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Boyette JL, Bell RC, Fujita MK, Thomas KN, Streicher JW, Gower DJ, Schott RK. Diversity and Molecular Evolution of Nonvisual Opsin Genes across Environmental, Developmental, and Morphological Adaptations in Frogs. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae090. [PMID: 38736374 PMCID: PMC11181710 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Nonvisual opsins are transmembrane proteins expressed in the eyes and other tissues of many animals. When paired with a light-sensitive chromophore, nonvisual opsins form photopigments involved in various nonvisual, light-detection functions including circadian rhythm regulation, light-seeking behaviors, and seasonal responses. Here, we investigate the molecular evolution of nonvisual opsin genes in anuran amphibians (frogs and toads). We test several evolutionary hypotheses including the predicted loss of nonvisual opsins due to nocturnal ancestry and potential functional differences in nonvisual opsins resulting from environmental light variation across diverse anuran ecologies. Using whole-eye transcriptomes of 81 species, combined with genomes, multitissue transcriptomes, and independently annotated genes from an additional 21 species, we identify which nonvisual opsins are present in anuran genomes and those that are also expressed in the eyes, compare selective constraint among genes, and test for potential adaptive evolution by comparing selection between discrete ecological classes. At the genomic level, we recovered all 18 ancestral vertebrate nonvisual opsins, indicating that anurans demonstrate the lowest documented amount of opsin gene loss among ancestrally nocturnal tetrapods. We consistently found expression of 14 nonvisual opsins in anuran eyes and detected positive selection in a subset of these genes. We also found shifts in selective constraint acting on nonvisual opsins in frogs with differing activity periods, habitats, distributions, life histories, and pupil shapes, which may reflect functional adaptation. Although many nonvisual opsins remain poorly understood, these findings provide insight into the diversity and evolution of these genes across anurans, filling an important gap in our understanding of vertebrate opsins and setting the stage for future research on their functional evolution across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Boyette
- Department of Biological Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Rome, GA, USA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
- Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Rayna C Bell
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
- Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Matthew K Fujita
- Department of Biology, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Kate N Thomas
- Department of Biology, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
- Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | | | | | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
- Department of Biology & Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Rao F, Xue T. Circadian-independent light regulation of mammalian metabolism. Nat Metab 2024; 6:1000-1007. [PMID: 38831000 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-024-01051-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
The daily light-dark cycle is a key zeitgeber (time cue) for entraining an organism's biological clock, whereby light sensing by retinal photoreceptors, particularly intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, stimulates the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, a central pacemaker that in turn orchestrates the rhythm of peripheral metabolic activities. Non-rhythmic effects of light on metabolism have also been long known, and their transduction mechanisms are only beginning to unfold. Here, we summarize emerging evidence that, in mammals, light exposure or deprivation profoundly affects glucose homeostasis, thermogenesis and other metabolic activities in a clock-independent manner. Such light regulation could involve melanopsin-based, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell-initiated brain circuits via the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus and other nuclei, or direct stimulation of opsins expressed in the hypothalamus, adipose tissue, blood vessels and skin to regulate sympathetic tone, lipolysis, glucose uptake, mitochondrial activation, thermogenesis, food intake, blood pressure and melanogenesis. These photic signalling events may coordinate with circadian-based mechanisms to maintain metabolic homeostasis, with dysregulation of this system underlying metabolic diseases caused by aberrant light exposure, such as environmental night light and shift work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Rao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Assembling and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Tian Xue
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
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Dyer B, Yu SO, Lane Brown R, Lang RA, D’Souza SP. A new Opn4cre recombinase mouse line to target intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.16.589750. [PMID: 38659888 PMCID: PMC11042346 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.16.589750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) play a crucial role in several physiological light responses. In this study we generate a new Opn4cre knock-in allele (Opn4cre(DSO)), in which cre is placed immediately downstream of the Opn4 start codon. This approach aims to faithfully reproduce endogenous Opn4 expression and improve compatibility with widely used reporters. We evaluated the efficacy and sensitivity of Opn4cre(DSO) for labeling in retina and brain, and provide an in-depth comparison with the extensively utilized Opn4cre(Saha) line. Through this characterization, Opn4cre(DSO) demonstrated higher specificity in labeling ipRGCs, with minimal recombination escape. Leveraging a combination of electrophysiological, molecular, and morphological analyses, we confirmed its sensitivity in detecting all ipRGC types (M1-M6). Using this new tool, we describe the topographical distributions of ipRGC types across the retinal landscape, uncovering distinct ventronasal biases for M5 and M6 types, setting them apart from their M1-M4 counterparts. In the brain, we find vastly different labeling patterns between lines, with Opn4cre(DSO) only labeling ipRGC axonal projections to their targets. The combination of off-target effects of Opn4cre(Saha) across the retina and brain, coupled with diminished efficiencies of both Cre lines when coupled to less sensitive reporters, underscores the need for careful consideration in experimental design and validation with any Opn4cre driver. Overall, the Opn4cre(DSO) mouse line represents an improved tool for studying ipRGC function and distribution, offering a means to selectively target these cells to study light-regulated behaviors and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brannen Dyer
- Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
- Science of Light Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
- Abrahamson Pediatric Eye Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
| | - Sue O. Yu
- Department of Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - R. Lane Brown
- Department of Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Richard A. Lang
- Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
- Science of Light Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
- Abrahamson Pediatric Eye Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, OH
| | - Shane P. D’Souza
- Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
- Science of Light Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
- Abrahamson Pediatric Eye Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, OH
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Zhang Z, Shi C, Han J, Ge X, Li N, Liu Y, Huang J, Chen S. Nonvisual system-mediated body color change in fish reveals nonvisual function of Opsin 3 in skin. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY. B, BIOLOGY 2024; 252:112861. [PMID: 38335869 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2024.112861] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Body-color changes in many poikilothermic animals can occur quickly. This color change is generally initiated by visual system, followed by neuromuscular or neuroendocrine control. We have previously showed that the ventral skin color of the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) presents golden yellow in dark environment and quickly changes to silvery white in light environment. In the present study, we found that the light-induced whitening of ventral skin color was independent of visual input. Using light-emitting diode sources of different wavelength with same luminance (150 lx) but different absolute irradiance (0.039-0.333 mW/cm2), we further found that the blue light (λmax = 480 nm, 0.107 mW/cm2) is more effectively in induction of whitening of ventral skin color in compare with other light sources. Interestingly, the result of RT-PCR showed opsin 3 transcripts expressed in xanthophores. Recombinant protein of Opsin 3 with 11-cis retinal formed functional blue-sensitive pigment, with an absorption maximum at 468 nm. The HEK293T cells transfected with Opsin 3 showed a blue light-evoked Ca2+ response. Knock-down of Opsin 3 expression blocked the light-induced xanthosomes aggregation in vitro. Moreover, the light-induced xanthosomes aggregation was mediated via Ca2+-PKC and Ca2+-CaMKII pathways, and relied on microtubules and dynein. Decrease of cAMP levels was a prerequisite for xanthosomes aggregation. Our results provide a unique organism model exhibiting light-induced quick body color change, which was independent of visual input but rather rely on non-visual function of Opsin 3 within xanthophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Chenchen Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Jian Han
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Key laboratory of fish applied biology and aquaculture in North China, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China
| | - Xiaoyu Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Na Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China
| | - Yang Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China
| | - Jing Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Shixi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China.
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Lucas RJ, Allen AE, Brainard GC, Brown TM, Dauchy RT, Didikoglu A, Do MTH, Gaskill BN, Hattar S, Hawkins P, Hut RA, McDowell RJ, Nelson RJ, Prins JB, Schmidt TM, Takahashi JS, Verma V, Voikar V, Wells S, Peirson SN. Recommendations for measuring and standardizing light for laboratory mammals to improve welfare and reproducibility in animal research. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002535. [PMID: 38470868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Light enables vision and exerts widespread effects on physiology and behavior, including regulating circadian rhythms, sleep, hormone synthesis, affective state, and cognitive processes. Appropriate lighting in animal facilities may support welfare and ensure that animals enter experiments in an appropriate physiological and behavioral state. Furthermore, proper consideration of light during experimentation is important both when it is explicitly employed as an independent variable and as a general feature of the environment. This Consensus View discusses metrics to use for the quantification of light appropriate for nonhuman mammals and their application to improve animal welfare and the quality of animal research. It provides methods for measuring these metrics, practical guidance for their implementation in husbandry and experimentation, and quantitative guidance on appropriate light exposure for laboratory mammals. The guidance provided has the potential to improve data quality and contribute to reduction and refinement, helping to ensure more ethical animal use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Lucas
- Centre for Biological Timing, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Annette E Allen
- Centre for Biological Timing, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - George C Brainard
- Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Timothy M Brown
- Centre for Biological Timing, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Robert T Dauchy
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, Tulane, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Altug Didikoglu
- Department of Neuroscience, Izmir Institute of Technology, Gülbahçe, Urla, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Michael Tri H Do
