J 2023; 290:5086-5093. [PMID: 37422856 PMCID: PMC10774455 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16899] [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: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Multitudes of organisms display metameric compartmentalization of their body plan. Segmentation of these compartments happens sequentially in diverse phyla. In several sequentially segmenting species, periodically active molecular clocks and signaling gradients have been found. The clocks are proposed to control the timing of segmentation, while the gradients are proposed to instruct the positions of segment boundaries. However, the identity of the clock and gradient molecules differs across species. Furthermore, sequential segmentation of a basal chordate, Amphioxus, continues at late stages when the small tail bud cell population cannot establish long-range signaling gradients. Thus, it remains to be explained how a conserved morphological trait (i.e., sequential segmentation) is achieved by using different molecules or molecules with different spatial profiles. Here, we first focus on sequential segmentation of somites in vertebrate embryos and then draw parallels with other species. Thereafter, we propose a candidate design principle that has the potential to answer this puzzling question.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fethullah Simsek
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA
| | - Ertuğrul M Özbudak
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH, USA
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6
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Strobl F, Ratke J, Krämer F, Utta A, Becker S, Stelzer EHK. Next generation marker-based vector concepts for rapid and unambiguous identification of single and double homozygous transgenic organisms. Biol Open 2023; 12:bio060015. [PMID: 37855381 PMCID: PMC10602009 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
For diploid model organisms, the actual transgenesis processes require subsequent periods of transgene management, which are challenging in emerging model organisms due to the lack of suitable methodology. We used the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, a stored-grain pest, to perform a comprehensive functional evaluation of our AClashOfStrings (ACOS) and the combined AGameOfClones/AClashOfStrings (AGOC/ACOS) vector concepts, which use four clearly distinguishable markers to provide full visual control over up to two independent transgenes. We achieved comprehensive statistical validation of our approach by systematically creating seventeen novel single and double homozygous sublines intended for fluorescence live imaging, including several sublines in which the microtubule cytoskeleton is labeled. During the mating procedures, we genotyped more than 20,000 individuals in less than 80 working hours, which corresponds to about 10 to 15 s per individual. We also confirm the functionality of our combined concept in two double transgene special cases, i.e. integration of both transgenes in close proximity on the same chromosome and integration of one transgene on the X allosome. Finally, we discuss our vector concepts regarding performance, genotyping accuracy, throughput, resource saving potential, fluorescent protein choice, modularity, adaptation to other diploid model organisms and expansion capability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Strobl
- Physical Biology / Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt – Macromolecular Complexes (CEF – MC), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg),Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Julia Ratke
- Physical Biology / Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt – Macromolecular Complexes (CEF – MC), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg),Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Franziska Krämer
- Physical Biology / Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt – Macromolecular Complexes (CEF – MC), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg),Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ana Utta
- Physical Biology / Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt – Macromolecular Complexes (CEF – MC), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg),Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sigrun Becker
- Physical Biology / Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt – Macromolecular Complexes (CEF – MC), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg),Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ernst H. K. Stelzer
- Physical Biology / Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt – Macromolecular Complexes (CEF – MC), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg),Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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7
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Cheatle Jarvela AM, Trelstad CS, Pick L. Anterior-posterior patterning of segments in Anopheles stephensi offers insights into the transition from sequential to simultaneous segmentation in holometabolous insects. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2023; 340:116-130. [PMID: 34734470 PMCID: PMC9061899 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The gene regulatory network for segmentation in arthropods offers valuable insights into how networks evolve owing to the breadth of species examined and the extremely detailed knowledge gained in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. These studies have shown that Drosophila's network represents a derived state that acquired changes to accelerate segment patterning, whereas most insects specify segments gradually as the embryo elongates. Such heterochronic shifts in segmentation have potentially emerged multiple times within holometabolous insects, resulting in many mechanistic variants and difficulties in isolating underlying commonalities that permit such shifts. Recent studies identified regulatory genes that work as timing factors, coordinating gene expression transitions during segmentation. These studies predict that changes in timing factor deployment explain shifts in segment patterning relative to other developmental events. Here, we test this hypothesis by characterizing the temporal and spatial expression of the pair-rule patterning genes in the malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles stephensi. This insect is a Dipteran (fly), like Drosophila, but represents an ancient divergence within this clade, offering a useful counterpart for evo-devo studies. In mosquito embryos, we observe anterior to posterior sequential addition of stripes for many pair-rule genes and a wave of broad timer gene expression across this axis. Segment polarity gene stripes are added sequentially in the wake of the timer gene wave and the full pattern is not complete until the embryo is fully elongated. This "progressive segmentation" mode in Anopheles displays commonalities with both Drosophila's rapid segmentation mechanism and sequential modes used by more distantly related insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alys M. Cheatle Jarvela
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A
| | - Catherine S. Trelstad
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A
| | - Leslie Pick
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A
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8
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Periodic inhibition of Erk activity drives sequential somite segmentation. Nature 2023; 613:153-159. [PMID: 36517597 PMCID: PMC9846577 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05527-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Sequential segmentation creates modular body plans of diverse metazoan embryos1-4. Somitogenesis establishes the segmental pattern of the vertebrate body axis. A molecular segmentation clock in the presomitic mesoderm sets the pace of somite formation4. However, how cells are primed to form a segment boundary at a specific location remains unclear. Here we developed precise reporters for the clock and double-phosphorylated Erk (ppErk) gradient in zebrafish. We show that the Her1-Her7 oscillator drives segmental commitment by periodically lowering ppErk, therefore projecting its oscillation onto the ppErk gradient. Pulsatile inhibition of the ppErk gradient can fully substitute for the role of the clock, and kinematic clock waves are dispensable for sequential segmentation. The clock functions upstream of ppErk, which in turn enables neighbouring cells to discretely establish somite boundaries in zebrafish5. Molecularly divergent clocks and morphogen gradients were identified in sequentially segmenting species3,4,6-8. Our findings imply that versatile clocks may establish sequential segmentation in diverse species provided that they inhibit gradients.
