1
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Gong Y, Kiselev A. A simple reaction-diffusion system as a possible model for the origin of chemotaxis. JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS 2023; 17:2260833. [PMID: 37756309 DOI: 10.1080/17513758.2023.2260833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Chemotaxis is a directed cell movement in response to external chemical stimuli. In this paper, we propose a simple model for the origin of chemotaxis - namely how a directed movement in response to an external chemical signal may occur based on purely reaction-diffusion equations reflecting inner working of the cells. The model is inspired by the well-studied role of the rho-GTPase Cdc42 regulator of cell polarity, in particular in yeast cells. We analyse several versions of the model to better understand its analytic properties and prove global regularity in one and two dimensions. Using computer simulations, we demonstrate that in the framework of this model, at least in certain parameter regimes, the speed of the directed movement appears to be proportional to the size of the gradient of signalling chemical. This coincides with the form of the chemical drift in the most studied mean field model of chemotaxis, the Keller-Segel equation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yishu Gong
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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2
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Bernoff AJ, Jilkine A, Navarro Hernández A, Lindsay AE. Single-cell directional sensing from just a few receptor binding events. Biophys J 2023; 122:3108-3116. [PMID: 37355773 PMCID: PMC10432224 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying the directionality of signaling sources from noisy input to membrane receptors is an essential task performed by many cell types. A variety of models have been proposed to explain directional sensing in cells. However, many of these require significant computational and memory capacities for the cell. We propose and analyze a simple mechanism in which a cell adopts the direction associated with the first few membrane binding events. This model yields an accurate angular estimate to the source long before steady state is reached in biologically relevant scenarios. Our proposed mechanism allows for reliable estimates of the directionality of external signals using temporal information and assumes minimal computational capacities of the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Bernoff
- Department of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California
| | - Alexandra Jilkine
- Department of Applied & Computational Mathematics & Statistics, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
| | - Adrián Navarro Hernández
- Department of Applied & Computational Mathematics & Statistics, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
| | - Alan E Lindsay
- Department of Applied & Computational Mathematics & Statistics, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.
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3
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Lawley SD, Johnson J. Slowest first passage times, redundancy, and menopause timing. J Math Biol 2023; 86:90. [PMID: 37148411 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-023-01921-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Biological events are often initiated when a random "searcher" finds a "target," which is called a first passage time (FPT). In some biological systems involving multiple searchers, an important timescale is the time it takes the slowest searcher(s) to find a target. For example, of the hundreds of thousands of primordial follicles in a woman's ovarian reserve, it is the slowest to leave that trigger the onset of menopause. Such slowest FPTs may also contribute to the reliability of cell signaling pathways and influence the ability of a cell to locate an external stimulus. In this paper, we use extreme value theory and asymptotic analysis to obtain rigorous approximations to the full probability distribution and moments of slowest FPTs. Though the results are proven in the limit of many searchers, numerical simulations reveal that the approximations are accurate for any number of searchers in typical scenarios of interest. We apply these general mathematical results to models of ovarian aging and menopause timing, which reveals the role of slowest FPTs for understanding redundancy in biological systems. We also apply the theory to several popular models of stochastic search, including search by diffusive, subdiffusive, and mortal searchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean D Lawley
- Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
| | - Joshua Johnson
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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4
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Lindsay AE, Bernoff AJ, Navarro Hernández A. Short-time diffusive fluxes over membrane receptors yields the direction of a signalling source. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221619. [PMID: 37122946 PMCID: PMC10130716 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