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Center for Life Science, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Brianna N Gaskill
- Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Samer Hattar
- Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms (SLCR), National Institute of Mental Health, John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | | | - Roelof A Hut
- Chronobiology Unit, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Richard J McDowell
- Centre for Biological Timing, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Randy J Nelson
- Department of Neuroscience, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America
| | - Jan-Bas Prins
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Tiffany M Schmidt
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Joseph S Takahashi
- Department of Neuroscience, Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Vandana Verma
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Biosciences Division, Moffett Field, California, United States of America
| | - Vootele Voikar
- Laboratory Animal Center and Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sara Wells
- The Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart N Peirson
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi), Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Kusumoto J, Akashi M, Terashi H, Sakakibara S. Differential Photosensitivity of Fibroblasts Obtained from Normal Skin and Hypertrophic Scar Tissues. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2126. [PMID: 38396801 PMCID: PMC10889571 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
It is unclear whether normal human skin tissue or abnormal scarring are photoreceptive. Therefore, this study investigated photosensitivity in normal skin tissue and hypertrophic scars. The expression of opsins, which are photoreceptor proteins, in normal dermal fibroblasts (NDFs) and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HSFs) was examined. After exposure to blue light (BL), changes in the expression levels of αSMA and clock-related genes, specifically PER2 and BMAL1, were examined in both fibroblast types. Opsins were expressed in both fibroblast types, with OPN3 exhibiting the highest expression levels. After peripheral circadian rhythm disruption, BL induced rhythm formation in NDFs. In contrast, although HSFs showed changes in clock-related gene expression levels, no distinct rhythm formation was observed. The expression level of αSMA was significantly higher in HSFs and decreased to the same level as that in NDFs upon BL exposure. When OPN3 knocked-down HSFs were exposed to BL, the reduction in αSMA expression was inhibited. This study showed that BL exposure directly triggers peripheral circadian synchronization in NDFs but not in HSFs. OPN3-mediated BL exposure inhibited HSFs. Although the current results did not elucidate the relationship between peripheral circadian rhythms and hypertrophic scars, they show that BL can be applied for the prevention and treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Kusumoto
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (H.T.); (S.S.)
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan;
| | - Masaya Akashi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan;
| | - Hiroto Terashi
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (H.T.); (S.S.)
| | - Shunsuke Sakakibara
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan; (H.T.); (S.S.)
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Mat A, Vu HH, Wolf E, Tessmar-Raible K. All Light, Everywhere? Photoreceptors at Nonconventional Sites. Physiology (Bethesda) 2024; 39:0. [PMID: 37905983 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00017.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the biggest environmental alterations we have made to our species is the change in the exposure to light. During the day, we typically sit behind glass windows illuminated by artificial light that is >400 times dimmer and has a very different spectrum than natural daylight. On the opposite end are the nights that are now lit up by several orders of magnitude. This review aims to provide food for thought as to why this matters for humans and other animals. Evidence from behavioral neuroscience, physiology, chronobiology, and molecular biology is increasingly converging on the conclusions that the biological nonvisual functions of light and photosensory molecules are highly complex. The initial work of von Frisch on extraocular photoreceptors in fish, the identification of rhodopsins as the molecular light receptors in animal eyes and eye-like structures and cryptochromes as light sensors in nonmammalian chronobiology, still allowed for the impression that light reception would be a relatively restricted, localized sense in most animals. However, light-sensitive processes and/or sensory proteins have now been localized to many different cell types and tissues. It might be necessary to consider nonlight-responding cells as the exception, rather than the rule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Mat
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter, Vienna, Austria
- VIPS2, Vienna BioCenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hong Ha Vu
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eva Wolf
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kristin Tessmar-Raible
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter, Vienna, Austria
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Carl-von-Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