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9
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Sanchez PGL, Mochulska V, Mauffette Denis C, Mönke G, Tomita T, Tsuchida-Straeten N, Petersen Y, Sonnen K, François P, Aulehla A. Arnold tongue entrainment reveals dynamical principles of the embryonic segmentation clock. eLife 2022; 11:79575. [PMID: 36223168 PMCID: PMC9560162 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Living systems exhibit an unmatched complexity, due to countless, entangled interactions across scales. Here, we aim to understand a complex system, that is, segmentation timing in mouse embryos, without a reference to these detailed interactions. To this end, we develop a coarse-grained approach, in which theory guides the experimental identification of the segmentation clock entrainment responses. We demonstrate period- and phase-locking of the segmentation clock across a wide range of entrainment parameters, including higher-order coupling. These quantifications allow to derive the phase response curve (PRC) and Arnold tongues of the segmentation clock, revealing its essential dynamical properties. Our results indicate that the somite segmentation clock has characteristics reminiscent of a highly non-linear oscillator close to an infinite period bifurcation and suggests the presence of long-term feedbacks. Combined, this coarse-grained theoretical-experimental approach reveals how we can derive simple, essential features of a highly complex dynamical system, providing precise experimental control over the pace and rhythm of the somite segmentation clock.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gregor Mönke
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Developmental Biology Unit
| | - Takehito Tomita
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Developmental Biology Unit
| | | | - Yvonne Petersen
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Transgenic Service
| | - Katharina Sonnen
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Developmental Biology Unit
| | | | - Alexander Aulehla
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Developmental Biology Unit
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10
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Fujiwara M, Akiyama-Oda Y, Oda H. Virtual spherical-shaped multicellular platform for simulating the morphogenetic processes of spider-like body axis formation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:932814. [PMID: 36036016 PMCID: PMC9411422 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.932814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Remodeling of multicellular architecture is a critical developmental process for shaping the axis of a bilaterally symmetric animal body and involves coordinated cell–cell interactions and cell rearrangement. In arthropods, the early embryonic process that leads to the segmented body axis varies at the cellular and molecular levels depending on the species. Developmental studies using insect and spider model species have provided specific examples of these diversified mechanisms that regulate axis formation and segmentation in arthropod embryos. However, there are few theoretical models for how diversity in the early embryonic process occurred during evolution, in part because of a limited computational infrastructure. We developed a virtual spherical-shaped multicellular platform to reproduce body axis-forming processes. Each virtual cell behaves according to the cell vertex model, with the computational program organized in a hierarchical order from cells and tissues to whole embryos. Using an initial set of two different mechanical states for cell differentiation and global directional signals that are linked to the planar polarity of each cell, the virtual cell assembly exhibited morphogenetic processes similar to those observed in spider embryos. We found that the development of an elongating body axis is achieved through implementation of an interactive cell polarity parameter associated with edge tension at the cell–cell adhesion interface, with no local control of the cell division rate and direction. We also showed that modifying the settings can cause variation in morphogenetic processes. This platform also can embed a gene network that generates waves of gene expression in a virtual dynamic multicellular field. This study provides a computational platform for testing the development and evolution of animal body patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motohiro Fujiwara
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology, JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Japan
- *Correspondence: Motohiro Fujiwara, ; Hiroki Oda,
| | - Yasuko Akiyama-Oda
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology, JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, Japan
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Takatsuki, Japan
| | - Hiroki Oda
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology, JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Japan
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Japan
- *Correspondence: Motohiro Fujiwara, ; Hiroki Oda,
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11
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Mundaca-Escobar M, Cepeda RE, Sarrazin AF. The organizing role of Wnt signaling pathway during arthropod posterior growth. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:944673. [PMID: 35990604 PMCID: PMC9389326 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.944673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling pathways are recognized for having major roles in tissue patterning and cell proliferation. In the last years, remarkable progress has been made in elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie sequential segmentation and axial elongation in various arthropods, and the canonical Wnt pathway has emerged as an essential factor in these processes. Here we review, with a comparative perspective, the current evidence concerning the participation of this pathway during posterior growth, its degree of conservation among the different subphyla within Arthropoda and its relationship with the rest of the gene regulatory network involved. Furthermore, we discuss how this signaling pathway could regulate segmentation to establish this repetitive pattern and, at the same time, probably modulate different cellular processes precisely coupled to axial elongation. Based on the information collected, we suggest that this pathway plays an organizing role in the formation of the body segments through the regulation of the dynamic expression of segmentation genes, via controlling the caudal gene, at the posterior region of the embryo/larva, that is necessary for the correct sequential formation of body segments in most arthropods and possibly in their common segmented ancestor. On the other hand, there is insufficient evidence to link this pathway to axial elongation by controlling its main cellular processes, such as convergent extension and cell proliferation. However, conclusions are premature until more studies incorporating diverse arthropods are carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andres F. Sarrazin
- CoDe-Lab, Instituto de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
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12
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Klingler M, Bucher G. The red flour beetle T. castaneum: elaborate genetic toolkit and unbiased large scale RNAi screening to study insect biology and evolution. EvoDevo 2022; 13:14. [PMID: 35854352 PMCID: PMC9295526 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-022-00201-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum has emerged as an important insect model system for a variety of topics. With respect to studying gene function, it is second only to the vinegar fly D. melanogaster. The RNAi response in T. castaneum is exceptionally strong and systemic, and it appears to target all cell types and processes. Uniquely for emerging model organisms, T. castaneum offers the opportunity of performing time- and cost-efficient large-scale RNAi screening, based on commercially available dsRNAs targeting all genes, which are simply injected into the body cavity. Well established transgenic and genome editing approaches are met by ease of husbandry and a relatively short generation time. Consequently, a number of transgenic tools like UAS/Gal4, Cre/Lox, imaging lines and enhancer trap lines are already available. T. castaneum has been a genetic experimental system for decades and now has become a workhorse for molecular and reverse genetics as well as in vivo imaging. Many aspects of development and general biology are more insect-typical in this beetle compared to D. melanogaster. Thus, studying beetle orthologs of well-described fly genes has allowed macro-evolutionary comparisons in developmental processes such as axis formation, body segmentation, and appendage, head and brain development. Transgenic approaches have opened new ways for in vivo imaging. Moreover, this emerging model system is the first choice for research on processes that are not represented in the fly, or are difficult to study there, e.g. extraembryonic tissues, cryptonephridial organs, stink gland function, or dsRNA-based pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Klingler
- Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Staudtstr. 5, 91058, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Gregor Bucher
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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13
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Abstract
Tight spatiotemporal control of cellular behavior and cell fate decisions is paramount to the formation of multicellular organisms during embryonic development. Intercellular communication via signaling pathways mediates this control. Interestingly, these signaling pathways are not static, but dynamic and change in activity over time. Signaling oscillations as a specific type of dynamics are found in various signaling pathways and model systems. Functions of oscillations include the regulation of periodic events or the transmission of information by encoding signals in the dynamic properties of a signaling pathway. For instance, signaling oscillations in neural or pancreatic progenitor cells modulate their proliferation and differentiation. Oscillations between neighboring cells can also be synchronized, leading to the emergence of waves traveling through the tissue. Such population-wide signaling oscillations regulate for example the consecutive segmentation of vertebrate embryos, a process called somitogenesis. Here, we outline our current understanding of signaling oscillations in embryonic development, how signaling oscillations are generated, how they are studied and how they contribute to the regulation of embryonic development.
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14
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Girstmair J, Moon H, Brillard C, Haase R, Tomancak P. Time to Upgrade: A New OpenSPIM Guide to Build and Operate Advanced OpenSPIM Configurations. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2022; 6:e2101182. [PMID: 34761567 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202101182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