An essential ability of many cell types is to detect stimuli in the form of shallow chemical gradients. Such cues may indicate the direction that new growth should occur, or the location of a mate. Amplification of these faint signals is due to intra-cellular mechanisms, while the cue itself is generated by the noisy arrival of signalling molecules to surface bound membrane receptors. We employ a new hybrid numerical-asymptotic technique coupling matched asymptotic analysis and numerical inverse Laplace transform to rapidly and accurately solve the parabolic exterior problem describing the dynamic diffusive fluxes to receptors. We observe that equilibration occurs on long timescales, potentially limiting the usefulness of steady-state quantities for localization at practical biological timescales. We demonstrate that directional information is encoded primarily in early arrivals to the receptors, while equilibrium quantities inform on source distance. We develop a new homogenization result showing that complex receptor configurations can be replaced by a uniform effective condition. In the extreme scenario where the cell adopts the angular direction of the first impact, we show this estimate to be surprisingly accurate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan E. Lindsay
- Department of Applied and Computational Math and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46617, USA
| | - Andrew J. Bernoff
- Department of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Adrián Navarro Hernández
- Department of Applied and Computational Math and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46617, USA
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5
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Sukumar M, DeFlorio R, Pai CY, Stone DE. A member of the claudin superfamily influences formation of the front domain in pheromone-responding yeast cells. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:286256. [PMID: 36601911 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260048] [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: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell polarization in response to chemical gradients is important in development and homeostasis across eukaryota. Chemosensing cells orient toward or away from gradient sources by polarizing along a front-rear axis. Using the mating response of budding yeast as a model of chemotropic cell polarization, we found that Dcv1, a member of the claudin superfamily, influences front-rear polarity. Although Dcv1 localized uniformly on the plasma membrane (PM) of vegetative cells, it was confined to the rear of cells responding to pheromone, away from the pheromone receptor. dcv1Δ conferred mislocalization of sensory, polarity and trafficking proteins, as well as PM lipids. These phenotypes correlated with defects in pheromone-gradient tracking and cell fusion. We propose that Dcv1 helps demarcate the mating-specific front domain primarily by restricting PM lipid distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhushalini Sukumar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Reagan DeFlorio
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Chih-Yu Pai
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - David E Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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6
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A focus on yeast mating: From pheromone signaling to cell-cell fusion. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 133:83-95. [PMID: 35148940 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cells live in a chemical environment and are able to orient towards chemical cues. Unicellular haploid fungal cells communicate by secreting pheromones to reproduce sexually. In the yeast models Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, pheromonal communication activates similar pathways composed of cognate G-protein-coupled receptors and downstream small GTPase Cdc42 and MAP kinase cascades. Local pheromone release and sensing, at a mobile surface polarity patch, underlie spatial gradient interpretation to form pairs between two cells of distinct mating types. Concentration of secretion at the point of cell-cell contact then leads to local cell wall digestion for cell fusion, forming a diploid zygote that prevents further fusion attempts. A number of asymmetries between mating types may promote efficiency of the system. In this review, we present our current knowledge of pheromone signaling in the two model yeasts, with an emphasis on how cells decode the pheromone signal spatially and ultimately fuse together. Though overall pathway architectures are similar in the two species, their large evolutionary distance allows to explore how conceptually similar solutions to a general biological problem can arise from divergent molecular components.
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7
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Wang X, Pai CY, Stone DE. Gradient tracking in mating yeast depends on Bud1 inactivation and actin-independent vesicle delivery. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 2022; 221:213500. [PMID: 36156058 PMCID: PMC9516845 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202203004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mating of budding yeast depends on chemotropism, a fundamental cellular process. Haploid yeast cells of opposite mating type signal their positions to one another through mating pheromones. We have proposed a deterministic gradient sensing model that explains how these cells orient toward their mating partners. Using the cell-cycle determined default polarity site (DS), cells assemble a gradient tracking machine (GTM) composed of signaling, polarity, and trafficking proteins. After assembly, the GTM redistributes up the gradient, aligns with the pheromone source, and triggers polarized growth toward the partner. Since positive feedback mechanisms drive polarized growth at the DS, it is unclear how the GTM is released for tracking. What prevents the GTM from triggering polarized growth at the DS? Here, we describe two mechanisms that are essential for tracking: inactivation of the Ras GTPase Bud1 and positioning of actin-independent vesicle delivery upgradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Developmental Biology, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Chih-Yu Pai