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Santillo S, De Petrocellis L, Musio C. Diurnal and circadian regulation of opsin-like transcripts in the eyeless cnidarian Hydra. Biomol Concepts 2024; 15:bmc-2022-0044. [PMID: 38502542 DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2022-0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Opsins play a key role in the ability to sense light both in image-forming vision and in non-visual photoreception (NVP). These modalities, in most animal phyla, share the photoreceptor protein: an opsin-based protein binding a light-sensitive chromophore by a lysine (Lys) residue. So far, visual and non-visual opsins have been discovered throughout the Metazoa phyla, including the photoresponsive Hydra, an eyeless cnidarian considered the evolutionary sister species to bilaterians. To verify whether light influences and modulates opsin gene expression in Hydra, we utilized four expression sequence tags, similar to two classic opsins (SW rhodopsin and SW blue-sensitive opsin) and two non-visual opsins (melanopsin and peropsin), in investigating the expression patterns during both diurnal and circadian time, by means of a quantitative RT-PCR. The expression levels of all four genes fluctuated along the light hours of diurnal cycle with respect to the darkness one and, in constant dark condition of the circadian cycle, they increased. The monophasic behavior in the L12:D12 cycle turned into a triphasic expression profile during the continuous darkness condition. Consequently, while the diurnal opsin-like expression revealed a close dependence on light hours, the highest transcript levels were found in darkness, leading us to novel hypothesis that in Hydra, an "internal" biological rhythm autonomously supplies the opsins expression during the circadian time. In conclusion, in Hydra, both diurnal and circadian rhythms apparently regulate the expression of the so-called visual and non-visual opsins, as already demonstrated in higher invertebrate and vertebrate species. Our data confirm that Hydra is a suitable model for studying ancestral precursor of both visual and NVP, providing useful hints on the evolution of visual and photosensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Santillo
- Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "Eduardo Caianiello" (ISASI), National Research Council (CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli (Naples), Italy
| | - Luciano De Petrocellis
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), National Research Council (CNR), 80078 Pozzuoli (Naples), Italy
| | - Carlo Musio
- Institute of Biophysics (IBF), Trento Unit, National Research Council (CNR), Via Sommarive 18, 38123 Trento, Italy
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Murugan NJ, Cariba S, Abeygunawardena S, Rouleau N, Payne SL. Biophysical control of plasticity and patterning in regeneration and cancer. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 81:9. [PMID: 38099951 PMCID: PMC10724343 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05054-6] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Cells and tissues display a remarkable range of plasticity and tissue-patterning activities that are emergent of complex signaling dynamics within their microenvironments. These properties, which when operating normally guide embryogenesis and regeneration, become highly disordered in diseases such as cancer. While morphogens and other molecular factors help determine the shapes of tissues and their patterned cellular organization, the parallel contributions of biophysical control mechanisms must be considered to accurately predict and model important processes such as growth, maturation, injury, repair, and senescence. We now know that mechanical, optical, electric, and electromagnetic signals are integral to cellular plasticity and tissue patterning. Because biophysical modalities underly interactions between cells and their extracellular matrices, including cell cycle, metabolism, migration, and differentiation, their applications as tuning dials for regenerative and anti-cancer therapies are being rapidly exploited. Despite this, the importance of cellular communication through biophysical signaling remains disproportionately underrepresented in the literature. Here, we provide a review of biophysical signaling modalities and known mechanisms that initiate, modulate, or inhibit plasticity and tissue patterning in models of regeneration and cancer. We also discuss current approaches in biomedical engineering that harness biophysical control mechanisms to model, characterize, diagnose, and treat disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirosha J Murugan
- Department of Health Sciences, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
| | - Solsa Cariba
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | | | - Nicolas Rouleau
- Department of Health Sciences, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Samantha L Payne
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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D'Souza SP, Upton BA, Eldred KC, Glass I, Grover K, Ahmed A, Ngyuen MT, Gamlin P, Lang RA. Developmental adaptation of rod photoreceptor number via photoreception in melanopsin (OPN4) retinal ganglion cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.24.554675. [PMID: 37662196 PMCID: PMC10473760 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.24.554675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Photoreception, a form of sensory experience, is essential for normal development of the mammalian visual system. Detecting photons during development is a prerequisite for visual system function - from vision's first synapse at the cone pedicle and maturation of retinal vascular networks, to transcriptional establishment and maturation of cell types within the visual cortex. Consistent with this theme, we find that the lighting environment regulates developmental rod photoreceptor apoptosis via OPN4-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Using a combination of genetics, sensory environment manipulations, and computational approaches, we establish a molecular pathway in which light-dependent glutamate release from ipRGCs is detected via a transiently expressed kainate receptor (GRIK3) in immature rods localized to the inner retina. Communication between ipRGCs and nascent inner retinal rods appears to be mediated by unusual hybrid neurites projecting from ipRGCs that sense light before eye-opening. These structures, previously referred to as outer retinal dendrites (ORDs), span the ipRGC-immature rod distance over the first postnatal week and contain the machinery for sensory detection (melanopsin, OPN4) and axonal/anterograde neurotransmitter release (Synaptophysin, and VGLUT2). Histological and computational assessment of human mid-gestation development reveal conservation of several hallmarks of an ipRGC-to-immature rod pathway, including displaced immature rods, transient GRIK3 expression in the rod lineage, and the presence of ipRGCs with putative neurites projecting deep into the developing retina. Thus, this analysis defines a retinal retrograde signaling pathway that links the sensory environment to immature rods via ipRGC photoreceptors, allowing the visual system to adapt to distinct lighting environments priory to eye-opening.
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