OpenSPIM is an Open Access platform for Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy (SPIM) and allows hundreds of laboratories around the world to generate and process light-sheet data in a cost-effective way due to open-source hardware and software. While setting up a basic OpenSPIM configuration can be achieved expeditiously, correctly assembling and operating more complex OpenSPIM configurations can be challenging for routine standard OpenSPIM users. Detailed instructions on how to equip an OpenSPIM with two illumination sides and two detection axes (X-OpenSPIM) are provided, and a solution is also provided on how the temperature can be controlled in the sample chamber. Additionally, it is demonstrated how to operate it by implementing an ArduinoUNO microcontroller and introducing μOpenSPIM, a new software plugin for OpenSPIM, to facilitate image acquisition. The new software works on any OpenSPIM configuration comes with drift correction functionality, on-the-fly image processing, and gives users more options in the way time-lapse movies are initially set up and saved. Step-by-step guides are also provided within the Supporting Information and on the website on how to align the lasers, configure the hardware, and acquire images using μOpenSPIM. With this, current OpenSPIM users are empowered in various ways, and newcomers striving to use more advanced OpenSPIM systems are helped.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Girstmair
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - HongKee Moon
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Charlène Brillard
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Robert Haase
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany.,DFG Cluster of Excellence "Physics of Life", TU Dresden, Am Tatzberg 47/49, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Pavel Tomancak
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
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15
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Horn T, Narov KD, Panfilio KA. Persistent Parental RNAi in the Beetle Tribolium castaneum Involves Maternal Transmission of Long Double-Stranded RNA. ADVANCED GENETICS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2022; 3:2100064. [PMID: 36620196 PMCID: PMC9744488 DOI: 10.1002/ggn2.202100064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Parental RNA interference (pRNAi) is a powerful and widely used method for gene-specific knockdown. Yet in insects its efficacy varies between species, and how the systemic response is transmitted from mother to offspring remains elusive. Using the beetle Tribolium castaneum, an RT-qPCR strategy to distinguish the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) from endogenous mRNA is reported. It is found that injected dsRNA is directly transmitted into the egg and persists throughout embryogenesis. Despite this depletion of dsRNA from the mother, it is shown that strong pRNAi can persist for months before waning at strain-specific rates. In seeking the receptor proteins for cellular uptake of long dsRNA into the egg, a phylogenomics profiling approach of candidate proteins is also presented. A visualization strategy based on taxonomically hierarchical assessment of orthology clustering data to rapidly assess gene age and copy number changes, refined by sequence-based evidence, is demonstrated. Repeated losses of SID-1-like channel proteins in the arthropods, including wholesale loss in the Heteroptera (true bugs), which are nonetheless highly sensitive to pRNAi, are thereby documented. Overall, practical considerations for insect pRNAi against a backdrop of outstanding questions on the molecular mechanism of dsRNA transmission for long-term, systemic knockdown are elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Horn
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental BiologyUniversity of CologneZülpicher Straße 47b50674CologneGermany
| | - Kalin D. Narov
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of WarwickGibbet Hill CampusCoventryCV4 7ALUK
| | - Kristen A. Panfilio
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental BiologyUniversity of CologneZülpicher Straße 47b50674CologneGermany,School of Life SciencesUniversity of WarwickGibbet Hill CampusCoventryCV4 7ALUK
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16
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Abstract
Embryonic development hinges on effective coordination of molecular events across space and time. Waves have recently emerged as constituting an ubiquitous mechanism that ensures rapid spreading of regulatory signals across embryos, as well as reliable control of their patterning, namely, for the emergence of body plan structures. In this article, we review a selection of recent quantitative work on signaling waves and present an overview of the theory of waves. Our aim is to provide a succinct yet comprehensive guiding reference for the theoretical frameworks by which signaling waves can arise in embryos. We start, then, from reaction-diffusion systems, both static and time dependent; move to excitable dynamics; and conclude with systems of coupled oscillators. We link these theoretical models to molecular mechanisms recently elucidated for the control of mitotic waves in early embryos, patterning of the vertebrate body axis, micropattern cultures, and bone regeneration. Our goal is to inspire experimental work that will advance theory in development and connect its predictions to quantitative biological observations. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biophysics, Volume 51 is May 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Di Talia
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Massimo Vergassola
- Laboratoire de physique de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; .,Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
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17
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Pourquié O. A brief history of the segmentation clock. Dev Biol 2022; 485:24-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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18
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Chavarria RA, Game M, Arbelaez B, Ramnarine C, Snow ZK, Smith FW. Extensive loss of Wnt genes in Tardigrada. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:223. [PMID: 34961481 PMCID: PMC8711157 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01954-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Wnt genes code for ligands that activate signaling pathways during development in Metazoa. Through the canonical Wnt (cWnt) signaling pathway, these genes regulate important processes in bilaterian development, such as establishing the anteroposterior axis and posterior growth. In Arthropoda, Wnt ligands also regulate segment polarity, and outgrowth and patterning of developing appendages. Arthropods are part of a lineage called Panarthropoda that includes Onychophora and Tardigrada. Previous studies revealed potential roles of Wnt genes in regulating posterior growth, segment polarity, and growth and patterning of legs in Onychophora. Unlike most other panarthropods, tardigrades lack posterior growth, but retain segmentation and appendages. Here, we investigated Wnt genes in tardigrades to gain insight into potential roles that these genes play during development of the highly compact and miniaturized tardigrade body plan. Results We analyzed published genomes for two representatives of Tardigrada, Hypsibius exemplaris and Ramazzottius varieornatus. We identified single orthologs of Wnt4, Wnt5, Wnt9, Wnt11, and WntA, as well as two Wnt16 paralogs in both tardigrade genomes. We only found a Wnt2 ortholog in H. exemplaris. We could not identify orthologs of Wnt1, Wnt6, Wnt7, Wnt8, or Wnt10. We identified most other components of cWnt signaling in both tardigrade genomes. However, we were unable to identify an ortholog of arrow/Lrp5/6, a gene that codes for a Frizzled co-receptor of Wnt ligands. Additionally, we found that some other animals that have lost several Wnt genes and are secondarily miniaturized, like tardigrades, are also missing an ortholog of arrow/Lrp5/6. We analyzed the embryonic expression patterns of Wnt genes in H. exemplaris during developmental stages that span the establishment of the AP axis through segmentation and leg development. We detected expression of all Wnt genes in H. exemplaris besides one of the Wnt16 paralogs. During embryo elongation, expression of several Wnt genes was restricted to the posterior pole or a region between the anterior and posterior poles. Wnt genes were expressed in distinct patterns during segmentation and development of legs in H. exemplaris, rather than in broadly overlapping patterns. Conclusions Our results indicate that Wnt signaling has been highly modified in Tardigrada. While most components of cWnt signaling are conserved in tardigrades, we conclude that tardigrades have lost Wnt1, Wnt6, Wnt7, Wnt8, and Wnt10, along with arrow/Lrp5/6. Our expression data may indicate a conserved role of Wnt genes in specifying posterior identities during establishment of the AP axis. However, the loss of several Wnt genes and the distinct expression patterns of Wnt genes during segmentation and leg development may indicate that combinatorial interactions among Wnt genes are less important during tardigrade development compared to many other animals. Based on our results, and comparisons to previous studies, we speculate that the loss of several Wnt genes in Tardigrada may be related to a reduced number of cells and simplified development that accompanied miniaturization and anatomical simplification in this lineage. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-021-01954-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul A Chavarria
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Mandy Game
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Briana Arbelaez
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Chloe Ramnarine
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Zachary K Snow
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Frank W Smith
- Biology Department, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
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19
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Signalling dynamics in embryonic development. Biochem J 2021; 478:4045-4070. [PMID: 34871368 PMCID: PMC8718268 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20210043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
In multicellular organisms, cellular behaviour is tightly regulated to allow proper embryonic development and maintenance of adult tissue. A critical component in this control is the communication between cells via signalling pathways, as errors in intercellular communication can induce developmental defects or diseases such as cancer. It has become clear over the last years that signalling is not static but varies in activity over time. Feedback mechanisms present in every signalling pathway lead to diverse dynamic phenotypes, such as transient activation, signal ramping or oscillations, occurring in a cell type- and stage-dependent manner. In cells, such dynamics can exert various functions that allow organisms to develop in a robust and reproducible way. Here, we focus on Erk, Wnt and Notch signalling pathways, which are dynamic in several tissue types and organisms, including the periodic segmentation of vertebrate embryos, and are often dysregulated in cancer. We will discuss how biochemical processes influence their dynamics and how these impact on cellular behaviour within multicellular systems.