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - David E. Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL,Correspondence to David E. Stone:
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8
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Abstract
Accurate decoding of spatial chemical landscapes is critical for many cell functions. Eukaryotic cells decode local chemical gradients to orient growth or movement in productive directions. Recent work on yeast model systems, whose gradient sensing pathways display much less complexity than those in animal cells, has suggested new paradigms for how these very small cells successfully exploit information in noisy and dynamic pheromone gradients to identify their mates. Pheromone receptors regulate a polarity circuit centered on the conserved Rho-family GTPase, Cdc42. The polarity circuit contains both positive and negative feedback pathways, allowing spontaneous symmetry breaking and also polarity site disassembly and relocation. Cdc42 orients the actin cytoskeleton, leading to focused vesicle traffic that promotes movement of the polarity site and also reshapes the cortical distribution of receptors at the cell surface. In this article, we review the advances from work on yeasts and compare them with the excitable signaling pathways that have been revealed in chemotactic animal cells. 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)
- Debraj Ghose
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA;
| | - Timothy Elston
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Daniel Lew
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA;
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9
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Abdul-Ganiyu R, Venegas LA, Wang X, Puerner C, Arkowitz RA, Kay BK, Stone DE. Phosphorylated Gβ is a directional cue during yeast gradient tracking. Sci Signal 2021; 14:14/682/eabf4710. [PMID: 33975981 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abf4710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Budding yeast cells interpret shallow pheromone gradients from cells of the opposite mating type, polarize their growth toward the pheromone source, and fuse at the chemotropic growth site. We previously proposed a deterministic, gradient-sensing model that explains how yeast cells switch from the intrinsically positioned default polarity site (DS) to the gradient-aligned chemotropic site (CS) at the plasma membrane. Because phosphorylation of the mating-specific Gβ subunit is thought to be important for this process, we developed a biosensor that bound to phosphorylated but not unphosphorylated Gβ and monitored its spatiotemporal dynamics to test key predictions of our gradient-sensing model. In mating cells, the biosensor colocalized with both Gβ and receptor reporters at the DS and then tracked with them to the CS. The biosensor concentrated on the leading side of the tracking Gβ and receptor peaks and was the first to arrive and stop tracking at the CS. Our data showed that the concentrated localization of phosphorylated Gβ correlated with the tracking direction and final position of the G protein and receptor, consistent with the idea that gradient-regulated phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of Gβ contributes to gradient sensing. Cells expressing a nonphosphorylatable mutant form of Gβ exhibited defects in gradient tracking, orientation toward mating partners, and mating efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashida Abdul-Ganiyu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Leon A Venegas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Charles Puerner
- Université Côte D'Azur, CNRS, INSERM, Institute of Biology Valrose (iBV), Parc Valrose, Nice, France.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Robert A Arkowitz
- Université Côte D'Azur, CNRS, INSERM, Institute of Biology Valrose (iBV), Parc Valrose, Nice, France
| | - Brian K Kay
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - David E Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
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10
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Handy G, Lawley SD. Revising Berg-Purcell for finite receptor kinetics. Biophys J 2021; 120:2237-2248. [PMID: 33794148 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
From nutrient uptake to chemoreception to synaptic transmission, many systems in cell biology depend on molecules diffusing and binding to membrane receptors. Mathematical analysis of such systems often neglects the fact that receptors process molecules at finite kinetic rates. A key example is the celebrated formula of Berg and Purcell for the rate that cell surface receptors capture extracellular molecules. Indeed, this influential result is only valid if receptors transport molecules through the cell wall at a rate much faster than molecules arrive at receptors. From a mathematical perspective, ignoring receptor kinetics is convenient because it makes the diffusing molecules independent. In contrast, including receptor kinetics introduces correlations between the diffusing molecules because, for example, bound receptors may be temporarily blocked from binding additional molecules. In this work, we present a modeling framework for coupling bulk diffusion to surface receptors with finite kinetic rates. The framework uses boundary homogenization to couple the diffusion equation to nonlinear ordinary differential equations on the boundary. We use this framework to derive an explicit formula for the cellular uptake rate and show that the analysis of Berg and Purcell significantly overestimates uptake in some typical biophysical scenarios. We confirm our analysis by numerical simulations of a many-particle stochastic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Handy