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20
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Kuyyamudi C, Menon SN, Sinha S. Morphogen-regulated contact-mediated signaling between cells can drive the transitions underlying body segmentation in vertebrates. Phys Biol 2021; 19. [PMID: 34670199 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/ac31a3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
We propose a unified mechanism that reproduces the sequence of dynamical transitions observed during somitogenesis, the process of body segmentation during embryonic development, that is invariant across all vertebrate species. This is achieved by combining inter-cellular interactions mediated via receptor-ligand coupling with global spatial heterogeneity introduced through a morphogen gradient known to occur along the anteroposterior axis. Our model reproduces synchronized oscillations in the gene expression in cells at the anterior of the presomitic mesoderm as it grows by adding new cells at its posterior, followed by travelling waves and subsequent arrest of activity, with the eventual appearance of somite-like patterns. This framework integrates a boundary-organized pattern formation mechanism, which uses positional information provided by a morphogen gradient, with the coupling-mediated self-organized emergence of collective dynamics, to explain the processes that lead to segmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrashekar Kuyyamudi
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400 094, India
| | - Shakti N Menon
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India
| | - Sitabhra Sinha
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400 094, India
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21
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Diaz-Cuadros M, Pourquié O, El-Sherif E. Patterning with clocks and genetic cascades: Segmentation and regionalization of vertebrate versus insect body plans. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009812. [PMID: 34648490 PMCID: PMC8516289 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Oscillatory and sequential processes have been implicated in the spatial patterning of many embryonic tissues. For example, molecular clocks delimit segmental boundaries in vertebrates and insects and mediate lateral root formation in plants, whereas sequential gene activities are involved in the specification of regional identities of insect neuroblasts, vertebrate neural tube, vertebrate limb, and insect and vertebrate body axes. These processes take place in various tissues and organisms, and, hence, raise the question of what common themes and strategies they share. In this article, we review 2 processes that rely on the spatial regulation of periodic and sequential gene activities: segmentation and regionalization of the anterior-posterior (AP) axis of animal body plans. We study these processes in species that belong to 2 different phyla: vertebrates and insects. By contrasting 2 different processes (segmentation and regionalization) in species that belong to 2 distantly related phyla (arthropods and vertebrates), we elucidate the deep logic of patterning by oscillatory and sequential gene activities. Furthermore, in some of these organisms (e.g., the fruit fly Drosophila), a mode of AP patterning has evolved that seems not to overtly rely on oscillations or sequential gene activities, providing an opportunity to study the evolution of pattern formation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarete Diaz-Cuadros
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Olivier Pourquié
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ezzat El-Sherif
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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22
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van den Berg T, Yalamanchili K, de Gernier H, Santos Teixeira J, Beeckman T, Scheres B, Willemsen V, Ten Tusscher K. A reflux-and-growth mechanism explains oscillatory patterning of lateral root branching sites. Dev Cell 2021; 56:2176-2191.e10. [PMID: 34343477 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Modular, repetitive structures are a key component of complex multicellular body plans across the tree of life. Typically, these structures are prepatterned by temporal oscillations in gene expression or signaling. Although a clock-and-wavefront mechanism was identified and plant leaf phyllotaxis arises from a Turing-type patterning for vertebrate somitogenesis and arthropod segmentation, the mechanism underlying lateral root patterning has remained elusive. To resolve this enigma, we combined computational modeling with in planta experiments. Intriguingly, auxin oscillations automatically emerge in our model from the interplay between a reflux-loop-generated auxin loading zone and stem-cell-driven growth dynamics generating periodic cell-size variations. In contrast to the clock-and-wavefront mechanism and Turing patterning, the uncovered mechanism predicts both frequency and spacing of lateral-root-forming sites to positively correlate with root meristem growth. We validate this prediction experimentally. Combined, our model and experimental results support that a reflux-and-growth patterning mechanism underlies lateral root priming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea van den Berg
- Computational Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kavya Yalamanchili
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hugues de Gernier
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joana Santos Teixeira
- Computational Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Tom Beeckman
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ben Scheres
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Rijk Zwaan Breeding B.V., Department of Biotechnology, Eerste Kruisweg 9, 4793 RS Fijnaart, the Netherlands
| | - Viola Willemsen
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Kirsten Ten Tusscher
- Computational Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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23
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Abstract
The temporal coordination of events at cellular and tissue scales is essential for the proper development of organisms, and involves cell-intrinsic processes that can be coupled by local cellular signalling and instructed by global signalling, thereby creating spatial patterns of cellular states that change over time. The timing and structure of these patterns determine how an organism develops. Traditional developmental genetic methods have revealed the complex molecular circuits regulating these processes but are limited in their ability to predict and understand the emergent spatio-temporal dynamics. Increasingly, approaches from physics are now being used to help capture the dynamics of the system by providing simplified, generic descriptions. Combined with advances in imaging and computational power, such approaches aim to provide insight into timing and patterning in developing systems.
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24
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Nakao H. Early embryonic development of Bombyx. Dev Genes Evol 2021; 231:95-107. [PMID: 34296338 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-021-00679-8] [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: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Decades have passed since the early molecular embryogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster was outlined. During this period, the molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development in other insects, particularly the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, have been described in more detail. The information clearly demonstrated that Drosophila embryogenesis is not representative of other insects and has highly distinctive characteristics. At the same time, this new data has been gradually clarifying ancestral operating mechanisms. The silk moth, Bombyx mori, is a lepidopteran insect and, as a representative of the order, has many unique characteristics found in early embryonic development that have not been identified in other insect groups. Herein, some of these characteristics are introduced and discussed in the context of recent information obtained from other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Nakao
- Insect Genome Research and Engineering Unit, Division of Applied Genetics, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan.
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25
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DiFrisco J, Jaeger J. Homology of process: developmental dynamics in comparative biology. Interface Focus 2021; 11:20210007. [PMID: 34055306 PMCID: PMC8086918 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2021.0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative biology builds up systematic knowledge of the diversity of life, across evolutionary lineages and levels of organization, starting with evidence from a sparse sample of model organisms. In developmental biology, a key obstacle to the growth of comparative approaches is that the concept of homology is not very well defined for levels of organization that are intermediate between individual genes and morphological characters. In this paper, we investigate what it means for ontogenetic processes to be homologous, focusing specifically on the examples of insect segmentation and vertebrate somitogenesis. These processes can be homologous without homology of the underlying genes or gene networks, since the latter can diverge over evolutionary time, while the dynamics of the process remain the same. Ontogenetic processes like these therefore constitute a dissociable level and distinctive unit of comparison requiring their own specific criteria of homology. In addition, such processes are typically complex and nonlinear, such that their rigorous description and comparison requires not only observation and experimentation, but also dynamical modelling. We propose six criteria of process homology, combining recognized indicators (sameness of parts, morphological outcome and topological position) with novel ones derived from dynamical systems modelling (sameness of dynamical properties, dynamical complexity and evidence for transitional forms). We show how these criteria apply to animal segmentation and other ontogenetic processes. We conclude by situating our proposed dynamical framework for homology of process in relation to similar research programmes, such as process structuralism and developmental approaches to morphological homology.
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Affiliation(s)
- James DiFrisco
- Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johannes Jaeger
- Complexity Science Hub (CSH) Vienna, Josefstädter Strasse 39, 1080 Vienna, Austria
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26
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Abstract
Arthropod segmentation and vertebrate somitogenesis are leading fields in the experimental and theoretical interrogation of developmental patterning. However, despite the sophistication of current research, basic conceptual issues remain unresolved. These include: (i) the mechanistic origins of spatial organization within the segment addition zone (SAZ); (ii) the mechanistic origins of segment polarization; (iii) the mechanistic origins of axial variation; and (iv) the evolutionary origins of simultaneous patterning. Here, I explore these problems using coarse-grained models of cross-regulating dynamical processes. In the morphogenetic framework of a row of cells undergoing axial elongation, I simulate interactions between an 'oscillator', a 'switch' and up to three 'timers', successfully reproducing essential patterning behaviours of segmenting systems. By comparing the output of these largely cell-autonomous models to variants that incorporate positional information, I find that scaling relationships, wave patterns and patterning dynamics all depend on whether the SAZ is regulated by temporal or spatial information. I also identify three mechanisms for polarizing oscillator output, all of which functionally implicate the oscillator frequency profile. Finally, I demonstrate significant dynamical and regulatory continuity between sequential and simultaneous modes of segmentation. I discuss these results in the context of the experimental literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Clark
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Trinity College Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Trinity Street, Cambridge CB2 1TQ, UK
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27
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Thümecke S, Schröder R. The odd-skipped related gene drumstick is required for leg development in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. Dev Dyn 2021; 251:1456-1471. [PMID: 33871128 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The evolutionarily conserved odd-skipped related genes odd-skipped (odd), drumstick (drm), sister of odd and bowel (sob), and brother-of-odd-with-entrails-limited (bwl) act downstream of the Notch pathway in various insect tissues including the appendages and the gut. While the function of some of these genes have been analyzed in the adult Tribolium beetle, the expression during and their requirement for embryonic development is not known. RESULTS We describe here the embryonic expression patterns of drm, sob, and bwl and analyze the RNAi knockdown phenotypes with emphasize on the appendages and the hindgut. We show that in Tribolium, drm acts independently of other odd-family members in the formation of legs, hindgut, and the dorsal epidermis. Moreover, we establish drm and sob as further markers for segment borders in the appendages that include the gnathobasic mandibles. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the regulatory interrelationship among the odd genes differs between Tribolium and Drosophila, where odd and drm seem to act redundantly. In Tribolium, the genes drm and sob uncover the relict of a precoxal joint incorporated in the lateral body wall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Thümecke
- Institut für Insektenbiotechnologie, Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany.,Institut für Biowissenschaften, Universität Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Reinhard Schröder
- Institut für Biowissenschaften, Universität Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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28
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Abstract
In this review, we consider transformations of axial symmetry in metazoan evolution and development, the genetic basis, and phenotypic expressions of different axial body plans. In addition to the main symmetry types in metazoan body plans, such as rotation (radial symmetry), reflection (mirror and glide reflection symmetry), and translation (metamerism), many biological objects show scale (fractal) symmetry as well as some symmetry-type combinations. Some genetic mechanisms of axial pattern establishment, creating a coordinate system of a metazoan body plan, bilaterian segmentation, and left–right symmetry/asymmetry, are analysed. Data on the crucial contribution of coupled functions of the Wnt, BMP, Notch, and Hedgehog signaling pathways (all pathways are designated according to the abbreviated or full names of genes or their protein products; for details, see below) and the axial Hox-code in the formation and maintenance of metazoan body plans are necessary for an understanding of the evolutionary diversification and phenotypic expression of various types of axial symmetry. The lost body plans of some extinct Ediacaran and early Cambrian metazoans are also considered in comparison with axial body plans and posterior growth in living animals.