- Departments of Neurobiology and Statistics, Chicago, Illinois; Grossman Center for Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Sean D Lawley
- Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
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11
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Vasen G, Dunayevich P, Constantinou A, Colman-Lerner A. GPCR receptor phosphorylation and endocytosis are not necessary to switch polarized growth between internal cues during pheromone response in S. cerevisiae. Commun Integr Biol 2020; 13:128-139. [PMID: 33014265 PMCID: PMC7518455 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2020.1806667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotactic/chemotropic cells follow accurately the direction of gradients of regulatory molecules. Many G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) function as chemoattractant receptors to guide polarized responses. In "a" mating type yeast, the GPCR Ste2 senses the α-cell's pheromone. Previously, phosphorylation and trafficking of this receptor have been implicated in the process of gradient sensing, where cells dynamically correct growth. Correction is often necessary since yeast have intrinsic polarity sites that interfere with a correct initial gradient decoding. We have recently showed that when actively dividing (not in G1) yeast are exposed to a uniform pheromone concentration, they initiate a pheromone-induced polarization next to the mother-daughter cytokinesis site. Then, they reorient their growth to the intrinsic polarity site. Here, to study if Ste2 phosphorylation and internalization are involved in this process, we generated receptor variants combining three types of mutated signals for the first time: phosphorylation, ubiquitylation and the NPFX1,2D Sla1-binding motif. We first characterized their effect on endocytosis and found that these processes regulate internalization in a more complex manner than previously shown. Interestingly, we showed that receptor phosphorylation can drive internalization independently of ubiquitylation and the NPFX1,2D motif. When tested in our assays, cells expressing either phosphorylation or endocytosis-deficient receptors were able to switch away from the cytokinesis site to find the intrinsic polarity site as efficiently as their WT counterparts. Thus, we conclude that these processes are not necessary for the reorientation of polarization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Vasen
- Department of Physiology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences, National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Paula Dunayevich
- Department of Physiology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences, National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andreas Constantinou
- Department of Physiology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences, National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Colman-Lerner
- Department of Physiology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences, National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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12
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Lawley SD, Lindsay AE, Miles CE. Receptor Organization Determines the Limits of Single-Cell Source Location Detection. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:018102. [PMID: 32678664 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.018102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Many types of cells require the ability to pinpoint the location of an external stimulus from the arrival of diffusing signaling molecules at cell-surface receptors. How does the organization (number and spatial configuration) of these receptors shape the limit of a cell's ability to infer the source location? In the idealized scenario of a spherical cell, we apply asymptotic analysis to compute splitting probabilities between individual receptors and formulate an information-theoretic framework to quantify the role of receptor organization. Clustered configurations of receptors provide an advantage in detecting sources aligned with the clusters, suggesting a possible multiscale mechanism for single-cell source inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean D Lawley
- Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - Alan E Lindsay
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana 46556, USA
| | - Christopher E Miles
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, New York 10005, USA
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13