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29
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Spatiotemporal variation in cell proliferation patterns during arthropod axial elongation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:327. [PMID: 33431947 PMCID: PMC7801698 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79373-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
An elongated and segmented body plan is a common morphological characteristic of all arthropods and is probably responsible for their high adaptation ability to diverse environments. Most arthropods form their bodies by progressively adding segments, resembling vertebrate somitogenesis. This sequential segmentation relies on a molecular clock that operates in the posterior region of the elongating embryo that combines dynamically with cellular behaviors and tissue rearrangements, allowing the extension of the developing body along its main embryonic axis. Even though the molecular mechanisms involved in elongation and segment formation have been found to be conserved in a considerable degree, cellular processes such as cell division are quite variable between different arthropods. In this study, we show that cell proliferation in the beetle Tribolium castaneum has a nonuniform spatiotemporal patterning during axial elongation. We found that dividing cells are preferentially oriented along the anterior-posterior axis, more abundant and posteriorly localized during thoracic segments formation and that this cell proliferation peak was triggered at the onset of axis elongation. This raise in cell divisions, in turn, was correlated with an increase in the elongation rate, but not with changes in cell density. When DNA synthesis was inhibited over this period, both the area and length of thoracic segments were significantly reduced but not of the first abdominal segment. We discuss the variable participation that different cell division patterns and cell movements may have on arthropod posterior growth and their evolutionary contribution.
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30
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Lemke S, Kale G, Urbansky S. Comparing gastrulation in flies: Links between cell biology and the evolution of embryonic morphogenesis. Mech Dev 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2020.103648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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31
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Jain A, Ulman V, Mukherjee A, Prakash M, Cuenca MB, Pimpale LG, Münster S, Haase R, Panfilio KA, Jug F, Grill SW, Tomancak P, Pavlopoulos A. Regionalized tissue fluidization is required for epithelial gap closure during insect gastrulation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5604. [PMID: 33154375 PMCID: PMC7645651 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19356-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animal embryos pull and close an epithelial sheet around the ellipsoidal egg surface during a gastrulation process known as epiboly. The ovoidal geometry dictates that the epithelial sheet first expands and subsequently compacts. Moreover, the spreading epithelium is mechanically stressed and this stress needs to be released. Here we show that during extraembryonic tissue (serosa) epiboly in the insect Tribolium castaneum, the non-proliferative serosa becomes regionalized into a solid-like dorsal region with larger non-rearranging cells, and a more fluid-like ventral region surrounding the leading edge with smaller cells undergoing intercalations. Our results suggest that a heterogeneous actomyosin cable contributes to the fluidization of the leading edge by driving sequential eviction and intercalation of individual cells away from the serosa margin. Since this developmental solution utilized during epiboly resembles the mechanism of wound healing, we propose actomyosin cable-driven local tissue fluidization as a conserved morphogenetic module for closure of epithelial gaps. The mechanics of embryonic tissue spreading over spherical eggs is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that during gastrulation in the red flour beetle, extraembryonic tissue epiboly is facilitated by local actomyosin-mediated fluidization of the tissue at the leading edge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akanksha Jain
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Vladimir Ulman
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,IT4Innovations, Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | | | - Mangal Prakash
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marina B Cuenca
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lokesh G Pimpale
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan Münster
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Max-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, Germany.,Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Robert Haase
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Kristen A Panfilio
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Florian Jug
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Stephan W Grill
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, Germany.,Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Pavel Tomancak
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany. .,IT4Innovations, Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
| | - Anastasios Pavlopoulos
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA. .,Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece.
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32
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Jeon H, Gim S, Na H, Choe CP. A pair-rule function of odd-skipped in germband stages of Tribolium development. Dev Biol 2020; 465:58-65. [PMID: 32687895 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
While pair-rule patterning has been observed in most insects examined, the orthologs of Drosophila pair-rule genes have shown divergent roles in insect segmentation. In the beetle Tribolium castaneum, while odd-skipped (Tc-odd) was expressed as a series of pair-rule stripes, RNAi-mediated knockdown of Tc-odd (Tc-oddRNAi) resulted in severely truncated, almost asegmental phenotypes rather than the classical pair-rule phenotypes observed in germbands and larval cuticles. However, considering that most segments arise later in germband stages of Tribolium development, the roles of Tc-odd in segmentation of growing germbands could not be analyzed properly in the truncated Tc-oddRNAi germbands. Here, we investigated the segmentation function of Tc-odd in germband stages of Tribolium development by analyzing Tc-oddRNAi embryos that resumed germband extension. In the larval cuticles of Tc-oddRNAi embryos, normal mandibular and maxillary and loss of the labial segments were consistent in the head, whereas a broad range of segmentation defects including loss or fusion of thoracic and/or abdominal segments was observed in the trunk. Interestingly, a group of Tc-oddRNAi germbands showed pair-rule-like defects in the segmental stripes of the segment-polarity genes, engrailed, hedgehog, or wingless, in the abdominal regions. While the pair-rule genes even-skipped, runt, odd, and paired were misregulated in the growing Tc-oddRNAi germbands, paired expression required for odd-numbered segment formation was largely abolished, which might cause the pair-rule-like defects. Taken together, these findings suggest that Tc-odd can function as a pair-rule gene in the germband stages of Tribolium development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haewon Jeon
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea
| | - Sujeong Gim
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea
| | - Hyejee Na
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea
| | - Chong Pyo Choe
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea; Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea.
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33
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Akiyama-Oda Y, Oda H. Hedgehog signaling controls segmentation dynamics and diversity via msx1 in a spider embryo. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba7261. [PMID: 32917677 PMCID: PMC11206446 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba7261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays fundamental roles in animal body patterning. Understanding its mechanistic complexity requires simple tractable systems that can be used for these studies. In the early spider embryo, Hh signaling mediates the formation of overall anterior-posterior polarity, yet it remains unclear what mechanisms link the initial Hh signaling activity with body axis segmentation, in which distinct periodic stripe-forming dynamics occur depending on the body region. We performed genome-wide searches for genes that transcriptionally respond to altered states of Hh signaling. Characterization of genes negatively regulated by Hh signaling suggested that msx1, encoding a conserved transcription factor, functions as a key segmentation gene. Knockdown of msx1 prevented all dynamic processes causing spatial repetition of stripes, including temporally repetitive oscillations and bi-splitting, and temporally nonrepetitive tri-splitting. Thus, Hh signaling controls segmentation dynamics and diversity via msx1 These genome-wide data from an invertebrate illuminate novel mechanistic features of Hh-based patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuko Akiyama-Oda
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology, JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
- Microbiology and Infection Control, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroki Oda
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology, JT Biohistory Research Hall, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
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Jutras-Dubé L, El-Sherif E, François P. Geometric models for robust encoding of dynamical information into embryonic patterns. eLife 2020; 9:55778. [PMID: 32773041 PMCID: PMC7470844 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, cells gradually assume specialized fates via changes of transcriptional dynamics, sometimes even within the same developmental stage. For anterior-posterior (AP) patterning in metazoans, it has been suggested that the gradual transition from a dynamic genetic regime to a static one is encoded by different transcriptional modules. In that case, the static regime has an essential role in pattern formation in addition to its maintenance function. In this work, we introduce a geometric approach to study such transition. We exhibit two types of genetic regime transitions arising through local or global bifurcations, respectively. We find that the global bifurcation type is more generic, more robust, and better preserves dynamical information. This could parsimoniously explain common features of metazoan segmentation, such as changes of periods leading to waves of gene expressions, ‘speed/frequency-gradient’ dynamics, and changes of wave patterns. Geometric approaches appear as possible alternatives to gene regulatory networks to understand development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ezzat El-Sherif
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Paul François
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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35
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Cornwall Scoones J, Banerjee DS, Banerjee S. Size-Regulated Symmetry Breaking in Reaction-Diffusion Models of Developmental Transitions. Cells 2020; 9:E1646. [PMID: 32659915 PMCID: PMC7407810 DOI: 10.3390/cells9071646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of multicellular organisms proceeds through a series of morphogenetic and cell-state transitions, transforming homogeneous zygotes into complex adults by a process of self-organisation. Many of these transitions are achieved by spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanisms, allowing cells and tissues to acquire pattern and polarity by virtue of local interactions without an upstream supply of information. The combined work of theory and experiment has elucidated how these systems break symmetry during developmental transitions. Given that such transitions are multiple and their temporal ordering is crucial, an equally important question is how these developmental transitions are coordinated in time. Using a minimal mass-conserved substrate-depletion model for symmetry breaking as our case study, we elucidate mechanisms by which cells and tissues can couple reaction-diffusion-driven symmetry breaking to the timing of developmental transitions, arguing that the dependence of patterning mode on system size may be a generic principle by which developing organisms measure time. By analysing different regimes of our model, simulated on growing domains, we elaborate three distinct behaviours, allowing for clock-, timer- or switch-like dynamics. Relating these behaviours to experimentally documented case studies of developmental timing, we provide a minimal conceptual framework to interrogate how developing organisms coordinate developmental transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake Cornwall Scoones
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA;
| | - Deb Sankar Banerjee
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA;
| | - Shiladitya Banerjee
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA;
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36
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O J, Choe CP. even-skipped acts as a pair-rule gene in germ band stages of Tribolium development. Dev Biol 2020; 462:1-6. [PMID: 32179089 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The pair-rule gene even-skipped (eve) is essential for insect segmentation, yet its function varies among insect clades. While loss of eve results in typical pair-rule phenotypes in Drosophila, knock-down of eve orthologs shows segmental, gap-like, or asegmental phenotypes in non-Drosophila insects. In Tribolium, knock-down of the eve ortholog (Tc-eve) resulted in a graded phenotypic series ranging from strong to weak, the most informative of which was intermediate phenotypes. The strong knock-down embryos displayed asegmental phenotypes and severely disorganized germ bands which have prevented determination of Tc-eve function in later stages. In order to understand the segmentation function of Tc-eve during later germ band elongation stages, we analyzed intermediate Tc-eveRNAi embryos in which germ band elongation was less affected. Most intermediate Tc-eveRNAi germ bands displayed segmentation defects with a double segmental periodicity in the abdomen. In these intermediate embryos, Tc-engrailed (Tc-en) stripes were ectopically expanded into large bands with a double segmental periodicity, while the remaining Tc-en stripes between the expanded Tc-en stripes were absent or barely formed. The expanded Tc-en stripes seemed to be activated by primary Tc-eve stripes and Tc-paired, both of which failed to resolve into secondary segmental stripes. The absence of Tc-en stripes appeared to be a consequence of the absence of the secondary stripes of Tc-runt that were required for the activation of Tc-en stripes. These results suggest that Tc-eve functions as a pair-rule gene at least in the germ band stages of Tribolium development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyun O
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea
| | - Chong Pyo Choe
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea; Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea.
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37
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Janssen R. The embryonic expression pattern of a second, hitherto unrecognized, paralog of the pair-rule gene sloppy-paired in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. Dev Genes Evol 2020; 230:247-256. [PMID: 32430691 PMCID: PMC7260273 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-020-00660-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In the fly Drosophila melanogaster, a hierarchic segmentation gene cascade patterns the anterior-posterior body axis of the developing embryo. Within this cascade, the pair-rule genes (PRGs) transform the more uniform patterning of the higher-level genes into a metameric pattern that first represents double-segmental units, and then, in a second step, represents a true segmental pattern. Within the PRG network, primary PRGs regulate secondary PRGs that are directly involved in the regulation of the next lower level, the segment-polarity genes (SPGs). While the complement of primary PRGs is different in Drosophila and the beetle Tribolium, another arthropod model organism, both paired (prd) and sloppy-paired (slp), acts as secondary PRGs. In earlier studies, the interaction of PRGs and the role of the single slp ortholog in Tribolium have been investigated in some detail revealing conserved and diverged aspects of PRG function. In this study, I present the identification and the analysis of embryonic expression patterns of a second slp gene (called slp2) in Tribolium. While the previously identified gene, slp, is expressed in a typical PRG pattern, expression of slp2 is more similar to that of the downstream-acting SPGs, and shows expression similarities to slp2 in Drosophila. The previously reported differences between the function of slp in Drosophila and Tribolium may partially account for the function of the newly identified second slp paralog in Tribolium, and it may therefore be advised to conduct further studies on PRG function in the beetle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Janssen
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden.
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38
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Bhavna R. Segmentation clock dynamics is strongly synchronized in the forming somite. Dev Biol 2020; 460:55-69. [PMID: 30926261 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
During vertebrate somitogenesis an inherent segmentation clock coordinates the spatiotemporal signaling to generate segmented structures that pattern the body axis. Using our experimental and quantitative approach, we study the cell movements and the genetic oscillations of her1 expression level at single-cell resolution simultaneously and scale up to the entire pre-somitic mesoderm (PSM) tissue. From the experimentally determined phases of PSM cellular oscillators, we deduced an in vivo frequency profile gradient along the anterior-posterior PSM axis and inferred precise mathematical relations between spatial cell-level period and tissue-level somitogenesis period. We also confirmed a gradient in the relative velocities of cellular oscillators along the axis. The phase order parameter within an ensemble of oscillators revealed the degree of synchronization in the tailbud and the posterior PSM being only partial, whereas synchronization can be almost complete in the presumptive somite region but with temporal oscillations. Collectively, the degree of synchronization itself, possibly regulated by cell movement and the synchronized temporal phase of the transiently expressed clock protein Her1, can be an additional control mechanism for making precise somite boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajasekaran Bhavna
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307, Dresden, Germany; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187, Dresden, Germany; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 400005, Mumbai, India.