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Henderson NT, Pablo M, Ghose D, Clark-Cotton MR, Zyla TR, Nolen J, Elston TC, Lew DJ. Ratiometric GPCR signaling enables directional sensing in yeast. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000484. [PMID: 31622333 PMCID: PMC6818790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate detection of extracellular chemical gradients is essential for many cellular behaviors. Gradient sensing is challenging for small cells, which can experience little difference in ligand concentrations on the up-gradient and down-gradient sides of the cell. Nevertheless, the tiny cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae reliably decode gradients of extracellular pheromones to find their mates. By imaging the behavior of polarity factors and pheromone receptors, we quantified the accuracy of initial polarization during mating encounters. We found that cells bias the orientation of initial polarity up-gradient, even though they have unevenly distributed receptors. Uneven receptor density means that the gradient of ligand-bound receptors does not accurately reflect the external pheromone gradient. Nevertheless, yeast cells appear to avoid being misled by responding to the fraction of occupied receptors rather than simply the concentration of ligand-bound receptors. Such ratiometric sensing also serves to amplify the gradient of active G protein. However, this process is quite error-prone, and initial errors are corrected during a subsequent indecisive phase in which polarity clusters exhibit erratic mobile behavior. Cells use surface receptors to decode spatial information from chemical gradients, but accurate decoding is hampered by small cell size and the presence of molecular noise. This study shows that yeast cells decode pheromone gradients by measuring the local ratio of bound to unbound receptors. This mechanism corrects for uneven receptor density at the surface and amplifies the gradient transmitted to downstream components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T. Henderson
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Michael Pablo
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Program in Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Debraj Ghose
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Manuella R. Clark-Cotton
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Trevin R. Zyla
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - James Nolen
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Timothy C. Elston
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel J. Lew
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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14
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Wang X, Tian W, Banh BT, Statler BM, Liang J, Stone DE. Mating yeast cells use an intrinsic polarity site to assemble a pheromone-gradient tracking machine. J Cell Biol 2019; 218:3730-3752. [PMID: 31570500 PMCID: PMC6829655 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201901155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The mating of budding yeast depends on chemotropism, a fundamental cellular process. The two yeast mating types secrete peptide pheromones that bind to GPCRs on cells of the opposite type. Cells find and contact a partner by determining the direction of the pheromone source and polarizing their growth toward it. Actin-directed secretion to the chemotropic growth site (CS) generates a mating projection. When pheromone-stimulated cells are unable to sense a gradient, they form mating projections where they would have budded in the next cell cycle, at a position called the default polarity site (DS). Numerous models have been proposed to explain yeast gradient sensing, but none address how cells reliably switch from the intrinsically determined DS to the gradient-aligned CS, despite a weak spatial signal. Here we demonstrate that, in mating cells, the initially uniform receptor and G protein first polarize to the DS, then redistribute along the plasma membrane until they reach the CS. Our data indicate that signaling, polarity, and trafficking proteins localize to the DS during assembly of what we call the gradient tracking machine (GTM). Differential activation of the receptor triggers feedback mechanisms that bias exocytosis upgradient and endocytosis downgradient, thus enabling redistribution of the GTM toward the pheromone source. The GTM stabilizes when the receptor peak centers at the CS and the endocytic machinery surrounds it. A computational model simulates GTM tracking and stabilization and correctly predicts that its assembly at a single site contributes to mating fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Wei Tian
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Bryan T Banh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Jie Liang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - David E Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
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15
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Waszczak N, DeFlorio R, Ismael A, Cheng N, Stone DE, Metodiev MV. Quantitative proteomics reveals a Gα/MAPK signaling hub that controls pheromone-induced cellular polarization in yeast. J Proteomics 2019; 207:103467. [PMID: 31351147 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2019.103467] [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: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The mating-specific yeast Gα controls pheromone signaling by sequestering Gβγ and by regulating the Fus3 MAP kinase. Disrupting Gα-Fus3 interaction leads to severe defects in chemotropism. Because Gα concentrates at the chemotropic growth site where Fus3 is required for the phosphorylation of two known targets, we screened for additional proteins whose phosphorylation depends on pheromone stimulation and Gα-Fus3 interaction. Using a mutant form of Gα severely defective in Fus3-binding, GαDSD, and quantitative mass spectrometry, fourteen proteins were identified as potential targets of Gα-recruited Fus3, ten of which were previously implicated in cell polarity and morphogenesis. To explore the biological relevance of these findings, we focused on the Spa2 polarisome protein, which was hypophosphorylated on multiple serine residues in pheromone-treated GαDSD cells. Six sites were mutagenized to create the Spa26XSA mutant protein. Spa26XSA exhibited increased affinity for Fus3, consistent with a kinase-substrate interaction, and Spa26XSA cells exhibited dramatic defects in gradient sensing and zygote formation. These results suggest that Gα promotes the phosphorylation of Spa2 by Fus3 at the cortex of pheromone-stimulated cells, and that this mechanism plays a role in chemotropism. How the Gα-Fus3 signaling hub affects the other putative targets identified here has yet to be determined. SIGNIFICANCE: Previously, interaction between the G alpha protein, Gpa1, and the MAPK of the pheromone response pathway, Fus3, was shown to be important for efficient sensing of the pheromone gradient and for the maintenance of cell polarity during mating. Here we show that the underlying molecular mechanisms involve the phosphorylation of specific cortical targets of Gpa1/Fus3. These have been identified by quantitative phosphoproteomics using a mutant of Gpa1, which is defective in interacting with Fus3. One of these targets is the polarisome protein Spa2. Alanine substitution of the Spa2 phosphorylation sites targeted by Gpa1/Fus3 lead to a dramatic defect in pheromone gradient sensing and zygote formation. These results reveal how the G alpha protein and the MAPK control cell polarity in a prototypical model system. Our results have wider significance as similar mechanisms exist in higher eukaryotes and are involved in important biological such as neuron development, immunity, and cancer cell metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholaz Waszczak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 South Ashland Ave, Chicago, USA
| | - Reagan DeFlorio
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 South Ashland Ave, Chicago, USA
| | - Amber Ismael
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 South Ashland Ave, Chicago, USA
| | - Naiyuan Cheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 South Ashland Ave, Chicago, USA
| | - David E Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 South Ashland Ave, Chicago, USA.
| | - Metodi V Metodiev
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, UK.
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Martin SG. Molecular mechanisms of chemotropism and cell fusion in unicellular fungi. J Cell Sci 2019; 132:132/11/jcs230706. [PMID: 31152053 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.230706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In all eukaryotic phyla, cell fusion is important for many aspects of life, from sexual reproduction to tissue formation. Fungal cells fuse during mating to form the zygote, and during vegetative growth to connect mycelia. Prior to fusion, cells first detect gradients of pheromonal chemoattractants that are released by their partner and polarize growth in their direction. Upon pairing, cells digest their cell wall at the site of contact and merge their plasma membrane. In this Review, I discuss recent work on the chemotropic response of the yeast models Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which has led to a novel model of gradient sensing: the cell builds a motile cortical polarized patch, which acts as site of communication where pheromones are released and sensed. Initial patch dynamics serve to correct its position and align it with the gradient from the partner cell. Furthermore, I highlight the transition from cell wall expansion during growth to cell wall digestion, which is imposed by physical and signaling changes owing to hyperpolarization that is induced by cell proximity. To conclude, I discuss mechanisms of membrane fusion, whose characterization remains a major challenge for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie G Martin
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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17
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G protein subunit phosphorylation as a regulatory mechanism in heterotrimeric G protein signaling in mammals, yeast, and plants. Biochem J 2018; 475:3331-3357. [PMID: 30413679 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Heterotrimeric G proteins composed of Gα, Gβ, and Gγ subunits are vital eukaryotic signaling elements that convey information from ligand-regulated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to cellular effectors. Heterotrimeric G protein-based signaling pathways are fundamental to human health [Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (2007) 1768, 994-1005] and are the target of >30% of pharmaceuticals in clinical use [Biotechnology Advances (2013) 31, 1676-1694; Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (2017) 16, 829-842]. This review focuses on phosphorylation of G protein subunits as a regulatory mechanism in mammals, budding yeast, and plants. This is a re-emerging field, as evidence for phosphoregulation of mammalian G protein subunits from biochemical studies in the early 1990s can now be complemented with contemporary phosphoproteomics and genetic approaches applied to a diversity of model systems. In addition, new evidence implicates a family of plant kinases, the receptor-like kinases, which are monophyletic with the interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase/Pelle kinases of metazoans, as possible GPCRs that signal via subunit phosphorylation. We describe early and modern observations on G protein subunit phosphorylation and its functional consequences in these three classes of organisms, and suggest future research directions.