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39
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Tomoyasu Y, Halfon MS. How to study enhancers in non-traditional insect models. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:223/Suppl_1/jeb212241. [PMID: 32034049 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.212241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional enhancers are central to the function and evolution of genes and gene regulation. At the organismal level, enhancers play a crucial role in coordinating tissue- and context-dependent gene expression. At the population level, changes in enhancers are thought to be a major driving force that facilitates evolution of diverse traits. An amazing array of diverse traits seen in insect morphology, physiology and behavior has been the subject of research for centuries. Although enhancer studies in insects outside of Drosophila have been limited, recent advances in functional genomic approaches have begun to make such studies possible in an increasing selection of insect species. Here, instead of comprehensively reviewing currently available technologies for enhancer studies in established model organisms such as Drosophila, we focus on a subset of computational and experimental approaches that are likely applicable to non-Drosophila insects, and discuss the pros and cons of each approach. We discuss the importance of validating enhancer function and evaluate several possible validation methods, such as reporter assays and genome editing. Key points and potential pitfalls when establishing a reporter assay system in non-traditional insect models are also discussed. We close with a discussion of how to advance enhancer studies in insects, both by improving computational approaches and by expanding the genetic toolbox in various insects. Through these discussions, this Review provides a conceptual framework for studying the function and evolution of enhancers in non-traditional insect models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marc S Halfon
- Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
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40
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Constantinou SJ, Duan N, Nagy LM, Chipman AD, Williams TA. Elongation during segmentation shows axial variability, low mitotic rates, and synchronized cell cycle domains in the crustacean, Thamnocephalus platyurus. EvoDevo 2020; 11:1. [PMID: 31988708 PMCID: PMC6969478 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-020-0147-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Segmentation in arthropods typically occurs by sequential addition of segments from a posterior growth zone. However, the amount of tissue required for growth and the cell behaviors producing posterior elongation are sparsely documented. Results Using precisely staged larvae of the crustacean, Thamnocephalus platyurus, we systematically examine cell division patterns and morphometric changes associated with posterior elongation during segmentation. We show that cell division occurs during normal elongation but that cells in the growth zone need only divide ~ 1.5 times to meet growth estimates; correspondingly, direct measures of cell division in the growth zone are low. Morphometric measurements of the growth zone and of newly formed segments suggest tagma-specific features of segment generation. Using methods for detecting two different phases in the cell cycle, we show distinct domains of synchronized cells in the posterior trunk. Borders of cell cycle domains correlate with domains of segmental gene expression, suggesting an intimate link between segment generation and cell cycle regulation. Conclusions Emerging measures of cellular dynamics underlying posterior elongation already show a number of intriguing characteristics that may be widespread among sequentially segmenting arthropods and are likely a source of evolutionary variability. These characteristics include: the low rates of posterior mitosis, the apparently tight regulation of cell cycle at the growth zone/new segment border, and a correlation between changes in elongation and tagma boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savvas J Constantinou
- 1Biology Department, Trinity College, Hartford, CT USA.,4Present Address: Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
| | - Nicole Duan
- 1Biology Department, Trinity College, Hartford, CT USA.,5Present Address: Bioinformatics and Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
| | - Lisa M Nagy
- 2Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
| | - Ariel D Chipman
- 3The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel
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41
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Herndon N, Shelton J, Gerischer L, Ioannidis P, Ninova M, Dönitz J, Waterhouse RM, Liang C, Damm C, Siemanowski J, Kitzmann P, Ulrich J, Dippel S, Oberhofer G, Hu Y, Schwirz J, Schacht M, Lehmann S, Montino A, Posnien N, Gurska D, Horn T, Seibert J, Vargas Jentzsch IM, Panfilio KA, Li J, Wimmer EA, Stappert D, Roth S, Schröder R, Park Y, Schoppmeier M, Chung HR, Klingler M, Kittelmann S, Friedrich M, Chen R, Altincicek B, Vilcinskas A, Zdobnov E, Griffiths-Jones S, Ronshaugen M, Stanke M, Brown SJ, Bucher G. Enhanced genome assembly and a new official gene set for Tribolium castaneum. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:47. [PMID: 31937263 PMCID: PMC6961396 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6394-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum has emerged as an important model organism for the study of gene function in development and physiology, for ecological and evolutionary genomics, for pest control and a plethora of other topics. RNA interference (RNAi), transgenesis and genome editing are well established and the resources for genome-wide RNAi screening have become available in this model. All these techniques depend on a high quality genome assembly and precise gene models. However, the first version of the genome assembly was generated by Sanger sequencing, and with a small set of RNA sequence data limiting annotation quality. Results Here, we present an improved genome assembly (Tcas5.2) and an enhanced genome annotation resulting in a new official gene set (OGS3) for Tribolium castaneum, which significantly increase the quality of the genomic resources. By adding large-distance jumping library DNA sequencing to join scaffolds and fill small gaps, the gaps in the genome assembly were reduced and the N50 increased to 4753kbp. The precision of the gene models was enhanced by the use of a large body of RNA-Seq reads of different life history stages and tissue types, leading to the discovery of 1452 novel gene sequences. We also added new features such as alternative splicing, well defined UTRs and microRNA target predictions. For quality control, 399 gene models were evaluated by manual inspection. The current gene set was submitted to Genbank and accepted as a RefSeq genome by NCBI. Conclusions The new genome assembly (Tcas5.2) and the official gene set (OGS3) provide enhanced genomic resources for genetic work in Tribolium castaneum. The much improved information on transcription start sites supports transgenic and gene editing approaches. Further, novel types of information such as splice variants and microRNA target genes open additional possibilities for analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolae Herndon
- Department of Computer Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA
| | - Jennifer Shelton
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Lizzy Gerischer
- Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Universität Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Panos Ioannidis
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maria Ninova
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Jürgen Dönitz
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robert M Waterhouse
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Chun Liang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Carsten Damm
- Institut für Informatik, Fakultät für Mathematik und Informatik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 7, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Janna Siemanowski
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter Kitzmann
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ulrich
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Dippel
- Göttinger Graduiertenschule fur Neurowissenschaften Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Georg Oberhofer
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Yonggang Hu
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jonas Schwirz
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Magdalena Schacht
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sabrina Lehmann
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alice Montino
- Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nico Posnien
- Department of Developmental Biology, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniela Gurska
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thorsten Horn
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jan Seibert
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Iris M Vargas Jentzsch
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Kristen A Panfilio
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Campus, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Jianwei Li
- Department Developmental Biology, GZMB, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ernst A Wimmer
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Stappert
- Institute of Zoology: Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Weg 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Siegfried Roth
- Institute of Zoology: Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Weg 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Reinhard Schröder
- Institut für Biowissenschaften, Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Str. 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Yoonseong Park
- Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Michael Schoppmeier
- Department of Biology, Divison of Developmental Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstr. 5, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ho-Ryun Chung
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnenstraße 63-73, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Klingler
- Department of Biology, Division of Developmental Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstr. 5, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kittelmann
- Oxford Brookes University, Centre for Functional Genomics, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Markus Friedrich
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Boran Altincicek
- Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES-Phytomedicine), Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Evgeny Zdobnov
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sam Griffiths-Jones
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Matthew Ronshaugen
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Mario Stanke
- Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Universität Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Sue J Brown
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
| | - Gregor Bucher
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
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42
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Lim J, Choe CP. Functional analysis of engrailed in Tribolium segmentation. Mech Dev 2019; 161:103594. [PMID: 31778794 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2019.103594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The segment-polarity gene engrailed is required for segmentation in the early Drosophila embryo. Loss of Engrailed function results in segmentation defects that vary in severity from pair-rule phenotypes to a lawn phenotype lacking in obvious of segmentation. During segmentation, Engrailed is expressed in stripes with a single segmental periodicity in Drosophila, which is conserved in all arthropods examined so far. To define segments, the segmental stripes of Engrailed induce the segmental stripes of wingless at each parasegmental boundary. However, segmentation functions of orthologs of engrailed in non-Drosophila arthropods have yet to be reported. Here, we analyzed functions of the Tribolium ortholog of engrailed (Tc-engrailed) during embryonic segmentation. Larval cuticles with Tc-engrailed being knocked down had segmentation phenotypes including incomplete segment formation and loss of a group of segments. In agreement with the cuticle segmentation defects, segments developed incompletely and irregularly or did not form in Tribolium germbands where Tc-engrailed was knocked down. Furthermore, knock-down of Tc-engrailed did not properly express the segmental stripes of wingless in Tribolium germbands. Taken together with the conserved expression patterns of Engrailed in arthropod segmentation, our data suggest that Tc-engrailed is required for embryonic segmentation in Tribolium, and the genetic mechanism of Engrailed inducing wingless expression is conserved at least between Drosophila and Tribolium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsung Lim
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
| | - Chong Pyo Choe
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea.
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43
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Grall E, Tschopp P. A sense of place, many times over ‐ pattern formation and evolution of repetitive morphological structures. Dev Dyn 2019; 249:313-327. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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44
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Benton MA, Frey N, Nunes da Fonseca R, von Levetzow C, Stappert D, Hakeemi MS, Conrads KH, Pechmann M, Panfilio KA, Lynch JA, Roth S. Fog signaling has diverse roles in epithelial morphogenesis in insects. eLife 2019; 8:47346. [PMID: 31573513 PMCID: PMC6794076 DOI: 10.7554/elife.47346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The Drosophila Fog pathway represents one of the best-understood signaling cascades controlling epithelial morphogenesis. During gastrulation, Fog induces apical cell constrictions that drive the invagination of mesoderm and posterior gut primordia. The cellular mechanisms underlying primordia internalization vary greatly among insects and recent work has suggested that Fog signaling is specific to the fast mode of gastrulation found in some flies. On the contrary, here we show in the beetle Tribolium, whose development is broadly representative for insects, that Fog has multiple morphogenetic functions. It modulates mesoderm internalization and controls a massive posterior infolding involved in gut and extraembryonic development. In addition, Fog signaling affects blastoderm cellularization, primordial germ cell positioning, and cuboidal-to-squamous cell shape transitions in the extraembryonic serosa. Comparative analyses with two other distantly related insect species reveals that Fog's role during cellularization is widely conserved and therefore might represent the ancestral function of the pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Alan Benton
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nadine Frey
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | | | - Cornelia von Levetzow
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Dominik Stappert
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Muhammad Salim Hakeemi
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Kai H Conrads
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Matthias Pechmann
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Kristen A Panfilio
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.,School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy A Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, United States
| | - Siegfried Roth
- Institute for Zoology/Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
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45
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
There is now compelling evidence that many arthropods pattern their segments using a clock-and-wavefront mechanism, analogous to that operating during vertebrate somitogenesis. In this Review, we discuss how the arthropod segmentation clock generates a repeating sequence of pair-rule gene expression, and how this is converted into a segment-polarity pattern by ‘timing factor’ wavefronts associated with axial extension. We argue that the gene regulatory network that patterns segments may be relatively conserved, although the timing of segmentation varies widely, and double-segment periodicity appears to have evolved at least twice. Finally, we describe how the repeated evolution of a simultaneous (Drosophila-like) mode of segmentation within holometabolan insects can be explained by heterochronic shifts in timing factor expression plus extensive pre-patterning of the pair-rule genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Clark
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Andrew D. Peel
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Michael Akam
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
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46
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Reding K, Chen M, Lu Y, Cheatle Jarvela AM, Pick L. Shifting roles of Drosophila pair-rule gene orthologs: segmental expression and function in the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus. Development 2019; 146:dev181453. [PMID: 31444220 PMCID: PMC6765130 DOI: 10.1242/dev.181453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of pair-rule genes (PRGs) in Drosophila revealed the existence of an underlying two-segment-wide prepattern directing embryogenesis. The milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, a hemimetabolous insect, is a more representative arthropod: most of its segments form sequentially after gastrulation. Here, we report the expression and function of orthologs of the complete set of nine Drosophila PRGs in Oncopeltus Seven Of-PRG-orthologs are expressed in stripes in the primordia of every segment, rather than every other segment; Of-runt is PR-like and several orthologs are also expressed in the segment addition zone. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Of-odd-skipped, paired and sloppy-paired impacted all segments, with no indication of PR-like register. We confirm that Of-E75A is expressed in PR-like stripes, although it is not expressed in this way in Drosophila, demonstrating the existence of an underlying PR-like prepattern in Oncopeltus These findings reveal that a switch occurred in regulatory circuits, leading to segment formation: while several holometabolous insects are 'Drosophila-like', using PRG orthologs for PR patterning, most Of-PRGs are expressed segmentally in Oncopeltus, a more basally branching insect. Thus, an evolutionarily stable phenotype - segment formation - is directed by alternate regulatory pathways in diverse species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Reding
- Department of Entomology, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Mengyao Chen
- Department of Entomology, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Yong Lu
- Department of Entomology, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Alys M Cheatle Jarvela
- Department of Entomology, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Leslie Pick
- Department of Entomology, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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47
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Sun DA, Patel NH. The amphipod crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis: An emerging comparative model of arthropod development, evolution, and regeneration. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2019; 8:e355. [PMID: 31183976 PMCID: PMC6772994 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in genetic manipulation and genome sequencing have paved the way for a new generation of research organisms. The amphipod crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis is one such system. Parhyale are easy to rear and offer large broods of embryos amenable to injection, dissection, and live imaging. Foundational work has described Parhyale embryonic development, while advancements in genetic manipulation using CRISPR-Cas9 and other techniques, combined with genome and transcriptome sequencing, have enabled its use in studies of arthropod development, evolution, and regeneration. This study introduces Parhyale development and life history, a catalog of techniques and resources for Parhyale research, and two case studies illustrating its power as a comparative research system. This article is categorized under: Comparative Development and Evolution > Evolutionary Novelties Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Regeneration Comparative Development and Evolution > Model Systems Comparative Development and Evolution > Body Plan Evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis A Sun
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Nipam H Patel
- Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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48
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Verd B, Monk NAM, Jaeger J. Modularity, criticality, and evolvability of a developmental gene regulatory network. eLife 2019; 8:e42832. [PMID: 31169494 PMCID: PMC6645726 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The existence of discrete phenotypic traits suggests that the complex regulatory processes which produce them are functionally modular. These processes are usually represented by networks. Only modular networks can be partitioned into intelligible subcircuits able to evolve relatively independently. Traditionally, functional modularity is approximated by detection of modularity in network structure. However, the correlation between structure and function is loose. Many regulatory networks exhibit modular behaviour without structural modularity. Here we partition an experimentally tractable regulatory network-the gap gene system of dipteran insects-using an alternative approach. We show that this system, although not structurally modular, is composed of dynamical modules driving different aspects of whole-network behaviour. All these subcircuits share the same regulatory structure, but differ in components and sensitivity to regulatory interactions. Some subcircuits are in a state of criticality, while others are not, which explains the observed differential evolvability of the various expression features in the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berta Verd
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)BarcelonaSpain
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI)KlosterneuburgAustria
- Department of GeneticsUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Nicholas AM Monk
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUnited States
| | - Johannes Jaeger
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)BarcelonaSpain
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI)KlosterneuburgAustria
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUnited States
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD)DresdenGermany
- Complexity Science Hub (CSH)ViennaAustria
- Centre de Recherches Interdisciplinaires (CRI)ParisFrance
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49
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Rudolf H, Zellner C, El-Sherif E. Speeding up anterior-posterior patterning of insects by differential initialization of the gap gene cascade. Dev Biol 2019; 460:20-31. [PMID: 31075221 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Recently, it was shown that anterior-posterior patterning genes in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum are expressed sequentially in waves. However, in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, an insect with a derived mode of embryogenesis compared to Tribolium, anterior-posterior patterning genes quickly and simultaneously arise as mature gene expression domains that, afterwards, undergo slight posterior-to-anterior shifts. This raises the question of how a fast and simultaneous mode of patterning, like that of Drosophila, could have evolved from a rather slow sequential mode of patterning, like that of Tribolium. In this paper, we propose a mechanism for this evolutionary transition based on a switch from a uniform to a gradient-mediated initialization of the gap gene cascade by maternal Hb. The model is supported by computational analyses and experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike Rudolf
- Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstrasse 5, Erlangen, 91058, Germany
| | - Christine Zellner
- Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstrasse 5, Erlangen, 91058, Germany
| | - Ezzat El-Sherif
- Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstrasse 5, Erlangen, 91058, Germany.
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50
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Jeon H, O J, Jin S, Lim J, Choe CP. A Role for buttonhead in the Early Head and Trunk Development in the Beetle Tribolium castaneum. Dev Reprod 2019; 23:63-72. [PMID: 31049473 PMCID: PMC6487318 DOI: 10.12717/dr.2019.23.1.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Thehead gap gene buttonhead (btd) is required
for the patterning of head segments in the early Drosophila
embryo. Mutant phenotypes of btd display a gap-like phenotype
in which antennal, intercalary, mandibular and the anterior portion of the
maxillary segmentsare eliminated. In agreement with the phenotypes,
btd is expressed in a stripe covering the head segments at
the blastoderm stage. During the early phase of the germband extension,
btd is expressed in stripes with single segmental
periodicity, which is required for the formation of the peripheral nervous
system. In contrast to the key role of btd in
Drosophila embryonic development, it has been suggested
that Tribolium ortholog of btd
(Tc-btd) is dispensable for embryonic head development. In
order for better understanding of the requirement of Tc-btd in
the early Tribolium embryo, we re-analyzed the expression
patterns and functions of Tc-btd during embryonic segmentation.
Tc-btd is expressed in segmental stripes at the stages of
blastoderm and germband elongation. Up to 28.3% of embryos in which
Tc-btd is knocked down displays the loss of antennal,
mandibular and the pregnathal regions in the head, with abdominal segments being
disrupted in the trunk. Our findings suggest that Tc-btd is
required for the head and trunk development in the early
Tribolium embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haewon Jeon
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea
| | - Jiyun O
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea
| | - Sil Jin
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea
| | - Jinsung Lim
- Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea
| | - Chong Pyo Choe
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Plus Program), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea.,Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea
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