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18
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Pesce CG, Zdraljevic S, Peria WJ, Bush A, Repetto MV, Rockwell D, Yu RC, Colman-Lerner A, Brent R. Single-cell profiling screen identifies microtubule-dependent reduction of variability in signaling. Mol Syst Biol 2018; 14:e7390. [PMID: 29618636 PMCID: PMC5884679 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20167390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Populations of isogenic cells often respond coherently to signals, despite differences in protein abundance and cell state. Previously, we uncovered processes in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae pheromone response system (PRS) that reduced cell-to-cell variability in signal strength and cellular response. Here, we screened 1,141 non-essential genes to identify 50 "variability genes". Most had distinct, separable effects on strength and variability of the PRS, defining these quantities as genetically distinct "axes" of system behavior. Three genes affected cytoplasmic microtubule function: BIM1, GIM2, and GIM4 We used genetic and chemical perturbations to show that, without microtubules, PRS output is reduced but variability is unaffected, while, when microtubules are present but their function is perturbed, output is sometimes lowered, but its variability is always high. The increased variability caused by microtubule perturbations required the PRS MAP kinase Fus3 and a process at or upstream of Ste5, the membrane-localized scaffold to which Fus3 must bind to be activated. Visualization of Ste5 localization dynamics demonstrated that perturbing microtubules destabilized Ste5 at the membrane signaling site. The fact that such microtubule perturbations cause aberrant fate and polarity decisions in mammals suggests that microtubule-dependent signal stabilization might also operate throughout metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stefan Zdraljevic
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | | | - Alan Bush
- IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET and Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Victoria Repetto
- IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET and Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Alejandro Colman-Lerner
- IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET and Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Roger Brent
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
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Ismael A, Stone DE. Yeast chemotropism: A paradigm shift in chemical gradient sensing. CELLULAR LOGISTICS 2017; 7:e1314237. [PMID: 28702274 DOI: 10.1080/21592799.2017.1314237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability of cells to direct their movement and growth in response to shallow chemical gradients is essential in the life cycles of all eukaryotic organisms. The signaling mechanisms underlying directional sensing in chemotactic cells have been well studied; however, relatively little is known about how chemotropic cells interpret chemical gradients. Recent studies of chemotropism in budding and fission yeast have revealed 2 quite different mechanisms-biased wandering of the polarity complex, and differential internalization of the receptor and G protein. Each of these mechanisms has been proposed to play a key role in decoding mating pheromone gradients. Here we explore how they may work together as 2 essential components of one gradient sensing machine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Ismael
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - David E Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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20
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Ly N, Cyert MS. Calcineurin, the Ca 2+-dependent phosphatase, regulates Rga2, a Cdc42 GTPase-activating protein, to modulate pheromone signaling. Mol Biol Cell 2017; 28:576-586. [PMID: 28077617 PMCID: PMC5328617 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e16-06-0432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcineurin, the conserved Ca2+/calmodulin-activated phosphatase, is required for viability during prolonged exposure to pheromone and acts through multiple substrates to down-regulate yeast pheromone signaling. Calcineurin regulates Dig2 and Rod1/Art4 to inhibit mating-induced gene expression and activate receptor internalization, respectively. Recent systematic approaches identified Rga2, a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for the Cdc42 Rho-type GTPase, as a calcineurin substrate. Here we establish a physiological context for this regulation and show that calcineurin dephosphorylates and positively regulates Rga2 during pheromone signaling. Mating factor activates the Fus3/MAPK kinase, whose substrates induce gene expression, cell cycle arrest, and formation of the mating projection. Our studies demonstrate that Fus3 also phosphorylates Rga2 at inhibitory S/TP sites, which are targeted by Cdks during the cell cycle, and that calcineurin opposes Fus3 to activate Rga2 and decrease Cdc42 signaling. Yeast expressing an Rga2 mutant that is defective for regulation by calcineurin display increased gene expression in response to pheromone. This work is the first to identify cross-talk between Ca2+/calcineurin and Cdc42 signaling and to demonstrate modulation of Cdc42 activity through a GAP during mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Ly
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Martha S Cyert
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
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